glowsferatu | IC CONTACT

[ She finishes her details, sketching much faster than most hands have any right to move, then glances up at him with a smile, leaning slightly back in her chair. She supposes "aeons" must be what they call their gods, if they've built a faith around one. ]

I was still young when my planet died. I didn't really have the chance to see much of it before then. Where I lived was a vast painted desert, the sands colored with every shade of the rainbow.

My hive was built on an oasis, out in the open sun. Most of my species wouldn't have been able to withstand the heat, they all lived nocturnally. But I hatched a bit differently, I thrive in it.

[ Mostly due to her latent vampirism, but she'll leave that out for now. That the dead roamed the Alternian daylight doesnlt seem like the most important fact to mention for now. ]

How beautiful it must have been, the desert where you lived. I think, perhaps, that only the crystalline forest of Macalania could compare in beauty to a sea of rainbow sands.

[That they should be climatically opposed is as interesting to Seymour as it is amusing, particularly with both their homes having bordered realms of death: a barren desert and the Farplane.]

I'm terribly sorry to hear it is no more. [The distance between their chairs and the tablet in Kanaya's lap prevents him from leaning closer to place a reassuring hand upon hers, so instead he politely bows his head as if to offer up a silent prayer for those she lost. What a good Maester.] How is it you have come to adjust to the climate of this world, then? Is it a struggle, or have you found some way to make up the difference?

[ She cocks a brow, still looking at her tablet, her face looking as grim and serious as ever. ]

I soldier through, as I do in all things. Life is rarely going to do us any favors, so we might as well just grin and bear it.

[ But she breaks the facade with a smile, letting him in on the joke. Or just hiding behind a joke. ]

Not that it will stop me from complaining about it every chance I get!

[Seymour responds in turn with a smile of his own, muted though in comparison to Kanaya's.]

I admire your resolve.

[As he admires all things beautiful and strong...and useful.]

There are a people in Spira, the Al Bhed. They are the subjects of much discrimination and hate, for their beliefs do not align with those of Yevon. Their Home has been destroyed before...but they too show a similar resolve to yours. Their losses do not define them, and they rise above the adversities they face. Truly, the losses we would have incurred during Operation Mi'ihen would have been far greater without their aid.

I owe as much to them...as I do to you.

[ Kanaya's first thought is that he must not have owed them very much then, but decides that's probably the wrong thing to say. Still, by her initial estimates, this job could run him around two thousand dollars if he wants it fancy, so the sentiment feels a little empty. He strikes as a very political sort of man, someone who says nice and meaningless statements to curry favor over anything honest or genuine. But that's a trait she can accept in a client, even if she'd find it intolerable in a friend.

With that sort of man, mentioning specific terms free of any context usually indicates he wants to talk about it more. She can play that game, she's getting paid to, after all. And so, she rises to her feet and sets the tablet down, pulling out her measuring tape. ]

Stand up, if you would, I'll need to take your measurements. In the meantime, what was Operation Mi'ihen?

[Seymour rises obediently after he's been instructed to stand, his rigid and straight posture that of a man who has been taught from a very young age to revere appearances, for they are often the first and last impression anyone will have of them.]

Operation Mi'ihen was an endeavor on the part of the Crusaders and the Al Bhed to fight a creature known to bring great destruction to Spira. We call it Sin...and we were unable to stop it that day.

[He appropriates a more somber expression and does not look at Kanaya directly while she works, choosing a point just behind her head instead.]

There were numerous casualties, but there would have been countless more were it not for the ingenuity of the Al Bhed, the formidable will of the Crusaders...and the young summoner who was there that day with her guardians. I thank Yevon every day that anyone survived.

[Finally, he tilts his head to regard Kanaya.]

You must think it strange that I would compare that incident with the way you are helping me now, but this service you provide is no different from that of the merchant or the Al Bhed who provided something we did not have in a time when we needed it most. Even at a cost. I am grateful, Ms Maryam. Truly and beyond words.

['Beyond words.'

And yet he still manages to keep blathering. Kanaya's got him pegged.]

[ She moves behind him as she begins taking measurements, mostly so he won't see the wide variety of incredulous facial expressions she makes as he tells the story. At least, not until he looks at her directly.

