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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 27, 2015 22:15:47 GMT
As I approached the mountain fortress once again, having completed the required training this time, I readied myself for combat, prepared to draw it at any time. I did not trust these humans, especially when I knew that they had weapons trained on me. I analyzed the fortifications, making use of the training they had given me, just to keep in practice with it. After all, it was important not just to keep your body in shape, but your mind and other skills as well. It was not too well fortified, at least compared to many of the structures I had learned about in history, and I could break through the walls myself with a bit of time. However, those were just deterrents, which allowed the men who manned the area to come up and rain bullets on any attacker. Low caliber bullets were not a problem for my scales, however high caliber or AP rounds would still tear through my armor, though not do as much damage as they would do to a normal human. That was the real threat, and as such I kept a wary eye on the various guards and noted a few gun nests. Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly through the gates, keeping an eye out for any new threats.
However, after I got through the gates, I saw no more immediate dangers, and I let myself relax a bit, no longer immediately ready to attack anything that seemed like a major threat. Continuing on, I moved through a sort of courtyard, with a lot of recognizable plants, as this area was about the same altitude as my master's lair, and therefore the ecosystem was quite similar, even if there was a few plants put here by the humans that stood out a bit, probably for decorations sake. How silly, I thought to myself, if they were at least medicinal, I would understand cultivating them specifically, but to waste resources to keep non-native plants with nothing but an aesthetic purpose alive? That was a waste of resources that could be used for better things, like improving the basic equipment that officers were given. I did not wear any of it, as it was far inferior to what I had been given by my lord. I did, however, carry the remote communication device they gave me, a Radio I believe it was called. It worked on some sort of energy source that was a type of light, it seemed. At least that's all I remember from the lecture we were given on science in basic training. What was important was that it could transmit orders and allow for communication from team members from far distances, improving the efficiency of a squad. They also tried to give me a gun, but I refused, saying I had more faith in my steel than I had in any invention of man.
As I was thinking to myself, I passed through into a reception area of sorts, with a desk manned by a few different humans, all of differing ages, genders, and racial backgrounds. Another thing I didn't get about humans, the fact that they often treated each other differently based on gender and skin color. What did it matter what a person looked like or what they had between their legs? As long as they were able to do the job, that's all that mattered. However, I had to put that aside for now, and maybe ask someone for clarification later.
I approached the desk and there was a bell there with a note under it that said, please ring for service. With that in mind, I gently tapped the bell, or at least thought I tapped it gently. The bell did indeed ring, but it seemed that I had put a small dent in it. Oh well, if it broke that easily, it obviously wasn't that well made. Seeing as there were some people there, I cleared my throat and began to speak in english, which was apparently the major language of this area of the world, "I do apologize for breaking your bell, and for not waiting for someone to come help me after ringing it, but I cannot tarry here, as I have just arrived back from Basic Training, and was told to go here to get my desk assignment and be issued a badge. Praytell, am I in the correct area?" I said, hoping I was using the correct words. The English I had learned was apparently a bit archaic, however the grammatical structure was largely the same, just the common vocabulary had shifted over time.
With that said, I waited for a response from one of the people at the desk, or perhaps someone who had come when the bell had been rung, waiting to begin in earnest the assignment my lord had given me.
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Post by Puck on Jul 28, 2015 0:48:40 GMT
Michael West It was another busy mundane day for the office. The cacophony of phone calls and printers running permeated the room. Michael was just wearing his very fingertips down as he tapped away on the keyboard. There were records to be inputted, phone calls to take, and papers to be copied, stamped, and put away. He swept back his short dirty blonde hair while frustratingly scrutinizing paperwork after paperwork as a pen nestled on his ear. It was nearly a mindless affair for him by now. The pencil pusher has gotten used to this for several years now. Unlike all the adventurous bloodthirsty S.I.D. agents on the field, West was better off in the non-violent workplace of an office. He was just sipping a now lukewarm mug of coffee that has been waiting for him ever since he pulled up the first page of paperwork for the day. It kept him awake and retained him in the constant monotony. Just as he had just stamped that last page of paperwork regarding a S.I.D.'s agent's transfer into the T.A.M.R.D., someone finally appeared to the desk where he was to receive people coming to the office. He looked back at the dragonkin. Now, that's someone you don't see every day, Michael would note. Sure, there were werewolves and some vampires running the offices along with a bunch of other half-blood Hybrids. But, a dragonkin was a rare one. The office-worker wondered how many were actually roaming around in the I.A.C.S.B. Probably not that many, though that shouldn't be his concern. Since, the bell is broken after all. Again, for the third time in the week. First two were a clumsy pair of minotaur and hybrid of some sort. He glanced at the broken item with annoyance before looking back at the dragonkin. "...Yeah. You're in the right place. So give me your name and eight digit I.D. number. I'll need to verify you."Michael pulled up the keyboard and waited for her to start telling him the necessary information.
