ACE

[ballies]

(pirate noises)

Comments

[selfimmolation]

Maybe there isn't a pattern? It could be they just grabbed people at random and you guys were nearby enough for it to grab you both.

[ maybe... rpers... are worse ]

[ballies]

[ maybe we just throw darts until we find a seasonable blorbo to torment… ]

… Maybe? Still hard not to wonder how they found that many places to grab people from though. As far as I was concerned there was my world and nothing else until a couple of weeks ago.

[ we don’t talk about naix’s moksha theory. ]

[selfimmolation]

Same here, but maybe some worlds just... know more about that stuff? No one in the city seems surprised about different worlds.

[ballies]

[ this is enough to give someone a headache, honestly. she just bumps her head on the clothes rack with a sigh ]

It’d be nice if someone could explain it. The how, I don’t need to know the who, why and when. They manage to take people from different times as well, which is… a lot to wrap your head around.

[selfimmolation]

... Right. [ munch munch as he looks over some clothes opposite Tama ] Apparently, Argalia said he was dead before coming here as well.

[ballies]

[ she looks up from where she's digging through a select of zip-up hoodies. ]

He what.

[selfimmolation]

... Yeah. I didn't talk to him directly [ he didn't care!!! ] but that's what he was saying.

[ballies]

[ she just hands him this zip up hoodie, almost absentmindedly. ]

...

But-- different worlds, different times... even death doesn't stop them??

[selfimmolation]

Oh, cool.

[ HE HAS NO TASTE HE'S GENUINELY LIKE WOW!! and actually tries it out. i mean, he doesn't zip it up, but. he tries it on. anyway; ]

... Yeah, that's what it sounds like.

[ballies]

[ yeah she chose zip up for a reason ]

…

……

This place really is weird. Isn’t there some saying about letting the dead rest in peace? This is exact opposite of that.

[selfimmolation]

I dunno. Maybe this is an equivalent to hell. [ something wry in his tone as he rolls up the sleevies on the hoodie up to his elbow ]

[ballies]

Neither Ryuki or I are dead though.

[ she’s digging out more hoodies ]

[selfimmolation]

That's true. [ how did ace put on the hoodie when he still has more pretzels. who knows, he's eating it ] Well, who knows how this place works.

[ballies]

[ if anyone could, it's ace. here's the next hoodie ]

Not worth the headache? Well, not until it turns out we need to know or something.

[selfimmolation]

[ he kind of snickers at that one ]

Skeletons...?

[ i mean. he'll try it on it was handed to him. ]

It probably doesn't matter. I mean... Jolyne said the team leads were pretty sure when you go back you'd go back right at the same time you left, so.

[ballies]

Isn't that a theme though? Fire... skulls... skulls on fire... [ you know the aesthetic. ]

Yeah, and that time's frozen at the point you left.

[selfimmolation]

It is. That's what my old jolly roger was...

[ hehes ]

So if someone's dead there, they'll still be dead when they come back. No point lingering on it.

[ballies]

See! It's the aesthetic!

[ hang on she's going for the ultimate hoodie. PRETEND THIS IS A ZIP UP. ]

...

[ he's not wrong, but-- ]

I don't know. It's still kinda sad. I know Nimona cared about him, and she'll miss him.

[selfimmolation]

[ this is so ridiculous he's laughing as he puts it on. this is literally the spades aesthetic I hate this.

anyway the rest. he's quiet at that for a little bit ]

He's the one who chose to do this. I don't know how sad that really is.

[ballies]

[ help. 10/10 they DID find clothes for ace on this trip. how is he managing all the pretzels and three hoodies? we just don't know. ]

Bluntly, I don't care so much about Argalia. It's more in general. It must be hard, getting to know someone and then realising they're going to be gone, permanently, when this is all over.

It's a bit different if you see someone off knowing they're going back to their lives.

[selfimmolation]

[ he's multi-talented. he's tried on all three of them but whether he will ever wear these hoodies again is a mystery ]

Yeah, probably. [ he shrugs a shoulder looking at a rack of garish clothes instead of tama ] Maybe it'd be easier if he hadn't said anything at all, but he'd still be dead either way now.

[ballies]

[ mystery for the ages ]

Either living in ignorance, or knowing and living with knowing. I know you just... don't know anything with the first option, but the thought of it makes me feel, I dunno. Sad.

[selfimmolation]

... Why sad? [ a little hesitant also i hate you becks die ]

[ballies]

[ suffer. ]

It's complicated. How am I going to know if someone I meet now is going back to just... be dead? But thinking about it isn't nice.

Imagine if there's a way to keep in touch, and you go to see how they're doing and just-- nothing. You'd end up wondering if they were okay, or if you found out the truth, wondering if you did enough with the time you did have with them.

[selfimmolation]

[ ... ]

Yeah. I guess there's just no winning in that kind of scenario, is there? You either grieve here or you grieve later.