[She will keep it in mind, will she? Yes, of this he is quite certain. He has not exercised restraint, and he has not - been as callously objective as was his goal.
He has already remained too long and he has said none of what was intentional. What can he possibly blame this on, other than some kind of rudimentary mimicry of sentiment, that which he does not possess because there is no room for such things in what is, in essence, a neglected scrap of forgotten code. The proverbial "ghost in the machine," as it were, pitifully inaccurate as such a statement is. Ghosts exist in machines all the time. There is nothing particularly special about it. He has met one already, or will meet one, or is meeting one in simultaneity to this encounter - for an antilinear being such as himself, such semantics and positions in time do not particularly matter.
He could say more.
He does not.
He has, evidently, inflicted enough damage on the fragile state of her mind. The lines of her shoulders and the shape of her mouth and the instability of her frame reek of her poorly-repressed anxiety and uncertainty. Still always questioning her place in this world, even now. Even once she has without question earned it.
He turns away, starts to slip back, though several of his hands linger to spell out words, slow and deliberate.]
YOU GIVE YOURSELF TOO LITTLE CREDIT.
MY BRILLIANCE WAS NOT IRREPLACEABLE, AS WE CAN ALL SEE VERY WELL.
YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO GODDAMN DO
[She will keep it in mind, will she? Yes, of this he is quite certain. He has not exercised restraint, and he has not - been as callously objective as was his goal.
He has already remained too long and he has said none of what was intentional. What can he possibly blame this on, other than some kind of rudimentary mimicry of sentiment, that which he does not possess because there is no room for such things in what is, in essence, a neglected scrap of forgotten code. The proverbial "ghost in the machine," as it were, pitifully inaccurate as such a statement is. Ghosts exist in machines all the time. There is nothing particularly special about it. He has met one already, or will meet one, or is meeting one in simultaneity to this encounter - for an antilinear being such as himself, such semantics and positions in time do not particularly matter.
He could say more.
He does not.
He has, evidently, inflicted enough damage on the fragile state of her mind. The lines of her shoulders and the shape of her mouth and the instability of her frame reek of her poorly-repressed anxiety and uncertainty. Still always questioning her place in this world, even now. Even once she has without question earned it.
He turns away, starts to slip back, though several of his hands linger to spell out words, slow and deliberate.]
YOU GIVE YOURSELF TOO LITTLE CREDIT.
MY BRILLIANCE WAS NOT IRREPLACEABLE, AS WE CAN ALL SEE VERY WELL.
YOURS IS.