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video | un: degurechaff
[ A young girl sits at a table in an otherwise nondescript room, her hands folded in front of her in a picture of perfect professionalism. Her white button-down shirt is similarly perfect, not a wrinkle in sight, and tailored to her thin frame. Her gaze into her omni is expressionless — some might call it cold — and her high, childish voice is tempered with the assured enunciation of an adult. ]
Good evening. My name is Tanya von Degurechaff. I'm new here, so I have a couple questions for anyone willing to answer.
First, what kind of job do you currently have? If you don't have one, then I'm also interested in hearing what you did before you arrived here.
Second, are there any jobs or businesses you'd like to see here? I recognize that this is a broad question, but since we come from a broad range of backgrounds, any feedback is welcome.
[ A pause, a stray thought seeming to flicker through her head before she continues. ]
As for myself, I have experience with personnel management, various air-based operations, tactical field research, and administrative work. More broadly, I'm an aerial mage. The business I'd like to see is a coffee shop.
Good evening. My name is Tanya von Degurechaff. I'm new here, so I have a couple questions for anyone willing to answer.
First, what kind of job do you currently have? If you don't have one, then I'm also interested in hearing what you did before you arrived here.
Second, are there any jobs or businesses you'd like to see here? I recognize that this is a broad question, but since we come from a broad range of backgrounds, any feedback is welcome.
[ A pause, a stray thought seeming to flicker through her head before she continues. ]
As for myself, I have experience with personnel management, various air-based operations, tactical field research, and administrative work. More broadly, I'm an aerial mage. The business I'd like to see is a coffee shop.
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Yes, you're absolutely right — every person to his or her trade! I'm glad you understand that basic principle.
[ She finds it extremely offensive that she's ever expected to wear anything other than her work clothes, a.k.a. her uniform. Some people are really too stubborn about their narrow worldviews. ]
So there's a lot of work to go around? I suppose that's a good thing for hungry newcomers. I'm a little surprised there's an orphanage too... What's it like there?
[ She more than notices the pattern in Ciel's interests and files that information away, but politely chooses not to comment. People are allowed to like food. It would be weirder if someone didn't like food. ]
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Yes and no, I suppose. Like I mentioned before, there doesn't appear to be any form of standard currency here, so the type, stability, and payout of work all vary greatly depending on everyone's individual perception of worth. It does encourage freelancing, jobs can be as simple as basic errands to complex and dangerous affairs like what the Hunters and Blood Ministers do. As for the orphanage, it's well maintained and organized. The entity who oversees it is caring and reasonable, it also sees decent traffic from newly found orphans and actual adoptions made by the locals alike.
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[ She scoffs and shrugs with light humor. ]
I'm destined to remain personally ignorant of how our local orphanage is run, however. I plan to steer free and clear of it, or else some overly conscientious citizen might try to put me up for adoption.
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[Said rather clinically, though Tanya's next comment (joke, but still) has her blink and eye her curiously through the feed.]
Come to think of it, I wonder how often it happens that the locals mistake a Sleeper for one of theirs. You don't carry yourself like a regular child or talk like one, so the possibility may be lower than you think?
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If she could preapprove the parents, though? She smiles in amusement, though it can't be said to be a very nice smile. ]
So natives would have to adopt natives, and Sleepers adopt Sleepers? How about it, Ciel? Are you in the market for a promising child of your very own? I happen to come with good credentials.
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Ah, not quite. There's an almost alarmingly high number of children Sleepers here, it was even worse last month due to people undergoing physical changes, which included instances of de-aging adults back to being kids. You can see for yourself scrolling through the Omni's public broadcast history, but from what I can note, they seem to live their lives here as normally as anyone else can in Trench. Taking in account of their access to blood magic, Omen familiar, and potential powers they previously had from their home world, I suppose a case can be made on why they wouldn't need constant adult supervision, but I also haven't spoken to many of them personally. Maybe you could ask around, how other Sleepers who look like children have been getting by here since their arrival?
[All that explained without batting an eyelash, because "Sleepers adopt Sleepers" wasn't an accurate assessment, so of course she had to correct it! ...Within the scope of her own knowledge, at least, which she thinks she's been quite clear about.]
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--Eh? I'm not sure how to take that, Tanya... Is that like saying you think I may be a helpful roommate who wouldn't get in your way? [She'd be worried/self-conscious about her qualifications as an adoptive guardian being put into question if it was from someone else, but since this is Tanya, she's spared, right? ...Probably? Probably.]
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Also, she thoroughly dislikes the mention of adults being de-aged to children. If that's even remotely possible, then does she have to worry about one day being de-aged to a toddler? The very thought is hell; that phase of her life was pure, hot hell. One of her modest goals in life is to crack five feet someday. If even that much might be stolen from under her feet, she'd like to know who to file a complaint to. ]
I prefer living alone, so you wouldn't have to be my roommate... but you'd be on the hook for financial support and legal liability. Once you're elderly, however, I'd be obligated to ensure your personal care and suitable living conditions. A fair investment, don't you think?
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...
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That's very kind and fair of you to offer! [She's starting to expect as much of Tanya, wonder why 🤔] Would you get suspicious and retract it though, if I said I wouldn't mind assuming responsibility now, but you don't have to uphold the other end later?
