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"So, Jane, tell me. What do you do?"

She stretched languidly. "Oh, I'm a nurse at the hospice on 33rd. You know what would be good right now? A glass of water."

He called out from the kitchen. "Any trouble at work lately?"

"Oh, just my boss - he's been a real dickhead. He's only bee-" She was cut off as Ryan threw the cold water directly into her face. She jumped up, sputtering.

"What was that for?" She coughed out.

He grinned. "Sorry - did that bother you?"

She stopped coughing and thought for a second, then burst out laughing. "No, it didn't! I can't believe it! That didn't bother me at all!" She laughed again. She knew she should be mad but she wasn't. The anger, shock, and indignation were just absent, like details from a dream you can only vaguely remember.

Ryan held out the glass. "Do you want me to do it again?"

She considered the question. "Not really."

"Why not? Didn't you enjoy it?"

As the water on her naked body cooled, she started to shiver. "I- yeah, I guess I did. Still, though, it seems like you shouldn't do that. I'd rather stay dry, even if I enjoy being wet. I think I enjoy being dry more."

Ryan seemed to consider this for a while. Jane was really getting cold now. She shivered and rubbed her arms reflexively. She felt good, being so cold. Her nipples were standing out prominently, which also felt good.

"So Jane, tell me about your boss."

"W-w-well, he's b-b-b-"

Ryan interrupted her, rolling his eyes. "Go towel off, you're freezing." She smiled and walked into the bathroom.

The towel felt amazing on her skin. She held it up to her face and breathed in the scent of fresh laundry. She wrapped it around herself and walked back out into her bedroom. Ryan was still standing there. She really liked him, she decided.

"Ok, so my boss, Jamie, has been in charge for about six months. He's a real piece of shit." She spoke without real malice. "For some reason he hates me, and he's been torpedoing my work. I've been consistently getting good reviews for years, but suddenly he's finding fault with everything I do. I think he may be creating a paper trail to fire me."

Ryan was surprised by her negative language. "You think he's a piece of shit?"

She nodded. "Yeah, a complete dickhead."

"So you don't like him?"

That was a tricky question. Jane took a moment to think about it. "If you had asked me this morning, I would have told you I hated him. Now... I don't know. It's weird, I've hated him for so long it feels like I should hate him, but I just don't. I kinda like him. Not a lot, still, but I do. He's not without charm."

She thought of something and broke out in a grin. "Actually, he's completely without charm! Why do I like him? This is so weird, it's like a switch was flipped in my brain. I know I should hate him, I sort of still hate him on a cognitive level. But I can't feel it! Thinking about him only gives me a warm feeling, like thinking about a coworker I don't know very well but like."

Ryan prompted her with a followup question. "So if he sexually propositioned you?"

She smirked at him. "You keep bringing this back to sex. Ok, if he propositioned me, I'd probably respect him less for it. I'd probably report him to HR. But it wouldn't creep me out or upset me."

"Would you do it?"

That caught her off guard; she hadn't even thought of that. "I don't know! Maybe. It would depend on the circumstances." She giggled a little. "I might just blow my boss for the hell of it. God, what is happening to me?"

He smiled and resumed his questioning. "You said you'd report it to HR. Why? If it doesn't bother you, why report it to HR?"

"Because it's abusive behavior and I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Even if he wasn't bothering me, I know it would really upset most other people in my position. The same reason I'd save a drowning person at the beach, I suppose. I can't really feel the bad stuff associated with their ****, but I know other people can and I want to prevent that."

A disturbing thought occurred to her. Well, it should have been disturbing. "Am I a sociopath?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I think I've completely lost my ability to empathize with the suffering. I won't ever feel any grief or pain or sorrow again. That's not just for me, that's for everyone. I can go to a funeral or watch a **** without being bothered at all. That's kind of sociopathic, right?"

Ryan thought. "Not quite, I don't think. I don't know if there's a word for what you are now. You're still a kind, decent person. You still have a moral compass and a sense of justice. If anything, you're probably going to be less selfish since you no longer necessarily prioritize your own comfort and safety over that of others. It's true that you won't be able to mourn for the dead, but you'll be there for those that do."

She liked that explanation. "That makes sense. Thanks for helping me work through that."

Ryan smiled. "Of course, I want to learn about this just as much as you. But it's getting late. Should we get some dinner?"