poly_chromatic | [ accidental video ]

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the infernal devices - tessa gray

[ accidental video ]

[ The feed clicks on to reveal Tessa, face somewhere between stoic and utterly, utterly shocked, addressing someone off-screen. ]

I do not-- wish to talk about these things, ma'am.

[ A short hesitation. ] I am aware that I should know, indeed, but I would prefer to-- read a book. [ It sounds like even that concession cost her. ]

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I am hardly indulging them, I should think.

You're providing them with an audience. I'd say that's indulging enough.

I have made clear my preference not to speak of such topics to those that attempted to use me as their audience.

What is it like in your world and time, are such topics acceptable? [ She can talk about it, too. In the extreme abstract. ]

Then that's their problem, not yours.

[And then she changes the subject...sort of. He gives a short sigh before continuing:] Sometimes. It depends on the neighborhood, usually.

[ Tessa wonders what that sigh means, but she can hardly ask him about it directly. ]

I suppose there are very many different neighborhoods, still. Are you from Earth, or is it another planet as well as another time?

Earth. [Something of a thoughtful pause follows.] Lots of things have changed, but it's still Earth.

[ A brief hesitation, but-- regardless of how ridiculous the question may seem, it is something that is important to her. ] Are there still books?

[There's a question he wasn't expecting.]

Actual bound-paper books, you mean? [He pauses again.] They're pretty archaic, but I'm sure they're around somewhere.

Oh. [ A pause. ] But do you still have stories? On a, another medium than paper books?

Of course there are still stories. There are movies and television...for people who have the time to spare on them, anyway.

But no written words in some form?

Electronically, sure. But there aren't many books around, at least not like you know them.

Most people don't really have the time to sit around and do much reading, anyway.

Oh.

[ pause, and then, because she has to say something, but a world without books in which people have no time to read is terrifying and terrible to her. ] I see.

[He doesn't miss that.]

Something wrong?

It is simply that-- I can imagine living in any world but one without books and time for reading. I could bear anything so long as I have books, but not their absence.

[To that, he snorts.]

There are worse problems than that where I'm from.

[ Normally, she would be curious, but the contempt for her need for books she reads into that snort makes her angry instead.

Stiffly: ] Then I am sorry that you do not know the comfort that books can offer.

[Raymond continues to not be fazed.] There's not a lot of comfort to be had in sitting idle while the seconds of your life are ticking away. Unless you've got enough seconds left to keep you from worrying about it.

[ either he truly doesn't understand, or he does not want to understand. Tessa is not sure which would be worse ]

Have you tried reading, now that you are here and have time?

[That gives him a moment's pause.]

No. Haven't seen much point in it.

Would you not like to try?

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