A Visitor to the Future - 49 - Apartments and Aging
It turned out that Robin had more than a few friends and colleagues in one of the nearby buildings. Over the next few hours, we went on a whistle-stop tour of various apartment styles, entertainment outlets, and indoor gardens - all in the same building. There was even a small lecture hall where Robin had taught architecture and design classes before - which he explained was how he'd come to know the people living in the building.
If you blinked, you could easily forget that you were in the same building - all different varieties of design styles were in use. The rooms varied from entirely minimalist (only upholstered in shades of white and light grey), to what looked like Victorian finery, and even one which seemed Japanese-inspired, complete with a raised, transparent koi pond in the middle of the living room. The only constants were the large windows, making each and every room bright and vibrant in the afternoon sun. Robin could name every single one of the design styles in both Human and English for my benefit - and dozens more besides. It was a lot to take in.
We met a variety of people living in the spaces too, including Ursula and Jean, who had just celebrated their two-hundredth anniversary together, Andrea and John with their two teenaged daughters, and finally a trio of philosophers who lived in the same apartment to more conveniently contemplate life's greatest mysteries together. Unfortunately none of them spoke English, but Andrea and John did speak Dutch - though it was a more modern variant, so I struggled to keep up. I must have seemed very much like an antique, and tried to think of a comparison from my own time. I imagined Shakespeare in the year 2021 at first - and then realised that wouldn't be apt at all, as he had lived about four hundred years before me. It would be more like William the Conqueror turning up to take a look at the upholstery of your sofa. None of the people we saw batted an eyelid at the sudden request to visit, however, and greeted me with smiles and waves - I can't say that I would have done the same for William.
In the end, I was struck by how odd what we had just done was - I'd effectively just been welcomed into the houses of five different groups of people who I had never met before today, for no reason other than to take a look at their taste in design.
Robin eventually led us to the rooftop garden of the top floor, which was a tall, enclosed space with a tropical and humid environment. Four trees carpeted by climbing vines stood overhead and were illuminated by several large orbs of light which hung from the transparent ceiling. Apart from a few clear, comfortable seating areas, the ground-covering leafy plants appeared to have been left to grow wild. We sat on the chairs facing the wall, which grew transparent as we sat down. Though this building wasn't quite as tall as De Havenwacht it was taller than some of the surrounding buildings, so we could see down into the respective rooftop gardens of each. They varied just as much as the individual rooms in the building we were currently inside.
"So!" said Robin, "What did you think?"
"Everything was really nice, thank you for taking the time to show us around," I said, "I haven't done anything like this since I last tried to rent an apartment. I can't get over how clean everything is too."
"Hoho, cleaning and maintenance drones will do that! I can't imagine life without them." He looked out over the view, leaning on the armrest of the chair he was sat on.
"I learned a great deal," said Tungsten, "Architecture and interior design - yet another area I'd like to learn about at some point."
Robin's expression changed, his brow furrowing with something between puzzlement and curiosity. "Do you keep a list?" he asked Tungsten.
"A list?" asked Tungsten, a little confused by the question.
"Of the things you want to learn about," replied Robin, patting his pocket where the notebook had been stored earlier, "You gave me one more earlier - Argyre."
"I don't generally need to," said Tungsten, "My memory is very good. Besides, that might take the fun out of it. I enjoy researching and learning as the need arises. I don't see it as a task list which I need to check things off."
"I respect that," said Robin, his features softening again, "But for me I have to keep a list. Prioritising helps me keep track of time."
I looked over Robin's wrinkled features and worn hands, and the way he relaxed comfortably in his chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Sarkona was looking at me pointedly and gently nodding. There had been a question on my mind since we had met Robin which I hadn't yet asked, and it seemed Sarkona had guessed that I wanted to. I took the encouragement under consideration, and decided to ask.
"Robin," I said, "I hope you won't think me rude for asking, but why are you..."
"Old?" said Robin, guessing where I was going with the question, "Hoho, think nothing of it. No, I decided about sixty years ago to resume my aging process."
"Why?" I asked.
His face twisted in thought for a moment, an odd left-sided crumpling as he leaned on his right arm. "I liked the idea of feeling the passage of time. To wake up each day feeling slightly different to the day before, knowing that time has passed. Aging does help me to do that, to remind myself that we march forward and don't stay still. In my earlier years, it was easy for me to forget that - spending day after day in architectural research. I suppose that's part of it. Part of me also wanted to know what it was like to be old in general."
"What is it like?" asked Sarkona, "I've always been curious."
"Oh, bothersome," replied Robin, "But not that bad, really. You don't really feel old, you don't suddenly become incredibly wise, or anything like that. You're still you. Just a bit worn out from time to time - like an old building. Though I imagine I'm not getting the full picture, my Bio-dev keeps me in relatively good shape. I don't think I'd have done it without his support."
"Is it your intention to pass away?" asked Tungsten. I couldn't help but be surprised with the frankness of the question - it was asked so plainly, like asking someone if they wanted a cup of tea.
"Oh! Absolutely not!" said Robin with enthusiasm, "I still have far too much to do on my list. No, my Bio-dev thinks that I've got another ten years before I reach the point of no return. I'm going to revert back to my biological thirties in about five years."
"That's quite the project," said Sarkona, then addressing me, "Not an easy undertaking for a Bio-dev. Far less work than restoring a thousand years of cryocontainment damage but certainly a lot more than just not aging in the first place."
"I'm not sure if I will keep aging after the restoration," said Robin, "I'll see how I feel afterwards. It has been something of a novel experience."