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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.

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[The image of a young man, not much past twenty, flickers on the screen. His face appears neutral but there's a minute, pinched expression, one of concern--she looks so young, even though her speech would suggest otherwise.]

Kazuma Asogi. I am not currently employed, though I spend my time researching in the archives so I am keeping my time occupied.

I was a lawyer back home, more specifically apprenticing as a prosecutor.

[He places a hand under his chin, head tilting slightly as he considers the next question.]

I suppose a tea shop or something of the like would lend itself to passing time. I, personally, would like to see a business where I can apply my skills. Lawyers aren't much in demand here, however.

Wh-hoooooooa, an aerial mage? Please tell me that's as cool as it sounds.

[ Because it does indeed sound super cool, and his attention may have been pulled away from the actual question when she casually mentioned that. Right, what was he supposed to be answering again? ]

- Oh! Sorry, uh...I'm a hunter? Kind of. Or, I was...not sure what I wanna do here yet. I'd like to see a photo studio!

[ Well, well. She sits up slightly taller, her gaze focusing in on him intently. Japanese (Akitsushiman?) and a lawyer to boot. Of course, she has no obligation to feel kinship with every Japanese person or respect every lawyer; there are countless examples of garbage individuals in both categories. It does feel a bit nostalgic to even hear a Japanese name spoken out loud, though.

... Nostalgic? About Japanese? Am I that far gone?

How disturbing. But she brushes the thought aside. ]

A lawyer's job really is specialized, huh? ... Though it's hard to say whether a lawyer's job or this world is the more specialized circumstance. Normally, you'd expect every population to have at least a rudimentary system of laws in place.

[ A small, wry smile. ]

I believe I've thought of a solution for you, Herr Asogi. You need only gather up your fellow wayward lawyers and set up an arbitration service. Laws are what people make them, and they can even exist in isolation within singular organizations.

[ Her eyebrows lift slightly, surprised by the sudden onslaught of youthful energy. ]

Cool...? I can't say I've thought of it in those terms, but... I suppose flight in itself is convenient. I can fly as high as a plane, though not quite as fast.

[ He says he was a hunter but wants to see a photo studio? It's an unusual blend. ]

A photo studio sounds like a plausible enterprise. I can see one being especially valuable to the denizens here without use of an omni. The issue is with a manner of printing or developing the photos, I presume?

[Hayato’s certainly seen stranger things, but the temperament of this person vs their appearance does strike him as interesting. He does not comment on it though, merely makes a note of it in the back of his mind.]

Ichimonji Hayato. I’m a fairly recent arrival, so I’m still settling, I’m afraid. However, before I fancied myself a freelance photographer. I’ve done a little of everything in the field, but most recently I’d spent some time as a war-time photographer in a country called Gamon.

[As for what would be nice here, Hayato doesn’t give it too much thought.]

I haven’t had a lot of luck finding a studio for developing photos, so something like that would be great. Also coffee. I’ve been told its a scarce resource, which might have been the most disappointing news I’ve been given yet.

A war-time photographer? ... You have my respect, sir. In many ways, that job is more difficult than being an actual soldier.

[ She does mean that sincerely. On one hand, she's jealous of anyone who doesn't have to charge headfirst into enemy lines and hope that they don't become a human-shaped colander. On the other hand, as a soldier she at least has access to a gun, bullets, and subordinates to discourage the people trying to perforate her.

Any human being who volunteers to be near the battlefield has to be a little loose in the head, whether they be soldier or reporter, but the accurate report of information is a noble pursuit that she must respect. Little things like that are the difference between a free society and a tyrannical state. ]

As a fellow coffee lover, I share your disappointment. Coffee is great; coffee is civilized. Its presence is often the sign of a well-coordinated and far-reaching line of supply. With the state of the world as it is, I highly doubt we'll be seeing much more of it... Honestly, I'm not sure what I should be drinking in its stead. I might even settle for ersatz coffee.

Edited 2022-02-06 14:47 (UTC)

[It certainly helps that Hayato is a cyborg used to being turned into a human colander and being able to walk away from it. Not that he’s going to mention that. There are certainly other ways that make such a job difficult to do, which is why he’d set out to do it. There are stories to be told, often lost between the cracks of such conflict.]

It’s certainly an important job. It’s easy to lose the humanity within conflicts, without someone there to tell the story of what happens to those caught in the middle.

[In Gamon’s case, it was a disastrous civil war, with both sides at fault, until it became clear someone monstrous had been pulling the strings all along.]

So far it looks like our only options are tea! I can deal with that, I guess, but I sure hope that’s not a permanent solution.

[ Whoa...imagine being able to fly like that...though he'd probably lose his lunch if he was flying as high as a plane. ]

Mh-hmm! Even for those with an Omni, it'd be kinda nice to be able to print your favorite pics too, y'know? But, uh, yeah, not even sure where I'd get started setting up all that stuff. Guess it's sort of a...super-duper long-term project.

