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# Ioan Bălan --- 2325
# Yared Zerezghi --- 2124
If, Ioan thought, there was a version of Dear's sim --- that sprawling, unending shortgrass prairie --- that had existed to perfect trees instead of grass, it was this place.
> **Amendment to referendum 10b30188**
>
> The entity known as the System, with regards to its inhabitants, shall hereby secede and become its own self-governing entity.
>
> 1. Those who have uploaded to live on the System shall no longer hold their citizenship (sometimes known as "dual citizenship") to their country of origin.
> 2. The creations of those who have uploaded to live on the System shall henceforth be considered as originating in and governed by the System as a political entity.
> 3. The System as a self-governing entity shall enter into trade agreements with other governmental entities for goods and services required to maintain the System as a physical entity.
> 4. The exchange of goods and services between the System and the governmental entity named in the trade agreement shall be binding for those two parties only.
> 5. The act of uploading to the System shall be considered one of emigration, and regulations around immigration shall be set only by the System.
> 6. No governmental entity may set undue barriers to uploading to the System beyond existing expatriation agreements, nor may they intimidate, dissuade, or otherwise hinder citizens from choosing to emigrate.
> 7. As a separate governmental entity, the System shall be a valid destination for asylum-seekers and refugees regardless of their reasons for seeking such, with regulations for acceptance being set by the System as a self-governing entity.
> 8. Due to the nature of the System, the following limitations shall be put in place on this governmental entity:
> 1. It shall not provide favor to any one governmental entity over another except through the agreements set above.
> 2. It shall not enact any trade embargo, tariff, or other restriction on trade against any other governmental entity.
> 3. It shall not be able to declare war on any other governmental entity.
> 4. No other governmental entity shall declare war on or attempt to destroy the physical elements of the System.
> 5. No other governmental entity shall aid or abet another governmental entity to conspire against the System.
> 9. The physical elements of the System including but not limited to the System hardware, resource infrastructure, and the "Ansible system" required for uploading shall be considered property of the System as a governmental entity, with the offices containing the "Ansible system" being considered an international zone.
> 10. The System as a governmental entity shall enact any and all regulations relating to its own governance, which no other governmental entity may hinder.
>
> *Sponsors:*
>
> Direct Democracy Representative signatory
> : Yared Zerezghi (NEAC) via Direct Democracy Representative, author.
>
> Supervisory government signatory
> : Yosef Demma (NEAC), Councilor.
>
> System-side signatories
> : The Only Time I Know My True Name Is When I Dream of the Ode clade by way of Michelle Hadje (Council of Eight), Council-member.
> Jonas Prime of the Jonas clade by way of Jonas Anderson (Council of Eight), Council-member.
>
> November 28, 2124
May had told em that Serene had designed this sim, just as she had Dear's prairie. In that sense, it felt much the same; if Serene had any hallmarks of design, it seemed to be a focus on wind and weather, an unerring attention to plant life, and a fondness for the fractal textures of the ground. It was easy enough to design with right angles, flat planes, level ground. As building was something more akin to daydreaming, it was natural landscapes that were the hard ones to get the tiny details correct.
The response to the proposal was immediate and dramatic.
It was no surprise that this sim had been designed for another Odist. Where Dear had fallen in love with the endless prairie and Michelle the flowing fields of dandelion dotted grass, Do I Know God After The End Waking had fallen in love with trees.
Yared had not known what exactly it was that he was expecting, but it certainly was not an immediate division within the DDR, with one half being suddenly and intensely for the referendum and its amendments, each for their own reasons, and the other half being suddenly and intensely against the referendum for completely separate reasons he could not fathom.
When ey first arrived, ey had done so outside of a smallish A-frame building, more tent than anything, for it was built of rough-hewn planks set into the classical shape with an oiled canvas draped over it to create the walls. Even the floor was made of those rough planks, though much of it appeared to have been worn smooth after countless years of foot --- or paw --- traffic.
