006 ✳ day 98 ✳ video/action

[blackmagus]

[Fortescue is sitting in the gazebo as she fiddles with the wrist comm. Jazz is visible in the background, on one of the rails; he has a beetle pinned under one black paw, apparently for his own amusement.

She's staving off a headache by taking a break in her fishing. Using magic has its problems.]

Our worlds seem to share plenty of differences, but the similarities, I think, are just as interesting. Shared ideas amongst the multiverse. So, if you'd care to indulge me, what are some of your favorite things in popular culture?

[private to Donna Noble]

[She schools her expression into a more serious one.]

Given the recent disappearances, I think it would be a good idea to spring our 'list' plan into action. What do you think?

[private to Erik Lehnsherr]

I understand you've been teaching B— Dilandau how to cook? I hope it hasn't been too maddening.

Comments

[purplishgreen]

Precisely so.

[She sighs, leaning back a little, relaxing into the moment.]

The human lifespan, too, is so short. You should enjoy every moment you have, it seems to me.

[blackmagus]

A hundred years, optimistically, does seem like a wink compared to some races. [Elves live so much longer that it's sometimes hard to relate to them.] How long do Asari live for?

[purplishgreen]

A thousand years, typically. I am three hundred and fifteen, myself.

But a hundred years is nothing to be ashamed of. My father...

[She hesitates a moment.]

My father was a salarian, and he was thirty-eight when he died, which is very old by their standards. I have... few memories of him.

[blackmagus]

[She wonders, a little, if that makes Shiala half-Asari, but that seems like a personal question to ask at the moment. They've only just met. So Fortescue simply nods.]

That's only a few years older than me. [She 'hurms' quietly.] Living for such a short amount of time seems tricky, to accomplish what you want.

[purplishgreen]

And yet, salarians accomplish a great deal in their forty years.

[She shakes her head.]

How long do elves live? Is it similar to humans?

[blackmagus]

It depends on the house, but most of them live... oh... [Fortescue really has to think. This is school stuff.] Five hundred years? Some of them longer, and shorter.

[purplishgreen]

[She nods. It seems a reasonable time, to her. Longer than many species, shorter than asari or krogan.]

I served a great leader of my people for a long time, as bodyguard and disciple. Her opinion was that there is a value in the points of view a different lifespan gives a species.

[blackmagus]

[Makes sense to her.]

I s'pose there would be equally important wisdom to take from both long and short lifespans. [Smiling, she shrugs.] I'm happy with whatever time I have. [Well, in some ways.]

[purplishgreen]

I think that's a good attitude to have. If it makes a difference, I have heard Matriarchs who have lived a thousand years speak of much loss, pain, and grief. Great joy, as well, but you cannot have one without a share of the other.

[blackmagus]

Outliving almost everyone you know would be tough.

[As it is, it'll probably be the other way around.]

[purplishgreen]

Perhaps. As it is... well, I am fairly young, for an asari, but I have already seen a few friends who were not asari age and die. It... is not easy, but... it's important to treasure the time you have, not mourn what you cannot have.

[blackmagus]

[Fortescue nods.]

You'd miss a lot. [With a grin,] And some things in life should not be missed.

[purplishgreen]

Yes.

[She leans forward again, resting her forearms on her knees in a thoughtful pose.]

Love, friendship, the first time you look out on a new planet -- or any other new location, for that matter.

[blackmagus]

Seeing planets must be impressive.

[All she has, for that, is her imagination. But she's been to other worlds - one before this, and now the Cape - and so she doesn't feel so backwards or inadequate as a person might be tempted.]

[purplishgreen]

Some of them.

[She gives a little sigh.]

Feros, where I live, is covered with ruined cities. They're Prothean ruins, at least fifty thousand years old. They have great skyways that stretch out from building to building for transportation. The colony of Zhu's Hope is built right into the ruins of an old skyscraper, to take advantage of old hydroponics bays and water conduits. To see Feros from up high, well... it's impressive, in a very unique way.

[blackmagus]

[Fortescue has to think about that for a moment. A society fifty thousand years old, gone, with a new colony built into it — a society that had had skyscrapers. New and old, bound together in a way she's never seen before. It certainly sounds amazing to her, if she's been listening right.

Shiala's pretty, after all, and sometimes beauty has an easy way of distracting her.]

It must be a sight, something that old.

[purplishgreen]

It is. It's very beautiful, and also sad. I suppose all races must perish eventually, but we leave our mark on the galaxy for future species to discover.

[The smile she gives Fortescue is a small one.]

Beauty can be found in unusual places.

[blackmagus]

[Fortescue returns it more broadly, noting the suddenly subdued tone to the conversation. Time to brighten it up, hopefully. She winks.]

That's absolutely true.

[purplishgreen]

There's certainly some to be found here, for all its drawbacks.

[Her smile grows a little warmer.]

[blackmagus]

[She nods in agreement.]

And the scenery isn't too bad, either. There are much worse places to be held.

[purplishgreen]

[She laughs, delighted at this response.]

Indeed. On the whole, I am pleased to have met you, Fortescue. I hope we meet again soon.

[blackmagus]

Odds are good that I'm just around the corner.

[Fortescue grins cheekily.]

Right back at you. Have a good rest of the day.