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[jericoded]

Is this really it?

[The half-incredulous tone of a guy who is obviously gearing up for an impassioned speech of some sort, but still valiantly fighting the urge.]

A handful of paperwork, [and here he holds up his own file folder,] a mark on the wrist, and an assignment to placate us?

[Someone's vlogging, because as he walks past a nearby burn barrel he tosses his file into it and doesn't even watch the sparks fly up as he continues on his way. Something about symbolically burning the whole damn thing down to the ground comforts Markus enough that he moves on from suggesting outright revolt. For now.]

I'm not moving into a stranger's home, so no one living in De Chima #004 has to worry about a new roommate. And if anyone would like to be a dating app developer, the position is currently up for grabs.

Anyone of a like mind, I'd appreciate your perspective.

Comments

( text )

[tradecrafted]

Perspective on what aspect?

( text )

[jericoded]

This.

Displacement. A handful of paperwork upon your arrival. What you first did.

[tradecrafted]

After the shock wore off, I started collecting information. I haven't registered and have no intentions of doing so. It's bad enough that they know this much about all of us.

Still, it's better than most planets I've been stationed on.

[jericoded]

The good old 'it could be worse' approach.

[tradecrafted]

I'm dead. It's this place or oblivion, and we don't get to choose oblivion anymore. Your options are to make the best of it, whatever that means for you, or drift through your existence here.

[jericoded]

[There's a noticeable pause between responses now; the others had been so quick they were nearly instantaneous, but this one...takes a few seconds.]

I don't understand what you mean.

[Maybe he's exercising hyperbole. "I was a walking dead man," that sort of thing.]

[tradecrafted]

I died. I was dead, and then I was here. The same for my partner and a member of my crew.

That's the kind of power that brought you here.

[jericoded]

[another scant second pause-]

I suppose it really could be worse, then.