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Okay, so it's not exactly the most dignified of trades. But it makes a little bit of money. And it looks kinda cool, anyway. What's this trade in question? PLAYING WITH BALLS IN THE PARK! Oh don't look at me like that, it's perfectly legal!
In all seriousness, that's what Theo's doing -- he's sitting on a bench in the park, small 'tip jar' next to him, while he manipulates a clear acrylic ball in his hands. He's making it appear to float, and move over his hands (and occasionally his arms) in ways that seem impossible. They're not, it just takes a lot of manual dexterity and practice to pull off. This is definitely no 'watch this fifteen-minute DVD and you're a master' sort of thing.
Theo subscribes to the Michael Moschen theory, that such things should be vaguely hypnotic to look at. To aid that, he's got some vaguely trance-like music playing from the small MP3 player in his pocket, and a tranquil-looking expression on his face.
Gonta, meanwhile, had been unaware of his roomie's production nearby. He'd climbed a tree and was over seeing a family of bugs living therein. Eventually, however, his strangely onesided seeming conversation ends and he pauses. His eyes scan over the park, hearing the odd sounding music. This causes him to go into a parkour like jump with a rolling land off of the tree and onto the ground below. "Ah, Theo, hello," he calls loudly, not quite understanding what Theo's up to. He'd dust off and approach curiously, tilting his head as he studies what Theo's doing more closely.
The song ends as Gonta's parkouring over, and Theo stands up to bow as the small handful of people watching him deposit a bit of change into the tip jar next to him. "Thank you, ladies and gentleme--" It's about then that Gonta calls out, and he jumps a little.
This causes him to fumble the acrylic ball, and he juggles a bit to keep it from calling on the ground. "...Whew," he sighs as the danger passes. He looks up at Gonta approaches. "Hello," he greets, with a smile. "I didn't realize you'd be in the park as well," he notes.
The large boy tilts his head and then nods. "Gonta didn't realize you were here either," he states, "Gonta was distracted speaking with the bugs, but when the bugs left, Gonta heard the music. ...sorry, did Gonta interupt you from something, Theo?"
Theo shakes his head. "Not really. I just didn't know you were there, that's all." He smiles, and picks up the 'tip jar', displaying it to Gonta with a broad smile. "Take a look -- I've been moderately successful today." It's not a huge amount, but the moderately-sized jar is about halfway full with small change. "It's not much, but it's definitely better than nothing."
"Oooh, that's much better than Gonta," Gonta replies, "Gonta's never had a job before... Hopefully he isn't a problem. ...Gonta's wondering if there's any thing he can do with his strength since he hasn't found much to do with his other abilities here."
Theo immediately has an idea. "Pest control," he suggests. "If you can talk to bugs, that's something valuable right there. You see, people usually call someone in with chemical sprays and things that kill the bugs or drive them off with chemicals. If you came in, you could bring them here to the park, at the very least. It's safe for the bugs AND for the people, since nobody will need to spray any chemicals in anybody's house."
Gonta looks very interested, and then very horrified...and then relieved as Theo finishes off. "Gonta DOES think that sounds good," he states, "How does Gonta let people know that he is doing this?"
"Advertise," Theo replies. "You've seen those things on TV where they're trying to get you to buy some product or another? That's an advertisement. We could put an ad in the local paper, to start with. Just a small ad in the classified section. If you want to go into business full-time, though, there are licenses you'll have to get. That's to protect people from dishonest merchants and service providers. Though I will admit, I have no idea what sort of licenses you'll need, aside from a business license."
Gonta Gokuhara gives a hesitant nod. "Gonta should probably get someone else to write the ad for it, since Gonta is not so good with his wording... So, Gonta has to say things about why it would be good to ask Gonta to do this?"
"I can write it for you," Theo offers. As for saying things as to why his services should be contracted? That gets a nod. "The biggest thing you have to learn about other people, Gonta, is that they will generally not do anything that doesn't directly benefit them," he explains. "Otherwise they will stick to what's familiar to them -- the chemical sprayers. You have to give them a reason to change their routine. I would suggest having your main selling point being that it's safer for children and pets, and that you're probably not going to be charging the exhorbitant amounts that traditional pest control companies do."
"Ahhh," Gonta replies, "Gonta thinks he can do that. Gonta doesn't need much, right? Gonta should help you for helping Gonta out, and that's really most of what Gonta needs since Gonta is used to living outside."
