You Think YOUR Job Is Bad...

I felt the pull, the undeniable urge to answer the call.

I closed all of my eyes, and felt my gills flutter slightly on my neck as my breathing slowed. It was effortless for me to enter the state that allowed me to communicate with clients. They were all so different, so interesting! This is what I told myself every work cycle. As long as I sat in my workspace, I was there to help whoever asked it of me.

*Hello? Anyone out there?!*

I trembled at the connection, the fear budding inside me.

*I am with you* I replied, feeling tension build up in my arms and neck.

*WOAH! Someone is moving the glass thing! Okay, ask it a question!*

I sighed. It was either a Nfen, or a Human. No other entities contacted us for answers with such ignorance.

*WHO ARE YOU?* The voice was loud, as if they didn't realize I could hear even a whisper with clarity. They probably didn't.

*Call me Amarha* I responded curtly. Entities who contacted me this way likely weren't prepared for long answers, and I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

*WOW THIS IS SO COOL!*

The entity contacting me sounded as if they were shouting directly in my face.

*What is your question?*

*Okay.. okay... DOES DAVE LIKE ME?* I could hear noises that I recognized as laughter. High pitched, obnoxious... the kind of frequency that drove many Communications Experts into madness.

I set aside my annoyance and felt along the thread of this being's universal signature. Yes, they were human. Children, by their reckoning. I pulled more information, looking for a "Dave" in her life. Why didn't parents realize that their children shouldn't be allowed to communicate at such a young age? It caused us nothing but grief.

*Yes*

Squeals of laughter, causing a headache to blossom behind my eyes. I hoped it would be over quickly.

*OKAY! Does Michael like Alyssa?*

I explored more pathways, noticing that Alyssa's pathways lit up in ways that were very rare for a human. She would go on to do great things... provided I didn't manifest through their board and destroy the entire city in which they lived.

*No*

*THIS GAME SUCKS NOW, LET'S DO SOMETHING ELSE!*

The communication ended abruptly, which left me feeling slightly nauseous. Humans, among many other species, didn't know how to properly (and politely) close communication with us. Many of them didn't know to whom they were speaking, not that it mattered much. All of us had access to all of their information.

~I am taking a break.~ I thought to my work mates. Marr, a Sinthe like myself, smiled with her eyes.

~Dealt with a human, did you? I can feel your tension from here. They're a frustrating lot, aren't they?~

~If they asked questions worth answering, it wouldn't be so bad.~