i_speak_softly | Sixty-Fifth Theory [Video]

[The video feed clicks on, and Don looks thoughtfully at the camera for a moment before speaking.]

Another Christmas in Luceti.

[His tone is direct, just stating a fact, but somewhere behind it is a note of melancholy.]

This is my third. All of them have been in this house. All of them have been with different people.

[He slides back from the journal, revealing a corner of his winter room. He's been gradually moving into it over the past week, and has more or less taken up residence now.]

I've seen a lot of people come and go. There probably aren't many left who remember when Luceti didn't have electricity.

[He picks up some small bit of tech and squints at it.]

When I arrived here, the drafts were just starting. There were no missions. The Battle Dome didn't exist. We didn't have a farm and there was a desert where the ocean is now.

[He carefully threads a length of wire through a hole in the tech part.]

The buildings were shorter. Some of the stores and restaurants weren't open. [A pause.] I think I'm forgetting things...

[The wire slides through, and he knots the loose ends to form a loop.]

Does anyone remember other things that have changed? Or, does anyone want a history lesson? I'll be here all day.

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What? [It takes him a minute to follow the conversational U-turn.] Oh. About a month ago. I guess I haven't seen you...

Mmhm. Things've been...well -- busy. But you must be feeling all the more loquacious.

Indubitably.

[There's still a pleasure in being able to do that.]

That's...good. I was worried about you.

[ the last time they'd met... ]

I'm - doing better. Mostly.

But?

[ there was usually a 'but' with most 'mostlys'. ]

But that's the way it goes.

[Enough of that subject.]

Are you planning anything for the holidays?

The usual. [ she slides calmly into a prattling, banal tone. like on the path that long-off night, she won't press don for details he doesn't want to give.

instead, she'll happily provide distracting discussion: ] Chestnuts. Pressies. Sucking candy canes down to a sharp point and accidentally cutting my tongue on them. Jack and I got a tree...for the house.

Are you doing the Secret Santa, this year?

Secret Santa is a very strange concept to me. I'm - you know - keeping the gift-giving private.

Strange? Why strange? Is it on account of you being...

[ a turtle? ]

... What?

[He really doesn't know where you were going with that sentence.]

Do turtles maybe not do Christmas? I'm not really up on my turtle knowledge.

No, we did. [He connects a few dots and makes a guess.] But only among ourselves, for obvious reasons. I don't understand why you would give a gift to a randomly-assigned stranger.

For the surprise, I suppose. And because even if that person doesn't have anyone else to buy for them? They'll at least have one thing under the three.