Hey, Sara!  I'm back in Montpelier.  I have a busy schedule of being sat on while in a roomful of recovering strangers.  It's definitely not as good as getting guided by you, but.  Guiding is guiding, you know?

Yes :) 

I'm still in Chicago, my flight was for tonight. I might delay it some to help Wendy with her power testing, though. 

I need to get back home for school, but I'm free on Tuesdays, Fridays, and weekends, surveys permitting. I could come visit and sit with strangers with you? 

I would love that!  I think I've worked with every professional guide in the area, and it's enough to zero me out, I shouldn't complain.  It's just not real compatibility.  I would love to - maybe Bill can figure out a way to set up a healing silo on your job sites, so I can return the favor efficiently?

Tim rubs his eyes.  All of your downtime could be used for healing.  "Thanks, Carol.  Feel lousy having it pointed out to me, every time I'm relaxing, I could be taking a month off someone's recovery."  Wait, am I being pushy about it?  I might be pushy.

If you want to, that is, and if the logistics work out.

In Chicago, Sara is smiling to herself.

I have a silo à Québec

My contracts usually include teleport assistance, so I can be back home as soon as the survey is done

You're welcome to come along if you like, though. It can be quite interesting, if you find geology interesting. And can stand the thought that the land you're walking on may be a mine soon.

I don't work with the worst kind of mining companies, though. No open pit mines, good filtration, no offloading mercury into the rivers, things like that.

Okay, that would be kind of cool.  Would it be efficient?  I don't think so.  Unless her backlash is bad.  So much better when you can text, you've got an excuse if it takes you a minute to phrase something. or think something through.  Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.  Several minutes later, Tim has composed a text.

I hadn't really thought about strip-mining before.  It's not like I was ever going to be able to do something about it, right?  And I'd be a hypocrite if I insisted on organic free trade mines.  But it makes a lot of sense for you to be concerned, you've got the leverage to make sure it's fast.  The only thing I can do with my power, apart from dungeons, is just use it as much as possible.  I wouldn't mind going with you sometime, I would hate to see you stuck in a mine while convinced the air is poison.  That sounds like a very personalized Hell for you.

Okay.  I've left the option open to go without committing myself to compromising my healing schedule.  I do need days off, if I do nothing but hang out in a healing silo all day I'll go absolutely nuts.  Maybe the confluence will be a good excuse to skip.  Wait.  No, I can't afford to think like that.  If I think of healing as an obligation, I'll start to resent it, and I can't afford to do that.  Ugh.  Maybe the confluence will be an opportunity to stretch my legs.

I'm careful about my backlash, don't worry. Most of the time my surveys are above-ground, seeking useful mineral veins below me. I almost never need a more detailed sense than I can handle over an afternoon. 

It wouldn't cost much more to have my post-survey port moved to Montpelier, you know. Maybe we could get the best of both worlds that way? 

That would be fantastic!  And you're so much better than my usual professional partners, I bet I could get my throughput so much better.  It's hard to balance training my abilities while actually using them.

Since Sinkhole left, anyway.  Wait, you've made this professional.  That's good, but you can't only be professional, you have to like your partner.  And the best way to be interesting is to show interest in others.

I got so distracted by the thought of getting good guiding that I forgot to ask!  What are you studying for?  Most espers don't really bother, myself included.  It's kind of admirable that you're getting an actual education.

Tim isn't upset at his turn of events, but realizing he wouldn't need to constantly pick up certifications was a bit discombobulating.  And a relief.  Mostly a relief, though.

I'm studying architecture and urban design! It's only a little related to my power - I can sense structural issues at higher granularity, and I can make excellent models :) - but I've wanted to be an architect since I was small. I want to design things that will last, and make an impact on how we build cities. Our architecture could be so much more environmentally friendly if we just put some effort in, we could reduce the climate island effect so much with only a few changes! 

There's a pause before she sends another text.

Sorry, I'm rambling. Is there anything you'd study if you had the time? I can only imagine how difficult it would be with your backlash. Mine leaves me exhausted enough, without actually being exhaustion. But if you did? 

Well, I had planned to be a paramedic.  It’s just really satisfying when you see someone you helped on call walking around Shaw’s because of what you did.  I had thought about becoming a doctor or a nurse, but it feels less personal.  And I’m not really cut out for being a doctor anyway.  In English, they say “C’s get degrees”, but C’s don’t get you into medical school.

