05 Vi

“What do you mean that you don’t want to be touched?” He asked, his brow furrowing in confusion, “Couldn’t you just filter that if it’s an issue for you?”

She sighs, exasperated, “It’s the idea. I don’t want to be touched, and I don’t want you to experience it either. I know about filters, but I only use them for the really bad stuff…”

“So it couldn’t be that bad then, right?” He was pushing her buttons, and she knew it.

“Fuck off, no. Just because people filter out stuff they don’t consent to, doesn’t mean it’s ok to start doing it. Just some common decency, like how thousands of years of humanity used to manage,” She stands up, ready to leave.

“I wouldn’t say that they used to be any better at it… I think the way we do things now is far more advanced,” He begins to argue the theoreticals. Now he was just spouting the same drivel, as if she hadn’t heard it before.

“I DON’T CARE. Don’t think I’m not familiar with Empiricism. They shoved it down our throats in High School, because they wanted to feel better about letting us rot, attached to these freaking devices,” She punched in a combination to the keypad, taking her to the next room. He made a rude gesture at her as she fizzled out.

The conversation was pointless the second he mentioned filters. They were a tool for protection, not to give people permission. How backwards and fucked up do you have to be to actively know the other person doesn’t like it, then do it anyway. Just because they don’t see or feel what’s really happening.

She stormed in the next room, her anger beginning to gnaw at her insides. The next person was sitting down, idly moving something in their hands.

“Don’t touch me,” She said as they looked up.

The stranger chuckled in amusement, raising their hands up to show they meant no harm, “Wohhh there, last one was a creep, huh?”

She took a seat and started ranting about it all. They listened, their hands going back to fiddling.

“I hear you there. People like that are all too common. I’m Zeno, by the way… He/They” They waved to her from their seat, not making a move to shake hands or anything weird. A good start.

Oh right, introductions. She completely forgot about that, “Sorry… Hi, I’m Vi… She/Her”

Their conversation that followed was rather pleasant, distracting Vi from her negative thoughts. After a particularly humorous conversation, it was clear to her that they vibed quite well.

She felt a bit silly asking, almost as if she were still in primary school, but decided to go for it anyway, “would you like to be my friend?”

Zeno nodded, smiling brightly, “Yeah!”

Vi went into the speed dating server expecting the worst, but finding a friend was a far better outcome than she could have guessed. It always brought her a sense of satisfaction to uncover good aspects from otherwise filth and grunge. It made the effort feel worth it, and she hung onto those bright, joyous moments to keep her going.