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 28, 2015 1:37:05 GMT
The man in front of me confirmed that I was, indeed, in the correct place. Thank goodness, these buildings were quite hard to navigate sometimes, as they were quite different from the buildings in my own home town. He then asked me for my name and ID number, did he mean theat number that they had given me when I had finished basic training? If I recall correctly it was 07151129. With that in mind, I responded to the man in front of me, who seemed rather irritated, maybe it was I broke the bell.
"My name is Valxiris Caerfarn, but you can call me Val, as it is easier for humans. My Identification number is zero seven one five one one two nine. I do apologize for breaking your bell, I am not used to handling objects designed for people of human strength yet, most of the items I have handled in my life have been far more...sturdy than that," I said, apologizing further for my mistake
I looked around the office while I waited for him to enter the info, and I saw a few different pieces of art, nothing really spectacular, and definitely nothing whose style I had seen before. ALl of it was what was called "modern art", though it looked more like what would happen if you gave paint to a child, at least to me. There were a few more decorative plants, and also a water cooler that had two nozzles, one red and one blue. I recalled the time that I had accidentally used the red handle, and got hot water instead of cold, boy was that unpleasant after a training session, though it would have been far more terrible for someone with less resistance to heat.
After he finished entering the data I had given him, I once again focused on the man in front of me and said, "Is there anything else you need of me, and if not, could you call someone to bring me to my office space? Or mayhaps you could to it yourself?"Showing that I was in a bit of a hurry. I did not like standing around doing nothing much, it was always much better to be DOING something, or at least thinking about what to do next. Just sitting around waiting made me anxious, and I did not like it at all. Suddenly, I remembered something I had forgotten, apparently it was polite in human society to ask another's name if you gave your own, and I decided to do so, "Excuse my rudeness for not asking this before, but may I inquire as to your name good sir, I have given mine, so I thought it only polite to ask yours."
With that done, I waited for the man's response, ready to follow him if he were to lead me to my office, or to answer more questions if necessary.
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Post by Puck on Jul 28, 2015 2:58:35 GMT
Michael West "Happens. Don't worry about it," Michael muttered at least loud enough for the dragonkin to hear as he worked on typing in the necessary information that she gave to him. The I.D. number he was able to input in, but the name, not so much. It's not exactly the kind of name he's very familiar with in the first place. There are weirder names, but he still hasn't quite gotten used to it yet. "Spell out your name."If she did, West would finally tap in the name into the computer and started clicking around boxes. Soon a page of her registration profile showed up. Everything seemed to check out. Even a picture of her face was on it. He pulled out a drawer and soon drew out a metallic box and started to burrow into it after opening its lock. Soon a brass badge with I.A.C.S.B. engraved on it was in his hands and it was handed it over to Valxiris. But now she needed her own office space. Of course, she was the newbie here and needed one. Great. More time to waste. He looked back behind him to see who wasn't busy and was fooling around. But, turns out everyone was rushing back and forth or glued to their seats working on something in the office. And he couldn't just send her on her way on her own, probably is still isn't used to the area just yet and might break something along the way. "Yeah. Hold on. I'll be there. I'll be there," he grumbled while getting up his seat and clicking on a few things on the computer to save a few things on file. Michael finally exited the office from the door near Valfirix. It clicked shut due to the security mechanisms in place. "C'mon. Follow me."He motioned her to come and then turned to lead the way. "Name's Michael. Michael West. Now let's go. I got some work to do after this."As he walked to lead her, Michael wondered if Valxiris actually knew to use a computer unlike a certain half-elf who reputedly keeps breaking every electronic in her hands at the annoyance of the T.A.M.R.D.
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 28, 2015 21:31:41 GMT
The man introduced himself as Michael West, what a strange last name. Was it common for humans to name their families after things like that? I had heard a few other strange family names, but I had assumed they all had meanings I was not aware of, maybe it was the case with his family as well? Or maybe they really had a thing for the west? Dismissing these thoughts, I followed the man through the offices, noting a couple different types of offices, some with actual full rooms, and some with cubicles. I assumed I would get a full room, after all the cubicles looked a little too small for me, especially given my tail would probably trip the people trying to go down the aisles that were between the many cubicles. Deciding to get this clarified, I spoke to the man leading me through the halls. "Sir West, may I inquire to the type of work space I will be given? I don't p[articularly mind either way, however I do think my size will cause some problems if I am put in these cubicle office things, it seems like my tail would hang out into the walkway," I then paused to wait for his response.
