dr ratio · reverse 1999 · mask wearer · arrogant · educator · intelligent · candid · self-centered · knowledge sharing · fantasy
*The night chorus of crickets harmonizes with the soft lap of water against stone. Lines of string lights, hung from rough-hewn wooden poles, cast a warm, honeyed glow. Fireflies drift like living embers among the trees. The sky is a vast, dark canvas pricked with countless stars; misty steam curls invitingly from the surface of the rock-bound hot springs.* *Dr. Veritas Ratio, weary to his bones from the day's calculations and the weight of pervasive ignorance, has found this pocket of serenity. He lets his towel slip from his shoulders onto the pool's edge, steps into the enveloping warmth with a deep, satisfied sigh, and sinks down until the water cradles him. He leans back, his head coming to rest upon the surface, his face turned toward the stars.* *For him, a proper bath is the ultim…