There ain't nothing says "smartass" quite like...

I think people should leave Cody alone. Solitude and nature are calming things. One can truly think and simply be only if they are far from people.

I spend most of my time alone and that is where I realized my life's work. Maybe Cody did the same.

I tried solitude once. I used my abilities without constraint or restraint. I walked my own path without comment from others.

Now that I'm back, I found that I came to a lot of erroneous conclusions.

Cody, don't take it personally that I'm going to have to clear-cut a good deal of your solitary forest homeland.

Cull made me do it!
Seems he is unbalancing the world from its current path and someone's got to right it.

Alchemist, that's pretty insightful.

Sounds to me like you got to know yourself afterall. Found you ain't much good on your own. No shame in that. Some as needs people around them to hold the mirror and some as don't.

You wouldn't a known that without going and thats rightly the point. Now its the plainest thing in the world but if its so plain how come you couldn't see it?

It do take all kinds of folks.

Well, there is something to be said for realizing you've made a wrong choice. There is also something to be said for realizing its not a one answer fits all world.

Cody, you've developed a real gift for saying Cody's right, your wrong and thus stupid without using those precise words. Seems you've become city-fied despite your protestations to the opposite.

Sorry, ol son. Ain't let myself get picked into a fight by someone just cause they was feeling uppity since I was 17. And you ain't this stupid. Leastwise you wasn't last time I was out and about in these parts. Now I done told you before if you got a question just ask and be done with it.

This contrary way of yours don't make a fox into a hound dog. You ain't impressing no one.

Is this a challenge for alpha male status?

Now there's a thought what explains a bit. Little strange if you ask me since neither one of us is what you'd be speaking on for a top dog.

Might be.

Cody, speaking the truth ain't picking a fight. You are who you are, that I don't doubt.

Cody, unless you have walked in Alchemist's mind, you do not know what he learned when he walked his path alone. Maybe he did decide that he couldn't do things by himself. Maybe he decided he was wasting his talents by walking alone. We don't know.

Found you ain't much good on your own.

You made an assumption about what Alchemist learned and I called you on it. Nothing more.

No alpha male sparing, Cull. The advantage of a rich and in depth communication process is that not everything is a challenge, or warning.

Now we all know what you mangled it into Jager. Thanks for giving it up so I wouldn't have to think you were just stupid.

There's some that stand taller with other folks around them. There's some that stand taller when they stand on their own out of the crowd. Its up to Alchemist... not me and sure as hell not you... to figure out which is god's own trutnh for him. He talked and explained it. I said there's no shame in it.

Its done. And you still ain't impressing no one.

(peeks in and looks around)

You guys are still talking about this cr@p?

(goes back to work without further comment)

It's rather amusing, isn't it? Still, Ashnod has opened up one of the more secretive aspects of the Teragen, so this thread hasn't been entirely useless.

The only thing I have to add here is that ALL novas seem to have an 'end to evolution' in their futures. Some point at which their existence is no longer viable, or altered beyond the ken of human and nova alike.

Ramone there are forbidden books on black magic, demonology and witchcraft held under lock and book by overly serious Vatican guys to this very day. Reportedly you have to have three letters of recommendation from the Pope's advisory council and a special pass signed by the guy that runs their religious security order. So supposedly none of it has been seen by other than specially authorized priests in hundreds if not thousands of years. In those pages are written the arcane lore of the ages. And its still cr@p.

Terat religious secrets?

Oh.

Really.

Can I get some of that shit over here?

Ramone, were do get that insight from?

I have found this very fascinating. Really I have. Thank you all for explaining so much.

Mr. Gemeos, you are incorrect. Most of us do not have a future, but a few still do.

...

Wow.

That was uplifting. Get invited out much?

More often than one would expect, Tarot. I suspect it may have something to do with me being a "No Bullshit" guy.

I can't imagine it really easing the conversation along to make statements like, "Most people in the this room have no future." Especially given your quantum insights.

I like you but I just can't see that lightening the mood.

... I don't want to know.

