Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

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Manzana stops at a nearby wall and slumps against it. You're tempted to join in yourself.

Mission: Tired?

Manzana: Lost. Like... what does she even want anymore? This whole weird setup? Erica's not even here? How much was she even like, involved?

Styx: I'm having trouble imagining there was anything she really wanted to begin with.

Mission gave you a conflicted smirk.

Styx:.. Have something you'd like to say?

Mission: Just... a good observation. And that's why you're best suited to answer that.

Styx:... There is nothing that'd make her happy. She lives in a self destructive spiral, the pursuit of immortality is just a distraction from that. Even if she were to succeed at the former-

Mission: It'd only make her worse. And... I know she has her issues.

The other entity turns toward Manzana.

Manzana: I know...

Mission: I'd never dare ask you to forgive her for any of it but... you also share a complex relationship with her.

Manzana: Yeah.

Mission: I... do wish I had stepped in more. Never liked the way she treated you, or Bucket, or any of her kids really...

Manzana: Never held anything against you.

Mission: I tried to talk to her plenty of times, she has a soft side at times but it's locked so far now... I don't know. Terrible parent, operating off some cracked and battered parody of what she understands as tough love. There were moments however and...

They let out a deep sigh.

Mission: Perhaps I enabled that by not speaking enough.

Manzana: Hey, look um...

Mission: You ever care about someone you know who's bad for you? That's... probably a awful way to talk about anyone but-

Manzana: I mean... I kinda get you.

Platino: Yeah we.... give me a sec-

Manzana gave Platino a little assuring pat on the shoulder.

Manzana: You can talk. I'll be fine.

Platino:.. Sometimes she'd come home completely scuffed. Like, you can tell a job went bad, a fight went sour. And I'd get scared cause like, you can see it inside and out.

Manzana: We'd always try to help her, even with everything. She'd snarl, scream til I left the room but..

Mission: She'd give you eyes like a kid who got struck.

Zana and Plat both give Mission a quiet nod.

Mission: We're reaching a point where decisions we cannot undo will come into play.. I just don't want to have to handle this in a way I'd regret. I come to you because I do believe you are my best hope here.

You give the entity a slow clap in response.

Mission: Are you not up for this?

Styx: Depends. Exactly are you asking from me specifically? I have little personal investment or stakes in this, I'm simply here to reduce casualty.

Mission: Plenty, you're a expert when it comes to sad boys with big swords. You've got your hands on one right now that shares a common soul. When you see yourself in another's eyes...

Manzana turns to give Mission a nasty look.

Mission: I'm serious-

Manzana: Charon? Dude's a bit of a punk sometimes but-

Mission: But?

Manzana: I can't see it? Dude's confident but it's like... theater kid? He's not even like, a mean theater kid just.. soft.

Mission: Why do you think Bucket picked Ali over Erica?

Manzana: No!

There was a bitter cackle under her breath.

Styx: There's more solidarity in simple things like that than you'd think, I can believe it.. but that does raise the question of what you're about to ask from me.

Platino: Yeah I don't like where this is going, you're not gonna ask for a contract transfer are you-

Mission: As tempting as it is to make friends with a walking pipebomb, not today. I propose we let them fight.

Manzana crossed her arms into a big X.

Manzana: She'd kill him, Bucket dropped him without breaking a sweat-

Styx: He won the rematch.

Manzana: ....Wait really?

Styx: With caveats that evened the odds significantly but...

Mission: But its potentially possible with a further lift, no?

Styx: Potentially is the key word.

Mission: Mmhmm! Bit of a wild card I wasn't prepped for but its a bonus in a stacked hand. Your friend hickory's been quite the asset...

Styx: You have contracts besides Ali...

Mission: You had a few little extra rogues of your own, its more than fair. Always have.

Styx: Can't really deny that..

Mission: And you've got quite the pawn yourself right now-

Styx: Don't call him that.

Mission: That's hardly meant to be a insult, every pawn is a potential queen. Shown me that quite well.

Styx: All I do is hand people opportunity, everything else is their work.

Mission: Like the ant you brought into my home? She was quite unpleasant...

Styx: That ant was more the man than you'll ever be, you do not speak of her-

Mission: I'm made of almost a dozen people, find that hard to believe. Honestly though between the two clowns, the ringleader, and the entire sideshow it really was a circus... you're not bad at bringing out the value of people.

Styx: If you're going to talk of everyone as a resource-

Mission: I'll back down, though I must wonder where this change of heart came from now..

Styx: Time has done a lot to me, if you play nice this could be a fresh tab.

Mission: Then you could consider it the same for myself.

Styx: And what did that for you?

Mission: I... remembered what it used to be like before what I was when we met. We'll leave it at that for now.

Platino: Got a big question, something still doesn't make much sense.

Mission: Mm?

Platino: Why do you need Charon to fight Ali? Feels like everyone here wants a shot to drop her.

Mission: Like I said, she'd see herself in a kinder life.

Platino: He's gotta fight for that though? Why not like.. talk?

Mission: Words are wasted on her these days, fighting is her voice....  In the meantime we should take the time to coordinate a way to prevent her current project.

The psuedo-entity reaches for her phone and flashes some roughly shot photos of... what seemed to be a oddly muzzled humanoid rabbit? There was a distinct halo above its head..

Manzana's ears pulled back.

Mission: Its... dire.

 Platino: What even is that...?

Styx: Another husk...

Mission: One in the middle of being tailored for her specifically...

Platino: That's... a lot to process.

Styx: I'll gladly take claim, I'd like to be a rabbit again I think.. Does raise concerns though.

Platino: Yeah like, what happened to the one we were supposed to steal?

Mission: Discovered and secured. Hickory let me know they were in the middle of transferring the thing somewhere safe.

Platino: On their own?

He looks directly at you.

Styx: ..What's wrong?

Platino: You gave this kid a contract?

Styx: Not a big one...

Platino: You guys are freaks, you know that? Like absolutely menaces. Where do you find anyone brave enough to pull it off-

Mission: You can relax, it was quite easier than you'd think.

Another photo..

The old husk in the middle of preparation, one disposal team pickup from being nothing more than biowaste.

You feel your stomach hurt. For how much this thing has wronged you, something about seeing it halfway in the bin immediately tailspins your mental state.

Platino:..Ali threw that shit out?

Mission: Was about to, our guy took full advantage of a low security situation.

Styx: Where is Hickory right now? I need to make absolutely sure nothing intercepts them.

Mission: Nobody will-

Styx: They are lugging around the corpse of a failed god, I need to see this in person now.

Mission:... I'll set up a point.

Platino: Count me in too, something just doesn't feel right.

Manzana: You want me to let Opera and the others know?

Mission: I'd like to keep this lower profile-

Styx: I think at the very least, she has a right to as well.