video

[beholding_archivist]

[ The video turns on to reveal your local Archivist, deep scowl on his perpetually tired face, an already very used looking pencil behind his ear and a cigarette between his fingers. Yes, that particular habit is getting worse, but judging by the open sky above him he's at least not taking it inside.

But it's the scowl that mainly addresses the network. ]

Very well. Might as well inform you all that the hospital staff has been reduced to one. I am no trained professional, have no noteworthy abilities that qualify me for the task, but I... I will do what I can should the need arise. I won't always be at the hospital, so you will have to contact me should you need anything- And I ask of everyone to abstain from needlessly reckless endeavors more likely to getting yourself hurt than resulting in any progress. I... I just-

[ He pauses, takes one deep breath and closes his eyes. ]

... I can't split myself in two.


I'm sorry.




[[ ooc: Adult Content Warning for the comments below. ]]

Comments

[Video]

[out_of_order]

Like medical records, you mean.

...you don't have to take this all on yourself.

[A tilt of his head.]

Snippets?

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Snippets, yes. Pieces. Partial information. It's like being given random pieces to different puzzles and hardly making progress on any of them. My preexisting knowledge on human anatomy helps, yes. But that's pretty basic.

[ He sighs, calming himself down for a moment. ]

So tell me who else here has the ability to potentially know everything?

[Video]

[out_of_order]

...I didn't mean it like that. No one expects any one person to know and do everything. We all just do what we can, and try to help each other out.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Cal, that's... That's what I'm doing: What I can.

I'm not saying I can do everything, but... I can know everything. It's just-

Difficult.

[ Pause. ]

...it's part of being the Archivist.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

You can ask for help too.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Yes, I...

[ He has no excuse for that, really. ]

I guess.

Billy... Offered to help, actually.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

[There's a brief, rueful smile at that. He knows how difficult it can be to ask for help, especially when one's used to doing things a certain way.]

Glad to hear it.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

I didn't mean to accidentally recruit anyone, but... I'm glad about it, yes.

[ Heeee pauses. ]

...you are human, right?

[Video]

[out_of_order]

It's like you said, you can't split yourself in two. Because you don't need to. I don't think anyone's expected any one person to handle a job.

[Cal quirks a brow at that, but he nods.]

Human as can be.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

[ And none of that will keep him from working on the library by himself. At least that is something he feels a little more competent about.

He will simply let that topic slide with a small nod. ]

So most of us are human - And a few Chiss. At least that makes a few things simpler.

[ And adds a few more questions as well, of course. ]

[Video]

[out_of_order]

I'm kind of surprised at how many Chiss I've seen here. I've never met any before, but then I get here and run into three.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Really? I have come to believe them to be rather common.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

[Cal shrugs, shaking his head.]

If they were they'd be pretty distinct. If not for the red eyes, I would have thought they were Pantoran, but otherwise I've never even heard of the Chiss before. The galaxy's a big place though, and even being able to travel by ship between places won't guarantee your seeing everything.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Pantoran...?

[ Never heard of that. ]

I- I mean... We don't have any of those here either, I believe? Or... You know. Melmacians - God forbid these even exist in reality.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

I don't think we do.

I've never heard of Melmacians...

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

They are... Actually a fictional alien race.

[ Beat. ]

And yet- They might exist?

[Video]

[out_of_order]

[That's a strange concept to him, and it shows on Cal's face. Fictional alien races?]

Where did the...idea come from?

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

The idea? For ALF? I... I believe it was an American sitcom? It was on telly when I was a kid, never really got into it, though.

[ Because you know: Fictional. ]

[Video] *CRIES*

[out_of_order]

[Yeah, those are more words he's unfamiliar with. He supposes American is some other sort of species. All in all, it just tells him how little he knows about the world Jon comes from.]

...ah.

[Yeah, he didn't get any of that. Sorry Jon.]

[Video] >BD

[beholding_archivist]

[ Jon simply blinks at Cal, then tips his head a little to the side. ]

You don't... Have that?

Fictional stories? For entertainment...?

[Video]

[out_of_order]

I'm sure there are, but I'm...not exactly an expert on that. Then again, I've learned that the most some people in the galaxy are familiar with Jedi are only in stories that they don't really believe to be true.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Oh, but Jedi actually exist, at least. ALF is... It's a puppet.

[ Jedi aren't puppets as far as he's aware. ]

What about cartoons? Visual... fairy tales. For children.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

[Maybe not in a literal sense nor on purpose...

Cal chuckles dryly.]

My childhood wasn't exactly a normal one, so I'm not really sure what sort of things people might have access to for their children.

[Video]

[beholding_archivist]

Because you are a Jedi.

[ And Jedi children don't get to watch Saturday morning cartoons. To be fair, he never watched those either. But mostly because he found no interest in them. ]

What was your childhood like, if you... Don't mind me asking.

[Video]

[out_of_order]

Not at all.

[He had no problems with his childhood, well aware it was probably an unusual one from what might be expected, but it's how he'd been brought up.]

We're found at a young age and brought to the Temple to begin our training, if we're found to be Force sensitive. That's not to say I was lonely. There were many younglings like me, and we lived together and would train together, honing our bodies and minds. We learned the Jedi code, how to meditate and be in control of ourselves, of our emotions. We were taught how to wield training sabers in the basic forms. We didn't own much except our uniforms, and going out in the city was a rare occasion and never without the company of a Master, at least early on.

Constructing a lightsaber is a passage of its own, but once we're deemed ready, we move on from initiates to padawan learners, where we're taken under the wing of a full Jedi as an apprentice. It was exciting at first. Becoming a padawan is our chance to really see the worlds beyond, and to apply our training. The war had picked up around then, meaning that we'd probably have our first taste of actual combat. We'd see how our training would hold up.

[He laughs a little.]

Not that the training nor the lessons really stopped. Even when we were aboard our ship, my master would drill me hard. It was tiring, but I really wanted to do my best.