Theo nods. As for how much to charge? Theo rubs his chin in thought. "That, I'm not absolutely sure of. The price, I mean. It does need to be competitive. But if it's too much lower, it's undercutting any other pest control companies, who are really just trying to make a living, under most circumstances. It might be unpleasant work, but they do need to make a living. Besides, most people don't understand how to speak to insects, so they don't understand that they're killing things that can think beyond a miniscule brain firing survival instincts through its tiny synapses. Even I thought that's all it was until meeting you."
"...Oooh, maybe that's why Gonta has so much trouble with people hurting bugs..." Gonta says in realization, "People don't know that bugs even think?"
"Most of us don't," Theo confirms. "Scientifically and biologically, there just isn't enough 'brain' there to make them capable of higher thought on their own. If you get things beyond 'food', 'fear', 'mate' -- possibly with shades of color or something -- then there's more going on than just 'the bugs talk, listen and you'll know'. Even my spiders can't talk to them. And most people can't see them anyway. So maybe it's something you're making possible?"
"Maybe," Gonta says hesitantly, "That thought bothers Gonta...Gonta doesn't want the bugs to seem unthinking to people...the bugs are Gonta's friends, but people don't belive Gonta's friends can even think..."
"On the bright side," Theo points out, "if that is the case -- if something you're doing is giving them the capacity for higher thought -- that means you're giving your bug friends a great gift when they're with you... probably one of the greatest gifts ever." There's a silver lining to all this!
Gonta tilts his head at that and smiles. "But the bugs are great without Gonta...it just makes Gonta happy that he can help them though..." he states, "Gonta will do like you suggested, it sounds like the best job for Gonta...how does Gonta find out the price range though?"
"We'll have to do some research," Theo offers. "Call about prices, see what services other pest control companies offer, look up advertisements -- that sort of thing. Once we get an idea of what other companies are charging, you'll know where to put the price. Then we can ask about business licenses -- actually we should probably do that beforehand -- and then put the ad in the paper. I'll be working on the wording." A pause here, as something occurs to Theo. "You might want to make a company name once you get a business license."
"Gonta doesn't like the title of pest control...but Gonta can also speak with other things besides bugs..." the large boy murmurs, "Maybe...animal relocation?"
Theo nods, chuckling quietly. "That's actually not a bad idea," he agrees. Though he does ask, "You say you can talk to other things besides bugs? What else? Wild animals? Domestic? Or is it unclear as of yet?"
"Gonta's been able to talk with every animal he's met so far..." Gonta replies, "There are many animals Gonta hasn't met yet, so he is not sure if he can talk to them or not...but everything he has met he's talked to..."
Theo gives a thoughtful look at this statement. "You know, that could be a selling point. Maybe a slogan -- 'I've never met an animal I couldn't reason with'?." Though a moment later, he shakes his head. "Maybe not -- in this place you're just liable to meet an animal you can't reason with. Speaking in absolutes rarely works out."
Gonta nods enthusiastically. "Gonta doesn't want to lie on accident like that either, that would be ungentlemanly," he states, "Maybe saying Gonta is an entemologist with a deep understanding for bugs who can send the bugs and other animals away without anything harmful toward people's homes?"
"Ah! That's a good idea, too," Theo confirms. "People love when you can bring science into it. And I know you're a certified entomologist, I've seen the certification." It's on the wall on Gonta's side of their apartment, in fact! "So with that, and leaning on 'no harmful chemicals in your home', I think that's a good, solid strategy right there."
Gonta smiles widely and gives a little clap of his hands. "Gonta will try his best to earn his place in the apartment." Sure, they don't have to pay there, but it still wouldn't be right to just free load about it.
"Ah, don't worry about it too much," Theo notes. "Integra Arms doesn't seem to charge rent. About the only thing we need to worry about is food and necessities. And I believe there are ways to acquire food without too much hassle. So, clothing, cleaning supplies for both the house and ourselves -- that seems to be the biggest problem. And if this works as intended, you'll be making better money that I am, out here just..." He pauses, to manipulate the little acrylic ball he'd been entertaining with. "I'll likely be able to help with bookkeeping, appointments, and the like -- the clerical side of things."
