[ She falls silent, but the line remains open. Karl's lips part, as if to ask what more she could possibly want. But he intuits the color and pitch of this silence. Guilt. Expectation. Self-disgust. So many things, unsaid yet obvious, simmering in that tenuous digital connection between them. ]
[ It's a lie that technology blunts the personal aspect of things. Not for a Chiropteran. Not with their heightened senses. He inhales through his nose, then tries for a parting shot. But what comes out is, ]
We should -- [ Stop saying we. There is no goddamned we. ] I'll speak with you later. About the Deity trade. [ If he's still alive after Diva learns of this debacle. ]
[private]
[ It's a lie that technology blunts the personal aspect of things. Not for a Chiropteran. Not with their heightened senses. He inhales through his nose, then tries for a parting shot. But what comes out is, ]
We should -- [ Stop saying we. There is no goddamned we. ] I'll speak with you later. About the Deity trade. [ If he's still alive after Diva learns of this debacle. ]