The Bigger Picture - 2

–Beginning Basic Narration of Recording 22–

Lapadj’s voice ushers in the recording with: “Is it broken? Did you completely destroy it?”

They are all staring directly at the recording in one way or another. The room is in a state of disarray. The puffy flooring has charred marks decorating it. The table upon which Grapefruit was placed upon has been shattered. She is now positioned up within the air, floating gracefully.

“Of course I did not,” Sarela chides. “It is working again.”

“Barely,” he mutters.

“What do you expect?” Sarela’s wispy ‘arms’ appear to gesture about. “I procured a flimsy model.”

“Why would you do that?” Grapefruit asks, voice slightly shaky. She is straying far from Lapadj.

“Because if it breaks or ceases to function we are obviously doing something wrong. We are recording Humans. There should be nothing they can do to damages it,” she explains. “It is a test to see if we are still doing what you said we were going to be doing and it is serving that function very well.”

A muffled noise comes from Lapadj’s mouth and he crosses his arms across his chest. He turns away from the recorder and slides marginally away.

“That is a smart idea,” the Goddess says cheerfully, floating over to Sarela, still staying away from Lapadj.

“Etae to,” Sarela replies.

“A smart idea would be an answer or solution to this strangeness,” Lapadj mumbles as he walks around the room.

“What I said was-“

Sarela cuts off Grapefruit and says: “Do you expect a different response this time? Because you should not.”

“But I do,” she replies and grows bolder by moving closer to the Kharatzara. “Lapadj, perhaps there is something going on. Nefarious, I mean. But we do not have the complete idea of what it is. You and Anna are just two pieces of a larger team. Each individual or pair or group working on a little part. Another part may know the relevancy of it, but they may not know the exact details of another part or the details of your’s. Does that make sense?”

“It is obvious. But why is it so obfuscated?” Lapadj asks, surprisingly calm.

“So people can be more focused on what they are doing, maybe. Humans are easily confused and lack a large capacity for understanding, no?” Grapefruit tries to explain and ends up guessing.

“I like that you are so sure of your theory but you really cannot explain it,” Sarela says. “Whatever. Vehk. Who cares why? None of us have the answer, Lapadj.”

Failing to recognize that he is cloaked, Lapadj taps his fingers together in an act of clicking. No sound is heard from the action nor any mana sparks fly from it. He sighs.

“Aye ky,” Grapefruit concurs with the Szarehan. “We need more information.”

“Which is the point of this endeavor,” Sarela says.

“True.” Lapadj shakes his head. “Tomorrow I will begin to endeavor to speak with this Mark character Anna has referred to multiple times.”

“You think he could prove insightful?” Sarela asks.

“Perhaps. I have yet to speak with other Humans employed at this guild, so maybe they will have a greater understanding of its operations.”

“That is a smart idea,” Grapefruit chimes. She floats closer to Lapadj, but not too close such that he could snatch her out of the air with his hands.

Lapadj almost motions to do so, however. His face scrunches up and then releases. He turns away from his two companions and wanders off to another part of his Human abode.

“Are we done for now?” Sarela calls out to him.

“Yes.” His answer echoes away as he finally exits the sight of the weak recorder.

“Well then.” Sarela turns to Grapefruit, floating over to be by her side. “Would you like to watch Fast Love with me? I believe we can get through the beginning sequence before the Human work day begins.”

“I have never seen Fast Love!” Grapefruit exclaims. “I really need to, do I not? Will I understand it? I am not Empirian.”

“Understanding is overrated,” Sarela says and then she glances at the recorder and by her will it shuts down.

–Ending Basic Narration of Recording 22–

This is, I think, where things go completely off the rails. Like it wasn’t already. But yeah.

TBC