"And then the second guy turns to the first and says, ‘But of course; Antia’s leading export is tomatoes -- Rio just can’t catch-up.’" 23 grinned and took another bite of his food as Cindy laughed.

"Oh, that was good, Craig! Definitely a punner." Cindy chuckled, apparently reviewing the set-up of the joke, then she pushed her chair back. "I’ll be right back, Craig -- don’t go anywhere."

"Of course not. I’ll be waiting." 23 watched her walk away, his eyes following the graceful movements of a well-proportioned back. When she was several tables beyond him in the restaurant, he allowed himself to frown. There was something wrong with the whole dinner tonight, and he couldn’t figure it out. They were having a good time, and he knew enough to know that she was enjoying herself and wanted more, but... And Cindy’s reaction to his joke wasn’t what he was expecting. What? She laughed at it, she understood it -- what more do you want? That’s what anybody else would have done? What was I expecting? He sipped at his milkshake and tried to shrug it off. I wonder what Antia’s leading export really is? South America was a jungle. The people hadn’t fared so well with the devastating plagues that shot through the area, and were struggling to regain what they had lost. I think Brazil Nueva exports wood primarily -- that’s how Jacine got Scarface. But Antia?

"You look deep in concentration?" Cindy slipped back into her chair, smiling indulgently at him.

23 looked up, "Do you know what the leading export of Antia is?"

Cindy laughed, "Tomatoes."

23’s grin was faint, "I meant for reals."

"Antia’ export?" Cindy stared at him, "Why on earth do you want to know that?"

23 shrugged, on the defensive, "Just curious." He changed the subject and went back to his second favorite pass-time -- flirting.

When the desserts came, 23 eyed his and wondered idly if it wouldn’t be better for them to go back to his room; he could think of better things to do with his dessert than eat it. Cindy choked on her laugh and he realized he’d thought at least part of that outloud. He grinned sheepishly and took another sip of his peach cider. He’d changed drinks awhile ago when he found he’d been thinking too much. An alcoholic buzz was good for not thinking. Just as long as I don’t get drunk, I’ll still be of some use to Cindy tonight. He watched the sparkle in the liquid and rotated the glass around to catch the pattern of the back light though the diffusion. "It looks like a vanadim atom on acid."

"What?"

23 laughed, and held the glass out, "Look at that silver blob on the wall though the glass -- it looks like..." He trailed off at the expectant, but totally uncomprensive look on her face. "Never mind."

"No, please." Cindy reached out to take the glass, twining her fingers around his, "You have such a wonderful imagination. Don’t stop now. What is vanadium?"

"I’ve been working with it a lot in a project off-work." 23 grimaced slightly, "Probably been staring at it way too much. Anyway, it’s an element -- 23rd on the periodic table." He paused for a reaction. Cindy just kept looking at him and he knew a flash of annoyance. A picture floating through his head of a wry grin with twinkling blue-green eyes above, acknowledging the coincidence and then waiting for the story.

"Craig? Are you okay?"

She calls me Craig. And even the normal sound of his name seemed wrong. He imagined his name matched to the wry smile, ‘23, what’s up?’. He recognized the voice.

"Oh God," he whispered.

"Craig, is something wrong?"

Is something wrong? 23 wanted to laugh, but he didn’t remember how. He looked at Cindy in confusion. "I... I think I have to go." I know I have to go. "I just remembered something. I’ll call you later." Much later. 23 stood up, wavering as his balance didn’t catch up with his body. He left without knowing what Cindy’s reaction was. He barely remembered to pick up the tab on his way out.

After several minutes had gone by, he found himself sitting down at his desk without really knowing how he got there. "Jacine?" He stared at his wall. "I like Jacine?" His mouth twitched up in a smile as he remembered a time when he’d been sitting here and she was trying to see the computer screen, and... "Oh Jas. When did this happen?" He couldn’t remember when she’d changed from just a dear friend to someone he... 23 stopped his thoughts. Do I really love her, or am I just so confused right now that I’m confusing myself? He thought about what he’d just thought. "Okay. I’m definitely confused." He pressed his hands against his forehead, and leaned his elbows on his desk.

"Let’s think about this with some sort of logic." 23 spoke outloud to his thoughts. "Tonight, I was at dinner with a beautiful woman." And it wasn’t going anywhere. "No, it was going somewhere -- she liked me, she was interested in me..." And I wasn’t interested in her. "If I wasn’t interested in her, I wouldn’t have gone out with her -- of course I was interested!" Interested in her body, but you wanted Jacine. He couldn’t argue with that thought. Not after trying to remember each point of the dinner that he remembered going wrong and realizing that he’d been expecting a Jacine-like reaction. That joke... He could hear Jacine’s voice in his head as if he’d just finished the joke, first her soft laughter, then as she mused on a tangent, ‘Actually, Antia’s main export is--’ His vision collapsed as he still didn’t know what Antia exported. But now he knew what he’d expected. And why Cindy couldn’t match it. Jacine’s Tangents were something not even Jacine could predict. But apparently I can? "Oh God." If his head wasn’t buried already in his hands, he would have. How far gone am I?