hero pcs: danny + temenos

[doghouse]

old men attempt to save teen from his disaster self and his ex-roommate

Comments

[inquired]

Was it easy to build that treehouse with Nimona on Monday, and pretend that nothing was wrong?

[foreverphantom]

[ jesus. cutthroat, huh. ]

Not as easy as all the pretending I've been doing since the minute I got here, but that sure gave me plenty of practice.

[inquired]

[ datz is the nice weird uncle ]

Based on this newspaper, I think it's quite possible that our dearly departed can see us - which means that that may have helped to motivate the stars' advice for you.

[foreverphantom]

I know full well that they can, and that Reigen's the one who wrote the Gemini section. That doesn't mean he's right.

He's treating his murderer like a good person who just needs some advice. So maybe, just maybe, we can assume that he's not exactly the most accurate judge of how good and kind people will be when they hear about this?

[inquired]

Then allow me to present you with the opposite side. How do you think they will feel when they find out that you killed Reigen and you've been lying to them about it and acting like things are normal? Sympathetic?

[foreverphantom]

No. And I don't expect them to. They have every right to hate me, and they should.

[inquired]

So, you're prolonging the inevitable, because right now, it feels better to pretend, knowing that it will be far, far worse whenever they return to us.

[foreverphantom]

Yes.

Sue me for not wanting to torch every good thing I have here just because I should do the right thing.

[inquired]

It's going to get torched no matter what.

[foreverphantom]

I know. That's why I'm trying to make it last while I can.

[doghouse]

What you're playing at right now isn't real friendship. If you give 'em the truth, they can decide whether they hate you or still wanna be your friend. That should be up to them, not you.

[foreverphantom]

And what if they say no? I can't--I can't lose again. This is all I have.

At least this way, I can...it's not losing if I plan for it.

[doghouse]

It's all you have 'cause you're holding everybody at an arm's length and not giving 'em a chance to really be your friends.

[inquired]

[ actually i'm in this picture and i don't like it*



*without the reigen murder ]

[doghouse]

[ smh this is why i'm the only person in this game who can get through a trauma forest unscathed ]

[inquired]

[ etc ]

[foreverphantom]

Because they never would be otherwise!

[doghouse]

Not with that attitude.

[foreverphantom]

[ laughs. it's sharp and wet and sardonic. ]

You don't even know.

...I really thought Nico got it. And maybe he would've, if I hadn't gone and screwed it all up killing Reigen. I've already ruined everything on my own. Again. Like always.

[doghouse]

Well, then maybe it's time to look at why you keep doing that, take responsibility for it, and work on doing better.

Like I said before, put everything you got into bringing the dead — and especially him — back to life at the end of this thing. Even if you can't make things right you can make them better.

[foreverphantom]

[ hugging himself ]

Why should I want to make things better if it means everything for me will have to get worse?

[doghouse]

Buddy, look at yourself, things already suck. I don't think anything you could do in this situation would make you hate yourself that much more than you do right now.

[foreverphantom]

[ hunches in on himself even more ]

[doghouse]

[ puts a hand on his shoulder... ]

Look, I know I'm not your favorite guy, but I'm here to help you out with this if you want. I could ask the three of 'em to meet up with me without saying what it was about, and you could tell 'em the truth there. Having someone else in the room would probably help keep things from gettin' too ugly if you're afraid of that, and I can tell 'em I advised you not to say anything at first to take some of the heat off you and put it on me.

[foreverphantom]

...wouldn't that just be even more cowardice?