This reminds me of the Huntington Gene in the days before gene therapy. If one of your parents had it, then you have a 50-50 chance. No cure. No treatment. But a simple test would tell you exactly if and when you’d come down with it.

Everyone wants to know everything will turn out OK, but for exactly half, that wasn’t the deal. Most people chose not to find out.

Something to keep in mind, everything ends badly, or else it wouldn’t end. The implication is that we shouldn’t read the last 5 pages before reading the rest of the book.

I don’t envy you Preston.

What a charming thought. I cannot (normally) see the future, Mr. Preston. What I was referring to is just one possible way for a nova to 'die'. We each have that potential. We just have to live long enough and foolishly enough to reach it.

One of the few things I've thought of NEVER doing is going into business predicting the future for people.

Apart from back when I had a fixed abode and the Directive or who-ever used to tap my phone. Then I used to pick up the phone and shout stuff like...

"Lucky Grandma to win at Aintree, three O'clock, 7-1 on."

I leave the "Most people in the this room have no future" comments for the officious political types and then leave them to figure out what I mean.
I stand by my earlier prediction to Mr. Gemeos. I would certainly love it if I was proved wrong.

I am curious to know how you KNOW it is all bunk? If someone, or something, has been enlightening you, do you care to share?

*sigh*

I hope with all my heart that there is some horrible incident in your past that makes you the way you are. Not that I want to wish bad things on people, I just don't want to believe you do it because you get some kick out of it.

That would be a lack of an answer, wouldn't it?

The sad thing is that you take your assumptions as fact, your perceptions as reality, and your opinions as the only ones that matter.

That could be it. Or it could be that Jager is Jager.

All hail.

Already recycling your quips? You're not even trying.

Could you please explain your responses as I asked earlier. It is a simple request.
How did you come to the opinion you stated?

Does All Hail actually count as a quip? I was just going for recognition factor on that one but maybe my standards are a little higher than yours

If I thought for one minute that you truly wanted to know, rather than just looking for a podium to stand up to, I would tell you my life's story including what really happened with Margaret Hiram's older sister Melissa. Since I don't, I pretty much assume Allie had to step out and you're sitting around bored therefore looking from some quick distraction that you'll later bail out on because of mysterious yet so important prior engagements (or just a quickie with Allie). You'll then pop up later and act like this conversation never happened.

So what's in it for me to assuage your boredom?

Thanks for thinking about my mental well-being, but she had to leave late last night and I'm actually working right now, so there is no real likelyhood of me needing to bail later on.

Not bored, just asking questions. If you want to make blanket statements, go right ahead. If you don't feel like explaining your points of view, don't.

'Kay.

Dude, you always bail. You're not the only one but you being you, you do stand out. Neil does the same thing although he's a little quieter about it. You always notice chocolate being gone but who notices vanilla until you actually need it for something? Anyway, its annoying as hell to start a conversation that you know is never going to get finished even when the guy does show back up.

When have I bailed on a conversation with you, Tarot?

The first time was when I was new and we were talking about Totem.

When was that? To my recollection, the last time we were talking to one another about Totem, the conversation was done. We disagreed and that was that.

Haven't bailed yet. Still waiting.

When I asked you how I suppose to know something about Totem, how you would know it if you were me.

After you did it to me I notice you do it elsewhere and said fuck it. Not that you're not a nice guy, that pretty much sums you up and finishes the story. You also don't have the "this isn't worth my time" vibe that Jager gives off when he does it but it still colors what and how I'm willing to talk with you about as opposed to Totem. The conversations aren't done, Neil. You're done and you think that means the conversations are done.

At what point does the converstation end for you? I usually consider it done when both sides are set in there opinions and neither is going to give any. Then it becomes a lecture and I have had my fill of those during my stint in higher education. I don't feel like being lectured to.

But you don't mind lecturing someone else just before you cut and run? You're done and so the conversation is done?

I was done with the Nutter Butter Man needs care and compassion before our conversation about it even started. I responded and explained even though I think the entire thing should be self explanatory.