Week 3

[grimgrinningghosts]

[Well, someone took the bait last week, and now two people (if either of them could really be called a person) are dead. Not only that, it seems like your first host is now out of commission and replaced by someone who claims to be The Phantom. While he may not be incredibly worse than Facilier yet, it would be a stretch to say he's an improvement.

But, things aren't all bad! When the guests wake up on Sunday, they will find the stairs in the foyer are now open, leading to a whole new floor to explore!

And there's booze so no one will have to drink vinegar anymore.

28 guests remain]

[SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY]

[OOC: and don't forget to fill out this week's activity check!]

Comments

[upgradeit]

You're writing that guy another letter?

[He didn't really read the first one beyond the first paragraph, but it made her angry and he sounds vaguely concerned about this.]

Well, maybe you should start with what you want to say to him.

[pinkflip]

[ Gentle...horrified wincing, she tenses visibly and refuses to look at anything but the table. ]

It'd be great if I knew. Or if I could take back the last one.

[upgradeit]

Okay. Start with apologizing for the last letter then.

[People say and do all sorts of things when they're upset - he knows that better than anybody - but apologies are always a good place to start.]

Say something about how aliens made you do it, if you don't want to give the real reason.

[pinkflip]

Ha- ohh, he'd believe it too. [ A sad sort of smile. ] But, that'd just be...

[ ... ]

Hiro, did you... Did you read any of that letter?

[upgradeit]

Not really. I started reading it and it mentioned Florida and competitions, so I skipped to the bottom and saw your name.

[He's not a jerk, is what he's trying to say. He does have some sense of manners.]

Then I figured it was probably kinda private? So I went to take it to you.

[pinkflip]

Oh. Well, you're...a good boy, Hiro. But it probably would've been easier to talk about this if you had.

[ She's playing with her pencil, lips a thin line. ]

I sort of... I kind of wrote that letter so...in the end...he'd never talk to me again.

[upgradeit]

. . . Okay. I might not really know what's going on, but you don't really seem like the kind of person who pushes away your friends for no reason.

[Unlike him. Well, he learned his lesson on that one. Mostly.]

You wanna talk about it?

[pinkflip]

[ A heavy sigh, and she hangs her head. ]

I don't know. Probably? I should? I've wanted to ever since I- ...ever since I retired in the first place, but it's not like there was any presidency for ex-superhero, so I just...cooped it all up inside, until...

[ Until she ruined years worth of friendships. ]

[upgradeit]

Speaking from experience, bottling stuff up is a great way to end up doing stuff you regret. Friends - people who care about you, really, - are the best defense against that sort of thing.

[When you don't listen to your friends, shit happens! Like nearly murdering a man! Or doing questionable and illegal shit!]

So, I'm not gonna make you tell me or anything? But I think maybe if you talked to me, we could stop letter 2.0 from also going in a blender.

[pinkflip]

[ She's quiet for a moment, and still not making eye contact, but, sure enough... ]

So... My friends and I, we were the first Power Rangers. We didn't sign up for it, we were just...picked, as defenders of the Earth. Go to school, volunteer at the Youth Center, fight the forces of evil. Regular day, there.

It went on like that for...years? Nearly three. We'd had some changes in that time. Three changed out, when they were chosen for this way important international peace conference. But, before that... We got a new member. [ She bites her lower lip. ] Tommy.

[upgradeit]

[Oh no. This is that kind of story?? He already offered, though, so . . .]

Did you and Tommy have a falling out or something?

[Please just let it be an argument.]

[pinkflip]

[ Despite herself, she smiles. ]

It'd be so much easier if it was that. No, he was always...perfect. Perfect gentleman. Perfect leader. Perfect boyfriend. [ ...More genuine smile. Yes, that kind of story. ] Really forgetful, but it was charming.

[ And the smile's gone. ]

I wish we'd had a falling out. No, he was...supportive. Always. Even when I got the opportunity of a lifetime to go across the country, abandon my position as a Ranger, and train for the Pan-Global Games.

[upgradeit]

. . . So you wrote a letter to break up with him because?

[She didn't exactly say that's what the letter was, but he's not totally incapable of reading between the lines. If she wrote Tommy a letter and she was angry enough about it to put it in a blender, then she must have done something stupid like break up with him via text message letter.]

Like, if this guy was so great and supportive I don't understand why you'd break up with him.