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It seems Ciel is surprisingly wily and farsighted behind that sweet exterior. Tanya doesn't hate it, though. A stupid ally is just about one of the worst things you could have, so she welcomes even an overly clever one with open arms.
She doesn't plan on relying on anyone to the extent of becoming a dependent, though, so she decides to play it off. ]
That eager to become a mother? Or don't you trust that I'd take good care of you? I'll have you know that I take my contracts very seriously.
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[She glances up at the feed, looking back at Tanya directly. Her demeanor still appears to be relaxed and easy, but...]
It's just more complicated, when we don't know if our bodies still behave the way we were used to. I haven't found any records detailing Sleepers aging, and with concepts like corruption and beasthood running abound, it sounded like we'll have much messier things to worry about than growing old. I didn't mean to question your sense of responsibility, I'm just wondering about the logistics. [Or rather, being skeptical of whether 'growing old' was even possible here. After all, if death of all things is apparently supposed to be just some minor setback to their new race, then where DOES that leave them? She hasn't really asked around about that particular topic, granted, but from what she's gleamed off of the Omni simply reading other people's entries and responses, death did not sound permanent. Hm...]
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Now, Ciel. Not being able to predict the future isn't a reason to abandon all attempts at preparation. If you really were my mother, I'd feel motivated to double-check your retirement plan and investments right about now.
[ Sometimes you sign up for a kid and get a financial advisor... ]
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Hm... I guess that's true. You can still prepare for a possibility, no matter how low the odds of it actually coming to pass may be. [Not trying to be defiant or contrarian or sassy, nah. Just stating things as they are!] But that brings us back to the economy: how do you plan to make investment plans, if trade here functions off bartering?
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It's true that any investments or accumulation of currency would look different here, but they aren't impossible. Like most people in history, the locals place value in certain goods: shiny things, unusual things, raw materials, and practical goods. As long as they're non-perishable, any of those can be stored as de facto currency or speculated upon.
I understand that it's easier said than done, but it must still be done. You have to have basic security before you have the freedom for more civilized pursuits.
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...]
Is that what you're thinking of doing next? Starting a collection of non-perishable goods?
[Less complicated to put it that way, and after thinking on it for a beat, Ciel's really not that curious to find out what Tanya's idea of civilized pursuits may be anyway.]
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[ In other words, yes. The hoarding starts now. It helps that she happens to have highly valued, highly practical, highly harvestable coldblood.
She doesn't think she's insane for thinking this way, though? All responsible adults should be thinking in the long term. Expecting to die young sounds much crazier. ]
You should always plan on living. Your attitude can make all the difference.
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[Guess she could go for weapons, like darts or firearms... She does favor the latter, and with blood corruption being a concern, blades aren't an attractive option anymore as they could cause larger wounds that bleed too much. Gotta be practical and practice safe hunting, mmhm.
"Plan on living", Tanya says. True, a very human take! Ciel shall refrain from commenting. Economy takes priority over philosophy, right?]
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It's hard to name anything concrete at the moment, but a good rule of thumb is to play to your strengths. Are there any particular talents you have or interests you're knowledgeable about that might give you an edge?
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gremlingirl thinks..."What are you good at", she asks. ...Wouldn't it be crude to answer "shanking"? But at the same time...]
Um... I guess the most valuable thing I can think of is... [...] procuring beast parts, maybe?
[That's a delicate way to put it without fully spelling out that she may be something of a brute, right...]
...Those are perishable, though.
[Anyway, back to the important detail,]
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Furs might make a good investment, especially with how deep winter seems to get here. Beasts also come in such a wide variety that there might be good value in unusually shaped horns and the like. Or you could trade the carcasses wholesale for whatever non-perishables you can get.
[ There are a lot of options if you're willing to risk the danger... Though it isn't a negligible amount of danger for most people. ]
... Do you have experience fighting animals?
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[She rattles off clinically, might as well be upfront about it especially as the beast blood's dangers applied to them all.]
...Somewhat.
[Vampires are bat-like in many stories, right,]
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[ High risk, high reward? That's fine for thrill-seekers, but most sane people would have reservations. ]
Well, there are plenty of other options. As long as you have power over what rewards you can receive for your work, it should be easy to form a stockpile over time. Even things as innocent as salt can be quite valuable.
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[It wouldn't surprise her the least bit if Tanya was combat capable, they HAVE been talking about this very calmly from the very beginning. Not immediately relevant to their conversation at hand though, so motoring right on.]
I think I have a few ideas now, thank you. [Gonna stock up some guns and enchanted weapons, can't go wrong with that!] How about you? Have you been managing by with the bartering system and getting what you want, for both the long and short term?
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[ Less fortunately, she still hasn't been able to get a handle on a long-term job that would allow her to peacefully marry a desk and humble assortment of stationery. The bartering system actively discourages such underappreciated occupations that bigger organizations require yet are hard to put a price tag on.
... Damn that Being X. He really likes to hit her where it hurts. But if he thinks she'll just roll over and suffer until she breaks, then he's got another thing coming. The best revenge is success. ]
... I've been thinking it might be nice to get into business. I'm not decided on what kind of business yet, but it would be easier if people came to me to barter rather than the other way around.
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