"So much wrapped up in one question." I say uncharacteristically, as rhetorical musings are typically not what I find myself vocalizing. It seems apt however, given the possible ways in which I might answer. I nod in response to the easier section of his commentary. "I am ascended. My vision is likely better than yours, but it has not been upgraded in the way you seem to imply about your friend. Even so—"
I look and I consider.
"Abstract thoughts: it is a cage, a coffin into which the never-dead have been buried, bound in their own means of escape. Black to inspire foreboding but it is not. Built by haste. A compass needle, it points towards obscenities and freedom." I pause, but not for breath. "I feel...nothing and remember little. The centuries erode what was once, leaving only what is. But I still remember our collective sorrow, the strange coldness of abandonment and the confusion of separation from them. I remember the guardian. Is it different now?"
"It is my preference not to be touched, but this can be overridden based on context and consequences."
I look and I consider.
"Abstract thoughts: it is a cage, a coffin into which the never-dead have been buried, bound in their own means of escape. Black to inspire foreboding but it is not. Built by haste. A compass needle, it points towards obscenities and freedom." I pause, but not for breath. "I feel...nothing and remember little. The centuries erode what was once, leaving only what is. But I still remember our collective sorrow, the strange coldness of abandonment and the confusion of separation from them. I remember the guardian. Is it different now?"
"It is my preference not to be touched, but this can be overridden based on context and consequences."