But when you think about it, I’m just a glorified paramedic who sometimes rescues sharks.  Or kidnaps them, maybe.

Sharks? 

I suppose being sat on while people heal isn't as personal, but at least you will have dungeon rescues to make up for that? 

Oh, it was this dumb little pool dungeon.  It was trying to isolate people, but it wasn’t big enough - let me show you a still from.  The moving picture camera?  I forget the word.  And to look it up would be to cheat.

Tim attaches a photo of an older couple, crossing the Tiny Shark Pool Dungeon, their faces carefully blurred out.

I even got to fish for them!

Attached is a video of Tim sticking his hand in a pool, only to have a shark lunge out and chomp it.  The shark is unceremoniously dumped in a five gallon bucket.  The hand is untouched afterward, although the video shows Tim carefully checking for damage.

Vidéo, silly! 

That dungeon is also silly!

And then, after the video:

Aw, they're so cute! Even if they are a little bitey :)

I heard about the monster zoo in Ontario, did they go there? Or was there a good one closer?

Ah, one of the ones you thought was a false friend.  It was a true friend.  Of course.

Thank you for reminding me!  The last I checked, the scientists were hoping to induce them to mate in a lab.  I have been promised that I could visit them.  If you would like to see them, I am sure that I would be allowed a plus one.  I was also promised the first tooth, if the teeth do regrow like normal sharks.

I'd love to visit the tiny sharks! After the Confluence, maybe.

I hate to be a bummer, but about the Confluence? You're doing dungeons during it, of course, and last I heard Wendy wants to do some small ones at least. I can see if I can get slots with my teleporter for emergency guiding, but either way we'll need to work out some transportation... 

Especially if they need me somewhere, though then I might be able to get in on whoever is managing teleports there. 

I'm actually not sure I had a question in there ^.^' this is something for Evelyn and William isn't it. 

Okay.  Time to be an adult who can use his words.  She seems reasonable.  But then, so did Sinkhole, and Sinkhole wasn’t even wrong.  She was just - well, we wanted different things.

No, it’s really important that we be on the same page.  You’re being smart about making sure that we’re on the same page, especially if we’re going to be partners.

Communication is really important.  Maman would always watch these telenovelas, and I never want to wind up like a couple on them.  I’m uniquely positioned to help people, and I want to do it as much as possible.

When I’m in the healing silo, I try to get guided constantly.  The matches I’ve had have all been pretty meh, but every minute of “meh” guiding is an hour of natural healing, we think.  I don’t want to promise guiding monogamy.  I am not currently intimate with anyone, and I’m not ready for it right now.

Please don’t think less of me for this.

She takes a little time to read and consider this seriously. 

That's alright with me.

And then she has to pause, so she can word this properly. 

I won't ask for sexual intimacy if you don't want it, though I'm okay with it within certain limits if we take the time to discuss it first. As for guiding monogamy, of course not! It wouldn't even really be feasible unless we moved closer together, nevermind the question of Wendy. 

There's another brief pause, and then:

Though I suppose guiding monogamy isn't an 'of course not' for some people. Assuming we all make sure to be tested regularly if it becomes relevant at some point, I don't mind at all. 

Immediately:

Oh, good.

A few minutes later.

I really had hoped that you would agree, but many espers only have one or perhaps two partners.  I don’t have any problems with guiding monogamy, of course, for other people.  It just doesn’t - logistically work.  I can’t ask anyone to stay glued to my side for eight hours a day.  It would drive anyone mad.

I need to talk to her about it, too.  But she seems skittish.  I don’t want to scare her off by talking about serious business right away.  I got to know you a little better while she was napping.  Poor thing, she was so tired.

Yes, I hope she takes time to recover properly before digging into everything. Even you have had a few months, right? I think she said it had only been four days since her hellweek!

Please don't stop using professional guides on my account! It seems like your healing is really important to you, even besides how important it is for the people you help. I wouldn't forgive myself for standing in the way of that. 

I'll probably keep seeing my current partner from time to time until he moves away. After that- well, it'll be up to our agents to work out the details, but hopefully I can be ported to you or Wendy at least some of the time. I've been having trouble finding even decently compatible partners at home. 

