IT'S MY PARTY! AND I'LL CRY IF I WANT TO, CRY IF I WANT TO

[fashionfever]

[One hour after the execution, prisoners who have gone back down to the dorm floor will find Angela waving outside the mess hall.]

In honor of what Akira definitely would have wanted and Vita probably at least would have laughed about, we're all having dinner together.

[There's pots of coffee, and glasses of soda, and something like garlic bread, and spaghetti, and it sounds like there's even more food cooking in the kitchen.]

This would be a great time to share anything you got from playing ET, too, you know? [She's just trying to start conversation about literally anything else...]

Comments

[earietale]

[She takes a sip of the water before responding.]

Of course she is. And I feel the same way. I don't really...want anything to mess with my head like that.

[losergod]

I think... everyone is having a difficult time. If you need someone to talk to, Miss Finch, I'm... I'm here. After all, you've helped me so much.

[ ... Inhale. Exhale. There's a pause. ]

I don't think it would help much for there to be more shallow secrets between us at this point. That's what got us all into this mess.

[ He's quiet for a moment, and finally, he says: ]

... If you are all right with it, you can call me Charles.

[earietale]

[...what is she doing? She's sitting here, just being a mess, and such a big one that C is taking car of her. The guy that's clearly gone through some things, being sort of like a dad to her. She needs to say something that means something.]

You too, you know. If...you need to talk to me about anything, you can tell me.

[So that's what C stands for. And he trusts her with knowing it. She feels...special, knowing it.]

Alright. I'll call you Charles, then.

And...you can just call me Barbara. You don't need to call me Miss Finch or anything fancy.

[losergod]

... Forgive me, I've... always had a habit of being overly polite.

[ Or maybe it's secret sarcasm. He really isn't sure anymore; his entire life is confusing. ]

It just comes more naturally to me to refer to people in that manner... I suppose some might find that silly. But I can call you just Barbara, if you want.

[earietale]

Well, you can keep calling me that, if you want. I don't mind either way.

Also, is it alright if I call you Charles near the others? Or should I keep going and call you C?

[She doesn't want to make him distrust her with that.]

[losergod]

It's... all right. It might... well, they'd probably find out eventually anyway, I'm sure Marie would tell them or something nefarious.

[ Siiiighhhhh. ]

[earietale]

[The mention of their captor gets a frown on her face.]

She probably would. She's just such a b-...jerk.

[Haha, she really shouldn't curse more, should she? She's trying to be helpful!]

[losergod]

She probably has something like that on all of us. After all, we're all missing memories, or most of us are. If we don't seem to be, we may just not realize it. That's probably why they're taken in the first place. Incentives and blackmail.

[ It's... frustrating. ]

I sincerely ask you that no matter what she reveals to you, you not weather it alone. I think... that's what Akira would have wanted.

[earietale]

...the only reason why I'm not popular in Hollywood anymore is because my first movie was a horror movie and after puberty hit my scream now sounds terrible.

[It might be a little abrupt. Probably out of nowhere, since she's not sure she told him about ever being in a horror movie. But it's the biggest secret she knows about, so she figured it was better to say it than keep it in.]

[losergod]

[ He can't help chuckling. ]

What did you star in, some kind of slasher flick? Was it fun?

[earietale]

[Unfortunately, Barbara is at least 14 years too late for anything that's now referred to as a slasher movie.]

Uh, no. More like a creature feature. It's actually this one.

[She holds up the film reel for him to see.]

My Friend Bigfoot. When I was six.

[losergod]

... Oh.

[ He pauses. ]

What was it about?

[earietale]

Well, it about a little girl named Mary Ann, searching for her older brother one day. But instead, she finds Bigfoot. She's scared and runs away at first, with no one in her family believing her. But when she sees him again, he brings her flowers and she realizes he's friendly. So they become friends.

The only problem is keeping it a secret from her family. It goes on from there as they try to keep everything together and keep the town from panicking.

There's more, but...I don't want to spoil it, if we ever get the chance to watch it.

[losergod]

... We should watch it sometime, when we can. It sounds like fun.

[ He smiles. ]

[earietale]

Yeah, we should.

Thanks, by the way for cheering me up. I...I really needed it.

[losergod]

You... helped me. I just... wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't return that favor.

[ ... God, does he miss Charlotte. Funny, how attached he'd gotten to her. ]

You... well, I suppose you remind me a bit of someone. You and miss Napoli both have some... qualities that she did.

[earietale]

Well, I hope you can get back to her alright.

[She's curious about the girl, but won't pry. At least not yet.]

[losergod]

... I hope so too. It may not be in a way she recognizes, but I've known her for a long time. Since she was a child.

[ He... does really want to go back to his body. ]

I never told her my name back then, it was supposed to be confidential, after all. She gave me this silly moniker--Umbrella Man, because of how we met. In the rain. I can't quite recall why I was visiting her world in particular, but I do know it was important.

[earietale]

Still so weird to hear things like that. Oh well.]

I'm sure she'd be happy to see you even if you look different than before. If you really care about her, she'll care about you to, right?

[losergod]

... I didn't tell her the person inhabiting this vessel and the person she knew before were one in the same. At the time, I couldn't remember anyway. At least, for a little while.

[ He did eventually remember everything. But he had to keep lying to her... ]

I mean, I suppose she already knew I could inhabit whatever body I chose whenever I chose it, like her father's, for example, but...

[earietale]

I...I'm just going to roll with that.

[Just...accept the weirdness and get over it.]

Well, do you meet her in the same body every time? You can always use that nickname she gave you if you do.

[losergod]

Well, that's how she knows. That and my eye color, my usual attire... things like that. I think she failed to notice because my vessel this time around was so... thoroughly average. And I was trapped in it. She's very good at discerning those things. If I were to borrow someone, I would keep my eye color.

[ It's a pretty consistent trait. ]

It's very fitting they made my title "The Swap".

[earietale]

Yeah, I guess they were.

[Not sure how accurate it is for The Glow, though.]

Have you tried just...explaining things to her? She might be able to understand if you were stuck.

[losergod]

I... have... somewhat explained this. The problem is that the only way I know how to get out of this vessel is to dispose of it.

[ You know. Die. ]

And when they took me here, I was in the middle of asking for her help with that... it's actually very frustrating. I feel... I'm not sure how to put it. Being fully human like this again feels very constricting.

[earietale]

[Stop stop stop. Back up there for a second.]

Wait, you were going to...to kill this body? But-isn't there someone already in it?

[Ha ha ha, she is suddenly terrified.]