trustfell | Afterparty 5.0

Afterparty 5.0

[There's not much that can be believed about that trial. Or that execution. Still, like before, two hours after everyone leaves, they'll find a note slipped underneath their doors.]

We have to stick together. The dining room is there for anyone that needs a quiet space, and I cooked dinner.

Hibiki made some coffee and dessert for all of us.

-Mordecai Benmont Jiminy and Hibiki Ganaha

[Today's selection includes potato pancakes and a light coffee cake. Hibiki has lit two more candles in the dining hall. It doesn't take long before Mordecai lights a third.]

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[Many people wish they could have that kind of money at her age.]

Well, that's it. The way you're been actin' is really close to how some dangerous folks think on Mars. Out on the outskirts of town, you get these gangs that only look out for themselves, and anyone that don't fit their criteria of someone they like, they get shot. When you're livin' somewhere as dangerous as space, you have to work together instead of teamin' up with a few folks.

I could tell you never knew someone who got murdered. When someone kills someone else on Mars, we don't go around callin' 'em a monster. If we did that every time, the whole place would fall into disorder, goin' after bandits and preachers and robots. What makes 'em a monster is how much they enjoy havin' other folks suffer. You know, like with how Reaver was.

...And then there's tellin' Logan you won't forgive him if he doubted the Inspector for one moment. Where I'm from, that's when you'd pull out a gun and tell everyone to follow your beliefs or you'll shoot them.

[This feels like a lecture.]

I'm not gonna apologize for callin' her a monster. I was angry, and I was really upset about losin' someone I really liked. But I'm not gonna call her a monster again, either. You don't talk to me very often, but I'm thinkin' about the things I've said and done, even if you can't see it.

[He's putting a lot of words out there that she doesn't agree with.]

...And is that how that really sounded? When everyone started to doubt Cabanela-san, I just wanted them not to lose hope. Guess I overshot it, huh?

Ain't askin' you to apologize for gettin' mad. But you got me worried that you were the type to turn against everyone the moment you stopped likin' 'em.

[Seriously. Hibiki wouldn't seem out of place with some space crazy family that holes themselves out in their corner of Mars. Or that one preacher that shoots Martians and anyone associating with them. He never heard how the Marshal and Croach got away from him; it must have been quite the story.]

Well, I appreciate your intention, but next time, try not to sound like you're puttin' them on your hit list if they don't. Sometimes you gotta be careful of folks, no matter how much you think you trust 'em.

[He grabs a piece of soap and holds it in his hands, staring at it. Did he trust Dio that much? He didn't want to say it's true; he didn't trust any of the other murderers, and he even regarded Asuka slightly higher than the others. But Dio should have talked to them, he should have remembered that Mordecai had the power to bring back the dead. He was stupid.]

...Rushin' into danger without thinkin' only leads to trouble...

[Looks like his mind is not on the dishes.]

Edited 2015-12-07 16:01 (UTC)

I'm not turning against anyone! Even if I stop talkin' to someone or don't feel like being around someone for a while...the only thing I want is for all of us to get out of here together! I'd never, ever hurt anyone.

[And she's going to stick to that story. Seriously, her personality makes so much more sense in her world. People who are honest and look down on people doing bad things are considered good people. Here, she's learning that the adult world is a bit more complicated than that.]

I know we're all gonna get outta here together somehow. Even if I'm not sure how yet, I mean it. Even people like you that I don't get along with, I want you to get back to your family and friends, too!

[...You know what, he doesn't want to do the dishes. He'll leave that for later, even though that will sit on the back of his mind the whole evening. Hopefully annoyance will be motivation enough to stop feeling awful about three people dying.

If they're going to leave, they have to do it working together. Everyone, even him and Hibiki.]

Heck, no one gets along all the time. My friends, my wife, the folks I trust the most, we all get into arguments all the time. But we already know we got each others' backs and work together to keep the town safe; that's why I trust them the most. I know for a fact they'd never turn against me and try to kill me.

...Of course, unless they got turned into Murdermen, which did happen once. [Worst. Memory. Ever.]

Barkeep-san, I'm glad you're talkin' to me, but...is now really the best time to bring up something like Murdermen?

[Just.

Just wait a second.]

What the heck are they?!

Sure is the best time, seein' that I was spooked by rememberin' them for most of this week. You can't forget you friends gettin' excited over killin' you, especially in a place like this.

[He desperately hopes the Conductor doesn't have access to the virus here.]

Murdermen are like regular humans, only genetically engineered to be great at murderin', and that's all they ever think about. They can spread the virus by bitin' you, and you only have a few hours to get to a doctor or have a Troubleshoot fry the nano inside your body. Once that window of opportunity is over, you're done for.

...You never wanna run into one of those.

That's really scary! You talk about murder so casually...I'm really glad now I come from a world where it doesn't happen as much.

[Really, Mordy sounds like he comes from some sort of bad end where death becomes extremely casual, it's really messed up. Her world might be idealistic, but his world just sounds terrible.]

And even your wife was one?! That...I'm not sure if I really understand some of this...but was she okay?

What? No! [THAT WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE.] She's the one that saved us all!

She's a Troubleshooter, one of the best ones! She was comin' home on furlough at the time and cured everybody else before they could murder me! [He shakes a little at the memory of his best friend, local heroes, and politicians closing in on him.] B-besides, all Troubleshooters got special injections to help prevent Murdermanism, sh-she'ed be safe...like always...

