doing something

[unbr8kable]

Who: some kids
Where: the dead zone
When: Day 335, after graduation

[After many a tiny finger food and many more tiny glasses of wine and one overblown and completely not sad at all!!! graduation ceremony, what better place to go than the dead zone? What better thing to do than climb up the giant, golden chain up to the crack in the sky? Sure it burns to the touch, but what's a little more pain on the pile--that's the point of all those tiny glasses of wine, right?

So never mind the slight sizzling sound, nor the uncomfortably familiar odor of burning flesh all the way up. There's a goal at the end; one that--in theory--will make this all worthwhile]

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He hesitates, then lets himself be led, stumbling only a little]

[unbr8kable]

[Here there is another courtyard, scattered with rose-shaped fountains that depress into the marble. Each outer petal has a lining of water running through, and every inner petal is another step deeper into the fountain; by the third step, one would be deep enough that they could take a bath in this fountain.

Nemesis looks around, and back at him]

...Guess this's it.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He takes a shaky breath in - hesitates - nods]

...guess it's gotta be.

[unbr8kable]

You ready? Or...?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. Let's get it done.

[unbr8kable]

Okay. Then...okay. Whenever you're ready.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Are you?

Ready, I mean.

[unbr8kable]

'S just water, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...right.

But... it hurts, some. And you gotta hold onto who you are. Like... really, really hold on.

[unbr8kable]

And if you don't?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...dunno.

[unbr8kable]

...Guess there's one way to find out.

[crossmyheartandhope]

What, like - you ain't gonna try?

Or...?

[unbr8kable]

...Dude, chill out. Why don't you show me how it's done, then?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...we ain't going together?

[unbr8kable]

We are together.

[Her thumb strokes over his, gentle]

[crossmyheartandhope]

I mean - in, I mean.

[unbr8kable]

Was gonna spot you...but sure, whatever you want.

[crossmyheartandhope]

It's about what you want, too, y'know.

[unbr8kable]

I wanna fix what I fucked up. So.

[She gestures forward]

[crossmyheartandhope]

...dude, I was there, remember?

Pretty sure that was on me.

[unbr8kable]

I was the one talking to him and I was the one who flipped out and used knives and got everybody there stabbed and everybody electrocuted 'cause I couldn't keep myself in check.

Not stopping me from fucking you up and getting you killed ain't your fault.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Dude, I literally gave the go-ahead for the whole thing in the first place.

By the time we got there, it wasn't gonna go any other way. We coulda tapped out way before then, and we didn't. There was no way he was ever gonna just let us go.

[unbr8kable]

That's so far ahead. That's like saying it was our parents' fault for having us.

We all knew it was something that'd get us in trouble--we weren't gonna beat the boss of Hell first day. Didn't mean it had to've gone down like that.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Wasn't any other way it was gonna go, not after we got that far. He wasn't planning on pulling punches, whether you hit first or we did. So -

[He hesitates, then reaches out to take her hand]

For real, okay? It ain't on you.