Grade 6 - 1; We Are Our Decisions
- Location
- Earth
Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing towards what will be.
[] No
Minutes pass in silence as you really think over the pros and cons here. You have taken a number of risks this last year and somehow made it through. Part of you wants to try continuing the streak, oh so tempted by the benefit package and money. Moreover, doing it now and succeeding would mean so much more for you in particular; Hana only recruits the best, so you making it in would finally give you a proper worth.
But that is just it: if you make it in. This is not a sure thing, they might not even accept your application to begin with. You could very well die in whatever test they give you. You can probably apply again in the future, but what reason is there to half-ass it now?
Caution ultimately wins out and you shake your head. "I'm not ready yet. Give me some time to prepare properly."
Giano wordlessly raises her glass and you return the toast.
After drinking she lets out a content sigh. "So not as insane as I thought you'd be. Something my seniors once told me is that patience is a virtue. Nobody got time to just twiddle their thumbs, but sometimes you need to be patient anyway."
"Easy to say when you're getting paid a fortune each month," you quip back. Your own glass is empty and should probably stay that way. You rather crunch on some peanuts and roll your eyes at the chuckling redhead. "But I get it. Do you have any suggestions how I should prepare myself? Anything you can tell me about that test?"
The question earns a thoughtful hum; Giano has no compulsions about how much she will drink and orders another glass, though she is clearly just as sharp tipsy as she is sober. Her lips curl into a little smirk that once again makes you feel a little smaller in your seat.
"You're already doing one thing right: not doing it alone. Asking for advice helps. Don't get me wrong," she adds idly, "there are enough people who make it in on their lonesome. But people who shun an advantage out of pride are morons; people who are too skittish to grasp it won't last long as Fixers."
She is not wrong even though you feel you fall into both of these to an extent; sometimes you do have this urge to just do something without hedging your bets, to show yourself that you can do it. Even though you know how stupid it is, you seem to have some pride nestled in your heart after all. It lives together with the old fear of anything and everything that still makes you hesitate on occasion. Although the important part is not that you feel this way but that you can push all of it aside and do the smart thing.
Seeing that you still listen attentively, Giano elaborates with an absent motion: "There's one thing I can tell you about the test: almost everything goes in solving it. No matter how unorthodox your approach, the most important part is success. You will be allowed to use everything you possess with one caveat: you can not hire someone else to solve the task for you."
Now you are confused. "Did someone seriously try that?"
"Probably?" Giano answers with a faint shrug. "But yeah, the important parts are that you succeed and that you succeed. Use your money to buy information, load yourself to the gills in augments or trinkets like that nifty ring, call in whatever favours you're owed or trade more. It's all fair game as long as you don't try to rules lawyer the no-hiring rule, like 'trading a favour for a generous donation'. Seriously, don't pull that shit, your examiner's going to fail you faster than you can say 'Arbiter'."
You nod, throat suddenly dry. You need to look at things carefully when the time comes.
"So what I can do to prepare right now is to... earn more money to spend on augments, equipment, or information. Or see if I can get people lined up to help me out when the time comes?"
"Pretty much. Like I said, you should also pretty up your resume as much as you can. I'll let you know about any easy Urban Legends or Plagues I hear about. Maybe you get lucky."
"Thank you," you answer slowly. She is surprisingly helpful, all things considered. And with what you were talking about before, you do wonder. "What do I owe you for all the help and advice?"
"Hm, I wonder." Giano sizes you up, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. "Let's say nothing for now. I consider this an investment into a future junior. Besides, you are a little cute."
"Um."
She breaks into giggles at your response, uncaring for your flaming face or the surge of embarassment that comes with it. "Ha, you should have seen your face!" Shaking her head with another chuckle, she puts down her glass. "Don't get carried away Ciel, I'm just joking. Well, I do mean that you're cute, but I'm not interested. If you do make it into Hana, I will probably call in a favour to get you under me."
You take a deep breath, still embarassed but unwilling to let her tease you. "You worded it that way on purpose, didn't you?"
Her grin is all the answer you need. You just shake your head at the nonsense; sometimes it feels like Giano sees you as more of a pet than a person. Then again, considering how she constantly ingratiates herself with newly applying Fixers, maybe that is the reason: The lower Grades are pets to her and you may just be among the more entertaining ones.
Well then. Maybe it is just in your head and she thinks no such thing, but you will show her either way. This pet is not going to roll over and beg for treats. She will eventually have to treat you like a person, maybe once you overtake her in Grade.
"Alright, I'll take it. Though I get the feeling you will get something out of this if we do a job or two together. Is there a performance review coming up or something?"
Her good mood visibly dims. "None of your business," she growls. "I'm doing well so I don't need to worry." But she is still worried, she does not say. You still shrink back on instinct, well aware she can fold you into a bloody triangle if she wanted to. Probably with a single hand at that.
You wisely change the subject to something far less important and eventually part with Giano after another hour. Though her face is flushed she holds herself steady and takes off in a light jog that is still faster than the Grade 9s running to finish their jobs. You do much the same, though you soon take the rooftops.
Jumping from roof to roof gives you time to mull over money, though. You need to decide what to buy between augments and equipment. That galeforce ring has paid for itself in spades; people just do not expect a sudden push from nowhere or to have dirt and dust rained on them. You even figured out a few tricks to adjust your trajectory mid-air thanks to it. A quick gust thrown behind pushes you a few metres forward and onto a roof instead of crashing into the wall. It saved your hide the one time you fell off a highrise building near the top, too.
Buying one or two more trinkets may be helpful, especially when you do not know what to expect. But that money could also go into solid foundations.
You absently dodge around the sound of fighting in a particular street on the way home; some days you can not avoid all of it but today is one of the more pleasant evenings. Although all bets are off once night falls.