[He holds his hands together and looks at them in worry.]

You really scared me for a second there! Seein' your own loved one act like that...that'd be the worst...almost like if it were my mom comin' after me!

[She's glad the story has a happy ending, though, and sighs like she's exhausted. What a wild story.]

She sounds really incredible! ... [How did she end up with him???] ...what's she like, Barkeep-san?

That's exactly what makes Murdermen one of the worst troubles in the galaxy! All your loved ones, comin' to murder you or to turn you into a Murderman! I hope that threat's been dealt with after that incident!

[Hibiki's question helps him focus on a better topic. Let's forget that awful day and think about his favorite person in the world.]

Harriet? Just the hero of my life. Troubleshooters get called to most any part of the solar system: no matter where you got, there's gonna be software that need's a-fixin' and she's one of the best. [A soft smile.] She's normally away on business up to months at a time, and we usually only talk through comms. Th-the best times are when she gets to come home...

[Well, now he's sad again. His last memory of her ended in an argument, and even if they made up, he wishes he could remember that part.]

...We met over twenty years ago. She was a rookie stationed on Mars for a few months, and she used to come to my family's saloon for lunch. I was the one who served her.

[She has no idea why he's getting so worked up about this in the kitchen. She also has no idea if being distracted from Rakka and Morty's murders in favor of murder people is a plus or not, but she's not really in the place to tell Barkeep to knock it off.]

W-well...I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that. At least it sounds like it's over for now, right?

[Whoo, boy, now she feels like he needs comforting.]

She sounds really great, Barkeep-san. I wish I could meet her. I don't get to talk to my family often at all aside from the telephone, so I kinda get what that's like. It can be really hard.

That part definitely is, at least...

[He thought he could get over this trial easily, but no. He could have done more to keep Rakka and Morty out of danger. He could have stopped Dio from doing something so stupid. His wife might be in danger.

Mordecai needs some comfort.]

You're a singer, right? They make you travel a lot at your age?

[He doesn't know much about the life of traveling artists, but he assumed Hibiki would have more contact with her parents than that.]

It's not that I travel a lot, it's that I moved for work to begin with.

[She already mentioned her dad dying, but she can spell it out a bit more clearly.]

The best part about an idol is that I get to try all sorts of things and speak to people and buy nice pets and live in a nice place, but the most important part is that I'm sendin' money home to my mom. Okinawa is on a different island than Tokyo. I haven't spoken to my brother in over a year, and my mom is really busy, too. It's kind of...

[Lonely.]

W-well, I'm fine, of course! There's nothin' a girl like me can't do! Women are really tough!

[It just feels like without her connections that she might disappear.]

...I have to agree, that is a lonely life for someone your age. You got friends at least to help you through, or an adult to supervise you, right?

[Teenagers aren't that great at living alone, no matter how much they think they can handle it.]

And don't you start with actin' you're fine without talkin' to your family! It's hard enough when my wife doesn't call for weeks, it has to be hard for you!

[Just...stop acting like you don't need other people, everyone. Just...please...]

...Are you homesick a lot?

I have a Producer, but I live and commute alone. It's not so bad! Really. That's why I have Inumi and Hamuzou and...

[She rattles off the names of all of her pets. Sorry, Barkeep.]

I miss my family a lot! But my mom has her own life, and...my brother and I don't really get along a lot. That's why we're gonna get outta here, so you can see your wife and so I can talk to my brother! Nankurunaisa!

[Not "if", "when."

But ouch. That last question.]

Mm. I miss Okinawa a lot, but I love Tokyo, too. Sometimes, it'd feel like if I didn't succeed, that I'd just...sorta disappear.

[Uh. That word didn't translate for some reason. It must be some kind of exclamation like Croach's "Bagropa!". It probably translates to..."awesome", or something along those lines.]

Y-yeah. There's a lotta folks that are worryin' about us. Family, my friends, and your pets. [It's so sad that her only companions are animals.] But you gotta talk to other people, too. Spendin' all your time with animals ain't exactly the sign of a healthy mind.

[Hibiki has to talk to her brother ASAP. It would do her a lot of good.]

Why not? You still got your family and home. It's not like it's the end of the world if you ain't the most famous. Heck, most people never accomplish much, and they find a way to be happy.

I have plenty of people to talk to! I'm an idol, remember? There's twelve other idols at my agency, and we all work on jobs together and perform on stage together. Takane's even been over to spend the night.

[The animals are just there for when no one else can be, in other words, in addition to being awesome ALL of the time.]

It's just a feelin' I get sometimes...it's kinda complicated. D-don't think anything of it, okay?

[She definitely picked the wrong person to share that with.]

Talkin' to fans ain't the same as talkin' to friends. Work friends sometimes count, and that's only if you spend time together long enough.

[Being a celebrity sounds lonely. Really lonely.]

Look, I lived most of my life without powers. Even before that, I wasn't the most amazin' bartender in the solar system, and I doubt my novel will ever be picked up by a major publisher, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy. I'm doin' what I want, I have friends, I have a lovely wife, and life is peaceful. If people leave you because you ain't famous, well, they're not good friends in the first place.

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Afterparty 5.0

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