I agree, she definitely need to decompress.  Maybe we should prioritize inviting her over to hang out. Not even for powers testing, just to be around people who understand Hell Week.  Maybe that’s too forward.

You getting guiding is perfectly fine by me.  I’m usually available, in case you need emergency guiding, anytime I’m not in a dungeon.  But guiding is lifesaving medical care, especially for ones like yours.  I wouldn’t forgive myself if I kept someone from getting guided.

Whew.  That went well.  Tim goes flop.

Let's make sure there's no need to forgive ourselves, then. 

I can talk to her about it this afternoon? I'll let you know how it goes.

I would like that.  Sorry if I killed the mood with the serious talk, I probably sounded very…I don’t remember the word.  Earnest, perhaps?  I need to remember to smile, too.

Hey, I started it! I should be the one apologizing, if there's anything to apologize for. Anyway, earnest is good, I think, for this sort of thing.

How about we try to get the mood back, though?

What do you do when you're not healing people or rescuing tiny sharks? Or while you're doing that, I guess. My power is too mentally taxing to knit or make beads or anything at the same time, but that might not be the same for you. 

Well, I do a lot of training.  Apart from dungeoneering training…  I like jiujutsu, though it’s hard to get genuinely good sports about it, though.  Esper body, reflexes, and I sometimes cheat without thinking about it.  I go hunting, it’s very relaxing.  I never played many video games as a kid, but I’ve gotten into horror games since awakening.  It’s mental self-defence, I get pretty tired.  Can’t train forever, you know?

Maybe you could teach someone? Someone you're getting used to your powers, so they can stand more even with you. Oh, maybe you could work with some people from the response teams in your area! I guess it might be less of a fun hobby, then, though. 

My grandfather used to take me hunting when I was younger. He ran a few trap lines in the reserve where he and nookhom lived, too, and he'd take me out to check them. I've probably forgotten more than half what I learned, though. 

Most of the video games I play are civilization and city builders ^.^' I'm sure you can guess why.

I might have a hunch or two.  Maybe we could go sometime, or just go hiking.  The mountains are spectacular in Fall, maybe work will wrap up in time.  Or we could go snowshoeing, it’s really magical at night.  Have you ever been to a darkness preserve?

Yes! There is one south of the city, we went there on a field trip as children.

I think I would like that. Maybe hiking, just to start? So we can see how we like each others' company in the wild, first. We could do multiple of those. Hiking and/or snowshoeing, stargazing afterwards? 

I’d really like that.  Hiking isn’t complicated, so I love it.  Do you want to show me around your preserve?

That would be nice. I haven't been back in a while, but I have cousins there, still. I can ask them if anything big has changed before we go.

It's very far out in the country, just so you know. Up around the Bay. We'd need to drive or take a teleport, there's no trains that way. 

Despite rumors to the contrary, I can take a vacation occasionally.  I might like to drive up, instead of teleport.  Especially if the views are nice.

They are! Assuming you like rocks and trees and water :) it's all Canadian Shield most of the way there, once you get out of the lowlands. 

One of our cousins got the house, but he lives in Montréal. I bet I could get him to send me the key. 

It's probably in disrepair, though. 

Also, this trip is a bit more of a committment than our first hike should be, I think ^.^' why don't you show me around Montpelier or your hometown, first? It must be closer than a twelve+ hour drive. 

Sure!  We can go on a big trip after the confluence.  Maybe Wendy will want to go with us, I don’t think she’ll have ever seen anything like it.  We do have a weekend coming up, do you want to go this weekend?

If we survive the confluence.

I think I can do that, yes!

She spends a couple minutes looking up flights and then trains on her phone, then continues.

I can take a train from Québec to St. Johnsbury on Friday night, and then transfer up to Montpelier? Are there good hotels in town?

Okay. She’s willing to go to a hotel.  That’s good.  But is this what I actually want?  I do have an extra guest room.  Do we want to invite that kind of intimacy?  It’s not weird for friends to visit, and you need to at least be friends to be guiding partners.  Well.  You could just be professional, but.

A few minutes of marking up a whiteboard later, and Tim has a list of pros and cons.

PROS:
Convenience
Ease of meeting
Save money(ESPER.  LOL)

Cons:
Scary(grow up)
Pressures her

Do you want to stay at my place?  I have a spare bedroom.  If not, there are a dozen hotels nearby.

