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

[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.

[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]

[...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.

[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 :/]

[wheft]

[ it's ok she already killed the whale herself anyway u_u ]

You make time to mingle, obviously. That's not my problem anymore, is it?

[busternaut]

Hah. No, I suppose it isn't. Sorry bout that.

[Just making conversation!]

[wheft]

[ oh. in that case, she should rein it in a little. damn her own prickliness. ]

I'm just saying. If you have enough time to post here and ask around for hair gel recommendations, I'm sure you can find more than enough time to mingle on top of getting some work done. What do you even do back home, anyway?

[busternaut]

[It's OK Ishmael, there's basically a 50/50 chance that Dearka is actually being serious and/or sincere in what he's saying during most casual conversations, and not just like... Lackadaisically bantering. And it's even harder to tell which it is over text.]

I'm a mobile suit pilot and an officer of the Intelligence Division for my homeland's military.

[NBD or anything.]

[wheft]

[ ... ]

I have no idea what you just said.

[ except no, the intelligence division is clear enough? maybe?? but he may as well have told her complete gibberish ]

[busternaut]

Alright, the easy version then:

I'm basically a spy.

[This... Isn't an entirely untrue statement? But also, no he's fucking not.]

[wheft]

Oh.

Just say so, then.

[ what is with these complicated ass titles, damn...... ]

I'm sure any job that would require ample experience in intelligence-gathering would love to have you. Though of course, in this world you're gonna have to think real small compared to your lofty position from your home world.

[busternaut]

[C'mon it's not THAT complicated a title! He even left out the name of the organization he works for, that's one less piece of info to contend with!]

Yeah, I'm not sure I really want to get back into the same biz when my full time job is going to be fighting Kaiju. I'm pretty great at time management at all, but why overextend myself if I don't need to?

Maybe I'll branch out and try something new instead.

[wheft]

Hm? Like what?

[busternaut]

Dunno. I guess I'll start by seeing what positions are open and take it from there.

Shouldn't be hard to find SOMETHING. Anything outside working for a military would count as 'new'.

[That's pretty much the only job he's ever had.]

[wheft]

I'm sure you have a hobby or two you can use for ideas. Right?

[ then again, ishmael didn't have a lot of hobbies before coming here either. ]

[busternaut]

[Yeah, he doesn't generally have a lot of free time for hobbies himself. But there is one thing...]

Eh... My number one hobby is studying Japanese dance. Which is not impossible to monetize, but... You know.

[Not EASY to, either.]

[wheft]

[ huh, he dances? it's something she wouldn't have expected from a military brat, tbh. ]

I mean, what do you have to lose? There are plenty of schools and studios for that sort of thing to start you off.

[busternaut]

[Surprise! He contains multitudes. (Just kidding a lot of her other assumptions are probably correct tbh.)]

Yeah, I'm just not sure I want to make my hobby my job, you know? Maybe it's weird of me, but I'd rather keep work work and fun fun.

I'll probably try picking up a new skill or something. Mechanical engineering maybe.

[wheft]

[ engineering... ]

Planning on going back to school? I know some people who are taking courses at the university as part of their cover.

[busternaut]

Hah! School costs money. The internet is free. Hell, maybe I'll even hit the library here in the base and see what I can pick up from there.

[wheft]

What happened to wanting to mingle? You can meet plenty of peers that way. Although, I guess it'd be complicated to explain that you're only going to be here for a little while.

[busternaut]

I was talking about mingling with other Outsiders. Mingling with the locals isn't really high on my priority list. Hell, it doesn't even have a place on there.

...Though I guess it could. I'm a pretty amicable guy.

How do we even know for sure that it's going to be just a "little while"?