♻ 005 | audio

[tucky]

Okay, I got a question - why's there so many kids here? You can't turn a corner without running into an imPort kid.

[This... may be a slight exaggeration. It almost does feel that way to Tiffany, though; she came through the Porter from a totally kid-less environment. She'd seen child visitors to the prison in passing, but hadn't interacted with one in years until coming here - and that's not even touching on her own vague Kid Issues, which are currently heightened after her conversation with Jesse about her past.]

I mean, it just seems kinda cruel, you know? Porting in a bunch of kids without anyone to look after 'em. I mean, unless the people here are meant to look after 'em, but come on. How many of us are the type? And I know I would've missed my mama something fierce if I was taken to a whole new world when I was little; some weird fucking stranger wouldn't've cut it.

... Hell, I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong; I could be wrong. Never really knew what to do with kids myself, so it ain't like I know how they think - how y'all think.

So never mind, maybe.

Comments

[tucky]

[O h.]

Burning sinners, huh?

Well, you know, I bet he thought he was doing good. I ain't saying he should've done it or nothing, but I bet he was trying to do the right thing.

[lackey]

Probably. People doin' crazy shit always think they're doin' the right thing. Especially when whatever they're doin's got somethin' to do with religion. Spirits and gods and angels and demons and souls and all that.

[tucky]

Mm.

[NOT THAT SHE KNOWS THIS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OR ANYTHING, GOSH NO.]

I guess you're right. Maybe.

But working in faith ain't always a bad thing.

[lackey]

No, not always a bad thing.

[Mike may not consider himself religious, but he also doesn't consider himself anti-religious. Religion is just one of a great many things he doesn't think about much.]

Name's Mike, by the way. I know it's on my messages, but... Feels weird not to say it at some point.

[tucky]

I'm Tiffany. I guess I'm still kinda new. I haven't been here for years or anything.

[lackey]

Nice to meet you, Tiffany. I've been here a while. It'll be a year in August, minus one month. Said some things about the gov in December, got sent home, and then brought back in January. Missed Christmas.

[tucky]

... What did you say? I thought that didn't send people back on purpose.

[lackey]

I just said some stuff about like... Gov doin' whatever they want to do and havin' secret groups and plans and shit... Dumb shit I was totally wrong about! But I got kicked out right when I was sayin' all that. Maybe it wasn't on purpose. Some people told me it wasn't. Sure was the craziest bullshit timing if it wasn't, though.

[tucky]

Well, that's... I don't know.

I don't like that. And I definitely don't want that to happen to me.

I weren't planning on talking shit about the government, anyway.

[lackey]

Don't want to go home, huh?

[tucky]

Uh-uh. I wanna stay here. I like it here.

[lackey]

It's not bad here, that's for sure. You from some place real sucky?

[tucky]

Yeah. Uh... yeah. Pretty sucky.

[lackey]

Let me guess, let me guess... Uhhh... War? Big war?

[tucky]

Nope.

I don't think it's that easily guessable.

[lackey]

Okay, so somethin' weirder... Robots take over the world?

[tucky]

It wasn't really weird.

[lackey]

Huh... Oh! Get killed?

[tucky]

You know, even if you guess it, I ain't gonna tell you.

[Though her face probably would.]

[lackey]

Aw, that's no fun.

[tucky]

It's just kind of... I don't know.

[lackey]

Secret-y. I get it. Still no fun, but I get it.

[tucky]

We get a chance for a new life here, right? So that's what I'm doing.

[lackey]

Yep. You doin' the hero life or your own thing?

[tucky]

I'm trying to be a hero. I want to be.