sixwordstories | (no subject)

This is the second time she's encountered this one. Her brow furrows in obvious confusion, as she eyes him. "Context, please."

"Are you stalking me?" He says, dry but in jest.

Call it fate, perhaps. He idly rolls his one shoulder. "Well, no one seems to believe I can actually build and surgically apply biomechatronics at my age. Evidently, I have to prove them wrong."

"No." The answer to his question, said in jest but answered solemnly. "If you're fussed by my reappearance, you might want to consider not being so- hm. Bright? Oddly colored? I'm going with oddly colored."

A pause. She's talking fast today. "Can't you just test out of that?"

"Olive drab is oddly colored to you?" He seems vaguely amused. "I plan to. In their defence, both practices take several years to train for. I'll prove myself in a few years. It might be good, to get an understanding of this society."

"No," and there's that mischievous smile again but she doesn't elaborate. "How are you getting about without identification or documents?"

Uhuh, she means something else then? Curious. "I lie," he says bluntly.

"That's no good. You'll have to provide proof eventually. " A thoughtful pause. "You'll need a forger."

"Convenient that you should say that. I'm only biding my time to find one."

"You could chat up Ruby. She runs the local forgers. She's what Jack calls a holder, I think. Anyway, I'm sure she'd be willing to work out something. I mean, someone with medical skills is bound to be valuable to her. Bit hard to go to the A&E with a warrant put for you, so..."

It's mostly recitation, and her careful enunciation hints to it. Not that it's so much a script as hodgepodge of other people's ideas and foreign jargon. The way a child might explain something with a mimicked air of exasperation as they loot their parents' overheard conversation.

The way she spoke was interesting. Like someone who had studied and was merely speaking word for word what they had prepared. He was an observant fellow for the most part but this observation came primarily because he frequently does the same. An actual social conversation is often more difficult for him to achieve.

"What is the warrant for?" He doesn't sound overly concerned, but curious.

"Forgery is technically illegal. So, fraud, forgery, and theft are the most common charges her group gets. I think. Probably." Pandora shrugs. "Either way. You could go to Badger, but he's just going to charge you double and hope she doesn't notice."

"If she is often caught doing these things, she can't be that great at it." No offence, but.

Pandora gives him a funny look. "Not Ruby. Some of the forgers. Mostly the thieves and messengers."

That made more sense. He nods, understanding. "I don't think I ever got to know too much about you, did I?"

"Why would you?" It's a curious question, instead of defensive. She can't imagine why it's relevant.

"It's a normal thing to do, I hear." There's a slight smile that crosses his lips.

"I don't know. Most people prefer comfortable lies. 'How are you today, Jim?', 'oh, fine, fine'." She shrugs. "You ought to know that you look less trustworthy when you smile like that."

"Who said I was trustworthy? For all you know, I could be a murdering psychopath."

No shit? I thought you were like already a doctor or something.

Surgeon. I am, but circumstances have made that difficult to prove.

What are you going to study?

I'll probably have to start with an engineering undergrad, then move to medical school.

Under...grad? (The terminology is foreign to her.) You wish to practice medicine? Will you be a Herbalist or a Healer?

Fish out of water yourself, huh? [ Hey, that's okay. He's also a bit misplaced. Join the club. ] Neither. I'll specialize in biomechatronics and the surgical application of them.

[ Which would technically, in THIS world's system, would take him over 25 years. Somehow the 'I was legitimately born to do this, like actually genetically programmed to do this, I already know how to do this' doesn't fly with these people.]

Well. That doesn't rule out being trustworthy entirely, I think. Pathological liars, on the other hand...