She's kneeling down beside him, taking the measurement from his waist to his ankle when he actually addresses the obvious elephant in the room. How much it actually works is plain on her face. ]

With all due respect, Seymour, I don't see how that could be the case. [ And she really hates that she can't call him Mr. Guado. It feels like a forced familiarity when she'd prefer professional distance, especially while he's still calling her Ms. Maryam.

She jots down another number on her pad before returning to her feet. And while it may not be prudent, and may ultimately cost her the job, she finds herself struggling not to answer him honestly. If he doesn't want her services for it, well, she'll survive. ] Certainly, if you want to look at in purely utilitarian terms, I am filling a need just as they had. But to compare those services does the heroes of your world a severe disservice. I am not saving lives today, even if I am helping to improve the quality of a single life.

I'm under no illusions, I'm a paid artisan accommodating a luxury. And I'm very good at it! But these Al Bhed you speak of, they sound like a very brave people standing strong in the face of grave danger. When the circumstances call for it, I would like to think I could be their equal, but to invoke them in my trade?

It's a bit silly, frankly.

I've offended you.

[As she returns to her feet, Seymour turns to regard her, his expression neutral if contemplative. Not apologetic, not truly, though his words when spoken seem sincere enough.]

My apologies.

[A dip of his head follows before he turns his attention away from her once more.]

We Spirans are taught to take nothing for granted, I'm afraid. This does not exclude help offered by those whose motives might be considered selfish. In your case, you face no great peril and receive monetary compensation for your services...I can see why you might think I needn't be so grateful.

But I mustn't belittle the value of the luxury you provide, either. Your assistance is more than material to me, my quality of life improved not because I will have finer clothing to adorn myself with, but because it will allow me opportunities I might never encounter otherwise. I wish to help the people of this world. This place where...so much emphasis is placed upon appearances.

[A brief pause before he tilts his head to the side again to glimpse her from the corner of his vision.]

Perhaps including something modern would not be remiss after all.

[ "This place where so much emphasis is placed on appearances." He, a person who takes great care in his appearance, says to her, another person who takes great care in her appearance, and neither of them are from worlds anything like this. She just smiles and lets that one go. ]

Don't misunderstand, Seymour, I know well enough the value of my work. I couldn't well charge anyone for it otherwise! I take issue only with the two things being equated. To elevate me to the same level may not belittle me, but I do feel it does so to them.

Much as my services will surely be a boon to you, I think there are still degrees to these things. Perhaps to understand that, yourself, will be part of the appearances you learn to keep as you navigate this place.

[She may smile, but Seymour recognizes that Kanaya's expression is as empty as his platitudes.

So that's it, is it? She isn't a woman who can be charmed by words or won with flattery.

Ordinarily, Seymour would be more appreciative of that. Strength of character and unwavering belief in oneself aren't rare, but they are seldom so pronounced. Still, there isn't much to admire when he considers all that it means. Likely, that Kanaya hasn't a very high opinion of him at all, and changing that, especially now...will take a good deal of work.]

Perhaps. [He knows better than to be too quick to agree, but there isn't any harm in being quick to consider.] What did you do before you arrived here, Ms Maryam?

[ Oh, a polite disguise is never empty, it's concealing something else that could be said but isn't. In this case, needless nitpicking, so maybe its contents were themselves empty, which is why it's better left unsaid.

Even if her opinion of him isn't great, she won't outright disrespect him. That would be rather lousy of her, especially if she intends to retain his business. He certainly isn't awful, just too nice to seem at all sincere.

Of course, his question ends up being more complicated than he means it to be. But that's mostly her fault for having a bullshit life. ] Before I was here, or before I was an imPort? I was thirteen when I first arrived, so that tended to have a limit on the sort of things I would do. But I've had plenty of work before I started this business.

So young...truly, the Porter, or the intelligence within it, does not discriminate.

[Not that he feels children aren't capable. In Spira, there were young Crusaders and young Guardians alike. People were lucky to live to a ripe, old age with Sin stalking the continent, thus...most of the young ones lived their lives in haste and desperation.

He shakes his head and then continues.]

I'm curious what you did before you arrived in this world, but also what sorts of occupations captured your interest before you started this business.

IC CONTACT

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject