COM - Sneaky Applicant

Another regular day in the most extraordinary place on the planet – the Underwater Research Laboratory. Dr. Aarie was in the middle up her daily check-up of the new deep-sea fish species they’ve discovered. “This will get me a write-up in a journal or seventeen,” she says out loud to no one in particular. “Still…I can’t help but wonder what they taste like. Maybe if I sneak one specimen into my dinner, no one will notice-“

Aarie’s monologue was interrupted by a tapping noise. She returned to her diagnostics device, until she realized that the tap was from the window. The outside window. Aarie looked up to see an unknown diver hovering outside the lab in the water, dressed in a sleet black rubber drysuit, and holding up a sign with the words “NEED A JOB” neatly printed on it in waterproof marker.

Needless to say, this befuddled Aarie. Normally, URL security would keep any divers who weren’t employed by the lab far away from its location; the sign showed that this wasn’t a case of getting lost, either. Aarie simply stood there for a while, pondering what to do, while the diver outside began checking over her shoulders for other windows to tap on.

Finally, Aarie motioned the diver towards the nearest airlock. The diver nodded and headed that direction; Aarie herself followed after a short while. She waited patiently for the diver to poke up from the portal on the floor. After a few minutes, the diver swam up and spat out their regulator.

“Oh my goodness, you’re Dr. Aarie! I’ve read so much about you on the URL’s website, I can’t-”

“Slow down there, miss," Aarie interrupted. "You’re lucky to have avoided the security forces, you know. Who are you anyway?”

The diver fumbled to remove her mask and swimcap. “Ack, how rude of me! I’m Eliza Dumont, and I’m here to apply for a job at the lab!”

Aarie raised her eyebrow in bemusement. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, uhm, Eliza, but we do have ways to get hired that don’t involve SCUBA gear and trespassing.”

Eliza began to hoist herself up onto the metal grating of the airlock. “I know, I know, I’ve tried plenty of times. I kept getting rejected because I didn’t have my SCUBA certification, but now that I do, I thought I should state my case in person! I’ve even got my resume on a waterproof USB key right here!”

Aarie’s eyebrow was starting to hurt from being raised for so long. “I see. I’m not really in charge of human resources, but if you swim away from here quickly without getting detected, I’ll put in a good word for you for…something.”

Eliza’s eyes opened wide as she donned her swimcap again. “You mean it? I’d be willing to do anything to work here! Marketing, business strategy, janitor duties, fish feeder, you name it! Thank you so-”

Aarie simply sighed and pointed to the portal. Eliza slid her USB key across the airlock floor, put on her mask and regulator, and hopped back into the ocean with a wide grin on her face. As Aarie walked back to the cafeteria, she began absentmindedly tossing Eliza’s USB key in the air. “Well, she’s certainly enthusiastic,” she said to no one in particular.

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Anonymous commission.
Eliza is known around here for various gasmasks/scuba/swimcap pictures.

Try to ignore the perspective of the aquarium tanks, it really sucks.


Aarie original concept Frederic Lapointe
Picture concept and backstory created by customer
Lineart by / Stephane G.