maskormenace | Duel 01; Video

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Duel 01; Video

[There aren't any questions about what this place is or what it's like. Utena's already gotten used to all of that. She does, however, have a question about something else that's been on her mind: employment. She flops on her new bed and turns on her device, and the network will see a zoomed in image of her eye before she stretches her arms and raises her communicator, showing her from the shoulders up]

So. The government gives us these jobs when we get here, right? But what do you do when it's something you're not cut out for? Like...

[Okay, recording like this isn't very comfortable after all. She stops and rolls over on her side, and adjusts the camera so it's focusing mostly on her face]

I'm supposed to be a teacher, sort of. Or maybe instructor is a better way to put it? ...anyway, I'm supposed to give fencing lessons now. And it's not that I'm bad at it, but...

[She bites her lip and glances away for a moment, uncertain of how much she should (or how much she even wants to) explain about the duels.]

Well, I'm not really used to "standard" fencing matches. I mean, I've fenced before, but the last time I did the rules were kind of weird, and as soon as I got used to it the game would change again. The only real advice I could give is, "hey, don't get stabbed," but that's not really good advice, is it? I mean, that's what swordfighting is all about, I guess, but...

[She sighs, and flops back on her pillow]

I'm not really sure what I should do about this. I still need to talk to them - the people who run the lessons, not the guys who gave me the job - but... I guess I'm just worried that they'll expect more from me than what I can give them. That they'll expect me to be some master fencer from a movie or storybook or something like that. Has anyone else had to deal with that? With their bosses expecting them to be something they're not, I mean.

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Then you get a new one. It's a lot harder back where I'm from than it is here - as long as you're an imPort, people are willing to believe you when you talk about the skills you've got. What would you like to do?

Honestly? Anything that's not waitressing or putting on a goofy costume.

[A pause]

...uh, that was my last job. It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't great, either - and even if I wanted to go back to it, it's in a completely different city. But to be honest...

[She purses her lips together, thinking]

This isn't something I've really thought about before. Back home there was just school, and I didn't think much about what I'd do after I was done with it. It just seemed so far away that it wasn't worth worrying about. Well, until now, that is.

In that case, you've got nothing but opportunities! I can think of a lot that isn't waitressing or putting on a costume. I mean, when I first got here, I was a receptionist, which was pretty good - solid work, decent pay, you know. [ He shrugs. ] Or you could check out a trade.

[ He's a middle class sort of guy, but he's pretty happy that way. ]

I'm not sure about a trade, but someone else suggested the paper. It's not something I really thought about doing before but I think I'll check that out next. Even if it's just an internship, it might be a good way to learn more about this place... assuming I don't get stuck doing nothing but coffee runs, that is.

[That last bit was a joke. Sort of]

You might have to do a few coffee runs, [ he notes, offering her a wry smile. ] But yeah, that sounds great! A lot of imPorts get jobs in the media right off the bat, so if you wanna take advantage of some connections, I'd ask around, see if anyone could get you an in. We could use more journalists around here.

We could use more of a lot of things. But what about you? Is this the sort of thing you're interested in?

I got a degree for my job! Or, well, a certification, anyway. It's safe to say I'm happy where I'm at for a while, job-wise. Buuuuut I've been known to give some reporter friends some intel here and there. Let's just say I'm interested in reading it, not writing it.

[Wait, intel? What does that mean]

I'm guessing that your reporter friends aren't too interested in your dayjob, though.

[Because seriously, what does that mean. Is this guy an actual hero? Another investigator? Or someone who's just gotten himself roped into the more "interesting" stuff that happens here?]

[ He laughs. ] I dunno, we get some pretty neat customers sometimes! But no, that's not usually what they ask for. It's more that I've been here for... almost three years now?

There's not too many people around who've been around as long as me. That makes me a pretty decent source for that kind of thing.

Huh! And I thought a year was a long time in this place. I bet you get a lot of people asking you about... well, everything. Unless there's someone who's been around for longer, I guess.

Oh, they're around. [ But he's a lot friendlier than them, most of the time. He's not going to say that, though. ]

But I think I invite it a little more. In that I, uh, literally invite it! [ He laughs a little, a soft sort of sound. ] People were nice enough to answer my thousand questions when I came, so I figure I might as well pass it on.

