#6ias

It is very rare that you have ever signed into treddit, mostly due to the fact that you couldn’t really ever take any recommendation Mituna offered you seriously. You even make a face that almost looks like you’re going to laugh when he suggests it, although you’re definitely going to give it a try. When he gives you the attempted smile, you actually do laugh a little. You’re clearly trying not to do so.  "The sweater enthusiast subculture probably understands that it can take me over a perigee to make even one, and they don’t sell very high. That doesn’t have the greatest turnover,” you stifle your laugh a little more as the mental picture of Kankri browsing Treddit just to talk about how great his sweater is. “Even if I do have a dear friend in the community.” You put the back of your hand not currently on his back to your mouth. You needed a laugh. “Can you imagine me on Treddit, though? How long do you think I’d last before I ruined my digital career for getting into an internet fight?”

You put your smile away right quick, back to that stiff upper lip you usually sport. You’re trying really hard to claw your way out of your comfort zone, but apparently it’s just coming off as a joke, so you just cross your arms as you lean back on the wall. Back into your shell you go. “I doubt you could ruin it that quickly, I’d recommend just advertising there or skimming. It’s really not worth rooting around and engaging. Trust me.”

That was actually a great idea. Filling a niche of some sort was generally the fastest way to get a business that stood out. Too tight of a niche and the business wouldn’t last very long, but it was worth looking into different options. It wasn’t as if you didn’t know a thing or two about different subcultures. You keep rubbing his back a little since he hadn’t shown signs of being opposed to it, even if he tried to right himself.

“Nothing I’ve experienced on the surface has been harder than my experiences beneath it,” you say, in what you hope is more reassuring than a rehashing of your own personal traumas. “I actually think that’s a great idea! Do you have any forums you might recommend?”

“I know there are a lot of possible affiliates on Treddit, that awful social news aggregation site that Mituna uses. People advertise their forums and subculture groups on Startusks community boards sometimes.” You pinch the bridge of your nose and knead a little bit; you don’t actually visit many forums that aren’t specific to public speaking and charities, but you can’t say you regret not being entwined in a bunch of subcultures, either. It’s just unfortunate that you can’t be too entirely helpful here.

“I’d ask around, honestly, everyone has different exposure to things... if you just want to do simple searches, we can weed through for credibility, I’m just not sure which subcultures you’d be interested in catering toward. Probably not the sweater enthusiast subculture.”

You had mentioned, briefly, an online shop, but you were definitely going to need help with it. Getting supplies out of the way was important, but you’d still have to figure out what you were going to make. And shipping. And all sorts of things you’d never bothered to look into more than with a passing glance. Since he seemed alright with you touching him earlier, you reach out a hand sympathetically after he leans on the wall, aiming to really gently rub at his shoulder in what you hope will be a comforting, and moreso stress relieving gesture. Should he tense up more, you’d just stop.

Everything is so hesitant with you right now because starting the first night of your stay off on a bad foot is the fastest way to make you leave in the middle of the day without warning. You don’t want to do that to him, and you don’t want to feel like you have to do it either.

“I don’t feel like there’s nothing I can do,” you say in what is probably the most obvious lie you’ve ever told. One look at your blog for the past two sweeps would probably counteract that sentence. You don’t even try to keep up with it, your very next sentence acting to practically scratch it out. “I just feel like maybe there’s nothing positive for me to do, not legally.” Smuggling jadebloods out of the caverns sometimes felt bad because you knew they’d go through the same struggles you dealt with, but it was better than being in a hole. You always felt your situation was better than life in the caverns. “I really appreciate all of the help you want to give me, and I’m just thankful you want to sign me onto your accounts at all.”

You manage to stand yourself up straight when she touches your shoulder, trying to look less small, less tired, and more like someone who can actually support her. “It’s not going to be easy, Porrim, but it’s not going to be impossible, either. Try to think of something niche you can do . You can always troll around on some forums and figure something out, there’s always some... subculture looking for ways to express themselves.”