WEEK 3

[grimgrinningghosts]

[Karolina and Mulan are dead. The first, and hopefully the last, deaths of your stay here. Hopefully their deaths won't be in vain. Your third week here starts on a solemn note, and the mood here has taken on a significant downward spiral. If it's any consolation (it isn't), you'll find that you have two new floors to explore...even if one of those floors has about twenty STAY OUT signs nailed to it.

23 guests remain.]

[SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY]

{ooc: Don't forget to turn in your week 2 AC! As we're now officially in full murdergame mode, AC from here on out is extended till Thursday.}

Comments

[wannagetsmote]

For once? [Maui's voice was stiff, bordering on the cold.] No. This is for anyone who wants it.

[aboyandhiscar]

[Mike quirks an unseen eyebrow. That's considerably less smug than he's used to.]

Yeah? Well how about that. Didn't take you for a softie or a chef.

[wannagetsmote]

Kids are dead. More of them are mourning. Figured the last thing they needed to worry about was breakfast.

It's... [He puffed up his chest for a moment, but rather than posing, he simply let out a long sigh.]

It's a hero thing. You know. Maui, hero to all.

[aboyandhiscar]

[Aw bud. Mike stares at him for a moment, opinion of him suddenly shooting straight the heck up, and he gives a little smile]

That does sound like a hero thing, yeah. But you gotta take care of yourself too, man. Gotta stay strong to protect folks, right?

[wannagetsmote]

I'll make something for myself later. I know I've at least eaten since Friday. Can't say that for anyone else.

[aboyandhiscar]

Heh, fair enough man. I'm sure folks will appreciate it. [even if it's a just a big ol' pile of eggs. Tho scrambled is the best.]

Still, how you holding up, man?

[wannagetsmote]

I'm a hero. A God. I've lived long enough to see tribes wipe one another out. [He kept his voice even. It wasn't like he was unaffected by the carnage, but at some point... you learned to block it out.]

Still. There's something to be said about killing women. Killing kids. It happens, but it isn't exactly in the code of combat. Not when they're not actively participating in battle. [He'd known at least one woman who would have fought even him.

Naturally he was furious that he was even thinking about her.]

[aboyandhiscar]

Heh, you do look like one.

[Sort of. Like magic, Mike's not one to believe in gods either, but he's not gonna dispute it. Different worlds and all that. He frowns a bit at that, thoughtful--he agrees, that's dang for sure, but is just reminded of how many civilians have lost their homes or died because KaneCo. He huffs.]

So kinda crosses your honor code, huh? Sucks, but. . .it happens more than I'd like to admit. Especially nowadays. And almost everyone here counts as a civilian or an innocent.

Still would suck, but this would be a lot easier to deal with if the ghosts had at least pulled in folks with more experience with this.

[wannagetsmote]

You might be one of the first people to say that.

[Surprising, seeing as how Mike had always come off as skeptical. Not that Maui could blame him for being a bit suspicious. It was becoming more and more clear that gods and magic were outliers in the worlds that these people came from. He had his own thoughts and feelings (most of which centered around pity) about the matter, but at least progress was being made.]

Should have one of these games with monsters. Actual killers and people who would deserve being in a place like this. Not people like you and the girls.

[aboyandhiscar]

Dude, you look like you could bench press seven cars at once. Just giving credit where it's due. [I mean, if anything could convince Mike someone was a god, that might be it.

He throws Maui a suspicious look.]

You're excluding yourself from this list too, right?

[wannagetsmote]

I don't know what a car is, but you're probably right. [Maui straightened up, flexing as he did. Of course he could lift seven kares, he was Maui.

Mike's question did put something of a damper on his mood though. A frown replaced the grin on his lips, and he looked away from the boy.]

Depends on who you ask, I guess.

[aboyandhiscar]

No one but us in here, big guy. [aside from the plate of eggs.] So I guess I'm just asking you.

[wannagetsmote]

Listen. Not everyone thinks me a hero. I did some stuff in the interest of helping the world and it... got a lot of people in trouble.

[aboyandhiscar]

[now this is interesting. Mike tilts his head, genuine curiosity obvious in his eyes.]

Helping the world. . .? Sounds like you just made a mistake, that's all. Not to make light of it, or anything.

[wannagetsmote]

Yeah, but... [He sighed.] A mistake is lighting a tree on fire and burning a grove down. It's bad, but it's survivable.

This, though? [Let's go save the world, Maui. It was his doing, and only he could stop it. That was what Moana had said, right?]

It's so much more than a single grove destroyed. It's... [He'd tried to deny it for years, but the truth was...] Destroying everything. That's what she told me at least.

[aboyandhiscar]

. . .

Yikes.

[Well. Mike is honest in reaction at least. He rubs the back of his head.]

Two questions--one, who's 'she'? And two, diiiid you fix it?

[wannagetsmote]

She's Moana. Some daughter of a chief tasked with dragging me across the ocean to make things right.

[Aaand there's the complicated question. He shifted uncomfortably, scratching at the back of his neck.]

Not yet. We tried, but she got overeager. She was always so focused on her journey that she didn't consider the lives of other people. We almost died and I... left her.

I have to assume everything wound up okay. You people wouldn't exist if we failed. But I... don't know for sure.

[aboyandhiscar]

[Mike taps a foot thoughtfully, taking all that end. Some parts, he gets, other bits. . .not so much. But just looking at him, Mike can see that there's at least some guilt there.

That and well, he's not going to bring up they're in different worlds so their existence probably makes no difference, but he is not going to crush Maui's one hope spot right now.]

Maaan, that's uh. That's rough, dude. 'least you tried fixing it? You coulda just ignored the whole thing.

Once we get out of here--being pretty hopeful right now--would you go back and change up how you did it? Cuz you're looking a little conflicted right now.

[wannagetsmote]

Change up how I did it? Don't think that's possible, kid. [He heaved a shoulder, gaze dropping to the floor. The cracks seemed a far more interesting place to look -- much nicer than whatever judgement was in Mike's eyes, or seeing his contempt upon his face.]

But if I could go back, I'd at least try to help again. Don't know how much I could do. My hook is gone here, and broken back home. One more blow and there would be nothing I could do.

I still gotta try though. Right?

[aboyandhiscar]

Trying is all folks ask, man. And hey, a pair's always better than one. Bet your friend would love to have you back on her side.

[A little sigh, and he raises a hand to tentatively pat Maui on the back.]

Look dude, I still don't get the whole scope of this--I'm not a god, after all. But making a mistake, even a big one, doesn't make you a bad guy. Owning up to it, having the guts to try and make it right. . .that's what heroes do. That's what a good guy does.

So don't lump yourself in with monsters and murderers. A guy like that wouldn't be up this early making breakfast for some crazy future kids.

[wannagetsmote]

Yeah. Maybe.

[The doubt was still clear on his face. Maybe she would appreciate the help, but at the end of the day, Maui had said some unforgivable things. And that was on top of the unforgivable things he had done. Maybe he was simply beyond redemption at this point.]

Guess we'll see, once we're out of here.