insurance must be having a time

[saynotobugs]

⭐ Who: Maki, you
⭐ When: The aftermath of the crystal hailstorm on the 16th
⭐ Where: The DU office
⭐ What: Regular office stuff... and a public art project?

[1) the front desk]

At this time of year, the biggest worries would normally be cleanup after the DU anniversary celebration and kids coming in complaining about their midterm results. Unfortunately this is not, in fact, the case.

Maki can be found at the front desk, dealing with not an IT problem but a stack of emails and running a hand through her own hair. She looks up.

"Anyone got any tips for office insurance claims for rocks falling from the sky? Asking for a friend."

[2) still the lobby, but???]

Well, as long as all that sky crystal has been littering the ground for a few days and the adjusters have finally come to look at it, they can't just leave the mess outside, can they?

Maki's got work gloves on and has trucked in a bunch of the weird crystal and fallen debris, and she's... working it into a large wire sculpture? It's hard to tell what it's supposed to be, but maybe it doesn't really matter. She looks up at anyone passing.

"Hey. The emails died down, so I thought I'd do some cleanup. You wanna help, there's more gloves over there. Careful of the broken glass."

Comments

2.

[i_peace]

Oh...! [Keiwa wanders over to pick up a pair of gloves and... Looks curiously at the project that Maki is working on]

What are you making?

[saynotobugs]

No clue. Right now, just a way to get this crap out of the front entryway. I figure it'll be one of those abstract art pieces.

[i_peace]

Ooh, that sounds fun. Maybe I should hold onto some of these for community events for the kids...

[he puts on his gloves, seems like it's one of his free days today or he's between volunteer opportunities]

How can I help?

[saynotobugs]

Just pick something up and tie it on with the wires. Don't let 'em stick too far out, try and tie it back into the centre if you have to.

[Maki demonstrates by wrapping a crystal in wire and pulling it back towards the pieces of broken glass and chipped-off stone at the base.]

[i_peace]

Mmm... [he watches attentively before following Maki's instructions carefully. He mumbles to himself;] Maybe it would be safer to use string for the kids... Like a little wind chime...

[pause]

Where did Maki-san get all the materials for this?

[saynotobugs]

Outside.

[Can you feel her tiredness. Can you.]

Except the flower wire and foam, that just came from the craft store. And I got duct tape from one of the supply closets for stability.

[i_peace]

[he smiles sheepishly at the tired answer]

Sorry, not the crystals, I meant... [he points to the base of their little art project before turning his attention back to the wire he was fiddling with] One of those nearly broke my apartment window. I've been helping some of my neighbors patch holes in their exterior walls and windows where I can but...

[there's only so much a young graduate student could do]

[saynotobugs]

Same thing -- outside. Stuff that came off the building, once the insurance adjusters were gone. Hey, if you need something, ask. Not like we really need this.

[i_peace]

[he looks at Maki]

[then looks at the debris(?) that they were working on]

[then back to Maki]

[then he drops the part he was working on in surprise]

Huh?! Why are we- [well, Maki's doing this so it's probably been okay'd, right?] I don't know if there's anything here that that repairmen can use for our building.

[saynotobugs]

[And she goes to catch it! Reflexes.]

Look, it was worth a shot. Something something "turn our collective pain into hope," some Dreamer-core thing. I know we have problems on the horizon, but...

[i_peace]

[as he takes the piece back] Sorry...

... But that's not a bad way to look at it. [and he attaches his piece to the base] We should all have something to look forward to... It would be fun to have everyone help out with this, even just a little bit.

[a smile]

Like a collaborative project!

[Olruggio shudders in the distance]

[saynotobugs]

Yeah, that's what I figured. Even if it looks like garbage, technically it is garbage, so what can you do. So if anyone wants to add to this thing, they can feel free. ...It's the least I can do before the storm.

[i_peace]

... There's no real talking around it, huh?

It seems like a shame though. Anniversaries should be happy occasions, not tense like this... [he picks up another piece of crystal] We don't even know what the storm's going to look like, so how are we supposed to prepare for it?

[saynotobugs]

No kidding. Anyone know a Dreamer Rocks-Falling-From-The-Sky? I didn't think so. I miss when the anniversary was always just a party.

[i_peace]

Oh, I was only here for last year's anniversary... But Ai-san mentioned that there was a huge mess after the year before last's party. What were the previous parties like anyway?

[he laughs]

But I bet no matter what size the party is, everyone still wound up asking you to help organize it in some way, right?

[saynotobugs]

It was pretty fun, except for that. [She laughs and grabs another chunk of crystal the size of a golf ball.] And of course. That's my real job: all-purpose errand girl.

[i_peace]

Clean up afterwards must have been a story on all it's own. About as scary as some of the places inside the Disturbance...

[a sage nod] You are very good at it! Though... You do get help, right?

['they're not making you a one woman army, are they?']

[saynotobugs]

You don't have to worry about me. This is the Dreamer Union, not some souvenir stand out in the boonies.

[A sharp laugh, and then she shakes her head.]

...Speaking of. Got a phone message. My folks say they're worried after all this stuff on the news. I don't know why they care.

[i_peace]

[asking him not to worry doesn't really work, but Keiwa tries to respect it anyway. He puts his attention on the wirework in his hands instead...]

... [only to look up again] Isn't that normal? I think parents would worry about their kids, right?

[sounding oddly clueless about it...]

[saynotobugs]

Yeah, but... look. [sigh] I haven't talked to my dad in years. He never really talked much or, like... emoted. Not sure he even cared much about what I was doing. When I had to quit acting, or... it quit me, more like, the lats thing I wanted was to go back to my town. I guess I've just been hiding from the inevitable I-told-you-so.

[i_peace]

[Keiwa listens quietly as Maki talks. But his expression droops when she brings up her old acting career]

Maybe he is just worried and isn't very good at showing it. [pause] If you haven't been contacting them, they might not know what you've been doing.

[with some amusement;] Nee-chan would probably tear up the city if I went radio silent. [then, quietly, like he's worried that the person he's talking about might hear him] Hana-chan might help her with that too...

[saynotobugs]

...think so? I dunno. It's not like you can just ask someone like that. Sounds like you've got your own problems with those people.

[i_peace]

[a laugh]

Nee-chan and Hana-chan can be very passionate! [he does a little fist pump, as if for emphasis] But it's because they care.

[it does mean that he can't bring himself to ignore either of their texts... The opposite problem from Maki, it seems like]

[saynotobugs]

Glad for you. You must get along, huh. Even if they get on your nerves?

[i_peace]

[nod nod]

They don't really get on my nerves. [his temper is so mild that someone getting on his nerves is most certainly a feat unto itself] But getting along is normal for family, right? Even if there's the occasional disagreement...