text ❖ cause the kind of girl like me, they're running out of in the market

[doitrockapella]

Carmen Sandiego 9/3 near *̸̗͈͔̺̙̥͐̏͐͊̅̀̇͊͌͞/̴̛̼̦͍̟̑̀̆͋͜*̵̠̣͍̓̏̋̌̑̌̐͜͜͝ͅ|̸̻̪̰͔̇͗̊̃͋͊͢͝͠*̸̢̧͓̦̫̞͖͌̈́́̎̇͞͡͝|̘̤̩͙͇̯̱͊̔͐̚̚*̡̧̜̹̗̆̿̂̄̃̀͠͠͠ͅ\̴̨͉̱̼̜̭̀͑̇̇͆̔͜͠*̢͓̯͕̩̙̬̏̽͂̃̅̃̂͡

A few brief notes: 1) Good luck and best wishes to all the students gearing up to start school this week. While I know the end of summer vacation and the onset of the school year may seem like an event to anticipate with a sense of mounting dread instead of enthusiasm, remember that — in the words of South African activist and former president Nelson Mandela — "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Increasing access to education is one of the main pursuits of the Sandiego Foundation, and we share American statesman Benjamin Franklin's opinion that "an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." We pride ourselves on the number of scholarships we're able to offer to students of all ages and educational goals, as well as grants and other financial support. If you're getting ready for school and finding that you'd welcome some additional financial assistance in the coming semester, please don't hesitate to make contact; we still have plenty of scholarships as yet unawarded, and will continue to accept applications for them through the end of this week. It's your job to chase your dreams. We at the Sandiego Foundation want nothing more than to help you get there. 2) Speaking of the Foundation, we're still in the process of getting our fall calendar of events fleshed out, and I'm always open to new ideas for community functions that people might like to see and take part in. One can only attend so many dinners, socials, and golf outings before things start getting tedious. So, a poll for the masses: what sort of event would you most like to see come to Recollé? (At the risk of invoking a verbal cliché, I really would like to put the "fun" back into "fundraiser" on a much more regular basis.) 3) The usual daily mail contained a number of packages that I was expecting to see delivered, and a few unexpected ones marked with what seems to be the Retrospec logo. Experienced recipients, is there anything I should be particularly concerned about before I open these? 4) On a more personal note, I'm interested in hiring the services of a sketch artist, for a certain project I'm hoping to further. If you have the skills, time, and interest — or know someone who may be available for hire — please feel free to get in touch with me at your earliest convenience.

Comments

[thisloveisjustice]

On my way.

[he'll just have his uber drop him off at the gate, and then text her]

[complementing]

Ohhh, a perfectly matched couple!

I'm mostly imagining using a metal detector on the beach, myself, but saying it was her forte sounds like her finds must've been much grander.

[goen]

That's some mentor.

[ Where can he get one like hers?? He cautiously pulls out a barstool and parks himself on it. ]

Is he an art insurance detective too? You guys must get rake it in.

[ IT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE SUSPECT... ]

[doitrockapella]

...That seems like a wildly ineffective weapon. Isn't the balance awkward?

[doitrockapella]

No, I'm afraid her pursuits involved a bit more daring and intrigue than that. She investigated art theft, among other things.

[doitrockapella]

To some extent. He's involved with — well. Let me start from the beginning, it'll make more sense that way.

[Corkscrew found, she comes back over and starts working it into the bottle with methodical efficiency.]

My father was an art dealer, and a successful one at that. My mother worked for years doing the same thing I used to — being an art insurance detective. So as you can see, they had a common interest, and that's also how they met.

[Doot doot doo, in goes the screw.]

Eventually, my mother decided to strike out on her own — stop working for people and start working for herself. She founded a company, which trains future art insurance detectives. Essentially, it teaches people how to do what she did for years, and they do it well. I should know; I completed the program myself, once.

[She pauses.]

But naturally, a company has a lot of moving parts, which means you need more than just one person to keep it running efficiently. Division heads, a chief executive officer...they were family friends, along with being business associates.

Everyone knew what to do with all of my parents' assets after they died. I think the only thing they weren't sure what to do with was me.

[With her eyes still on the bottle, she shrugs.]

I was lucky. One of them — my mentor — volunteered to become my legal guardian. And they all kept things running in trust for me, until I was old enough to know what I wanted to do with it all. These days, I'm more than old enough to know what to do with myself, but it doesn't stop him from acting like a father toward me, regardless.

[doitrockapella]

[She's waiting for the text when it comes, which is good, because it means that Tatuso's wait at the gates will be short; indeed, soon enough they part to admit him, which is all well and good but on the downside he'll find that there's still a fuck lot of driveway to walk up before he actually hits the terrace and the actual area around the house proper.

Oops.

Still, he'll spot Carmen sooner rather than later, because for Tatsuo she'll actually come walking down the driveway to meet him halfway, rather than making him come all the way up to the terrace before heading out to greet him.]

Made it all right, I see. You didn't have any problems getting over?

[thisloveisjustice]

[From the address, Tatsuo had known he was heading to the posh part of town. Not exactly an area he went to frequently. He'd expected a driveway, but this was a little longer than he's expected.