"Gonta isn't very used to spending money, so Gonta will be happy to share, especailly since Theo is helping Gonta so much. Isn't it almost like Theo will be working a second job to help Gonta work his job," Gonta wonders.
"Well, if this becomes lucrative, I won't need to busk," Theo notes. "That's what I was doing -- it'd called busking. And it's generally what you do when you don't have a job. You entertain people and hope they'll be nice enough to drop some pocket change in your jar." Rattle, rattle goes the jar when Theo shakes it. "Some people aren't nice. Though to be fair, no one here has thrown anything at me yet, or spit on me."
Gonta looks positively lost over this. "What good is it to throw things or spit on you? That's horrible and ungentlemanly...."
"Some people are horrible," Theo notes easily. "People aren't like animals -- animals just want to eat you, or keep you from eating them, or to protect their young or territory. They're honest. People can be the scariest predators ever, because they can pretend to be your friend first. And some people just like hurting other people. There's no rhyme or reason... they just do."
Gonta frowns at that. "Theo's not been hurt, has he," he wonders, "Gonta doesn't like that people have done these things to you before...."
Theo smirks. "Trust me, I don't like them either," he notes. "Mostly it was just spitting and foodstuffs in various degrees of freshness. Though I did once get a whole, fresh apple thrown at me, which I caught and then ate." He snickers deviously. "People like that just want attention. It's always best to just ignore an attention-seeker. They give up and go elsewhere, without getting what they want."
Though Theo's quick to assure, "Nothing like that has happened here, to note. Overall people here seem a bit less likely to do stupid and mean things like that."
"Ah, that's good...it makes Gonta sad that people have done that to Theo, but it sounds like it's better here for Theo..." Gonta states, cheering up visibly from that little reassurance alone.
Theo chuckles at this. "Oh, trust me, I don't think it's out of any moral superiority here as opposed to where I came from," he reasons. "But it's more for the very good possibility that I could turn into something much larger, and much meaner, and return the meanness tenfold. Self-preservation is a very powerful motivator for social niceties."
"Gonta thinks he can understand that," the large boy states, "...still it feels sad..."
Theo agrees, "It is. But, some people are like that. Just like not being able to speak to the bugs makes them not care about them, because some people can't feel the pain their actions cause to others, they think it's fine to be like that." He shrugs a little. "There's not much one can really do about it, except protect oneself from it as best one can. Similar to the snow in the winter. It's cold, but asking the sky politely to stop snowing isn't going to help."
Gonta looks all watery eyed and wobbley lipped, like he's trying not to cry. "Nature is tough..."
Theo blinks a little, not having expected to make Gonta that upset. "It's all right though. Humans, I think, are as far away from being 'part of nature' as one could possibly get." He chuckles a bit and steps forward, to pat Gonta on the shoulder comfortingly.
Gonta cheers up some as he's patted on the shoulder. "...hn, Gonta should try to cheer up, he has a way to help people AND protect the bugs now..."
Theo smiles at this. "Exactly," he agrees. "I don't profess to be wise. Besides, there are just as many good people as bad people. And maybe the good people are even better because there are bad people too. Besides, we have things to look into -- a business license, competitive pricing... We have to come up with something colloquial to call you -- we could be utterly predictable and refer to you as 'The Bug Whisperer'. It isn't really bad, and it's actually true in an almost literal fashion..."
Gonta tilts his head. "Bug whisperer," he wonders, "...Gonta thinks this sounds nice...but, Theo's right...what should Gonta do to help at this point?"
"You can help me look through things," Theo suggests. "I'm not sure where all this information's going to be, and there may be a significant amount of legwork involved in finding it all. The library might be a good place to start."
"Ooh, Gonta can carry lots of books," he states, "Gonta can keep hold of all the books we need to gather and carry them until we are ready to sit down and read."
Theo nods. "That's also useful," he agrees. "Though first, I think we should swing back by the apartment so I can drop this off." He indicates the change jar he's carrying. "It's not super heavy, but it might get stolen if I'm just carrying it around."
Gonta Gokuhara nods in agreement. "And I can keep people from trying to take it from you," he points out.
"That's why I wanted to drop it off at the apartment," Theo notes with a chuckle. "Well, let's get started. Hopefully it'll be worth the work we're about to put in. Though either way it should still be fun." He grins, unable to keep it from looking just slightly mischievous.
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