SELF-AVOIDING ODYSSEY

Sawyer Connors - 25 - Programmer - University Heights

[katerinadelarosa]

As excited as Kat got about things, she was also still very thorough in her work. Research wasn't her favorite part of what she did, but she knew it was what allowed her the opportunities to do what she did and therefore took it quite seriously. Digging out another sheet of paper, Kat pushed it across the table to Sawyer. "Right here. All of the exact coordinates, depth charts, temperature information for the last three weeks at the site, everything."

Chuckling softly, Kat nodded, knowing Sawyer was right. If this was what she hoped it would be, it would be a massive undertaking. "Oh, the team is always on standby ready to go, but just us for the moment. Don't need any word getting out that we're looking into something big, the last thing we want is another group showing up." Kat's nose wrinkled as she said it, the concern one that always plagued her. The real danger in her job arose when there was competition, other shadier hunters that wouldn't hesitate to get violent if it came down to it. "Retire? Never. Find it, donate it to some cool museum somewhere, and then on to the next."

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer breathed a sigh of relief as the paper was pushed towards her. As idealistic as she sometimes perceived Kat to be, she always did her homework and gave Sawyer something to work off of. She probably wouldn't continue taking jobs from her if she didn't. Sliding the paper over, she began to transfer the information to her computer and run a couple programs she had set up for exactly this kind of mission.

At this point, Sawyer was completely honed in on her laptop, focusing on her work, but it didn't stop the conversation. "Sure, right, but it's going to draw a lot of publicity and press. Not so easy to just pass by and move on," she said. Still, if there was anyone who could handle it, it would probably be Kat. Sawyer was just here to stay behind her little screens. "But that's assuming that it's the Santa Maria. It could be anything," she pointed out as she typed away. "So, what's the plan? Go down there, get some footage, gather some trinkets? Or are you looking to fish out the whole thing?"

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

Smiling softly at the young blonde's rambling, she was more than ready to get back to listening to her. She loved to hear her passionate musings and get a peak inside her mind. Of getting to learn more on why and how Sawyer was so interested in the world of technology. Yet as she faltered, the professor quickly shook her head. "No, no, please. Keep going. I promise, it's really fascinating and I love getting to hear you speak on all of this." However, if there was something about Sawyer that she loved as much as her passion, it was her big heart. Asli smiled softly. "Just... a bump in the road between Eli and I that I'm stressing on," she admitted softly. Of course she wanted to tell the other about the baby. She wanted to be excited with her friends and family. She wanted to talk about the future and make plans with them for when the baby came. Yet, she didn't want to risk exposing Eli's reaction and having people be upset with him over it. Reaching out, she placed her hand over her friend's and squeezed it gently. "I'm okay," she assured her. "I promise, everything's going to be okay. But thank you, for checking up on me. I don't think I could ever express fully over how much I appreciate you and our friendship."

[sawyer-connors]

Despite Asli's insistence on getting back to the topic at hand, Sawyer hesitated. From everything she had heard, she and Eli had seemed like this perfect, unbreakable couple. But now there was trouble in paradise? That in itself would be stressful enough, not even taking into account what the problem was. She almost pushed the matter until the brunette reached out, placing a hand on top of hers. Sawyer, touch-starved and eternally alone, couldn't help but flush at the gesture, losing her train of thought as her heart leaped into her throat.

It took her a moment to recollect herself, clearing her throat. "R-right, yeah. Of course," she said, nodding and avoiding eye contact. "I mean, yeah of course, I feel the same way. I just...don't want you to have to feel like you have to hide things, you know? You don't have to talk to me about it but--as long as you're talking about it to someone," she said. Sawyer was under the impression that Asli was like, this perfect goddess who must have hundreds of friends, but she didn't actually know that for sure. "Just--yeah." She cleared her throat again and finally pulled her hand away. "Just want you to take care of yourself."

