maskormenace | 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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No, not really! I mean, we had bigger things to worry about, but...

[She breathes in, trying to take it all in. A time machine? An actual time machine? That's amazing, and more than a little awe inspiring. The things you could do...]

Was that something you invented, Doctor?

[Is that why he's called the Doctor?]

Nope! The Time Lords actually invented the TARDIS--I'm just the person who stole one.

[ said in a 'no biggie!' sort of tone ]

[Her eyes go wide again and she opens her mouth to speak, before she thinks better of it. She has loads of questions, more questions than she can count, but if there's one thing she learned back home is that an interrogation may not always get you the answers you're looking for. Maybe her questions can wait for a bit. So, she just lets out a low whistle and smirks at the camera]

So, you're just joyriding through time? I guess it's a good thing you're here, then. You'd probably get in a load of trouble if those guys ever caught you.

[Seriously, "Time Lord" doesn't give off the impression of somone who's cool and laid back.]

Edited 2017-05-09 20:51 (UTC)

Oh, they've caught me already. I've even went back home once! And they haven't really done anything about it, we've reached a mutual agreement of them looking the other way.

[ The Doctor just smiiiiiiiles innocently as he taps the side of his nose with his finger in a sort of 'hush hush' gesture. c: ]

[Utena can't help but laugh a little, and she responds to the Doctor's "hush hush" gesture with a wink]

Don't worry, they won't hear anything about it from me. I have to admit that I'm pretty surprised, though. Usually grownups are supposed to behave themselves, aren't they?

[The last bit is said in a dreadfully serious tone, but the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes show that she sees nothing admirable whatsoever about good, proper behavior.]

Edited 2017-05-11 02:18 (UTC)

Since when was I a grown-up?

[ This Doctor might be a bit more adult than previous incarnations, but for all his grumpy granddad exterior, there's still the same delightfully immature man at the heart of it all. ]

Well, if you're old enough to steal time machines, then you're probably old enough to drive. That seems pretty grown-up to me.

[Because nothing says adulthood more than getting a set of sweet wheels]

Sixteen year olds can drive and I wouldn't call them grown-up. We're going to need a better qualifier.

[Oh right, you can start driving pretty young here. She'll remember that when her birthday rolls around.]

Hmn... hey, do Time Lords run their own universities? A degree might make you grown-up, but only if it's a fancy one. A really, really fancy one.

[She keeps her face perfectly straight when she says that. How could she possibly be joking about something so serious as higher education? It's preposterous!]

They do! I've gotten my doctorate in temporal studies with a thesis on cross-time paradoxes.

[ he is 100% making this up and that little smile on his face shows. ]

That sounds fancy, but I'm not sure if it's fancy enough. Now, interdimensional paradoxes? Those are definitely fancy enough. Maybe even a little too fancy.

[And she lets out a long suffering sigh and shakes her head. She's unable to keep a straight face, though, and she's cracking a smile at this point]

I'm afraid you might not be a grown-up after all.

You know, I think I can live with that.

[ said as the smile grows. ]

[She's practically beaming at the end of it, but soon her smile starts to soften a bit.]

Though you know, this makes me wonder... what really makes someone a grown-up, anyway? Like when do you realize that you're actually an adult and not some kid?

I think it's just a matter of identity. If you think you're an adult, then you're an adult.

I don't know... there's plenty of people who think that they're one thing, but they really aren't. Like people who think that they're nice, but treat everyone around them like dirt. Or people who think that they're really smart but they keep making dumb mistakes. I'm not sure how thinking that you're a grownup would be any different than that.

But that's still not the same. There's qualifiers for being 'nice.' Don't kick sand in people's faces and don't make fun of their clothing, for example. And there's qualifiers for being 'smart.' Thinking things through and looking at things in a different way, that's smart. I can't really think of any qualifiers for 'adult.'

Qualifiers, huh? I always thought those would be being older, or more mature, or being able to do the stuff you couldn't do when you were a kid. But that doesn't work either, does it? I know some adults that act like big kids, and some actual kids that act pretty grown-up. And the stuff you can do, well...

[She was going to mention something like being able to drive, or being able to drink, but she remembers the people she's met. The boys and girls who were her age, but were still forced to fight as adults, and her voice softens as she glances down]

...well, sometimes people have to grow up pretty fast, don't they.

They do, [ the Doctor simply responds. He knows there's more to Utena's story than what she's telling him but he's not going to pry. ]

So does that still make them adults? Or does that just make them kids in unfortunate situations?

I don't know. I guess it really depends-

[And she stops, before tilting her head at the camera]

...that was what you were getting at earlier, wasn't it?

That's precisely what I was getting at.

Okay, okay, point taken. There really isn't an answer that fits for everyone, is there? I'm still not sure if that's something you can decide on your own, but I guess it's not something we can decide for them, either.

Duel 01; Video

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