Wake me up before you cocoa

Eevi chuckled at the hashtag reference, finding a moment of humor in the midst of their peculiar conversation.

"Well, you certainly stumbled into a unique brand of enlightenment. A cosmic accident with a touch of serendipity," she remarked, twirling the handle of her cocoa mug. She had finished it rather quickly this time, hopefully the promised quality of the Avococoa wouldn’t be lacking.

"But tell me, Israel, what do you make of this world, knowing what you do? With your perspective, do you find it harder or easier to navigate the complexities of life, especially with the knowledge that there's more than meets the eye?" Eevi's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she awaited Israel's insight into the balance of his extraordinary existence within the ordinary fabric of the world. “Has knowing more truly helped you in this world, more so then the generally unassuming and ill-informed general person from the public who is just living their day to day approaching the same inexorable end we all reach one day?”

"Ah..." Israel Knight began, his voice seeming to carry the weight of millennia-old wisdom despite his appearance being a man in his thirties. "The dance of existence is indeed a curious one, isn't it?" He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms and cocking his head towards his right shoulder, looking slightly down towards the table.

"Do you know what the biggest revelation was though?"

As he spoke, the ambient sounds of the coffee shop seemed to recede, allowing his words to weave through the air, asserting a kind of quiet authority.

"You might expect me to say something like: 'the understanding of the interconnectedness of all things, the fleeting nature of mortal pursuits, or the illusion of separateness,' and these are all true, but no."

Israel looked up to meet Eevi's eyes again.

"Colors."

He smiled as he stated this simple fact.

"You couldn't possibly imagine how many colors there really are. Physical sight is so limited. It can't see a billionth of what is out there. To put a fraction to it is almost meaningless. There are essentially infinite colors."

His smile widened, clearly this is a subject he likes to talk about with people.

"In fact, anything finite is, in fact, infinite. Xeno's Paradox had it right all along. Take any finite distance, any measurable length of space, and you will find that it contains infinity."

He leaned forward again to lean on his hands. "Isn't that amazing? physicality as we know it is almost an illusion. This is what the ancient scholars of India were touching on with Maya, I like to think."

He moved his hands apart and then back again as he spoke, gesturing. "You. Me. Them. We are all infinite beings. This measurable matter we are all made of is almost like the clothes of the spirit, which in turn is the cloth of the mind, which in turn is ordered intelligence. Intelligence given an identity."

Israel was clearly nerding out at this point.

"That's what the eternal, infinite, inexhaustible, uncreated substrate of all reality is. Pure intelligence. Or information, if you will. The information loops into strings. The strings form sub-atomic particles. The sub-atomic particles form atoms. So on and so forth. It's fascinating stuff."

Israel watched Eevi expectantly, hoping she found this as intriguing and he did.

"But I suppose I dodged the question" he said, leaning back again in his seat, returning to an upright position once more.

"To navigate the complexities of life with the knowledge of the boundless realms beyond, it is both liberating and disquieting. While it grants me a profound sense of compassion and empathy, it also unveils the veil of illusion that shrouds the everyday experiences of many. The Proscenium Primordium, I call it."

He glaced to his left at something and then back to Eevi.

"The challenge lies in harmonizing this profound awareness with the simple joys and sorrows of human existence. To find solace in the mundane, to cherish the fleeting moments, embracing both the transcendent and the ordinary."

He held up his mug again, and with a serene smile, he concluded, "Knowing more has indeed helped me navigate this world, but it has also illuminated the beauty in your so-called 'unassuming and ill-informed', for theirs is a path of innocence and discovery. In the end, we all journey towards the same inexorable end, as you say, and perhaps in that shared journey, lies the essence of our humanity."

Eevi listened intently, absorbing the depth and breadth of Israel's perspective. As he spoke about the multitude of colors and the infinite nature of existence, she found herself captivated by his enthusiasm for the mysteries that lay beyond the ordinary spectrum of human perception.

"It's intriguing, isn't it? The unseen layers, the hidden complexities that add a profound dimension to our existence," she mused, her eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and contemplation.

She sipped her hot cocoa, appreciating the warmth against the backdrop of their profound conversation. The contrast between Israel's cosmic awareness and the simple pleasure of a well-made cup of cocoa intrigued her.

”Harmonizing the profound with the ordinary, finding solace in both... That's a delicate dance. It seems you've embraced it quite gracefully," she remarked, acknowledging the balance he sought in navigating the dualities of existence.

