I'm going to start today with an indisputable fact, then go all freestyle with it as my evil brain fairies take control.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERSTATE HOW STUPID PEOPLE ARE.
Sorry (I'm not really) everyone, but that's unarguable. No matter what you think the limit of human stupidity is it's exceeded thousands of times every single day. Human stupidity makes up 99.99999999% of social media, but only 90% of the internet. I just made those numbers up, but that's social media and the internet for you. The fantastic part about this is that if you disagree with the fact then you are actually proving it. Stupid people don't know they are stupid. They are the last people to find out they are stupid, if they ever find out at all. Agreeing with the irrefutable fact people are stupid makes you smarter than the vast majority. The stimulus for this piece was provided by mankind and a request for me to sign an environmental petition. I received the request and ignored it until yesterday when I was cleaning out the shit I get sent all day long. I read the petition after seeing it had achieved over 250,000 signatures. It was being promoted by celebrities and other dumb animals. I don't think they'd read what they were signing up for. The dumb bastards just signed it. Basically it was calling for the immediate end of all fossil fuel use. Later on the petition went into redistribution of wealth, universal healthcare and an end to borders. The moronic fucks were signing up for millions of immediate deaths and their own eventual poverty. They were volunteering to die and lose most of their wealth. Then I thought, I bet I could get 1 million signatures on a properly worded petition that appeals to the virtue signaling stupidity of the herd. Only it would be a thinly disguised suicide pact. I wouldn't even have to hide it that much. All I'd need to do is appeal to the stupidity of people. They'd sign up in their hundreds of thousands. When I get the time I think I'll come up with a few more ideas for idiotic petitions that will get a lot of signatures.
(The copyright to this image is the property of Pintrest.com.)
Jake found himself in a unique and unexpectedly uncomfortable situation. Sitting there watching Scarlet and Tandy getting along like a house on fire. He'd known this would be the case. He hadn't fully understood all the ramifications of his being correct. There they were chattering away like old friends. The amount of laughter and touching going on, indicated they'd been here for a while. As did the half filled tall drinks. This was a strange affair. Nothing like this had happened to him before. He'd have remembered if it had. In a sense he'd engineered this set of circumstances. Although it was obvious others had played a significant part.
After the initial greeting they'd both got back into whatever conversation they were having. It seemed to be mainly the adventures and escapades they'd been on. At any point he expected them to start comparing scars. Except thanks to amazing medical advances, no one had scars. That would have been bad enough. Things were worse than that though. Scarlet was revealing psychological scars. Tandy to. They'd switch between the somber and the joyful, mid sentence. Was it really a good idea for them to be so open with one another? Scarlet was telling the truth as he knew it, Tandy might not be. As he half listened that was dismissed. She switched into her tales far too naturally.
If someone had provided him with a warning about the way this was turning out, he'd have laughed and dismissed it . It would be wonderful. Everything was falling into place exactly as he'd envisaged it. What a fool he was. On the face of it introducing two women with so many similarities was fine. They might not gel, but they'd have things to talk about. This was what he'd predicted. This was not what he'd predicted. The nearest analogy he could find was introducing your new partner to your previous partner and them being perfect for each other. Same sense of humor. Same intelligence. Mirror images apart from their physical appearance.
One, the woman he loved above all else. The other a fascinating, extraordinarily attractive, woman who was attracted to him. They both knew this. The looks they gave him, in between their exchanges, showed they both liked him. They were both interested in him. Scarlet usually didn't display this amount of affection for him. Did that mean she was competing? Was this instant friendship all a facade? Secretly they were working against each other. Both knowing their opponent was aware of the battle going on between them. While hiding it from him. It was possible. Not likely. It was like they'd grown up together, then been parted for years. Now they were catching up on each others lives. In detail. Of course not the absolute record of all that had passed. The most important bits and intimate feelings.
Lost in thought, he jerked when Tandy patted his leg. Had she noticed? Scarlet had. She knew he was nervous as a kitten. She wasn't taking advantage of that. Not unknown, unusual. At the mention of Fafindi he almost lost his shit. Scarlet had brought that up. Ydrie and all that happened there was being poured out. Not in small dollops, begrudgingly dished out. The whole complicated thing, not even the sex was left out. Something that she wasn't a part to. Her only knowledge the Ustraski data. The pregnancy and termination. Both delicate subjects she didn't dwell on. Were being dwelt on. With no sign of the trauma she'd actually experienced. More an acceptance of something in the distant past. Wait a minute. Had they done something to her? Administered a pernicious drug? Done some mind thing? Ureniel could do shit like that. The People could be way ahead on this kind of thing.
