ic contact;

[psycholawgy]

You've reached Athena Cykes. I'm currently unavailable, but leave a message and I'll get back to you pronto. Danke! (voice/call → text → video → action)

Comments

[emotive]

[Athena has been acting slightly strange, something that Ai takes into account. But they can talk over dinner.]

Both sound good! But we should eat the chicken first. Pasta can be our lunch during work.

[psycholawgy]

Got it! Just hang tight there, okay? You have to get some relaxation after what happened.

[ nothing happened to her, though, athena... ]

[emotive]

[Yeah, all the ??? on Ai's end here, but she moves to set up the table and the tea for them both.]

I'm more worried for you. I never seem to have the right timing to help you out when you're in trouble.

[psycholawgy]

[ athena looks back at ai from the counters, concerned for her friend now. ]

Don't be silly. You have nothing to worry about.

[emotive]

[Ai sighs, and sits down, gesturing for Athena to do the same.]

Can you tell me what happened while you were away?

[psycholawgy]

The robot appeared, [ there's some chopping noises coming from the kitchen now as she chops the chicken up. ] you know, the one from the network.

It led us to the edges of the colony and pushed us somewhere. It was a pretty nasty fall, too.

[emotive]

Oh my goodness!! Wasn't anyone injured from that?!

[psycholawgy]

I think all of us survived with just some scratches all over!

[emotive]

What next then? Did you find what the robot wanted to show you or...?

[psycholawgy]

We found a library... there were so many books there about the Flamines!

[emotive]

Really? That's great!

Were you able to find out anything else that we don't know already from the books then? Like... How do they kill anyways? I never came face to face with one...

[psycholawgy]

I still have to read the books. . . I hope there's something like that in there, though.

I don't like them at all.

[emotive]

[Ai nods in agreement.]

Who would really? What they do seems so purposeless... And I know the robot on the network told us that we could possibly ally ourselves with them, but...

[It goes unsaid. Flamines were about as trustworthy as CEREs.]

[psycholawgy]

I'm never going to partner up with them! I'd rather jump off a bridge!

[ over the top anger? over the top anger. ]

[emotive]

Please don't...

You talked to them didn't you? And they were the ones that took your money.

... What are they going to do with all those funds anyways?

[psycholawgy]

That's a really good question...

Maybe they just like swimming in their own wealth. I mean, I'd sleep in a room full of gold bars if I could.

[emotive]

Or you could buy the most comfortable bed in the world with the comfiest blankets and pillows.

... Although maybe you'd only need one gold bar for that.

[psycholawgy]

You can even buy an entire pudding factory if you wanted!

[emotive]

Yeah... That would be amazing...

[Almost daydreaming about pudding heaven, but Ai snaps out of it]

Anyways, I guess part of your research is going to have to be what Flamines do with money then? It'd be nice to have some context of where they're coming from besides utter destruction.

[psycholawgy]

Yeah. The only problem is... where do we even begin?

[emotive]

Maybe they buy more weapons to destroy? But then again, if they have enough power to decimate things in their path, why would they bother with monetary exchange?

[So many questions and only more questions, questions, questions.]

[psycholawgy]

I'll try to see if the books have anything to say about it...

[ anyway... ]

About Archer-- I-- You know, we got into a fight the other day.

[emotive]

[Ah...]

What were you both fighting about?

[psycholawgy]

W- Well! I was having a problem with Merlin-- [ her cheeks flush red when she says it, and it prompts her to look away. ] and I asked him for help. He didn't want to help me.

[emotive]

That... That's just like him isn't it??

[Archer's so picky with people even with the ones he's known for a long time.]

Um. He left me a sword!