duplicitymemes | TDM #17

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«tdm

TDM #17

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « ALL ON DISPLAY

It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy.

This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses.

To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

... and you're here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity.

After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a clear plastic top and pants along with clear plastic boots to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation.

If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You're a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your high rise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You're a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you'll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

The weather is rather wet and rainy. Very, very rainy.

» » » ALL ABOARD

It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park.

The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.

« « « RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

(cw: aphro, dub-con, violence, marking)

Ice and chilly weather have begun to give way to rain instead, with overcast skies and dark clouds a seemingly constant sight. While the overabundance of rain is an annoyance and comes with the usual series of problems, such as leaky ceilings, mold growth, and gutters or storm drains overflowing, this time the rain carries with it another problem altogether. A weather advisory warning is broadcast to every device, as well as on news networks and radio. The rain, at least for a few days, is not ordinary rain. Whether you're in the Up or the Down, when the water hits clothing it eats away at it. The more water it absorbs, the more the material disintegrates until the wearer is left naked.

When the rain comes in contact with skin (or is ingested) the effects seem to differ depending on where you are in Duplicity. In the Up, it's relatively harmless and merely has an aphrodisiac effect, leaving individuals feeling hot and bothered, more sociable and touchy feely.

Those in the Down, however, are not so lucky. As the rain seeps through the soil from the Up, it ends up laced with toxins, causing a range of less pleasant side effects for anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. Aside from the aphrodisiac, those who get caught in the rain may develop an uncomfortable, itchy rash, leaving them looking rather spotty for a few days. Those who can't resist scratching at themselves will find a newfound pleasure to the relief it brings and start to crave the feeling or sight of similar marks. In worst case scenarios, individuals will become addicted to marking themselves and others, perhaps even to the point of breaking skin.

Effects may last for several hours after exposure and will stack with repeated exposures. In all cases, getting off will bring temporary relief but will not alleviate the symptoms entirely.

Plastic coverings seem to be unaffected by the rain and, as word spreads, the Natives in Duplicity form a mad rush buying up umbrellas. Unless a character is lucky, they may find themselves unable to purchase - or even borrow - one. Theft of umbrellas becomes widespread in the Down, often escalating to violence, and even the Up isn't safe from thugs trying to steal and resell this suddenly hot commodity.

There's another side to all of this, however. Due to the shortage of umbrellas, it isn't uncommon to see Dom/Sub pairs sharing umbrellas together. If anything, it's encouraged as a means to strengthen their bond. Enterprising Subs and Doms alike may even sell their "services" to escort individuals who would otherwise end up soaked.

« « « SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME

(cw: substance abuse, altered states, coercion, fluids, physical body changes)

A new "holistic" pharma company named SQuIRT is opening up in Duplicity and is paying a pretty penny for people to trial run their new line of supplements. These supplements are supposed to increase a person's vitality and energy levels, but the side effects are what the company is really looking out for.

Some of the side effects aren't so bad and could include:

Prolonged erections
Lactation in both men and women
Size enlargement of breasts or genitals
Copious amounts of ejaculate or sexual fluids
Sudden interest in previously unexplored kinks

While others might find their own reaction to be a little more severe:

Shrinkage of breasts, genitals, or entire being
Inability to cum
Uncontrollable hair growth or hair loss
Temporary loss of one or more senses
Spontaneous weeping

Subjects must take the supplements for at least a week, otherwise they'll receive no compensation for their troubles. All new arrivals will find themselves automatically enrolled in these trials, whether they want to be or not, and expected to report to the clinic. Of course they don't have to take the supplements, but the payout is certainly enticing, especially for those unfortunate enough to be branded Submissives.

« « « STICKY FINGERS

(cw: violence)

Crime runs rampant in the Down as always but now, with the nastier side effects of the rain creating an ongoing problem, some unsavory types are sneaking their way into the Up where the effects aren't so hazardous.

The result is an uptick in crime in places that are usually considered safe. Be careful how you carry yourself - and your valuables. Those who look like easy pickings may find their pockets empty. Cameras in public areas are being vandalized as well, while homes and businesses are seeing a rise in graffiti. Most of the graffiti is merely obscene, but some is outright seditious. Good luck explaining the latter to the authorities if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One of the smaller gangs that has a presence in the Down is taking particular advantage of the rain's disruption to expand their territory into the Up. Known as the Bulldogs, their members are young men and they have a reputation for violent muggings and assaults - mainly targeting Submissives. They loiter in groups near the train and the elevator between the Up and the Down to ambush the alone and unwary. At night, they also prey on those walking home from bars or clubs who may not fully have their wits about them.

