This is probably a weird text to get from me after sending my bird over to you the other day, but... Do you have an easy or hard time getting gifts for people?
[ please bear with her, she rarely reaches out to people in general... ]
Two someones, actually. Some people have airdropped me gifts this month, and I'd like to return the favor. I already have an idea on what to get for the first person, but I'm blanking out on the second.
Would you rather I approach you IRL instead? I thought you were busy, so I just didn't bother.
But it's you, so it should be fine. Rodya's the first one, but I can always just give her anything that's related to food or even fancier stuff like makeup and the like. Well, stuff I can afford with my meager budget anyway.
[ dammit, rizzley. she has to bite the inside of her cheek for that. ]
Did I ever tell you that? I really need to start keeping a list for these...
We don't get along, no. I still have complicated feelings for her. But she sent me a gift the other day - one of those woodcarving projects she's been working on at university - and... it made me feel some sort of way, I guess.
Malkuth mentioned it, actually. She didn't say specifically why, just that things were strained between the two of you.
[ so don't chew her out for it or anything :/ and here comes another lull between messages as he thinks a little more. ]
Truthfully? Invite her out for tea or a meal sometime. Take some time to talk to her, with all the complications between you temporarily set to the side. I don't know what happened between the two of you and it's not my right to interfere, but I suspect that will make her happier than any physical gift could.
But if that's too difficult still, I hear she's trying desperately to get her hands on a duck to keep as a pet. She was asking around for clothes for it, last I checked.
I'll spare you the details, then. She did chew me out of telling other people about it, so I won't do that here.
Do dinners often work? I was planning on just sending her another trinket and call it a day. She's just... incredibly annoying to deal with, and you probably know by now how I just don't have the patience for those kinds of antics.
She's been going around to local restaurants asking where they source their ducks from, so I can only assume she's quite committed at this point.
[ will she abandon her duck in a month the same way she does all her other hobbies? stay tuned. ]
And that's why I suggested a dinner or some other outing, because your time and energy are infinitely more valuable than any gift you could buy her. If you're worried about friction between the two of you, I can always come along. Act as a sort of lubricant, if you will.
[ did he really have to use that comparison ]
But it's your choice on what you're most comfortable with, and the value you're assigning to the return gift you're choosing to give.
She can just try to get one from the wild instead of rescuing them from the slaughter. Guess that means duck is going to be off the menu for now...
[ mmm. roasted duck... ]
Thanks for the offer - even though you could've chosen a better comparison than that? - but I can't help but think that bringing you along might make things even more awkward for the both of us. Like what if you're forced to pick a side?
[ what if wrio chooses malkuth's side? just the thought of it makes ishmael metaphorically fall onto her knees 😭 ]
It sounds as though they're fairly rare in the wild from what she told me.
[ the dystopian cyberpunk future and its lack of wild animals....... also wow, stop letting your imagination run wild, ishmael. ]
Do you really think Malkuth would stoop so low as to make me pick sides? Are you planning on making me pick a side? While I do like you better than I like Malkuth [ hm ] I'm not going to play favorites when it comes to something like this.
[ does she know he likes her more than most people here...........perhaps even all of them.................................... ]
I believe she's aware that if she tries anything like that again, whatever friendship she's seeking to build with me will be coming to a short and unfortunate end.
[ but malkuth's been behaving herself lately so. he is giving her the benefit of the doubt. ]
Thankfully, most of the inmates under my care were able to sort out their own problems amongst themselves. The ones who didn't....well, they quickly learned how to. Not that I think either of you two need my particular expertise in that area.
Hopefully not. I'm asking you right now for advice, aren't I? I just... want us to work well together while we're both here before we deal with whatever complicated situation we have back home.
Not going to lie, though. It is tempting to see you at work sometime if you're this good at conflict resolution. The bus would've needed someone like you earlier.
[ she looks at her own scarred hands and shakes her head to get her mind off it. ]
Well, I stopped being a sailor after a while. I work under Vergilius now. We go from one District to another by bus, and that's all I can say before I start breaching NDA territory.
Every company has its secrets, I'm afraid. Most megacorporations would even go to war just to get as much dirt on the other competition as possible. But we're getting sidetracked here.
He does step in if it's getting too much. I was even chewed out by him a couple of times already. But most of the time he'd just leave me and the others to fend for ourselves. Some boss he is...
You want me to die that badly? I'd rather have Vergilius lop my head off than go back to corporate. Then again, that's easy for you to say as a guy who's practically been handed the position to.
It was a joke. And I'll have you know I worked hard for my position. If it was that easy to just waltz in and take over, someone else would have beat me to it long ago.
Getting sent to the Fortress of Meropide tends to disrupt most people's plans for the future. Even for those who finish serving their sentences and are allowed to return to society, they often find it difficult to assimilate back in.
