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[Earlier in the day, Venom's MID informed him that he had a package waiting for him back on the ship. He's opened it and decides to push aside his dislike of these kinds of networks to ask a very important question:]

Who sent me these?

[He shifts his com to take shots of the tea tin (not the problem) and a small set of books.]

The Guild had a copy of the first one but I've never seen these others before. Why would I be interested in pulling fingers?

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It's a rude joke. You stick out a finger, say "pull my finger" and then you fart. As if that it what is necessary to make the butt go.

...So I bet that book has some quality writing.

[He does not sound as though he's speaking genuinely at the end there.]

That has to be the most needlessly crass gesture I've ever heard of.

[For Venom has no sense of humor.]

I can only imagine what it's about with that kind of explanation.

I've heard of a lot more than that but most of them wouldn't be good to put on book covers. Not that this one is, either. But I'm Serbian. My people don't go half effort on insults or bad taste when they are angry.

Apparently this one was perfect for the cover...

[If it really is all about farting and pulling fingers, he's going to throw it out. And he hates wasting books.]

You're from Serbia? That's in the Southeastern part of Illyria, correct?

Yeah, but as of the time I left, it was still deciding exactly where its borders were. I was born in Yugoslavia.

Hard to tell people where I am from sometimes, so I just say, "Balkans".

I'm only a little familiar with that region, unfortunately. My assignments rarely took me out there.

All I can remember is that it was unstable during the late twentieth century. And that a couple of my subordinates were from the area.

Didn't realize you did boss things, too.

I grew up there during late twentieth century, mostly during the war. It was a pretty rough time. Most of us couldn't get jobs, so a lot of us left.

[Or went to work for mobsters, like he did.]

Yes, well, I am more or less retired from it, so to speak.

[It's a long and complicated story, one that Venom would rather not go into at the moment. That is, if this man's definition of boss is the same as the assassin's.]

I read that it was a very tense era. I would not have wanted to live in the twentieth century.

[He's fine in the 22nd century, thank you very much.]

How did you get guys from so many times and places working for you?

[Long and complicated stories have become remarkably easy to simplify, Niko has found in recent years. He can accept almost any levels of weird bullshit.]

Ah, I am from one time, as are my associates. They are from numerous parts of the world. I was born in England, myself.

[Don't ask him about it because he remembers very little.]

What time period is it for you?

From the twenty-second century. 2187, to be precise.

This may seem like an odd question, but what sort of transport do you use? You still got something like cars?

Hmm...

[It is odd, but Venom does his best to answer.]

We use carriages and airships, mostly. The only cars I've spotted are mainly in scrap form, though I hear some are still active in certain countries.

As in horse carriages?

I guess gas would be fucked but I was thinking maybe solar drive things would exist.

Yes. It's because those types of fuels have been banned for many years. We've switched to magic. It's far cleaner than any other energy source.

I don't think we will get lucky for that sort of renewable energy back home.

It was unexpected that my world discovered magic, but it has been a mixed blessing, if the history is to be believed.

[He had read up on magic as a child, the crusades, everything.]

But I honestly cannot imagine a world without it.

Um, those look like romance books. And it's a joke people say. Kinda of a gross one where if you pull a person's finger, they'll fart.

[Of course Carl doesn't sound too sure that's what they are, but he's assuming they are. He's squinting at the one referred to, his head is turned more to his good eye the whole while he answers.]

[The bandaged eye vaguely reminds Venom of that young man who is always traveling with Sol. Sin, was it...?]

So that's what they are... why would I be sent these?

That's rather childish on top of gross. Some people...

[He will now be forever wary of anyone asking him to pull fingers.]

Don't know. Do you like romance? [seems like the question to ask, however weird it is.] ...Or is someone playing a joke on you?

It is pretty childish. [says one child.]

I have to be in the mood for it.

[And something a bit more tasteful than pulling fingers for flatulent laughs.]

If someone is, they had best hope I don't find them. Childish, indeed.

Then you have them... [He guesses. Moving on from the slightly awkward subject now.]

Yeah. Do people here normally give you weird stuff if you don't know them? [Hey, it's not an unheard of thing, seeing as how he came from another place similar-ish to this one.]

[Yes, because Venom's still giving these novels the side eye.]

I haven't received anything from anyone until now. The other item was tea, and that's relatively ordinary for me.

Huh. Strange. [He says the first part in a thoughtful tone, as if mostly to himself.] Know who would know to send you tea then? It could be the books were sent to you as a joke from the same person.

No one really knows I drink tea here. The ones who do are back in my world.

And they're not really the joking type.

[Well, Lord Slayer maybe, but still.]

[Well, he sort of knows that Venom drinks tea now, but that's beside the point, so he just nods to that.]

Then I dunno. I'm still learning about this place...

Does seem weird why anyone here could send stuff to a stranger, though.

It is peculiar, considering the non-romantic book.

My organization had a copy, but I never got the opportunity to read it. Have you read it, young man?

Um, [his one eye glances off to the side momentarily as if trying to remember the name of the book in question and then seeming to actually remember it.] the one that's something about hitchhikers? No. Don't think I heard of it either before.

Hmmm, I see.

I hope it is a better book than the others. Though I am considering just donating the more lurid ones to the ship's library.

[Maybe other crew members are into scandalous affairs. He knows he's not because he lived through something similar. That and it's not his kind of romance.]

[Yeah, um. He doesn't have much knowledge to say what it is, but.]

It doesn't look like the others. It looks like it might be someone's true story.

That would be an interesting story.

[The title alone conjures up some curious thoughts. Maybe the writer did hitchhike across the galaxy somehow. Or galaxy was just a way of describing all the wonderful things he saw across the world.]

I feel like I should start on it soon.

It would be if that's what it is.

[It does bring curious thoughts to what it writes about, especially since they are in deep space and the travelling the galaxy themselves.]

You should. I mean, I'd give it a chance. [Is about all he can think to offer.]

I believe I will.

Thank you for taking the time out to speak to me, young man.

[Even if it started out as fart jokes and mushy romance stories.]

Um, yeah. No problem.

[He sort of got the answers he was looking for with how people getting gifts randomly, anyway. Figures there's nothing else to add so he ends the feed and goes about his day here.]

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