video | un: r.chambers

[herbmixing]

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. ]

Comments

[herbmixing]

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?

[jadedlynx]

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.

[herbmixing]

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.

[jadedlynx]

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.

[herbmixing]

...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.

[jadedlynx]

[ 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.

[herbmixing]

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.

[jadedlynx]

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

[herbmixing]

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! ]

[jadedlynx]

[ 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.

[herbmixing]

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?

[jadedlynx]

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.

[herbmixing]

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.

[jadedlynx]

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.

[herbmixing]

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?

[jadedlynx]

Probably nothing more than bruises or sore muscles. I know what I'm doing. The bigger issue will be when I have them practice with each other.

The gun training is going to be a different story.

[ The last bit is more to tease her for the question. Ash idly wonders if she'll catch that. ]

[herbmixing]

That's easy enough. I can handle anything up to broken bones or really serious wounds. After that, it'd be much safer to get them in an ambulance - but I don't think it will come to that.

[ She catches it. ]

Gun training? I hope you're going to be doing it safely.

[jadedlynx]

If it comes to that, I'm not doing my job.

Safely depends on how fast they can move.

[ Ash won't really shoot at anyone who hires him. Probably.]

What's your rate?

[herbmixing]

[ How comforting... ]

Um, I'm not really sure. I've never done anything like this before. We pay for everything in Chroma here, and that's mostly generated through physical touch, so...

[ Wait. That sounds bad. ]

We can work something out. I'm happy to just lend a hand for now.

[jadedlynx]

[ He lives to comfort. ]

There's chroma and demichroma. I can pay you in demichroma, which means no touching but it's worth about half of what chroma is. If you're comfortable enough for chroma, I do it through handholding.

[ As every good gang boss would do. ]

[herbmixing]

Whichever way is most comfortable for you, Ash. We can work out how much is owed once we've actually done it.

[ Giving a blanket yes to any help he requires is probably a little hasty. She's only just met the guy. Still, he seems...nice is a stretch. But decent, and the sort to keep his word. ]

At least for small arms training, I can help there too. Firing a gun when you've got a smaller frame can be pretty difficult.

[jadedlynx]

[ It's important that Ash set his own limits as well. He doesn't think Rebecca is the kind to expect anything untoward, but it's very important for them both to be open in a world where physical intimacy is rewarded. ]

That so?

[ He's been shooting since he was young enough to know, but he doesn't show it. ]

Just small arms? Don't trust your skill in hand-to-hand?

[herbmixing]

[ Who knows, really? She's open to the idea, but that, too, is not really first-conversation material. Instead she smiles and bends forward, picking up her phone. Rising from the piano stool, she begins to move through her apartment, still speaking. ]

I'm not exactly a powerhouse. I know a few self-defence moves, but handguns are more suited to me. [ A light shrug. ] I know my weaknesses as well as my strengths, that's all.

[jadedlynx]

I won't say no. Another teacher's just gonna mean more students.

I learned to fight when I was pretty young. I don't know if I can teach you anything the military didn't, but if you want to show me what you can do, I'll check it out. Maybe I picked something up on the streets that might surprise you.

[ His instructor was also military and skilled enough that Ash isn't sure a human exists who can beat him. Ash included. ]

[herbmixing]

There wasn't much military training. Just basic firearms training and some police techniques. It's nothing you wouldn't already have seen.

[ Actually - she pauses and adds: ] Well, aside from grenade launchers.