"It's foolish to assume that anyone else is ever going to be interested in what you are." She said.
"It is equally foolish to assume that no one will." He replied.
They sat for a moment contemplating the weight of the statements; measuring them against each other.
He balanced ideas.
She balanced the stakes.
"It's when you... you preach too much... that's what it is."
"I know." He replied.
"You do better when you are lighter. I just turn off the moment anyone tells me what to do."
"Yes. I get that. But, how do I be lighter?"
"I don't know? Relax more."
"I guess."
He picked up the thing on the table again.
"Where do you think it came from. Looks like something out of, I dunno, out of - well... I've never seen anything like it before."
She was already on her feet. She gave it another quick glance out of curtesy to him but She had already made up her mind. It wasn't a threat and it wasn't beautiful, and it wasn't ugly either; she had no opinion on it. She knew that it was the symbols on it that interested him though.
She shrugged her shoulders and disappeared into the anti chamber to check the regulators.
He called after her. "Maybe it's some sort of device for... "He paused" ...I have no idea what it is."
He tilted it, sometimes different planes reveal secrets.
"There is a problem with 12." She called back.
He placed the thing back on the table, stood up and poked his head round the corner. "When I've done this maybe we should... you know?"
He smiled at her. the beauty he saw in her did that to him sometimes.
She raised an eyebrow, smiled and looked away.
"Number 12." She said.
"Be quick."
