Voice; 004

[lifewithoutrest]

[It has been a few days since things have settled back into relative quiet, leaving behind only memories of those she has so recently encountered. Memories of having her daughter back. After the latest Spectavi broadcast, she's certain this has been simply another cruel trick of their overseers. Her message is simple, quiet; she doesn't have much else to say.]

Perhaps their goal truly is to torture us.

[Turning off the recording, she slips the communicator into her pocket, heading for the door. Perhaps a walk is in order.]

Comments

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

[Her curiosity wins out over her politeness.]

You're meant to be the embodiment of Hong Kong, but how? How do you experience it?

[voice]

[bauhinia]

[ There's a little background noise here for a second, but then he speaks again. ]

Well, I didn't exist 'til 1842. I mean, I guess I might've before then, but I don't remember it. When the city gets bigger or something changes, it usually happens to me too. Like, I get taller or look like I've gotten older or something.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Extraordinary.

[There's a slight pause.]

Is there something you'd like to ask of me?

[voice]

[bauhinia]

I know you kinda mentioned it before, but what is it you do at home? You don't have to say, obviously, if you don't wanna.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Of course.

I worked with creatures of myth and legend. Abnormals, we call them. Not entirely unlike yourself, evolutionary experiments. Some are less evolved than humans, steps leading up to our own evolution. Others are significantly more advanced. All teach us about ourselves, give us a new understanding of the world we live in.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

So this really isn't that weird to you, is it? [ He sounds, honestly, mildly awed? Or at least intrigued. ] You said myths. Like, the Loch Ness monster or is this more like, vampires or something.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Not entirely, no.

Both, actually. Though, I can't say I've ever found definitive proof of Nessie's existence.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

Seriously? Scotland talks about her all the time, so I'm pretty sure she's real.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

In your world, perhaps. Though, I've also never found definitive proof she doesn't exist.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

I bet she's in your world too. You'll find her. [ He doesn't seem to have a problem saying that with confidence. ]

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

I admire your confidence.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

[ He shrugs, as if to say this is not a big deal. ] People oughta be able to do what they wanna do. And I guess, like, find what they wanna find, in this case.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

It's certainly an opportunity I wouldn't pass up.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

I kinda got that impression, yeah. [ Meaning she does sort of seem like the type of person to live by carpe diem. ]

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

I'm a scientist; the unknown fascinates me.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

By choice, right? I mean, the scientist part.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Yes. I believe I was too curious not to be.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

Science does kinda seem like a good place for a curious person.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

[She hums faintly.]

What better way to satisfy that curiosity than solving nature's mysteries?

[voice]

[bauhinia]

Those are some pretty big mysteries you're talking about, too.

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Yet they're often the ones with the simplest answers.

[voice]

[bauhinia]

Funny how that happens, yeah?

[voice]

[lifewithoutrest]

Certainly. They're also among the most rewarding discoveries.