It was not that he hadn't expected some division, but the strength of the divisiveness of the amendment itself was alarming. Where once there had been general consensus on the issue of individual rights and the L<sub>5</sub> launch amendment, there was suddenly no guarantee that the referendum itself would actually pass. It had been a foregone conclusion, and now, in the matter of minutes, the entire thing seemed to be crumbling around him, and, with his name attached as author and DDR signatory, he was responsible.
Peeking inside revealed a simple cot made of more canvas stretched over a frame and a pillow of some sort of bundle, a battered roll-top desk with a low stool in front of it (Ioan found emself desperately wanting something similar upon seeing them), and a small wood-burning stove in the back where the far wall had been created using rammed earth instead of more canvas.
His instinct was to leave. To run. To hide. Some adrenal reaction drove him to back out of the 'net, throw on his cap and nearly sprint from his apartment.
Ey immediately fell in love with it, and hoped that ey'd like End Waking well enough to visit again.
He made it the several blocks up to the useless, wooded patch of ground before he calmed down enough to realize that, not only had he left behind any chance of responding to the flurry of comments on the referendum and its amendment (unless he wanted to use the clunky interface for doing so on his phone), but also any chance of syncing up with True Name and Jonas on the events.
He was nowhere to be seen, though. The rundown of his appearance from May was of a skunk like herself, male, and "heavily committed to the ranger aesthetic. Cloak, hatchet, bow, the works".
Now here he was, huddling at the base of a scraggly tree like some hunted thing, an animal seeking only to never be seen by unknown predators. Now here he was, completely alone.
Ioan sat on the steps in front of the tent and waited, hoping perhaps that ey had simply arrived too early for the scheduled meeting. It was a pleasant wait, at least, and a welcome break from the increasing tension that ey had been feeling within as more and more information about the Odists had come to light. Eir own interviews, as well as news from the Codrins and Dears had left em anxious more often than not, and even though ey did eir best to keep that feeling away from eir interactions with May, there was still no denying that she was an Odist as well.
And yet he couldn't force himself to rise. Couldn't force himself to get up from his crouching position, couldn't force himself to walk back to his apartment or, really, anywhere else, couldn't even force himself to pull his phone from his pocket and get in touch with...well, who would he even contact? The only one he interacted with in the subject --- really, the only one he interacted with offline in any sincere capacity, these last few months --- was Councilor Demma.
The skunk's arrival was something of a surprise, as what ey had initially taken to be one of those wandering breezes fingering ferns and branches slowly resolved into a humanoid form walking silently between the trees.
Given this reaction, that seemed ill-advised.
"Mx. Bălan," the form murmured, tugging back the hood that hid most of its face to reveal the familiar white-striped black snout. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. I was exploring."
So he sat for an hour, back pressed against the trunk of the tree, searching for anything he could think of to ground himself.
Ioan stood and bowed politely. "No problem. Exploring, though? I would've thought that you'd know the area around your home fairly well by now."
With a thrill up his spine along the exocortex and a gentle ping from his implants, his phone began to ring. Fears surged within him once again, and a glance at the screen confirmed his fears.
The skunk smiled. His features were undeniably those of an Odist --- at least those of the skunk variety --- while still being unique. They were more masculine in a way that ey could not place. More rugged. Dirtier. Certainly more exhausted. "One never truly finishes exploring a forest. I was climbing the trees."
Demma.
"That sounds enjoyable, at least."
"Shit, shit." He stood, paced around the tree in a circle. "Shit. Shit, goddamn."
"Not at all." He laughed. "I am terrified of heights."
He stared at his phone for a few long seconds, torn on whether or not to let it simply go to voicemail.
"Then why--"
Eventually, that part of his mind lost out to the desire to hopefully find some reassurance, so he tapped at the phone to answer the call.
"Exploring is a process that is also the goal. Why not undertake that process fully? Surely you know that of us by now."
"Mr. Zerezghi," the councilor said. "Wonderful to hear from you. I was wondering if you had a few moments to talk? We stopped by the coffee shop and knocked at your door, but there was no answer."
