<< Return to Chapter 17

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Outside Counselor Xi’s office, you pace up and down the short hallway, waiting while she makes her preparations. You don’t know what to expect from this--delving into memories and feelings better off repressed, as far as your brain is concerned. You try to avoid suppressing your anxiety, knowing your limits for how much you can suppress. But what if this is a terrible idea, what if it only makes things worse?

You can’t escape the feeling pulling you down--until the door at the end of the hall opens. You turn around and see her--Akiko of Atarachiba. Her eyes light up pink as you glide up to each other in a few steps. She takes your hands--wrapped in the unique wool hand warmers she made for you. As soon as you feel the softness of her fingers, you forget what had you so anxious a moment ago.

After a quick glance behind you--Counselor Xi’s door is still closed--you close the distance between you and Akiko and kiss her. You feel a surge of euphoria with your empathic sense--reciprocating the feeling back to her in a positive feedback loop.

She lets go of your hands to sign. “Are you ready?”

“No... Having to face what’s in here...” you sign, pointing to your head. “Still...I’m glad you’re with me.”

“There’s no one better for the job. ÆON may have me beat at synchronization skill, but I’m confident I outclass Ær expertise in emotions,” she signs.

“Yeah, that’s true of most humanoids,” you sign. “Though Æ has Ær own kind of--”

“--And I outclass everyone’s expertise in Aydan,” she signs.

You feel a surge in the emotional feedback loop--but it originates from your end. You reach for your languages, but feel like you’re stumbling around in your head.

She pokes your forehead, making you feel even more off-balance. “I know you. There’s nothing in here that will change how I feel, okay? Don’t worry.”

You nod, looking into her silver eyes with glowing purple irises.

“But if there’s anything you really don’t want me to see, I’ll do my best to respect that. Set clear boundaries and I’ll be conscious of them, as much as possible. Usually it’s no problem to keep secrets safe during synchronization. But, this is a little different. Since we’re getting introspective, we’re bypassing technopathy’s first rule by default. It might not be possible to hide something...on either side.”

You lock back into the colony’s spin and regain your balance. “Akiko,” you sign her name sign. “You’re acting all confident, but I’m hardly an amateur in the field of Akiko myself. It’s okay if you’re nervous too.”

Her LEDs go dark--blank silver stare. She suddenly hugs you tight, for just a second, and lets you go. “Okay, maybe a little...” she signs.