The problem at hand remains unsolved even when you settle onto the couch to knit, though the alcohol makes it harder than usual. Not impossible, just harder; it is still a nice enough pastime and you continue to improve. Yet today's work is subpar because your mind keeps wandering.
After explaining the problem to Parvati and Mai at dinner, the sisters give you pair of looks that could not be more different. Mai's blank expression clearly conveys 'oh woe is me, having no idea how to spend all that money I earn' while Parvati understands the problem and mulls over it. Her own augments are just as expensive as yours.
"It's hard to say what works," she decides in the end, effectively mirroring your own thoughts. "Your foundations are decent even if you have not rounded out the set yet. But I doubt you're going to earn enough to get everything on the list this year. Maybe not even next year."
You nod along. No matter how carefully you budget, there just is not enough money to buy everything you want in good quality. A decent number of your associates get augments for cheap to have more, but Giano's first ever lesson still lingers in the back of your mind; picking quality over quantity has not led you wrong yet.
"But you could also buy a Singularity," Parvati adds after a moment of contemplation. She is absolutely right and you could kick yourself for forgetting. Your partner grimaces. "But getting anything worthwhile at our Grade will be expensive."
"How expensive?" Mai interjects with a hint of curiousity, only for her mouth to drop when Parvati names her a price. It is more guesswork but you feel she is in the right ballpark. The potent Singularities, meaning whatever the Wings themselves sell, cost a pretty penny. Yet they are also worth every single Ahn you pay for them; a Fairy that can open any lock, a Lock to do the opposite, HP tablets that make you regenerate faster than someone can hurt you, to just name a few.
You hum in thought while finishing the food. There is no way you can raise enough money to buy everything on your bucket list in the next year or two; you have to focus. More importantly, you have to decide what to do with your time. Do you spend most of it on work to have more spending money? Do you try making more contacts and getting some favours to call later? You know a decent amount of people but none of them really owe you enough to help with something this big. The only one is Hifumi, or Shadow; the Shi Fixer whose live you saved a few months back. Parvati and Dexter may be willing to help out, too.
Conversation kept going without you, though a deprecating chuckle snaps you out of your musings. "No way," Parvati tells her sister with a dismissive motion. "I'm not good enough to make it."
"Make what?" you chime in. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Oh, Mai was asking if I'm trying for Hana too. I respect you having the guts to do it, but I already know how that would go for me."
The quip earns her a light frown from you; just saying it from the get-go does not feel right. "You haven't even tried."
"Don't need to."
Neither you nor Mai is impressed with the reasoning, yet Parvati stays with it. Her insistence feels alien to you but perhaps that is the different perspective again. Staying still or taking it steady is not an option on your own path, but she is not aiming for a high Grade or a colour. Why risk dying even more than usual if she does not need to? It makes perfect sense yet remains weird.
You frown but leave it be. Maybe she will change her mind in the future.
Mai changes the subject a moment later: "So what are you going to do if Ciel gets in? Stay with that Shi Office?"
"They aren't Shi," Parvati corrects her without missing a beat, long since used to doing it. "They're an associate Office, there is a degree of separation there." Then she shrugs for an actual response. "And I don't know yet. I got used to the fighting but I like the investigative parts more. Maybe I will request switching to Magnify Office, they're all about digging up information." Which is a Seven associate, though she does not point it out. In fact, there is something thoughtful to Parvati that tips you off; maybe the slight curve of her brow.
"Something on your mind?" you prompt with interest. "Are you thinking about another Association?" Which would explain why she just denies Hana.
Parvati shakes her head. "No, but I was thinking I did not hate my old job beyond the asshole coworkers. Paperwork isn't bad... and contracts become more and more important as we rise the ranks."
Your brow rises as the pieces click together. That is unexpected. "A contract Office?"
"I don't know. Maybe?" She shrugs, clearly uncertain. "It's less fieldwork and more paperwork, which I do like." A surreptive glance goes Mai's way, who is almost asleep in her chair. You have no idea if she meant to tell you at all, but you saw and get the message. It is kind of sweet that she cares so much for her sister.
"I have no idea how you'd get into one," you admit without mentioning the unsaid parts. "Maybe it's as easy as applying. I can ask Giano the next time I see her if you want?"
"I'd appreciate it. Still no idea if I will go that way, but it's good to know my options." She throws you a quick smile and starts clearing the table. "I guess I'm going to sleep on it."
You do much the same as her for a few days. Plans are made and discarded, questions asked and answered; it turns out one can indeed just apply to a contract Office. They generally require taking lessons in contract law, though most of them offer to pay for those in exchange for staying with the Office for certain lengths; Giano stresses not to take that unless Parvati does not have the money. You can see the point even without elaboration: nobody will be nice when they are owed labour to get their money's worth.
Rooming with two zombies is not your idea of a good time, the one you have is more than enough.
Either way, it takes four days to finally find a plan you are happy with. It is still not perfect, but you need a 'good' now rather than a 'perfect' never. Parvati will stay at Scythe Office at least as long as you do either way, so she has time to make her own decisions.
You decide to...
[] Focus on
-[] Raising money
-[] Improving your resume
-[] Making contacts to call on
[] Buy
-[] Augments
-[] Equipment
-[] a Singularity
-[] Nothing
"Raising money" and "Improving your resume" are not mutually exclusive actions; the important part is what Ciel focuses on of the two. Likewise, feel free to write in details for the stuff Ciel should buy if you do not want me to do that on auto. Plan votes are allowed but not necessary. If you want Ciel to keep more than their general emergency funds, write it in.
Lastly, we have a two-hour Moratorium. Do not vote for 2 hours!
