The Second Turn [anonymous text/video]

[chikapolilla]

[anonymous text] Hollow Comfort

a question
by now many of you have realized your situation
and where we are and what this place is
so to those that have embraced this world:
what do you find worthy of your time?
how do you find meaning in this nothingness?
how can you say that helping someone is worth anything?
when they might not be here next week
right now i don't see the point in anything
and would like a different perspective

[video] When the Piper Seeks his Fee...

[Vaggie looks up on the camera as she sits on a bench in Everglade looking morose as usual. Beside her are a set of boxes and bags, and she seems to be peering soberly at the camera.]

Well, it finally happened. Those little red bills they gave me are finally down to the last few. And as charming as it is to sleep out in a back alley or under a newspaper in the park, I don't really find that all that appealing.

So, uh...

...yeah, I'm asking for a job. Not asking for much, but it does have to pay. I've done some bookkeeping stuff in the past, and maybe a few odd jobs here and there. Its not exactly like I have references. But if you have something or have heard of someone that is hiring, help a girl out? Thanks.

Oh, and if that job is Torchwood -- I'm not interested.

Comments

Not Anon b/c he's dumb

[maskedsmile]

How is it ever not worth your time?

The people who disappeared from my life had an impact on me. If I disappear from someone else's life too, I'll probably leave an impact on them too.

I think it's better to try to make that a good thing. Even when people disappear, or go to new places, the time you spent together doesn't get undone.

still anon b/c she isn't

[chikapolilla]

[She... takes a moment to respond... were she not on anon a texting prompt would appear because she's thinking this through so much.]

so every action we do has permanence that goes beyond our time together?
so that would mean you would lament every mistake
knowing through eternity that there was nothing you can do to undo that
and know that your actions caused pain
that's heavy

[maskedsmile]

Maybe... But you have to lift heavy weights to get stronger.

You can learn not to do those things again. That'll stay with you.

And

Even horrible people can do nice things. The people here are teaching me that.

I hope I can take that with me when I disappear.

[Video]

[maskgunraid]

A job, huh?

Why don't take one at my store down at Nova City? I'm looking for some clerks and cashier who may help me out here. Those boxes are killing me!

[He wasn't joking. Turns out carrying boxes containing restocks of video games really cost him his own back.]

[Video]

[chikapolilla]

[She notices him and winces. He was the guy that was really, REALLY loud on the comm a week ago. She half expects him to start shouting at her at a moment's notice and its all over her body language.]

You're that shouty guy... the one with the game store...?

Eh...

Does the job have a height requirement? I'm only about 154...

Re: [Video]

[maskgunraid]

[Well, "shouty guy" was a bit offensive.]

Hey, ever heard of acting? Seriously, just being quiet isn't enough to get that small live commercial some attention.

Thankfully, he only frowned a few seconds before he smiled once more.]

Nah, we have ladders for that. But if you like, you can man the cashier.

[anon] & [video]

[youfool]

For the record, I don't think people
know the situation half as well as they suppose. The kidnapping theory, for example, doesn't have much substance to it that I've found. All people know is that the world seems happy we're here, so their imaginations gin up an adversary and crafts a narrative that's comfortable. The truth is likely far stranger.

That being said, I'll echo with the other cliches and truisms you'll get in saying that the present is more than the future. No one, barring the justified, is going to live forever. Any hope of eternity in others is doomed to disappoint, whether it's weeks or decades. Genessia simply teaches that lesson sooner than most. Ergo, one does good now because it's worthwhile now, and not in hope of some abstract, future payout.

[Once the video portion appears, Ted usually would recourse to the paper and its classified. It's not like work is hard to get. But the deciding factor may be in how much she knows about the dolls and whether she can stand them.]

Any preference in coworkers?

[anon] & [video]

[chikapolilla]

the problem with that logic is that people are selfish
we are slaves to our vices and our desires
even if people try to do good we are really just trying to stroke our own egos
or feel a sense that their life is better that they can afford to spend time with the people that are dependent on us
living in the moment is also short-sighted to the broader context
of what our actions mean and do
in the short-term, long-term, and very-long term
where all actions fade to dust

--*V*-~-*V*---*V*---*V*---*V*-~-

Not assholes would be nice.

So what's the story?

Video

[anamnestik]

Oh my! Do you enjoy bookkeeping? I could use more help around my archive business, should it be of interest to you, miss. My name is Eliot Durant, by the way.

Video

[chikapolilla]

I wouldn't say I enjoy bookkeeping, but its quiet and if the pay is good, sure.

Its quiet and I don't have to deal with bullshit. Unless the company is doing bullshit, and then I'll be pretty quick to call it out.