Ey grinned, nodding. "I suppose I do, at that. Either way, it's nice to meet you."
"My apologies, councilor. I went for a walk to clear my head. I'm..." He squinted around at the trees, then walked back to the street he'd come up. "I'm at the wooded park area, a ways north of my place. Does your driver know where that is?"
"Nice to meet you, as well. I would shake your hand, but I am currently quite disgusting." He brushed crushed leaves off his arms and the backs of his hands. "Come, though. I will clean up and make us some tea."
There was a moment's muffled conversation, then, "Of course. We'll meet you on the road, yes? The residential side?"
This process took nearly half an hour, during which ey had to remind emself that there was no rush, no reason to hurry. Ey sat on the edge of End Waking's cot while the skunk puttered around the tent, doffing his cloak to leave him in a greenish-brown shirt and canvas leggings that were a brown so dark as to be almost black. He set about filling a small basin with water in which to wash his paws. This used up the last of the water inside, so he had to step out and collect some more from a barrel just outside the door, run it through a cloth filter into a battered kettle, which was set on the stove. The embers had apparently burnt low, so he then had to go collect an armful of firewood from beneath one of the 'eaves' of the tent where it was kept dry and then stoke the fire back up to an intense blaze using some complex set of steps that Ioan could never have understood. Finding the promised tea had required digging through the creaky drawers of the desk to find the fist-sized crock of various dried leaves.
"Yes. I'll be waiting."
"Lemon balm, mint, and dried gooseberry. I am sorry that I cannot offer anything more exciting. Tea does not grow here."
After the click of Demma hanging up, Yared trudged back the way he'd come.
Ioan laughed. "I've never had either lemon balm or gooseberry, so it sounds exciting to me. It certainly smells delightful."
It was a short walk of perhaps only a minute or two, but even so, the car was waiting for him, the driver already standing beside it, waiting to open the door to let him in to talk.
End Waking beamed at the compliment, and shortly had dug out two enamel camp mugs, blown the dust free from the less-used one, and then tipped a small amount of tea into the bottoms of each. "You will have to strain it through your teeth. I do not have a teapot either. The ingredients are all edible on their own, though, so I usually just wind up eating them."
"Yared, wonderful to see you, as always!" Demma said cheerfully. "Please, sit! We have much to talk about. I'm sorry that I was not able to provide our usual coffee, but there's water behind the seat if you'd like."
The whole experience was so delightfully out of place for all of the Odists ey had met so far that Ioan was rapt.
Settling into the cushy and cold spot that he'd found himself in so many times before, Yared shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm sorry I wasn't at home, I wasn't expecting you."
At the end of the extended tea-making procedure, ey was left with a steaming mug of slowly darkening tea, leaves of mint and melissa floating to the top while broken chunks of gooseberry sunk to the bottom. It smelled wonderful, a type of fragrance that immediately made em feel comfortable and soothed.
Demma waved the comment away. "It's alright, quite alright. We probably should have planned better on when to introduce the amendment in order to meet up afterwards, but, well, we knew it was going to be today, so we figured that you'd be ready to meet either way."
*If May's clade exists to shape the minds and emotions of people,* ey thought. *He's doing an admirable job.*
"I just...I just needed a walk."
"We will sit and talk for a bit, though I must warn you that I get antsy very easily and will likely request that we walk after we finish our tea."
"Burning off some steam? Enjoying some fresh air?"
"Alright," ey said. "I usually write notes on the interviews, but I'm sure I'll remember just fine."
He fiddled with the hem of his shirt for a moment, then shrugged. "I was a little surprised by the response to the amendment. It was making me anxious, and I stepped away to calm down."
The skunk gave em an unreadable expression, then nodded. "Right, yes. That whole business. Where do you wish to start?"
"Of course, of course." Demma leaned forward to pat Yared on the knee before reclining again, looking relaxed, pleased. "I've not been monitoring the DDR myself, but my assistants have been keeping me up to date. It sounds like there's a little bit of an uproar, there. You've certainly touched a nerve."
