Cleaning Up After The Ancients - Chapter 110

Chapter 110 - Settling In

Stylistically the inside of the villa matched the outside with its mix of classic Chinese with muted modern touches like electricity and plumbing. Both of which Eventus rather appreciated given the number of pre-industrial civilizations whose towns he'd had to stay in over the centuries.

“Would there be anything else you need?” Zou Fu put forward questioningly as he began unpacking his travel case.

“Do you have a local events schedule?” Eventus asked hopefully.

Oh he was sure Xiaoyi could get him one easily enough if asked, but he really didn't want to trouble her for something so small given everything else she probably had on her plate with this trip.

“Can you read our writing as fluently as you speak our language?” Zou Fu inquired.

“More or less.” Eventus confirmed with a slight grin. “Technically I’m fluent in the writing system your writing system is based on, but I spent a few days after waking up familiarizing myself with its modern form.”

Zou Fu nodded before pointing at a trio of stacked bamboo scrolls on the vanity. “The event schedule should be the top one. The other two cover room service options and local scenic destinations.”

Practical, though the method of delivery did leave Eventus wondering if the scrolls had been made up as a special order to show off, or if he had just been slotted into what was likely a very expensive theme vacation.

“Add if I asked for something outside of the standard room service options?” He inquired idly, moderately interested in hearing just what the woman’s response would be.

“Your request would of course be honored to the best of our abilities.” Zou Fu replied with a small bow of her head. “Please understand, we are here to serve your every need for the entirety of your stay here.”

The way she said the last made it clear the potential of that service extended beyond just food. Though Eventus found himself more interested in the reasoning behind the offer then the offer itself.

“Do you receive a bonus from your employer for offering those additional services? Is it just a standard requirement of the job at your level? Or is it a personal ambition sort of thing that you hope to fulfill through it?”

For a brief moment the smile fell off Zou Fu’s face as a confused look seemed to flash across her features. “I… It's…” She paused, taking a breath before once more smiling up at him. “It is our honor to provide such services when they are requested.”

Eventus's eyes widened in understanding. “Ah, an honor based cultural expectation. Oh, Dea would have absolutely loved picking through your brain.” He paused and gave an acknowledging tilt of his head. “Not literally of course, that sort of thing was frowned upon for a number of reasons.”

People with telepathic abilities had of course been the exception, but most of those he'd talked to over the years hadn't actually enjoyed hearing the thoughts of others all that much. 

“I think you're confusing her.” Xiaoyi interjected in a distinctly amused tone as she stepped into the room.

Zou Fu gave a cautious nod.

“Sorry about that.” Eventus apologized. “I don't really need anything else for now, so you can go rejoin your friends.”

Clasping her hands together and giving a bow, Zou Fu stepped past Xiaoyi and exited the bedroom.

“She is very young isn't she?” Eventus put forward once he was sure Zou Fu was out of earshot.

An almost imperceptible flinch creased the corner of Xiaoyi's eyes before she gave a reluctant nod. “I suspect somewhere in her mid to early twenties.”

“I meant more mentally speaking.” Eventus chuckled. “Biological age is just a variable number after all.”

“Maybe for your people.” Xiaoyi muttered under her breath, only to flinch and offer him a look of apology. “Sorry, I've had a number of arguments with people about the subject lately and it's somewhat gotten to me.”

“Infinate patience is for those on the path to Ascension." Eventus offered sagely. “The rest of us get to be annoyed and petty on occasion.”

Leaving that bit of wisdom to hang he grabbed his portable interface and with a few taps to it’s screen set it to run a basic security sweep.

Given the technological level in question the results came back almost immediately, and the Lantean felt his eyebrow creep upward in surprise at the sheer number of monitoring devices the sweep was reporting scattered around the residence.

“You know, your government could have just asked.” He offered to Xiaoyi as he ran an interference program that would leave the devices playing back various ancient felinid recordings. 

Xiaoyi eyed him oddly. “Asked?”

“About the monitoring devices.” Eventus explained.

The Chinese woman furrowed her brow for a moment before an unhappy scowl settled across her features, leaving the Lantean with the distinct sense that she hadn't actually been informed about that particular bit of plotting.

“I lived on a giant spaceship shaped like a city.” He continued, oddly happy that it looked like she wasn't involved in that particular stupid choice. “My people had to actively work to avoid being recorded by its internal sensors, but most of us didn't, because privacy is something of a polite illusion after a certain point.”

“Note the polite part though.” He added as he walked past Xiaoyi into the villa's living room. “Because that monitoring was openly known to all who lived there, and was made known to any who visited.”

“And your people were just okay with that?” Xiaoyi inquired in a tone that suggested she couldn't quite believe it.

Eventus shrugged before sitting down on one of the strategically arranged chairs. “What choice did we have?” He held up his portable interface and wiggled it. “This is a standard portable interface unit. Pretty much every member of my people had some version of it. And its sensors are powerful enough that if I pointed it at your bedroom tonight and hit the right buttons I could get a perfect video of you naked.”

Xiaoyi blushed at that. “I'd really prefer you didn't.”

“Alas.” Eventus put forward with a pitying shake of his head. “It seems the secrets of your form shall forever then be relegated to the realms of my imagination.”

“It certainly will if you keep making jokes that bad.” Xiaoyi returned dryly, her true feelings somewhat betrayed by the slight twitching at the corner of her lips. “But I think I understand your meaning. Your people’s level of technology was such that privacy was functionally impossible. So you adapted to it by making it so everyone was openly aware of that reality and then just lived with it.”

“More or less.” Eventus agreed with a small smile. “There were privacy filters you could activate for personnel quarters and the like. But all they really did was interpose a digital filter over certain bodyparts."

And digital filters were relatively easy to circumvent with computer interpolation.

“We’ve more than enough about me and my people at this point though.” He digressed, staring at Xiaoyi with a friendly grin. “What are some interesting things about you?”

“I'm sorry to say the details of my life would likely be quite boring by your people's standards.” Xiaoyi offered in an apologetic tone as she walked over to take a seat in the chair across from him.

Eventus leaned forward. “You are a woman who gained a position of significant political power in a culture where such things are still a rarity. Something like that requires significant amounts of cunning, drive, and intelligence. And nobody who is possessed of those things leads a boring life.”

Xiaoyi blushed again, a slightly guilty look joining the expression on her face. “I'm sorry to say my ascent to my current position was not nearly as impressive as you make it sound.”

“And my ascent to my position involved my people literally forgetting about me.” Eventus said, leaning back with an amused look on his face. “So why not tell me about yours?”

Pursing her lips, Xiaoyi seemed to consider the idea for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Well, I'm the oldest of three children if you can believe it…”

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Author’s Notes: If Xiaoyi had been asked she would have tactfully explained to her government just how stupid of an idea it was to try and secretly spy on someone from a civilization as advanced as the Ancients. Alas, she’s very much still fighting against things on a number of different levels. But hey, the SGC tried the same with the Goa'uld, so at least they're in good company.