text | @bustermove

[busternaut]

alright, I give. hair gel brand recommendations: anyone got some?

apparently my usual stuff doesn't exist in this world. and this cheap-ass "FOP" crap I bought to fit within the budget of the uh, "generous" stipend that LILITH gives newcomers... pretty much smells like a chemical factory took a shit. texture it leaves me with feels like that, too.

so yeah. any tips? or hell, gimme a clue on whose arm i have to twist to get these guys to use their fancy tech to zap some TMR-GEL into this dimension or whatever.

[yes he realizes they're on a mission and also in an entirely different country right now, but. look. the situation is unbearable? he feels like a bedraggled and very unsexy sheep, walking around without his hair slicked back like usual.]

Comments

@hearse

[wheft]

I don't know about hair gels, but someone suggested I try horse shampoo last month, and it worked wonders for my hair.

[ and she sure has a lot of it... ]

Otherwise, you're going need get a part-time job because this stipend won't be enough to sustain you and your hair needs.

[busternaut]

.......................Horse shampoo.

Why horse shampoo, exactly?

[Like. Don't get him wrong, he ain't judging, but. Whaddahell.]

Man. I'll take it under advisement, but I was really hoping to avoid the part-time job thing... I promise I'm really not asking for anything fancy here.

[wheft]

[ she had the same reaction the first time dude, dw. ]

It doesn't dry out my hair, and it's not overly scented compared to your usual shampoos for humans. They aren't too expensive either. You could try using them in the meantime until you have enough money, and that involves actually getting part-time work.

[ so yeah, there's no getting around petty labor unfortunately... ]

[busternaut]

Huh... You know what? Not exactly what I was asking for, but still useful to know. Thanks hearse, you're a real one. Still leaves me with the problem of having no way to style my hair the way I prefer, though.

You know, considering LILITH's asking us to put our lives on the line here, you'd think they'd at least give us enough money for some decent fucking toiletries.

@kijyo

[saudadist]

[ Lucy can't see Ishmael's text messages to Dearka, but if she could, she'd be touched she took her shampoo suggestion. But, being as she cannot, she will give some hair wisdom to Dearka himself since his message pops across her feed. ]

try Brosh

[busternaut]

[That means Lucy's advice is also helping Dearka by extension, so. Bless her, tbh. Get the whole base using horse shampoo.]

"Brosh", huh? Hell of a name. You use it yourself?

[saudadist]

my hair's too long for pomade
but it's gotten good reviews since 2015

[wheft]

Call me Ishmael. And that's really all I have to deliver on the hair department. I don't really use gels, but maybe I could ask some of the guys if they do...

And yeah, you got a point. LILITH's budget is all over the place, but as with any other places of employment, you've got to make do with what you have. Hair gel shouldn't be that expensive anyway, unless you buy them by the bucketfuls.

[busternaut]

[For a second, he's not sure what to make of that, until he remembers what year they've been told it is presently.]

Alright, yeah, 250+ years of consistently good reviews plus surviving an apocalypse... Hard to get better credentials than that.

...Unless FOP is its only competition. That would make it way less impressive.

[He's joking. This is a hell future, but surely there are more than 2 kinds of pomade available... Right?]

[saudadist]

it's just a suggestion
if you're really looking for quality, shop around and see what you like

[busternaut]

[...Does Gundam SEED world have Moby Dick? Who knows. Let's assume not.]

Ishmael, huh? I'm Dearka. Thanks for the tips. And yeah, if you can get more recommendations from any of the others, I'd appreciate it. New guy, y'know? still trying to get acquainted with everyone.

Definitely don't need gel by the bucketful or anything... It's just one of my very few indulgences in life, treating myself to a slightly higher-end hair product.

[busternaut]

no, it was a pretty great suggestion, actually. seriously, I really appreciate it. thanks.

[He sends a really enthusiastic thumbs up sticker to boot.]

name's Dearka, btw. Revelation team. I probably should've introduced myself at the top.

[saudadist]

[ Oh, stickers. Emojis. She should use those more often. Maybe then her texts won't seem so...clipped. ]

Kaede
you're a new one

[busternaut]

Sure am. Fresh out the medical pod.

Been here long yourself?

[saudadist]

since December

[ Which, when she thinks about it, doesn't seem real? Has time really passed so fast? Is that what it's like when you can call your daily goings-on a routine? Wild. ]

longer than I thought

[wheft]

[ what's a moby dick, can you eat that ]

I'm sure you can get along with the guys just fine. It's a good time as any to mingle before we start pounding the pavement with the kaiju we're supposed to be on the hunt for.

[ well no, she can't stand gojo for example. but maybe this guy would have better luck with that. ]

Somehow I can relate to that. Lately I've been paying more attention to haircare compared to how I was back home. Probably because we can afford to have more downtime here.

[busternaut]

[probably, if you try hard enough and believe in yourself??]

Funny, *I* can relate to *that*. Not that I want to be out fighting monsters every hour of the day or anything, but I'm used to my time being a *bit* more occupied than this.

...ugh, listen to me. maybe i SHOULD get a part time job. but then again, if i do that, how will i find time to mingle?

[woe is him :/]

[busternaut]

damn, so you're basically an old hand at this, huh. maybe i should be calling you senpai?

[saudadist]

[ Why does that word fill her with such a sense of dread...nevermind that she's never gone to school a day in her life. ]

absolutely not

[busternaut]

[GOOD INSTINCTS, GURL. thank god this is a text conversation so she isn't subjected to the obnoxious "HAH" that he lets out IRL.]

hah, damn, alright. still would love to hear from the voice of experience though.

[saudadist]

is that your way of asking for a phone call?

[ She's probably taking that too literal. ]

[busternaut]

i mean... it wasn't, but now that you've mentioned it, i wouldn't say no ;)

i just want to hear your thoughts on the operation. maybe tell me a little about the missions you've run, what kaiju you've fought... you know. that sort of thing.

text -> audio

[saudadist]

[ Sir wtf is that winky face

But, it's easier for her to just talk aloud about some things than others. Compared to typing it all out anyway. Wherever she is, she found somewhere quiet to sit since there's little background noise from the rest of the city. ]

Fine. But my "expertise" isn't cheap. You'll have to buy food or something from Hanabi when we get back.

[busternaut]

[sorry, he winks at everyone, it's his most toxic trait 😔

He is sort of low-key excited to hear an actual voice on the line after that. Way more fun to banter over voice than over text.]

Hoh...? Man, you'd still charge me full price even after hearing about my woeful financial situation? Harsh.

[saudadist]

[ She sighs. A theatrical sort of sound, but one can practically hear her shrugging through it. ]

It's already a cheap bar. I can't go giving you food for free. I might get fired.