Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 

Alright, Let's Do This One Last Time...
[Second Reading]

 The three of you manage to scurry out and in record time find yourselves immediately in a session of catch up.

Despite the giant gap in time between the last time you and Geezer met Opera in person, any sort of anxiety around the situation quickly melts away.

You two ask Opera about what happened to her after the incident, and she seems a little bittersweet on the entire affair. She spent most of her free time hopping between her home and the “angel pocket”, attempting to undo as much of the pain and suffering that happened there as she possibly could.

Geezer assures her it’s not her fault but she still seems to feel some blame.

You bring up that she was 14 at the time and all of you were dragged into that hell. She still can’t help but feel like she’s responsible for some of it.

A lot happened back then honestly. You still have heavy amounts of lingering nightmares about the entire situation. A bunch of people are dragged off by an “angel” into a composite world made from the fragments of other realities.

The friends you made on the way.
 

The people you lost.

The parts of yourself you don’t know if you ever will get back.

Though the entire experience of being spirited away by a cosmic horror was very defining for you in the later years and you can’t imagine the timeline where it never happened...  it absolutely is something you hope never has to be experienced again by anyone.

Ever, really.

Nonetheless, reconnecting with someone from that time makes you feel at ease even if it’s under less than ideal circumstances.

Geezer: So you just went back there?

Opera: I mean…. Yeah. Family never did all that much for me, most of my best friends were older by a year or two, so they all kinda graduated and we started having less time to meet and go on adventures and eventually they just outright had to leave town you know? There wasn’t all that much for me to return to. It seemed like the natural choice.

Geezer: That’s rough…

Opera: What can you do? Honestly, it was also why it was kinda hard to keep in contact. Being a whole reality apart doesn’t make it easy.

Charon: You spent the whole time in the angel pocket?

Opera: I snuck out every once in a while, managed to make it here and a few other places. You and your family are super hard to track down, you know? I tried to find Erica and Arabis since they’re both from this world but no dice… found Geezer easy though, and you happened to be in the same room so that’s nice.

Geezer: Happens, we try not to be easy to find, you know? Keeps weirdos from showing up at our place.

Opera: I was surprised all four of you exist at the same time like that, I figured you were all super time displaced by centuries or something.

Charon: It’s… complicated. Erica was our caretaker growing up so….

Opera: Wait, is she your mom?!

Geezer: Grandma, but I guess kinda? Main adult presence in our lives either way.

Charon: I didn’t say anything because she told me not to. We were all kinda ripped through there from various points in space and time so we couldn’t potentially cause a paradox.

Geezer: Yeah. Either way, no idea if you’ll be able to get her to come right now, she’s currently got plans of her own. We’ll be enough though, I think.

Opera: I mean, you two are a couple of knights huh?

Geezer: Yup. Protectors of the people and destroyers of evil. Just add a bit of water.

Opera: Are you two good at it?

Geezer: I’m okay I guess, things’ve been good career-wise.

Charon: I just got my license recently to work internationally, but I haven't had a lot of big jobs yet. Guess now’s not a bad chance to put my name on the radar, yeah? Crashing auctions for products of cults would do that really fast.. albeit in a way that’d probably put me on a few blacklists.

Geezer: Anyone who’d blacklist you for work after that honestly wasn’t worth taking up jobs with anyway.

Charon: I know, a little curation more than anything really. I’d rather not collaborate with salesmen and war criminals.

Opera: About that…

Geezer: Wait, what? Who?

Opera: Someone we’re gonna have to interview with later today. I tried to mostly pick up folks we could trust on this but… we kinda need a professional Saboteur to help us coordinate something like this and they want to know a bit about everyone involved.

Geezer: A pro Saboteur? You feel safe doing something like that?

Opera: I got her contact through Hick and Fenton so I figure they’re trustworthy enough. Those two are in on all of this, by the way, though they’re not going to meet up with us just yet.

