Title: Of Potential and Prospects
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Duo + Milliardo
Notes: Challenge 204. Baby Series 4 #68. Takes place a few hours following School Days.
Spoilers: None
Warnings:
Many thanks to ShenLong Deb for her work betaing this set of fics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Title: Of Potential and Prospects
"Anybody would think it was the end of the world. What's wrong with learning something new? And it's not as though they HAVE to go to a school, after all, its just a questionnaire to determine skill sets and give an understanding of the adults' standard of education."
"It is a traumatic experience, resettling into an unknown cultural environment. They would have faced this before, after the colony destructed, and from reports they did not exactly have a great deal of assistance in reshaping their lives. Their caution is understandable given their history."
"Yeah, but they have assistance this time, that's my point." Duo waved a hand in a random direction, figuring it would do to indicate the direction of the converted barracks. "What's their beef with actually having people want to help? The more we know the better we can assist."
Milliardo gazed into the dancing flames. "Some were making headway with their lives when they were contacted concerning the offer to relocate to Sanc. It was expected they would hesitate at certain milestones. Beginning again is never easy."
"Well to hear some of the complaints, whispered I might add, not said openly, you would think it was a world destroying cataclysm that their word is not being taken for everything, including when they last scratched their collective ass."
Milliardo snorted softly, flicking an amused glance at Duo. "In this day and age the lack of paperwork can be considered catastrophic. The isolationist policy was compounded by there being no off colony back up of records, and lack of information is not something employers approve of. Potential employers need an accurate assessment of the educational levels and individual skill sets of any prospective employee. I am not running a charity shop, and I need those people to be independent of the state financially as quickly as possible. It's fine if they kick and scream all the way, so long as they get there."
"You got that right. There's a lot of work to do in Sanc, but not much in the way of money to go around to pay for that work to be done. University graduates are finding they have to push a broom instead of exercising their brains." Duo rubbed absently at his cheek, staring into the dancing flames of the fire as though he was looking for something specific.
"That is simply the way it is, but there is a gradual improvement. Slowly but surely there is investment taking place." Milliardo closed his eyes after a moment and sighed. "It all takes time to come back from a 'end of the world' experience."
"I guess in a way Sanc had two of those in a relatively close time frame."
"What recovery had been made was set back years by the Romefeller invasion, but Sanc is resilient and we are persistent. We will survive. We will endure."
"And Wuffers has no intention of going anywhere."
Duo, Milliardo decided, sounded particularly content about that.
End
Karina Robertson 2013