[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Max]

[purrtagonist]

[this is the last fucking PC I'm making for Sunday I swear to god]

[ANYWAY 'SUP MAX, someone is knocking on your hotel room door! normally, at least. he isn't trying to be obnoxious]

[yet]

Comments

[purrtagonist]

[. . .]

Do you want to be more than just a neutral party?

[concertmaster]

Nope. Neutral's just fine for me.

[:/]

I mean, except for this entire job thing, but there's downsides to everything.

[purrtagonist]

No job is perfect.

[there's something there, just out of reach. he doesn't know how to get to it yet]

If you ever need to complain, I've been told I'm a great listener.

[concertmaster]

Yeah, yeah, the "confidant" shtick.

[you have to be higher rank up than that to reach it, akira!!!]

Was that it for questions or am I doomed to never be able to have some peace and quiet?

[purrtagonist]

Yep.

[he will max this confidant by endgame if it's the last thing he does damn it]

I think that's everything, for now. I reserve the right to think of something else later, though.

[and also!!]

I'm serious about hanging out, by the way. I think the both of us could use a break sometime.

[concertmaster]

[i believe in you joker even if max doesn't]

Sure, why not. I'm not completely opposed to the idea.

[that's the closest he'll get to a yes. also:]

Now get the fuck out. I have some pictures to burn.

[..........ah]

[purrtagonist]

. . .

That seems like a waste of perfectly good pictures.

[concertmaster]

Your faces were really the waste for those. I'm just freeing us all from very painful memories.

[purrtagonist]

What did you expect to happen when you gave a bunch of people cameras? Some of whom have never seen a camera before in their lives?

[concertmaster]

I don't like your implication that I was involved with any of the bullshit decisions in this Game.

[purrtagonist]

That's fair. Does that mean you're only going to claim the non-bullshit decisions?

[concertmaster]

There's not a single non-bullshit decision involved. That's what happens when the entire Game is bullshit, Joker.

[purrtagonist]

[got him there, you tiny cynical child]

Hard to argue with that.

[pushes away from the wall to head to the exit]

I guess I'll leave you to your controlled arson, though. Try not to burn the whole hotel down.

[concertmaster]

Ehhh, you guys probably wouldn't notice.

[:3]

... Besides, I've learned to not use gasoline for fires.

[purrtagonist]

[WOULDN'T NOTICE. . .]

How did you discover that small life lesson?

[concertmaster]

I used gas to start a fire. Obviously.

[obviously.]

[purrtagonist]

Obviously.

When? Why? What were you burning?

[give him the deets, Max my man]

[concertmaster]

[... a tad reluctantly:]

I was starting a bonfire. The wood was wet so I figured, hey, why not.

[well. that doesn't sound so bad?]

[purrtagonist]

That doesn't sound too bad.

[so what went wrong?]

[concertmaster]

It looked alright until the gas vapors made the whole thing explode.

[but he sounds kinda proud of that, so clearly, that's not what he was reluctant about. ???]

[purrtagonist]

[HE IS GONNA GET BACKSTORY FROM YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING HE DOES, DAMN IT]

That's the cool part. What's the uncool part?

[concertmaster]

[WHY ARE YOU THIS WAY. reluctantly. squints.]

... I... might have potentially made the bonfire because this camp counselor tried to make a stupid-- and kinda racist-- tradition no one gave a shit about happen.

[a beat]

The guy kinda had a breakdown over it, and I didn't want him to shoot up the camp, so. That's why I did it. And then the whole thing exploded.

[purrtagonist]

[wait let him. . . parse this]

So you made a bonfire because a camp counselor was being racist, and he freaked out over your bonfire, so you blew the bonfire up?

[is that the proper line of events]

[concertmaster]

[DON'T MAKE HIM ACTUALLY EXPLAIN THIS]

No, the guy's just-- an idiot. It was this stupid "Indian" bullshit tradition that they did when he was a camper, except not that kind of Indian, he meant natives, and it really wasn't accurate so it was just kind of awkwardly racist, and he'd wanted everyone to participate and be happy and love camp like he did, except no one fucking cared because they're all apathetic assholes and it was raining so it wouldn't even start anyway, and I might have rubbed it in his face when it all went to shit, except the guy had a slight breakdown and got injured so I. Made him a bonfire.

A non-racist one.

... Then it exploded, but I guess he liked it before that.

[he says it all very rushed and gruff, shoving himself deep in his hoodie and, maybe, slightly, sulking.]

Like I said. Guy was this close to shooting up the camp. That's what happens when those happy-peppy-joy types lose their shit. So.

[purrtagonist]

[OH. . . NO. . . MAX]

[is that a hint of caring Akira sees in your cynical coffee-filled heart]

Ah. . .

Was this guy a friend of yours?