01-11-2023, 02:45 AM
He listened as Jay spoke. Seven’s attention was focused and even. He nodded as the picture unfolded and asked insightful yet respectful questions along the way. Following his previous blunder, he made it a point to expand the circle of awareness. Jay’s mannerisms oscillated like a pendulum, he discovered. In one moment, he spoke with an animation that even a movie could not capture the image at hand. Yet soon a shadow would settle over him in a way that Seven thought to be the distance of far-away sadness. He tried to imagine Jay as a child loose on the fields of a farm, roping horses and riding tractors. He imagined Jay was rather wild as a boy. Not so much as irresponsible, although the streak was more than hinted upon, but daring and fearless. Maybe it was because Seven’s own childhood had been so protected that even the barest hint of freedom felt like wild exuberance in comparison. It made him smile to think of it.
Eventually, Jay revealed his enlistment in the United States military. Seven nodded with brows raised, properly impressed. He hadn’t the opportunity to do any research on his new friend, not that he was being inappropriate with any such searches, but if he had, then Seven was sure to encounter the revelation. Yet he enjoyed learning about people the old-fashioned way, through the art of conversation.
“That explains your many travels. I am not so worldly as that,” Seven laughed in comparison. “I’ve not even ventured outside the CCD,” he said. Of course, the CCD covered continents now, but Seven wasn’t being coy. He had traveled through the Dominances, but not all of them, and there were others he still desired to see.
From a farmer to a soldier, Seven tried to picture Jay in that world. It wasn’t hard, he found himself thinking while they conversed at a street crossing, waiting for the signal to offer passage. Jay was taller than Seven himself, and broader in the shoulder despite Seven’s commitment to the gym. It wasn’t physique really. It was the intensity of his gaze and the confidence of his walk.
“I imagine the story of how you came to be here is a fascinating one,” Seven said with a smile. “Maybe it’s a tale for another night,” he added. “Because while it’s not a strip club,” Seven laughed with the sort of nod that said he wouldn’t mind as much either, “I am no stranger to a shot myself,” he then turned to an ally and approached an undesignated door. It opened as he presented himself and spoke with the person on the other side. It was only a few swipes of tech to confirm his admittance, pay the cover, and they were swallowed up by the unknown.
Eventually, Jay revealed his enlistment in the United States military. Seven nodded with brows raised, properly impressed. He hadn’t the opportunity to do any research on his new friend, not that he was being inappropriate with any such searches, but if he had, then Seven was sure to encounter the revelation. Yet he enjoyed learning about people the old-fashioned way, through the art of conversation.
“That explains your many travels. I am not so worldly as that,” Seven laughed in comparison. “I’ve not even ventured outside the CCD,” he said. Of course, the CCD covered continents now, but Seven wasn’t being coy. He had traveled through the Dominances, but not all of them, and there were others he still desired to see.
From a farmer to a soldier, Seven tried to picture Jay in that world. It wasn’t hard, he found himself thinking while they conversed at a street crossing, waiting for the signal to offer passage. Jay was taller than Seven himself, and broader in the shoulder despite Seven’s commitment to the gym. It wasn’t physique really. It was the intensity of his gaze and the confidence of his walk.
“I imagine the story of how you came to be here is a fascinating one,” Seven said with a smile. “Maybe it’s a tale for another night,” he added. “Because while it’s not a strip club,” Seven laughed with the sort of nod that said he wouldn’t mind as much either, “I am no stranger to a shot myself,” he then turned to an ally and approached an undesignated door. It opened as he presented himself and spoke with the person on the other side. It was only a few swipes of tech to confirm his admittance, pay the cover, and they were swallowed up by the unknown.