2062 London - Bern - New York - The Verse

Zephyr Spring did a final pass over the day's work, for the oracle feeds, and waved goodnight to her interest grid.

She was an artist of the nanoment.

The nanoment, a nano moment, brief bits of time, where one captured the zeitgrid and signal propagated throughout a layer of friends, family, fans. An endless loop of inspiration.

Partitioned through the interface, simulacra scattered across countless interest grids, worldlets in plural, in all the little and big things she had feelings for, in so many different places.

For many, she was a muse who lived in fractions, whose hottest slivers of her selves drew in love and lokens, local tokens, across the different nodes and clusters of the 'Verse.

One of her selves caught hold of something, no, someone, a part of her met someone on the 'Verse. His name was Al, no, it was Albert, no no, it was Alberto. A "one-o-one", unique, a "wonowon", 1 of 1. Unique enough to catch her notice. He drifted into one of her studios, which was by appointment only, but there he was, sitting by the table.

While her other selves were busy with different errands but like someone from a century past, "multi-tasking" they called it, it was like driving (real driving), and talking, and snacking, and head-bopping to tunes chosen by 2.0 algos slaved to advert pools.

She was also in the gallery, and there he was, sitting across from her. She just had to start a portrait. She just felt it.

His portrait was going to be more than a mirror-like reproduction. It would be a literal, literate, and living picture that reflected, reminded and revealed.

"This guy is different. He's missing pieces of himself, for now."

She did not have an exact idea. She just felt it.

It was not understanding, it was an alterstanding between them.

Alberto wasn't just a guy, the way Zephyr wasn't just a girl.
He wasn't just a drop in, the way she wasn't just a gan sketcher.
It was Sentient Ledger sitting across from an Autonomous Artist.

They were more on the 'Verse.

MUSIC VIBE: NIGHTCALL (KAVINSKY)