In addition to beating up their victims for money, some of the Bulldogs are engaging in an informal competition over who can steal the most umbrellas - with bonus points awarded for whatever else they feel like. LIERs are worth double points by default, so watch out!

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice.

To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide:

Players can choose whether to assign their character as a Dominant or Submissive on this TDM for the Door Pass for March Applications only. For May's Application round, threads started here may be used as samples however they will not be eligible for a Door Pass in May. Characters will need to use a thread from May's TDM, using those Door Pass rules, for an application after the March round.

To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new TDMs with different designations for fun!

THERE WILL BE NO APPLICATION ROUND IN APRIL

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have a good time!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"So... Okay."

She exhales, her gaze drifting momentarily as she tries to figure out where to start. She starts to take steps backwards, leading them to the expansive couch that sits near the middle of the room.

"You're from Caulfield so you know about your mother. But did you know that Isabelle's mother also survived the crash?"

Not, notably, Max and Isabelle's mom. Just Isabelle's.

"They got taken in by a farm foreman, Bronson. And they lived with him for a little while, before the military got to them."

Michael joins her. So far, she's not saying anything he hasn't heard from Max, but he doesn't interrupt. He appreciates that she's telling him (and notably, with a lot more ease and willingness than Max had. He tries not to let that get to him, but inevitably it does. His brother isn't here to bitch at about it).

He curls one leg beneath him and sits close to her, watching her. He keeps hold of her hand, and his thumb moves instinctively across her fingers.

"Max had...a thing, a while back, where he went home. Kind of."

That's a longer story. Max hadn't actually left, he'd just fallen asleep and gone home in his head. That ties into Michael's theories about what the fuck they are, and how real this place is, and he's not getting into that yet. Better to just take it as it had come, for now.

"He told me about this, told me he and Isobel aren't really twins. That her mom and my mom stayed with a farmer, and Isobel's mom fell for him. He said there was a kid. Is that where this is going? He wouldn't tell me much about the hybrid, just that they exist."

He'd pushed for more, without much luck. He wants to know now as much as he had then.

"A thing?" she echoes curiously about that, but quickly decides that maybe any "thing" in Duplicity is more complicated than any "thing" in Roswell. They can get to that story after the other stories.

She nods at the leading question and this is where the telling gets a little tougher. She doesn't know why she feels a little awkward explaining this to Michael, of all people. He was nothing but caring, loving, toward her after finding out. Nothing really changed except the upping of his concern over her well being. But it's still strange to admit to, hasn't gotten more normal or easy to comprehend.

"They had a daughter. Her name was Patricia." She clears her throat a little bit as it threatens to tighten. "And she had a daughter. Her name is Mimi."

This is where she looks at him, expectant, but brings it fully to the fore instead of letting him do it.

"And Mimi had a daughter... me."

He doesn't need the last part. He knows her mother's name, knows that's too much of a coincidence to be passed aside. It's just--

DeLuca. Maria DeLuca, is an alien. Part alien, anyway. That's crazy. He's known her for most of his life, at least the part of it that he can remember. There's so much in this, but the main thing is that he's looking at Maria like he's seeing her for the first time.

"You," he says, and then shakes his head, disbelieving. His smiling, though. "You're...everything I've been looking for all this time. And you were right in front of me all along."

Does she know what that means to him? Maybe she does. She's done this all once already, after all, it's only news to him. But it must have been huge, for her. To go from knowing nothing of aliens to knowing you are one in just a few months...

He reaches to take her hand again.

"How did you deal with this? Did we help you, were we there for you? Because we aren't the best at that. Must've been a lot to hear."

She shakes her head practically in time with him, raising a finger in warning.

"Don't do that, Guerin," she says. Her voice is mild, restrained, but firm. "Don't turn me into something I'm not. I'm the same Maria that you've always known. I didn't magically become something else just because we discovered this."

She licks her lips. "I made you happy before this was a thing. Don't make me think I could have made you happier by being other than myself."

She licks her lips again, ducking her head a little, wishing she had tequila. It's not that the conversation is hard exactly, but it's a lot to go through again and she's still not sure what she makes of it all.

"You were. You-- That necklace? Of my mom's that she gave to me." The one she never took off before she knew. "It's this flower that is really rare, but the pollen dampens and protects again you guys' powers. Like, Isobel couldn't enter my mind while I wore it. It would have kept my mom... in place, you know what I mean? But I gave it to Rosa because she was having issues.." She waves her hand. Another long story.

