Seeing that Moses is a detective of distortions, may I request some headcanons where she picks up an assistant who has a budding talent of sensing distortions (as in, they are able to see distortions forming if the focus hard enough)?
Yes you absolutely may! This is a really interesting concept to work on.
Moses with an Assistant who also can Sense Distortions Headcanons:
Moses as well as her office is often very preoccupied with requests. From whole businesses reaching out to them to small wealthy families, there’s little free time that she has. For this reason, I doubt she would be the one to come across you.
With the rampant rate in which distortions began manifesting in the city it would only be a short time before you learn about her office. Of course with the peculiar skill of your own that no one else seems to have it’s only natural that the advertisement of her ability to see the distortion caught your eye.
Of course it very well could be exaggeration, or a scam, or some other misleading information but you couldn’t risk the chance of passing up in meeting someone who has the same ability as you.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a bit skeptical at first. While you don’t seem to have any distortion in you, it doesn’t really prove anything. For this reason the first thing she’d have you do is walk outside, and begin listing off what you see in the people of the streets.
It’s a bit headache-inducing to focus so hard, but when you do things begin to become more apparent. From crocodile leather forming on people’s skins, to an almost translucence in their appearance, to some just having no facial features.
It begins to become apparent that you really do share her skill when every description you tell lines up with what she sees. It’s now that some of her own curiosity shines through, one of which she can’t really ask others because they just don’t experience things as she does.
She’ll ask for how long you’ve been able to sense distortion, when/how you figured it out, if you’ve manifested some kind of E.G.O. The questions can at first seem like an interrogation but they really aren’t, she’s just trying to get a better understanding.
If you have manifested E.G.O in some form or way then I feel like she’d link that to seeing distortion. Perhaps it has something to do with someone’s mentality or history? While she’s not ready to delve into her past to a stranger there are some questions she may ask in the future.
If you haven’t manifested your own E.G.O then she’d be more perplexed than before. What could the cause be then? It couldn’t be its own form of distortion because she has her smoking pipe, and that rules out the possibility of her distorting. So if it’s not E.G.O then what is it? Something new altogether? What allows someone to be able to see distortion?
Though I don’t think Moses would want to leave your interactions there, she wouldn’t really think of taking you on as an assistant unless you asked her. Her line of work is grueling, and though there are so many answers to explore she’s not going to pull you into it unless you ask yourself.
If you are taken as an assistant I am just warning you that Ezra might be a bit standoffish at first. She just fears being replaced or left behind, but don’t worry she’s rather quick to warm up when she realizes you’re a nice person! She’d probably be really grateful and find it cool that you can also see distortion.
Where you start off depends on if you’ve previously been a fixer, and what your grade is. Distortions can be heavily violent and depending on the incident she may have you stay back in the office and perhaps do some paperwork or try to hone your skill.
If you need some form of training then she’ll probably ask Ezra to assist you, for the taller woman is better in fighting than she is. If you also have some form of outside help, it’s encouraged you take it to improve so that you don’t have to be stuck back at the office the whole time.
Already have a background in fixer work? That’s perfect then. Ideally anywhere from 6 and above would be the most efficient when coming along with her. The detective herself isn’t really the highest grade, so I don’t think she’d expect you to be some grade 1 either.
Seeing the distortion before it manifests is one thing, but in order for it to really be helpful you have to understand why people are distorting in the first place. She’ll walk you through some pretty basic elements and popular forms of distortions like bloodfiends, water representing sadness etc.
You’ll have to think of a lot of things in a more metaphorical and abstract way. For someone who’s already a person that enjoys metaphors and such it shouldn’t be too difficult to remember. If you’re someone who’s on the more analytical side it can be a bit more difficult to pick up on themes, but it’s definitely not impossible.
In the start of your apprenticeship it’s easy to hear Moses’ conclusions about the trauma one is going through and think ‘how in the world did she get to that?’. As you’re exposed to more and more distorted people, you’ll start to pick up some patterns.
It’s actually quite hard to explain the steps of figuring out the root emotional problem, she’s never really had to. It’s something that’s better learning with experience instead which can unnerve someone who might feel like they lack preparation.
When faced with a distortion she’ll ask you what you believe the reason for them distorting is. There’s clues not only from appearance but also perhaps the surroundings that can help with this.
I don’t really think she’d consider there to be one right or wrong answer. Of course there are far fetched ideas and ones that are closer to the mark, but it feels wrong to say your idea is false. After all, neither of you know the person nor the trauma they endured, so you can’t determine a completely true answer about their life.
She’ll actually take your suggestions and ideas into account! It can suck when a mentor refuses to acknowledge they can be wrong, or that the way they’re acting isn’t the most efficient, and she knows what that’s like. Like I said previously, it’s all really speculation and just because you’re new doesn’t mean you can’t give compelling answers.
Now, how to pull someone out of a distortion is something that’s sort of up to your personal method? You have to have some form of sympathy because a lot of the time distortions don’t take too kindly to being told flat out that they’re in the wrong, but it’s not really a specific style you need to follow.
Moses tends to be a bit more on the blunt side, directly reaching the problem to put an at least momentary pause to it. You however might be someone who’s more empathetic in your actions and attempt in holding some conversation to snap them out of it. It’s not easy but you’ll eventually find your way.
You’ve likely joined her office with the intention of helping people who have been overtaken by their emotions. Unfortunately just like many other organizations, it’s fallen prey to the calloused ways of the city. A lot of the time you’re hired not by people who care about the suffering of others, but who want the problem to stop so they can continue making profit.
It’s a lesson that she had to learn quite early on. You’re being sent there to deal with a momentary issue, not fix what’s causing it in the first place. Whether it’s through murder or being able to resolve the distortion, the outcome doesn’t matter to organizations. What matters is that it’s dealt with.
It can feel a bit unfulfilling to have to walk away when it hardly feels like you’ve scratched the surface. You may feel satisfaction in what you did, but it still feels like you could have done more. She feels a bit guilty for not telling you to expect this at the start, but it’s something that’s just become so routine and normal that she forgot she’d even have to.
Who knows though, you are still just an apprentice, and perhaps you truly will go on to help people. It’s a thought Moses hopes for, as rare as it may be. Even if she can’t aid people in all the ways she wishes she could, maybe you will. The best thing she can do is help you grow until then though.