i_speak_softly | Forty-Ninth Theory [Action/Voice]

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Forty-Ninth Theory [Action/Voice]

[Don has never been to an ocean before, and last time he was at an amusement park he had to electrify the roller coaster to defeat an enraged colony of nanobots.]

[He is determined that this excursion will be one of pleasant discovery.]

[To that end, he takes the teleporter to the beach on Thursday morning, and spends the next two days exploring the park, the waterfront, and as far out into the ocean as his own limbs can take him. (Or farther, if anyone is kind enough to offer him the use of a boat.)]

[At some point during the two days, he opens his journal and leaves the following message:]

Researchers, experimenters, tinkerers, inventors, curious people of all kinds... join the "Scientists, Hypothesizers, and Engineers of Luceti League". I'm starting it right now and everyone is welcome.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

[Don turns to see what Robert is looking at, and stops short at what he sees. The older Turtle notices him looking, and winks, before murmuring a few words that only Don can hear.]

Wow...

[Don might've only heard them, but Robert saw the mouth movements. There's no way he'd be able to guess what they were, though, so instead, he asks bluntly:]

... What did this person say, if... I may ask?

Hyaku shichi sai... A hundred and seven years old.

[He finally takes his eyes off his older self, to turn to Robert with a smile of amazement.]

A hundred and seven years old...

[Robert smiles too. That's well within the lifespan of a Terran human... of course, in Luceti, perhaps things would be different, but he's definitely going to make the most of his life here, if he's allowed to persist that long.]

... That is a lengthy natural lifespan.

I... thought it might be like that.

[He looks again at the venerable persona, before that image too vanishes from the mirror.]

Well, it does make sense, for your particular biology. Just... [Robert hesitates a moment.] ... it is still fascinating to see.

... I wonder if this place displays multiversions of oneself...

Isn't that what this is? [What else could these images be?]

[Simulations, perhaps? But Don's probably right.]

I... would think so. Hope so, even.

... You have such drastically different ones, though... it is fascinating to contemplate why.

I'm chaotic. [After a moment, he thinks he had better explain this.] What happened to me in my world was so improbable, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen the same way in any other multiverse. And small differences in events can lead to wildly divergent outcomes. [He gestures to the mirrors around them.] Chaos.

[Chaos theory, perhaps? Robert nods gently at the explanation.]

... It does make sense, yes. And it would fit Multiversal Theory...

[He wonders what small changes could have sparked a totally different life for him.]

[Don leads Robert out to the exit with a hand behind his back.]

What other fascinating exhibits does this place have?

[Counting off to himself, Robert says:] There are... several interesting places. A... zoo, as it is called [- and he shudders slightly at mentioning it -], a so-called "haunted house", an arcade, many rides and games of skill...

... Does... does anything appeal to you?

A zoo? [Don doesn't shudder, exactly, but that's because he's better at hiding his reactions.] Of what?

Non-sapients, as far as I can ascertain. Thankfully. There is quite a variety of organisms, though... an almost dizzying array, actually.

[Many of them Robert didn't recognize at all. But it was even more unsettling then, that the Malnosso would put these organisms in somewhere they couldn't escape.]

But - don't all the animals here talk?

Yes, that is true. I assume we have a translated version of their vocalizations... Though they seem to be significantly more abstract, when taken from an organism that is non-sapient.

... That being said, non-sapient or otherwise, it is still a barbaric arrangement. [Robert shakes his head slowly.] But one that is... not surprising, considering the Malnosso. After all, what is this enclosure but essentially the same idea?

[A mental twist renders Don speechless for a moment, and then he draws Robert behind some nearby bushes.]

Robert, that persona with the orange mark...

[His finger traces a circle on his chest, and he hesitates, unsure how to say this.]

... Yes? [It's sudden to be dragged into the bushes like that, and Robert is more than a little surprised, but he looks up inquisitively at Don.

He doesn't get what Don's trying to hint at, yet...]

I - [He glances around, then decides on the blunt explanation, saying it all in a rush.] He grew up in a zoo and I have all his memories.

[It... takes a few seconds for this to settle into Robert's mind, and then his expression flickers somewhere between horror and sympathy.]

... A sapient in an enclosure...? [...

... Please excuse Robert while he looks genuinely disturbed.]

... That is... disgusting.

[The "I have all his memories" part will take a bit longer to process.]

[Don puts a hand on Robert's shoulder.]

But it wasn't bad. He was happy there. In - in some ways, his life was better than mine.

Was he truly happy, or simply ignorant of anything else...?

[Robert leans into Don at the touch on his shoulder.] Nobody deserves to be objectified in that manner.

... At least you are not... viewed as a possession...

A little of both, I guess.

[He shakes his head.] He was appreciated. [He had a kind of recognition, of respect, that Don himself didn't have in his own world.]

It was... like a family...

Appreciation on his own merits, though...? [It's something Robert can't really fathom. All he knows is that it hits everything he finds terrifying about the treatment of non-human sapients by others.]

... I suppose it could be safe, and happy... in a sense... but what about autonomy?

[Robert tries to picture himself being kept as a zoo exhibit. The mental image is highly disturbing.]

He's one of the most amazing discoveries in natural history. An animal that can think and talk like a human. People come from all over the world just to have a conversation with him.

Autonomy? He does whatever he wants all day... [It may be within the limits of a cage, but Don's world growing up was very small too - and Tchai's at least included clean water and sunlight and diverse pleasant company.]

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