maskormenacelogs | Two men walk into a bar

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Two men walk into a bar

WHO: Joel + some open starters + some closed starters
WHERE: Various!
WHEN: Throughout May
WHAT: Bar work, confrontations, and some backdated stuff.
WARNINGS: Nothing in particular but will edit if necessary!

▍DIVE BAR JOEL WORKS AT | HEROPA | OPEN

[ Joel has been pulling beers all night, thumping shots of whiskey or bourbon down on the bar in front of customers, wiping out washed beer glasses, cleaning up spills, breaking up a couple of fights by throwing the troublemakers out onto the dimly lit street… and the later the night gets, the more his patience is wearing thin.

Actually, Joel's patience had worn thin hours ago. Some drunk asshole is wailing away off-key to an 80s ballad on the karaoke machine. Some other drunk asshole is rowdily talking at the top of his voice by the pool tables. Some other drunk asshole keeps selecting Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer on the bar jukebox and drunkenly playing air guitar. Not to mention the constant hubbub of noise and people. Joel is a burly, hard-assed, unfriendly-looking guy on a good day, but that's multiplied at least tenfold right now.

(ooc; Irritate Joel at the bar! Start a bar fight! Maybe your character is the asshole singing karaoke! Or keeps selecting Bon Jovi! Have at!) ]

▍BAR CLOSING TIME | HEROPA | OPEN

[ At 3AM on the dot, Joel throws everyone out. No ifs, no buts, no exceptions. No fucking patience. He shuts the front door firmly and locks it, heaving a weary, disgruntled sigh of relief. Christ, time to head home. Thank Christ he isn't on closing shift every night or he'd go insane.

After he does a quick final round of turning up all the stools, gathering together leftover dirty glasses to be stashed in the dishwasher and does a quick sweep of the floor, he shuts off all the lights, checks he's got his keys, and heads for the back entrance that leads out onto a dark back alley. The hinges squeak as he pulls the door shut behind him, and he mutters in irritation to himself at the door stubbornly refusing to lock on the first go. Old, rundown place needs goddamn maintenance, h thinks to himself. Something he'll get onto during the week.

Pocketing his keys, he turns to start towards his car - and comes to a quick stop at someone approaching him in the dark alley. Probably some drunk asshole. Joel heaves a sigh of impatience. ]

What d'you want? Bar's closed.

▍KOTETSU | SLICE TO MEET YOU, NONAH | CLOSED

[ How he got roped into this, Joel has no goddamn clue, but he's seated at one of the table in Slice To Meet You with his arms crossed defensively across his chest and a flat, aggravated death stare on his face. He's made no particular effort to dress up for the occasion, either: just jeans, a flannel shirt and boots.

It's bad enough that this place is swarming with noise and people and activity, but those goddamn animatronic things up on the stage and the distorted, slowed-down music coming from those creepy things…

Yeah, well. This so-called "date" had better hurry the hell up because Joel is about five seconds away from getting up from the table and getting the hell outta here. ]

▍CARL | XAVIER'S, HEROPA | CLOSED

[ A number of hours have passed, enough time that Jesse is finally, slowly on the mend. Enough time that Joel can leave Jesse's side without worrying out of his mind.

He's got a bit of a clearer idea of what the hell had been going through Carl's mind based on what Jesse had told him. Joel wants to hear it from Carl, though. Wants to find out exactly what the hell happened. And though he's got a better idea of what Carl had been thinking, Joel can't help being mad as hell at him. That survivor instinct of fiercely looking out for his own.

He teleports to Xavier's from the beach house; he notices, as he heads through the lobby, that the blood has been cleaned up. The whole goddamn school makes him uneasy from all the memories of Ellie this place holds, and even more so now after what happened here earlier. Joel forcibly pushes it all to the back of his mind, though, as he takes the stairs up to Rick and Carl's floor.

When he reaches their apartment, Joel pounds on the door. ]

▍JESSE | CAMPING IN THE WOODS, NORTH CAROLINA | CLOSED

[ They arrived here mid-afternoon. Joel had busied himself with setting up the camp, getting the fire pit going, organising food for dinner. Normally, once Joel is out in nature, away from people and noise, he starts to relax, especially around Jesse. Not so much this time. Joel has been mostly quiet, preoccupied.