[pinkflip]

[ She's quiet for a moment. There are a lot of things she could say, but, in the end, what it comes down to is: ]

Because...he's still a Ranger, and I'm not. And he's...so dedicated to being one. Just about as much as I was. [ Dedicated enough to work herself to death, just about. ] And I- ...I couldn't deal with that. That I just- stopped doing it, and it was over. And if I tried to talk to him about it- if he split his attention, like I knew he would, and it put him- it put any of them in more danger, then--

[ She's quiet. It's hard to explain, because it would involve going into the fun topic of being specifically targeted by evil space invaders until you nearly died, and how her overall reaction to that was to realize she needed a break, and Tommy's was...not.

And there's no way she's going to talk about that with Hiro. Not with everything he's dealing with, and...not with how young he is. ]

...In the end, it seemed like...a better decision to just...deal with it on my own.

[upgradeit]

[>Treatments include contact with friends and loved ones. Other treatments include compassion and physical reassurance.

Hiro gently reaches out and puts a hand on her arm, because he's. He's at an awkward angle for a hug, but you know. Baymax had the right idea, probably.]

Hey. Everyone makes a stupid decision like that at some point. [Sometimes you make it multiple times.] The important part is that you realized that you're not alone anymore, you know? So maybe just - don't write exactly what you told me but start with something like . . . I dunno.

[He drums the fingers of his other hand on the table while he continues talking.]

"Hey, Tommy. I know I said some things in my last letter and they probably hurt you. I can't take anything I said back, but I want to apologize because you deserve to know the truth."

[pinkflip]

[ Of all things, what finally draws Kimberly's attention back to Hiro is the simplest touch. She looks - she feels - ashamed, not even taking the moment to adjust the hair strands of hair that've fallen to her cheeks. ]

Hiro, I don't even know what the truth is. I wanted to leave, I really did, but...now I regret it? But I don't regret what I'm doing, and- I couldn't keep living that life, but part of me wanted to and...

[ Her thoughts are getting all jumbled. If she keeps babbling, she'll start talking about the worth of being a hero. About how selfish she is for walking away. About how it's selfish still to want it back, only once she feels conflicted.

Her shoulders slump. ]

It's...hard to explain. And there's not really any...counseling for former heroes. [ She settles for blowing a strand of hair from her face instead. It's annoying her. ] I already hurt him- hurt all of them. Hoo, you do not want to the state of my answering machine. If I couldn't say it then, how...can I explain now?

[upgradeit]

[What the fuck is an answering machine???? Does it answer phone calls for you???????????????? That's not even important. What's important is Kim!!]

They're your friends, right? If you - if you explain the way you're feeling, even a little bit, they'll probably forgive you. [A beat.] Even if you stranded them on an island or something stupid like that.

[Wow, what an extremely specific and bizarre example that's totally not something Hiro himself did to his friends haha. Ha.]

[pinkflip]

[ Okay, that...gets her to stop and pause. A gentle raise of her eyebrow, lips pursed. ]

You sound like you've got some experience with this.

[upgradeit]

Maybe a little. [He's not about to say "I nearly murdered a man and my friends forgave me," but it's true.] After - the first time my friends and I went out to fight evil, we had a disagreement and I left them on an island instead of flying them home like I was supposed to. But they - they forgave me, once I calmed down and stopped trying to do something stupid.

[pinkflip]

...Oh, Hiro.

[ She can't help but shake her head with a light smile. ]

Well...if your friends could forgive you for something like that, maybe mine could forgive me for...something like this.

[upgradeit]

If you like them, they must be good people and good people understand that sometimes . . . sometimes when we're scared, we make stupid choices.

[Hiro considers himself to be a . . . not terrible . . . person . . . mostly . . . So he has faith in Kim's ability to choose friends.]

I'm pretty sure they'll forgive you if you explain that you just. You needed a break, you know? You needed a change of pace.

[pinkflip]

They're the best people. ...God, Kat alone just won't stop calling and we only just met.

[ katherine hillard is honestly too good for this world, too good for any of them, too pure. ]

...You're right. If I...can find the words to tell them.

[upgradeit]

Maybe -

[Hiro's been ignoring the monster lurking behind the walls, but there's a particularly loud interruption and he winces.]

Maybe it would be better to work on this next week. If we all survive.

[pinkflip]

[ Ah, right, the....monster..... Kim also winces, before glaring at the wall. ...Just the wall. The whole wall. ]

Maaaybe you're right.