So he's kind of glad when he spots Carmen.

Still, even if he'd known how long the driveway is, he'd have still had his ride drop him at the gate, out of respect for Carmen's privacy.]

Not at all. Map apps get more accurate by the day.

[chessking]

Hello, Miss Sandiego. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, and I actually work at the student affairs office at the university three times a week. Would you mind terribly if I directed people looking for financial aid over to the Sandiego Foundation?

Alternatively, I'd be happy to keep a list of the scholarships you have on hand at the front desk and to help applicants fill them out as a kind of preliminary screening before we send them on over to you.

Please let me know.

On a less business-like note, I unfortunately have not received anything from Retrospec just yet but I'll be sure to keep an eye out.

[doitrockapella]

Amazing, what technology can do.

[She smiles, nodding slightly in greeting, and then pivots and falls into step beside him for the rest of the walk up to the house.]

How have you been holding up, since last month? You've gotten back into the swing of daily life by now, I hope?

[doitrockapella]

Please do. A liaison with the Student Affairs office would be immensely helpful in making sure that my financial aid manages to reach the people who really need it. I'll pass word along to my staff and have some documentation sent over in short order — addressed to your attention, of course.

Have you graduated university, then, or are you still a student?

[insantafe]

[ THIS IS FINE it’s fine play it cool jack you’ve got this ]

All due respect ma’am, but the only thing that can stop me from writing about important things like this is time, what with classes starting and all. Even if the Journal doesn’t print it, they can’t stop me from writing altogether.

I’ll do that, though. The Sandiego Foundation, right?

[thisloveisjustice]

I'm doing alright. Getting back to work was good, even if I did lose every scrap of my vacation time when Retrospec covered up my disappearance. I don't know what I would have done if I'd come back to no job.

[It's all true, at least the job part. The 'alright' part... he's working on it.]

[doitrockapella]

That's right. And I suppose you could say the foundation is my own way of helping people get a fair deal — because I'm well aware of all the help I received along the way, getting to where I am today. These days I think it's my turn to make opportunities for other people, because I wouldn't be where I am now if someone hadn't once helped to make them for me.

[doitrockapella]

That is strange, isn't it? The way that they covered for our disappearances. No one I spoke with took it as any particular oddity that I'd been gone, either.

[She takes him up toward the terrace, where there's a pair of chairs waiting, and also a set of two boxes with the Retrospec logo emblazoned on them, stacked on the table between them.]

[destiny_key]

not really actually???
its heavier than the practice swords i used to use
but it seems like its perfect for me???

i guess if it used to be mine then that makes sense though

and like i said it actually works really well
it cut through those monsters pretty good last month

[thisloveisjustice]

I think there are two schools of thought on this. Either they covered up our disappearance to make it easier for us to return to our lives, or there is a limit to how many discrepancies those off the apps can tolerate.

[Tatsuo tends to fall in the second school of thought]

So these are the packages.

[He reaches into his pocket for his pocket knife]

How do you want to do this? I take a peek and confirm whether or not they've sent you some sort of weapon?

[doitrockapella]

That should be fine. They don't seem very heavy, and with no visible airholes I doubt there's anything alive in them...

[Helpfully, she reaches for the top box and moves it to the edge of the table for him, placing it easily within his reach.]

It's not packed very well, either. I can feel something shifting inside it when I move it around — sliding, you know.

[thisloveisjustice]

Well, at least we're fairly certain nothing is going to jump out at us. Good to know.

[Tatsuo opens his pocket knife and slices through the tape keeping the first box closed. Then he reaches over to pull the second box closer and slices through the tape on that one. That done, he puts his knife away.]

Okay, let's see what this is.

[opening box number one]

[doitrockapella]

[And box number one proves to be...a perfectly normal pair of red high-heeled shoes, resting in what seems to be an actual shoebox.

How utterly anticlimactic.

Carmen, of course, can't resist being nosy about the package even despite the fact that the whole point is to shield her from being exposed to whatever is in the box right off the bat, so once the box is open and nothing's exploded or lunged free of its confines, she scoots in to try to catch a glimpse.]

...Shoes?

[insantafe]

[ She is speaking to his very soul right now. Little does Ms. Sandiego know, but that is exactly the kind of person Jack dreamed being, if he ever had the money for it. ]

I’m glad to hear there’s still someone out there who thinks that way. It’s surprising how many people lose sight of all the people who help them get somewhere, and a few generations down the line, no one remembers a thing, and it’s like it never happened at all.

[ But that’s beside the point. ]

I appreciate what you’re doing, Ms. Sandiego. You’ll be the first to know when I have the article ready.

[doitrockapella]

And what about my drawings? I hope you're still willing to offer your talents?

Assuming it won't interfere with your studies, of course.

[insantafe]

I said I'll do those drawings first, and I plan to stick by that. Just let me know when you want me to swing by and I'll make it work.

[doitrockapella]

How about over lunch this coming weekend? I know there are a smattering of cafes and the like scattered around near campus. I'll spring for sandwiches.

[complementing]

Any works in Recollé that we can thank her for keeping in the city?