It's evening now, the last rays of the sun long gone. Joel is crouched in front of the campfire, stirring up the embers with a stick, occasionally nudging the thick pieces of wood the fire is licking around to get some more air flowing through it, to get the fire roaring. The whole point of coming out here was to try and put what had happened behind them, just keep moving on as normal, but to Joel's irritation, his mind keeps wandering back over it all. He's been trying to block out the memory of Jesse bleeding out, trying to make himself stay focused on the fact that Jesse is fine now. It's all past them now. Except there's really a lot more bothering him on top of that.

Without really being aware of it, he heaves a deep, irritated sigh as he pushes himself to his feet. ]

Guess I'll get started on dinner. Brought some meat and… other stuff.

[ Probably the longest sentence Joel has spoken to Jesse since they arrived here. ]

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[ Carl's lips are pressed together in a thin, angry line. ]

Uh-huh. He told you how he's right, and Dad's wrong? Bet he didn't tell you he didn't even have to kill him. Bet he didn't tell you that it was so easy to avoid all of this if there was actual talking involved.

So fuck him.

The way he explained it, sounds like there weren't much time for talkin'.

[ But Joel has only heard a snippet from Jesse, and a snippet from Carl, so he doesn't know the full story either way. He finally sets the gun down, stashing it upright against the corner. ]

But what the hell would I know. This is the first I've heard of any of this goin' down, so how 'bout you explain it to me.

[ Carl sighs and drags a palm down his face. It's such a convoluted story he doesn't even know where to begin. He slouches at the arm of the couch, one foot dangling. ]

It happened months back. February. The Russians, they made a machine. An AI, called LACKEY. It can control those things inside of us, those nanites. So it took me and fifty other imPorts into a cell in a submarine, all the way out in Antarctica. We were there for two weeks, 'till we busted out and rescue came.

It was just a diversion. While nearly all the imPorts and the military were out looking for us, the Russians managed to sneak in their own troops, with their own spies managing the Porters.

[ It makes Carl sick knowing that Carl must have waved or say hello to those people while he was going from city to city. ]

Dad was involved in a team in taking the AI out. They took it out and brought it with them, to the government here. I guess Dad felt concern for the AI, or just wanted to check up on it - but either way, he went down to the lab where the AI was. And that was when the Russians did their coup.

[ He looks at Joel. He wasn't there when that happened either, but he has to have heard about the occupation. ]

You know what happened during the occupation, right? When the Russians were strapping us down and brainwashing us?

[ Joel is listening. He's listening closely. It's the first he's heard of any of this in detail, and when Carl brings up the Russians and brainwashing, the look on Joel's face says it all: no, he sure as hell hasn't heard about what happened during the occupation. It disturbs the hell out of him, just the way Carl describes it: the thought of the kid being strapped down, trapped, brainwashed.

He reluctantly shakes his head, no. ]

First I've heard of any of this in detail.

[ If Jesse was really a friend of Joel's, he should have told Joel first thing of the danger this world has taken.

Some friend. ]

For a bout a week straight, for ten hours a day, they forced us to these . . . things. Reading their books. Doing exercises. Taking classes on how to manipulate people. Watching videos how great Russia is. Strapping us down and make us watch videos on how safe we are. A lot of imPorts were brainwashed. Most of them kids or around my age. Enid, my friend from home? Her too.

When the Russians took over, they got their AI back. Imprisoned Dad. LACKEY took control and forced us to go to the Seminar. If we refused, it would teleport us there. Or zap us in the brain. During the Seminar Dad was guarded so I couldn't go through to him.

[ He looks at the floor blankly. His voice gotten in a casual numbness. Like he went over it so many times, with both himself and other people and keep hearing the same things over and over again. ]

I joined RISE briefly. They were part of the Resistance at the time. I told them about Dad, how I would do anything to get him back. I kept contacting my dad through the mental link of the network.

[ And when Carl looks up, there's a dark look on his face. Anger, betrayal, but most of all: hate. ]

I did my part. I did my sabotage. I reported what progress I made. I trusted these people with my life, to come up with a plan to save Dad. Even when I was Ported out and discovered I don't have an eye anymore and was forced to wear a Soviet uniform, I still kept going. Still following orders.

