text | anonymous

[fuchsiative]

[ if someone told clarice she'd be reaching out to the rest of her cohort almost the instant she finds her footing on the station, she'd have laughed in their face. frankly, she would have preferred to keep her head down, stay out of the way until she was needed.

but some things were necessary, and dealing with a whole set of people whose backgrounds and experiences she had no clue about necessitated some information-gathering.

reaching out anonymously seemed like a good compromise. ]

mutant

[ she's here for one reason, and one reason only. making a list of those she had to steer clear from is only going to help her achieve her goal in the long run. ]

what does that word mean to you?

Comments

[fuchsiative]

[ she'd wondered, of course, about the kind of people brought here. how much of their skills matched their desperation to fix a mistake, if there were any correlation to begin with.

hearing all that... it's — not comforting, not really. but she won't deny there's a bit of relief there. knowing her abilities could rank quite low on the metaphorical totem pole.

all she'd ever really wanted was to fade away into obscurity, after all. ]

I'm looking forward to being one of the boring ones.

[ that's not at all what he said or implied, but she's taking it to mean that way anyway. and with that, she finally indulges in a bite. or seven. ]

[blackfire]

（ very few people crave obscurity, so much so that it's notable for that alone. one eyebrow quirks faintly, and he eats several bites in silence. then: ）

If that's what you desire.

（ who is he to argue, really? ）

However, your personal goals may occasionally necessitate standing out. Ah — they are assigned by the orbs themselves on our missions. Without completing them, that orb will not assist you with your regret when they are all assembled.

[fuchsiative]

[ the sound clarice makes — resonating somewhere from the back of her throat, exiting through her nose — is far from surprised. derisive and maybe even exasperated, she bites down a little too hard on the spoon she'd been using to shovel the rice and cabbage into her mouth. ]

Of course there'd be a catch. [ as if missions weren't enough of an ask. but she's the one with the bigger ask here, isn't she? still — figures. ]

So what kind've goals have they thrown at you?

[blackfire]

I've been tasked with holding hands with someone for a specific duration, confessing my guiltiest pleasure and betraying someone.

（ he lifts a shoulder in a vague sort of shrug. ）

They seem to range from the cruel to the whimsical.

[fuchsiative]

[ she stares at him for a second, as if waiting for him to laugh at his own joke.



then realizes he's probably not the kind of person to do either of those things. ]

Well. I hope they weren't all to the same person, or you'd be sending some major mixed signals.

[blackfire]

No.

（ variety is the spice of what now?

a n y w a y. ）

People understand, by and large, that we are all in pursuit of the same thing — most are willing to assist with the completion of a goal.

[fuchsiative]

Sounds positively warm and fuzzy.

[ all for one and one for all, that sort of thing? clarice will believe it when she sees it.

but, skeptical as she is, she's not without her manners. she gestures to the bowls in front of her — yep, both empty. did she just inhale all that? ]

Thanks for the meal. Do me another favor and leave the dishes to me.

[blackfire]

As you wish.

（ it is not his nature — he does not like leaving work to others, but he understands too well the need to keep an engagement transactional.

so, he leaves the dishes in a spectacularly neat pile (and does wipe down the counters, since she did not specify as much) before claiming a spot to sit and eat his own food in an easy, companionable silence he is not prompted to fill.

4 stars, a+, would converse again, etc etc. ）