Geezer: Are they still together after all these years? Goals.

Charon: Really though, wish I could get into something that serious.

Opera: Mmhmm! Carved a bit of a nice little life in the pocket- we talk pretty regularly. Oh! We’ll meet up with Mercury too today, she was pretty quick to sign up honestly. Your third muscle at the party though uh… we’re gonna have to smuggle her in a little.

Charon: Not the first time, anyone else?

Opera: Well… I was hoping one of you might have some last minute contacts you know?

Charon: I’ll check but I can’t promise anyone would be willing to bite this suddenly.

Geezer: I know someone in the area, just praying I’m not crashing any plans like this though…

Opera: Don’t press them too hard, we have a good amount to work with already.

Geezer: They might already have an in honestly. Best to beat them to the punch right?

Charon: We’re on a timer, if you can’t convince them quickly don’t.

Geezer: I know.

Charon: Ideally whoever you’re bringing in knows what they’re in for here, I don’t want to bring anyone unprepared. If things end up worse than we’ve anticipated…

Geezer: Yeah.

Charon: It could genuinely do a number on someone and you can’t take that back. You can’t unsee it, you have to just keep walking.

Geezer: I mean… you’re right on that you know?

Opera: I don’t think it’ll be the same but… I get you.

Charon: It’s a lot. Still fucks me up to this day honestly. I’m not letting you two put anyone out there who’s not ready for it.

Opera: I know.

Charon: I’m 100% for taking this up but…

Opera: I absolutely get it, trust me. I’ve had this talk a few times by now with Hickory. To be honest, after what you two went through especially I was pretty reluctant to chime in about it.

Charon: Don’t be, I’m glad you brought it up. You need muscle, I’ll be muscle.

Geezer: Yeah, we’d be a little peeved if you didn’t let us in on this. It’s our mess to clean up too you know? I’ll be fine.

Opera:  Promise me you’ll tell me if it’s too much? I know it’s urgent, but..

Geezer: We got each other’s backs right? We’re older, smarter, a little bit braver. It’ll be a cakewalk.

Charon: Hopefully.

Opera looks directly at you, you try to avoid her stare.

Opera: You especially, last time, well…

Opera: Last time it got really scary. I don’t want to see you do that to yourself again you know?

Geezer: Yeah… honestly that part might’ve done me the worst. No offense intended but..

Charon: I entirely get you there. To be frank I don’t want a repeat of that myself personally.

Geezer: We all thought we lost you, like…

Geezer: Fighting for our lives, struggling for every meal… the killing… I mean that’s all super hard you know? But…

Opera: You just weren’t you I guess. And I felt like we were all on our way too. So please stay safe okay? Please stay you.

Charon: I… don’t think I am entirely me after that honestly. Hard to say if I ever will be. Don’t know how much of my mind and soul is my own..

Charon: I’m not even sure if I’m real, or alive, or if I ever actually got out of that but..

Charon:  ...every last bit that’s still there is precious to me, especially all of you. It’s going to be nice to see everyone again after so long. I just don’t want it to be the last time.

Charon: So promise me you’ll do everything you can to stay safe.

Geezer: Fuck dude, you’re always so serious....

Geezer: Not planning on croaking anytime soon though, who’s gonna take care of you and the folks back home during holiday dinner? You can’t cook ham like that.

Charon: I’m working on it, I’ve gotten better..

Opera: I got too much on my plate back home so don’t think I can afford to die… plus I kinda wanna go out for pizza or something after with everyone. It’s been a long time… not the place we were just at though, that pie looked demonic.

Geezer: Yeah… wasn’t that bad last time but uh…

Charon: Absolutely disgusting, cheese was about to put someone in a sarcophagus.

Geezer: Kinda wish I got one bite in at least…

Opera: Please don’t… We’ll have food when we get to our meetup spot. We still got a lot to cover really fast and a few things to revisit…
 

 

CORAZONES: Masa con Papas+