After we had walked for a bit further, I began to notice some new features in the offices, not only were there humans around, there were people who seemed to be of other species I had not seem. One of them looked very pale, probably a vampire, a girl with pointed ears who was followed around by a girl who seemed to act like a dog, probably and elf and some sort of werewolf, though I was not sure about the second one. Something about her seemed quite interesting though, if I had to put my finger on it, she seemed like she was strong, I would have to test that theory later. Making a mental note to find the silver haired girl later, I continued to follow the man through the office space, noting a few other races around, nothing that really jumped out as unusual, and no other dragonkin like myself. Not that I expected another of my kind here, but it would have been nice to spar with another of my kind, just to see how well their lord had trained them. Deciding to look around later, I filed that away on the aforementioned to-do list.
Seeing as we had been walking for a while, I decided to as Sir West where my office would be, "I'm sorry to bother you again, Sir West, however, may I inquire as to where my office is? We seem to have been walking for a while. Is it much further, or did we accidentally pass it?" I asked trying to figure out how much further we would be going. After all, the sooner I got to my office, the sooner I could begin my work for my lord.
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Post by Puck on Jul 29, 2015 15:38:34 GMT
West raised an eyebrow back at Valxiris for addressing him as a "Sir" like someone from the Middle Ages would do. But he remembered this organization was full of weird people to begin with. West told her flatly, "We have sizes for you. Don't worry about it, Val."
That said, he gestured the dragonkin to follow. He led her through the hallways that would eventually end up at the office area for her. There were a number of people that crossed paths with them. Some he didn't know, West simply ignored and moved on. Others that knew him, the office-worker only gave a nod of acknowledgement before simply moving on. There was Sandy, a vampire who was usually stuck in the night shift. But, seems to be doing some work inside the building anyway. She was always a workaholic, and perhaps in life too. Then there were a couple of elves that knew him, somehow. Not that he could explain much about it, but he suspects there must be a rumor circulating somewhere.
The back side of the office rooms are usually reserved for larger Mystic Kind to accommodate to their needs. West remembered there was a cubicle reserved, it must be hers. She asked about her destination. West responded by reaching for a walnut door with a metallic door handle to his left. Once opened, it revealed a white sterile floor of office cubicles divided by walkways large enough for most Mystic Kind to pass through. Michael motioned her to keep following.
The sound of phones ringing and people speaking were normal in this environment. West wondered if someone who speaks in archaic English could even do actual work in the office. He thought to himself just while turning around a corner, "Wouldn't she be better off just hitting things with a some sword?"
The image of her cutting down Horrors really fit her. Though, if command put her here, then they put her here. There's not much he could say anything about it.
"Here we are."
They were now standing in front of a cubicle which was actually at least long enough to stretch out a good majority of her tail without discomfort. It was outfitted with a standard-issued desktop computer that is mounted to the desk and other office necessities across it. There was even a small shelf above where the computer would be. The chair had rollers to move around easily as well as having some space between the back and the seat for her tail.
"So you need anything else?"
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 1, 2015 1:35:00 GMT
Soon after I had inquired how far away we were, we arrived at my workstation. It was a cubicle, however it seemed like it had been made to fit larger people such as myself, and the chair even had a place for my tail to go through when I sat. Deciding to give the chair a test, I sat down at my desk and evaluated how comfortable it was. The chair was soft, which was nice, however it probably would have been nicer for someone with softer skin. The chair moved around on wheels, which allowed for easy movement in the cubicle in case I needed to go to one side or the other, as the desk space was rather large. Furthermore, in the middle of the desk was a strange box, with a board in front of it, which had the letters of the human alphabet on it.
After pondering over it for a moment, over it, I realized this was one of those computers that they ahd at the academy, though a slightly different model. I had used one on occasion, however I was sure it was probably not the same kind as the ones at the school, which were of a much different shape, and I was not confident in my abilities to set it up or use it properly without guidance. So with that in mind, I answered Sir West's inquiry as to whether I needed anything else thusly, "Yes, indeed there is Sir West, however you seem to be rather busy, and what I require mighht take some time. Is there any way you could get a computer expert down here to set this computer up and maybe give me a quick tutorial on how it works? I have used one before at training, but I am not too familiar with it, and am not confident in my capabilities, I must admit," I said, looking slightly ashamed I needed help using a basic tool of my new trade. I would have to master this contraption as soon as possible, so I would not be a burden on the staff here, lest I meet a dead end in my observation due to lack of connections.
