7. Public + messages to David & Iris

[exnihilo]

[Private to David 8]

I wasn't any different there. That I could tell.



[Public, voice]

How many people have you been? How many people have you pretended to be?

[She's not sure where exactly the distinction is between these things.]

You may estimate.



[Private to Iris]

I'd like to be allowed in the labs. I've been researching hydroponics.

Comments

[routemistress]

You're responsible for you. But it's 'is job to work with you. To sort out what needs sorting. I've done this job a year and a bit, I've 'ad two inmates and - well, Wade was one thing, bless 'im. But Victor needed a bloody firm 'and at times. I 'ad to ask the others not to let 'im in the CES without me, stuff like that.

I can't ask for things like that and not ...show the same manners to someone else. And David 'asn't done wardening before. What'd I be like if I obstructed and messed with 'im?

Besides, 'im and me don't like each other. So courtesy's all we've got.

[exnihilo]

I like him.

[It's not defensive, precisely. It's something in the realm of an experiment, testing out a definitive opinion, stating it clearly. She doesn't know she understands him at all yet, but she likes his manner, his observant hyperfocus, his steadying equanimity, his quiet encouragement.]

[routemistress]

[That provokes a brilliant Irisian smile.]

Good. That's all that's important. Our Chris does and all. I trust 'im all right; that's a man that takes care to do 'is job right. We just never could get along, 'im and me.

You thinking of growing crops for the boat?

[exnihilo]

[She nods.]

Ben thinks we should be more self-sufficient in case. In case.

I've been studying how ships did it my world. All the large ones were basically closed systems, except for occasional changes in passenger rosters.

[routemistress]

Aye, that's a damn good plan. Did they use a lot of algae and microfungi? I love fungus, you can do practically anything with a good mycelium.

'Course, some of the sentient ones've got terrible attitudes, but those are rare.

[exnihilo]

[She nods.]

The trick is a lot of permeated nanostructures, to increase the surface area for those kinds of ecological substrates. One of the tricks, anyway.

[routemistress]

And the fun part's modifying your single-cell plants not to taste like seaweed and cabbagewater. Ooh, we can 'ave some fun with this, all right!

I want you to 'ave a look at my 'orse schematics and all. I borrowed a lot from when you 'ad that artificial body. And what I remembered from me and Babs getting Rixed.