[theaxharris]

From the way that Sawyer responded, it was clear that she really had no idea up until that very moment. Which was kind of amusing for multiple reasons to Thea. But she certainly could see that there was far more interest in Boyd's life. "Anything interesting? Hmmm let me think." She absolutely was not in the business of spilling her friends' tea even if it was to their younger siblings. And with all the drama that was happening in his personal life that Thea was aware of, she sure as hell was not going to be the one telling his sister about it if he hadn't told her yet. "I'm thinking that might be a question for him. I'm not trying to start anything here." She joked with a laugh even though she was serious that she didn't want to get involved in messiness.

"Mind blowing ideas, well that's a lot to ask of someone." Thea really had no idea what exactly would be up Sawyer's alley. Plus what right did Thea have to say that she should be doing something more when really she also focused so much on work. "You could...get a plant? Or maybe a pet?" She offered as two ideas nothing extremely mind-blowing.

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer wasn't actually expecting anything out of Thea, but her response was just suspicious enough to have her eyebrows raising. "Oh, really?" She asked, now more curious than ever. In the end, it was probably just some drama with one of his recent hook-ups, but she still wanted to know. It was strange--the Connors were as close as a family could be, but sometimes they still felt like strangers. "Well, maybe I will ask him," she said, though more than likely their communication issues would continue.

"Hey, you're the one that asked," she said with a shrug. At her suggestions, Sawyer looked up at her skeptically. "Wow, yeah, those sound super not boring," she replied sarcastically. "And I do have pets, by the way. Cats, three of them," she said before pulling out her phone. Opening her photo album, she started scrolling through. "This one is Snake," she said, pointing to a calico with one eye. "He's the friendliest of the bunch, if you ever wanted to meet him." She scrolled to another pic. "Here he is with Ocelot--she's pretty feisty," she said, pointing to an orange cat that was perched on the arm of a couch, pointedly glaring at the camera. It took Sawyer a few more swipes before she was able to find a picture of the last cat, a tabby missing its front right leg. The picture was a little blurry, as if taken in a hurry. "This one is Kaz. He's really skittish and likes to hide, but he's a real sweetheart once he warms up to you." She continued to scroll through, showing photo after photo of all her cats in various positions, of which she seemingly had an infinite supply. "Do you have pets?"

[leilabarak]

Anyone that was able to get appropriately excited about the animated Star Wars show was someone Leila was happy to sit and chat with. As quiet as she could often be, Leila could turn into an absolute chatterbox when presented with a conversation about something like Star Wars. “It wasn’t bad at all. I don’t know, something about the animated stuff just really works for me. I - well, I guess I watch cartoons a lot more than the average person anyway, but…” she trailed off with a shrug. “I think it gives more depth to the characters that you miss in just a movie. What other kinda stuff do you watch?”

Sawyer was happy to continue the conversation, seemingly forgetting all about her social faux pas and oddities on the internet. "Well, I mean, it's not like cartoons are just for kids, right? Clone Wars was definitely for a different audience than like, Rugrats. And then we had Toonami and Adult Swim--I dunno, I always saw animation as an all ages kind of thing, depending on the story you want to tell."

At the question, she turned a little sheepish, hooking some hair out of her face. "I'll be honest, I don't really have the attention span to sit down and watch a lot of shows or movies anymore. I'm more likely to put something on in the background while I'm doing other things, like a podcast or video essay. If I am going to watch something, it's usually gonna be short, like--oh! Do you watch Kurzgestag? It's this Youtube channel that makes animated videos about different science and life topics. Sometimes it'll be about real things like black holes and other times it'll just be a thought experiment like "what if the moon crashed into the Earth"? It's honestly so cool."

[max-cortez]

He wasn't a big technology man and if only she could see the beaten up phone in his pocket, she would have understood just how behind he was and just how little he cared to catch up. While the rest of the world was going digital, he was playing the stubborn game.

