It's later in the evening when Guy spots Majima at the bonfire. Normally he'd veer away - he and Majima don't have much reason to speak right now, and it's not as though Majima had been unclear about where they stood. But what had just happened with Beau had shaken quite a few of them, and Guy couldn't bring himself to follow along to the nurse's cabin. As much as he wanted to, it...
...]
Hey. [He'll sit a distance away. They're not being chummy, it's fine.]
You know what I meant. [come on, dude, man up a little.]
She deserved all the support she could after that. But it was... [Visceral. Couldn't trust where his mind might go, with the vibrant scent of blood and the sound of her sobbing.]
There's some lines I just can't cross, I guess. I just wanted to make sure she got taken care of.
[ he just shrugs when guy admonishes him, his attitude still flippant. ]
She'll be fine. I mean, hell, she's obviously doin' better than the rat bastard who did her dirty in the first fuckin' place.
[ his knuckles whiten as he grips his lighter; just remembering the look on ogata's face as he'd sneered up at her one last time before going slack... it's not a great look. ]
She's still got to wake up tomorrow and keep living with it. She's got guts, and she's seen combat before, so it's not like she won't be able to keep going.
Trauma is trauma, though. Not exactly an easy thing for anyone.
[He's pretty sure he's preaching to the choir, but whatever.]
[ at that, he can't help but finally turn his head toward guy and laugh; this scoff lacks humor, though, his words laced instead with sarcasm. ]
Really? Yer gonna say that kind of uninspired "it gets better" shit to me? C'mon, man, I'm supposed to be the one with a vision impairment here, but it's lookin' like you're the one who's havin' trouble readin' the room.
All I meant was that she's strong, which you and I both know, but she lost a damn eye and killed a man with her bare hands and that's not something you just outlive. Who the hell said it gets better?
She's not walking away from that like it's another day at the fair. Why do you think I'm even asking about her?
Ya made it sound like you were lecturin' me on how trauma works, like I haven't been in her shoes before.
...and I'm sayin' she doesn't need to be fussed over. You can bet yer ass I'll be there as soon as she asks, but I'm not gonna be watchin' her like a hawk, either. I've been learnin' that sometimes you can show ya care about people by havin' faith in their own strength instead of tryin' to protect them yerself.
[Pfft.] Hey, I'm not that stupid. If anyone knows what she's going through, it would be you. That's just common sense.
I'm just running my mouth, alright? I'm worried about her, sure. But unlike before, she can't just throw a punch or two at someone to help her work this out.
Honestly, I don't even know if I could look at her right now. She doesn't deserve that. [Hah...]
I'm just glad she's got someone like you there, I guess.
Y'know, I gotta ask. Why're you suddenly spoutin' feelings at me? Ain't there anyone else you can talk to? Surely ya got other people who're willin' to give ya the time of day.
I know you'll beat me into the ground if I try anything, just as much as I know that you want to get yourself and most of us out of this nightmare. [Most. Not all. He isn't that idealistic.] You're consistent. And as much as you might want to, you've never been the type to just spout lies when it counts.
[ majima is silent as guy explains himself, and remains as much for a good minute or so afterward. at least he has the decency not to blow any smoke in guy's direction while he contemplates what he's just been told.
finally, he responds, ]
Ya really gotta work on uppin' yer standards, man.
Call it a bad habit. [Luke is his standard and this says a lot about him, unfortunately
He still won't look at the other man, though, the scent of tobacco harsh in the air even with the smoke of the fire so close.]
We're the only ones left, Majima. I'm not letting everyone at the temple get wiped out from what they worked for just because we don't want to speak to one another.
So yer sayin' fuck everybody else, ours is the only game that matters?
[ he drops his cigarette to the ground, grinding it beneath his heel and into the dirt. ]
Ya seem to be forgettin'—ours is the only one where we were guaranteed revival from the start. Sure, we all had our different stakes, but ultimately, all we'd be losin' are our wishes. Meanwhile, everyone who died in the other ones? All of them are stayin' dead, or worse.
[ he stands up, his back to guy. his tone goes beyond offended; he's not stopping the disgust from permeating his words. ]
If that's the case, and you're actually lookin' to play this bullshit game the way it's "supposed" to be played, then I don't know why ya even bothered askin' how she's doin' in the first place. Screw it—she ain't "one of us," right?
The only thing I plan to do is get everyone out of here. Forgive me for trying to get some common ground in between us in the process, but that doesn't mean I'm about to condemn hundreds of people. What kind of idiot do you take me for?
Believe whatever you want about my intentions, Majima, but don't go putting words in my mouth.
An idiot who point blank told me he didn't regret the choices he made back in our game.
[ ...while he doesn't turn again, he at least has the decency to drop the vitriol in his voice. ]
Maybe I jumped to conclusions. Maybe I got my biases. But forgive me if I just can't see eye to eye with ya. [ beat ] I already got a disadvantage there, anyway.
Not really. After what I told Mizuki, I imagine you made up your mind a while ago. I just figured you would want to know why I'm not about to act that foolishly again.
It would explain why you thought Asch was Luke when you got here, as well.
It's not. If Asch wants to talk about it, that's on him. Just know that it's complicated, and that it's something he might never want to discuss.
But there's a reason why I chose to kill two people with Luke present. They're two entirely different people, no matter how they might look. But Asch is little more than a stranger. The kid from the temple is the one who's the most important person to me, and he's why I killed so many people at the risk to myself.
