middaeg | [Open] Let's count the seasons

I've seen them. [She's nodding. They had them back home, sort of. Outside world tech. It was close enough.

Not that she understood a chunk of that. Online shopping? Ordering something from another country? All very big sounding things to a country bumpkin.] It sounds like you guys wear that stuff for...other times.

[Surely that was too much fancy underwear to be in constant use? But she snorts after a moment.] I never knew there were so many kinds of clothes. I started working a tailors' you know? Some of the things we get asked for...

Oh yeah, absolutely. Nobody's wearing that stuff day-to-day for comfort, it's mostly bedroom. Unless someone is into the aesthetic for themselves or just "into it" in general.

[There's a not very subtle eye wiggle at that "into it", just in case the point of what he meant by that needed to be driven home extra hard. Some people do just like the look even if only they know they're wearing it and are willing to suffer for that, but others are going to be into it whether or not there's someone else involved.

But that aside, he nods understandingly at her thoughts about clothing variety.] I can imagine...the big variety in my world is an advantage in that it's really rare that someone has to go to a tailor and spend a bunch of money to get a particular garment, so more stuff is available to everyone. There's still cheap and expensive clothes, and stuff that your average person won't be able to afford which is usually called "designer" clothing, but you can still find things like cheap formalwear if you look in the right places.

[Momo, Momo plz... He's getting the dead-eyed stare back as she leant away a little. Even if the little huff gave away that she'd nearly laughed at his over-acting. Okay...she gets it.]

I think most people can sew and do basic repairs... [She'd learnt needlework from her mother. And she'd heard that the guys shared the work because some were better than others at it.] But the fabric is expensive, you have to make it last.

...I remember when I was younger. For a while, I only had a skirt, a shirt and a cardigan. [Back when they'd had to run with only the shirts on their backs. They'd managed to get some scraps, an old sack to use as a cape to keep the chill out. Really they'd joined the military because Eren and Armin wanted to be the scouts, but the meals, shelter and clothing was a perk that inticed many.]

[Momo nods understandingly, like he's getting more of an idea where she's coming from.]

Yeah, that makes sense. Some fabrics in my world got really cheap once we could weave them by machine, like cotton, but there's still expensive ones - silk is always expensive because it's so hard to harvest and we don't have stuff like the arachne here to make it in bulk. But with the cheaper ones, usually even people without much money can afford more than one set of clothes. And there's also places called thrift shops where people will donate clothes that don't fit them anymore or that they just don't use, so people can buy nicer stuff at a lower price.

[There are still people who slip through the cracks or need support in other ways to get decent clothes, but the bulk of them and the existences of places that sell secondhand does make it somewhat easier, if nothing else.]

It's not just making the fabric, you have to grow the plants for the material. [When you thought about how much went into making just one shirt, it was kinda scary. With the limited space within the walls they had to choose carefully. Land for crops, land for plants like cotton... Livestock of the rough end of the deal there. But the food shortages affected other areas too.]

It's nice that people give up their clothes. Normally we'd just repair them until we couldn't. [Then use the scraps for other things.] That's part of the reason I know how to sew.

...Do you? With all those strange clothes you wear? Or make the illusions of...

[It seemed like a useful skill for him to have.]

Yeah, there are places that farm those plants on a large scale where I come from, but there's also a bunch of "polyester" fabrics that are completely man-made, so you don't need plants.

[Ethics and feel of wearing snazzy plastic aside. It doesn't surprise him that giving up clothes like that isn't so much of a thing where Mikasa comes from, though it does leave him with questions about other aspects.

Still, he'll answer hers first with a casual wave of the hand.] I don't usually need to? Our costuming department handles all the fancy stuff. Besides, Yuki does all that kind of thing better than I do.

[A.k.a. Yuki tends to excel in household skills where Momo doesn't.] Now that I think about it, do people hand down clothes to younger family members in your world? Once they grow out of them, I mean. That's kinda what thrift shops are an extension of.

[Excuse me Momo. Completely man-made isn't a thing where she's from so she's got no idea what that is. So for a solid mintue she's just thinking, and 1+1=5. Because not using plants normally meant it was animals, but he'd said man-made.

...Hair? They made clothes out of people hair? Momo what the actual fuck? Just enjoy her gaze drifting as she worked that one out.

