Syboleth ch. 4: Valor, Dolor

I’M SORRY. I wanted to put up chapter 3 with this just in time for review day but it’s difficult to write Garrett’s perspective! More difficult than expected. I’ll get to it right after this, before any more Keira or anything like that.

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Chapter 4: Valor, Dolor

Valerie was having trouble not losing it.

Her personal laplet had stopped charging, and the battery was now reporting two percent. Meanwhile, the backup drive was thirty-eight percent of the way to finishing an updated backup, which it had been working on for an hour already.

In other words, fuck.

She plugged a data dongle into the last available port to try and drag the most important files onto it last minute. Then she had a thought and unplugged the drive that was doing the futile and interminable backup imaging. Now she could work faster on what mattered. She dragged her entire photo and video library towards the icon of the data dongle on her screen and dropped it all in. A transfer dialog popped up.

Speed: 10 Gb/s
Time remaining: Approximately 30 seconds…

She issued a small prayer to the ceiling. Twenty-five seconds passed.

The transfer failed.

“You are fucking joking,” Valerie said to thin air, and punched her leg in frustration.

At that moment, a text came in from Garrett.

I hope you’re doing well. Miss ya.

She tried to take it in the spirit it was intended, but with the timing it felt mocking. She decided to reply later and figure out what the hell she was going to do about her laplet first. At least the decision had been made for her regarding doing everything on her own phone now. Fuck!

What now? Valerie really meant what she thought. What the hell would she even do now?

She was at a loss. So she picked the phone back up and tried to come up with a reply.

It took her hours, but she eventually composed something reasonable. She hoped. She hoped he would find it reasonable.

hey garry boy. it’s really nice to hear from you. i hope california is treating you well, but unfortunately i’m not doing well at all. i was wondering if you could help me fix my personal laplet or at least get the data off of it? i would pay you back with ten percent interest as soon as i could, it would come out of every paycheck. i just don’t know what else to do, it just died and i lost everything. thank you either way. i lov—

Oops. She deleted the last two malformed words, considered it, and sent the message.

God, she prayed that Garrett didn’t take offense. She missed him so much. He could just say no and it would be fine.

Well.

Not fine for her, but she wouldn’t judge him. Maybe she should send another message clarifying that?

No, she decided. She absolutely shouldn’t start spiraling and sending multiple messages. He’d reply when he was done with work, no doubt about it. He always did.

But it was already three pm by the time she had sent it, and at six pm there was still no reply. He worked an office job, right? Surely he’d be off by now? He hadn’t wanted to give many details about his job, but she understood that. She didn’t share much about her job with people either, besides him. Maybe later he would open up more.

Maybe. Or maybe this was the last time she’d ever hear from him.

But sending another message wouldn’t help that; so she took a nap.

When she woke up, the response was there on her phone from seven minutes past eight. It was nine pm.

I can just get you a new laplet. Don’t worry about paying me back. I get paid good now.

Holy fuck!

Valerie hoped this excitement wouldn’t make her just go manic on the spot, and considered doubling up on her anti-psychotic today.

Next chapter: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/work/Aet%20Lindling/Syboleth-ch-5-Slot-Machines-161702