maskormenace | ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ )

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( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ )

[ It's dark -- mostly because it's late, but there aren't an excess of lights on, either -- though Reggie's face is faintly illuminated by the light of his communicator screen and also something off-screen that might be a TV or bedside light. Either way, he's recognizable enough, and though he's smirking faintly his expression is otherwise somewhat blank.

He's been staying out of most of the current drama as best as any survival-oriented, cowardly narcissist can, which is pretty damn well. All things considered. Basically he hasn't been leaving the house if he can avoid it, for which has his reasons. ]

So, all right. Hear me out. Anyone else ever noticed how once you're here, you have to just start believin' in everything? Like that any kinda crap is possible and you just gotta get used to it... after a while you don't even have to think about it anymore. [ Which is, you know, nice. In his opinion. ] Nice thing about that is not having to worry so much about whatever happens, I think. No matter how bad things have gotten here, it's never been the end of the world.

... Well, not yet. [ And his brow crinkles at that, but only briefly. ] Kinda makes you think, huh? Like what's the best way to take advantage of being stuck in some world that actually takes okay care of us? Don't even bother arguing with me about that part, it's true and everyone oughta know it. We get a lot of free, fake time to kill being here, so I say it should be obvious: we can do whatever we can't do back where we came from. Anyway, what I actually wanna know is--

Anyone here made a bucket list yet?

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Yeah, and? I never said that was a problem for me. Kind of an underrated approach to our time here, if you ask me.

[ An actual growl of irritation. Reggie is very much getting under her skin with his passivity. ]

What was the last thing that you did? The last decision you went out and made.

[ He smirks mildly at her reaction -- he can't help himself when it comes to ticking people off -- but then takes a moment to think about an answer. ]

Me being out here doesn't count?

No. This was just reacting to what I told you to do. The last time that you actually took initiative. You weren't just presented with a yes-or-no choice by someone else.

Kind of a loaded question.

[ He frowns for a moment, but then shrugs his shoulders flippantly. ]

Honestly? I dunno. I'm not about making change while I'm here, the last thing I want is that sorta responsibility.

[ She grunts in frustration and leans her back up against a tree. God, he's really irritating her. Maybe another slap would help... ]

What's your home even like?

Boring smalltown life. Wouldn't wish it anyone, really. [ It's a quick and easy answer, but he pauses before continuing. ] But you still get tied up in expectations all the time and it's exhausting, so I think I'm entitled to enjoy the break while it lasts.

[ She crosses her arms. ]

Right. And what does boring smalltown life consist of?

[ He crosses his arms back. ]

What's with the twenty questions? It's boring and small, that oughta tell you enough.

Clearly it doesn't, since I'm asking.

It isn't hard to figure out. Where do you come from that makes that so complicated?

[ She purses her lips in annoyance, but: she's asking a lot of information of him; more cooperation will probably be forthcoming if she doesn't just shut down his questions. So: ]

London. Balham, specifically. Which is about as far from small-town life as you can get, so no, I can't just guess at what your upbringing was like.

Oh. You're like a big-city girl, then.

[ He says it like the statement that it is, not a question. ]

Being in a small town means you know everyone, you grow up around the same people all your life and if anyone does anything, everyone else finds about it real quick. So most people figure out their lives pretty quick, 'cause all everyone wants to do is leave and go anywhere else.

So - that's what you hate so much? That people are concerned about what's going on in your life?

[ She asks that incredulously. ]

Where I'm from, people just stand by and watch the police beating their neighbors. A little bit too much concern doesn't sound that bad.

People still did that where I'm from -- they'd just whisper about it to each other. Knowin' about something doesn't mean anyone would do anything about it.

[ Frowning more deeply, he shrugs again. ]

I liked having my space, that's all. Same as now. Maybe you don't like how things are, but I'm fine with 'em.

So you're saying that if the police came and were about to eat you, no one around you would do anything.

[ He bristles, anger overcoming his expression suddenly. ]

I didn't say nothing about people getting eaten -- I'm talking about normal things. What the hell would anyone do in that situation?

[ And she matches anger for anger. ]

Well, I'd hope that they'd bloody well try to intervene! I'd intervene if it were someone I knew. And I'd think that your neighbors would do the same, if they care about you.

Of course you would, you got some kinda righteous savior complex! Great for you that you're so freakin' noble and decent, I'm sure you'd have a whole mob of people that'd take a bullet for you. And why not? My neighbors would probably just think I had it coming.

[ Her eyes flash. Her shoulders hunch. There's a real anger in her face now, and so, recklessly, she snarls out - ]

Yeah, except that I didn't have anyone standing up for me, did I.

[ Which is definitely more information than she wants Reggie to have. So she clamps her jaw shut on it, and then stiffly shakes her head and spits out: ]

People caring for people is good. It's not a bad thing.

[ In someone else that might trigger an empathetic reaction, at least to an extent -- true that Reggie's own opinion rests more heavily in paranoid hypotheticals and what-ifs concerning something almost no one else knows about yet, but he can still base milder examples in experience -- but all Reggie does is square his shoulders back, glaring at her. ]

Then you oughta know better, shouldn't you? And why d'you think that was? People caring for people doesn't mean anything -- no one does anything outta pure goodness in their heart. That's crap.

If that's the case, it's only because we've all been taught to only look out for ourselves. If we were encouraged to be good, we would be. But people are cowardly because they're taught to be cowards.

[ She leans forward, getting a little bit into his personal space. ]

And what you're doing, saying that no one's good - that's only perpetuating it, isn't it! That's only reinforcing that - that cowardice, that indifference.

[ He bristles again more aggressively this time, his arm jerking upward as if to either push her back from him or to do something worse. Reggie does neither, though it balls tightly into a fist at his side.

He grinds his teeth, maintaining eye contact with her. ]

Hey, I'm not saying no one's good. There's the people going out and doing terrible things or-- or, y'know, ruining lives, but it's not like having good people around makes that go away. Even good people can look out for themselves first, ain't nothing wrong with that all the time. People have the right to want to live, and like hell would I trust that to someone else. You'd have to be freaking insane to!

You're insane not to realize that you already do that. Every day you trust other people to look out for you. You're part of an enormous system of - of people being good, of people being vigilant and working for the good of others, and if you don't realize that you're blind. And - [ She's definitely worked up now; she reaches out and grabs his wrist, holding on tight to the arm that he pushed towards her, like she's grabbing on and making him listen. ] And good people always can tamp down the amount of evil in the world. If they act, if they're active and don't just stand by, they can help people, they can make the world better. You can, I can, if we're just brave -

Don't touch me, you mouthy-- let go!

[ He's clearly worked up as well, yanking his arm backward and shoving at her with the opposite one. Blindly, but not necessarily gently, either; it's all a wild and uncontrolled reflex. ]

I don't trust any of you with my life -- not like it matters around here. What makes you believe that any of that's even a little true anyway? Where were those people when you said you needed them? When they weren't standing up for you? Had better things to do, right? Cheerleading the spirit of goodness and bravery all the time ain't gonna make people care about you.

( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ )

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