"Well, I've got some fairly standard questions that I've been asking everyone, then we can get to the more meaty stuff. If we have time afterwards, I'd like to ask you more about this," ey said, gesturing around at the tent, out the still-open flap.
Yared nodded, numb. He could tell he was dissociating, feeling remote from his own body, yet couldn't do anything to bring himself back to the moment.
"I will look forward to that, then. It sounds like you have a shit sandwich for me, anyhow."
"I have some thoughts on the response, both on the DDR and among the various representatives I've talked to, but I'd like to hear your anxieties first, to see if I can soothe them."
Ioan laughed. "I'd not heard that term until May used it. I like it."
"I just wasn't expecting it to blow up in my face like that. There was so much general agreement on the ideas you've suggested. You and Jonas, I mean. I thought that it was all vague and positive enough to seem like the natural conclusion to the ongoing conversation, and it's not like it's the first amendment I've written--"
End Waking grinned toothily.
"Indeed not," Demma said, laughing. "That's part of why we chose you."
After taking another sip of the tisane and chewing on the resulting leaves, ey asked, "You're obviously still here on the L<sub>5</sub> System, but did you send a fork along on the LVs?"
"Right. So I'm just not sure why it just all immediately went wrong. There was nothing in there that hadn't already been discussed in the forums, and even on the 'net from governmental types."
He shook his head. "I did not. I am sure you will ask more about why as the questioning goes on, but for now, I'll say that there are some intraclade politics that left a sour taste in my mouth about the whole thing."
The councilor tugged at his chin absentmindedly. "I think that there are a few reasons for that, Mr. Zerezghi. The first is that there were no other co-authors on the bill, so it looked rather sudden. Even if you've been leading the effort quite effectively, and others look up to you, I can imagine that some see it as a power-grab once you'd reached that consensus.
"If you're ever uncomfortable with a question, feel free to tell me you'd not like to answer."
"Another reason is that you used the word 'secede', which is something of a naughty word in many jurisdictions. North America in particular has some quite strong feelings on the matter, given the troubles of the last century. Don't misunderstand me, you had to use it for legislative reasons, but it still spun several people into a panic, particularly in what remains of the United States. Does that make sense?"
End Waking nodded.
"Yes, I suppose, but others were already using it. Respected voices, even. It's not the first time it's come up."
"Were you involved in Launch at all? Was that part of the politics?"
"Of course, but it is the first time it's been put in front of everyone as something they must consider."
"Ioan, I was promised a shit-sandwich, but so far it is an open-faced one," he said, laughing to take the sting out of the words. "I did not. And, to preempt your next question, I had not yet been forked during Secession, so I did not take part in that, either. I was forked a few decades after Secession."
Yared frowned. "If that's the case, then perhaps we should have waited for a separate referendum."
"May I ask why?"
"No, I don't think so." Demma smiled, looking very much the kind, grandfatherly type. "Or rather, our analysts didn't think so. They ran several situations through their various models and came to the conclusion that an amendment was the best path forward."
"You may, but give me a second to consider my answer."
"Why, though? I don't see how introducing something so divisive would lead to anything other than either the entire referendum getting thrown out or, at best, delaying the process for months."
A moment was spent sipping tea in silence, only the muffled crackling of the fire in the stove and the breeze testing at the flaps of the tent.
"There may indeed be a small delay as debate kicks up again." Demma nodded toward Yared. "Which we will help you participate in, much as we have up to this point. Still, broaching the idea as an amendment is a good way to get this idea in the forefront of people's minds. They can have the debate with lower pressure on acceptance. They can always vote on the original referendum without passing the amendment, correct?"
Eventually, the skunk spoke up once more. "From what May Then My Name and others have said, the Bălan clade and the elements of the Ode clade working with them have already reached certain bits of knowledge, so I will be up front about this."
Yared nodded.
Ioan nodded.
"So, if that happens, at that point, we can spin it off into its own referendum, and by then, much of the debate will have already taken place, and we can continue to work through the whole process calmly, as we have been." He spread his hands, still smiling. "It is all a matter of risk management, Mr. Zerezghi. You understand."