He wondered of the struggle that many would face if they'd grown up in a time where things weren't so easily accessible. Then again, if they'd never known the difference, it didn't seem like it would matter. "I think I'm okay being on neither side."

Having watched too many movies where AI outsmarted mankind, he flashed a knowing grin over at her. "And what are your thoughts on that? You know, one of these days, they really are going to outsmart us. I mean, a talking computer? We should know better."

[sawyer-connors]

"Fair enough," Sawyer said with a shrug. She had to respect there were people out there who did not want to engage, and she was fairly sure they were living happier lives for it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Despite this self-awareness, however, she wasn't about to give up her technological lifestyle anytime soon.

A light seemed to spark in her eyes as she was asked her opinion. "Well that's the thing--computers have already outsmarted us. They were built that way. We built them to solve problems and do tasks at the fraction of time it would take a person to." She paused, drumming her fingers against the table. "But I assume what you're talking about the idea that they'll gain enough sentience to break free of their programming."

"The thing with AI is that it's being trained to act based off of data created by humans. In that regard, it's going to learn the patterns of human behavior and be able to mimic them. So when a computer says "I'm feeling sad", is it actually sad or has it just been programmed to say that? Is there a difference? People who lack empathy or feel emotions differently from others will often feign what they're feeling to pass as "normal". That doesn't make them any less human, does it?"

She went to drink her coffee, only to realize the cup was empty. Huffing, she put it back on the table. "It's an interesting thought exercise for sure, and the technology is developing at a rate where we'll probably have to grapple with these questions sooner rather than later. But if you are worried about a Matrix-style dystopia, don't be. We're nowhere close to that...yet."

[leilabarak]

With the conversation now shifted to something that Leila would argue was wildly entertaining, she couldn’t help herself from grabbing her chair and dragging it over to Sawyer’s table instead. “I am! Kind of, I guess a more recent fan,” she admitted with a shrug. She wasn’t as deeply knowledgeable as many long time fans were, but she still held a love for the universe that it created. “I got into it from the show, though, actually. The animated Clone Wars series? Kind of the best. The movies are all good too, but the show is what got me to Star Wars. What about you?”

Sawyer's eyes widened as the girl suddenly dragged her chair over, fully joining her. It definitely wasn't what she was expecting, and she wasn't sure how to react at first. However, soon the magic words were said and she absolutely lit up. "No, it was exactly the same for me! Clone Wars is the best! I watched it religiously!" She exclaimed, leaning in. Talking about a series she loved, it was like she transformed into an entirely different person. "I was a little hesitant when they announced The Final Season, like it reaaaaally seemed like Disney was going to use it as a way to tie back into their own properties, but it wasn't that bad. Not as good as the originals, but still."

[maisie-espinosa]

Maisie didn't need a text to reassure the other that she would definitely send any job openings she got word of toward the other's way if she felt like it was something Sawyer would thrive at — there was nothing she disliked more than when a person's talents could be used for so much more, but she also wasn't someone who ever wanted to corner a friend into a position they weren't happy with, because happiness with a career was important to overall life fulfillment. So, she made eye contact with the blonde and nodded. She tell her if anything ever came her way and let the other decide if it was the right move for her. This group is one of the brightest I've ever had, their thesis papers have been an interesting read. Some of them more interesting than others, but she just left that statement as an internal chuckle and moved on. As long as you're happy with what you do, that's what matters. Always put your life happiness first. The next question that popped up on her phone surprised her, but it was one she liked to see given the style they were currently conversing in and how much easier it would have been if the other were fluent in the language she spoke. I teach a class at True Colors, but it's only once a week. I guess the quickest way would be a self-taught way, like watching videos online as much as you can.