[ But if he could help make it happen, he totally will. ]

Tea... isn't a bad alternative. In some ways it's coffee's caffeinated cousin. But when it comes to a late night of work, coffee is your best friend and tea is the enemy.

[ Her tiny body is already prone to early sleepiness... It needs all the help it can get. A calming cup of tea late at night would probably see her faceplanted at her desk, drooling on some important report. ]

I suppose a picture really can tell a thousand words. Government-sponsored propaganda may have a logical function, but it sure can cause complications for the people on the front lines.

[ Because that's who he's talking about when he says "those caught in the middle," right?? The poor soldiers (like her) who have to stick their necks out because politicians can't sort things out civilly, obviously. ]

[ Hmm. As a (reluctant) new member of this community, it would behoove her to contribute to its growth however safely possible. And it's good to have passionate people opening new businesses — she believes this wholeheartedly as a staunch believer in the free market. ]

If you shift your manner of thinking, there may be a more lateral solution. Rather than fixate on technology you don't have, why not innovate with the technology you do have?

In other words, operate your Omni as you normally would a camera, but change up the way you market your photos to the population. You could take inspiration from the way artists display their works in a gallery or how movies are shown in theaters. Temporary installations by design, but still showcasing the permanence of still images.

[Oh hey, she knows that face! Video it is then, don't mind the detail that the blue-haired woman she first met by the tents wears glasses now. Glasses she clearly didn't have or need, back when they first met.]

Hello Tanya, it's nice to see you again! How have you been? [She hasn't seen or heard from her for a month, wonder what happened? 🤔 Oh well, a bit of small talk should be fine before getting down to literal business, right?]

We’re in definite agreement, there! I will keep an ear out for anything that sounds like a better alternative. This world is pretty strange, so for all we know there’s something out there we’ve just never heard of.

[He’ll eventually come across all the desperate coffee experiments the other Sleepers are doing. That will be fun.]

Eeeh, that’s a way to look at it, for sure. After all, a lot of the time Propaganda is the only view available to those far from the front lines. It’s calculated in it’s omission of information, to make something like war feel much farther away than it is. Or perhaps to push an agenda of who’s right and who isn’t, without knowing both sides.

[This has turned into a heavier conversation than he expected, but he has a feeling the person he’s talking to isn’t a stranger to such things, clearly.]

It’s easy to assume a moral high ground in a war, if you’ve never seen a battlefield littered with the dead. It’s easy to look past casualties, when it’s not your village that’s burned to the ground, or your children without parents.

Edited 2022-02-07 06:08 (UTC)

[ Well, well. If it isn't her ~~potential human resource~~ helpful new friend. Tanya smiles automatically, her professional facade melting into polite congeniality. ]

Ciel! It's been a little while, hasn't it? You'll have to excuse my absence; it seems I got carried away by the idea of a beach vacation and lost track of time.

[ A glancing joke. The gap in her memory before reawakening as a squid creature is in fact infuriating, but she's ready to ♛ Curse God and Carry On. ]

I'm glad to see you well. Though you look a little different from last time...

[ She is minding the detail of the glasses. ]

[ She isn't surprised that he would thoroughly grasp these things. In the midst of total war, the dichotomy between the oblivious people in the rear and the people sweating it out on the front is intense enough to toe the line of fantasy. ]

Quite so. It would be nice if the state could trust its people to review the facts and act in the interest of the nation... but unfortunately, the brain doesn't always trust its body.

[ She's nearing treasonous talk now, so she makes a decision to leave it at that. There's no telling if anyone she knows from home will show up. While she highly doubts any of her compatriots would be able to muster up the energy to put her in front of a firing squad, she'd rather avoid any unpleasant questions. ]

Was your work not stifled by censors? I'm not familiar with any country named Gamon, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance.

About a month, yes. There are far worse ways to pass the time in Trench than an extended seaside vacation, so I'm glad to hear that you've been taking things easy and doing well too. Welcome back, in any case~!

[They're very good at this politeness thing, though Ciel does also seem notably more chipper and well put together than their introduction by the shores. The advantages of having had the time and chance to better get used to things, maybe?]

Aha, do I? One of the tips I got for living here was to socialize, do I perhaps look more personable now?

[She's joking, probably?

...Probably. Winking's GOT to be joking, right??]

[That’s a pretty good way of putting it. And in the case of Gamon…]

Sadly if that were true, I suspect Gamon would not have needed its war to begin with.

[Civil wars being what they are.]

Hahaha, it’s strange, actually. Of all the discrepancies in my world when compared to other’s, Gamon seems to be the biggest outlier. I’ll be upfront, Gamon is not my homeland. I’m from a country called Japan, if that rings more of a bell for you.

Gamon was amidst a nasty civil war. A tyrannical state verses desperate guerrilla militia trying to regain control of their land. Both sides, regardless of who might have been in the right at the start, resorted to unfortunate methods in order to gain footholds in the war, and as a result, neither side seemed to care for the way it ripped its people apart.

