[Open]

[chronobreak]

A. Redbright Institute

School might be out for the summer, but there are still plenty of students around. Some of them have dorms here, and others are just there for the summer classes. Regardless, Ekko is also there, keeping track of the underclassmen. Occasionally he has to guide a student to their classroom after they've gotten lost.

Sometimes he wonders why he took the position, but of course he knows why. It's just another small step in a quest for recognition. It's worth it. Even if he does have to deal with dealing with young kids.

Still, if he's needed or called for, he's there to help.

B. Everywhere

Ekko is seventeen and has about a year before he'll graduate. He knows that he wants to stay in London, and his grades are good enough for the universities here. But he also knows he's going to need a job. Which means there's a kid walking all over the place checking out stores and popping into them to ask for applications. Thankfully most have gone the way of electronic applications, but a few of them still have paper forms.

For shame.

He still takes them, slowly amassing a small collection of application forms over the day.

He may bump into people in his hurry to visit as many stores as possible. He could rewind so it never happened, but sometimes it's easier to just go with the timeline.

"Didn't see you there."

C. Wildcard

Choose your own adventure!

[Prose or brackets okay by me!]

Comments

[chronobreak]

"I'm not that picky." He pauses, "As long as I can stay in the city, that is." He has some responsibilities he simply can't leave.

[goroesi]

"Makes sense." Now she has to think a little, drumming her fingers on the package. "I think there was an opening at this coffee shop I visited last week? If you're up for being a barista. Or... there was a bookstore looking for another clerk? I'm pretty sure there was. Do either of those sound good?"

[chronobreak]

He considers it for a moment. It's not like he's nixing job opportunities just yet. And there's the possibility one of them is close to the school. "Either one sounds fine. Are they near Ealing?"

[goroesi]

"Yeah, the bookshop's in Ealing and Coffeer's is right near by. I believe in Harrow." She has to think about it for a moment, but that sounds right to her ears. "Why d'you ask?"

[chronobreak]

Perfect. "I go to school around there. I don't want to go back and forth through London." It's a big place, and he doesn't really want to end up sleeping through classes.

[goroesi]

"Oh, you go to school? You're so lucky. I haven't been in ages." Like, decades. Every so often, she enrolls in a couple courses online, but it's not the same as the Real School Experience in her mind. "Then working at Coffeer's would be perfect for you! I hear they may or may not have employee discounts on their espresso." She's totally making that last part up, but hey, there's a possibility.

[chronobreak]

"I don't know if lucky's the right word for it." But he seems amused by her enthusiasm. Not to knock the school experience or anything, but after eleven straight years of it, it gets old.

"I'll need to check them out too."

[goroesi]

"But you get to learn so many new things all the time! I'd love to be able to do that. Learning opportunities are few and far between in the real world." It's been a long time since school, man. She's forgotten how boring it gets after a couple years.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Perkins. Maera Perkins. It's lovely to meet you."

[chronobreak]

"There's plenty to learn in the real world too." It's just a matter of searching them out.

"Ekko," a nickname his old gang friends called him. What can he say? It stuck.

[goroesi]

"Oh, like in a canyon? Like, your voice echoes?" Yeah, that's the first thing that comes to mind. "Cool name. So, Ekko, do you want me to show you to your possible future career?"

[chronobreak]

"Kind of like that." More like an echo in the sense he's allowed to repeat.

"If you're not too busy," he spares a glance at the package.

[goroesi]

"What?" It takes her a moment before she follows his gaze to her package and laughs, shaking her head. "Oh, no. I have to take this all the way back home to Mum, but she can wait. It's nothing urgent."

[chronobreak]

Alright, as long as the thing doesn't have a time limit. "Lead the way."

[goroesi]

"So, how long have you been in London? Or have you always lived here?" Maera asks as she begins walking in the direction of the bookshop.

[chronobreak]

"London born and raised," he follows her steps.

[goroesi]

"Just like me, then!" she exclaims, turning towards him briefly. "What's your favorite pat of London, then?"

[chronobreak]

His favorite part... There's a lot he enjoys, but a lot more he doesn't really want to admit to enjoying. "The view at night."

[goroesi]

"That's a safe answer," she teases lightly. "Who doesn't like the view at night? But it's fair. I'll take it."

[chronobreak]

The real answer is Big Ben, but that's such a tourist-esque answer he'd rather go with the night. But he does have a small thing about clocks, namely he loves them. Time's a big thing for him. "Then what's yours?"

[goroesi]

"The Royal Observatory." The answer comes quickly, without even a moment's hesitation. "Dad used to take me there years ago to look at all the stars. It's my favorite place in the city, hands down."

[chronobreak]

"Good reason to like a place." Ekko's reasoning is hardly that sentimental. "How often do you get to go these days?"

[goroesi]

"Not as often," she admits with a little sigh. "Dad died years ago and now it's never the same, you know? I'll go from time to time - but I haven't stopped missing him yet."

[chronobreak]

He nods, understandingly. "Yeah, I get it. Things like that are always gonna be different no matter how long it's been."

[goroesi]

"Yeah. It was like the entire city changed when he left." She sighs, then realizes that this is probably heavy conversation for the first conversation she's had with a person. So she quickly continues, "but- it was a while ago. I'm, like, over it in general." Kind of.

[chronobreak]

It's not like Ekko particularly minds strangers pouring their hearts out to him. Even if its a little odd. "Glad you're doing better."