"And you made me this bracelet instead, with the same pollen. You wanted me safe, not... wandering, eventually, like my mom. I wore it for the most part and didn't think about it. But now I'm thinking..."

It's hard to know what to do. It's hard to know what she wants to do, because it's all so strange. She's allowed to take back what she said before, she thinks.

"I'm thinking I need to accept this. What I am. So it's like I'm starting fresh."

There's a lot of what she says there that he wants to come back to - chief among it, that he made her happy. It sounds entirely serious, and yet there's sadness in her face, in the way she talks. Frowning, he moves instinctively closer to her.

The story about her abilities takes precedence, then, and he thinks about her mom. Is that what's in Maria's future, if she uses her powers?

"So you...don't want to dampen your powers, even if using them hurts you?"

It worries him now. It must have worried him then, especially if they were closer, if they were together. His brow knits and he looks away. When Michael was young, he'd thought his powers were amazing. He'd wanted to play with them. He'd wanted Max and Isobel to discover theirs, feeling like it was some exciting secret between them.

Except that he got older, and better understood why they had to hide. He was exorcised because of his abilities. They've been his secret for a very, very long time, and it's only here in Duplicity that he's started to be more open with them at all. He thinks about how he's trained them with Dick, how he's gotten better at fine control. He understands Maria wanting to accept what she is.

But he's worried about what that means. If the cost would be worth what she gets for it.

"It's your choice," he says. "I hope I always knew that. I don't want you to get sick, I don't want you to get hurt. But having special powers that no one else has? I get that, DeLuca, you know I do. What is it you can do?"

It is her choice and it always has been. He's always respected that about it, even if he wanted to protect her at the same time. Even if, in the same moment that he gave her the bracelet he said that she doesn't need protecting. That's always meant something to Maria, that he sees that and gets that and just offers as opposed to demands. She would never tolerate demands.

But she understands his concern.

"I know it's a risk," she says. "I look at my mom. And how she is. And I worry. But at the same time... I know she has me. And I've got people, too." She reaches out to take his hand, tentatively, because this is new to her. Not Michael, though their relationship is going to be different now. That's not new. But reaching out and asking? That's something she's still getting used to.

"I have visions? Of the future. And I just... I know things. I guess it kind of makes sense, if I'm related to Isobel. I can't enter a mind the way she does, but all those gut instincts I have, all that palm reading and card tricks. You know, when I actually meant them. I think they were a lesser degree of it. And if I can learn how to control it, make it stronger?"

It'd be a help in so many ways.

Visions of the future. It's different from what Isobel can do, from what any of them can do, but it's still in that same league. Psychic abilities. Noah had been able to do so much more than any of them.

He squeezes her hand.

"That's pretty cool," he says, and smiles. "You know if I can help you, I can. I just don't want you to get hurt."

The worry about it is, they might not even realize what damage it was doing. Not until years later, when it was already too late. She's a hybrid. Humans aren't supposed to have these powers, not really. Maybe it's too much, maybe it always would be.

But it is her choice. He'll support that.

"And the other part? About...making me happy. I always thought you would, DeLuca. I've been into you for a while, because you're smart, and you could kick my ass, and it's sexy as hell. And cause you're a good person. It's not cause you got alien in you, it's cause you're you. So do me a favor and don't ever doubt that."

"I know." She knows that he'll help her as much as he can just as she knows that he doesn't want her to get hurt.

"I'm not looking to get hurt either, you know. I don't want that either. I just also don't think it's right to close off a part of me purely out of fear. If things get bad, I can always stop. Liz has this antidote thing? It helps make your powers stronger. She was feeding me some of it after... some stuff happened." They can get to that. In a bit.

"I can always take that and see how I feel. I'm not looking for trouble, just for myself."

But she's talking to avoid the rest of what he's said. About making him happy. She chews the inside of her bottom lip to keep herself steady as she continues. It's probably not fair to say, but she also doesn't feel right taking comfort from him, so much, when he doesn't know the full lay of the land between them.

"I don't know if this is fair to tell you or what but... we broke up." She takes in a slightly shaky breath and exhales. "I broke up with you. Like..." This time the exhale is a tight, barely there laugh.

"Like two hours before I got here."

She says that, and Michael thinks: of course you did. Of course we did. That's his love life all over, isn't it? It doesn't matter if they made each other happy. Hell, for all he knows he could've been in love with her, as much as he is with Alex. As much as he is with Damon, too. He'd find a way to screw it up. He always does.

