User:MisterSinister/Stuff/Transcript of Faith's Convo with Aster

Captain,

This is a transcript of a conversation between Faith Epps and Asterfete Taesos from about six days ago, found on a routine search of Salif's room, as per Enforcement policy. I am becoming severely concerned that Salif is using his fixation on Faith as an excuse to spy on her, and that these reports lack value. I would like to recommend disciplinary action at the Captain's pleasure.

- SK

Captain's note: I see no problem with Salif wanting to indulge his interests. Plus, he's your asset - handle him yourself.

Conversation Transcript
Location: Atrium of New Beginnings

Day and Time: Midday, 3rd Fireday of Midsummer, 1566 CE

Participants: Faith Epps (marked F in text), Asterfete Taesos (marked A in text)

A: waves to F

F: looks pleased, wanders over through the crowd "Hello!"

A: Hello to you too. How are you?

F: Pretty good. Busy like mad!

A: Theoretical Spell Research keeping you busy again?

F: You have absolutely no idea. I'm putting off looking at the spell formulae as long as possible. I still can't believe Ashe wanted me to write the marking scheme for it...

A: Why, did someone submit something impossible again?

F: sits down on a bench No, not exactly. Well, apart from Neal - his submissions always take the longest out of everyone else.

A: Why is that?

F: He's formal to a fault. It's like he's trying to prove that he can do all the formalism Ashe can, except what he tends to end up with is impossibly convoluted and more than a little strange.

A: Is he still...

F: Yeah. Don't really want to hurt him, but yeah...

A: How do you really feel about him? You two spend an awful lot of time together - some people are starting to get suspicious.

F: Aster, are you here to chat to me or review my personal life again?

A: Sorry... didn't mean it like that.

F: It's ok - I was joking! Neal keeps giving me flower-related things, though - and that is really nice.

A: How is that desert rose he gave you?

F: It's on my desk in a coffee mug!

A: What did he do to deserve that?

F: ...I didn't have a vase.

A: So... about how you actually feel about him...?

F: You know what my answer's going to be, Aster.

A: I do now.

F: Why pick such a public place to meet? Your message said you had something very important and personal to talk about?

A: You never know where Enforcement might be listening.

F: How paranoid can you get? They can't possibly have that many magical sensors.

A: Clearly you've never noticed them watching you. How do you know some pervert in Enforcement doesn't watch you bathe, for example? Or sleep? Or look over your most intimate thoughts that you write down in your journal, the one that nobody else sees except you?

F: ...Don't even remind me of that.

A: Of what?

F: appears to be on the verge of tears as sentences progress I was with someone a few years ago. I left him in my room because I had to run out to class. I told him that he could read my books if he wanted to. He found my journal, hidden inside a different book, not even on my bookshelf - under my bed. I never showed that to anyone, and he not only read it, when we met later, he quoted it back at me. So not only did he read it, he transcribed it and remembered it. I was like "Seriously? Seriously?"

A: ...I had no idea. I'm so sorry. I was completely insensitive. Please forgive me.

F: It's alright, it's in the past. doesn't appear all right at all when saying this

A: If you ever need help hiding something like that, I could teach you a very impressive bit of encryption. We don't just learn magic in MMS.

F: It's not that, Aster. It's that someone would violate my privacy that much, and then throw it in my face. I really loved him, too, but that just scared me. I felt completely like he didn't care about my privacy at all.

A: You're very secretive. I can understand that - you should be around here. But I'm very sorry to hear about that guy, though. Have all your relationships gone this badly, or was he a one-off?

F: Well, I've never been cheated on - that I know of. But there was one time when I was with someone, and he had a friend who really liked me as well. His friend basically told the man I was with that I had been cheating on him with said friend. He got mad, and basically held a whole bunch of my stuff hostage while he demanded... I think something like 200 gold's worth of money that I had apparently 'cheated out of him', most of which was just gifts that he bought me. In the end, I just came to get it, and told him "I'm taking my stuff back, and there's nothing you can do about it." Although he still has some of my beautiful art books that I want back. again, appears close to tears

A: Are you OK? I'm sorry I don't have anything to dry your tears with.

F: quickly attempts to compose herself No, it's fine. If I was actually on the verge of tears, you'd know.

A: Are you sure?

F: Yeah. doesn't appear at all OK again

Long-ish silence follows

A: Anyway, the reason I wanted to talk is... looks uncomfortable

F: Do you want to go somewhere less open than this?

A: No, in this case, being in a crowd is an advantage. They can't listen in on us as readily.

F: Are you convinced that you're being followed again?

A: No, not this time, at least. I doubled-back three times and have five different people claiming I was somewhere else at this time if asked.

F: Aster, are you sure you're alright?

A: leans in closer, mouths or whispers something indistinguishable