Thinking so hard she's shaking her head, clearing the dust when his question sinks in.] I think so... I don't know anyone with living siblings though. [Off the top of her head. Connie had siblings, they'd been killed three years ago though.] It makes sense to though. If the elder one can get new clothes and the old ones are okay.

[Momo is not correcting Mikasa on that one unless she asks, though he does get the impression from her facial expressions that she's imagining something considerably more absurd than he was describing. It's funnier to just move on without doing so.

Of course, Mikasa's world tends to kill the mood of conversations, so he tries not to focus on the dead siblings part.]

Yeah, it's pretty standard where I come from, or giving the clothes to a thrift shop when someone grows out of them if they don't have someone they can pass them on to. If you can't use them anyway because you grew out of them, most people aren't just gonna toss them out because that's a waste. If it's worth a little more, they might sell it on instead, but that's more common with adults who've bought fancy stuff they end up not wearing as much as they thought they would.

[Even with the amount of excess in production in his world, most people aren't quite so ready to waste items instead of circling them back into the market somehow.]

[Tragically(Or not) she wouldn't ask because she wasn't aware it was wrong. He had given her much to think about it... But if they made things out of dragon scales and faun wool here. Maybe it made sense.

Momo may have started something cursed...]

That makes sense. If it no longer has a use for the person giving it away. [Her eyes crease in an attempt at a little smile.] It's nice that they'd do that, instead of finding a use for it in their own home. [For a moment she's silent. Then her face went back to it's normal resting bitch-face state.]

Maybe that will be how we can get enough clothes for those children. If there's a place like that here... [Then it occurs to her. Her eyes narrowing. She wasn't frowning at Momo, just...] Did you know? That orphanage that stopped sending children to work in factories? [She gives him a moment, but not long enough to answer.]

Eren brought it.

[She still didn't believe he brought a whole fucking orphanage.]

[Momo nods along with her remark on it being nice, and he touches his fingers to his cheeks for a moment as if to say it's nice to see her making that attempt at a smile. It's not a face he sees from her often, but it's always nice to see someone happier than usual.

He has heard about the orphanage, but he hadn't realised that was the cause - he looks a little surprised, honestly.]

Oh, a Mirrorbound with enough money to buy out a whole orphanage and run it...? That's pretty impressive, though I guess if it was gonna be any kind it'd be a dragon to hoard that much cash. Has it got enough staff? I've seen the help ads but though I love dealing with kids, I don't really have experience in it as a job...

[Also he's so busy with literally everything else that he'd be extremely pushing it to try and fit a commitment as major as that into his schedule too. He's aware kids like that would need consistency, and he doesn't think he could promise that with his schedule as it is.] But yeah, it might not be a bad idea to put out a call like that for hand-me-down clothes. Some people here probably repurpose the fabric, but there'd have to be some with unneeded clothes they might be able to offer.

[It was like a cat's smile, the closed eyes meant she was more at ease! Maybe. Though it's gone again with them talking about Eren, even if she brought it up. She still didn't believe he'd brought it. She'd only learnt about that when he'd contacted her to get the children returned.

But then he asked the more detailed things. Luckily Mikasa hung out there a lot, enough to have gotten sent letters and drawings while she was in hospital. Punching out the kids' old boss, they'd liked that. It still gets a sigh though.]

Yes and no. He's got enough money to keep running it, but he wants the orphanage to be able to not lose staff or funding if the mirrorbound were to return home.

[AKA, he didn't want the kids to be returned to the workhouses if he left and wasn't paying for their care. Her eyes drift to the ground as she thinks.] They're good kids... A bit shy, but they're good. Though I can't go at the moment, not with my leg.

[Not good for play. But he got a small nod with a huff of a laugh.]
Yeah, there's a point when it's impossible to sew them if you're changing. [Her wings flared a little, but it paled compared to the waving of her bug stumps.]

[Momo hums understandingly - he knows some people want to stay here, but not everyone is going to be able to even if they're willing, considering how randomly people vanish. It'd be a huge waste if someone got the orphanage functional again and then it went to hell as soon as they left.]

