The admissions officer gave voice to a lengthy sigh. He felt certain that at multiple points during that last interview he had been mere inches from losing his life. He fervently hoped the next applicant would be safer (and saner), but he knew from regrettable experience that such hopes usually went unfulfilled. Then again, the young woman who entered and sat down on the chair provided didn’t look all
that strange.
“Welcome,” he said, in what he hoped was a warm and friendly tone. That last interview still had him quite shaken up…
The girl nodded and promptly handed him her application form. Looking it over, he noticed at once that there was at least
one improvement from the last applicant.
At least this one has basic literacy… he thought.
Let’s see now… Name: Kate Carson, age: sixteen years, gender: female… So far so good… Nationality: here and there, but mostly the Federation. Okay, so a bit of a traveler. Appearance: See attached photo. Hmm…He turned the form over and saw that a photograph had been paper clipped to the back. Taking a look at it, he saw
an image of the girl seated before him. She was even wearing the same clothes… Returning the photo from where he had retrieved it, he continued reviewing the application.
Species: human, physical abilities/skills: photography, observation.“Ah, so you’re a photographer. I was wondering with the camera and all. That is a camera, right? It’s a very unusual design. In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it.”“Yeah, I’m not surprised,” she replied with a chuckle.
“It’s a bit more advanced than what you’d normally find around here. An old friend made it for me.”“I see,” he said, giving a small nod.
“They must be very talented.”“Sure are,” she agreed as a grin crept across her face.
She had such a relaxed and easygoing demeanor that he couldn’t help but smile himself, before shifting his attention back to the form. Yes, this was proceeding
much better than the previous interview.
Now, what’s next? Ah, magical style: photography. Wait, photography again?“Um, excuse me, but you put photography down for your magical style as well. Are you saying that your photography is magical in nature?”“Yup,” she confirmed.
“Could you… give some more details?”“Sure,” she said with a grin.
“Basically, the camera’s a magi-tech artifact. It can give me all sorts of info on anyone or anything I take a picture of with it. Even secret stuff.”“How does it provide the information?”Turning the camera around, she pointed to a rectangular area on the back.
“It gets displayed on this screen. It can even create additional screens holographicly.”“Fascinating…” “It can also be used to do a bunch of other stuff, but only when I transform, and I don’t like to do that too often ‘cause the outfit is reeeally embarrassing…”“Transform? You mean like a metamorphosis?”“Kinda. It’s a form in which I can unlock this baby’s full potential, but, like I said, I have to wear this really embarrassing dress…”“That’s… rather unfortunate,” the admissions officer said, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible. The girl before him
did seem rather tomboyish, after all, so having to wear a dress would probably be exceptionally humiliating for her.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when your mad scientist friend has a sick sense of humor...”“Still, even with that being the case, this camera of yours must be pretty valuable. Aren’t you worried it might get stolen?”She chuckled again.
“Not really. It’s magically bonded to me. Only I can use it, and if anyone tries to steal it, I’ll know about it.” “Ah, so you have a method of tracking it? Is it another device, a mental link, or…?” “Both of those things, but mostly the screams.”“Screams?”She gave another chuckle.
“Yeah. Let’s just say any wannabe thieves’ll be on a one-way ride to agony city.” “I…see… Oh! And it appears you listed that ‘transformation’ thing as a magical quirk. I guess that teaches me not to get ahead of myself! Let’s see, what’s next? Ah! You have photography and observation down for your magical skills, hobbies, and interests, and I’m beginning to see why… For reason for enrollment, you have ‘vacation’. Care to clarify?”“Well, I was working for a certain major metropolitan newspaper in a certain big city back east, when I maaay have done something to upset some of said city’s rich and powerful. So, I decided to come here to lay low for a while. This being a backwater’s backwater, I figured it’d be the perfect place. No offense.”“None taken. Moving along, I see you have ‘laid-back’ and ‘good sense of humor’ listed for personality, an accurate assessment, if I’m any judge. Oh, and I guess you already told me your backstory…” he chuckled as he noted the final item.
“For general skills, hobbies, and interests, you wrote, ‘There’s something of a pattern here. See if you can guess what it is.’ Funny.”“Yeah, I thought so too.”“Well, that completes this little interview,” the admissions officer said, standing up and offering his hand.
“It was a most sincere pleasure meeting you, young lady.”“Likewise,” she said with a smile.
“Hey, before I go, wanna take a picture together?”“That sounds like an excellent idea.”The two leaned in close, while Kate held her camera out, facing towards them.
“Say ‘cheese’!” she instructed.
“Cheese!”*Snap!*
“Thanks!” Kate said cheerily as she departed.
“Don’t mention it! I hope to receive a copy of that, by the way!”“Sure thing!” she called back.
Ah… Now that was a rare treat. I only wish more of these accursed interviews would be that pleasant… Just a nice young lady and her magic camer…Magic camera. She had a magic camera. A magic camera that could reveal all sorts of hidden information about whoever it photographed. A magic camera that had just photographed
him.
Oh dear… he thought with growing horror.
I really do
need to find a better job…
