completelycrazy | week 3 - hiro - saturday post-trial

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week 3 - hiro - saturday post-trial

[Newt is laying on the beach. He doesn't know what else to do with himself, and... Well, at least he can see the stars. They aren't his stars, but they're better than nothing. He wishes he had his mp3 player to take his mind off of things. It probably wouldn't even work, though, and the quiet isn't so bad. The quiet is kind of nice after that trial, actually.

He has people he should talk to before... Well, before, seeing as there isn't much "after" left for him. But... For now, he just wants to lay here. He has enough "later" to make the rounds eventually, right? It's not like he'll get much sleep tonight. What's the point?]

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[There is no point. There is no point because the world is falling apart and Hiro still feels sick about the results. In the pursuit of knowledge innocent people got hurt and now have to pay the price. This isn't what he wanted.

It's not hard to find Newt. Not when Hiro is seeking him out and when he finds him on the beach he quietly approaches. He stands over him for a moment to look down, frowning heavily before he moves to lay down in the sand, too.]

...these constellations are weird. [Avoid the elephant in the room. Good job guys.]

[Hey, Newt is 100% down with elephant-avoiding. His impending death is the last thing he wants to think about.]

Yeah. You noticed it too? [He doesn't sound surprised. Of course Hiro noticed.] It'd be nice if they could've given us the real sky, at least. I know everyone's not from Earth, but a lot of us are. Majority rules, right?

That seems to be the way things work around here at least. [Majority rules, majority vote. That's what the whole problem was. His hands are pillowing his head and he's fixating on a singular star to stare at instead of looking at Newt.]

...if this really is VR, you've gotta figure out a way to tell me what's really out there and where we are. I'm way too curious. [Trying to keep it light? Maybe.]

[Newt's throat tightens. It's a moment before he can respond. He's doing his best to keep it together for Hiro's sake.]

Yeah, of course. I'll hack into the simulator and leave a message for you up there in the stars. Keep an eye out, okay?

[He's trying to sound upbeat, but his voice is shaky. He's never been a great actor.] It's definitely VR, dude. It's gotta be.

[There's a half-smile because that'd be a lot nicer than some other outcomes. He hopes it's true.]

There's no way it isn't. Battler said that if the Sirens killed enough people, the game would end and people would be brought back to life. That can't be real so that has to be proof this is some kind of simulation. You're going to be fine.

[He's also trying to sound confident about that, but it falls a little flat.] And all of you will be together, I think.

Right, yeah. Exactly. [It does help that Hiro's backing him up on this, at least.] And hey, I'll get to hang out with Austria again. That'll be cool. We didn't get to play together very much, so...

[He trails off. Even with the VR theory, it's tough to reconcile the idea of anything tangible after death. It sure as hell doesn't make dying any less scary.]

I wasn't really paying attention to what Battler or anyone else was saying, to be honest. Do you, uh... Believe him?

[There's a really long pause.]

...I would like to, yes. If only because it's a lot nicer than the alternative and nicer than everything I've been wondering about death for a while. You know there's probably no afterlife in our worlds, Newt. If there's some kind of afterlife here where people can be and wait for us to either figure it out or join them, then...maybe it's not so bad. The act itself is terrifying and the idea of waiting sucks but it's a little nice knowing it isn't the end.

[He looks at his hands.] I know that's probably not the right answer and that it probably doesn't help, but...that's what I think.

[Newt also takes a long pause to chew on that.]

That's what's wigging me out, dude. I can't... There has to be something, right? Not at home, you're right about that, but here. Nothing about this makes any goddamn sense. The hallucinations, the note in your pocket, people somehow slipping in and out of huts after Thursday's lockdown... There's no explanation for any of that. Nothing short of a simulation.

[Right?]

Whether or not Battler's right, whether or not I'll wake up outside of the sim to wait around for the rest of you, this can't just be it. If you can solve this, win somehow, then... I mean, that has to include the people who die along the way. It has to.

[Maybe if he says it enough he'll actually believe it.]

Everything is fake, but we have to treat it like it's real. Otherwise we are going to run out of time before we can solve the mystery of the simulation.

...I'm going to do it, Newt. Whatever it takes, I'm going to figure things out. I'm going to save everyone and make sure we all get out of this. No matter what. I can't let anything else happen any other way.

[He nods, then reaches over to nudge Hiro with one hand. May as well try to keep it light. This is... a lot.]

Hey, I believe in you, you know that? You're smart as hell. You'll figure something out.

[...Oh! He fishes through his pocket and pulls out the flashlight the Chiefs gave him. He hands it to Hiro.]

I don't know how helpful this will be, but, uh... Here. Just promise me you're not going to go running off into the jungle or the cave, okay? If you do, take Prussia with you.

[Ow. In a weird way, it sort of feels very reminiscent of someone else. Newt isn't Tadashi, not even close, but the sentiment is enough. He musters up enough of a grin even while he looks at his hands.]

I hope so. [But oh. There's a flashlight? There's a flashlight and he grabs it, clicking it on and off to see if it works.]

Can't believe they gave this to you. But I'll do my best, okay? I'm not...sure...if Prussia likes me after voting for Austria, but if it's under your orders she might listen.

Yeah, I was surprised too. I asked for extra batteries so I could have some for my mp3 player, but they'd only give me that. I was gonna try for batteries again next week. [He shrugs. Obviously that didn't pan out.]

I voted for Austria, too. It sucked, but it's not like we had much of a choice. I'll, um... I'll tell her to help you out when you need it. She already made me promise to take her if I was going anywhere dangerous. I was planning to check out the cave soon to investigate what she saw in there, but I, uh, never got around to it.

Piecemealing our essentials. Sounds about right for this place. [The flashlight goes off and gets carefully tucked into his pocket.] Thank you.

...I know. There are a lot of things that could have changed about all of that, but we had to do it. We didn't know enough about how the game worked and we still don't. If you already promised her then I guess I can take up that promise in your stead. It's important to stick together and I'll make sure nothing happens to her.

[Newt laughs a little at the idea of Hiro protecting Prussia. Fair enough, though. Prussia does need a bit of a leash sometimes.]

Hey, I'm just glad it's going to someone who will make good use of it. You've gotta pick up my slack now.

[Which is dark, yes, but he's legitimately glad that he's leaving the island in Hiro's hands. He's capable.]

You're right, though. All of us are on the same team, here. I think people are, uh, starting to forget that...

[It's a promise he won't be able to keep, and he knows, but it's the right thing to say now.]

If you're gonna send a message through the stars, I'll send you one right back. It'll be kinda cool. [Bright sides, maybe.] But...I think that, too. People are already falling apart a little bit. It's scary, you know? People splitting off into parts already. I'll see if there're people who'll help keep things together, too.

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week 3 - hiro - saturday post-trial

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omfg i'm an idiot and missed this I'M SORRY

omg no you're totally fine!!