Chapter 2 - Barter System

[duck_duck_laser]

[Action - Thursday, September 1st, 458 Stone Street, Morning]

[Dakki is up early, as usual, checking the mail after fixing the household's drone children toast for breakfast. Again. Toast is easy, and they haven't started complaining yet... although that could change soon. But the package on the doorstep jostles her out of breakfast-related

Comments

phone

[hystorical]

I might be able to help you with that. [a smile in her voice clear to hear, as usual~]

[duck_duck_laser]

Ah. That's good. How much cooking experience do you have?

[hystorical]

Quite a bit, I would think. I do happen to do all the cooking at home, after all. [she kind of only does Japanese meals though.

But she's been adapting here.]

[duck_duck_laser]

Much more experience than I have. [She laughs softly. Japanese meals are fine! Dakki needs to learn to make any meals.]

Is there anything in particular you'd like to learn in exchange?

[hystorical]

[smiling here. But can't be seen, since there's no video...]

Not that I can think of. Perhaps we'll see in the future?

[duck_duck_laser]

[In customer service, they say that you can hear a smile!]

An IOU, then? I can work with that. Maybe we can make arrangements for lessons. Is there a convenient time for you? I'm very much free in the daytime.

[hystorical]

That's not really necessary, though. [you can probably hear that here, then~] I'm mostly only convenient on the weekends, since I'm teaching at the elementary school.

[duck_duck_laser]

Oh! So women can have jobs, here! [That's some genuine surprise in her voice.]

The weekend works for me, too. I'm a "housewife". I have free time. [Sigh]

[hystorical]

The place does have double standards between genders, though - if I'm not wrong, female teachers are paid substantially less than male teachers, despite doing exactly the same job.

Then... who should I look for, and where?

[duck_duck_laser]

... [There's a tiny 'clunk' on the other end of the line. Sounds like the receiver hit something, and Dakki caught it afterwards.]

Ahem. I'm at 458 Stone Street. Knock on the door and look for the blonde lady.

[hystorical]

Did something happen? It sounded like you dropped something.

[duck_duck_laser]

It's fine. I fumbled the phone.

[Muffled, as though the hand's over the mouthpiece] ...and the women make less than the men. I hate this place. Hate this place.

[hystorical]

Oh.

Well... It's not like it can be helped. This is 1950s America... It's to be expected, really.

[duck_duck_laser]

Nnh. [The woman said "1950s America" like it was something Dakki ought to recognize. Now wasn't the time to be complaining about it, not over the phone while attempting to be professional.]

I'm still... learning about the setting.

[hystorical]

If you'd like, I could teach you about that too, when I do come by.

[duck_duck_laser]

I think I'd like that. I'm open to any new information that anyone has for me.

[She sighs again, but there's a tone of gratitude to it.]