Virtual Ink December 2013//January 2014 | Page 10

things worked, and what fueled it. Once they had built a knowledge base on a specific topic, they exchanged findings about it for hours on end. The only motive being to fill their otherwise empty lives by finding out in what way they were empty. They blamed the homogeny of life, how everyone fell into liking the same overly hyped products that were peddled to them. They blamed this, and various other problems with how the internet was utilized by corporations. For a time, the simple talks were enough to fill the emptiness, however, one day, Tal got a little more brave than usual, and decided that to fill the emptiness completely, he needed someone he could view in a different light. Yeah. Acacia typed, lacking any verbosity. The rest of the conversation ended up being droll. It ended on an especially dull note. I still feel empty. I do too. Tal typed, sadly agreeing. What can I do about it? Acacia and Tal both signed off for the night, having completed their usual discourse. Trying his best to ignore the droll discussion and its dismal ending, Tal went to bed. He rolled in around a bit, trying to make himself comfortable, but for the longest time he couldn't sleep. When he finally managed to fall asleep, something came to him. An idea that had probably been in the making from day one, but bumped around in the subconscious instead of making its way out. I have to meet her. Acacia, you're my friend, right? Tal typed, curiously awaiting a response. Yeah. Do you think we could manage more than that? Tal typed, now very anxious, thinking he had been a little too direct. What's the difference? Tal awoke in the morning prior to his alarm sounding, and he quickly prevented it from going off. Staring out into the dark sky towards the moon, Tal contemplated his approach and how he would pitch the idea to Acacia. Finally, he decided the best way was to be direct. Grabbing his tablet, he opened up his list of messages, composed a new one, and hit send. "Huh. Waste of time." Tal said aloud, laughing at his prior classification of such things. Well... Tal typed, stalling the conversation. He couldn't think of any solid differences, so he just decided to voice a superficial variation. Hey, Acacia. Do you know your address, by any chance? I think I found the solution to the emptiness. We'd say things more.... I don't kn