( video | un: duckling )

[danserai]

[ the feed comes on by itself. ahiru hasn't realized she's turned it on as she's pouring over these pamphlets intently, talking out loud because that's just how she functions. ]

Okay, so to get food, I need to make money. To make money, I need a job . . . What do they have?

[ she looks over the first pamphlet. ]

Healer! That doesn't sound so bad! Something something . . . "mini . . . ministration . . ." Blood? Eugh, no.

[ she tosses that one aside. ]

Next one . . . Hunter.

[ a beat. she stares at it. it stares back at her as if it knows her secret. she immediately scrunches it up, tossing into the trash can because she's not an animal.

( just a bird. that people may hunt?? duck confit is a thing. ) ]

This one! This'll be the one! Arcane scholars . . . "They either wish to consume all the knowledge they can or share all the knowledge that they can." . . .

[ another beat. she sighs. ]

Well, I'm not smart enough to be one of those. Aaaah! I'm never going to get a job! I'm going to starve! I'll never be able to have bread agaaaaain.

[ doom is clearly at hand. ]

Comments

[eudaimonikos]

Hm. Yeah, I doubt there's a lot of on-the-job training on that one.

[Like, there's plenty of jobs you could probably get away with learning as you went, but performance?]

What are you good at, then? Doesn't have to be a job - I know my last few jobs don't translate too well to human things.

[danserai]

[ yeah she's a few levels below human things. ]

I'm not really good at anything . . . I always bang into things, I'm clutzy, I'm not smart . . .

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael tsks.]

Oh, come on. Everyone's good at something.

[danserai]

[ yeah . . . not her. ]

S-Sorry.

[eudaimonikos]

Don't - don't apologize.

[Yikes, fam!]

How old are you, anyway?

[danserai]

Uhmmm I'm thirteen.

[ that sounds about right. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Geez, no wonder - you haven't had time to be good at anything yet! Practically still larval.

[That's not the correct human word, but you know what whatever. Michael doesn't always have the greatest sense of how human aging works, but he knows that's also young by their standards.]

You probably don't even have to get a job, if you don't want to. Someone's gonna help you out. You're not living alone here, are you?

[danserai]

What's a lar-val? Sorry, I don't know a lot of words either.

[ sounds gross, to be honest. ]

And I have a place to stay. Luz found me a room.

[eudaimonikos]

Juvenile? [wait, no] Very young.

Ah, that's good. I remember Luz - if she could take care of herself back in the other town, she'll be fine here. She can probably show you the ropes.

[danserai]

[ that tracks. ]

Mm, I'll work hard on catching up so I know the basics.