[b]November:[/b] [b]Red:[/b] “No, it doesn’t.” Singh spins in his chair. “But I’d be very, very disappointed if I did.” There’s a beep from his terminal and he shifts. “Hold on. I think-” [b]White:[/b] Crystal is sending specialists at different price points, getting quotes. Her design work has seen her work with a lot of clients, and she has a long memory for people who exceed and fail her expectations. The time - money - quality triangle seems to hold very true in her opinion, and she’s proud to be part of the reason someone who meets all three is referred to as a unicorn. She only sends recommendations for cheap and quality, and fast and quality. The former tend to be small business contractors, Etsy bodymodders. FUCKING SKELETOR would be a great example, actually - he’s usually all booked up and is distrustful of new clients. Persephone’s lucky to have what she has with him. If you want a very personalized service with someone in it for the love of the art, this is where you go. But it’ll be a process, most of these are going to be hobbyists doing a side-hustle, charging barely more than cost-of-materials for the love of the work, taking commissions because they couldn’t afford the materials otherwise. The other option is the kind of professionals who do fashion for executive androids and cyborgs - though it's typically bordering on costume when they do it, in the way wedding dresses or those stunning avant garde ensembles for awards show nights are. Crystal has a few connections she can recommend, but it’ll be pricey. These are people and companies that have made their names and their output is consistent. They know what they’re worth, and that’s what they’ll charge. It’s the only way you’ll get exactly what you want in weeks, rather than months. But if you go that route, you’ll know it was worth every cent. Even that would be cheaper than machining all this yourself. The money you save in labour is instead going into materials, machinery and failed drafts. Aevum’s got a few maker spaces and tools libraries, though, if you’re really invested in going that route. Hell, it might even be fun. Crystal doesn’t seem to take that option as seriously as you might, though. Probably because if you did, she wouldn’t get her chance to make introductions. She stresses wanting to make introductions, and be there when you put in your commission, even for the more corporate and impersonal options she’s suggesting. She’s salivating to be a part of this self-exploration. Fiona wasn’t kidding. Fiona, for her part, lets slip she grew up on Thrones. At least for her teen years. Dad got a job there when she was eleven, she moved back to Aevum on her eighteenth - as much as she loves him, he’s got to visit her for holidays. Apparently he's one of Thrones leading systems ethicists, which means he’s worked at a lot of the big companies and never for long. The first to be publicized and the first to be downsized. A lot of her conversations with him end up about how much he wasn’t allowed to talk about, that never would have mattered anyway. [i]He’s the world’s leading architect for skyscrapers built on sand.[/i] Still, she’s far more interested in how it feels to meet up with yours. She already knows a surprising amount about Singh, so almost all her questions come down to how you feel about him. About this. [b]Red:[/b] “Goat’s in Erebus.” Singh breathes. “A gray area between state and private property. I thought there’d be an extra step here, but Erebus is-” Pink might tell you that it in mythology Erebus is Night but it is also Hell, the first thing made from Chaos that life could inhabit. It is the spine and the spokes of the station, filled with its sewers and electricals and the oxygen lines. It is Aevum’s Underworld. “-Too well documented. A hole in the record would be like a gap in white noise. But this isn’t corporate, this is deep state.” He gives a sideways glance. “Who’s the best to talk to about this? Black?” [b]3V and Euna:[/b] Thank you for all your continued help during this downtime for me. You've been wonderful.