Chris was about to leave for the grocery store with the girls, just waiting for Val to lock up, when Greg returned with a sheepish expression. "Chris, I need money."

Chris blinked. "Yes, you do." He nodded, handing him a wad of cash. He frowned slightly as he noticed Greg was… bouncing? Twitching? His body was doing something and Chris wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he needed to go to the bathroom or anything, since his smoke dealt with that. "Are you okay?" He asked. "You're… twitchy."

"Hm? Oh! No, this is just because of the music." Greg smirked, waving vaguely to the beat that was echoing out from the club. "I just can't resist, you know?"

Chris frowned. "No."

"Yeah, no, of course not." Greg sighed, shaking his head. "Anyway, I gotta get back to Gloria. She understands the compulsion of a good beat." He chuckled, waving over his shoulder as he went back down to the club, letting a bit of a dance creep into his steps as he did. Man he loved music.

Chris scratched his head as he watched him go, turning to Quinn. "You dance. You know what that was about?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Music makes people want to dance. It isn't that complicated."

"Okay, but why?" Chris cocked his head as Val finished and they began heading to the grocery store.

Quinn paused. "I'm- not sure? It's just kinda what people do. Something about rhythm just draws people in."

"Biologically, music influences the primary motor cortex and the limbic system." Gretchen offered tentatively. "Which, pretty much just means it makes you want to move, and it makes you feel good… which doesn't really tell you why it does that… uh, nevermind." She flushed in embarrassment.

"It's rather well documented that Sound mages can influence people using certain frequencies." Val offered. "Music is just a collection of different frequencies itself, which while not necessarily at the level of influence of a Sound mage, can still exhibit a level of effect."

"That still doesn't say why that's the case, though." Gretchen pointed out.

"I think the fact that it is is good enough." Val retorted. "Knowing that people can be influenced by certain frequencies is all the practical knowledge we need. Knowing how that came to be the case wouldn't change anything."

"I just think it's weird." Chris shrugged. "Why would people be so susceptible to sounds?" He paused. "Though I suppose hearing is an important facet of our existence… though you'd think it'd be more focused on practical uses. Though I don't suppose people had any particular say in how they were designed, so maybe it's just a side effect of having hearing in the first place? Some sort of inherent flaw?"

"Enjoying music is not a flaw!" Quinn snapped. "It brings people joy! Just because there's vulnerability in that doesn't mean it's wrong! Some of the most beautiful aspects of existence happen when we make ourselves vulnerable!"

Gretchen nodded. "I'd even go as far as to say that anything that's truly special is special due to vulnerability, since something you don't care about losing isn't really special, and that caring creates a vulnerability."

"It's particularly true when it comes to relationships. I would even say it's impossible to form a true relationship with someone without vulnerability." Val agreed. "Vulnerability is a sign of trust, a sign that you truly believe this person will not hurt you, that you can be you with them… I believe that's what makes relationships so difficult. It's hard to trust people sometimes." Both Quinn and Gretchen's expressions twisted as they nodded in agreement at that.

"So, vulnerability is good. Got it." Chris nodded slowly as he processed the idea. "Well, conditionally good… hold on, if you're only ever vulnerable with someone who would never take advantage of that vulnerability, is it truly being vulnerable?" He cocked his head thoughtfully.

Quinn shook her head. "It isn't about that, it's about feeling safe despite the fact that you're doing something that should leave you vulnerable. It's like… okay, imagine a world where any time anyone talks to another person, they hold a gun to their head. The other person's head, not their own. So, to keep themselves safe, everyone wears bulletproof headgear. But no one wants to wear the headgear, because it's uncomfortable and it covers their face, but they have to to keep themselves safe. Now, imagine how special it would feel to be able to talk to a person without wearing that headgear. To let them hold that gun to your head and know you have nothing to worry about. So, it isn't so much about making yourself vulnerable, as much as feeling like you don't have to protect yourself anymore. That's what makes it special."

Chris frowned slightly. "What if you were just okay with someone shooting you? Like you were bullet proof, or- well, me."

"Then you'd be talking to everyone without wearing your headgear, so it wouldn't be special." Quinn replied. "That's… pretty much your problem. Nothing anyone does really affects you, so nothing anyone does really feels special to you either." Quinn sighed. "You damn, empty bastard."

