The Edifice

30. Swinging

LEVI

'Do what he says. Distract him. Look for something to use against him.'

That was the advice I'd typed up for Olivia as we'd huddled together in the stairwell. Even then I'd been worried he'd be able to see through the wall or worse, scry through either of our eyes to peep on the messages.

There's no way we can force Otis to revoke his oath against his own volition.

The man is a god. Maybe with a capital 'G'. I was almost blinded the instant I tried looking at his aura. Should Otysses Creed decide we're more trouble than we're worth, I doubt he'd need to so much as click his fingers to scramble us into atoms.

I've never seen anything like him.
I'd be concerned, if he weren't so busy trying to convert us to veganism.

"I mean, I don't even need to eat, technically. But it's one of life's little pleasures, you know? I couldn't ever spoil that by knowing what I'm eating came from something sentient," Otis chats, almost translucent in the morning sunlight as we do a lap of the neighborhood sidewalk.

He walks ahead with Olivia, while I watch his outline warily from behind and enjoy the ecstasy of smoking the first cigarette of the day.

"Except for cheese. There's just something about cheese that I can't give up."

"I know what you mean," Olivia agrees slowly, glancing over her shoulder at me questioningly. Her nervousness the only indicator that we aren't humoring him out of the kindness of our hearts. "I'm mostly vegetarian. Veganism is a little too expensive to keep up."

"Too expensive? I thought everyone on Earth was supposed to be wealthy," Otis asks with a frown. "Don't you people have, y'know... an entire planet's worth of resources."

"You've been given a very biased education," I respond, nonplussed by his naivety. He's not the first person in the Edifice to grow up being told that every human on the other side of the veil is enjoying some free utopia. "Six billion people and half of them are starving. The richest countries tearing the disenfranchised to pieces. Global warming. The collapse of the housing market. Your family would love it there."
Otis echoes my words soundlessly, an immensely satisfying look of disbelief on his face.

"Seven billion," Olivia corrects. "Actually, there's almost eight billion people now. Terrorism has skyrocketed. Fascism is everywhere. Everything you do online is tracked. I'm pretty sure Australia burned down. We have murder hornets now. Oh- but same-sex marriage was legalized!"
She adds the last part with a hopeful look at me as though expecting me to smile. Maybe to whip out a pride flag and burst into a recital of Lady Gaga. Dear fucking God.

"What do you think caused the murder hornets?" I joke, replacing her dreamy smile of support with a scandalized expression. She bites her lip as though unsure of whether to respond, even as Otis laughs.

Maybe I'm too used to the Edifice's progressiveness politics, but I can't seem to muster the energy to appreciate the news. Nine years is a long time to be away from Earth, a world that's had thousands upon thousands of years to get its shit together.

To me the biggest milestone in queer rights will always be the day my father's barren fucking heart gave out on him and he keeled over cold and alone. Ah, sweet victory.

"Wait, wait-" Otis asks. "You weren't allowed to marry other men? On Earth?"
Great, now I've come out to the rich kid too.

"Otis, people were still being arrested for being gay when I was born." I turn to Olivia, "You might like this. Heterosexuality was almost outlawed in the Edifice a few decades ago. Being gay is the preferred way of slowing population growth here. Technically, you're kind of oppressed."