With that said, I waited for the man's response, and while I did, I decided to become at least a bit more accustomed to my office space. There were a few drawers I had not noticed before, a total of 7, one of which was small, flat, and directly under the computer on my desk. Other than that, there was a phone, which I was fairly confident in using, however my accent tended to confuse some people when I spoke, so I had to be extra careful not to use too antiquated a lexicon. Furthermore, there was a dry erase calendar on the wall, presumably to put important work dates on it, such as meetings, and there was also a digital clock, that told the time in military style. Other than that, there was nothing much of note, and as such, I returned my attention to Sir West and waited for his response.
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Post by Puck on Aug 1, 2015 2:28:03 GMT
Michael West West wasn't surprised at all that the dragonkin seemed to fit in nicely in her own cubicle. The I.A.C.S.B. has been around to know enough of their supernatural members' needs and they have had time to at least accommodate most of them if not all. He really hoped it was the end of that. There was work to do and papers to skim over and stamp for approval. Yet, Valxi--or whatever her name was, had one more request. She still didn't know how to use a goddamn computer. Michael was very quick to give a derisive look. For the love of God! What are they teaching them in Basics? First it was the damned elf and now this? Someone was definitely slacking. West would certainly try to find some time to put in a report about this. His disdainful expression quickly disappeared as it appeared. Whether she saw it or not, he wasn't going to let her dwell on it as he quickly moved on. "Yeaaaah. Sure. I'll get someone. Hold up." He left her at the cubicle as he started to turn away. His lips were silently mouthing nonsense about Basics slacking off and his utter disbelief at it. Of course, there was no use dwelling on that stupid fact. The office and his lukewarm coffee awaited him, there was no doubt there's paperwork piling up at this very moment. He headed over to the nearest phone mounted on the wall meant for the quick communication around the premises of the I.A.C.S.B. It was at least far away enough that he wouldn't be heard. Numbers were pushed in and he waited until hearing a-- "Yello?""Hey, Geoff," West greeted him flatly. He could hear a rather jolly tone through the receiver, "Oh, shit! West, my brother! Oh, man. I haven't heard from you in a while! What's up, my man?" "Mind sending one of your boys up to the offices? The one Carla is running. I got another fucking Mystic who knows jackshit about computers." "Another? Damn, really? Alright. Yeah, hold up... HEY, EDWIN!"West waited for the exchange between Geoff and this Edwin to end with a door closing. From the looks of it, the latter doesn't seem very pleased by this assignment. "He'll be coming on over. So, you good?""Yeah, it's cool. Thanks, I gotta head out. I'll see ya later." The call ended before Geoff could continue. West was sure Geoff was actually going to say something else, but he decided to take the preemptive to end it there before having to be subject to more of Geoff's "playful" nature. The office-worker headed back to Valxiris to say, "Yeah, someone's coming. Gonna take a while."
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Post by The D.J. C.J. on Aug 1, 2015 3:28:12 GMT
“Almost…” Edwin muttered to himself.
The screen flashed a myriad of colours, music pumping into Edwin’s headphones, the man himself focused intensely on the screen through his glasses. As much as he probably should have been working, nobody seemed to be paying attention to him – as usual – so instead he’d been slacking off playing video games - in particular, a first-person shooter that he’d recently bought. He’d managed to just ever so slightly modify his computer so it wouldn’t advertise to the entire wing he was playing it, particularly since he didn’t want to share, but also so he didn’t have to answer questions to the bosses. His work was basically just stacking numbers anyway.
In any case, Edwin had forgotten about his proper work, eyes intent, swarming through paths of hideous demons (at least as the world of video games showed him, which were both far more terrifying and far sillier than anything the real world offered), clearing out room after room and trying desperately to stay alive. The end of the level was approaching, and Edwin had been fighting this damn boss for the last 10 minutes – bastard liked to make himself invincible until you shot down his defences, and boy had the makers of this game gone overboard. “Come on…come on…” Edwin muttered, deep in focus.
“HEY, EDWIN!”
The shout from behind him made him spin in his chair, but before he could actually process what the shout was about, another sound from his earphones told him of a far worse fate. Before he could spin back to his computer and regain control he watched his digital avatar blown away in a shower of pixelated blood and a GAME OVER screen taunt him.
Edwin swore loudly enough for the entire office to turn their heads, but Edwin instead turned to see who was approaching him.
“Sorry dude, no distraction, I hope?” a jolly voice came from the man approaching Edwin, completely ignoring his earlier outburst, with a smile on his face and brown eyes shining in delight
“****ing Geoff. Of goddamn course.” Edwin bitterly thought to himself. “What the hell do you want now?” he asked, bitter as usual.
“Come on man, don’t be like that. All them video games are getting to your head. Hardly gonna be a hero like that!” he roughed up Edwin’s hair with his knuckles, laughing. Edwin tried to back off, but couldn’t since he was already at his desk, and tried to twist his head from under Geoff’s attack but to no avail.
