Page 29 of Blade

My mate was proof that curiosity was dangerous for humans and cats alike.

“I’m also curious to see what we can find about the local magical community.” Squaring his shoulders again, my mate looked around the trailer like it would give him the answers we needed. “I made a profile on what’s basically the monster internet, but?—”

Realizing he’d said something else confusing, he sighed and turned to look back at me. “Think of it like a large place to meet and get information but you don’t have to be there in person. I’m sorry. I just don’t know what kind of technology you had back then.”

Back then.

When I was younger, I’d been more focused on comics and football. I had a vague memory of news reports about real life computers. The only thing coming to mind was that they’d been huge and used for complex calculations, though. I could’ve explained what Batman was using a lot more than anything real people used.

My mate kept talking about smaller things that everyone used, but it was hard to wrap my mind around and not just because of my current form.

My ugly form.

Ugh.

“I’m going to see what I can find out about the locals and then we’ll see what you want to do.” My mate was a fascinating creature, but one of my favorite things about him was his ability to see beyond my exterior and not take over because he had a human form.

“Somewhere in there I need to make us dinner, though, and I think if we’re mates we need some kind of date.”

My second favorite thing about him was his ability to chatter about anything and everything. I loved not having to guess what he was thinking, and not just because I couldn’t ask because of the communication issue.

“I think I’m going to look up something old for us to watch.” His wince made me want to laugh. “Well, something more current for you? But something old for me.”

His hand reached for the new typewriter he called a tablet before he jerked it back. “No. This needs to be just for communication. Entertainment on the big screen.”

Part of that made sense. It was obvious the device could do many things, but I wasn’t sure what he meant by big screen in this context.

Frowning and making thinking sounds, he looked around again before his gaze landed on another bag across the table. “There it is.”

It turned out to be more technology.

As he spoke more about computers, I realized the room-sized machines I’d read about had been shrunk down to a variety of sizes.

“This is going to be easier for me to type on but harder for you until you get hands back again. Once we’re at that point I know you’ll get it just fine.” He did his sit-more-confident-wiggle and stared seriously at what he called the screen. “If I touch here it will bring up…it’s basically like an encyclopedia. I’m pretty sure you had those back then. The problem with this one is that there is no one actually checking any facts, so you have to be careful what you believe.”

An encyclopedia no one edited for accuracy?

“A movie might be too long. Let’s see what TV shows you were watching.” My mate typed quickly, still looking very serious for what was supposed to be a fun way for us to relax and bond. “Okay we’ve got Westerns and some legal shows. I didn’t knowPerry Masonwas that old. I grew up watching those reruns with my grandmother.”

Doing more of a happy wiggle, it was easy to see he was feeling more relaxed as he went through the list of popular shows from the 1950s.

Back in the ancient times.

“Father Knows Bestdoesn’t seem like it’d be a good fit.” Humming to himself, he bounced his head from side to side as he browsed what he had called the internet. “More cop shows. I didn’t realize we’ve always had those.”

It seemed like some things never changed.

“Adventures of Superman…that could—” He squeaked when I pushed my nose into his side. His heart rate jumped before heslumped back against the bench. “I need to pay more attention. I forgot you couldn’t talk for a minute and that scared the fuck out of me.”

How?

How had he forgotten my complete lack of a human form?

“Don’t give me that look. A lot of men are just really quiet.” Turning back to the small computer device, he pointed at the screen. “Superman?”

Yes.

Another nudge got a laugh from him that time. “That sounds like fun. I’ve seen all the recent movies but not the old stuff.”