Eevi's gaze met Israel's, and she offered a thoughtful smile. "It's a unique journey we're all on, each with our own perspectives and paths. Perhaps the essence of humanity lies in the shared experience of navigating these intricacies, embracing both the known and the unknown."

With a quiet pause, she added, "Your insights shed a different light on the world, and I appreciate you sharing this glimpse with me, Israel." In spite of this invigorating discussion, a darkness had slowly begun to occupy small pieces of the emotions on her face like a faded coffee stain marring a white shirt.

While Eevi had nodded in acknowledgment of Israel's sentiments, she couldn't fully embrace the idea of an inherently shared and equal human experience. The weight of her past, the decades spent as an assassin, had left her with a perspective steeped in the harsh realities of a world she saw as far from egalitarian.

"While I respect your view, Israel, life's tapestry isn't woven with equal threads," she stated, her voice carrying the weight of experience and perhaps a touch of bitterness. "In my journey, I've seen the vast spectrum of human nature, the disparity in circumstances, and the divergent paths people tread. It's a world where some are ensnared by darkness while others bask in the light."

Her gaze lingered on the bustling coffee shop, where individuals carried their unique burdens, joys, and struggles. "Not everyone's journey is marked by the same opportunities or misfortunes. Some are privileged, others condemned by circumstances beyond their control."

Eevi's mind briefly flashed to the faces of those she had crossed paths with over the years, some deserving of her skills, others caught in the crossfire. "In my line of work, I've had to reckon with the inequalities, the skewed scales of justice. Life, as I've known it, isn't a shared experience with equal footing. It's a mosaic of chaos, where choices and consequences define the boundaries."

She took another sip of her cocoa, the warmth contrasting with the gravity of her words. "Perhaps my perspective is jaded, shaped by the shadows I've navigated. But it's the lens through which I've come to understand the world, for better or worse."

”I’ve met animals more deserving of a human experience than the dregs who have claimed to be great and powerful men. Disgusting to even think I share the same experiences with those beasts. In the history of this human tapestry, their threads should have been burned off as it ruins the final piece. I have to believe that at this point in my life, not all are created equal.”

Israel raised his hands and shook them back and forth, his expression growing serious.

"I believe you've misunderstood me. I have seen, and still see, a lot. I've watched Elena Vexus glass a Belarussian city and hundreds of its people that I couldn't save in time, I've seen a possessed madman behead women and impale children, watched him toy with their corpses."

He leans forward slowly, resting on his elbows once more.

"And I've seen businessmen just like those you've mentioned. Smiling and laughing. Joking amongst themselves while children in cages are paraded in front of them at auction to be sold as playthings for the highest bidder."

He places his hands flat on the table as he slides his elbows to the side, hovering next to it.

"But I see much more than most... I see their souls, Ms. Kincaid. That is not a metaphor. I see how black a soul is plain as day. Spirits are still ordered information, and I read that information."

Seeing how this may have put her at ill ease to say, Israel adds: "... And yours isn't very dark. To be fair, neither is Lucius Alba, a man the tabloids have called the devil incarnate... The same man who nearly sacrificed himself to save those Belarussian citizens."

He interlaces his fingers beneath his chin.

"Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say."

Eevi couldn't help but chuckle at Israel's assertion about the color of her soul. "You might want to get your eyes checked, Knight. Lucius Alba tried to save people at least. I haven’t contributed to the good of anyone but myself in a very long time,” she remarked with a wry smile, a hint of irony in her tone. "In my line of work, they don't hand out halos."

Her gaze flickered briefly, a moment of vulnerability quickly masked. "Redemption is a bedtime story for those who can afford dreams. Heroics are the warm blankets they sleep in. And hope is their heated milk the sip down to rest." she continued, her voice adopting a detached edge. "In this world, the stains on your soul don't wash out. They're etched in, permanent."

Eevi leaned back, her eyes reflecting shadows of experiences she kept hidden. ”People might play saviors for a moment, but underneath, everyone's a killer in their own right. Some just have more style or a better excuse."

She raised her cup to her lips, a dark humor lurking in her eyes. "So, if you're reading souls, prepare for a noir novel, not a fairy tale. My story doesn't come with a redemption arc. It's a one-way ticket through the shadows, no return."