"I was forked in order to help influence financial policies phys-side to encourage certain attitudes toward the System."
"I suppose."
Ioan attempted to keep eir face impassive, but ey must have let some of eir reaction show, as End Waking laughed tiredly.
"Have you had a chance to speak with Jonas and his strangely named friend yet?"
"I am sorry. I am not proud of what I did, and that is why I am here and not out in the world, bowing to the whims of my down-tree instances and their interests. My role was taken over by a member of the Jonas clade."
He shook his head. "Not yet. Like I said, I started to panic and went for my walk."
"I've heard that name several times so far. He's on my list to interview."
Demma nodded. "I suggest you do as soon as you get back. I'm curious to hear their opinion on the result of this amendment. I suspect they are equally curious to hear your opinion. Please report back to me what they say, as you have been."
The skunk sighed, nodded, sipped his tea. "I suppose he is."
"Alright."
"Do you have any suggestions for what to ask him?"
"Now, here are my thoughts on the matter," the councilor said. "I think the amendment will be successful, and I have three reasons why. First of all, the DDR is far easier to send into a fit than you might be giving it credit for. We've watched it for decades now. It has a very short attention span, and dramatic reactions are part of that. Voters will work themselves up into a froth on whatever the current issue is, but there will always be another issue.
"No. He will control the interview from start to finish. I am told that one of your cocladists has already interviewed True Name. If she learned from anyone, it was Jonas. There is no hope of trying to own the interview, no need to try and guide the questions."
"Second, there *will* be another referendum introduced in December. It is already being drafted up in Cairo, and will involve some issue of mid-level consequence, but one that will be of interest to many of the regular DDR voices. You'll have to pardon me for not giving you more information until the referendum is made public, but I can tell you that it will involve both the subcommittees on environment and land management."
"I'll admit that I'm starting to feel in over my head."
Yared blinked. Demma was right, of course, anything to deal with land rights, especially here in the Northeast African Coalition, was bound to draw many of the loudest DDR junkies, himself included.
End Waking raised his mug toward em in a toast. "We all are, Ioan. Only, you and precious few others realize that now."
"Should I take part in that conversation, too?" he asked.
"So, I guess for my next question, What does it mean that you influenced the finances phys-side?"
"You can if you'd like, so long as you don't drop your focus on the current referendum completely. I don't imagine you will, given that your name is on an amendment."
"It was largely a matter of politicking. Strings to pull, ears to whisper into, suggestions made on both the governmental and DDR level. We played them like a finely-tuned instrument, the Odists and the Jonas clade. I would have long, serious talks with politicians; longer, more fun talks with DDR junkies, bless their stupid, stupid hearts. I coordinated with others to help influence sentiment here sys-side, encouraging people to write home and suggest to their families that they consider all of this in a way that aligned with our goals."
He nodded.
"What were your goals?"
"The third reason, however, is that there is more going on behind the scenes on the governmental level than you are privy to. It's often fashionable to ascribe ill intentions to politicians, but that is because they have often borne out when scandals come to light.
The skunk finished his tea and spent a moment fishing all of the leaves and berries from the bottom of his mug to the rim so that he could eat them, as promised. It meant a moment of downtime, during which Ioan sipped eir own tea.
"There is nothing scandal-worthy here, but there are still strings to be pulled. The correct hands shaken, the correct babies kissed, the correct promises of support on the correct issues. Some of those strings are the ones that everyone can see: the campaign contributions, the baby-kissing, the promises. Some of them are not, though. Thinly veiled threats, intimidation. Who knows, perhaps even some market meddling."
Sitting back and curling his tail absentmindedly into his lap to brush it free of leaves and twigs, End Waking said, "Short term, to lower the cost of uploading and make it seem ever more appealing. Middle-term, the goal was to pass the legislation that led to several governments paying families when an individual uploaded. It started as a sort of subsidy for the lost income, and I think some locales still think of it that way, but it quickly turned into an incentive. Did you have any siblings, Ioan?"
