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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 12:59:34 GMT -5
Brendon kept his eyes averted as he lit his cigarette, took a deep breath and puffed out a glittering, smoky rainbow. Then, after mulling a bit longer, he continued...
"Alright, look... I'm willing to be the bigger man and admit that how I acted on Mt. Bonsai was unwarranted. I... Well, I've been alone since the island was created, holed up in that temple just waiting for Evan to come back. Centuries of isolation does a number on a guy. I'm not making excuses, I'm just stating facts."
When he looked back up at Alex, his expression was gentle yet serious. "But I wanna make something clear. Yeah, the s*** you guys went through is s*** no one should have to go through. Do you have the right to be angry about what the game did to you? Hell yes. But... more than anything, I guess I'm just upset for Evan's sake. He only wants to help... and hey, that's a huge step up from the way he acted throughout most of the game. Sure, he was a bit misguided at the time this island adventure started, but that's because no one had the balls to actually explain what he was getting himself into. Now that he knows... well... if nothing else, he can be someone to lean on. I'm sure he'd appreciate that at the very least."
He raised a finger, took another puff and concluded, "If he was here, I know he'd agree with me when I say... we've made some mistakes. That doesn't mean we failed."
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Post by gantzgun74 on Feb 9, 2016 17:34:03 GMT -5
"............. Then what do we call the ghosts currently existing in the Dream bubbles? The ones of ourselves biding their days away in ageless bliss in a state that could either be considered heaven or Purgatory?" Alex asked, shaking his head. "Those poor souls lost their games and they pay for it even now with their frozen reprieve."
...............
He sighed and placed a foot down a streetlamp to stop briefly. "..... Brendon.... I've traveled through those wastes for two years relative to our time... I must've seen up to 150 dream bubbles. Each one filled with people all reeling from their loss or doing their best to move on... It's one thing to watch the world end... It's another to see the result." ..... "Those don't look like 'JUST MISTAKES' to me."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 17:48:03 GMT -5
"I didn't say they were just mistakes. There are infinite possibilities that branch into infinite alternate timelines. Each one exists permanently unless some on-high power somehow alters the flow of space-time so that certain timelines never come to be. I'm not downplaying the events that occur in those timelines, but I wanna make it clear that just because a timeline deviates from the norm, that doesn't make it DOOMED." Brendon sighed, expelling more rainbow smoke before adding, "At least that's what the angel told me."
He drifted down a little and "sat" on the streetlight next to Alex. "But that's beside the point. You have bigger fish to fry and we both know it. For the time being, though, all that matters to me is... you didn't answer my initial question. Ring. What gives?"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Feb 9, 2016 17:58:54 GMT -5
.....
The sarcasm in his expression was lost....
For a brief moment, Brendon could... Almost see the Alex he once knew. The Aaron he once knew. The one that was gung-ho and straight forward. The one that took everything by the horns. The first to reach the highest Echeladder rung, the first to god-tier (Even if that event WAS somewhat traumatic)... But through it all, that go-getter always put his friends first whenever they called for him...
"Well..... Like I said before. I thought you knew me better then that.... Don't you think the answer should be obvious?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 18:16:31 GMT -5
"No. It's not f***ing obvious," Brendon bluntly answered. "On the one hand, yeah, Swift was about to rip us all a new one and that was probably the only way to stop her at that given moment. But nothing else I've seen has proven to me that you give even the tiniest s*** about Evan! I wanna believe you're not taking the ring to ensure Swift doesn't come back; you wouldn't pull that kind of dick move. So on the flipside, what reason do you have to do Evan any favors?"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Feb 9, 2016 18:40:52 GMT -5
"Because I owe him that much."
..........
"Or... Rather... I owed the Evan WE knew that much... The reason he suffered so much was because he never knew his own life was in danger... So he never went back for his Swift. And look what happened to him. He was a mess...." He looks down. "What kind of person would I be if I took such a precious person away from him and kept her away?" ... He notes the look. ".... What? Come on Brendon.....
"Do I really need another, let alone any, reason to help someone? Like I said before, I hate the game, not him. And whether I like it or not, the game is on... We all should be there for each other I think."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 18:51:14 GMT -5
Once again, the look that Brendon gave Alex was hard to read. More so because there were so many emotions behind it. He seemed thoughtful at the very least, almost scrutinizing the thief, but he was also very calm, stern... almost paternal. He tapped the ashes (or more likely ectoplasm) off his cigarette, popped it back in his mouth and turned to stare at the cityscape, silent for a long yet relaxing period of time. Finally...
"You saw him, didn't you? You went to the paused session and saw Evan controlling his dream self."
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Post by gantzgun74 on Feb 9, 2016 19:00:01 GMT -5
......................................
....................................................
".... I did." He admitted...
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 19:05:49 GMT -5
With a light smirk and another breath of rainbow smoke, Brendon discarded his cigarette butt and started floating back towards the apartment. "Well... Much obliged, man. Do whatcha gotta do. Oh, and Jen's planning on taking Evan and the gang to the karaoke bar tomorrow night. You're more than welcome to come with."
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Post by gantzgun74 on Feb 9, 2016 19:19:14 GMT -5
...... Oh THAT'S what gets the sprite off his back? A mention of the Dreamself? The discovery itself only made him feel like a idiot. And Alex didn't really like feeling that way. Besides, didn't Beebo mention before that he understood 'Alex being angry was only natural'? ..... Bagh.... This was why he preferred Lizzie. Sure she didn't tell him anything useful but at least she had learned how to better talk to him and get her point across. She was still vague, as sprites often were, but she at least understood how best to talk to him.
Trying to fight off feelings of insult since they were likely not intentional, Alex was still somewhat red faced, looking slightly annoyed. ".... Tempting... But... Once I get Swift back... I really have a few other things I need to do.... Plus... I have my own special one I need to get back to."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2016 19:27:04 GMT -5
Brendon shrugged. "Eh. Suit yourself. Just be careful. That girl's a feisty one."
The sprite then phased through the apartment building wall and back into Evan's room. Two seconds later, though, he popped his head back out and added, "Seriously, though, thanks. You have no idea what Evan had to go through to hook up with her." And with that said, Brendon fully retreated back inside.
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