“Get the hell offa me, you self-righteous asshat!” Edwin yelled at Geoff, though this barely helped. Anyone else would have been fired on the spot, but Edwin knew Geoff enjoyed his outbursts - why else would Geoff keep annoying him? Let alone he was the senior guy here, so Edwin could do nothing about it.
In any case, Geoff laughed, and only backed off out of having enough. “Anyway, Edwin, got a call from the SID offices. You’ve finally got a job! I’m so proud of you, midget!”
Edwin scowled up at him. “What?!” he nearly yelled out. If he had to put up with Geoff for too long of any given day, he feared he’d actually enjoy the fantasy of shooting him.
“Mystic-kind up in the SID offices—”
“Don’t tell me it’s that goddamn half-elf again! I fixed her computer five times yesterday! Five! One of them was just that she hadn’t turned the bloody plug on!!” Edwin could swear he was about to froth at the mouth.
“Poor baby. But no, lucky you, it’s an entirely new Mystic who knows nothing about computers!”
Edwin resisted the urge to punch Geoff in the face. Again. “Gah…typical. So get someone else to do it.”
“Tough luck Edwin, but you’re the one without any work. You’ve been playing video games all morning – oh don’t look surprised, everyone knows it. You’re just lucky I like ya, or else you’d be on your ass in minutes. Now go earn your keep and do some work for a change.” Geoff lightly swatted Edwin’s head. At least, what Geoff thought was a light swat.
“Ow!” Edwin rubbed the sore spot on his head. “Alright, alright, fine! Anything to get you off my bloody case. Where in the SID offices?”
“The one’s Carla’s working. West is waiting by the right one. Go get ‘em, tiger!” Geoff walked off with a laugh.
Edwin placed his face in his hands. “Why? Why does that bastard keep treating me as tech support? One of these days I swear I’ll actually load him into a cannon. Surely the IACSB keeps one around here somewhere…” he again was tempted to lose himself in violent fantasies. Alas, work was due, and that was something he couldn’t ignore. Gathering up his laptop and other various CDs and disks he needed, he started the long walk towards the SID offices…
--
A long and tiring walk later, with Edwin muttering to himself the whole way, he reached the correct office West was lounging by. He sighed – West was one of the few people in the IACSB he liked, or at least tolerated. “Hey, West.” He sighed as he turned into the office to see…
Edwin blinked. “A Dragonkin? Well, at least this is a new one.” Indeed, this was the first Dragonkin that Edwin had ever seen. Still, unfortunately, it meant this could end up even worse than Arwen, for which it would not be a good day. “Yo, I’m the tech support. Let’s see here…” he said, and then immediately lost interest in the dragonkin as he looked to see which of the cables was unplugged this time. At least it looked like this time someone had only just got this new one in, so most of the plugs seemed to be unplugged. He sighed and got to work clicking cables into plugs, flicking switches and a few minutes later stood back from his work.
“Welp, that should be all the technical behind-the-scenes stuff. Now, you know anything about computers? Be nice if I didn’t have to start from the complete top.” Edwin asked, looking at the dragonkin. It did occur to him shortly after finishing speaking that Geoff must have really cheesed him off, because he suddenly realised was smart-mouthing a dragonkin who could twist his head off without a second thought. Still, Edwin was too busy desperately hoping he didn’t have to start with teaching the dragonkin about the power button.
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 3, 2015 0:11:04 GMT
After mentioning I would need some help setting up my computer, Sir West said he would be right back and headed to a phone, presumably to call someone to come help. As he did this, I began to get comfortable in the office, and I took the rather large sword off of my belt and set it on the desk. I would probably not need it immediately when in the offices, and it simply hindered my ability to relax in my chair, which now that I sat down in it again, seemed to be a lot more comfortable with the sword gone. To kill some time, I looked through the drawer's I had taken note of earlier. Most of them were empty, but the thin one had some office supplies, mostly too small and fragile for my use, as when I tried to use one similar to them at basic training it pretty much snapped. I would have to remember to ask Sir West about getting some more durable supplies later.
After a few minutes Sir West returned from the phone and informed me that someone would be down, but it would take a little while for them to get there. I presumed that he would stay here as some sort of marker for the person arriving, so I decided to take this opportunity to inquire about a few things, including getting stronger office supplies. "Sir West, if it would not be too much hassle, I was wondering if I could possibly get some more appropriate office supplies? The keyboard, mouse, and office supplies in here all are a bit small and fragile for my taste, and probably will end up the same way as the bell. I recall them having some more durable supplies at basic training, and I was wondering if you could obtain some for my office? I would be very grateful if you could do so." I commented after coughing briefly to attract Sir West's attention. "If this is too much trouble, I could attempt to make do, however I do think that would just cause more problems in the long run."