Yared's baseline frown deepened, to which Demma laughed.
Ey nodded.
"Politics is politics, my dear Yared. It is a game, as I'm sure you've guessed from your interactions with Jonas, just one with high stakes. When there are high stakes, one must use all the tools at one's disposal, savory or otherwise."
"And were you the eldest?"
"I understand," he said, still feeling that tension in his shoulders.
Ey frowned, nodded again.
Still smiling, Demma soothed, "You have made your own harsh comments, I know. You have questioned your opponent's competency. You have suggested that perhaps others band up against them and nudge them out of the debate. You have the very same toolkit, if only on a smaller scale."
"We planted an idea, a subtle one, that it might be a good idea for the eldest child to upload and use the payout to fund a better life for the other children."
He finally let his shoulders sag.
"I never heard anyone--"
"So," the councilor said, ticking off on his fingers. "The DDR is easily distracted, an additional distraction will be provided, and politics will be done where required. I promise that you'll quickly see a swing in favor of the amendment. I've promised such in the past, and surely delivered." His voice held a tone of conclusion, as though the conversation was nearing a decisive end.
"This is what I mean by subtle. It was not something anyone really talked about. It was simply a convention that formed over time, and for everyone who followed it, the idea seemed to come to them of their own accord."
Yared nodded. "Alright, councilor. I understand. I'm still having a hard time internalizing it, but I'll work on that. Should I expect further instructions?"
"But it didn't. It came from you."
"You'll get them, yes, but for now, please enjoy a few days off from the issue. You've done your work for now, let it simmer, and then you can come back to it. I know it'll be hard to do, but I trust you'll find a way. Enjoy good food. Drink good coffee. Talk with good friends." That avuncular smile returned. "You deserve it, Mr. Zerezghi. And, as always, thank you for all of your hard work."
The skunk winced. "Yes, it came from me."
And with that, the driver pulled the door open, and it was back out into the heat of the day for him. The heat of the day, the real world, and hopefully a bit of space from the stress. Hopefully. Hopefully he'd be able to let it go for a few days.
Ioan sighed and, seeing nowhere else to put it, set eir mug on the floor by the bed.
"I feel compelled to repeat that I am not at all proud of what I did. This--" He gestured around. "This is my penance. I live my life in solitude in a place that does not know money, does not know the subtle machinations of politics, and should either of those enter, would not care one bit about them. People think of forests as fragile areas of land, and while this is true, they are also giant --- truly enormous --- singular entities that do not give a single, solitary fuck about you and your schemes, your thoughts, or your emotions. I have stumbled into ravines. I have had dead branches fall on me. I have gotten caught in land-slides, mud-slides, and flash-floods. I have learned the hard way which plants are safe to eat. I have bled on the land." There was a long pause before he continued, "I hesitate to say that the forest hates me, but it comes perilously close. This is my penance."
They sat in silence for several long minutes while Ioan digested this and End Waking did whatever it was that the penitent architect of eir entire existence here on the System did. Repent, perhaps, but what did that mean in the face of such enormity?
"Let's walk," Ioan finally said.
End Waking visibly brightened and nodded. There was a small unwinding of the previous ritual, where the fire within the stove was banked, the mugs rinsed clean and replaced in their spot, and his cloak donned once more.
They stepped out into the cool, clean air of the onrushing evening, and the skunk led the writer along a narrow trail worn in the undergrowth, saying, "This is the way that I take to get water when the rain-barrel is empty."
He walked silently, thick tail held high enough to stay above the plants that lined the path, and while Ioan tried to be as graceful as ey could, ey was still a far sight clumsier and noisier than End Waking.
"Why do you like this place?" ey asked. "If it's close to hating you, I mean."
"Do you remember the stanza of your cocladist's parter?"
Ioan dredged up the Ode that was the basis for all of their names and recited slowly:
> That which lives is forever praiseworthy,
> for they, knowing not, provide life in death.
