０１９ ☠ voice

[jemerite]

Hello.

[Her voice is faint, whispering and hoarse, but it is usually that way, just not always quite so soft. Zinc, pale-skinned and dark-haired, is sitting on the front porch of her little house, one robot cat curled against her side, and a robot bug in her lap.

She's watching the birds in her courtyard wistfully.]

It has been... difficult again. I heard screaming. Sometimes, I wonder... why the Queen lets us be hurt, if she says she loves us. [Large brown eyes blink, the way someone would if they were pushing back tears, but Zinc can't cry.] She can't stop it. Love hurts. It will always hurt.

[That's cheerful, Zinc. She's quiet for a long moment, watching birds peck peanut butter and seeds off the pine cones she prepared.]

I hope everyone is... doing better, today.

[She rests her cheek against the Cait's head sadly and doesn't say anything else.]

Comments

[jemerite]

[ Hello, Jessica, Zinc is sitting in her familiar little courtyard. While waiting for you, the little robot beetle has taken to fluttering slow circles. She's watching with quiet enjoyment.]

You haven't been in trouble lately, have you?

[It's a greeting, even if she's not very good at phrasing it like one.]

[notvitiligo]

[Bulbasaur immediately scampers over to watch the beetle antics. AMAZING STUNT SHOW.]

Not in particular. I had some crappy dreams, but I'm getting the impression everyone here did.

[jemerite]

My dreams were... [Terrible, but] not unusual.

[notvitiligo]

That's... good?

[jemerite]

[Tsk.]

Why were they crappy?

[notvitiligo]

[She looks over at Bulbasaur, quiet for a moment.]

I was... ruining things. Messing stuff up.

[jemerite]

Things and stuff.

[That's not evasive at all, Jessica.]

[notvitiligo]

Everything.

Here.



....the Gardens.

[jemerite]

Why was it wrecked?

[notvitiligo]

Y'know... [She gains an intense interest in the floor.]

If you wanna know how a thing works, you gotta take it apart.






And...

[She swallows.]

I wanted to go home again.

[jemerite]

[Oh dear. She tilts her head.]

You feel sad, for breaking it?

[This would have once been a novel concept to her.]

[notvitiligo]

[She glances up, out the corner of her eye.]

Well... yeah. There's people around that... they don't have anywhere else to go.

And they're happy.

And... I mean, there's Bulbasaur, and the robots, and everything.

[jemerite]

It's sad. Having attachments here, and still missing home.

[Zinc knows.]

It... leaves a hole. No matter what.

[She shrugs. She's full of holes, and it aches.]

[notvitiligo]

Yeah... a hole.

Like, no matter where you are, you'll be missing something.

Even if they make you forget.

[jemerite]

It doesn't hurt. If you don't remember.

[notvitiligo]

[She considers this.]

How do you know?

[jemerite]

Why would it?

[notvitiligo]

Underlying neural associations. You don't remember something, but there's already paths and stuff in other places.

You'd have to wipe a whole lot, probably.

[jemerite]

That's... [Work zombie-brain work.] not fair.