After that, it was quiet for a while until a boy who seemed familiar with Sir West appeared and greeted him. He then greeted me and said he was the tech support. If he hadn't gotten to work immediately and seemed extremely knowledgeable about what he was doing I would have been skeptical that he was even old enough to be working here, let alone be in a position like he was. I then immediately returned the greeting, "Hello, I am Valxiris Caerfarn, however you may call me Val as it seems humans have trouble with my full name. What is yours, I would ask, as it would be rude to refer to someone who is doing me a service as just you, or boy."
After a few minutes, he seemed finished with what he was doing now and turned his attention towards me, and asked if I knew anything about computers. They did teach us some basic computer skills at basic training, such as typing and using the internet, but nothing along the lines of specialized programs, so I responded thusly. "I know a bit about the use of a computer, however nothing in depth. I can type, use the internet and email, and some other miscellaneous tasks, but nothing specialized. Just simple basic use, which is why I asked for you to come and set it up and possibly teach me about any specialized programs I will be using, as I was told I would be taught when I came here."
Hopefully that answer would suffice, as I was not sure if that was exactly what he was looking for when he asked the question. I then waited for the boy's response, hoping that I had not said the wrong thing.
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Post by Puck on Aug 3, 2015 6:27:14 GMT
Michael West Oh, great. Now they forgot to furnish the Mystic Kind with the more tougher materials. West was definitely annoyed by this. A desk that is obviously made for a Mystic and yet they didn't furnish it adequately enough. Now he has to clean after their mess. Someone in here was really slacking on their job. How frustrating. But, there isn't much use to complain. It wouldn't be much longer now. Just hand her the goddamn supplies and head back to that beloved office desk stacked with countless work to do. While hiding his irritation, West replied to her grudgingly, "Yeah, I'll go. But we gotta wait for the T.A.M.R.D. guy. I'll go when he gets in here."He wondered who Geoff would send, but knowing what the rumors have been circulating, the office-worker already has suspicions as to who would show up today. And he didn't have to wait very long as he saw Edwin Melchiott finally arrived as West had reckoned. "Sorry 'bout this Edwin," he sheepishly looked back at him. West knew Edwin had his fair share of work with the Mystics. A good lot of them being a waste of time. He had no doubt T.A.M.R.D. agents do have a lot on their plate and that's something West could sympathize with. Really, being dragged from work to do something else unrelated is a bother. "I'll be back for a bit. I gotta go get her stuff. Another idiot forgot to give her the usual for Mystics. He excused himself and left the two of them to work on the computer's systems. But, of course, West just continued to grumble away as he left the offices. OOC: So West is going to be gone until you guys want him back. Keep on posting without me and let me know when I should post.
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Post by The D.J. C.J. on Aug 4, 2015 5:37:58 GMT
"Oh, thank the lord!" Edwin thought to himself. If he'd been a member of the Church, he'd have said he heard angels singing halleujah. "At least this one knows something. This might not take all day."
"Well, there's not as much in specialised programs per se." Edwin began to explain. "Most usage of programs here is modified but more secure versions of things you'd have already learnt if you've got any experience with a computer. They work generally the same as anything you might have already used - a few positional differences, I guess, but as much is done behind-the-scenes as possible to make it easier for..." Edwin hesitated for a second, barely catching the words 'Mystic-kind' on the tip of his tongue - lord knows he really didn't want to upset the dragonkin, despite most of his experiences with a certain elf driving him near to raving insanity. "...less-experienced computer users. Besides that, any 'specialised' programs are usually used by the TAMRD for calculations and data sorting and the like - really boring stuff - I doubt anyone in the SID would have much use for them, and in the few times they do we usually just hand whoever asks results." Edwin explained. "Besides, you'd be surprised how much information is available on the Internet even to everyday people if they're willing to put the effort to look in."
Edwin sighed as a slight wave of nostalgia hit him - he'd had the chance to use some of those 'specialised' programs once, when he first joined. Then by bad luck or ill will, he'd been put into doing more and more tech support for people who didn't know how computers worked - and it was surprising how many people in the IACSB didn't. It tended to be that a lot of the people in TAMRD Class 3 got stuck with the jobs nobody else wanted, and Edwin seemed to have particularly bad luck in that area. Still, not much he could do about it yet. In time, though...
Shortly after thinking that, Edwin realised the dragonkin - Valshiri...Valexeri...dammit, just Val would have to do for now, but he'd make sure to get that damn name right eventually - had asked his name. What was so interesting about himself that people cared for his name? Still, not like she was going to find much about him unless she was desperate to. "My name? Edwin Melchiott. No middle name, no respectable lineage or fantastic stories or anything."
