dissonates | [Voice/Action] backdated to Day 1 of the event until the end!

[Asch will be leaving a single message on the journal network on the evening of the first day, his voice flat:]

[Voice]

I know that the village is being its usual mad self this week, but Guy Cecil's gone back to his world. With the recent departures, Good Spirits is shorthanded.

[....oh, right.]

Also, considering the bar is in the area where alcohol is apparently prohibited, thieves have been after the stores. Most of the remaining supply's been hidden, but I could use help guarding it.

As far as I know, the journal network has always been for our eyes only, so if you want any for yourself and the staff doesn't recognize you, try to come up with something only one of us would know.

[After that, he won't be doing much exploration. Asch is having none of this silly experiment business; he woke up wearing this, and since his closet seems to be full of clothes either like it or much worse, he just rolls with it. He's been around the block before. He'll be staying in the bar pretty much 24/7 (besides food runs and emergencies) to make sure the collection doesn't get completely depleted; he may be a recently returned staff member himself, now, but the bar was important to Guy, so he can at least protect it for a while. Alcoholic drinks will be served through the back door to villagers only, so if you want some booze, better figure out a way to act convincing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What about you? What's better in your eyes?

Any answer I give is biased- the Score predicted my death two thousand years before I was even born. I was raised with the knowledge that unless the Score was overthrown, I'd never have reached adulthood.

[His gaze drifts to the alcohol they'd just spent the better part of the day hiding, then fetches himself a glass and a bottle. He needs a drink for this conversation now, officially.

He's probably talking too much, but it's mostly harmless anyway, as long as he doesn't... overthink it. Right.]

On the other hand, I had the potential to live a very different life - a good life - under the Score's rule. And I'd have died a hero.

So what's better? A short, happy childhood, or an unpleasant but free existence?

I dunno if I'm the gal you wanna be asking that. I mean -- I chose death. Both times. I might be a little biased.

...Why?

[His voice isn't judging, or even particularly confused by her answer. There's been times that he'd have chosen death, too, so he'd be a hypocrite to disagree.]

Because...

[ she sits back, leaning on the heels of her palms. it's not such an easy question as she might have hoped. it's not enough to simply say that it was required of her. but: ] Because -- prophesied or not -- sometimes there's just more at stake than whether I'm gonna take another breath tomorrow morning.

[ she still believes it. ]

[....huh.

His brows furrow a little at that, mulling it over. It's not what anyone could call a happy sort of end, but it's something he can agree on, even if he won't say as much. It's why he made the choices he did back home, after all- because if he had to die, he might as well save the damn world in the process.

For the ones who matter.]

...I understand.

[That's all he's gonna say.]

It's a relief to know that someone does.

[ frank. flip. and friendly. ]

[Good grief, how can she talk about this in that tone? He's momentarily taken aback.]

If you draw comfort in such things, sure.

...Where else are we gonna draw comfort?

I didn't know that comfort was a requirement.

[Can't people just stay angry and miserable like him?]

[ nah. people must instead stay angry and miserable but under a highly fortified top-layer of sass. ]

Shouldn't it be? I mean -- every Tom, Dick, and Harry has a right to be comforted. Don't they? [ ... ] Minus the really really evil Toms, Dicks, and Harrys.

[He's still working on the sass part. It was never his forte.

Also:]

...That's kind of vulgar phrasing, isn't it?

[Guess who doesn't have that slang back home.]

I dunno. It probably could have been vulgarer...

[ this said as she reviews her words and tries to determine just what he thought was-- oh! ]

N-no. I didn't mean...well -- it's just a name. I swear. Lots of names.

That's a terrible name.

[Seriously, who would punish their child like that.]

It's short for Richard.

Don't ask me why.

The more I hear about your world, the stranger I think it must be.

[That includes all of the various incarnations of Earth. It's just a really weird place, okay.]

...C'mon. You guys don't have any weird nicknames?

Generally, no. Most of the time if someone takes on another name, it's for a disguise- to escape their own past, or something like that.

[Or it's stolen. But that's not a nickname, either.]

[ and then buffy summers took one of those conversational risks she is so fond of taking: ] Like with Guy? I've given his full name a try. It's a mouthful...

[It's not exactly a flinch, but the way Asch glances away is probably telling. He doesn't look angry, though, just uncomfortable.]

...He's an example of that, yes.

I've known men like that. Well -- no -- not like that. There aren't many men like Guy. But...name-changers. Name-makers. Men who've abandoned whatever it was they were called.

[ liam became angel; william became spike; jack, who likely had no surname to begin with, became sparrow. buffy was never so good at losing her name the way they were. the only time she'd tried, she'd merely swapping in her middle name. anne.

and now... ]

I think I prefer nicknames, myself.

[There aren't many men like Guy. Ha... true enough. He shrugs his shoulders at the rest, a layer of irritation coating his discomfort.]

Nicknames are only acceptable if they're accepted by the one they belong to.

[He's getting tired of people giving him stupid nicknames, for example.]

Well. Whaddya know. I happen to agree.

[ and that's honest enough. although buffy often shortened named or subbed in silly terms -- frown-boy might be a good one for asch -- those hardly ever stuck beyond the moment. it took real trust and respect to settle on a habitual nickname.

and oh, how she hates when someone tries to give her a name she doesn't want. ]

Congratulations on being a decent person.

[It's not even sarcasm, though his tone is a little deadpan. When you've grown up with a bunch of assholes, you come to expect everyone to be one automatically.]

Wh-what can I say -- [ she stumbles, a little stunned ] -- it's been my life's work.

[ action ]

dissonates - 2013-01-26 09:31 (UTC) - Expand