026 》sweet troubled man are you giving or taking?

[thering]

characters: Malcolm, Neal, Negan, Raylan, Doc
location: 1306 Phillips Dr
date/time: day 26 morning
content: the reset Playstation button was pressed
warnings: tbd

After the strangeness of the past two nights they were likely fully expecting to awaken in the same strange, different, not-so-new anymore places they found themselves in in the past two days.

Instead everything seems to have reset, again. The three permanent residents and two guests are back in 1306, exactly where they had been two nights ago. Malcolm was in his own room, Neal was in Doc's and Negan in Raylan's master bedroom. The two displaced cowboys are downstairs sharing one too-small couch, a night of drinking culminating in fighting over couch space and who gets to be the bigger spoon.

The fire in the fireplace had gone out and their Winter 2020 Collection of bespoke lanterns have vanished, but nothing else seems to be awry.

Comments

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nodded, then looked at Negan. "What were you up against? I mean. Ultimately. I know you had a whole... apocalypse."

[vampirebats]

"I was a leader of a group... people called us The Saviors because that's what we did. Saved people, tried to give them some goddamn hope. It wasn't always easy... had to make a lot of tough calls." Some he's not proud of, but hell, too late to really worry about how he ended up. He's there, he's got to own it.

"It's not easy rebuilding after civilization collapses and people lose their goddamn minds, you know?"

[abrightboy]

"Based on how well they maintain their goddamn minds when civilization hasn't collapsed, I believe you," Malcolm told him. "What did the other groups want, if they didn't want to save people?"

[vampirebats]

"You run into all types out there. Assholes who'd barter women like we're goddamn animals for supplies or a place to stay, people who'd leave others to die because they were too pussy to stay and fucking fight."

His jaw tightens for a moment. "Then people who'll come in and slaughter your people in their sleep and still call you the monster. And look, it's the goddamn apocalypse. I'm not going to pretend I've never had to do shit I didn't want, kill somebody because they were going to kill me or somebody else. But lives are fucking precious when there are that few of them. You don't mindlessly slaughter, you know?" You get them to fall in line.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nodded.

"I hope everyone here remembers that too," he said grimly. A beat. "Not in this house, specifically; these guys are pretty dedicated to that concept. Just. Everyone else."

[vampirebats]

"All you can do is keep an eye on'em. People tend to fall in line when there are enough people setting an example." Or keeping them in line, whichever.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled brightly at him.

"I'm glad you're here," he said. "If you do go out... do you think you'll be coming back here after?"

[vampirebats]

He pauses at that question. considering it. "I could, sure. Haven't worn out my welcome, huh?"

It isn't like the prospect of being alone out there is particularly a good thing, not with all the weirdness. Better to share it. This group seems like they've got their heads on too, generally speaking.

[abrightboy]

"You haven't taken the first opportunity to run away from the weirdo who almost took your head off with a poker mid-psychosis," Malcolm pointed out. "You're not the one with a talent for making other people uncomfortable."

[vampirebats]

"You know, pretty sure you're not the only person who has wanted to do that... at least you didn't know it was me." It was fucking concerning, he's not gonna lie, but... well, he can deal with crazy. The real dangerous shit is this town in general.

He reaches out to clap a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "You can make it up, if you want, of course. Wouldn't say no to a couple drinks when we're out of here. Whenever that is."

A couple drinks, some interesting goddamn conversation. He's not a hard guy to please.

[abrightboy]

"Maybe when we find the way out of here, you don't have to go back to a world that's ended. Maybe you can just... come to one of our worlds, where it's still alive," Malcolm suggested.

[vampirebats]

Well, now. That gets him to pause, giving Malcolm a look. "Well, I'm fucking touch for starters."

That might sound like a joke, but hey, he's actually kind of more serious than he wants to let on. "But first, we gotta see if any of us are finding a way home before I decide to start freeloading on some other world, right?"

[abrightboy]

"It's not freeloading when you're contributing. I don't think you could live somewhere and not contribute to it," Malcolm told him simply.

[vampirebats]

"You know... you're an alright kinda guy, Malcolm." He gives a smile before he reaches over to give him a pat on the shoulder.

"But you're right. I couldn't just sit on my ass all day doing nothing. Never liked it much."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed lightly. “Well, you are too,” he said. “Sleep well when you go,” he told him, giving him a clap on his shoulder before heading for the stairs.