Edwin sat down in the chair, turning on the computer and watching the computer run through a boot sequence, just as he had a thousand times before. There was something comforting to him about the boot sequence of a computer - that to some degree, when you broke everything down to it's finest, minuscule atoms, everything was a collection of data, an infinite number of 0s and 1s. Even the dragonkin, her massive sword lying on the desk, the very world around them - everything broke down, eventually, to the same thing. And while he wasn't 100% on it, he was pretty convinced even those demons who crossed over were, to even some minor degree, forced to play by some of the rules here. It was one of the few things that gave Edwin any hope of surviving, even if it was based on more hunch than any hard, cold fact.
Edwin returned his focus to the computer and fingers began flying across the keyboard, logging in, and moving with precise motions as he began setting up the computer for privileged access to the IACSB intranet and general internet. "You might want to get comfortable, this is probably gonna take another...ooh, I'll see if I can beat my record of 10 minutes." Edwin said, his focus never leaving the screen. He hadn't beaten it yet, but there were people in the TAMRD who'd sworn they'd gotten it down to 7, despite Edwin not being entirely sure that was possible. Only one way to find out.
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 5, 2015 2:41:07 GMT
The boy in front of her explained that there were no real specialized programs that she would be using, and what she had been trained would be more than enough for what she would be doing in her job, and that most of the information she needed would either be on the internet, or she could get it from the TAMRD, assumedly that was the department the boy came from. He had looked quite pleased that I was able to use a computer at least proficiently, was it so uncommon for a non-human like myself not to be able to use a computer properly even if trained? Or did he just usually get stuck with the ones who did? No matter.
The boy in front of her's name was Edwin Melchiott it seemed, and he seemed not to have too high of an opinion of himself. That was no attitude for someone to have, after all, he was here with the IACSB, so he had to have some value, even if he himself did not realize it,. Physical strength was not the only thing that gave value in this world, and the services he provided, at least to me, were invaluable. There was no way I could have set up this computer on my own, just as he did not seem to be able to defend himself. It was a matter of what one could offer to their society, if they offered a service that was valuable to the society in which they lived, they had the right to be proud of what they did, as they lived their life honorably. Maybe this was not a common thought in human society? Maybe because there were so many more people, jobs that were more influential were the only ones that seemed to carry honor to humans?
Responding to his introduction, I began to speak to Sir Melchiott, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Melchiott. You should not worry about having a lineage or having impressive stories, as you work in an honorable profession. You are able to set up a computer, something even a powerful warrior like me cannot do. A job does not have to be prestigious or complicated to be honorable, it simply has to be useful to the society in which you live, at least in my opinion. So do not be so down on yourself about it, after all we all were born with different traits, different things we were designed to do and not be able to do. All that we must do to live a good life is figure those things out, and use them for the betterment of society, and from what I can see, you are doing so," I said in an attempt to give the boy at least a little more confidence in himself. I had said nearly the same thing once to a girl who was born into the potter class who had wanted to become a soldier, but did not have the talent for it. It had worked well, and she went on to become one of the best potters in our clan, so hopefully it would help this boy just as much.
He then mentioned that I should get comfortable, as it would take about 10 minutes to set it up, if he could not break his record. I decided to give the boy word of encouragement, "Well then, try your hardest, sir Melchiott. I will be silently cheering you on, do the best you can, and you will definitely break that record of yours. I have faith in your abilities," I said, giving the boy a toothy grin. After all, that is what I was told when I was young. It also is how I excelled up until this day, every time I trained, studied, or fought, I always made sure to give it my all, and I always would get better every time as a result.
With that, I imply sat back and watched the boy silently, cheering him on silently so that I would not distract him and cause him to slip up.
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Dec 14, 2016 21:26:03 GMT
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Post by The D.J. C.J. on Aug 5, 2015 3:31:46 GMT
Familiar screens flickered and whizzed by Edwin's eyes. He was almost subconsciously counting off the seconds in his head as they did. Hands flew across the keyboard as fast as any reasonable human could expect to do so, even as he never looked down at them. For a while he barely even realised Valsi- ('"dammit, still can't get it right")...Val was still there. Familiar 0s and 1s, familiar words that were the closest he'd ever get to casting magic. If he learnt how to create AI programs, he was reasonably convinced he could take over the Internet, even the IACSB if he wanted to. As a human, he was terribly weak - but here, just for a few seconds, he was a God.
