prismatica | video | un: r.chambers

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video | un: r.chambers

Hi, everyone. My name's Rebecca.

[ The video opens on a small, homey apartment, filled with plants and books. Rebecca sits at a small piano, a mug of coffee steaming by her side. She looks...tired, really. It's been a difficult few weeks.

But that's no reason not to keep trying. ]

I was just wondering...what's the state of medicine like in your world? I had thought we were on the cutting-edge back home, but with everything I've seen here, you realise just how far we have to go. Considering everything that happens to us so regularly here, it can be really easy to lose track of your health.

I'm a field medic and a chemist, so I'd never call myself a doctor, but I still wanted to extend an offer to everybody: if you need someone to patch you up or do a quick check-up, call me. If you need medicine - over-the-counter stuff, obviously, not anything serious - then I'll run it over or get someone to deliver it to you. Just... [ She gives a weak smile. ] I want to help a little more, and I don't think being okay with a handgun really holds up against everything others can do, you know?

...anyway, I'm rambling. [ She looks down, playing an idle few bars of a melody. ] I've been staying in a lot. Watching old Disney movies, mostly, and I ended up working on this...

[ She adjusts the sheet music and sets her fingers in position. What follows is a nice little rendition with very few errors. Being able to just concentrate on something helps, a lot. Once it's done, she flashes a quick, embarrassed smile at the camera, then leans over and shuts it off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I see what you mean...I'm sorry about that.

[ Completely fair. Why ever go to South Dakota? ]

I couldn't really speak about it. Everything I know about New York is from movies or police reports.

Why are you getting police reports from New York? It's a little far from South Dakota.

Oh, just as research! I was a police officer back home, and the NYPD...well, you know the kind of stuff they deal with.

[ You'd be forgiven for finding that hard to believe. The person saying this is most definitely still a teenager, not to mention not even fifty pounds soaking wet. ]

[ It's hard for Ash to write anything off as impossible in a world where magic exists but even with some healthy skepticism toward the world, it would be a little hypocritical to disbelieve her on the basis of her age. While it was through a very nontraditional route, he had military training at the age of 15 and at the age of 19, is a real threat to an entire military unit.

Besides, she mentioned being a field medic. That means she's had some army training too unless the qualifications are different in her world than his own. ]

Fresh to the field?

[ Despite not necessarily disbelieving it, it is a talking point. It's possible she's around 18-19,maybe a really baby-faced 20-21. ]

[ Ayyy. High five for fellow child geniuses! ]

Just a few weeks in. [ She doesn't like to brag, but it seems appropriate, so: ] I graduated college at 18, so I got scouted for special forces right out.

18? That's usually the age they're filing in. Is it different out in the Midwest, or did you decide to start a little early?

[ More than 'in the Midwest', he's asking if it's natural in her specific world. The way she phrases the sentence suggests it's not, but it's not sure enough to make him jump to conclusions. ]

Oh, no, it's just me. I'm...

[ She pauses, tucking some hair behind her ear. ]

I guess 'accelerated' is the right way to put it. I finished high school at fifteen, then went straight into college.

[ The hesitation causes a smirk. ]

You can drop the modesty routine.

[ Which isn't to say it's an act. ]

If you finished college four years ahead of everybody else, it's not bragging to say it.

Usually those kinda people go into science, maybe mathematics or technology. Not a lot of them go into the police force. If you're a field medic, that'd be military training, too.

Sorry. I'm not really used to big-noting myself. It always seems kind of arrogant, like I'm better than other people.

I did get my degree in chemistry, and there were a lot of offers. But I wanted to be in law enforcement. It was a pretty fast training process, so I really only got basic training before I was assigned.

[ It does mean she's smarter than most of the population in her world, but Ash isn't going to push it. There's nothing to gain on either side, and arrogance isn't a fun trait. Confidence is much better. ]

I'm not saying medicine's obsolete here, but chroma's the bigger thing.

That's true too. I've learned that firsthand. Still, it's a useful skill to have as a backup.

What about you, um-- [ She realises belatedly she never got his name. ] What do you do?

Ash.

[ He can guess what the pause indicates. He already knows her name is Rebecca Chambers. ]

Here? Nothing much yet. It's going in that direction.

[ It's only month three for him. ]

Back home? Nothing a law enforcement officer wants to hear about.

It's nice to meet you, Ash.

[ She gives her warmest smile. That last comment is pretty suspect, but...well, what he'd done at home wasn't really relevant. Not unless it was really heinous. ]

That's a mysterious answer if I've ever heard one.

Saying I was a secret agent would have been mysterious. I led a gang in New York.

[ It's not a full story, but Ash doesn't offer full stories, and it isn't a lie. He was a gang leader in New York. ]

I decided to leave the business behind when I came here.

...oh.

[ Dang. The dude really just came out and said it to a cop. She had already left law enforcement behind in the same manner, but...well. Points for honesty?

She's taken a little aback. Rebecca grasps for words for a few moments, before faltering down into a small laugh. ]

I kind of did as well, actually. Law enforcement doesn't feel for me anymore.

[ The cops in his New York know it, too. Gang leaders are normally decently prolific so it's usually not worth hiding, especially in a world where he's not. ]

Changed your mind after a few months? It can be a pretty ugly job.

Something like that.

[ There's no need to go into the ugly backstory with someone she had just met. For a gang leader, he seems a nice enough guy, and she doesn't want to burden anybody with it. ]

I think I'm going to go back to my field of study, once I return home.

Medicine, huh? Field, the white coat, or a lab?

Field. I'm a trained field medic for a special forces unit. My degree's in chemistry, though, so I can also mix chemicals and medicine as long as I have my kit.

[ That one's almost bragging. She's getting there! ]

[ It's a step. She'll flaunt her confidence before she knows it. ]

Want some practice? Unless you already got a field medic job lined up here.

Practice?

[ Intriguing. She cocks her head and frowns at the camera. ]

I've got a job at an apothecary, so sort of, but - what did you have in mind?

I'm going to open up a place to teach self-defense. Some people here got superpowers, some would lose against a tin can. I don't plan on killing anybody, but it wouldn't hurt to have some trained in fixing them up on hand.

Oh, I see. That'd be a good idea.

[ She goes quiet, eyes lowering in thought. Mostly working out schedules. It's pretty early to be committing to anything, but...why not, right? What does she have to lose? ]

I can make some time for that, Ash. If you get it set up, let me know and you can count on me to help out.

Do you have a schedule for the apothecary or do you make your own? The basic stuff won't get too serious. I can slap an ice pack on sore muscles. I'll plan the heavier sessions around the time you can come around.

Um...mostly just regular store hours? Morning to afternoon, Monday through Friday. Nothing I can't move around if you need a particular time.

How heavy do you expect them to get, anyway?

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