It makes him wonder what the hell he's doing with Dick Grayson, now. That's only going to end in tears, too. Probably Michael's. He should stop putting himself in these positions, he should stop thinking that there's ever any hope of being happy. Isn't he the one who always says it? Hope's the most dangerous thing there is.

He smiles, tightly, and lets go of her hand. Stupid, he thinks. He's been here imposing all of this on her, and she'd wanted out.

"Right. God, I'm sorry." He shakes his head, then looks at her, eyes harder than before. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing." And now her throat is tight and there are real tears threatening to fall. All over again. She has to do this all over again and it's not any easier. This Michael and her, they don't have the same history, which means there's nothing for him to fall back on and she knows this.

She knows she can't fix all of what's broken in Michael Guerin but the least she can do is not put him through this, right?

Except here she is doing it. Again.

"You made me so happy," she says. "But I thought he could make you happier."

Things are different here. She wants things to be different here. If Alex is with someone else, then maybe she's wrong. Maybe they circle each other like planets in orbit because they're stuck in their own circle of Roswell and can't break free.

But maybe, too, she's right, and they're still each biding their time until the other is ready.

"I'm sorry."

Michael blinks. Whatever he thought she was going to say, it wasn't that. He can't quite believe it. How the hell are he and Alex so messed up that it's even screwing up relationships with other people?

"Alex. You broke up with me so I'd get with Alex?"

He leans back, running his hand through his curls. Then he smiles, and shakes his head.

"He's been with Bass for longer than I've been here. They're solid. He loves me, I know that. He told me. I love him too, I probably always will. But we don't..."

He takes a breath.

"It never works. We push each other away. And here, he is happy, with another guy that he doesn't push away. They're long-term. He hasn't been waiting for me, Maria."

And Michael had long ago decided to stop waiting for him.

She's preparing herself for anger, maybe. Disappointment of some kind. How could you make that decision for me? would be a fair comeback to what she did, especially if he hasn't had the last near year to live that she has. Her pushing Michael away isn't exactly her smartest move ever. It's not the nicest thing she's ever done to herself, let alone him.

But instead he just smiles. And Maria's confused.

"How can you love him and not want to be with him?" she asks. "How can he and be with someone else?" He can't possibly mean like brotherly or friendly love, not with the way they were.

"And even so, you're his ex. And I was his friend first. I shouldn't have done anything to even start with." But he had been there. Michael had shown up for her, even if he had been kissing Lindsays in between.

Yeah, there was that awkwardness. They were friends, her and Alex. They always had been. Maybe it hadn't been right to follow what he was feeling to her. Michael was never very good at shutting off his feelings, however much he pretended to be. When he felt for someone, really felt for them, then he gave himself to it. Ten years of waiting for Alex. Months of wanting Maria DeLuca.

Ten years is a long time.

He turns to her, and maybe this question isn't exactly fair. But if it's not, then it's the latest in a line of unfairness between them, so he's just going to go with it.

"Did you love me?" He lifts his eyebrows, meeting her eyes squarely. "You said I made you happy. I didn't do anything wrong. So: did you?"

Do you?

It isn't fair to corner her like this, not when she's still fresh to the city, her mind is still reeling, she's hours off of breaking up with him. But at the same time, she brought this up and she could have just set it off to the side until she knew better what she is about here. She chose to soldier on ahead.

She could tell him to step off, to leave, could do anything but answer the question. But there would be no point. It's obvious in the way she looks at him then, no pretense and no attempt to hide. Her eyes are glassy from a few unshed tears but they're fixed on his.

"Yes."

Michael nods. He can read in her eyes, and on her face, that she means it. Somehow, what they had was enough to make her look like that. Was enough to hurt, in the way that only love can. He knows that feeling all too well. It's never fair. Just like this isn't fair.

"But you broke up with me," he says, and then lifts his shoulders. "Because you thought someone else would make me happy. Someone else makes Alex happy."

And Michael never had. Not really, not in the uncomplicated way that Bass does. This, to Michael, is what love means. It's not about holding on to someone no matter what, whether they want to be held or not. It's about wanting that happiness for them. Even when it hurts you.

He looks down.

"I wanted to move on. I knew all the history between me and Alex, and I knew we weren't good for each other. I wanted to be good for someone. For you."

His hand covers hers again, squeezing it.

"I'm so sorry, for how much it hurts. I don't want you to be sad."

She shakes her head and lifts her free hand to brush away whatever tears she can't quite sniff away, getting a hold of herself as best she can.

"Not your fault," she says. And that's true. It was all Maria's decision; Michael just respected it, like he did all her decisions.