So, you're just passing it on, huh? It makes sense, though - I mean, we're all stuck here together, right? It makes it easier on everyone if we can help each other out, even if it's just a little bit.

Exactly. In my experience, we've got, uh... exceptions to that rule 'cause we get a disproportionate amount of serial killers for our general population, buuuut everyone else being really helpful kind of helps even it out?

[And Utena groans, her good cheer vanishing in an instant]

Why do we have so many guys like that? Do they come through the Porter that way? Or does getting a bunch of super powers just bring out the worst in people?

That's what I want to know! I mean, we can say that there's not that many of them until you start looking at it statistically, right? If any other group had - oh, I dunno... ten violent criminals of a population of let's say... fifty. That's one criminal per five imPorts. If any other group had that, they'd be like, a serious public safety issue.

...hey, wait a second. What about the new guys? You know, the guys that got their powers a few mo-

[Wait, no, it's been more than a few months at this point. Sorry, she's still getting used to the change in time from her last visit]

...about a year ago. Last August, I think? Anyway, what are those guys up to now?

Oh, right! Honestly? Not much. I'm pretty sure some are using their powers for good, and other people not so much, but I think most of them just wanted to get back to their ordinary lives, y'know? It turns out that the actual answer to what to do with great power is just to do what you've always done.

[ He grins. ]

We've all just been overthinking it!

[the grin is infectious, and she smiles back]

I guess we are, huh? I bet a lot of them enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame, though. When you spend your whole life being normal, it's nice to feel special.

[She heard that somewhere before, or something like it. But when did she hear it...?]

For most people. I'm a pretty big fan of being normal, though.

[ It's not him talking big - it's the truth. He had been dragged literally screaming and crying out of his nice, comforting normal life, and he had tried to go back to normal immediately afterwards, too. He likes being normal and unnoticed. That's how things should be.

But it's not how things have been for an awfully long time now. ]

You sound like you might be talking from experience, though.

Not exactly. You see, I have this friend. My best friend, actually, and she's probably the most normal girl I can think of.

[She says this affectionately; normal's not being used as an insult here, and her voice grows wistful as she speaks]

But for a moment, she really seemed... I don't want to say special, because she was always special. But for a few days, she seemed to really shine, like she could do anything. She was doing great in class, in sports... everybody wanted to talk to her... everything was going her way, you know? But then...

[She trails off, and blinks, suddenly realizing that she doesn't know what happened. There's something there, another memory she can't quite grasp, and when she speaks again her voice is more muted than before]

But then everything just went back to normal. It was like...

[It was like somebody got into her head.
But who...?]

...sorry, I'm kind of getting off track, aren't I?

[She doesn't need to talk about this with a stranger. Not until she figures it out on her own.]

[ Jaime winces. ]

It's okay. I've, uh, seen and heard about stuff like that happening before. Usually, it means something else is in the mix. Your friend, is she okay now? After stuff went normal, she didn't seem... different?

No, she was fine... or at least, she seemed fine...

[She frowns, thinking]

But you said that there's usually something else, right? What did you mean, exactly?

I'm not sure if there's an exactly involved. Just that where I'm from, weird junk happens an awful lot, and there's a whole bunch of reasons for it. A sudden change like that? It's usually a deal with some metahuman who can help you out, or juicing, or maybe not a deal at all - sometimes people get into stuff like that without even asking for it.

I guess it depends more on what's possible in your world.

[Yeahhhhh she's not going to go into what is and isn't possible back home. Sorry Jaime]

I'm not really sure if any of that exists back home. I think it's more like... like maybe there was something that made her feel special, if only for a little bit. Something that only she knew about.

[Something that she never asked about. Her conversation with Crane gave her one heck of a guilty conscience, and their little chat is still weighing on her.]

[ He shrugs. ]

It could be anything, couldn't it? New boyfriend, maybe? Whenever my friends get in a new relationship, they act funny for a little while.

[ Or rather, annoying, but whatever. ]

You can ask her once you get back - while you're here, there's not too much you can do about it.

Duel 01; Video

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