yumemigaoka | mrglbrgl

⭐ Who: Maki, you
⭐ When: Early February
⭐ Where: The Koubu-ya across from the DU office
⭐ What: Lunch and griping

[So it's an average day at the Dreamer Union, by which we mean there haven't been any major incidents and no one seems to be kidnapped by their own issues yet. (Give it time.) Maki heads straight to Koubu-ya as soon as the lunch bell hits, and if you come in (common enough, given how close the restaurant is to the office), she'll give a brief wave from the lunch counter in between picking at her massive bowl of shio ramen. Judging from her face, her own level of salt is at least comparable to that of the ramen.]

I swear, if it's not people thinking I can fix the lights in front of the office when they go out -- okay, yes, I probably could, but it's not in the job description -- it's opening suspicious emails. [She turns to the nearest person she knows and gestures with her chopsticks in the air.] I mean, "notavirus.exe"? Is everyone with a brain busy in the Dream Sphere?

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People are impressed with it, though. How much work did it take? I'm guessing "a lot."

'A lot' sums it up pretty well. I appreciate the construction foreman for letting me stay in the loop. [he takes a bite of his noodles and continues once he finishes. Hopefully, the construction team appreciates the spirits that Olruggio had delivered to them once the installation was done too]

You might have an idea of the type I'm talking about, but it's always a pain trying to convince some contractors that, yes, I would like to be able to keep an eye on my own installation.

Makes sense. I was never in your position, but I definitely saw some clashes back in show business.

[he hums quietly around a mouthful of noodles]

'Back in'? Did you choose to quit?

[pause... Then he goes for a bite of the chashu in his bowl]

I wouldn't blame you. Some days it's hard to tell which is worse; your co-workers, your managers or the clients. And that's just people who were involved with the project!

Let's just say it quit me first.

[She pokes at her boiled egg.]

It happens. Not everyone can make it out there, even if they try their best.

Ah.

[no further elaboration needed?]

Showbiz is a really cutthroat industry... Or so I heard. [slurp] ... You sound dissatisfied with how it turned out.

That's how dreams work. Some people get theirs. Others don't, and then they have to pick themselves up and figure out what to do next. Me, at least I ended up here. ...So you heard, huh?

I'm in the design industry. You'd be amazed how often people give you unrelated gossip when you're trying to figure out what they want out of their commission.

But you'll have to be a little more specific.

Just what you said yourself. [shrug] Then again, it's easy to hear anything around this place.

[...]

Heh. Well, I don't know the exact details for your run in with the entertainment business. Probably for the best.

[there's a quiet huff before he looks to a side with some mild irritation (it's probably light hearted, considering the tired, slightly crooked smile on his face)]

My impression so far is that you're the go to person for general problems in the DU... And apparently not so general questions. [he's lightly seasoned about the implication that people are worried about his installation's durability]

Apparently. They do love your work, you know. Hard not to, it's already a go-to selfie spot at the tourism board.

Hmmm...

[there's a small, proud smile on his face as he continues eating]

Can't ask for much else. An installation isn't much use if it's getting ignored. I designed it so that you could get a good view of the DU without impeding the doorway, but only time will tell if it works out.

Colour me surprised to hear that the tourism board has already labeled it a go-to spot though. It's only been up for a couple of months.

[in winter too!]

Couple months is all we need. --Oh, I have a side job there. Do a bunch of events and things.

... The Tourism Board too? No wonder everyone's always talking about you like would know just about anything.

I've just worked a bunch of places, is all. Most of 'em when I was acting. Gotta pay the bills somehow.

Hmm... That's true. The behind the scenes isn't nearly as full of glitz and cheer as it is on the surface. I remember the hours I had to put in when I first started...

It's not as if it gets easier, even after you've 'made it'. But I guess that's what people call 'growing up'.

[oh no, he's back to thinking about deadlines. The slow encroaching dread...]

Yeah, something like that. Lot of people got dreams. We wouldn't have a DU otherwise.

Hmm...

Everyone's always turning to you for odd jobs around the Union, but are you a Dreamer yourself?

[he didn't notice a Sandglass, but he also knows that not everyone like to leave theirs out in the open]

[Maki shakes her head with a small, derisive laugh.] Could you imagine? Nah, I'm not. Wanted to for a bit when I was a kid, like everyone does. I'm just me.

[a wry little smile as he teases]

Wall, a majority of my work relies on how creative I can be so...

[sighs]

You seem to have enough on your plate as it is, so maybe it is a good thing that you never found a Sandglass. Who's to say? When Qifrey and I were younger, we thought that I'd be the one who took up the mantle of a Mentor yet... [he frowns] Things change.

You never know when you're a kid. You can do everything you want for your dreams, and something else happens.

[slowly eating his noodles]

Even if something different happens, if you find contentment in it, then is it all that bad?

That's one thing, yeah. If you're happy. Otherwise, well, that's just how it is. You gotta live with it.

So?

Are you happy or are you living with it?

That's a pretty loaded question. You do this a lot?

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