"Hey!" Val snapped. "You can't just insult him like that!"

"I'm not insulting him! He is empty! Trust me, I know." Quinn retorted.

"She's right." Chris nodded. "Though… I wouldn't necessarily say nothing affects me. I've simply accepted that the effects can happen, and I'm determined to deal with them accordingly. Such as with Beth. Every step deeper into the relationship I took with the consciousness knowledge that her rejecting me would be… uncomfortable for me. Not enough to break me like I've seen happen with other people, but enough that I would very much rather avoid it. But, I also knew that if our relationship didn't progress, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it to the extent I do now. Additionally, if the discomfort was going to happen, it would happen no matter what, so by delaying progression, I would simply put the discomfort off, rather than actually avoiding it, and most likely make things worse in the process. So I resolved myself to accept whatever happened, not because I didn't care, but because not doing so would only cause me more discomfort in the long run. It isn't that nothing affects me, it's that I've accepted that discomfort is a part of life, and worrying about whether it's going to happen or not will only make things worse, so the only logical approach is to simply do whatever it is that I believe will bring me the most happiness, long-term, and accept the consequences if I fail."

Quinn blinked. "Okay, I almost got on board with that, but the fact that your version of pain is just discomfort still means you're largely unaffected by what other people do."

"Fair, but I would argue that letting yourself be crippled by things you can't control is maladaptive, and my discomfort is a much more reasonable reaction." Chris shrugged.

"It isn't maladaptive, it's how people work!" Quinn growled.

"Then the way people work is maladaptive." Chris grinned slightly. "But shouldn't we all strive to be better than our base nature? Don't worry, I'm sure eventually you'll learn to disregard your pain as simple discomfort as well." He chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Quinn let out a groan, turning to the other two. "A little help here?"

Gretchen shook her head. "I'm staying out of this. I wouldn't even know where to start picking it all apart."

Val cocked her head thoughtfully. "He may have a point… after all, the final stage of grief is acceptance. By preparing himself to accept any grief that comes his way, he essentially skips the other stages, starting at the point most people struggle to even reach. Arguably, it is a more advanced way to deal with grief…"

Chris turned to Quinn with a smirk. "See? I'm advanced."

Quinn glared at him. "No, she's just agreeing because she has a crush on you."

Chris blinked. "She does?"

"I do not!" Val protested simultaneously, flushing fiercely.

"Oh please, why else would you ask him to come grocery shopping with you? It's a blatant attempt to spend more time with him because you're too chicken to ask him on a date!" Quinn retorted.

Val's flush deepened. "Well- that- then why did you insist on joining us!?! Are you jealous or something?!?"

Quinn froze. "I- I just didn't want you taking advantage of him!"

Val snorted. "Oh please! How could I take advantage of him!?!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Chris will do almost anything as long as you word it the right way. For all I know, you could have had him wrapped around your finger by the end of all this!"

"I would nev- uh… really?" Val asked incredulously.

Quinn sighed. "For what he is, Chris is surprisingly simple. He has a bottom line you're never going to cross, but that's about it and his bottom line doesn't really cover much. Play your cards right and you could be married in a week."

"Not a week." Chris frowned. "Two months, maybe. One month, tops."

"That- is not better." Gretchen muttered, giving him a weird look.

"It's actually four to eight times better." Chris corrected.

"It's still way too early to be getting married!" Gretchen snapped.

"Thank you!" Quinn threw up her hands in vindication.

"Eh?" Chris shrugged. "Depending on how thorough and intentional you are, it doesn't take that long to get to know someone. Then it's simply a matter of deciding whether or not you want to commit to spending the rest of your life with that person, and the rest is just work." He paused. "I suppose if you consider my world, I could get it down to a week. They'd just need to be connected so we could go through each other's memories. Though at that point, who's wrapped around whose finger?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you think I'm wrapped around your finger?"

"Well, we've already established that you can't do anything without my permission, so… yes?" Chris shrugged. "In the most technical sense at least…" He continued, eyeing Quinn as she glared at him with her arms crossed. "You're going to punish me for this, aren't you?" He sighed. Why were people so averse to the truth?

Quin snorted, rolling her eyes. "You're an idiot."

Chris blinked. That was it? "Sure, let's go with that."