That sounds lonesome. And not at all different for most sailors who've been on the sea for more than five years, honestly. The waters can be pretty isolating if you don't know how to go about it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@hearse
no subject
Depends on how well I know them. It's always easier to pick out gifts for someone whose likes and dislikes you've already learned.
Are you having a hard time finding a gift for someone?
no subject
Two someones, actually. Some people have airdropped me gifts this month, and I'd like to return the favor. I already have an idea on what to get for the first person, but I'm blanking out on the second.
no subject
[ okay, enough of being facetious. ]
Am I allowed to know who it is you're shopping for or would you prefer to keep that part a secret?
no subject
But it's you, so it should be fine. Rodya's the first one, but I can always just give her anything that's related to food or even fancier stuff like makeup and the like. Well, stuff I can afford with my meager budget anyway.
The second... is Malkuth. [ sighs........... ]
no subject
[ 😘
but malkuth, huh.......there's a delay between the read receipt of her message and the reply that follows. ]
I thought the two of you didn't get along particularly well.
no subject
Did I ever tell you that? I really need to start keeping a list for these...
We don't get along, no. I still have complicated feelings for her. But she sent me a gift the other day - one of those woodcarving projects she's been working on at university - and... it made me feel some sort of way, I guess.
no subject
[ so don't chew her out for it or anything :/ and here comes another lull between messages as he thinks a little more. ]
Truthfully? Invite her out for tea or a meal sometime. Take some time to talk to her, with all the complications between you temporarily set to the side. I don't know what happened between the two of you and it's not my right to interfere, but I suspect that will make her happier than any physical gift could.
But if that's too difficult still, I hear she's trying desperately to get her hands on a duck to keep as a pet. She was asking around for clothes for it, last I checked.
no subject
[ and dressing it up??? god that girl is weird. ]
I'll spare you the details, then. She did chew me out of telling other people about it, so I won't do that here.
Do dinners often work? I was planning on just sending her another trinket and call it a day. She's just... incredibly annoying to deal with, and you probably know by now how I just don't have the patience for those kinds of antics.
no subject
[ will she abandon her duck in a month the same way she does all her other hobbies? stay tuned. ]
And that's why I suggested a dinner or some other outing, because your time and energy are infinitely more valuable than any gift you could buy her. If you're worried about friction between the two of you, I can always come along. Act as a sort of lubricant, if you will.
[ did he really have to use that comparison ]
But it's your choice on what you're most comfortable with, and the value you're assigning to the return gift you're choosing to give.
no subject
[ mmm. roasted duck... ]
Thanks for the offer - even though you could've chosen a better comparison than that? - but I can't help but think that bringing you along might make things even more awkward for the both of us. Like what if you're forced to pick a side?
[ what if wrio chooses malkuth's side? just the thought of it makes ishmael metaphorically fall onto her knees 😭 ]
no subject
[ the dystopian cyberpunk future and its lack of wild animals....... also wow, stop letting your imagination run wild, ishmael. ]
Do you really think Malkuth would stoop so low as to make me pick sides? Are you planning on making me pick a side? While I do like you better than I like Malkuth [ hm ] I'm not going to play favorites when it comes to something like this.
[ what are they, children?? ]
no subject
[ but whoa he likes her more that he likes malkuth... she's going to read those that line over and over and ascribe them to memory. ]
But no, you're right. You're a prison warden, after all. You've probably dealt with stupider squabbles anyway.
no subject
I believe she's aware that if she tries anything like that again, whatever friendship she's seeking to build with me will be coming to a short and unfortunate end.
[ but malkuth's been behaving herself lately so. he is giving her the benefit of the doubt. ]
Thankfully, most of the inmates under my care were able to sort out their own problems amongst themselves. The ones who didn't....well, they quickly learned how to. Not that I think either of you two need my particular expertise in that area.
no subject
Hopefully not. I'm asking you right now for advice, aren't I? I just... want us to work well together while we're both here before we deal with whatever complicated situation we have back home.
Not going to lie, though. It is tempting to see you at work sometime if you're this good at conflict resolution. The bus would've needed someone like you earlier.
no subject
But what's this about a bus? I thought you worked on a ship.
no subject
[ she looks at her own scarred hands and shakes her head to get her mind off it. ]
Well, I stopped being a sailor after a while. I work under Vergilius now. We go from one District to another by bus, and that's all I can say before I start breaching NDA territory.
no subject
Did Vergilius never step in whenever things got heated on the bus?
no subject
He does step in if it's getting too much. I was even chewed out by him a couple of times already. But most of the time he'd just leave me and the others to fend for ourselves. Some boss he is...
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
[ hm. ]
Did you like your job? Did you not have other plans like I did?
no subject
Getting sent to the Fortress of Meropide tends to disrupt most people's plans for the future. Even for those who finish serving their sentences and are allowed to return to society, they often find it difficult to assimilate back in.
no subject
That sounds lonesome. And not at all different for most sailors who've been on the sea for more than five years, honestly. The waters can be pretty isolating if you don't know how to go about it.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)