No verbal fencing. No barbed comments. The genuine empathy between them was obvious. Tandy hugged Scarlet warmly. It went on for a while. He could tell his partner was touched. Even through the brief smile she gave him. Why was he feeling so uncomfortable about this? Digging down deep, the only half assed explanation he could come up with was pathetic. His nerves were like he supposed you'd get when two of your lovers met for the first time. Neither having known about the other. He was terrified they'd say something which would reveal his cheating. It was a very bad fit, apart from describing how he felt. They were still hugging. Slight sexual tension there, or was he imagining that? Jake didn't know. This was confusing. An arranged marriage where the couple fell in love, as soon as they met. Now his mind was going down an unwanted route. One man. Two beautiful women. There was bound to be a bed somewhere. Oh fuck. Tandy touched his leg again and this time he'd had a tingle.
He'd been there ages now. They were starting to ask each other ancillary questions. Going over stuff they must have covered before he arrived as well. Completely at ease with one another. No, no, no. They were being complimentary about him. Tandy had told Scarlet about the Shahmay tournament obviously. Plus their long conversation and meal. Jake had to do something. He was a nonparticipant. One who had to get himself in there. Before they divided him up between them. As quietly, and carefully, as he could, Jake shifted his chair closer to the couch. Heading in Scarlet's direction. It scrapped on the floor. They both looked up. He grinned, picked up his drink. Silently toasted something imaginary. There was no way he was going to get any closer without attracting more attention.
This clandestine stuff wasn't his forte. He'd have to look for an opening then wedge himself into it openly. That was quite a small couch they were on. A bit bigger than a loveseat. Having assessed the situation, Jake acted. Like a lunatic. Casually he stood up. Even more casually he eased himself onto the arm of the sofa, beside Scarlet. She looked back at him fleetingly. Edged a bit closer to Tandy. This was the most dangerous part. Jake slowly reached for her hand and took it in his. Not possessively. Not even protectively. It was just a thing with no meaning apart from being very comfortable with all that was happening. It was a white lie, at the very worst. He started making soft noises. Noises of interest and agreement. Supportive noises. He was making a contribution at last. He evaded any and all looks they gave him. Absentmindedly stroked Scarlet's soft hair with the back of his fingers. Let his warm breath play across her neck.
Tandy smiled at him. He smiled back. Then they talked about Scarlet's time trapped in her memory palace. In a depth he was stunned by. Scarlet was showing her vulnerability. How she'd clung onto her sanity for so long. Gone insane and returned to sanity again. The voices in her head. The shadows in the corner of her vision, that disappeared as soon as she tried to see them clearly. She was really opening up. Tandy had been trapped by a cave in on Titania, the largest of Uranus's moons. Everyone else dead. No one looking for survivors. She'd invented an imaginary companion after a couple of months alone. When, against all the odds, she was rescued the imaginary friend had remained with her for a couple of years. They hugged again. Tandy reaching past Scarlet to squeeze his leg this time. He felt that one right in the groin. Why was he such a complete sack of filth? There was absolutely nothing sexual about any of this. Apart from that impressive cleavage and other bits.
Did he really have to be here? She could have messaged him later. After the heart to heart they were having. It was moving on now. To more cheerful reminiscences. Tandy was very interested in the Geochronometric Array. Scarlet must have at least touched on that subject. His ears pricked up. Now he could say things that were meaningful and relevant. Only the general was far more interested in Angelique's realm and what they'd got up to there. Boy was she interested. Orgasmogen was mentioned more than once. Holy shit, how much detail had she gone into? Their mission to the monochrome universe didn't make an appearance. It was all about the perfect Jondar and Ursella avatars and what they'd got up to with them. He blocked that out and concentrated on touching Scarlet. Squeezing her hand and brushing against her body. Something had changed. He'd missed it. The conversation had moved on.
"I'll fetch my console and show you." Tandy patted Scarlet on her knee.
"Jake can fetch it."
Scarlet's back was to him so he didn't see her expression. He did see the nod from Tandy though.
"It's in my office. On the desk. You go through that door, head straight on and it's on the right. I hope you don't mind."
He knew there was more to this than met the eye. Jake acquiesced without complaint. Heading off immediately.
"Sorry about that. Don't know what's got into him Tand."
"He's very affectionate towards you." She observed as he disappeared from sight.
"Yes. Normally he's not this clingy. We're not like that. I think he's trying to reassure me he's not going to leap into bed with you the moment my back is turned."
"Oh definitely. It's also a sign of his love for you I think. You'd know best though."
"I think it might be my fault in a way. I told him I was jealous of his instant connection to you. I've got no objections to him getting busy with you. He should know that." She bent forward her voice lowering. "Don't tell him this, but he's not that bad in the sack. I've had better, but I've had a lot more that was worse."
They both began to giggle. They were still at it when Jake returned with the console. When they saw him they both dissolved into helpless laughter. He puffed in relief. This was more the kind of reception he was used to. Now he could relax a bit.
pocketsend:11@spunkpuppet, play around with the token of fun - POCKET!
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