"And a week is still too early to get married, even with your world helping out." Quinn added. "It isn't about knowing the other person, it's about developing a connection with them."

Chris frowned. "That's true… However, I don't think you need to wait until you've developed that connection to get married. Marriage is simply a promise to spend the rest of your life with someone, and all that takes is knowing it's possible to spend the rest of your life with that person and dedicating yourself to actually doing so. Admittedly, it probably makes things easier if you develop the connection before marriage, because dedicating yourself to someone takes work and that work is easier when you feel some sort of connection to the person… but as long as you are dedicated, that connection should form anyway, right? And if you aren't dedicated, any connection you do form will wither, because maintaining a connection is hard too… So basically, the important part is to dedicate yourself to someone, and all that takes is knowing you can and deciding you want to, which just takes knowing someone. I'm pretty sure at least…"

Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, but functionally you agree that it's better to take the time to develop an actual connection, rather than simply jumping into something with someone you're barely comfortable with, right?"

"Oh, absolutely." Chris nodded. "I'm just saying a week isn't impossible, not that it would be optimal."

Gretchen cocked her head at Quinn. "Weren't you the one who suggested a week in the first place?"

"I was exaggerating for effect!" Quinn protested. "Also, I believe this perfectly illustrates my point that Chris is too susceptible to being manipulated to just let him run off alone with strange women." She continued, shooting Val a look.

Val frowned. "If anything you've shown how difficult it is to manipulate him! Even if it's possible to get him to marry someone in a week, that doesn't mean it's easy, and his reasons for doing so would be airtight! How is that easily manipulated?!?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, turning to Chris. "What would it take for you to decide you could spend the rest of your life with someone?"

Chris paused. "Well… as long as they're a good person who cares about people, I think I could make it work."

Quinn turned back to Val, raising an eyebrow at her. "Well?"

Val flushed. "Okay, you may have a point."

Chris scratched his head. "What's wrong with that? Why would it be a problem for me to be with a good person who cares about people?"

"Chris, just because someone is good, doesn't mean they're good for you." Quinn sighed. "I'm not going to watch you ruin your eternal life just because you feel the need to find someone to care about."

Chris cocked his head. "Huh… I guess- thank you, then?"

"If you're so concerned, why don't you just be with him?" Gretchen asked.

"Because I don't date soulless monsters, no matter how good a person they are." Quinn snorted.

"I'm pretty sure you can't be a soulless monster and a good person at the same time." Gretchen frowned.

"No, no, I think that describes me rather well." Chris nodded. "Soulless monster in nature, good by choice. Or because I see more benefit in being good than not… eh, same thing."

"I would have thought Greg would be the soulless monster." Val muttered.

"No, Greg enjoys it too much to be soulless…" Chris shook his head. "Still a monster though. Though technically all of us are monstrous in one way or another… though for Thomas and Andrew it's more about what they're capable of than their personalities."

"I dunno, Thomas seems a bit… off to me." Val frowned.

"No, Thomas is just hard to read." Gretchen shook her head. "He's a real sweetheart once you get to know him. According to Annie at least."

"Pretty much, as long as you don't get on his bad side." Chris nodded. "From what I can tell, he doesn't have a firm grasp on the concept of a proportional reaction. One of his earliest actions was destabilizing an entire world because a government official was rude to him."

Gretchen froze. "Wh-what?"

"He didn't do it maliciously." Quinn quickly interjected, shooting Chris a chastising look. "He honestly thought the world would benefit from the change in the long run. The fact that it screwed over the government was more of a… perk."

"I'm not concerned that he did it, I'm concerned that he's capable of it!" Gretchen retorted. "What if someone here pisses him off and he decides to do the same thing!"

"He won't." Chris shook his head. "Too scared of the potential consequences. He doesn't want to be a part of another world getting destroyed because of him."

"Chris, please stop talking." Quinn groaned.

"What? We already told her about that." Chris frowned.

"I didn't know about that." Val muttered, looking vaguely pale.

"And you didn't tell me a world got destroyed because of you! You just said there were things out there that didn't like it when major changes happened!" Gretchen added.

"How do you think we found that out?" Chris asked, cocking his head.

"I'm beginning to think I'm in over my head here." Val groaned, rubbing her temples.

Quinn sighed. "You get used to it."