singlelogbridge | Inbox: Ximilia

〈 the corner of her mouth quirks. 〉

Has anyone told you about Schrödinger's cat? 〈 at his denial, she explains, 〉 It’s a thought experiment in quantum mechanics. Super-imposition or some shit. Other-me explained it to me, and you’re going to get the simplified version because I am nowhere near as smart.

〈 she holds her hands in front of her. black ribbons bleed between them into the outline of a cube. another ribbon forms into a miniature cat rendered in exquisite detail. 〉

In the experiment, a cat is placed in a box with a lid. Inside, there is also a radioactive atom. 〈 guided by her memory, venom shapes into a stylized, three-dimensional model of an atom to join the cat now grooming itself inside the cube. 〉 If the atom decays, 〈 the atom’s nucleus splits with a violent pulse, 〉 the radioactivity will kill the cat. If the atom remains stable, though, 〈 the nucleus reforms, surrounded by its orbiting electrons, 〉 cat lives.

The catch, 〈 she continues, 〉 is no one can know what will happen to the atom. So, until you open the lid, the cat is alive and dead at the same time. It’s not until someone opens the lid that you collapse the possibilities down to one.

〈 venom sinks back into its amorphous shape and streams around her arms. gwen watches it vanish beneath her skin. 〉

A paradox. Macabre and weird, but… I get it. Infinite possibilities that can all change in a single moment. Wrong person opens the lid, and we’re dead cats. While the lid is closed, though…right now, we have nothing but endless possibility.

Edited 2022-08-31 15:25 (UTC)

[Even with the few unfamiliar terms, it's an easy enough concept to grasp, and one made even easier with the visuals that Gwen provides. The cat isn't actually physically alive and dead, (not like Wen Ning) and yet without opening the lid it remains both. As if fate had not yet taken its course.

It is, he thinks, a very clever concept.]

Endless possibility...[His eyes drift back into the fathoms of water and he smiles, faint but sincere.]

I like that. [And perhaps he doesn't have that, not endless possibilities anyway, not with his karma, but...there's hope.]

I don't know what'll happen to me after this. What I'll become in my next life. I do know that I'm better for having ended up here. And for having met you. [He smiles at her, soft and heartfelt.]

〈 touched, she looks down, a faint pink coloring her cheeks. she rubs one of her frills between her fingers.

gwen does not know if she believes in any concept of an afterlife—others do, and she has seen people die and come back—not for her, at least. not when she kicks the bucket. when she thinks of her own death, she thinks of nothing at all. it is an oddly welcoming premise.

even so, the concept of reincarnation is a sweet one. even when it goes wrong, people have the option to try again. to learn. to do better.

which she proceeds to ruin (make better?) with a joke. 〉

We covered that, didn’t we? You’ll be Gonzo. Blue, covered in fur, long, hooked nose that kinda looks like a beak; species, “Whatever.”

[There's already amusement dancing in his eyes when she starts to talk about Gonzo, but when she gets to his species, Wei Wuxian absolutely loses it, letting out a belly aching laugh. It's impossible to see in the water, but he's laughing hard enough he's crying.]

Is that really his species? Amazing! I definitely want to be Gonzo in my next life!

I think I'd look good blue, don't you? [he shakes his head, shoulders still shaking with laughter.] Whatever. [Help, he's laughing again.]

〈 so, she is missing a joke here. but at least wei wuxian is happy. 〉

I know my Muppets, and I know you, dork. 〈 (fond.) 〉

I know you do. [Said softly, affection in his smile.]

Hey. About what I said about meeting you. I'm really bad at this sappy stuff, but before one of my friends died, she told me something important.

She said, in life there are two important phrases you have to learn to say to people. 'I'm sorry and thank you.' [His smile wobbles, sorrow creeping into the corners.]

This isn't that exactly, but after E23-b I realized one of us could just disappear without ever getting to say goodbye. I didn't know that before. [His words go quiet and he lets out a thoughtful hum.]

Now I do so I'm telling you. Even if that happens, to you or to me. Even if we don't remember any of this, it was meaningful. My soul will remember you even if my mind doesn't. If I leave first, I want you to know that. And if you leave first, I think you'll still think of me whenever you watch the muppets even if you don't know that's what you're doing.

For being bad at it, you sure know how to sucker punch people with sappy shit, 〈 she jokes with a little quirk at the corner of her mouth. 〉

I felt really alone here my first months. Then, I met you. 〈 her smile widens. 〉 So, I'm sorry I'm a mess. And thank you for being my friend.

〈 lifting her hand, gwen cups his cheek. again, she is caught by how warm he feels: warmer than the water, warmer than she feels. a gentle pulse from her bell brings her closer. her hand curls beneath his jaw; her lips touch his cheek. 〉

Edited 2022-09-05 21:05 (UTC)

[He leans into the touch, his whole body warming at the press of those lips, from his heart to the edges of his fins. When she's pulled away, he holds one hand out for her to take, if she wants it.]

I don't think I'd be very good at being friends with someone who isn't a mess. I only get along with other messes. [His smile isn't the bright grin he usually flashes, instead remaining softer and sweeter.]

Now, no more apologies.