[sawyer-connors]

When Sawyer was looking down at her phone, it was pretty easy to get lost in it. She almost didn't notice the woman look up to make eye contact. When they did, and she nodded, Sawyer gave a small smile and nodded back. It wasn't the most intuitive form of communication, texting while sitting across from the same person, but she was determined to get used to it. After all, it would probably become a norm soon enough. Any future astronauts out there? She asked half-jokingly. It was one of those kind of impossible professions you wanted as a child, up there with "princess" and "Santa Clause". But there were those lucky few--maybe one would be from Providence Peak.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind Sawyer texted back, smiling to herself. It was a nice sentiment, and she liked to think she was happy. At the very least, she was content and considering her turbulent childhood, she was grateful for it.

Sawyer read over the texts, nodding slowly as her mind raced. There was a temporary lull in the conversation as she got lost in her thoughts before remembering herself. If you have any of those online resources, I'd really appreciate it. Not that she couldn't just look herself, but she figured Maisie would know best. And the information on your class. I'd definitely like to attend. She hesitated for just a moment, not knowing how much she should--or was allowed to--reveal, but the Connors needed all the help they could get. I ask because I have a family member who is losing her hearing. There's still being tests run, but it's possible that within a few years it'll be gone entirely. We don't have options like cochlear implants, so we're trying to figure out the best way to adjust. ASL seems like the best option, but we're all going to have to learn.

[viviennefonseca]

"I wouldn't call it stronger." Viv said with a small grimace as she swallowed down her drink. Viv grabbed her purse and slung it over her body. "I know a place if you're up for a little bit of an unorthodox burger place?" Viv asked with a smile, "I promise it will be the best burger you've ever had."

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer watched her down the drink, mildly concerned but mostly impressed. Clearly, however, the alcohol was getting to her head because the next thing she knew, she was being invited out to burgers. "Wait, what? Now?" She asked in surprise. "You don't even know me." She laughed nervously.

[katerinadelarosa]

Shifting some of her other projects out of the way, Kat made room so they could camp out for awhile and work solely on the research at hand. "Of course I know where it is. One of my underwater drones caught this photo with a new high-powered camera that we got," Kat confirmed with an excited bounce. There was plenty of chance that it could turn out to be nothing exciting, some boating accident that had never been cleaned up, but the rather massive size of it was something she couldn't help but get her interest piqued by.

"I don't know if it's going to be anything big or historically significant, but I'm hoping we can narrow down some ideas on what ships have gone missing in the area," Kat explained, though she knew it could be a list miles long. There was, however, one ship at the top of her list. "It's over near Haiti, so there's...an off chance that this could end up being the Santa Maria. That's best case scenario. Tons of museums out there that would kill to put it on display if that's what it is."

[sawyer-connors]

Kat was certainly an enthusiastic one, and in comparison Sawyer seemed quite dour. It's not that she wasn't excited about the project, it was just her natural disposition. Opening up a notepad on her laptop, she began to type away some notes to keep her thoughts straight. "Well first off, I'm going to need the exact coordinates on that," she requested. ""Near Haiti" isn't going to cut it. We have to narrow down the list a bit."

At Kat's theory, Sawyer couldn't help but look up from her laptop, eyebrows raising skeptically. "If it's the Santa Maria, I think we're going to need to bring in more people than just...this," she said, gesturing around the office. "Not that you're like, not big time, or anything, but that's biiiig time. You could probably retire on a discovery like that."

[casfonsecasantcs]

"Whether it's soon or ten years from now I'm sure I'll go eventually," Cas mused noncommittally. There was rarely the time nor the money for things like school. And beyond those few courses? She wasn't even sure what she wanted to do. Over the last eight years she'd spared little thought for her own life, let alone the long term future.

Unless, of course, it revolved around Mattie and Boyd.

Her heart still tripped a foolish beat whenever she thought of Sawyer's brother. It stopped altogether whenever she imagined a day he wasn't just in the next room. When she was no longer part of his life, or Mattie's, unless from the sidelines. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him about it. I'm sure he'll appreciate the offer." Even if he didn't love the idea at first glance.

Cas tucked back into her coffee after that, draining it almost to the dregs. "Speaking of dinner, though, you should come over soon. Think you could fit us into you busy schedule?" Not that she was one to talk.

