Mingle: For a limited time only...

[hearsthesea]

Who: Everyone!
Where: Anywhere on the hub
When: Days 134-139
Open/Closed: Open mingle goooo!

[Copper, lizards, and vines - oh my! With the recent installation of 9S and co.'s scanning equipment and the also recent, significantly wetter rainstorms there's quite a lot to check out on the island right now. Plus, the monitor robot still needs a name. You're not going to leave them nameless forever, are you?

Too bad Genette's put out word that everyone's about to be moving location soon. That means these are the last days the coven has for a little while to get everything in order, whether it's to take things to the next destination or to leave them behind. Get your bags packed and your huts cleaned, everyone!]

Comments

[talim]

Take your time, okay?

[ jude gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile. ]

[hearsthesea]

...Okay. Thank you.

[Shirley feels as if she ought to have the answer already, but in the meantime she's thankful to Jude for not pushing for one.]

I still think it's very impressive that you're a doctor. I'm sure you've helped a lot of people.

[talim]

[ jude's never really sure what to say to this type of thing, to having praise heaped on him. he's just doing his job, but actually saying that always sounds almost mocking. ]

My father's a doctor, too, and my mother's a nurse at our clinic. It just runs in the family, I guess?

[ he laughs, a little awkwardly. ]

[hearsthesea]

Oh.

[When he puts it that way, it sounds a little more like it was laid out for him. So...]

Do you enjoy it?

[talim]

I do, but...

[ he hums. he didn't expect to be asked that question; it isn't a question he's often asked. most people just... assume. ]

For the time being, I'm more interested in pursuing environmental science. It's not that I'm not grateful for the opportunity to help people, rather— I want to explore other ways to do so.

I guess... a while ago, I didn't know there was any other path besides being a doctor. It was what my father wanted, and I had no reason to protest. Again, I wasn't unhappy, but... I also didn't know how to think for myself. It took some trial and error to learn.

[ sorry for his life story, shirley. ]

[hearsthesea]

I...see.

[Why does your life story have to be so relatable, Jude. That last part hits close to home, but it's closer than Shirley would even like to think. No, their situations have to be different, don't they?]

Do your parents know that you want to do something else?

[talim]

It's hard to say. I don't really talk to them, much. Last time I did, my dad kind of dismissed the thesis I'd spent the better part of a year working on? So...

[ ahaha... ]

I know he just wants to see me succeed.

[hearsthesea]

Oh. That's...I'm sorry about your father.

[Shirley is definitely not trying to think too hard about the authority figures in her own life right now. Surely not a productive line of thought. Easier to focus on Jude, which would be the more considerate thing to do anyway.]

Maybe succeeding at what you want to do in environment science would make him happy, too.

[talim]

There's no need to apologize. Like I said... I know he wants what's best for me, deep down, even if he can be a little harsh at times.

[ harsh is an understatement, but jude isn't one for self-pity. ]

I think you're right. I'd like to think so, at least.

[ he gives her a soft smile. ]

[hearsthesea]

I don't know anything about it, but environmental science sounds like important work to me.

[Assuming that it isn't something like what the Orerines did so long ago, shaping the world itself to their own ends. But Jude doesn't seem like he would so interested in that.]

[talim]

I'm glad to hear you think so. Limiting the amount of resources we're consuming can make a huge difference in everyone's day to day lives, you know?

[ it's something he's pretty passionate about. ]

The world should be an inhabitable place for everyone.

[hearsthesea]

[That...makes Shirley pause. It's not that Jude is wrong, really, but she's very much aware that part of her duty is to make the world uninhabitable for a great deal of people. Even if it wasn't supposed to be habitable for them to start with.

She isn't sure what to do with that thought, and she's much less sure in her next response.]

Yeah...right.

[talim]

[ jude senses her beat of hesitation, but he doesn't question it verbally. he trusts that if shirley wanted to speak about something, she would.

so he just nods in response with a small smile, a hint of uncertainty written across his face. ]

I'm glad we feel the same.

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley does briefly consider saying something. That train of thought makes her uneasy, and Jude's earlier words are still on her mind too: I didn't know there was any other path besides being a doctor. I want to explore other ways to help people. If only--

But Jude has his situation, and Shirley has hers. The responsibility of the Merines is different than a doctor's. No room for doubt. So she nods, and makes sure to keep the conversation away from herself.]

Yes. I hope your parents come to see things that way, too.

[talim]

Me, too.

[ the uncertainty in his smile softens into something warmer. ]

Thanks, Shirley. I'm glad we had this talk.

[hearsthesea]

...Yeah.

[Is she glad? Not for herself, maybe. But Jude seems happier, even if Shirley doesn't feel like she did all that much, and thinking about it she's glad for that.]

Thank you as well, for the help you gave me when I first arrived. I haven't forgotten that.

[talim]

[ jude chuckles. he's glad to hear it, really, but... ]

You seemed less than pleased at the time. I'm glad I managed to make a good first impression.

[hearsthesea]

I...

[Shirley looks away, clearly unhappy. It isn't Jude's fault, more that she's frustrated.]

I didn't react well to being here. It was very different from where I was supposed to be.

[talim]

That's understandable. It's nothing I'd ever fault you for.

[ he speaks in a calm, reassuring tone of voice. ]

Were you on some sort of mission?

[hearsthesea]

Yes, I was.

[After what they just talked about, she has a feeling that Jude might not approve. But she still has to do it regardless of anyone's opinion.]

It's difficult to explain to anyone who isn't a Ferines. But a lot of people were counting on me to do something, and I'm not there to do it now.

[talim]

... If it makes you feel any better, I'm in a similar position, myself. The research I was working on has the potential to change the world, save the environment, and I'm not there to follow through.

It's hard. I know.

But if you don't mind me asking... What is a Ferines, exactly?

[hearsthesea]

Ah...

[Right.]

Ferines are the people of the water, like me. We used to live in the sea, and live according to its will. But things have been difficult for a long time, especially lately, so I need to do everything I can.

[talim]

You lived in the sea?

[ just give him a moment. ]

— to be honest, when I stop and think about it, I've heard much stranger. Nothing should surprise me anymore.

But you're still doing your best, right? As difficult as it is to accept, there's not much more you can do besides that. Your best.

[hearsthesea]

I'm...

[She is doing her best, right? She gave herself to Nerifes. She's preparing to activate the Wings of Light and complete the Cataclysm. That is the duty of the Merines, and she was in the process of fulfilling it before Qri took her here.]

Yes, I am doing my best.