Texts: do you really believe in fate?

Texts: do you really believe in fate?
Date of Scene:	17 November 2023
Location:	Texts
Synopsis:	Naru and Mamoru discuss the TSAB, business deals, and fate.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Naru Osaka

---

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: 1) Apparently Chrono is away for a week? 2) But he left something for me with Rashmi. <photo of a crystal thingie .jpg>

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Dammit, apparently holograms don't photograph well.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I now have fancy ID that says I'm a temporary TSAB Dispatcher.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I have a designation in an alien organization. Because that's a thing in my life now.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: 1) weird, ok. 2) !!! ??? !!!!! COOL

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Right!? I'm caught between bemused and delighted.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: both is good!!!

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I mean.. this and 500 yen gets me a cup of coffee, but it's sweet of him.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: hey if there are any other TSAB people around it'll give you an in with them right?

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I don't think there are, or not many? That bit is super unclear.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: How're you? Coping?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: sorry, yeah. i'm just-- i'm disconnecting some things at work. one sec

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: If you're busy, you can just reply later, it's fine.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: Haha, you know, one of my friends said the same thing. But I hate leaving people on read.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I just know that I tend to ambush people, without y'know.. checkign if they are free. :) <3

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: Most of the time your timing is really good!! I just got surprised with this, and then thought to myself, wow, I should set up some stable infrastructure for these jobs to continue without me

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: they're doing real jobs, so i want to make sure they get to keep them. i'm looking at transferring them to another department's umbrella, or selling the subsidary maybe

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: the only other option i can think of is laying everyone off with really generous severence packages

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I mean.. laying them off with good severence gives them the opportunity to stop working with an evil megacorps. But paycheques are important.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: Being real, without my supervision, the subsidary will probably be dissolved and the employees laid off anyway. But if I sell the subsidary to something outside Obsidian, their jobs might last longer? People outside Japan have so little job security, it's terrible!

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Has it every occured to you that we are really /really/ odd teenagers?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: only because so many odd things are put in front of us

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: True facts.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I suppose it's a choice on if Obsidian lay off severence is likely to be better or worse than a mythical other company that buys it. I dont get the sense that Obsidian is amazing to work for, but perhaps that's just at your level.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: I think it's different at every level. These people aren't employees of Obsidian proper, or even of Beryl Holdings -- they're employees of Global Help, which is my own side project with its own corporate and tax IDs. it's just that obsidian *owns* it. like how nestle owns everything else. But I'm in charge of it and it doesn't suck to work for me. But I won't stay in charge of it, so...

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: That's more complicated than I thought. No, it wouldnt suck to work for you. Sell it, if you can, then.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: If nothing else, I try to be a good boss ^^; Good call. I'll set the wheels in motion.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: And hey.. you'll probably get the buy out cash, unless that'll end up at Obsidian, but if not.. shove it in investments?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: I'll get part of it! I'm not sure if invest or donate. Maybe set up an investment that regularly donates.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Set up a trust or something? Finances are not my strong suit, but I'm pretty sure that's what every TV show does.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: hahahahaha

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: fair. i'll look into it XD

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Can I just say it's <3 that you're making concrete plans for after.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: <3 <3 didn't think I would?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: when i hit go on this

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: it's a commitment

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Totally thought you would, but it makes it feel less of 'someday' and more 'someday in the foreseeable future'. So much of what we do feels like we're working on such a long nebulous timeline.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: well i can tell you what

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: whether it's because the right hands close around the silver crystal or this deal goes through, ... uhh. whichever comes first, and this deal has a negotiation window. so. a month. i'd like to get neph out before me but i don't know how feasible that is. we'll see.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I hope so too. I mean.. kinda invested, but also super aware that he's tangled up a whole lot more than you are right now.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: according to him, it's got its claws in his soul. he told me he's partly owned by the demon. that doesn't sit well with me. i mean ideal outcome we just kill the demon and all that junk is nullified but

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: It's the simplist solution in the abstract. The actual /doing/ of it..

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: Chrono was like 'can we just nuke it from orbit?' and boy did I want to say yeah

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: yes XD

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: I mean.. at least he's only partly owned by the demon? That's better than all the way?

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: might have to burn away the infected part of his soul. not looking forward to learning how to do that.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: i don't like a demon owning any part of any of them. they're mine.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: uhhhh not in the creepy way.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Get one of the old guns, shoot it out, purify the snot out of it, and then put it back in.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: </sarcasm>

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: that's-- oh

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: ahahaha yeah that would be a terrible idea wouldn't it!!

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Probably! Although the more I think about it, it starts to not feel THAT bad an idea. At least he'd be unconscious while the purification happens. I doubt it would ditch the demon though, just knock the dark energy down a notch or three.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: That's why I'd prefer we found the Silver Crystal soon. That should be enough to undo some demon's stupid claw-hookings.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: It feels very needle in a haystack.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: It does. I was trying to think positive but it's hard with all the dark energy, lol. So I'm trying not to think about it.

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: There's so much that's fated, the universe will provide. <3

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: do you really believe in fate?

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: That is such a big question. Sometimes. Sometimes, the world feels like it has a plan, and I am just along for the ride.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: i think fate is a garbage deal. i think you should be able to defy the concept

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: but i'm reincarnated after fucking something up, and can't remember anything about it, and those who forget history blah blah blah

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: so maybe i have an investment in saying to hell with fate

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Yeah, I'd say you kinda do. :)

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: i don't feel like i want to be fated to die, yk? yeah

(PHONE) Naru Osaka texts: Totally. That sounds like it would suck and screw with your brain.

(PHONE) Mamoru Chiba texts: yeah. another thing i try not to think about, theres already enough screwing with my brain XD