〈 not gwen, but something originating from her, slaps his palm, and wraps around his wrist. upon closer look, the mass seems made up hundreds of tiny black spiders that form a bridge between gwen and wei wuxian.

gwen snorts. 〉

Guess you're pulling both of us. Ride on, cowboy.

[He looks down at the mass and grins, stroking a finger playfully across the wriggling mass. He hasn't forgotten about you, Spiders. After giving both of them one more lingering look of fondness, he starts swimming again.

The next couple of days go by in relative peace. They struggle with a few more strong currents and thankfully don't get pulled too far off track. Things have been going well for a while when he pauses in the water, his brow furrowed. He isn't great about sensing changes in the current, but there's a big enough shift in it that even he can tell something feels off.]

Do you feel that?

〈 behind him, gwen presses her fingers to her temple. she makes a face. 〉

Yep. Spider-sense been going off.

〈 loving the portent of doom with no clear explanation or rationale as to why. very greek tragedy. especially appreciative of the alarm in her head for which she cannot find the snooze button.

they are near to the surface. the water has grown brighter around them as sunlight reaches these depths. they have also stumbled on more animals: brightly colored fish, the occasional shark, weaving plants and rows of coral. none of which really sports a great danger. definitely not enough of one for her to have spider-sense playing in stereo. even the shark, a great white scarred from previous fights, has vanished.

before she can start pleading with an actual sense to give her a clue, the ocean grants her one. her ears pick up a familiar pulsed call, and she understands immediately why the shark opted to peace out.

mouth dropping open, she smacks wei wuxian on the shoulder suddenly enough to startle, half bringing him around. her other hand claps over her mouth.

like a little kid spotting santa claus, she gasps, 〉 Killer whales!

〈 —and just as quickly her ecstatic joy packs its bags and leaps off her face along with all color as she realizes she and wei wuxian are not, safely, on a boat or even look very human presently. staring in the direction of the calls, her eyes grow very, very round. 〉

Those are killer whales.

〈 a different sound reaches her ears: the even more familiar whistles that comprise the whales' short distance, private communication. dark shapes appear out of the deep.

gwen blinks out of sight. 〉

Edited 2022-09-11 21:43 (UTC)

[The excitement followed immediately by her sharp change in tone isn't enough to worry him. If anything, he finds himself fondly amused. Gwen absolutely peacing out without any warning, however, has him letting out a soft yelp and then quickly tracing out an invisibility array on his chest. (He can still feel her hand at least, and knows she didn't actually abandon him to be eaten by something that literally has the word "killer" in its name.]

Gwen! [He yells—quietly, because her disappearance has maybe filled him with a little bit of concern.]

What is it? Should I be worried?

〈 she is no louder when she hisses back, 〉 What do you mean, "what is it?" Killer whales. Killer whales.

〈 because clearly repetition will answer his question. on the very off chance that this is not, in fact, enough information, the pod comes close enough that animals' distinctive black-and-white patterns become clear.

gwen quickly counts ten. eight adults, one that she assumes to be a juvenile based on its size, and one very obvious baby that sticks close to what can only be its mother. they whistle to one another, the sound almost playful. despite spider-sense refusing to go off, gwen follows their easy movement through the water with a childlike glee. they are stunning animals, made more stunning still to see them thriving in their habitat.

yet she does not let go of wei wuxian, and her hand pushes him further away from the pod. invisible as he is, she manages to find his ear. 〉

Those are the most intelligent creatures in the world, 〈 she whispers in explanation. 〉 Impeccable teamwork. And they like to play with their food. Which we currently resemble. So. Let's not make them curious.

[Despite the mild panic that Gwen's reaction had induced, Wei Wuxian finds himself examining the creatures with equal awe and wonder.

They're beautiful. Powerful and terrifying, absolutely, but stunning nonetheless. To Gwen's words he only nods, eyes never leaving the pod of them. He's seen so many sea creatures in their time here and still something about these ones sets them apart, and the knowledge of their intelligence and skill only serves to heighten that. After several moments of awed silence pass, he leans in close to Gwen to speak quietly.]

They're wonderful.

〈 the hand on wei wuxian's arm slides across his chest. gwen's head comes to rest over his shoulder, her front pressing lightly against his back. 〉

Yeah. 〈 she echoes his amazement back to him. 〉 They really are.

〈 safely invisible (do killer whales have a good sense of smell? it feels like they should, which is a concern, but for the moment—safely invisible), gwen has seized the once in a lifetime opportunity to observe a pod in the wild. the calf drifts from its mother's side and closer to the juvenile—an older sibling, maybe?—who gently noses it. with an excitable beat of its tail, the calf returns to its mother, who remained nearby, in order to nurse. the other adults are all patiently tolerant of the calf. rather than continue, they seem to settle in the area, some curiously investigating the rocks nearby.

if there is an upper limit to the amount of video and photos the earpieces can take, gwen is about to find out.

gwen drags her fingers down lightly to find his wrist. as much as she hates to leave, their time here is up. 〉

Come on, 〈 she whispers. 〉 Before your talisman is used up. I don't generally approve of violence, but I refuse to fight killer whales on principle. If they eat me, I'm cool with it. They caught me slipping.

[With a soft snort, he nods, giving the pod of killer whales one last look before turning to follow Gwen and continue their journey on.]

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