verminous | scien [spacecoast]

...if he's got a backup back there, then is this about them repaying you for losing your employee's help on their watch...

[ . . .

the vibe is deeply unimpressed, even though it doesn't linger]

You're wrong.

Then at least you've got that over... pretty much everyone I've ever worked for.

[that's just how things would go in capitalism hellscape man he doesn't know what to tell you]

I have plenty of flaws, but people here seem to enjoy imagining new ones for me.

[oh to be a self-aware asshole

but scien pauses and then feels the need to correct, if only because he doesn't like the implication on dahut's behalf:]

He was his own person outside of myself. I am inconvenienced, yes, but his life clearly had meaning outside of me. He shouldn't have been harmed.

...he shouldn't have.

['but that never counts for anything when it comes to death.']

You'd be an anomaly in the City in your line of work, seeing things that way.

I don't like to associate with people. It detracts from my work, and is an inconvenience since so many of you are easily offended.

[no scien you are just an asshohle]

But I'm not someone with a perverse interest in seeing them harmed, or a belief they exist to serve me.

[one of the savior types who might actually count as it, huh.

...well, he doesn't feel like he's lying, really, even if gregor's not entirely sure what those emotions of his actually do feel like.]

Wring that repayment of yours out of 'em, then.

[they're such crunchy emotions - like they really don't know how to be the real deal]

I will.

And you? What will you do from here?

Same thing I've always done. Keep going. Get to work once we figure out just what we're gonna need to do to make sure we don't have any repeats of last night.

[the thought leak helpfully adds: 'gotta check on yuri. should've been...']

Ah, her.

She wasn't doing well. You should check on her, yes. Do you consider yourself her guardian?

No. She's- worked with us before.

[there's a little wash of guilt that goes along with that.]

She hated it to the point that she accepted a job offer from me.

[but that does feel relevant to share,,]

Contract work. Her actual employer's different.

[...]

I've got no say in what she does. If she accepts, then she accepts. But she can't go back, so you'd better mean that offer of yours.

It would save us both far more time and effort if you realized that I'm not an individual who says things half-heartedly.

If we survive to the end of the tour, I'm not against giving her a reasonable occupation.

She mentioned thinking about staying with this company at the end of it, too, but from what we've seen so far?

[he does have to at least admit-]

Probably better off with you.

I'd be most offended if you thought otherwise.

[scien sucks but he's a decent employer at least,]

And you? Back to your calling in the City?

I've got a contract to see through. Manager bud needs all of us on deck if the job's gonna pan out, too.

Then here's to hoping you make it.

I don't know if this ship quite has the technology to pull you back from Hell, as it were.

I survived long enough before dying ended up part of the job. You don't have to worry about that-- I sure don't have any plans to see hell again 'til I get back there.

I wouldn't call it worry.

But so be it.

Wouldn't expect you to.

...think we've all got more to worry about than the end of the tour for now, anyway, if we're gonna deal with this.

You didn't see murder and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions in the fine print of the contract?

[he's feeling fine enough for sarcasm!!]

Usually those go without sayin'... ah, been getting the sense that's not exactly the case everywhere, though.

You think that's the most likely answer?

You also need a new job.

[don't just say this to people, scien]

At the moment, yes, but I need to do tomorrow's autopsies to be sure.

[realizing that sounds like a normal fucking thing to say to gregor and clenching my fist bc he can't object]

Think you've got pretty good grounds to tell 'em to hand at least Dahut over, if they object to it.

(no subject)

egodist - 2024-03-02 08:37 (UTC) - Expand