-Browser Pone Safari pt.10-

>You and Anon get to the bus in good time and settle in with the rest of the group.
>They seem happy to see you two
>Why wouldn't they be?
>You notice Anon did take what you said to heart, and seems to be making an effort to chat up the others
>You let him
>Besides, he's so damn excited about the wolves, you doubt you'd be able to get a word in edgewise
>You got mail!
>From...Leif's Companion AI
>Xanthe, or rather, X as she liked to be called
>You'd connected while the others played Shadowrun, and mailed each other every once in a while
>You open the mail
>It's as you expected
>She wonders why you've been crying
>"Howling existential despair" is your simple response
>You look over and see her give an understanding nod
>Ding!
>'nother mail
>"Safari, if it helps...Everyone goes through it. Besides, a certain someone once said "Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I'd say sufficiently advanced code is indistinguishable from an actual personality or soul. Yeah, that raises further, terrifying questions, but you think and feel, right? Also, if that doesn't cheer you up, here's a kitty video /watch?v=0Bmhjf0rKe8 . Feel better, chica. -X"
>That does make you smile
>And puts your mind somewhat at ease
>For now, at least
>You're still feeling a little nauseous
>Being close to Anon does make it a little better, though
>A thought strikes you
>What if all companion AIs are designed to want to be around their user?
>A bit like Big Daddies and Little Sisters
>...
>Nah
>You're willing to bet it's a human thing, more than anything
>"...Hey Saff, which G4 pony's your favorite?"
>You blink
"Uh...I have a hard time choosing, but Applejack doesn't get enough love. She is - well, was - straightforward, honest, fun, helpful and more loyal than Dash. Why do you ask, Anon?"
>"Huh. Asking because, well, turns out we're all fans here, and we were wondering if someone's fave pony matched to their personality."
"Aah. And?"
>"And we found that's not really the case. I'd figured you as more of a Dash fan, given your fondness for sports and just how deliciously blunt you are. Meanwhile, I'm a Dash fan, and I'm a nerd who's only just begun socializing and going outside, making me more of a season 1 Twilight. No, I'm not gonna sprout wings anytime soon. Leif, meanwhile, is chill, as you might've noticed, but organized too. He's a pinkie guy."
>He pauses to take a breath
>"Relax, man"
>Leif gives a warm chuckle
>It occurs to you that you too, for all your chastising of Anon, you've only gleaned surface impressions of the people here too.
>Even X you don't feel like you know all that well
>You decide to engage them in conversation, both to pass the time to your next destination, and to gauge what kind of people they are
>"So. 40K, yes or no? If yes, PnP or Wargame? If wargame, what faction?"
>"Not much of a warhammer guy" replies Anon, and yeah, you figured.
>"I liked Rogue Trader, does that count?" the guy you seem to remember being called Noah replies
"Sure, it's still the GRIMDARK FUTURE"
>You try to infuse your voice with as much boom and grit as you can, but end up giggling instead.
>"Wargame, space wolves and kroot. Fuck Ward and the ultrasmurfs." The quiet girl, Felicia, said with unusual-for-her enthusiasm, and the most acidic, barbed tone when speaking of HIM.
>You like her already
>"Wargame and Deathwatch, grey knights all the way. For the emprah etc., and also, fuck psykers" Leif grins
>"Does Dawn of War and the Sequel count? If so, that, and also, Necrons are most badass faction." X says and nods her head with an unshakeable aura of 'deal with it'.
"Awesome. I've actually been looking to get into 40K for a little while, stumbled across it on the 'net and thought it looked really cool. And hey, Anon, I think you might like it too."
>"I'm more partial to Fantasy, but I understand there's also warhammer Fantasy, right?"
>Felicia, of all people, nods furiously
>"Yes! Oh, I imagine you'd be a good fit for high elves, or maybe dwarves! I could teach you the basics sometime - I have an army of every faction, so you could try them all, if you'd like. H, and if you'd like to see sports get interesting, there's also Bloodbowl!"
>You swear she's practically frothing at the mouth
>Hey, at least she's got passion
>And quite possibly rabies
>Leif, Felicia and Anon discuss WHF heatedly, planning on which armies to play and how many points and so forth
>Noah looks at them with mild interest, then sinks his gaze back into a book
>You catch the title, "Summer Knight"
>What did you ever do to deserve this PUNishment?
>Heh
>X looks over at you again, smiling
>She seems relieved
>You give her a reassuring wink that you at least hope says 'I'm okay, thanks for worrying'
>You throw yourself into the discussion, asking if you can borrow an army and play too
>Skaven sounds fun
>Anon suggests a free-for-all battle
>After the laughter subsides, he's told 'maybe'
>The bus trip continues along those lines
>after what feels like maybe 10 minutes, the bus comes to a halt again
>You check the time, and in actuality, a few hours has passed
>In retrospect, the waning daylight should've been a tipoff
>Oh well
>You're not sure how, but the conversation did, at some point, end up as a thoughtful discussion of medieval torture devices and bluegrass music
>Strange, but amusing
>But anywho, you all get off the bus and walk into the resort hotel
>You go to check in, and the lady behind the counter says something in a garbled nonsense language
>Anon instinctively goes all 'uh, what?'
>She looks terribly embarrassed for a tiny fraction of a second, then repeats herself, this time in freedomspeech
>"Welcome to Blånissedalen spa resort and safari hotel, would you like to check in?"
>X comes up to the counter and flashes a document
>"Hansen, two rooms"
>The receptionist nods and gives her the keys
>"I didn't know AIs had last names?"
>Anon looks at you and X quizzically as you're all headed to your rooms
>"We mostly don't, but my partner does"
>X inclines her head in Leif's direction
>You decide to ask about that, bad timing or no
"Speaking of, are you guys married?"
>They laugh
>"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" X grins "But no. Actually, we've got trouble pinning down our relationship status - all we know is we enjoy the company of the other. Why do you ask? Considering marriage?"
>She waggles her eyebrows suggestively
>You can feel your cheeks flush red
>No goddamnit, you're not the type to blush
>Anon coughs
>"So, how do we do it with the rooms?"
>"We managed to get three single beds in each room. How about, since we're three guys and three gals, take one room per sex?" X shrugs nonchalantly
>"Works for me" Noah replies
>Felicia gives a noncommital sound, apparently having used up her enthusiasm for the day
"Sure, that works. That way, no-one'll be driven crazy by someone else having sex while they're trying to sleep."
>That draws a laugh from everyone
>"Alright, so we'll do it that way, then. I'll take the guy's room key, and X the gal's room key, alright?" Leif asks, making sure everyone's on board with it
>Nobody objects
>"Okay, so, can we get to bed now? I'm kind of falling asleep where I'm standing here" Noah pipes up
>You hadn't noticed, but goddamn if you weren't tired.
>Everyone murmurs and heads to their respective rooms
>Neither you, nor X or felicia bother to unpack, and just head straight to bed and switch off the lights
>In the silence, you can hear Felicia's uneven breathing
>She sounds a bit worried or otherwise agitated
>Superhuman hearing is, you will admit, a plus