voice | un: vsmith

[banworthy]

Hello.

How are you all doing? [ A beat. ] Actually, you all know I don't care so let's ignore that question, hm?

So, who would like to have their fortune, romantic future, or whatever told?

I know, I know... tarot is still a [ Longer pause. ] hobby of mine, but one you get to reap the rewards of today.

Fun, right?

Comments

[cantilevers]

That is rather generous of you. That is more altruistic than expected. Do you not expect anything from anyone in return?

1/2

[banworthy]

[ ......................... is this person messing with him? ]

[banworthy]

What do you mean? They have to have some use to me or I'm not going to do anything for them.

[cantilevers]

Just curious why you would see their value based on what you would give them then, as you stated above. So they do have to provide something of value in return?

[banworthy]

You're right. I did word that a little poorly. My mistake.

[ But anyway. ]

Yes, they have to be useful to me in return. Otherwise, there's no point to give them anything.

[cantilevers]

And what makes a person useful to you in a place like this?

[banworthy]

Honestly, it depends on the person.

There's no set criteria. If there were, that'd be easy. But all investments have a baseline and that baseline means there's some usefulness to them. Be it that they simply wish to ensure a mission is successful or not. That means they have at least 10% usefulness but that doesn't meant that they're anything else. Liquidation of that payout is difficult to acquire since a relationship usually needs to be maintained and held in order to ensure maximum amount of --

[ He waves his hand. ] -- it varies.

[cantilevers]

[Oh boy, there's a lot to unpack here. Including a few red flags.]

Ah, so you value transactional relationships in relatively simple terms. Are you using these readings to find new people who can provide usefulness to you after a reading?

[banworthy]

Exactly. Good on you.

[ He makes a flicking gesture to the side. Even if he's on voice, he's still making hand gestures. Don't @ him. Anyway, he increases the person's value a little. It's nice when someone gets it. ]

No. I'm doing it because I'm bored. If I was doing it to find anyone useful, I'd be incredibly disappointed due to how many people seem to want to irritate me instead.

[cantilevers]

[Patronizing little fellow, wasn't he?]

If you do this for boredom, I'm now extremely curious what hobbies you fully engage in. I figure the spectrum of irritation would just line up who you would be willing to talk to further and who you will write off.

[banworthy]

[ Hobbies he actively engages in? That's a question, isn't it? He doesn't really think he has anything that he does that can be considered "a hobby." Feed and tend Heathcliff? Maybe? Complain to the creature? Probably? Think and plan and plan and plan and plan and -- ]

It doesn't matter, really. I only get along with a scant few but I have no intention of telling you their names. Because in the end, it doesn't matter who I am connected to, does it? I am who I am and they are who they are. That's all there is to it.

[cantilevers]

I wouldn't ask their names; that's between you and them. That's an interesting flippant attitude about people and their associations. You're an interesting one.

[Vander liked interesting complex people. They were entertaining as he did what he could to figure them out.]

Maybe I'll look into becoming one of the scant club members.

[banworthy]

Well, yes. What they do have nothing to do with me.

[ Obviously. The only thing he could do to protect any of them is die for them. But how often would what they get involved in need him to be so drastic? His fear of death makes that a difficult hurdle to cross, but it's an investment. Anything else they happen to find themselves in, they know not to bother him. Relationship issues? Quarrels? They know how much he dislikes people and would keep him out of it since he'd make the matter worse. ]

Ugh. If you must? I don't see why you'd want to, however.

[cantilevers]

Doesn't it? Do your associates know that? I bet they do actually.

[This guy seemed like the brute honest type. He still suspected there was a lot to unearth here.]

You're interesting. I like interesting.

[banworthy]

Yes. It's pointless to keep things from others.

[ Like the only thing he's hiding is he's a cultist, but he doesn't think he's a cultist. So -- there's a bit to unpack there, but whatever. ]

You're lowering your stock value if you're trying to be fresh with me.

[cantilevers]

Is it? The way I see it, everyone has their secrets and that's good.

I didn't realize you'd already bid me up on the stock market. I promise I accrual interest.

[banworthy]

I suppose, but intentions are another.

It's best people know that rather than waste each other's time thinking there is real friendship, no?

[ A beat then adds: ] So you say. [ About how he'll accrual interest. ]

[cantilevers]

Intentionality does make the difference when considering how to take a person's actions.

Are you saying you don't believe in friendship?

[banworthy]

That's right.

Real friendship does not exist. Only transactional relationships. You may be getting something emotional [ Ugh. ] from the person, but you are getting something from them, and they are getting something from you. If you give nothing to one another, eventually, there is nothing.

Furthermore, the level of betrayal a person feels towards anything is only related to how much time, effort, and investment they put into anything. It's just a stock going under that is upsetting, not the individual that they're lamenting, after all.

[cantilevers]

[That was an interesting take, but it was also one of the saddest things that he had heard in his life. Yet, he took his time to reflect before answering; this was the kind of 2 am just-before-the-bar closed drunk talk some of his patrons would engage in, just less eloquent.]

So you're proposing that friendship is a label added to a particular transactional relationship. I think you're boiling it down too far because love does exist. You ever been in love, Vincent?

[banworthy]

No.

[ Ugh. ]

I'm not getting into "love" with you people.

[cantilevers]

Fair enough. Love is unreasonable and messy and beautiful and ugly all at the same time. It can move mountains and stall all progress. It's quite the emotion to experience.

Anyway, I agree that all relationships are transactional in a way, but that's boiling down the bonds that people share in friendship and in loving relationships to semantics that are too simplified. That's my opinion, of course. We can agree to disagree on that point.

1/3

[banworthy]

[banworthy]

[ VERY LONG SIGH ]

[banworthy]

Yes, we will agree to disagree, then.