They see a slumped, defeated looking Owen and a pensive Simon on one of the tables.
“Now that’s not the mood for a fancy train ride. Cheer up, strange creatures!”
“No can do, for the future only brings ruin. Forked paths. Uncertain fate. Such an herculean feat of Atlas proportions”
“What”
“We’re thinking”
“Are you?”
“They’re bummed out because they have to choose a career for university”
“WHA- WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?”
“Around”
“Is that what’s worrying you? Career prospects?”
“It’s more than that! I took a year off to ~find myself~ but uh. I mostly played videogames and got a cool haircut”
“And now I have to actually do the damn thing, and I still haven’t found out what I want to do!”
“It’s alright Owen, the university life is not for everyone.”
“No no, I know that! But I need to know what is it that I want to do for the rest of my life!”
“That does sound like a Herculean feat of Atlas proportions”
“Well, what is it that you like to do?”
“Uh. Listen to Medieval versions of popular music?”
“…As like. A hobbie”
“Don’t worry, a lot of people don’t end up working as the thing they studied. I was a security guard for a good while!”
“Security! That’s it!”
“A security expert? That’s a noble job”
“I’LL BECOME THE NEXT DOMINION!”
“The guy is nowhere to be found, and people found he sold all the stuff he stole so he must be loaded, right?”
“And! I get to have a cool costume!”
“You think it’s cool…?”
(“He thinks it’s cool?!”)
“Owen that’s how you get in jail. And at least a few broken bones. A person needs to be borderline crazy to believe they can pull off the stuff Dominion did”
“Because he was like no other, truly. Amazing, mysterious, charming…”
“A complete lunatic”
“less than three”
“wh- Did you say the heart emoji out loud?”
“Well, if I can’t be Twominion then what do you think I should be, Mr. B- Oliver Beebo?”
Hmm… Something that Owen would enjoy…
“I think you’d do it well”
“Well, that does sound fun, but uh, isn’t that a bit… low on employment?”
“That is true, but. Does it really matter for your type?”
“My type?”
“Rich people.“
” You have connections. Your parents have connections. No matter how low-end a career path might be, you’ll get to do anything because of your family’s name”
“Ollie, you’re not wrong but I don’t think that’s what the kid wants to hear right now…”
“Why not? It means he’s free to do whatever he wants. Look at Nadia”
“Oliver…”
“She’s studying film. In a country with barely any movie productions. Less so known ones aside from some closed circles. On a private University.”
“Yet she’ll be able to do all the movies she wants and be successful because the Margulis name is strong”
“…Excuse you. Are you implying I’m not able to be successful on my own?”
“Ah, you certainly have talent Nadia, I wouldn’t say anything against that”
“But that talent can be found in millions of people. People who might be even more talented. But we’ll never know because they won’t be able to reach the place it has been given to you on talent alone”
“You will. Because you have money. Because you were born with money.”
“…You-“
“SIMON! HAHA WHAT ABOUT YOU SIMON? HUH? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO STUDY HAHA”
“C’mon Beeb, only I’m allowed to fight the child”
(“Fight?“)
Simon thinks for a second
“…Marine Biology”
“Although mom always gets weird when I say it. I think she might hate fishes”
“Bu- But you are good at cooking yeah? Didn’t you love cooking?”
“I am good at it but… The cooking scene isn’t very nice…”
“And I refuse to cook Lobster! It’s terrible and cruel!”
“Well, what if you become a vet! And specialize in fish! Or become the owner of an aquarium!”
“That just seems like a roundabout way to get to marine biology”
“You could have your own restaurant! Fish free!”
“I think it’s fine.”
“If you like it and you think you can make it, then go ahead. Biology is hard though, think about that”
“I’m pretty good at it”
He seems relieved.
While he can’t speak for the others, his blonde roots and white shirt made his eyes look… almost green.
Eugene never got to study what he loved. He’ll make sure Simon does.