[ majima lets guy say his piece freely, and waits until he's done speaking to respond. he breathes in, breathes out. after he takes an extended moment to consider how to reply, he simply just says, ]
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WEEK ONE - SUNDAY
It's later in the evening when Guy spots Majima at the bonfire. Normally he'd veer away - he and Majima don't have much reason to speak right now, and it's not as though Majima had been unclear about where they stood. But what had just happened with Beau had shaken quite a few of them, and Guy couldn't bring himself to follow along to the nurse's cabin. As much as he wanted to, it...
...]
Hey. [He'll sit a distance away. They're not being chummy, it's fine.]
How's Beau?
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as usual, he doesn't turn to look at guy when he takes a seat, but he will respond with an indifferent: ]
Havin' the time of her life, obviously.
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She deserved all the support she could after that. But it was... [Visceral. Couldn't trust where his mind might go, with the vibrant scent of blood and the sound of her sobbing.]
There's some lines I just can't cross, I guess. I just wanted to make sure she got taken care of.
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She'll be fine. I mean, hell, she's obviously doin' better than the rat bastard who did her dirty in the first fuckin' place.
[ his knuckles whiten as he grips his lighter; just remembering the look on ogata's face as he'd sneered up at her one last time before going slack... it's not a great look. ]
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She's still got to wake up tomorrow and keep living with it. She's got guts, and she's seen combat before, so it's not like she won't be able to keep going.
Trauma is trauma, though. Not exactly an easy thing for anyone.
[He's pretty sure he's preaching to the choir, but whatever.]
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Really? Yer gonna say that kind of uninspired "it gets better" shit to me? C'mon, man, I'm supposed to be the one with a vision impairment here, but it's lookin' like you're the one who's havin' trouble readin' the room.
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...Not following you here, Majima.
All I meant was that she's strong, which you and I both know, but she lost a damn eye and killed a man with her bare hands and that's not something you just outlive. Who the hell said it gets better?
She's not walking away from that like it's another day at the fair. Why do you think I'm even asking about her?
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...and I'm sayin' she doesn't need to be fussed over. You can bet yer ass I'll be there as soon as she asks, but I'm not gonna be watchin' her like a hawk, either. I've been learnin' that sometimes you can show ya care about people by havin' faith in their own strength instead of tryin' to protect them yerself.
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I'm just running my mouth, alright? I'm worried about her, sure. But unlike before, she can't just throw a punch or two at someone to help her work this out.
Honestly, I don't even know if I could look at her right now. She doesn't deserve that. [Hah...]
I'm just glad she's got someone like you there, I guess.
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Y'know, I gotta ask. Why're you suddenly spoutin' feelings at me? Ain't there anyone else you can talk to? Surely ya got other people who're willin' to give ya the time of day.
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...]
Do I need a reason? I know you'll ask me to mind my damn business if you really weren't in the mood, and you're straightforward.
Just because you don't trust me doesn't mean it's mutual.
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All right, ya gotta be fuckin' with me now.
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[did he stutter]
I know you'll beat me into the ground if I try anything, just as much as I know that you want to get yourself and most of us out of this nightmare. [Most. Not all. He isn't that idealistic.] You're consistent. And as much as you might want to, you've never been the type to just spout lies when it counts.
[A shrug, keeping his eyes on the fire.]
It's good enough.
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finally, he responds, ]
Ya really gotta work on uppin' yer standards, man.
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He still won't look at the other man, though, the scent of tobacco harsh in the air even with the smoke of the fire so close.]
We're the only ones left, Majima. I'm not letting everyone at the temple get wiped out from what they worked for just because we don't want to speak to one another.
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[ he drops his cigarette to the ground, grinding it beneath his heel and into the dirt. ]
Ya seem to be forgettin'—ours is the only one where we were guaranteed revival from the start. Sure, we all had our different stakes, but ultimately, all we'd be losin' are our wishes. Meanwhile, everyone who died in the other ones? All of them are stayin' dead, or worse.
[ he stands up, his back to guy. his tone goes beyond offended; he's not stopping the disgust from permeating his words. ]
If that's the case, and you're actually lookin' to play this bullshit game the way it's "supposed" to be played, then I don't know why ya even bothered askin' how she's doin' in the first place. Screw it—she ain't "one of us," right?
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Where the hell did you get that from?
The only thing I plan to do is get everyone out of here. Forgive me for trying to get some common ground in between us in the process, but that doesn't mean I'm about to condemn hundreds of people. What kind of idiot do you take me for?
Believe whatever you want about my intentions, Majima, but don't go putting words in my mouth.
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[ ...while he doesn't turn again, he at least has the decency to drop the vitriol in his voice. ]
Maybe I jumped to conclusions. Maybe I got my biases. But forgive me if I just can't see eye to eye with ya. [ beat ] I already got a disadvantage there, anyway.
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I'm not repeating it. What happened at the temple was an act of selfish desparation. Nothing more.
You never really heard what happened, did you?
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It would explain why you thought Asch was Luke when you got here, as well.
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Uh, identical twins are a thing?
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Don't say that to Asch or he'll probably kill you.
Luke was an only child, though. He never had any siblings.
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. . .
Ya sure this is yer story to tell?
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But there's a reason why I chose to kill two people with Luke present. They're two entirely different people, no matter how they might look. But Asch is little more than a stranger. The kid from the temple is the one who's the most important person to me, and he's why I killed so many people at the risk to myself.
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Cool motive, still murder.
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