It takes her a minute to reply, while she thinks it over in her head in her own version of his whiteboard strategy.

I think I'll book a hotel just in case, but if things go well I'll stay at your place? Maybe something terribly awkward will happen and we'll need eight hours to come down from the embarrassment ^.^ Or, not to say I think so but, maybe one of us will turn out to be a serial killer and the other will need to flee. 

Though I suppose going on a hike together would be more dangerous in the serial killer scenario than me sleeping in your spare room ^.^

About thirty seconds later, she sends:

...Truth be told I just like to be prepared in case of disaster. Sorry, I don't mean to insult you.

That’s fine!  You’re welcome to book a hotel, it makes sense.  I’m not a serial killer, but I already admitted to kidnapping.  I can’t blame you for being prepared.

You didn’t insult me.  I’m an overplanner too, and it’s not like we really need to save money anymore.  If you’re buying peace of mind, it’s cheap at the price.

Okay.  Doing great, we’re all doing good.  And there’s more communication here than in a week of my last partnership.

But Tim, what if I'm the serial killer? ^.^

But really, thanks for getting it. 

That sounds like a plan, then? I'll come in- actually, hang on.

She pokes around some more at train schedules, and then sends:

Okay, so I could get in Thursday night really late, Friday morning but I'll have to catch the train around 7, or Friday evening I could be in around 5pm. Any of those would work for me, how about you?

Half the trains passing down the Vermont line don't even stop at St Johnsbury. She'd have to get a car from the next station, which is... Lebanon, New Hampshire?

There are a few more options, but they'd be much more hassle.

Hmmm.  Hmmmmmmm.

If you want to get a teleporter and want to commit to some guiding during Friday, we can get the cost covered by the insurance companies?  You can work towards getting your superstrength cert too, if you’re interested? Or you can just play videogames or study while you guide me if you want.

Shit.  Is this too professional?  Ugh.  This is a known issue, why isn’t there a pre-built social script that everyone knows.  Getting guiding should be as convenient as going to the grocery store.  Uggghhhh.

I can do some guiding on Friday! Actually, if we're talking teleporters, I could port in after class on Thursday (my class ends at three) and just do my reading with you, assuming you'd still be being sat on then. I'm not sure how often or how late you do that.

If Friday works better, though, I can get my readings done beforehand and maybe do some knitting or something. Maybe if I only bring my current projects I'll actually get some of them done ^.^'

If you want to play some two-player games I'd like that, probably. I don't usually play horror games, but it could be fun with a partner :)

Thursday works for me, then!  Pending agent approval and all that.  And if you want to get some alone time at any point, you can head to your hotel and decompress.  But I want you to promise me something.

She waits a couple minutes before realizing he maybe wants her to respond. With some trepidation, she sends:

Yes?

You have a hotel room for if I turn out to be a serial killer, but what about me?  If you turn to be a serial killer, you’ve gotta let me use your hotel room.  Fair’s fair, right? =D

Well of course! ^.^ Fair's fair!

Wonderful, it’s always good to have a plan for if your partner turns out to be a serial killer.  The dress code is at least one of “elastic” or “robes”.  For a while I wore my old gi, but I managed to tear it while playing around.  Very tragic.  If you want Bill to get something for you in terms of clothing, just have your agent set it up with him.  We’ve done this a lot, it’s not a trouble in the slightest.

As far as hotels go, I’d recommend one of [three modestly extravagant hotels, which Tim got from his agent while off-camera], listed in order of what I’d prefer if I were to stay there.

I have some lounging around clothes that should work. Now you mention it, maybe I shouldn't bring my knitting, huh? I wonder how your strength would interact with my bead-making, though. 

While she's waiting for a response, she takes a look at the hotels he suggested and starts the process of booking a room for Thursday through Saturday night. She pauses before making that purchase, though, and adds:

Would I be getting a teleport home, or the train? I'll need to leave on Sunday if I'm taking the train, at the latest, to make my Monday morning class. 

Let me check with Bill about the teleport.

Two minutes later:

SOP is a round-trip teleport, he’s going to make sure it gets covered.  I’m so glad that I don’t have to deal with this kind of paperwork.