Er, well... if I'm being honest, anyway.

[Sudden Anon!]

[tipmyscales]

There's plenty that's worthy of doing around here. Just because this world might be temporary doesn't mean we can't do good while we're around.

Here, just as anywhere else, there's going to be people in trouble or down on their luck. Just because we're stuck in this world doesn't mean it doesn't matter, to them or you.

Despite losing people and how painful that feels, what else can we do but just live our lives? In a world like this, maybe they'll come back, maybe they might not, and it sounds cruel. But...I don't really believe that's all there is to this place.

But if you don't find something to keep you occupied, you're going to lose your mind. I speak from experience - feeling hopeless isn't easy or pleasant, but being here certainly isn't 'nothing' to me. It's a second chance, even if I miss people dear to me...

[Anon]

[chikapolilla]

you sound like someone i know
they can also see the good in a bad situation
though they were born into it and didn't know anything else

i'm used to everything you've just described
it doesn't bother me anymore

Anon

[justicereigns]

Let me know if you find one.

I've been here for years and haven't yet.

Some people cling to the "opportunity" of other worlds or fallen enemies. Fools.

Anon

[chikapolilla]

here's somebody gets it

but its also not good to do nothing
and its not like we're going anywhere

what do you do to fill space?

anon text;

[trollkeru]

Interesting questions to ask anon and honestly, I find meaning in the people I become friends with. That doesn't mean I've embraced the world because really some here might be here for years but never really do as such, but friends are a good enough reason.

1/2 [NOT anon text]

[chikapolilla]

[She starts to write. Aggressively at first, but then slowing down as she gets to the end.]

if they are somebody worth keeping then they're going to have to be important
you laugh and get angry and get comfortable with them getting in your space
then they leave or you get pulled away
with only a hole where they used to be

making you ask stupid questions on a network
to people you don't know or you don't care about really
wondering if you can even try to do something like that again

2/2 [anon text]

[chikapolilla]

[Only go back and delete some of the lines she's not ready to say publicly.]

if they are somebody worth keeping then they're going to have to be important
then they leave or you get pulled away

making you ask stupid questions on a network
to people you don't know or you don't care about really

video;

[brbgettingwrench]

The only job I have to offer is a paid internship and a receptionist.

[She wouldn't be sure if the other would like the internship, you would need to have an interest in automail or prosthetics.]

But hey you say you aren't asking for much, but usually, people do something they are passionate about. So what are you passionate about?

video;

[chikapolilla]

[She considers the jobs offered up until Winry starts talking about passions. That causes her to give a real think which always leads to the same answer, and one she's not about to say publicly. Instead, her arms raise across her chest and she becomes ore defensive. Still, that question deserves an answer.]

That's a really hard question. Most of my passions are things that I do on my own. I have an easier time coming up with things I don't like.

So... uh, if we were to try to say them another way... I... like organizing things. I like seeing things come together and work better. I like quiet. I like doing things on my own. I like it when people take things seriously. I like staying away from idiots.

[Its stream of consciousness at its best. Its a start, she figures.]

video;

[devilishkaoru]

I have many a job in my clothing shop and host club, but not sure if you would do well at being a host.

video;

[chikapolilla]

[She lets out a dry and grumbling laugh.]

I did some work in that area, but I think we may be talking about two different jobs. [In a past life her "host"ing was much more explicit in function.]

Clothing shop though, huh? That... might not be too awful. Depends on what you need done.

[Anon text]

[hotheadwarmheart]

I can find meaning here because I've seen real nothingness. Seen it, felt it, lived it, been it. And this? Isn't it. I don't what exactly to call this place, but it's not nothingness.

And sad as it is, this place is the closest I've had to an actual life for over a decade. I've got a job, an apartment, friends, pets... And yeah, they might all be gone next week or even tomorrow, and that would definitely hurt. But when you get right down to it, the same is true no matter where you are. Nobody gets any guarantees in life.

You can't let that stop you from living your life, though. Or from enjoying it. Some of my friends might not be here any more, but they're still in my heart and my memories, so we're still connected, no matter where they are. And that's good enough for me.

[Anon text]

[chikapolilla]

so your answer to that is to live your life without knowing where they are or how they are doing?

i can't decide if that is brave or naive

that and be a little jealous

[Video]

[fashionably_strong]

I'm hiring. I have a public relations and marketing firm in Nova City, and the other branch is a photography studio and print shop in the Attleton mall. How are you with technology?

[Text]

[the_galaxyfairy]

I do not know if I have been here long enough to say anything.

I am not the type to dwell on something too much. While I do not have the answer to your question, what I do know is that I am not going to do nothing if someone is in danger right in front of me.