Event Log: Is It a Wonderful Life?

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for Is It A Wonderful Life? event
Where: All over the city
When: Jan 4th-8th
Warnings: None

Throughout the next few days, you may find yourself plagued by visions and dreams of back home. The dreams will be lifelike and difficult to tell apart from reality, as the world will be constructed from what you remember of your world. However, unlike usual dreams, you won't be present, and will find yourself unable to be seen or heard by those around you.

The dreams are vivid reminders of what might happen in a world without you: a world in which you disappeared when coming to Hadriel, a world which desperately needs you back for some reason or another. You may see your parents putting up missing posters, your significant other moving onto their next relationship, or even your hated villain finally taking over the world without you there to stop them.

When the vision leaves, you're back here and nothing about the city has changed. Though maybe you have a different outlook on it now...

► This log covers January 4th-Januray 8th.
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you try a weird solution to make it back home, please let us know here.

Comments

[braveoff]

"Was that on purpose, though? When it's accidental it's like... you feel weird yelling at her." He shakes his head, letting Ephemera press in. "What kind of shit did he do? Tell me."

[requiemshark]

"Sometimes," Ephemera says, closing his good eye. "God, he was such a fucker. He had this whole pickly badass thing going on. Cursing at the brass, starting fights with the other squads, all that shit. Always went for your cigarettes, too. He'd get the whole goddamn squad roped in and pretend he hadn't done a thing when we got in trouble. Never apologized for shit, either."

Rodriguez had been an asshole most of the time, sure. It was his way of making sure the world wouldn't get close enough to actually see him.

"And he'd get under your skin. Make these stupid comments. He didn't mean anything by it, but sometimes it'd hit a nerve, you know? And then he'd get this look on his face when he realized he'd actually hurt one of us, and he'd go real quiet. And he wouldn't do it again. Never actually said he was sorry, but he'd apologize in other ways."

Ephemera squeezes Drake's hand gently.

"He always found me paints. Even when we were in the shit."

[braveoff]

"I think I've known the type," Drake admits, a little wryly. People who were jerks almost on accident, who didn't mean to really hurt you but sometimes did. Who'd make up for it in their own way, that Drake still cared about despite all their missteps.

He strokes his thumb over the back of Ephemera's hand and listens.

"He sounds like some friends I've had, over the years. Good friends despite it all, but they always landed themselves in trouble with those mouths. Did you have to bail him out a lot?"

[requiemshark]

"All the damn time," Ephemera agrees. His voice is fond, despite everything. He and Rodriguez hadn't seen eye to eye on a lot of things outside of combat, but the man had been family. When it mattered, Rodriguez pulled through. He'd be an ass about it most of the time, but he delivered. "Always got himself in trouble with the MPs for being drunk around the officers. You'd think he'd learn, but he never did."

[braveoff]

"Didn't learn, or didn't care?" Or maybe everyone bailing him out was enabling the behavior... not that it mattered now, just something to think about for people Ephemera will meet later in life, other friends he'll make. "Could be either."

[requiemshark]

Ephemera shrugs. He'd never really thought about it. "Both, I guess? It was always stupid shit."

Drunk and disorderly. The lower end of conduct unbecoming. But it'd been during the war and the ODST had always gotten a bit of leeway in that area. It helped that they usually worked alone. No one to notice or care how the squad conduct themselves, only that things got done.

"I dunno. Used to think he got a kick out of getting people mad at him. Being the center of attention and all that."

[braveoff]

"There are less dangerous ways to be the center of attention," Drake comments, but he's grinning a little because he knows that type, too. "Sounds like he might've been playing squeaky wheel. I knew kids who did that, growing up. Usually middle children."

[requiemshark]

"Squeaky wheel?"

That's a new one.

Ephemera shakes his head a little. "He was an asshole. But I survived him. Figure I can survive just about anyone, now."

It's said softly. It's never really been about Rodriguez, though Ephemera does miss the man. Misses the barbs and how he felt safe knowing someone was tracking him through a high powered scope; Rodriguez always had his back, no matter what. He'd bitch and moan and drag everyone down into the shit with him, but he was always there. Until, one day, he wasn't.

Ephemera survived that. Not gently. Not with much grace. But he's here, now.

He squeezes Drake's wrist briefly. "It'll be all right. I got faith."