You’re welcome to bring your knitting, but it’s not a good idea if you’re being augmented.  Certainly don’t bring your favorite set of needles!  I got a suggestion from the mixer to try making jewelry, maybe we could do a collaboration?

What kind of things do you like to knit?

Amazing! Okay, I'll send on to Evelyn that I can head home on Monday morning or Sunday night, and- actually, she should deal with the hotel, she knows how to get our money's worth.

She swaps text threads briefly to send all of this on to her agent. She gets an acknowledgement swiftly. 

I'll bring both, then, and we'll see what we can make. Maybe something your shark tooth can go on?

I knit the sweater I was wearing last night! I make all sorts of things, really. Whatever strikes me at the time. It's a bad habit, actually, I keep starting new projects and buying more yarn. 

Tim was raised to believe that he can do anything he puts his mind to if he’s willing to put in the effort for it.  Is it true?  Well, if he acts like it’s true, it’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To his agent:
A request for a jewelry workshop to be set up in the healing silo, gently shot down when it’s pointed out that jeweler’s tools that require heat will give off fumes.  Which are famously bad for convalescing patients. 
An order for cold-working jewelry toolkit and loupes.
An order for a mixture of pre-cut stones and raw rocks.  The pre-cut stones are mostly artificially grown.
An order for various spools of metal wire.
A request to the Tiny Sharkholding Lab to call in his tooth favor if one’s available, please.  It is? Great, thank you.

Oh, it looked very nice.  It was soft, too.

It is! Would you like something? I have a few scarf and hat projects going spare, I could bring one with me and if it's a hat, I can fit it to your head. 

What's your favourite colour?

Shit shit shit.  Okay, you should have seen this coming.  It’s fine, don’t panic.  A scarf would be nice but what if it gets caught?  A hat.  No muscles in my head.  Okay, perfect.

I could use a hat!  My favorite color’s orange, what’s yours?

surely SOMETHING will match in that gem order.  I’ll confirm with Bill after I know.

Dark blue and purple are my favourites. I think I have a hat like that started somewhere around here... If not I guess I'll have to start a new one :) 

Well, don’t feel obligated to start it just yet.  You might still be a serial killer!

Okay, blue and deep purple.  Those were definitely in the list, I think amethyst?  I forgot the name but I remember the color.

Maybe I kill with my yarn! You don't know ^.^

I have some nice orange garnet, I can fit them for a necklace. They're a bit flawed, but I think it gives them charm. They look a little like amber. 

Here Lies Timothy Bartholomew Delgado.  Slain by Yarn.

How does your power work, anyway?  I saw you picking out little bits of gem, but I don’t really understand it.

Requiescat in pacé

If I'm touching it, I can treat stone or metal like clay. A very hard clay, sometimes, but it's always at least a little moldable. 

Corundum - which is what I was working with yesterday - is very hard. 

Some of the sites I've worked at allowed me to take some scrap stone home with me. The gems in the rock are too small and low-quality to be worth getting out the normal way, but my way is a lot simpler. 

Huh!  That’s very cool.  Can I see that piece of garnet?  I’ll confess, I don’t know if I have ever seen one in real life.

I’m glad they let you take pieces home.  It’s just neat when something costs one person very little but makes another person very happy.

Sure!

Sara will pull out the tiny drawer her spessartite garnets are in, and take a picture of the vibrant red-orange gems. It looks a bit like a drawer full of some kind of candy. She sends it to him before continuing. 

I can turn oddly shaped chips into round beads, which means I can make use of them in ways others can't. These ones aren't perfectly round, yet, I thought I might like them more naturally shaped. 

I think the chunk I got from this mine was actually a bit nicer than they thought. Or someone nice was being sneaky. 

Hmm.  More neat than useful, but not every power is going to be dungeon-usable.  And it truly is neat.

I’m looking forward to seeing it more.  Maybe we’ll find something good while we’re out hiking.  Not that I want to strip-mine a state park, but there’s probably cool rocks everywhere for those with gems radar.

There are, yes! Even if it's just a bit of quartz - quartz is everywhere - it can be quite pretty, and all kinds of colours. 

A little scavenger hunt for us, then.  I know we have plenty of quartz and mica is everywhere.

Yes! 

Okay, I'm about to go meet Wendy, now.

I'll ask about spending time together, all three of us. I'll tell you how it went after! 

Tell her I said hi!

I will!