Brothers in Arms

Eclipse: Humor over Heartache

"Alright, that's enough for now," Agatha declares, looking at her watch. "Great job on the strategy simulations--your scores are incredible."

"Finally," I exhale, pushing my chair out from the table. "I was beginning to think I would be doing that for the rest of eternity..."

"Ah, the eternity between 2:30 and 4:00. Such an infinite amount of time," Agatha agrees, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"When you think about it, it actually is," I point out, swiveling around towards her. "All of those seconds broken into milliseconds and so on. It's its own version of infinity. Everything depends on how fast you can process the passing time--if you could think quickly enough, you could live an entire lifetime in five minutes." The sentence makes me think of Shadow, but I boot him out of my mind before I become annoyed, resuming my smile.

"I never thought about it that way," she laughs, "but, then, you do that to me a lot."

"Do what?" I ask, thankful for the puzzled feeling that drowns the last dregs of my irked temper.

"You change the way I think about the simplest things. I never used to think of the production necessary for a paperclip or how amazing it is to eat food from all over Mobius, but you pointed it out right away. I grew up with all sorts of incredible things, yet they all became ubiquitous. It's just cool, when you remind me of the amazingness of everyday life."

"Ah, well, there must be a toilsome metal refining process for a clip, and I found it impressive," I reply, a little at a loss. I think Agatha just complimented me, but, unlike usual, I am not entirely sure how to respond to it. Do I say, 'Why, yes, my powers of observation are quite developed' or 'Well, I am naturally curious'? I do not know how to react, so I default and go for a bland answer, in order not to seem arrogant by commending myself.

Since when have I worried about appearing arrogant to a human? I ask myself, suddenly taken aback. Where did that come from? My eyes are blank, my face blanched even more than usual, at the thought, which steals all of my attention for my internal crisis. When did I stop thinking that I was inherently better than everyone on this planet?

For a moment, I feel conflicted by the question. On one hand, I feel guilty for having lost my original mindset, like I am forgetting my upbringing. On the other, however, I have been rather happy here, a feeling of contentment present that I had never known, even at home on the comet. For once, I have not had to worry about survival or live up to anyone's expectations, and it has been great. I feel like I have finally, finally had a chance to be myself, maybe even more so than ever before.

The idea scares me.

"Well, I am the Ultimate Alien. It's no surprise I would think about such things more than mortals," I add, suddenly sure I need to reassert myself.

"Er..." Aga--Captain Topaz, I tell myself, chastising myself for becoming so close with a human--begins, trailing off. It both worries and reassures me that I remain completely unconvinced to call her anything other than I have been. Before I can wonder at my strange behaviour, though, I notice her very, very confused face.

"..." I stare at her, suddenly apprehensive.

What did I say that in reply to? I wasn't listening at all...

"..." She stares back, face completely frozen in her 'what in Chaos' expression.

"..." I open my mouth to ask, think better of it, and close it slowly.

Whatever I implied, it was either very badly timed or very out of context. But, which one? For a moment, she remains stock still, just looking at me. Then, her lips purse themselves quickly before rolling between her teeth, mouth tense. Oh no, I think, not knowing what that expression conveys.