[Network Audio]

[work_wife]

Hey guys. Um. Robin here.

So I feel like I've started to understand how much of what is going on here, right? Or just a little bit. And now that I've figured that out, I'm a bit... Lost?

[Yeah, she's sighing and just a touch frustrated she supposes.]

I'll admit it. I don't know why I'm here other than to maybe keep my friends from home from strangling each other? So I guess this is me asking who needs help with stuff? I can't spend all day fretting. So, uh, I guess I should figure out what to do. But I'm not, well, really great at the sorts of things I think we need here?

For instance, I'm really good with languages. And music. And throwing things.

Guess I'm saying what can I do to help people? I want to help. If I'm going to be here I sort of need it.

Comments

[text//un:ts]

[in_extremis]

Are you saying you don't enjoy that anti-strangling role?

[work_wife]

Well, Sir or Ma'am Eliot, it's not full time employment given the boys have found separate corners to linger in. But you know how teen boys can be.

[Yes, she's making a TS Eliot reference. What are you going to do about it?]

[in_extremis]

It sounds like you have a talent for it. What if there were full time opportunities available? No holidays, unfortunately. Or insurance. Honestly, it's a pretty thankless position. Are you sure you wouldn't rather drink cocktails on the beach all day?

[work_wife]

Oh, I'd so rather drink cocktails on the beach all day. But sometimes you gotta take care of your friends.

[in_extremis]

It does come up.

There's some people here who could use someone to show them some of those language, music and throwing skills. Maybe not the throwing so much, I don't know, I don't know your process, maybe that's a good way to teach physics. Do you think you could teach physics to a 12 year old who was raised in a cult?

[work_wife]

The language thing is sorta moot, isn't it? Like. I've heard that you just hear things in your language if you don't know it. So I can't teach them. And there's no brass instruments here. And my throwing isn't very good but it was the weapon I was best with when all things were considered.

Uh... Physics was not my strong point? I'm humanities, not sciences? And I definitely haven't actually got a teaching degree or whatever.

[in_extremis]

First of all, you don't have to write me an essay, you can just say no, nobody's going to come after you. Second, you're the one that highlighted those skills, it's like you put them on your resume and now you're in the room just to tell me they're actually useless. I don't know what to make of that. Do you need someone to explain to you why you're good at music?

[work_wife]

Oh. Uh. Teachers at school tend to want more detailed explanations for rejections. Sorry.

But those are some of my very limited skills. I was pointing out that they aren't really useful, you know? I feel like I said that. And if I didn't that's sorta not shocking I guess.

[in_extremis]

Okay, well, if a teacher at school was telling you that you have some skills that can be applied, how much would you be arguing with him right now? This can't be what you wanted this conversation to be, telling some stranger how bad you are at stuff. Are you some kind of fresh faced pop star back home and can't break the habit of letting the press know how adorably relatable you are?

text, un: Steve Rogers

[pursuitofcappiness]

I've been told they could always use hands at the diner. I'm still trying to find a place to be the most useful, myself.

What instrument did you play?

[work_wife]

Yeah, I've done enough food service to do the hardest pass there. And Steve, not you Steve but my Steve, already does that some? Plus I can't cook well.

French Horn, mellophone, and against my will, trumpet in senior year.

[pursuitofcappiness]

That's a lot of instruments. Maybe we can see if we can make something out of spare metal.

[work_wife]

Well, I play French Horn for orchestra and I like it best. Then for my first three years in high school they gave me the mellophone for marching. But they were sorta low on trumpets senior year and yeah. I got shifted around.

I don't necessarily want to play them here.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Well, is there anything you want to do? If we didn't have any constraints.

[work_wife]

I mean, I don't know? Didn't really have a lot of this figured out before I got here. I'm just used to being on my feet and fighting the way I need to fight.

[pursuitofcappiness]

If it's fighting you wanna do, that can be arranged. You know any martial arts?

[work_wife]

You're kidding, right? That's really funny.

[ audio ]

[ephemerios]

Can I join the 'am lost' club even though I've been here five minutes? [ several days, five minutes, same difference. a slight pause before: ]

Maybe try something relaxing before throwing yourself into something else, though? [ a genuine suggestion. ] Just for a more clear mind and time off to not .. think about all this. You know, something like pick a night, invite all your closest girlfriends over for the night, and fun is had and you get time off to not worry and can think better later because of it.

[work_wife]

Oh my god, Chrissy Cunningham!? When did you get here!? Not five literal minutes, right?

I mean, I did sorta relax, but Billy and Steve keep on butting heads and so I have to get between them. I'm the Court of Buckley here between them. You know, keep the peace between the jocks.

[Closest girlfriends? Robin's going to laugh.]

Literally my closest thing to a female friend is Nancy Wheeler and she's not around and it's still sorta up in the air if that's a friend thing or not. It'd be easier to invite Steve over, or Eddie.

[Oh god she's running at the mouth. But Chrissy's here! And not dead! And okay talking to her too is a shock, a massive one, but it's still a whole thing.]

[ephemerios]

Not five literal minutes. [ A brief hint of a smile in her tone. ] A few days, long enough to be concerned. [ About when the nicer scenery was going to fade back away and she'd be right back into whatever Vecna-fueled mind horrors is next. ]

You need an honorary at minimum law degree for that work. [ time to probably pour one out for her sanity. ]

But I also didn't mean exclusively Hawkins friends. Think outside the box!

[work_wife]

Concerned is fair. We just had a volcano. Oh man, did you know Eddie is here? Eddie would be so happy to see you. Uh. You do know Eddie, right? Eddie Munson?

[Oh man, what if she only knows Eddie as the drug dealer? This is all going to be so confusing]

Yeah, no. I'm actually doing pretty good so far with metaphors and honest conversations. You'd be shocked. Hargrove isn't as bad as he seems. Shocking, I know.

I don't, uh... There haven't been a lot of people I've met here like that? Maybe Zelda...

[ephemerios]

Yeah and that's like ninety-five percent of the Hawkins population here already. [ small town jokes, etc. ] Is that reassuring or not, I can't decide.

[ that might be a question for future her to consider. the bit about Steve and Billy though - she's fine with being shocked in a good way for, you know, god damn once ever in history - so to hear he's not as bad as he seems, well, that's good. ]

Did you say volcano, though? [ because WHAT. her thought process now is basically: other stuff to be brought back after that clarification. ]

[work_wife]

[Robin laughs. It's so very, very inaccurate, but she's not going to argue.]

Oh yeah, there was totally a volcano. We had to hid underground with this little mushroom people. They were pretty nice. They made sure we had food. Or was that the berry people?

[ephemerios]

[ now it's her turn to laugh. ]

Somehow that kept getting more concerning. Because regular volcano is bad enough, but it sounds like it may have also sprayed alien or space drugs all over. And yet, it could also sound like you maybe ate mushroom and berry people to keep from dying from a lack of food.

[ Aaand more laughter.

This probably sounds pretty normal to someone used to Hawkins being batshit crazy, but someone had to go dying early and missed that. so you know. ]

Anything but the last one.

[work_wife]

I don't think there have really been much in the way of drugs, except for Eddie's stash. And no, we didn't eat them. They're PEOPLE Chrissy. But they did bring food down to us.

ANd I don't think the volcanoes are NORMAL? Steve and Eddie have been here longer than me and they seemed shocked by it too.