ACE

[ballies]

(pirate noises)

Comments

[ballies]

[ becoming penguin is just part of his lore now. ]

Hmm... [ quietly makes a show like she's considering it. but she does laugh after a moment and apparently decide to grant mercy. ]

So. How's this place's ocean measuring up for you?

[selfimmolation]

[ ah. pang of longing and fondness and nostalgia and widdle bit of anxiety as he looks out at it ]

... It's a lot better than being inside. [ joking. ] I'm just glad it's a real one.

[ he always wanted the ocean for being the closest thing he could get to home but also seeing it he is like. only more homesick. oops ]

[ballies]

As opposed to what? A lake faking it?

[ emotion share week out there exposing everyone. all of the emotions coming out of ace seem complicated— and not necessarily something she’s willing to poke and prod at. the homesick feeling isn’t foreign to her, but her situation feels a looot less complicated than his. ]

It’s nice. I never tried looking at it from the rooftops, but when it opened up I ended up visiting it anyway.

[ depression beach week 5!! ]

[selfimmolation]

We did have a fake indoor lake.

[ hell was real. anyway: a bit sheepish and embarrassed, because: ]

Yeah, I saw. A lot of you guys did.

[ because they were sad about him and he felt. bad. ]

[ballies]

Oh. Ouch. That’s a kind of a kick in the face.

[ they gave them the real ocean and then handed the pirate a lake with delusions of grandeur… ]

We did.

[ she’s not apologising on anyone’s behalf for being sad about what happened to him. the boy’s just gonna have to deal. ] We also found out you guys could come back the same day, so. It might’ve been worse otherwise.

[selfimmolation]

I think this place hates me.

[ it's a joke. it's not a joke. it's complicated. but she says that and he just..... ]

Sorry. [ she's told him not to apologize before but look he... is...... sorry ]

[ballies]

I think this place hates everyone but it really did go out of its way to flip you off.

[ …

she jabs him lightly in the side with her elbow. ]

If I officially say ‘apology accepted’, will you stop apologising? [ this is big ‘stop saying sorry’ ‘sorry’ energy at this point. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ opens his mouth like he is going to say sorry again and closes it just sheepish vibes ]

I just. You know. We could see you guys.

[ he doesn't regret the things he did he mostly regrets the things danny did but also he still. felt bad. at seeing people sad for him. look ]

[ballies]

[ love that he had to stand there like 🧍while people had depression ]

Even though you were trapped in a building? You guys could just see outside like it was no big deal? That makes that place sound even worse, actually.

[ just wafting freedom around right in front of them. ]

I mean, of course we were sad? It wasn’t a secret how much you wanted to get to the ocean, and this place opening it up the literal day after all that happened was really shitty.

[selfimmolation]

We had TV screens.

[ so. yes it truly was terrible. WATCH DEPRESSION ON SCREEN BITCHES.

but also he's just the emotional equivalent of nooooooooooooo ]

I mean, I did want to see the ocean, and it felt pretty rude to show it off there, but... [ trails off. look. HAVING PEOPLE SAD ON HIS BEHALF STILL FEELS NEW he did not give anyone reason to be sad for him back home until he did mcdie ]

[ballies]

Wow. Like a movie of stuff you guys couldn’t have.

[ rude.


THERE IS SO MUCH. FOND EXASPERATION. LIKE THE FRIENDLY EQUIVALENT OF A RATSHAKE. she boops him on the forehead. ]

But nothing. I thought everyone got through to you in the end. [ suck it up buttercup, he is loved. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ the embarrassment is so real he doesn't regret the death speech but also like, wow, everyone saw him do a very emotional speech and drown himself and then he lived? embarrassing ]

We can skip talking about that, too.

[ballies]

[ MEN ARE STUPID, THROW ROCKS AT THEM. ]

Nooooo. Stop that.

[selfimmolation]

Stop what?!

[ballies]

Dodging every other topic because it’s making you all squirmy.

[selfimmolation]

Then stop talking about squirmy things...

[ballies]

You’re going to have such a time of it whenever someone tells you they missed you, huh?

[selfimmolation]

[ no that one is fuzzy feelings ]

That's different. [ they can miss him!! he missed them!!! that's allowed. ]

[ballies]

[ well ok, that’s cute. ]

But knowing people care about you’s what makes you go all weird.

[selfimmolation]

No. [ no that makes him squirmy in a good way, he is trying to dodge talk of his death damn ]

[ballies]

[ THEY WERE SAD ON THE BEACH IT CAN'T BE HELPED. she sighs and waves a hand. ]

Alright, alright. At least that last one stuck though. Now we just need to keep chipping away at Nimona. [ there's a contentness that suggests she thinks it's working though. ]

[selfimmolation]

Stop saying it stuck like I had no idea. [ grumbling a little. embarrassing. ] ...You guys have been doing alright then?

[ taking care of each other?? ]

[ballies]

Did you?

[ just like. genuine question. she's not even ribbing him, she just genuinely got the impression he had zero-to-very-little idea given what he said after that trial. ]

... All things considered. I think every week's been rough on Nimona, but she keeps going. And past couple of weeks sucked, entirely, but we're still going. So, that's a positive.

[selfimmolation]

It's not about thinking no one cared about me or something like that. It's... [ well. ] It's more complicated than that.

[ anyway moving on wow he doesn't want to talk about his brain worms ]

...I'm glad you were there for each other. Thanks, Tama.

[ballies]

[ she tilts her head, thoughtfully. but she doesn't press. she just bumps her shoulder against his arm softly and goes back to looking at the water. his brainworms are dumb but imagine if it was as easy as going "oh, no. you and your brainworms are wrong"? ]

She kept checking in. If I helped her, she helped me just as much. [ there's a contentedness about her, like... she knows she was incredibly lucky. between nimona, and the mice she wasn't really left on her own. ]