Another laugh. "Trouble, you know what you gotta do. You gotta trust people. You gotta open up. You gotta learn to do things just because it needs to be done. Not because it benefits you."
He takes another drink. "I know giving a shit about other people is hard, Trouble. They go and do stupid stuff. They don't take care of themselves or they die or they run off or they hurt you. But it's worth it. There are people who are worth it."
Oh, they understand. It's the admission that's tricky. It's falling out
of character for long enough to be articulate.
"...I'm reasonably sure that the heroes all emerged intact and
triumphant, of course. But actual certainty would have needed me to get
clear of the remaining Horde troops."
"...when we escaped the speakeasy, Scorpia stayed behind to cover us.
Undoubtedly she was chipped like the other patrons and fell under Horde
control. And that was the last I saw of her."
"One of the Princesses. She'd been raised in the Horde when I first met
her, but she defected a little while after. Didn't surprise me in the
least. She was far too soft for them."
"Right, yeah." He rubs the back of his neck. "Do you want me to help you fix it, Trouble, or do you just want to talk about it?"
He really isn't sure if there is anything he can do, but he can always ask. He doesn't want to keep beating his head against the wall if they don't want answers, just empathy.
"I'm not describing a situation which needs fixing," Trouble says,
sounding slightly aggrieved. "Either it's already fixed or it is
inextricably broken, and the only thing that's good for that would
be..."
They pause, and make a face like they're about to find out if their
cocktail looks at lurid coming back up as it did going down.
Would be Jake's stupid forsaken deal. Which they don't want, and even if they did want it, they'd want it for something for themself because obviously that's what they'd want it for. Not to save someone else's life, or undo someone else's damage, for no other reason than it being...
They get up so fast they almost knock over the bar stool.
"Lovely drink, absolutely terrible to see you, you have my permission and encouragement to continue ignoring me, goodbye."
Rapid exit, stage right.
They will, incidentally, be absent from Jake's item the next time he happens to look at it.
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"Why."
They know it's entirely possible that Jake has already explained this at great length but they don't...care.
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Trouble, for a moment, looks viscerally uncomfortable. Then they take a gulp of their cocktail which practically empties the glass.
"...It would have been nice," they concede, "to have lasted a few hours longer."
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But then, because he needs this to be something they understand, he presses. "Why?"
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Oh, they understand. It's the admission that's tricky. It's falling out of character for long enough to be articulate.
"...I'm reasonably sure that the heroes all emerged intact and triumphant, of course. But actual certainty would have needed me to get clear of the remaining Horde troops."
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"...when we escaped the speakeasy, Scorpia stayed behind to cover us. Undoubtedly she was chipped like the other patrons and fell under Horde control. And that was the last I saw of her."
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They shrug.
"One of the Princesses. She'd been raised in the Horde when I first met her, but she defected a little while after. Didn't surprise me in the least. She was far too soft for them."
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"Yes. Well. Horde Prime certainly considered his clones expendable, and I can't see him extending much more courtesy to his mind-controlled drones."
They clear their throat.
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Trouble shakes their head.
"He's history, darling. Either she's already saved or she's...well. Beyond saving."
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He really isn't sure if there is anything he can do, but he can always ask. He doesn't want to keep beating his head against the wall if they don't want answers, just empathy.
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"I'm not describing a situation which needs fixing," Trouble says, sounding slightly aggrieved. "Either it's already fixed or it is inextricably broken, and the only thing that's good for that would be..."
They pause, and make a face like they're about to find out if their cocktail looks at lurid coming back up as it did going down.
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"Would be."
Would be Jake's stupid forsaken deal. Which they don't want, and even if they did want it, they'd want it for something for themself because obviously that's what they'd want it for. Not to save someone else's life, or undo someone else's damage, for no other reason than it being...
They get up so fast they almost knock over the bar stool.
"Lovely drink, absolutely terrible to see you, you have my permission and encouragement to continue ignoring me, goodbye."
Rapid exit, stage right.
They will, incidentally, be absent from Jake's item the next time he happens to look at it.
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"Aw, Trouble! What the hell?" he calls out but doesn't follow after them. Not that he could - they're booking it.
He finishes his drink and picks up his notebook, planning on giving them a few days to cool off before he goes after them again.
It'll be a few days before he panics.