Start fundraising, maybe? There's got to be some rich philanthropist types around, that's not really a new concept. [And considering the Haven is in the middle of the Aristocratic District, they're in a good position to go hunting for people with money in the bank.]

That might be an issue for Mirrorbound, but I wouldn't count the locals out of having spare stuff and changes wouldn't be a problem for them. Besides, it does get hard to have clothes remade for a Monster form after a certain point, but different people deal with it differently. My first Bonded pretty much stopped wearing shirts once he grew wings, and that was early on, so someone like that wouldn't have much to offer for old clothes.

[It's not so much of an option for women in a city that's fairly conservative in its dress, but it is a direction some people seem to take.]

Maybe, I'm not sure how something like that would work... [A shrug, given the state of her world.] But if there are people who would give things, why wouldn't they be doing that? [Her attempt at a smile turns to a frown.] The old owner was a noble, but he wanted cheap labor.

[Cheap labor that had rebelled and he'd been badgered into selling up so he could hire adults instead. From what Mikasa had gotten there he'd been reluctant to sell until it was pointed out that adults, while costing more, would be more capable.

No comment on the lack of shirt though...She wished she could get away with it but alas.]

[A sort of knowing look crosses Momo's face at that, because he has all too ample experience with rich people and how their minds work. He holds his hands together under his chin, as if considering how to put his own experience with that part of society into words.]

Yeah, some nobles are gonna be like that, because that's probably related to how they got their money - they cut corners or were dishonest or even violent to keep hold of as much as they could. But a lot of the ones who are born into it or earn it more honestly are just blissfully ignorant about how the world works. Especially if they were never super broke or needy themselves. So sometimes you need to kind of wave it in front of their faces that there are people more in need of some of their wealth and they'll be willing to help out if you phrase it right.

[It's rare that you're going to catch anyone philanthropic enough to drop the big bucks because those types are usually helping out already, but a more humble amount from a lot of people can still do good work.]

[That's getting a nod. The fae's eyes creasing. ] It was pointed out to the owner that he wouldn't make any money at all if all his staff were refusing to work. That he'd earn more with dedicated workers... [Because adults could go on strike, but they'd be more capable and willing to be there. It wasn't like the kids, who'd basically be brought to work there.]

I don't think I've met anyone like that. Rich but doesn't know. [Mikasa was...a simple farm girl. The only rich people she'd seen were the ones who'd fit the first group Momo had mentioned. Corrupt and trying to keep themselves above everyone else. She'd not met any nobles within the walls who'd been generous with their money but-

Her head gave a small jerk as she thought some more. One person coming to mind, Kiyomi. But then it dipped again, her eyes glancing away. Because Kiyomi was nice, she was rich. But she had an ulterior motive too, didn't she? The older woman had wanted to coax Mikasa, her only relative to Hizuru. Calling her things like 'last hope' to the point that Mikasa wasn't sure if it was just a lonely woman clinging to her lost relative, or something else.]

[Momo laughs a bit dryly at the point on not knowing anyone like that.] I've met a few, honestly. The industry I work in back home rakes in big money if you're successful, so there's a mix of people who were born into success and have never known anything else, people who clawed their way up and are happy to kick down anyone who tries to follow, and people who came from modest backgrounds and ended up wildly rich and then don't really know what to do with it.

[Momo points to himself where the last one is concerned, because that basically describes his own situation.] But thinking about it in terms of here, the Aristocratic District is across the city from any of the really poor districts, and separated by the wall from the Outer City. It's not hard to imagine that a sheltered noble might never find a reason to leave the walls or even cross the river to see the state of the poorer parts of the city, is it? It's easy for them to forget, living in a bubble like this.

[That makes her blink, glancing at the ground. It hadn't really occurred to her that Momo had ever been... modest. Even with his moments of being rough, the attempted murder. That just seemed like a rich person thing, like the house and strangeness of what she'd managed to understand about idols.

Would he have been one to donate if he still had that money? It sounded like it, not that it mattered.]

I guess not. Our old nobility, they did everything to keep people out of their part of the walls... The people from the underground had to buy a passport to visit, then get papers to leave. It'd cost more than any living there could afford.

[Something she'd learnt helping Historia with the orphans. A lot of work had been put into collecting them all during their restructuring efforts. ] There's not as much blocking them here, other than the bright wall. [Where the absolute poorest were trapped outside the city.]