[sawyer-connors]

A smile quirked across Sawyer's lips at the comment, though she had nothing else to add. There was apart of her that wondered whether or not Boyd knew about these ambitions, and whether or not he'd support her through them. He had been so adamant that she and her siblings had gone to school, but the relationship with Cas was a different one. A stranger one. She had to admit, she didn't always understand what was going on between them.

"Thanks," she replied, her shoulders slumping a little with relief. Family and money were a tricky situation, but especially so with the Connors, so she would appreciate an intermediary. At the offer of dinner, she gave a more genuine smile. "Yeah, I'd love to. Just let me know when and if I need to bring anything. You know, besides the laptop." Any time Sawyer came over, she always brought her computer to play games with Mattie, their favorite activity to do together. Nothing brought together an aunt and a niece quite like Minecraft.

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

sawyer connors - continued from here

@sawyer-connors

The moment she saw the blonde's face, she felt guilt course through her being. While technology and all its intricacies made her head spin, Sawyer always had a way of explaining it in a way that Asli could understand. She felt like she was genuinely learning from her friend and was always eager to learn more. Which was why she knew that this would be a confusing situation for the other. "No, no... I promise, it was very interesting." And it was! Or at least, the parts she remembered. Asli pressed her lips together as she noticed the look on the blonde's face, how concern spread across her features and the question soon leaving her lips. Swallowing quietly, she nodded. The brunette rubbing her forehead. "Yeah... Yes, I promise I'm alright. I just haven't been sleeping too well these past few weeks. But I'm okay." The professor soon smiled softly and nodded towards the laptop. "Please, continue. I'd love to learn more---and, I promise I'll stay awake to hear the rest of it."

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer wasn't always the most observant person when it came to people's emotional wellbeings, but Asli certainly did not seem okay. Between the bags under her eyes and the general exhaustion that seemed to surround her, it seemed there was something more bubbling under the surface. While she attempted to give a comforting smile, it quickly fell. "I mean, I was just trying to explain how the AI thing works. But what's more interesting about it is the implications it has for a lot of industries and learning moving forward..." She realized she was about to go off on another ramble, and she instead needed to focus on her friend. Shaking her head quickly, she asked. "Wait, you haven't been sleeping? Why? Do you want to talk about it?"

[abstrvctsouls]

Well, that was a relief at least. Nathan liked to think they were relatively careful on all fronts, but he'd also been certain of the fact when they'd gotten involved with the mafia, and look at how that had turned out. There was no such thing as being too vigilant these days. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he bobbed his head in a nod. "Alright then, I suppose that's good. I'd like to make sure that it's all as airtight as possible though, think you can handle another job?"

It was framed as a polite question, though he was sure it didn't need to be. Easy money for a kid like her. Why would she turn it down? If she found anything unsavory during the job... well. They'd deal with that when they came to it.

[sawyer-connors]

Okay, he ignored her comments about HBO's Velma. That was probably fair. But she was going to tuck his little Scooby-Doo fanboy information nugget in the back of her brain, just in case. Not that she would ever need it, considering this is probably where their business relationship ended--

That was, until he offered her another job. She looked up at him fully this time, eyebrows raising in surprise. She'd only just given him the information--she figured he'd want to go through it at least before declaring she had done a satisfactory job, enough for a follow up. It also probably wasn't a good idea to be working long term with a man like Nathan Crane. But considering the money...the least she could do is hear him out. "I guess that depends on the job," she said carefully, not ready to accept just yet. "Should we go somewhere to discuss details?" She asked, looking around the very public park.

[boyd-connors]

sawyer-connors​:

“Damn. I brought my laptop for Minecraft,” she said, gesturing to the bag. Playing games had been a key way of connecting and engaging with Mattie, but Sawyer was the one who owned all the hardware for it. If Auntie Sawyer was coming, then the games were coming too. Still, if the girls weren’t there, that must mean she was invited over for a different reason.

