[Week 1, Wednesday: Max]

[purrtagonist]

[I hear the angry tiny is at the park now!!]

[it isn't hard for Akira to find him. and when he does, he approaches with a wave and a slightly slouched posture, one hand clutching a cardboard cup of. . . something?? hint: it's coffee]

Soooooo.

How goes our babysitting gig?

Comments

[purrtagonist]

[EXCUSE YOU]

Nope. That isn't it.

[pushes his glasses further up his nose]

One of my Confidants was a politician, too. He wasn't very popular, but he fought long and hard against the grain to spread his message. Even though he was never elected, even though people frequently gathered at his speeches to heckle him, he refused to stand down and be silent.

I learned a lot from him. [how to give speeches. to negotiate. to brainwash and mug shadows] But most importantly, I learned that sometimes, the pursuit of your goals is worth gritting your teeth against the things you hate.

[. . .]

So you're right. I probably wouldn't like, or necessarily want, what comes with a promotion. And maybe I won't be able to change the fact that there will always be something fucked up about these Games.

But if I can put myself into a position to at least try, or to at least inspire someone who comes after me to try, then it'll be worth it.

[concertmaster]

[the look on his face translates very easily to "I didn't fucking ask", but hey, at least he doesn't say it! progress!!!!!]

Honestly, I admire your spirit of rebellion in the face of authoritarian bullshit, Joker. I really do. When I was younger, that's definitely the kind of thing I liked to see. I wasn't gonna surround myself with sheep. [HE'S TEN???] But the whole working through the system to change it is way too fucking passive, even for a younger me. I was way more into bringing the whole system down.

[STILL TEN]

[purrtagonist]

[YOU'RE FUCKING TEN, MAX]

[not that age matters to Akira]

Believe me, it's way too passive for me, too. I'd rather tear the whole thing down myself, piece by piece.

[but when your options are between "change it from within" or "get yourself killed butting your head against a brick wall because you aren't powerful enough to win a fight against The Man" or "just sit around and take it without trying to do anything," you obviously choose the option that has the most likely chance of success??]

[also. . .]

Actually, has anyone asked your opinion on this whole system? If you could change how the Game works, in any way, how would you do it?

[concertmaster]

That's a great question.

[... is he going to answer it, or...?]

I'm not supposed to influence shit in this Game, though, so come back to me when it's done.

[cop-out!!!!!!]

[purrtagonist]

That's a cop-out response.

I'm not asking you to influence the Game. My mind is already made up.

[he's starting to understand where he needs to go from here, thanks to his chats with Max and Maya. they're good NPCs]

I'm asking for your opinion.

[concertmaster]

[a long, drawn-out sigh]

My opinion is what I've been telling you guys from that start. I don't give a shit. Anything I would change is stuff to make shit easier for me when I have to deal with... everything that comes with the Game, I guess. The whole rebelling against the system shit was fun when I was alive. That's about when it stopped too.

[purrtagonist]

. . .

Why did it stop?

[will he ever stop asking questions]

[concertmaster]

Will you ever stop asking questions.

[you knew this was coming]

[purrtagonist]

[listen, he doesn't know when or where he'll hit roadblocks until he tries!!]

Probably not. But I won't press the ones that you won't or can't answer.

[concertmaster]

[rolls his eyes but FINE he'll ANSWER THIS you get ONE BACKSTORY per pc!!!!]

I wasn't rebelling because I believed in anything. I was rebelling because I was a kid, I had a shitty life, I wanted to make everyone around me feel shitty, and then I died. Happy?

[purrtagonist]

[one backstory per pc just means i gotta have like one pc per week with you zia]

[quietly]

. . . no.

Not really.

[concertmaster]

[im ok w/ this]

[he deflates from his anger a bit and just kicks at the ground, not looking at Akira]

Yeah, well... Neither was I. Fucking shocker there.

[purrtagonist]

[. . .]

[he finally, finally slides onto the bench so he's more on Max's level, instead of towering over him like the monolith-built motherfucker he is]

What about your parents? And friends?

[concertmaster]

[i said one backstory, Akira, you're pushing it mister]

My parents didn't care.

[he doesn't talk about friends]

[purrtagonist]

[THIS IS RELATED]

[his gaze flickers to the side, but his reply comes pretty quickly]

Neither did mine.

[ah]

But did your friends?

[since he dodged that part of the question]

[concertmaster]

[....... god damn his one weakness for people with shitty parents, it's not like akira's file goes into his parentage!!! because persona god!! ]

You know a lot of kids with a vast understanding of that kind of stuff? It didn't really come up at camp. It's not like I hid it, but they don't-- they didn't get it. [a beat, and then:] I don't think they got half the stuff I ever said, but that's not their fault I was born world-weary and they had a lot to learn.

[purrtagonist]

[see there ARE backstory things he can share!!]

And it isn't your fault you were forced to grow up so fast.

Adults should be less shitty so kids have time to be kids.

[concertmaster]

[he makes a face]

Yeah, that sounds kinda condescending. People should be less shitty. They aren't. It's not an adult-only situation.

[purrtagonist]

I know. Believe me.

But it's the shitty adults I take the most issue with. [ah] . . . personal experience.

[some of it his own, but most of it via watching his friends being taken advantage of by teachers and mentors and parents alike]

[concertmaster]

Right. The whole... phantom thief thing. I remember.

[it came up in 3 files its hard to forget :/]

[purrtagonist]

[you got three out of eight you should feel lucky, Max]

Yeah. The whole Phantom Thief thing.

[a small shrug]

It was our little niche in the world. Still is. Still. . . will be, when we get out of here.

[refusing to entertain the idea that they won't]

[concertmaster]

Yikes. Someone's got high hopes.

[he lives to crush those]

[purrtagonist]

Yep. Sure do.

[FINGERGUNS. also, back to backstory]

Did you ever find a place like that while you were alive?

[he thinks. . . the answer to that is "no," but. doesn't hurt to ask]

[concertmaster]

Take a wild guess.

["camping accident"]

[purrtagonist]

What about now that you're dead?

[he also has a guess for that one, but again, never hurts to ask]