capeandcowl if I go through with it -- Canon is Radio KAOS.

[whoneedsinformation]

[A synthesized voice -- old school, nothing as nice and sweet as Siri -- comes from... somewhere. A convenient radio, let's say.]

You have told me about 2012. You have told me about wi-fi. Cellular phones. 3G. 4G. Voice and text and data.

I will hear everything. It will be very loud. Louder than only radio.

Uncle Dave and Molly will not be there. Who will I stay with.

[A pause.]

You don't know.

You schmuck.

Comments

[birdhousesoul]

[A snort, friendly enough.] I'm still getting used to electrical appliances, myself.

[whoneedsinformation]

You are still getting used to electrical appliances.

What. Are you from the dark ages.

[birdhousesoul]

The what now? No, I'm from the Dragon Age. [Quite literally. Somewhere, a cymbal ought to crash.]

[whoneedsinformation]

[Ba-dum-ching! Shame Billy is from 1987, and doesn't get the joke.]

The Dragon Age. I haven't heard of that.

What dragons.

[birdhousesoul]

Every time the end of an age rolls round, the Divine is obliged to wrack her brains for a name to give the next one. The last one was named Blessed, because the emperor of Orlais had twins that year, and the Chantry's seat of power just so happens to be in Orlais. That's what we get for entrusting our calendar to organized religion.

This age got named after a high dragon that woke up and started causing problems just at the right moment to get an age named after himself, or herself. Probably herself. Nesting dragons are all kinds of trouble. Other than that, I confess, I know nothing about that particular dragon. It's not as though they get names, unless they're Archdemons as opposed to ordinary dragons, and I think this one was an ordinary dragon.

Right. That's ... probably more than you wanted to know. My point's simply that when we say it's the Dragon Age, we do mean that specific dragon, but it's not as though we know any more about the dragon than that. It's not a specifically named dragon or anything. Otherwise we'd be in 9:37 Trogdor.

[whoneedsinformation]

[There is silence for a good little while, as Billy takes all of that in. Then, with all the delicacy and tact of a Speak-N-Spell, he replies --]

I think you might be a nut.

[birdhousesoul]

Says the man afraid of cellular phones.

[whoneedsinformation]

I am not afraid. I am concerned. There is a difference.

[birdhousesoul]

Concerned, then. What concerns you, exactly, in regard to these devices?

[whoneedsinformation]

I hear radio waves in my head. I will hear everything else, too. All of it.

[viced]

Oh you have no idea how fucking loud it gets, might want to brace yourself.

[whoneedsinformation]

That sounds super.

You do know how loud it gets.

[viced]

You bet I do. It gets manageable, with time.

[whoneedsinformation]

I have time. It's not like I'll be going dancing. [The voice skips a little, on contractions. Whatever synthesiser program he's using doesn't like apostrophes, apparently.]

You hear radio waves too. Where I am from, I am the only one.

[viced]

I don't exactly hear the waves, I hear the frequency. Not what it's broadcasting, but what it's thinking. What it wants to tell me.

But I'm the only one where I come from as well.

[whoneedsinformation]

Machines don't think.

[viced]

If you speak their language, they sing a different tune.

[whoneedsinformation]

They don't sing, either.

[viced]

They do to me!

[whoneedsinformation]

Are you sure.

[viced]

I DON'T JOKE.

[whoneedsinformation]

[Well. That's. That's something, isn't it. Something so strange and delightfully new. It has the voice from the radio falling silent, for a few minutes.]

I live in L.A. There are a lot of crazies.

[Which is still... not entirely conceding that Mitch isn't one. At least for the 'machines can think' thing.]

[viced]

Hey, I used to run New York City. They're everywhere, aren't they?

[whoneedsinformation]

Everywhere.

You're a politician.

[viced]

Guilty as charged. Someone has to slum it, right?

[whoneedsinformation]

In theory.

What do you do. In politics.

[viced]

Well, if we're talking about the City, I'm the Mayor. Do you want me to go over accomplishments? Not everyone gets excited about policy, it gets a little dry after a while.

[whoneedsinformation]

I would like to hear what you have done. I have an interest in policy.

[viced]

Oh, shit, you're going to put me on the spot, aren't you? Let's see, there are the little things, like the power grid upgrades I got people working on, and our efforts on import outreach are pretty impressive. There are tax cuts, obviously, I don't think I could sell myself to my party if I didn't, you know?

Anyway, you want to hear about the really dry stuff, or can that wait for when you're in the City so you don't forget?

[whoneedsinformation]

I am. I have seen what the powers that be will do if they are not. Questioning. Accountability.

Maybe we should wait. But I would like to talk about it. I like talking.

[viced]

Well, I can't say no to someone who likes to talk. Most of my better work was back home, honestly. I don't have to clean up after metahuman fights. Shit, I even managed to get the president to legalize universal health care. That's a trial.

[whoneedsinformation]

Thank you. [Man, if he could sound pleased right now...] In L.A. I would call in to radio stations to talk.

You did this in the United States.

[viced]

That's right. I thought the New Yorker accent tended to give it away. []

How'd that work out, calling radio stations?

[whoneedsinformation]

Pretend I can sound impressed. [Because, well. Tone of voice...]

It worked out. I made a friend. Jim. A DJ. I called him often to talk. I'll miss him.

[viced]

That's the way it goes in the City. The nice thing is that time doesn't move back home while you're there. I think that makes it at least a little guilt-free.

[whoneedsinformation]

That will be good. I was in the middle of something. I need to finish it.

[viced]

Yeah, aren't we all? That's the nasty part of showing up there. We're always in the middle of something, and it's usually big.

[whoneedsinformation]

But we will go back. And we will not lose time.

[viced]

Yeah. I went back, once, I assume the same'll happen again.

[whoneedsinformation]

Then I won't worry. I will enjoy the adventure.

[viced]

Hah, I'm sure you will. The City's quite the experience.