> Dear the wheat and rye under the stars:
> serene; sustained and sustaining.
> Dear, also, the tree that was felled
> which offers heat and warmth in fire.
> What praise we give we give by consuming,
> what gifts we give we give in death,
> what lives we lead we lead in memory,
> and the end of memory lies beneath the roots.
End Waking nodded. He murmured, "I sometimes...no, I often think that I belong to the wrong stanza. This is where I belong. I like her plenty and do not begrudge her the name that she owns, but I wish, sometimes, that I was named And The End Of Memory Lies Beneath The Roots."
Ioan looked around at the trees, the ferns, the carpets of periwinkle and spots of mint and horsepepper and balm, the epiphytes climbing trunks, the moss on stumps.
"I do not think that the author of the Ode meant literally," the skunk said, laughing. "But you share my views on it. While it is not strictly possible on the System, I do hope that one day, the end of memory, that memory of all that I did, lies dead beneath the roots."
A few minutes of silent walking followed as Ioan was guided through a section of, yes, thick roots that threatened to entangle eir feet.
Once they were past that, he continued. "It is important to me that there be something other than politics in the world. I spent so much of my existence shaping the world around me to some grand scheme. Now that I am completely and utterly beholden to the world in turn, it feels relaxing, freeing."
"May said something like that," Ioan said, panting. "That there was freedom in staying behind in a world where not staying behind is the default."
"May Then My Name is the only one of my entire stanza that I like, and certainly the only one that I trust."
Ioan smiled, nodded.
"So many of the Odists are built to manipulate in such complex ways. It is all part of theatre. I am sure that you two have talked about that already. Even May Then My Name is manipulative in her unfailingly kind way." The skunk stopped and stepped aside to let Ioan come stand beside him before a creek at the bottom of a ravine. "It is a very difficult habit to break. Serene is manipulative: this place is built to be loved in spite of its antipathy towards intrusions. Dear is manipulative: its life is one lived bending the experiences of others to its whims in ways far beyond any those of any prior artist as it plays its games. I am a repentant manipulator."
"How so?" ey asked.
End Waking laughed. "Are you impressed with my earnestness? I hope that you are, because I strive to be earnest. Are you impressed with the silence with which I move through the landscape? I hope that you are, it is borne from practice. Were you amused by the absent minded way that I made tea? The way I just puttered around, doing this, then that, as though I kept remembering that I needed first wood, then water, then mugs?"
Ioan tilted eir head. "I suppose. It was endearing."
"A clever ruse left over from long habit. It is a way to be likeable."
"Doesn't everyone want to be likeable, though?"
"Yes. It is a matter of intent, I suppose." He gave a lopsided grin and bumped his shoulder against Ioan's. "But I am being a mopey little shit. Thank you for humoring me."
Ioan laughed. "Of course. It was still a nice conversation, even if it was a stressful topic. And it's a beautiful place to talk, and a beautiful walk."
End Waking nodded. "That it is. I never get tired of it. I wonder if it is still penance if one enjoys it."
"I suppose it can be. It still sounds difficult."
"It is that, too." He leaned down and plucked yellow-green berries from a bush, gathering a small pawful to give to Ioan. "Gooseberries for May Then My Name. Did you have any more questions for me?"
Ioan frowned and accepted the handful of berries carefully, slipping them into a pocket of eir vest after unbuttoning it so that ey would not squish them. "Um, one more, though I am conscious of all the warnings I've received about not pushing anyone hard enough that they'll resent me."
The skunk grinned. "I will not resent you, Ioan. I am trying to shake that habit, and I like you. I just may not answer."
Feeling strangely bashful at the compliment, ey shrugged. "Just that you mentioned your short- and mid-term goals for meddling with finances. What were the long-term goals?"
"Critical mass."
"Critical mass? What do you mean?"
There was a long silence before, rather than answering, End Waking took Ioan by the elbow and guided em back to the trail. "Let us get you back so that the berries are still fresh for May Then My Name."
He didn't believe it for a second.