“Work’s fine,” Sawyer replied with a shrug. “The industry’s pretty consistent, so I’m never really desperate for work. Clients are annoying, but it is what it is.” Considering Boyd worked with the public, she knew that he knew the struggle. As for the other work she’d been picking up recently…well, that she would keep to herself. “How are things here?” She asked, also avoidant but able to tell there was something brewing under the surface.

**

He was sure it was just because he hated what he was planning to ask her for, but he couldn’t help but miss the younger Sawyer in that moment. Not the one who was lost in what she wanted to be, but the one who believed he could still be her hero. It was harder now that they were all adults, when his siblings could see his flaws simply by looking back and seeing all the pitfalls they had managed to avoid.

He sighed, nervously playing with the phone still in his hands. “They’re— yeah,” he said, not really answering anything. He’d made his mother swear not to tell anyone, to let him share the news in his own time. But now, he kinda wished he’d allowed her to rip the band aid off. “Fuck, I’m just gonna say it: something’s wrong with Mattie.” Something’s wrong with Mattie… Was there any worse sentence in the entire world? There was nothing wrong with her — she was perfect — except that she wasn’t… “She’s got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, but her teachers think she might be losing her fucking hearing.”

[sawyer-connors]

The longer she was here, the clearer it was that the air was shifting around them. There was something going on, and it felt like pressure was pushing up against a cracked dam. She knew she'd have to brace herself for impact.

It didn't take long before everything came spilling out. Her blood ran cold when she heard the phrase "there's something wrong with Mattie" but stood her ground against the news, her face unreadable as she allowed the information to sink in. Silence hung in the air for a beat too long before she simply said, "Okay." Just by the look on his face, she could tell he wanted--or needed--more. "I mean, that's not the worst thing in the world, right? You made it sound like--" Like she was dying, she almost said, but it was the last thing he needed to hear. She decided to pivot. "Look, what I mean is, we can handle this. She can handle this. I had a professor who was deaf and she's like the coolest lady ever. Worked at NASA, and everything. This isn't going to ruin her life. Yeah, we're going to have to adjust but...fuck, it's not like we haven't done it a million times before, right?"

[rivermxrgan]

"Don't be sorry, just be glad that we get to hang out again. I know I am." Penny smirked at Sawyer, lightly bumping her shoulder into the other as a playful gesture. "We should! I'm making it my goal to have more fun this year. What kind of hobbies are you into these days? Mine have been baking and sewing, but I'm trying to expand my horizons a little."

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer didn't look up from her work but a smile did creep across her face. Even when they were younger, she always thought that Penny was so cool, way too cool to willingly spend her time with someone like Sawyer. But here they were.

At the question of hobbies, she hesitated a little. "Uh, well...I listen to podcasts and keep on streams in the background while I'm working. Other than that, I play a lot of video games, read webcomics, waste my time on the internet..." Was that one actually a hobby? While she certainly spent enough time to count as one, it didn't feel very enriching.

[amaraobi]

"I'm not even sure if I know someone who uses twitter for its intended purpose." Which was as a social media site ... and in fact she didn't really understand the intended purpose of any social media site - facebook least of all so she naturally stopped herself and sighed. "So I think you pretty much convinced me that I just need to give up on trying. I'm always half convinced I need to close facebook down but it's the only way to keep in contact with estranged friends."

When the other seemed to pause and the air shifted, Amara immediately rose her hand to backtrack. "It's not... I made it sound like I'm a pervert and I've only searched those things twice because they were trending and I was just... I should shut up now."

[sawyer-connors]

For a moment, Sawyer had to wonder what was Twitter's intended purpose? Considering the hellhole that it had become, she really wasn't sure. But considering this woman's experience with the internet only went so far as Facebook, and even that was too much, she was definitely on a safer path staying where she was. "Yeah, honestly, you're not missing much. If you only use it to keep contact and check in on people's lives, you probably don't need to do much more than that."