Her laughter, tinged with a mix of irony and something darker, echoed in the air, a subtle discord against the cozy backdrop of the coffee shop. If he could understand so much about people physically then she saw no need to hide the veneer over her age then. He seemed smart enough to piece that together based off what her molecules or whatever it was he spoke of were saying. And to her at least, this was now a matter of ideals and beliefs.

Eevi's eyes glazed over momentarily, the veil of her past flickering in the depths. "Finland, the Winter War," she mused, her voice carrying the weight of history. "I walked the snowy fields when the world was at war, carving my own path through the chaos. Survival meant choosing sides, even when the choices were as bitter as the cold biting at my heels."

She traced the rim of her cup, the porcelain cool against her fingertips. "Ninety years, a solitary dance through the dance macabre. The road I tread is a solitary one, paved with shadows and stained with the blood of decisions made in the dark. No partners, just echoes of distant gunfire and the ghostly whispers of those who fell beside me."

Eevi's gaze met Israel's, a chilling calm in her eyes. ”Forgive me if I don't believe in the grand narrative of redemption or a soul not being that ‘dark’. There's no coming back from some paths, and sometimes, the snow you walk on is the same that covers the graves you leave behind. I don’t intend to be rude when I say this but, you see the infinite color spectrum of the limitless expanse the world had granted you. Accident or no. My eyes have only ever seen the black and white of the one road I had to choose, and I would do it again.

"You sound like Lucius." Israel said simply. "He said almost the same thing when I told him that."

Israel's voice and mannerisms changed instantly to match that of Lucius as he quoted him: "Whether you have seen worse or not is irrelevant. I know for certain the things I have done are not even remotely noble, and I also know that I don't want to stop. They are a means to an end. Every great leap in history was initiated with blood and wrongdoing. A great good requires an even greater evil to be done beforehand, and my belief in that is why you can't help me, nobody can. I am set in my goals, and they will be done by whatever means I deem necessary."

Israel went back to his own voice and manner of speaking.

"Beliefs are rather clingy things; often ossified in place, and a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. I won't batter you with moral debate... But perhaps we can do something for your vacation still?"

He leaned forward slightly and expectantly.

A heavy sigh left Eevi’s mouth. “You heroic types just never take the bait huh? Just too beneath you to engage in something like that with the likes of me eh?.” Her fake pout returned to her face with that remark.

Eevi arched an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Comparing me to Lucius Alba? I'm flattered," she replied dryly. "But let's be clear, I'm no devil's advocate seeking philosophical justifications for my deeds. I embraced the shadows willingly, carved my own way through the darkness, and I've danced with devils without seeking redemption. Alba sounds like an idealist and to me sounds like he’s justifying, I just try to survive."

Her gaze met his, unyielding. "As for my vacation, well, it's already an interesting turn. The company wasn't planned, but I suppose it beats a solo act. So, what's your idea to salvage what's left of my supposed break?"

Israel shook his head at her first remark. "On the contrary, Ms. Kincaid, I am simply choosing to respect the resolve I see in your response. But I will happily debate with you if you desire." He replied coyly, knowing she was extremely unlikely to be referring to that. His eyes met hers, testing her.

As Eevi replied to his other point, he continued: "Be it far from me to compare you to an idealist, although someone of your particular set of skills might fare better in ECLIPSE."

This was an honest observation, but not one that he expected her to seriously entertain.

Presently, he replied to her last question. "The night is yours. I can take you literally anywhere on this Earth, so long as I know of the location."

“ECLIPSE? That goody-goody intelligence service rolled up into a security-force? I’d laugh but you’d just hear the disingenuous tone it would carry. Didn’t think I’d be on the end of an interview this time to be honest. Besides there’s more moral people than me to employee for your spy-club, I’d probably just use it for international clearances and the cover for my actual job that that would provide if we’re being honest.” She smirked at Israel, it was a half-truth, half-joke behind what she had just said.

Eevi's smirk widened. "Anywhere on Earth, you say? Well, let's give this little vacation a touch of the extraordinary. Take me to the rooftops of Tokyo at midnight. I've always found the city lights and the distant hum of life quite mesmerizing." Thinking about her request more, Eevi put her index finger on her chin inquisitively to think more on the details. “Actually Fuji. It should be night there right now. I’ve heard it said that the Tokyo skyline is visible on clear days from Mount Fuji.”

Taking the same hand off her chin with a click of her fingers, she pointed at Israel. “And the Avococoa too, we’ll need that to go.”