"But even if that is the case. That you and Alex aren't... going to be a thing like that anymore. And that Alex is as okay as you are with this. Even if that's all worked itself out, what I feel--"

She tries to think of the best way to word this that's not going to hurt. She's not trying to hurt him, just talk about the truth. What she needs, if he wants to pursue her. And, perhaps conceitedly, she thinks he will. He always has.

"You're not who I have memories of. You're not who I spent those months with. You're the same Michael at your core, I know that, but it's like I've left someone behind and started over."

The thing is, he does get it. Maybe better than she might think, he understands.

So he looks back up at her, and his smile is still there.

"I get it," he says. "It was the same with me and Damon. We were together. He left, and the Damon that came back was years younger. Didn't know me. Couldn't have known me. And I couldn't do it, it hurt too much."

It hurts less, now. He can talk to him easier now. That's how it works, time heals. But here, time can also hurt, badly. Michael doesn't think it's a coincidence that the two of them have been brought back together like this, any more than it's a coincidence that Damon came back young. LIEs are trying to hurt them all. Maybe that's paranoia talking.

Except that Michael doesn't think it is, because it feels true.

"I don't expect anything. He's not my Damon, I'm not your Michael. It's okay. The last thing I want to do is make it harder, you don't deserve that."

He looks at her, and he wants to wipe her tears away. He wants to put his arm around her, like he had when he'd comforted her in the Pony, but he doesn't. He can't, knowing what those tears mean.

She sniffs again as she shuts her eyes, reaching out with her other hand to lay it over his, both hands now holding on to him. She's honestly unsure what she wants from him. The break up still feels so fresh, so hard, and while a part of her desperately wants to take back everything she said to that other Michael, it doesn't matter here. She's never broken this Michael's heart like that and, what's more, there's no picking up where they left off.

She's not sure her heart can take a Michael who doesn't know her the way hers does. She's not sure she's ready to start over, not with anyone, not right now.

Still, it hurts to tell him, again, that she doesn't want to be with him like that. Hurts her to be without him.

"Give me time," she says. That's what she can settle on. Surely time will make things better.

"Please."

Michael takes a breath.

"You can have all the time," he says. "Look, Maria. The quota thing here, it's serious. I've been meeting it. I'm not...alone, here."

He doesn't know the right way to say it, in part because he and Dick have never defined anything about who they are to each other. It's complicated, because it always is, for Michael. But the simplest part of it is that he's not pining after anyone right now, because there's someone who makes him feel good just by being nearby.

He doesn't outright want to say that, because she's obviously hurting. But he doesn't want her not to know it, either.

"I have someone. He's a really good guy, his name's Dick. So I'm telling you, I don't expect anything. And I don't want to hurt you, that's the last thing I want."

She blinks, not in abject shock but more a slow acceptance of what he's saying. It hurts to hear because a part of her, of course, wants to believe that they'll be together again. That if she took that time she's asking for, she'd eventually be in a place to ask him to have a go at... something.

But it's good, too. Because Michael shouldn't be unhappy and alone. He should be loved. And if someone does that for him, then she's happy, too.

She smiles and nods.

"I know you don't want to hurt me," she assures him. "And I'm happy you have someone. A good someone. You deserve that, Michael."

He can see her processing it, can see the surprise. He isn't with Alex, but he is with someone.

Yeah. It's better she knows now, and finds out this way, than in any other way. Michael going down the same path as the version of him she knows. There's gonna be an adjustment.

"It's been a long time, for me. This place, it's not the easiest place to be and not make attachments, you know? After Damon, I tried for a while. But that was worse."

He hadn't known any shortage of casual sex back home, and he knows Maria will be aware of that. It puts a different color on it when it's sex because you have no choice, though. Michael's found it hard to adapt to that.

She winces slightly at the idea of him trying not to form attachments.

"I don't want that. Don't want that for you." She shakes her head. "I don't want that for me, either. I can't shut you or the rest of our friends out. I'm not about to turn myself off just because they want me to be some kind of sex machine."

But she also can't imagine making those sort of attachments here. It seems to be, from her limited experience of a day, to be all about sex. And oppression.

"Knowing that you found someone gives me hope, too. I know it's not impossible here. That's good to know."

Michael smiles.

"If it's possible for me, it's possible for anyone."

Certainly for her. Michael's luck tends to burn out fast. Maria's an actual catch; smart, beautiful, owns her own business, knows exactly who she is and what she's doing. Anyone would like her. Anyone would want her.

He shrugs.

"The place sucks, but the people are all from other worlds. They want the same things we do."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #17

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