THE MOMENT
"I'm a scout for Sharp Development," Victoria answered. It was rare that her dates asked about her, and even rarer that she was enjoying herself enough to be honest. "It's low effort but surprisingly fulfilling; I get to see a lot of new places. But, I think you're the first rocket neurosurgeon I've met. What do you do exactly?" She took a sip of her coffee after the question. The coffee shop around them was bustling with the Saturday brunch crowd but her date found a dim spot in the corner. He was already there when she arrived a few minutes early.
"It's not exactly rocket science," Paul explained. "...it's an off-shoot of neuroscience with a focus on cybernetics. But most of the time it just feels like I'm a mechanic," he chuckled. "I'm one of the guys that wire all those 'intelligent' missiles with a brain."
"Oh really?" Victoria asked with sincere interest. "Where do you get the brains from?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Paul shrugged. "We're told they're lab-grown, but I just get a box of brains and a quota handed to me every month."
"Huh," Victoria nodded. "What about your supervisor? How far up would I have to go in the chain to find out?" she asked.
"Ohhh, so you just want me for my brains...," Paul smiled as he made the joke. And, luckily Victoria giggled too.
"Well I'm a scout, so, I'm scouting," she replied. "I just want to find out who your supplier is to see if Sharp Development can offer a better deal. Even if they're lab-grown, we might still be cheaper."
"Sharp Development sells brains...?" Paul asked.
"We sell everything," she replied.
"Wow, it sounds like a big company; I've never heard of them."
"We haven't really established a presence on this Earth yet. But, from everything you've told me, I'm sure we'll start a marketing campaign here."
"This Earth?" Paul asked. He'd been enjoying the date too and didn't expect to suddenly be concerned about her sanity.
"There's a whole, big multiverse out there," Victoria nodded. "Infinite alternate Earths in different realities."
"Now, I'm not saying this to be mean...," Paul hesitated for a moment. "...but, if this is gonna go anywhere you have to know I'm always going to speak my mind. I just prefer to always be clear. I don't believe you," he said.
"Wow," Victoria laughed. "Handsome and communicative; you'll be quite the catch." Paul could see that she wasn't mocking him. She seemed to genuinely appreciate his directness and wasn't offended by his disbelief in the slightest. In a way, it made him more open to believing her. If nothing else, he didn't mind the excuse to see her again.
"I'm assuming you can prove it," he smiled. "I wouldn't mind visiting another Earth. Maybe on our second date...," he suggested. Her response caught him completely off guard.
"There won't be one," Victoria shook her head.
"Oh, I thought...," he recovered quickly with a shake of his head. "I mean, can I ask why? To hopefully avoid it on future dates," he added.
"Nothing you did wrong," she nodded. "Honestly, if I were looking to date someone, I'd consider you for a second one," she said.
"If you were looking?" he asked. "Isn't this looking?" he gestured at the coffee shop around them. "Why are you on a dating app?" he asked.
"It's my job," she shrugged. "The quickest way to learn about an Earth is to meet a local. A dating app is the easiest way to do that. But, you've been sweet," she smiled and slid a transparent glass card across the table to him. "This is a node, you can use it to explore other Earths even without a second date with me," she said.
"Okay, no second date, that's fine...," Paul nodded. "But, can we still finish this one? I'd like to know more about you and all...," he picked up the card and the time appeared on its surface. "...this...," he stared at it for an extended moment. His job was on the bleeding edge of technology; but, the node was still beyond anything he'd seen.
"Sure, this is all I've got planned today," Victoria replied. "I have a few more questions about your Earth too," she said.
"What is your job, exactly?" Paul asked. "You said you're a scout. What do you scout?"
"I look for Earths advanced enough to bring Sharp Development's business to."
"Wait..," Paul had a late realization.
"So, that's all you do? Just go from Earth to Earth dating people; but, you're not even looking for love?"
"Why would I be?" she asked. "This is work for me; I'm already in a relationship."