etraya | voice | un: vsmith

Intentionality does make the difference when considering how to take a person's actions. Are you saying you don't believe in friendship?

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.

[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?

No.

[ Ugh. ]

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

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.

[ VERY LONG SIGH ]

Yes, we will agree to disagree, then.

Practically best friends already.

I will find a way to kill you if you utter nonsense like that to me again.

Oh, I'm technically already dead, so... To friendship then, transactional and all.

Shame it didn't stick.

[ Anyway. ]

Yes, yes... transactional relationship established. 15% baseline approved. The average and baseline has been ruled to be 10%. Dropping below is not advised. [ Certainly may sound like a joke, but well, it is how his mind works, too. ]

Yeah me too. I have an ugly future ahead of me.

[Anyway.]

What's the highest percentage above baseline do you have with a person?

[ Hmph. The desire to have the last word eats at him, but investments are being talked about so: ]

That would be telling and there's no telling you will get there.

Still, I used to have the baseline at 25% but market values had shown me that was too optimistic. So, don't celebrate too much, hm?

[Oh, one of those. Reminding him of Silco already.]

Just need to know where the top end of curve is, nothing more, nothing less.

[ Hmmmmmmmmm. Well, fine. So long as he isn't talking about irritating topics anymore. ]

90%.

Regardless of being 15% or 90%, that is how much my investment is in any individual.

Meaning, of course, my technical analysis tells me that if it is more profitable to me in the long run to lose an arm for someone... then I will. 15% gets you my occasional insight and thoughts on a mission, with the belief you will offer the same if asked.

The slightly above the bare minimum one can hope for from someone else.

[This conversation was fascinating. Vander was rather invested in how this man's mind worked. It was highly transactional and rigid.]

And what is it that you find more valuable in receiving in return in any kind of association with another person?

What do I find more valuable? It depends on the investment.

Not all transactions are made equal, after all. Simply because "you" may die for me does not mean "I" will die for "you." It would be a negative investment for me if you went that far since I have nothing I can repay with in terms of action on my part.

Everything must be equal to ensure there is no debt.

I assure you that I have no interest dying for you, not yet anyway. I need to invest in us to reach that point. So your most important value is equal investments to remove the overarching idea of debt. Unless perhaps that debt is yours to collect?

Exactly. I despise people who try to accrue debt on others and then act like it isn't --

[ Whatever. ]

No. I don't want to collect debt, either. [ He flicks his wrist to the side, batting away the idea, even if it can't be seen. ] If someone feels indebted to me, that isn't a worthwhile situation for me to be in. [ His hand shakes as he continues to wave it in the air. ] I don't know if that person would pay me back for what I did, and they may grow to resent my actions.

An investment fails when either party oversteps their contributions.

It seems to me (and correct me if I'm wrong) but relationships to you are business transactions. The debits and credits all need to be balanced for an effective system, though I suppose the profits are subjective in this case. Are you a banker at home?

They're more like stocks and bonds, but that is about the same.

[ Numbers are more reliable than people so people should just be numbers. ]

I worked on Wall Street, but now I'm a priest.

[Ah. So like Chross. Never played an odd that wasn't profitable somehow.]

You really are a numbers man then. I understand. Safe to assume that you like statistics then? A priest? What's your religion?

No, actually, I hate them, but unfortunately, that is what the world is made of, doggy.

[ Please don't try to understand him. It's pointless. ]

The Order of the Holy Woman.

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