Afterparty 5.0

[forcegalactic]

[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.]

Comments

[nankurunaisa]

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.

[forcegalactic]

[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.

[nankurunaisa]

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.]

[forcegalactic]

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.