Yes! I actually finished a story I started! I think I need to mark today on a calendar…
Thank you to everyone who stuck with me!
Epilogue
"Hot chocolate, please."
"Right. And for you two?"
"Coffee."
"Same."
Annette sighed. "You're so predictable." A minute later, she placed our orders on the counter.
"Life has to have some constant," I said wistfully, taking a sip.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chaos said with all the innocence in the world, knowing full well my comment was directed at her.
Xiadigm quietly drank his hot chocolate.
"I don't think my life would be half as dangerous if you weren't around," I pointed out.
"Danger is what makes things fun."
"You have a sick sense of fun."
"You have a boring one." Chaos sighed and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "Well, I figured I'd get going."
"Already?"
"What?" She gave me a sly look. "Do you want me to stay?"
I turned back to my cup of coffee. "Of course not!"
She turned to Xiadigm. "Hey, Xi. Wanna come with me?"
Xiadigm mulled over his drink. "I had been wondering about what I would do once everything was over." He smiled at her. "I would like to."
Chaos stroked her chin. "Though, Sven's probably pretty forlorn, workin' all on his lonesome. Maybe we should stick around."
Xiadigm finished off his hot chocolate. "It certainly would do no harm."
I bristled. "Out, both of you, you annoying creatures! Begone!"
Chaos smirked. "I think he likes being alone. Very well, then. Let's go, Xi." She tossed a few coins into the counter. "Thanks for the drinks, Annette. See ya 'round, gentleman." She disappeared out the door.
Xiadigm hovered a moment more. "Sven."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Don't let Chaos get you into too much trouble, you hear?"
He bowed his head slightly, a small smile on his face. "Goodbye."
"See ya."
Xiadigm hurried out the door after Chaos.
Annette shook her head. "Chaos is right though. You should get a partner."
"Not her," I pointed out. "I couldn't stand that."
Annette shrugged. "Maybe not her, but someone."
I drank the rest of my coffee. "Yeah, you're probably right. So, any new bounties?"
"Yeah. Here…"
Chaos stretched. "Well, Xiadigm, ready to go?"
He nodded. "Yes."
As they traveled down the side of the road, Chaos glanced over at her partner. "You've been awfully quiet since we got back. What's up?"
Xiadigm was silent a moment more. Finally, he said, "It has been bothering me for a while now, since you and Sven activated my program. There are so many people here, all with their own lives. But, what is 'life' if it can be artificially created?"
Chaos considered this. "What do you think Narayanan's purpose was when he created you?"
"He wanted to help the world through knowledge and imagination combined. That is what he said."
She sighed. "I wonder…"
"What is it?"
"Maybe he was just saying that. It could be he created you to prove that the impossible could be done. I think that's what life is, artificial or no."
Silence fell once more.
Xiadigm continued to watch his feet step along the dusty road. "I would like to see more of the world. There is a lot I feel I do not know, and I still feel like I need to find my purpose."
Chaos raised an eyebrow. "If we ever find the meaning to life, life would cease to be meaningful. That's just how things are."
Xiadigm smiled, lifting his head to look at Chaos. "I never thought of you as the philosophical sort."
Chaos shrugged guiltily. "I've had a while to think about these kinds of things."
Xiadigm's eyebrows went up a notch. "I suppose so."
She grinned. "So you want to see the world, huh? Where should we go first?"
Xiadigm thought about this as they continued down the road. "Huh," he said as they turned a corner, out of sight of the town. "Barcelona, maybe?"