nexus_crossings | Blinded (with Science?)

Furious, flustered and frightened, Isamu didn’t stop running until he’d reached the plaza. Out of breath, he sunk down behind one of the larger walls.

“Of all the… it is preposterous. That is what it is…” he huffed to himself, trying to gather his thoughts. “If I were actually collecting data without consent, or in direct violation of consent, that would be one thing… but a meta-analysis? A review of pre-existing literature? How can anyone object to that on ethical grounds?!”

Someone had, though. And that someone happened to be his brother’s girlfriend. Of course, it was not a question of if Minoru would find out about an argument heated enough to make the Anthean’s eyes glow. Just a question of when.

But at the moment, Isamu wasn’t even thinking about that.

“Is curiosity, in and of itself, a crime? If learning something new is satisfying or even pleasurable, does that automatically make it as reprehensible as getting high?” He pondered loud enough for any passersby to hear him. “Is science, simply because it requires empirical evidence, ideologically unethical? Where, between theory and practice, is that line drawn and who, if anyone, has the right to decide when it is crossed?!”

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Adia is not familiar with either of those scientists, but there is a spark of recognition at the word Anthean. Perhaps later, she'll connect the dots on who Isamu argued with, but right now, she's more interested in his research to speculate.

"Were you trying to see if an Anthean's native diet has something to do with their longevity? I don't know much about phenolic compounds. My background is in infectious diseases, although our lab also occasionally runs microbe identification in water and soil samples. I was doing a lot of field work when we first arrived on Earth."

“Oh, now that would be a fascinating followup study for sure.”

His voice seemed almost giddy at the thought of connecting the dots in this new way. It was innocent, of course. But it was the same tone that came out during his discussion with Ziggy, and one the Anthean found particularly distasteful.

“The intent behind cataloging the available nutrients in Anthean plants was to later compare them to what is available for humans, to discover potential nutritional deficiencies that might occur if one species had to subsist solely on a diet from another world. It may also help when examining human food that is toxic to them, and perhaps whether something could be done on a biochemical level to alleviate that toxicity.” He explained. “Preauthorization for that analysis is currently in progress.”

It sounds like innocent scientific curiosity to Adia, but that tone coupled with an insensitive hypothetical experiment could certainly be taken the wrong way. She listens to his elaboration with interest, thinking about the practical implications of such a study for Anthean people.

"I know that they have toxicity to several things that are fundamental to a human diet. That'd be really useful to find a way to alleviate that. If anything to keep them from getting accidentally poisoned."

Context mattered, but it also demonstrated just how natural that curiosity was for Isamu. He was often rather stoic when he spoke, but when it came to figuring things out, the excitement was there. He probably wasn’t even aware of it most of the time.

“In our culture, it is customary for men to give gifts of chocolate to women on Valentines Day. Minoru certainly made an attempt. Which, while even I thought we might have found something possibly edible due to the types of sugars it lacked, it was most likely never consumed.” He nodded. “Received gracefully, of course. But better safe than sorry.”

Unintentionally poisoning your new girlfriend is not the best way to spend Valentines Day. And it probably went the other way as well.

Isamu may not realize it, but he's giving away quite a bit about who his brother's girlfriend is. An Anthean, and although Adia isn't sure how many of them are in the Nexus currently, the mention of Valentine's Day makes her think of Ziggy. Although the thought of the pacifist rockstar getting angry enough to frighten Isamu is hard for her to imagine, so she keeps her suspicions to herself, as she does with most things.

"I think that's very sweet of your brother to try, although I agree, it's better to be safe than sorry." She frowns thoughtfully. "Being able to share a meal or exchange food is such an integral part of human culture. I hope they're able to find some sort of common ground."

Unfortunately, Ismau did not realize it. At least not consciously. His conscience might have wanted to share it while the rest of him clearly did not. He was well on his way to mentally processing some common ground himself. And either way, he would be thankful that Adia kept such suspicions under wraps.

"Metabolically speaking, it is a fair bit easier for a human to consume Anthean foods than the other way around. At least, in the short-term. I have had the privilege of tasting a variety of items as part of my initial research. Though some were certainly bitter to the point of being completely unpalatable." he noted. "If there was a place to find common ground, there is a high likelihood of it beginning with food, though..."

Perhaps there was something to that.

Maybe there was a way that he could use science to make amends.

Adia is not the type to insert herself into other people's conflicts, not unless someone is insulting a friend of hers or being completely unreasonable. For the sake of his brother's relationship, she does hope that he and Ziggy can come to an understanding.

"I know that they like salty and sour foods," Adia remarks, thinking back to her conversation with Ziggy about his diet. "Sugar is a real problem, though. But there are enough things that both humans and Antheans can eat. Enough to make a meal, albeit a simple one."

Sensing that his comment is trailing off to another thought, she falls silent, though still obviously listening, curious what might be on his mind.

Isamu nodded. He was becoming more familiar with the Anthean diet, both from his research with Tom and from the amount of food that went missing whenever Ziggy stayed over with Minoru. (It was enough that, once, Tom even paid to have additional groceries delivered.)

“Honestly, I was considering the development of a synthetic replacement for sugar, that could then be used to recreate human dishes that could not otherwise be shared…” he corrected aloud. “But I do not know if that is possible, or whether it would have unforeseen effects. Artificial sweeteners have been a polarizing topic in my world as far as the research is concerned.”

Clearly, he was talking himself through a theoretical study. Nothing had been done yet. He may eventually conclude that nothing would be done. But the thought exercise was clearly underway.

As far as thought exercises go, there is nothing about this one that Adia finds alarming. Quite the opposite, in fact, that Isamu would like to find a way to safely recreate human dishes for Anthean consumption. She quirks a small smile at the mention of artificial sweeteners being a polarizing topic. "It was the same for us... well, it's a moot point now, as we don't have artificial sweeteners anymore, but I have an idea of what you're referring to."

Adia's PINpoint, which looks identical to a smart phone, makes a soft buzzing sound. She fishes it out of her messenger bag and sighs softly at what she sees. "Shoot, I have to be back in the lab... oh, while I have this out, would you like to exchange contact information? It'd be nice to talk more, when we're both free."

And hopefully she can find out if he was able to patch things up with Ziggy.

“Of course. Oh, absolutely.” Isamu immediately nodded, pulling out his own PINpoint. It had very similar design, one of the more popular ones from the vending machine.

He took down her information and sent her a message so she could have his.

“I look forward to further conversation and potential collaboration.”

Adia adds him to her contacts as soon as he texts her and then pockets her device. "Me, too," she replies with a soft smile. "Good luck with your brother's girlfriend. I think you'll be able to work it out."

With that, she gives Isamu a little wave goodbye and then heads out of the Plaza, wanting to return a few books at the Grand Library before returning home.

Blinded (with Science?)

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