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[stresstokens]

"You've reached Riz Gukgak. Leave a message at the tone."

( to be prettied up later )

Comments

[stresstokens]

I'm okay. Glad to be out of Moorecroft.

[ For a given value of okay -- he's definitely punched with more bullet holes than he'd been the last time they talked! ]

Long time no see! Did you handle that whole mess okay?

[infirmiere]

It was fine. I was alone so I didn't have to pretend happy families with anyone, very easy to play my part of reclusive writer.

Your fake family was good to you?

[stresstokens]

For real? You didn't even get saddled with one of those robot babies? Lucky!

Not to sound ungrateful. The people who were assigned to me were all really nice. I just would have preferred to live alone than have to play out fake families. It was just weird, you know?

[infirmiere]

It was lonely after a while

You wouldn't have gotten bored?

[stresstokens]

Nah. If anything, I was busier there than I was around here. There was so much to do. And I'm fine living on my own. It's a lot more familiar than living with a bunch of strangers.

Have you got roommates here in Etraya?

[infirmiere]

Sort of

Ramsey Farm is a mine, a lot of the kids here hang around there so there's always someone around.

[stresstokens]

Oh yeah.

I remember seeing that post on my crystal. Communicator. Whatever you call it. A clubhouse for twelve and under, right? They were pretty emphatic about you being the only adult allowed in. Either they really wanted the clubhouse, or you must have really won them over.

[infirmiere]

They really wanted the clubhouse, I just came with it.

[ she knows what is up. ]

[stresstokens]

Then congratulations on being deemed the lone cool adult. I know you haven't actually been a kid for a long, long, long time, but somewhere in between all those lives of yours, I'm sure you know what a rare honour that is.

It means you're very formally not a snitch.

[infirmiere]

Snitches get stitches

I don't trust authority so I refuse to be one