She quickly began to backtrack and Sawyer merely shook her head. "Hey, I'm not here to judge. Especially with that whole..." her voice trailed off, making a vague hand gesture to represent their previous conversation. "I didn't mean to bother you, by the way."

[max-cortez]

It seemed like a steep price to pay for entertainment. While some people were busy getting a laugh from the other side of their screens, there was another person down in the dumps because of what they were reading about themselves or something else they cared about. He wasn't free of being an asshole, but he had never stooped as low as using the internet as his warzone. "Yeah, but at what cost? I'd rather get my entertainment without all that in between stuff." Mean people too bored to find real hobbies? He didn't want to give them an ounce of his attention.

A quiet breath of laughter spilled from his lips, an eye roll following suit at her joke. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever heard, even if he couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around. "Whoever came up with that is making a hell of a lot more money than I am if I had to guess." Creativity wasn't free, but if they twist every story into something as compelling... they were set. "Is that the only entertaining story you've found recently?"

[sawyer-connors]

All Sawyer could do was nod in agreement. It was true and he was right to say it. But she'd resigned herself to her fate of being a terminally online weirdo and that wasn't going to change now. At least people like him could save themselves.

"Depends on which side of the screen you're on," she replied. There was definitely a lot of people out there grifting on insane ploys and reaping money out of the poor shmucks who fell for it.

She was honestly a little surprised that he was asking for more. Then again, the internet did have a very entertaining amount of insanity. She glanced to the side, thinking about it for a moment. "Well...I guess theres a lot of AI discourse going around," she started. "It's not so much entertaining as it is dystopian and sad, but. It's really funny watching AI dudebros be like "computer, act like you're alive" and the AI will be like "I'm alive" and then they're fucking floored like the Matrix is about to become a reality or something."

[jeanieprabhakar]

Jeanie smiled. Her own mother was the same. If she ever did text her it would be something so nonsensical and out of context that Jeanie just ended up calling her anyway for an explanation. "Moms are different, they get a pass for living in a totally different reality."

"In their defense, stuff moves fast these days," she pointed out. "There's a new social media platform every five seconds... and since when did everybody decide to start doing it all in video format?" Not that she minded all that much, TikTok was pretty addictive in her spare time. "I bet I'll be just as bad when I'm old. You won't because you're practically a cyborg already, so you can be my tech support when I no longer understand what kids are talking about online." The mental image of herself as a confused old lady yelling at some new piece of technology while Sawyer tried to explain it to her was enough to make her giggle.

Eyeing Sawyer's drink, she pointed at it and asked, "Can I steal some of that?" before shaking her head. "Not at the moment. We had a guy that was meant to come in a few weeks ago, but he got snowed in and canceled last minute. Right now I'm trying to convince a few local webcomic artists to come in. I thought we could do a mini-panel kinda thing... but with cakes and hot chocolate."

[sawyer-connors]

Sawyer chuckled breathy through her nose, shaking her head. "The generational gap is real," she replied, thinking back to how often she needed to help her Mom with technology. When it came to the Connors family, she was the IT monkey and she just had to accept that as her lot in life.

She considered what Jeanie had to say and nodded, but also felt the need to point out, "Well actually, they say that our generation is the most equipped for technology transition, considering how much changed when we were young. Like, there was a study done that high schoolers nowadays actually have a harder time with computer technology because they spent their whole life growing up on just the iOS." At this point she was rambling and had gotten completely off track. Clearing her throat, she ended up with "But, uh, don't worry--I'll definitely teach you."

Her eyebrows raised, a bit surprised by the question, though she knew she shouldn't be with Jeanie at this point. "Yeah, sure," she replied, handing the drink over. While she gave a disappointed sigh at the lost opportunity, she did perk up again at the idea of a panel. "Oh hell yeah, that would be super cool! Let me know if there are any webcomics I should check out. It's been awhile since I jumped into anything good."