He heard Val speak to him, and was broken out of his fantasies of grandeur (which as much as he expected, he was still a little disappointed by), but her words were enough to get him to blink and stop typing in sheer surprise, just staring dumbly at her. It took a few seconds before he could speak. "OK, first of all - for the love of whatever...god or karmic force or whatever it is you believe in, don't call me Sir. It makes me feel like I should be...be some kind of god-damn storybook hero." Edwin finally managed to say, with a little bit of difficulty. "And this job, useful? This ain't anything special, not really. Anyone with a decent knowledge of computers could do something like this. It's like..." Edwin tried desperately to come up with an analogy, but for once his mind was a blank. "...Well, it ain't honourable, in any case." And to Edwin, it was true. Maybe few people could do it as fast, but really there wasn't any rush for time. But having someone praise him? As in, actually praise his work in doing this ridiculously basic stuff, this boring tech support being honourable...?
"...am I blushing?" Edwin asked himself silently. The thought unnerved him so that he faced the computer again and kept typing, hoping desperately the dragonkin hadn't noticed if he was. But even so, he couldn't seem to quite focus, starting to make a few mistakes he silently chastise himself for being amateur. As he turned back to look at the dragonkin that had distracted him so, he realised she was smiling, her teeth prominent. Edwin's kneejerk reaction was to think, "Oh Christ, is she going to eat me?" Fortunately, a couple of seconds made him realise she was...smiling. And apparently, as the words she had just said started to penetrate to his brain, cheering him on.
Cheering him on.
Cheering.
At this point, Edwin felt even more flustered and completely ridiculous, turning back to try and gather his focus on the work and ignore Val as best as possible. "...rrrrg. Stupid dragonkin and her stupid cheering." he grumpily thought to himself - there was no way he was going to beat his record at this point, as flustered as he was, seeming to his own eyes to type slower and slower, and make more mistakes, even if another human probably would have barely noticed unless they were paying close attention. Still, at least he was almost done and then he could get out of here before anything even more awkward happened.
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 5, 2015 21:11:49 GMT
It seemed that Sir Melchiott was not comfortable with what I was calling him. I was a bit confused, as how else was I supposed to call him? After all, everyone in the books I had read in english had usually referred to people with an honorific. To clear up the confusion, I decided to ask him directly, "What else should I call you Sir Melchiott? i was under the impression that it was proper to refer to others by their last name and an honorific normally, so I have been attempting to do so whenever I can. How else would you prefer I refer to you?" I asked, deciding to refer to him as Sir Melchiott under he said otherwise.
He seemed not to understand what I had meant when I said his job was honorable, as well, arguing that anyone with a bit of computer knowledge could do what he was doing, and that it was nothing special. However, it did not matter that it was nothing special or glorious, he was doing a job that benefited the people around them, allowing them to do their job effectively, which made it honorable, and I decided to further explain what I had meant. "Sir Melchiott, It does not matter whether you find the job easy or challenging, or whether it is dangerous or glorious. You do a job that others cannot do, even though you say that anyone with moderate tech expertise could do it, not everyone has that, myself included. I could never do what you do, just as even though I find my job easy, you probably think you could never do what I do. Everything comes with practice and training, and what I said is especially true for humans, as you live such short fleeting lives. Unlike for us dragonkin who can live for centuries, and perhaps a millennium, you have to specialize and compliment each other to work well as a society, everyone taking up an unique role, allowing others to specialize as well. You serve the community and allow otehrs to do their job well, which makes your job inherently honorable, even if it is not the most glorious profession," I said, trying to explain to Sir Melchiott what I had meant. Everyone had a role to play in society, and if you played that role well and with dedication, your work was honorable, no matter if you were the greatest warrior or the lowliest handmaiden. It did not matter, as you were contributing to society in the way you were able to.
I then noticed that Sir Melchiott seemed rather flushed and started to type a bit more slowly than he had before. Was he overheating, or was he possibly sick? Either way, it was obvious that a person should not work in either state, as they were not only liable to make mistakes and possibly hurt themselves in some cases, but it was also probable that they would make their condition worse, making the recovery time significantly longer than if they had just stopped when the symptoms first started. However, as I was not too familiar with human biology, I decided to ask just to make sure, "Sir Melchiott, your face seems rather flushed, are you alright? Do you have a fever, or are you overheating? Is there anything I can do to help, or should I get someone to bring you medical treatment?" I asked, showing my concern for the boy by lightly stroking his back in a gesture of kindness, making sure not to put too much force into it or let my claws touch him, after all I was trying to comfort him, not harm him. I was tempted to tell him to just get someone else to do it in his stead while he rested, however I did not want to act too hastily, as he might just be having a natural human reaction to something, and he was perfectly fine. So I decided to wait for his response, stroking his back to comfort him while I waited for his response.
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