I'm still not sure how to ask them though...

[Momo doesn't look terrifically surprised at that, because it's not like that sort of thing doesn't still happen in some places in his world.]

It's harder to do stuff like that in my time besides just having houses be too expensive for certain people to actually live somewhere, but some places still have "gated" communities where only the people who live there and necessary workers can get in and out. So it hasn't died out totally, even if it's rarer.

[Though it just becoming more subtle isn't exactly the best thing ever either. But he shoves that train of thought out, because it's not all that helpful to the ultimate point of the conversation.]

You do kinda have to be direct, but not super blunt or aggressive, either. There are a lot of people in my world who go door-to-door for that stuff, but I don't know that it's as common here, so maybe setting up a table somewhere highly trafficked would be better. Just say you're looking for donations and be honest and pretty detailed about what it's for and let people decide from there.

[That gets a small nod. She understood the idea. There was the main three walls, or two as it had ended up. But there was also the outer districts. The small areas of the walls had that stuck out containing a large town, those were bait. A populated area to draw titans into a cluster instead of attacking the whole wall, it made it easier for the garrison.

Then there was Shiganshina, the district she'd grown up in. It was in the south, were the days were longest and thus the titans were more active. That was the cheapest place to live for that reason. So Mikasa understood it quite well.

Though there's little need to mention that. So she just nodded. Then thinks about a pitch, a hand coming up to scratch her chin.]

I'm blunt...but I'm honest. [Just peering at him. Maybe pride, maybe confused. Would you hire her if this was a job interview Momo? Are you convinced?]

[Momo grins a little at that, like he's trying not to crack his poker face too much, and waves a hand as if inviting her to go on.]

Well then, you can't just tell me that! Pretend I'm some oblivious rich guy you're trying to convince to donate to your cause. I can even act like one if that makes it easier for you.

[He won't do it immediately, but he's more than capable of playing that kind of role if it presses her to think harder about her approach.]

[Momo... Momo, why would you put her on the spot like this. Mikasa just staring at him for a moment. Her mouth hanging open slightly, brain sliding to a halt.]

Huh...Act? [She floundered for another second. Giving another small groan as she tried to think of words. Her black eyes flicking around as she tried to work out what to do.] Um... Excuse me sir, do you like kids?

[She TRy]

[Momo straightens himself up a bit in aid of the role he's meant to be playing here, putting on a more proper posture and expression so he can look mildly down his nose at Mikasa. It has very "rich person who's oblivious to how obnoxious they're being" vibes - his tone isn't unkind, but it's almost confused and a bit harried, as if wondering why he's been stopped by someone who doesn't look like a noble when he has other things to be doing.]

Of course. Who doesn't like kids? But that's a strange question to ask a busy man.

[Read: She's probably going to need to shove their faces at the point a bit harder than she's doing currently.]

[He was 'harried' she was flustered. Improvising in a fight was easy enough, words? Words hard. So for a moment, she frowns, rethinking her approach. Shoulders tensing as she took a small step closer.]

The orphanage children need money for food and clothes, for the winter. [Just going straight to the point in the bluntest way possible, still frowning. Charisma, she does not have it.]

[Thankfully, despite being blunt her wording does make the potential consequences of not having that money hard to ignore - this isn't so much like Momo's world where food is fairly secure regardless of season. So he shifts his expression accordingly, looking somewhere between bemused and concerned.]

Do they not have others taking care of that? I would have thought the owners or the government would take responsibility... [Highlighting the dense for a moment there before he shakes his head as if to move himself on.] I may have something I can spare. How many of them are there?

[Taking the approach of someone potentially deciding to give a certain amount per child, since it's one specific orphanage.]

[Her face was still set in that concentrated frown. Concern, even though the results of this didn't really matter. It wasn't even acting, just some genuine worry for the kids leaking in.]

It recently changed hands. The...[It wasn't a lie, she didn't do that.] The old owner was using them for free labour, the new one is trying to give them a better life.

[It got a wince, because even if it true. The fae had grown up in rougher conditions. It'd been a struggle but while she liked the kids she wasn't sure where to start.]

[Open] Let's count the seasons

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this got lost in my tabs

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