acertifieduser | ○ 04: Maybe they once locked eyes.

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○ 04: Maybe they once locked eyes.

[Filtered AWAY from George]
[AUDIO: There's a short pause before Eddie speaks.]

I have a favor to ask. I'm trying to help my warden understand a more modern approach to romance. What I need is a woman, between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-two.. thirty-three, who would be willing to take him out on a date. Maybe a private dinner, drinks afterward, and a starry walk in the CES or something. He'll know up front what this is; this isn't some trick and he won't be expecting to fall in love or anything.

I don't have anything specific to offer as a thanks, but I'm pretty resourceful if there's something specific you're looking for. I'm not providing any weapons and I reserve the right to refuse anyone for any reason.. because even knowing what's going on, he's still a nice guy and I don't want to mess with him. I'm really just looking to help him out.

Oh, it's George Crabtree. Some of you might know him.

[Private to George]
I want to know more about your time. Are there any books, fiction or non-, that you can recommend? I'm a pretty fast reader.

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I... don't know. [damn, does he sound so frustrated.]

That's... I'd rather not go into that.

But let's say someone of the lowest social category.

There's nothing wrong with loving someone below you socially, Eddie. I married a woman like that and it was some of the best years of my life. She left me and I still think about her. I'm not saying your girl will leave you-- maybe that was a bad example. I'm saying it's alright to be interested and to go after her. Consequences be damned.

So what was the deal with her? Why couldn't you work up the courage?

...I did go after her. I did throw away the woman I was supposed to marry, that my dad had pretty much sold me to, for her.

Then it turned out that she was someone I was completely barred from talking to socially, let alone marrying.

Is it your deal to change things for the two of you, can I ask? There has to be a way for you to work around the system. A different country, maybe?

No, it isn't. There's... more important things I've got to ask for. For the good of everyone.

A different country? I don't know of any different country. We have to get permission from the council to go beyond the town boundaries.

That must be why you're a warden. That level of selflessness is something I honestly never really understood.

Jesus. They've got you guys whipped. So what are you going to do about her?

To be fair, I've only ever been brought up to put the Collective before myself.

For all their failings - nobody whips us. [misinterpretation is a go.]

I guess I'll live with it. I don't have much other choice at the minute.

That doesn't mean that's what you have to do.

It's an expression. It means that they have you under similar psychological effects whether physical whipping is present or not. It's a statement of submission and passive behavior.-- You guys really weren't allowed to go anywhere else?

You could offer the Admiral another deal for a second inmate, if I understand the system correctly.

But I can put the Collective before myself in a good way and actually help everyone.

No, we weren't. We had to apply for an open return - or be sent somewhere else. I was sent to East Carmine by my Council on a pointless task.

Once I've got this deal, I'm going home to fix things.

How are you managing that?

What kind of "pointless task," if you don't mind my asking?

I'm glad you're still hopeful about it.

In saving it from itself.

A chair census. It's one of the better Pointless Tasks.

It's still generous.

How does a person like you earn a pointless task anyway?

...It was designed to teach humility.

And there's an official answer to that question and a real one.

Are you more humble now?

Why not give me both?

Not from counting chairs, trust me.

I played a trick on Bertie Magenta. That's the official reason.

The real one? I suggested an unauthorised way of queuing.

You went against the system. I understand. I'd say I'm proud of you, but I don't want to demean you at all. I'm actually kind of embarrassed that we share names now because I feel like I better step it up if I'm going to be a good example.

To be fair, the other Eddies aren't exactly amazing examples. It all depends which one you pick.

You're just the deviation from the norm, is that it? [He laughs a little.] Maybe you can teach me what it means to be an Eddie.

I'm not sure I know yet what it means to be an Eddie.

There's no meaning to being an Eddie. You have to create it. If you and I put our heads together, do some good things, and act with confidence? We'll be making what it means to be an Eddie. That's what they don't tell you about all those suits and product names and everything -- all of that stuff is created over time with lots of minds behind it. Everyone and everything can create who and what it wants to be.

...Suits and product names?

Well, sure. Suits and uniforms have those insinuations of power, wealth, authority, or other similar ideas that come with just wearing the clothes. If you wore the clothes even without the authority, people would be more inclined to listen to you because they associate it in their minds. It's why people who are better dressed tend to be perceived as more competent and trustworthy. There's nothing inherently powerful or trustworthy about a tie, but someone somewhere decided they wanted that kind of association and probably put a lot of time and money into making it a reality.

For product names.. well, it's pretty much like a government. They hire a lot of people and pay a lot of money in order to achieve a public perception that generally doesn't actually equal what the corporation is like. This drink company where I was from, Coca-Cola? They used to give out about 3 million in scholarships for kids to go to school every year, but they spent probably 50-100 million advertising it to make them look like better people. It's the same idea.

Oh. Well, I sort of understand that - some people traded extra merits to get univisual clothes, but you can only buy clothes produced by the collective, I suppose. We're expected to wear a tie at all times.

...Why would they do that? What's the point?

Oh. It's probably like the univision thing. There had to be people in uniforms too, though, right? Some kind of designation for police and others?

Back in my world, there's a lot of competition. It's called consumerism. People can choose what to buy what they want from where they want. If people don't like a company, they won't buy from them and the company will go out of business. I'm oversimplifying, obviously, but hopefully you get the idea.

Not really, no. The Yellows were 'police' I guess, and our clothes had to be within certain regulations, and designed for wear at certain points in time. But Yellows just wore a spot on their lapel like the rest of us.

But if they go out of business, where will you buy things then? And what will all the ~~Greys~~ workers there do?

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