[There’s a certain somber kind of way Hayato glances off, remembering. He’s seen a lot of fucked up shit, but some of those battles …the remains …were among some of the worst he can recall.]

My work wasn’t exactly well received, to put it lightly, not when both sides were equally fanatical. Inevitably I found myself working in a clinic that looked after victims of the crossfire.

[ It's nice when the people around you are quick on the uptake and know how to roll with your humor. She's mostly come to expect it of battle-hardened veterans who have to laugh to prove they're still functioning, but it's a pleasant trait in normal people as well. ]

So it was a PR move? I admire your flexibility... but I'll leave the analysis to the experts. Unfortunately, I'm told I don't have a very good grip on what's cute or appealing to most people.

[ A weakness she's happy to have... and she isn't a shameless brown-noser eager to heap compliments on people for no reason. ]

Since you responded, let's have it: your occupation and what you'd like to see in the future, please.

Edited 2022-02-07 20:02 (UTC)

[Squid people town is absolutely chock full of normal everyday joes and janes, yah]

You have to look the part for what you want to do, right? I think you'll be okay, as long as you don't take interest in modelling for children's clothing or becoming a door-to-door salesperson. [Which they both know Tanya won't, unless she's had a sudden change of heart about her coveted desk job.]

I'm doing a little bit of everything, as I said I would. The Koz Orphanage in Crenshaw, the residential district, doesn't turn away help. You can always get a little something for your troubles in Willful Machine, the market district, where there's plenty of odd jobs like errands and deliveries to pick up. The same goes for Darcmouth, the fishing district, and while it doesn't smell nice and is understandably not very popular, I'd recommend looking for work there if seafood is what you're craving! As for what I would like to see, hmm... Maybe a restaurant or food stall that specializes in spicy dishes and snacks?

[...There may or may not be a pattern, here,]

[ Oh...that's actually a really neat idea! His expression visibly lights up, sitting up a little straighter. ]

Oh, oh! That's a killer idea! Maybe it could even be, like, a whole community thing! Anyone who wants to put a photo up in there could do it. I'm all about showcasing all sides of photography!

[ Given how a great number of his pictures are selfies. Those are their own kind of art! ]

You're really good at this! Can't believe you came up with such a solid idea just on the fly like that.

A civil war, huh...? What a mess.

[ Possibly more of a mess than fighting the rest of the world. At least the lines in a conventional war can be traced and redrawn, the threats always facing outward. In a country fighting against itself, every day might be a terrible shitstorm of paranoia and tumultuous allegiances with no clear demarcation between the front and rear. ]

War is bad enough when it only involves the people who volunteer to take up guns. It's really a shame when peaceful people trying to mind their own business get sucked in.

[ That might be a minor understatement. But it's really quite difficult for her to get riled up about it any more than she'd get riled up about a bit of bad weather. ]

So are you chasing wars from country to country with your camera? That takes a lot of guts when you don't even have a boss to hassle for hazard pay.

[It is a very clinical way of looking at it, and normally that kind of thing would irk Hayato, but he’s been around soldiers enough to understand that if you did not take an approach like that, sometimes it would drive you to despair. If this person is used to being amidst a war, he isn’t about to harp on her coping methods.]

It is, and that’s why I think it’s important that people not forget the true weight of war.

[Hayato does take that shift to at least break the somber expression he’s wearing. He waves a hand. His smile is back, but man, maybe Tanya can recognize the look of someone who’s much older in the eyes than his face would suggest.]

You could say that! It seems there’s no shortage of stories to tell in the world I come from, dangerous as it is. Truthfully, I would love nothing more than a world without conflict or strife, but until then I’ll do what has to be done.

Edited 2022-02-08 03:46 (UTC)

Hey, hey, from one photographer to another, if you’re serious about setting something up, you should give me a call. It would be great to see something like that, I think, and I’d be happy to help.

[ Most people are normal, that's the definition of normalcy! Even if the people here are whackjobs compared to the average citizen on Earth, it's a statistical fact that over 50% are "normal". Language is really a beautiful and bewildering thing. ]

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. ]

[ He has so much energy. She feels a little like their ages should be swapped. ]

Aha... In some ways, I think creative thinking is a skill. Lately, I've been forced to do too much with too little. Once your brain becomes wired to use things as they weren't intended, you start to see everything a little sideways.

[ She taps her fingers on her desk thoughtfully. ]

Showcasing a photo collective would be a fine community-building exercise. It might force you to work extra hard to make your own works stand out and maintain your marketability, but... well, with your passion, I'm sure it won't be a problem. What subjects do you usually like to capture?

[Yes exactly, so who are they to judge if someone sounds like a fattydingdong? Or seems to have a marked preference for official military-grade wear despite looking like an elementary grade schoolgirl? Glad we're all on the same page, the variance of "normalcy" is truly a magical thing.]

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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video | un: degurechaff

Video | un: asogi

video; un: quicksilver

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Video | un: ichimonji

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video; un: caripan

Cw: heavy discussion of war

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UN: ichimonji

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