[ Carl scoffs and looks away. ]

And when the time came to take down LACKEY, they didn't even try to tell me it was happening. They didn't even contacted Dad. During all this time, Dad was trying to get LACKEY to stand down during the two weeks he was imprisoned in the lab. So when Jesse and the others went in, he had no idea what was going on. If they were brainwashed themselves or trying to kill him and LACKEY or whatever. So he resisted. He put up a barrier so they won't get to him and LACKEY. And Jesse killed him.

[ And now his anger is starting to rise, and so does his voice. ]

And now they claim their hands were clean and did nothing wrong and blame Dad for dying. Jesse won't apologize for killing him and betraying me, and he was one of my friends! I trusted him like I trusted those people to come up with a plan to save Dad, not fuckingmurder him!

[ He gives Joel an angry point of the finger while he's starting to pace, not unlike Rick when he's restless and angry. ]

I have every right to kill him.

[ It's a lot to take in. A hell of a lot to take in. The whole time Carl talks, Joel stands near the front door where he's been rooted to the spot since Carl let him, listening. He's piecing it together in his head - what Jesse said, and now what Carl is saying - and while it sounds like Jesse had to act fast, Joel knows only too well how he would have reacted had he and Ellie been in Carl and Rick's position.

Joel holds up a hand to motion to Carl to calm down when Carl angrily says he has a right to kill Jesse. ]

Look, stop, you don't gotta justify it to me, okay?

[ Still sounding angry but there's a hint of relenting, tired gentleness creeping in. He drops his hand away and heads across to one of the couches in contemplative silence, where he perches wearily on the edge of the armrest. Another couple of beats of silence while Joel is thinking this all over. ]

Well, look, maybe I'm gettin' this wrong 'cause I weren't there, but from what you're sayin'... [ Joel finally looks up to Carl. ] Sounds like nobody knew who to trust, if people were bein' brainwashed. Which woulda made believin' anything anybody said impossible.

That's a nice excuse, but people have already found ways of getting rid of the brainwashing by the end of the Seminar. I know one of them involved in getting LACKEY got anti-brainwashing powers. I should know, I had to trick Enid into being deprogrammed by her.

[ Carl folds his arms. ]

Those people on that mission definitely trusted each other. I was in their base during those two weeks, showing notes on how far my rusting powers gone against Soviet supplies. If they couldn't trust my dad, then they should have notified me in the first place that it was going down. I could have been there with them and talked Dad down. He would've listen to me, brainwashed or not.

These people didn't know how to communicate. That's another fact that they chose to ignore. They care more about appearing right than they do about acknowledging the wrong they have done.

And Jesse . . .

[ He sneers, disgusted on his face. ]

He never cared about our friendship in the first place. Which is why he will never apologize for the pain he cause for me and Dad.

[ And that, honestly, hurts Carl more than the pathetic excuses the Resistance members threw at him for their part in murdering Dad. ]

[ Joel sighs as he studies Carl. He wasn't there, so he honestly can't comment on this whole LACKEY situation either way. There's Jesse's side, and there's Carl's side, and for all Joel knows, Carl isn't seeing the full picture because of how angry he is. Not that Joel blames him. Christ, if he and Ellie had been in Carl and Rick's position, Joel thinks to himself again... ]

Hey, now, you know that ain't true. [ About Jesse never having cared about his friendship with Carl. ] The last thing Jesse would ever do is intentionally hurt a kid.

[ He looks away. Again, not that diminishes Carl's anger, nor would it, knowing exactly the kind of world the kid comes from and how important looking out for your own is. Means he's going to have to talk to Jesse about this. Joel looks back to Carl. ]

I know you're just lookin' out for your own. I woulda done the same thing.

That's what a lot of people say. But here's the thing: he can make this easy on me and my dad by apologizing, but he never did. If he never intended to hurt me, then why won't he just say he's sorry for it? Because he's not.

[ Carl rubs his face, trying not to cry. He never realized it until now, but Carl wasn't just grieving over the horrible situation - he is mourning over a friend that never existed. It's not like Ron, whose anger and grief has severed a friendship already happening. No, Jesse never cared. He never had. ]

Back home I had a man who protected me, and he tried to kill Dad because he got jealous. I forgave a friend for trying to kill me, and I lost an eye. Here, I trusted Jesse as my friend, and he murdered my dad.

[ Why do these betrayals keep popping up? ]

I don't think I can take another one.

[ But it will happen. That's what people are. Cowardly and greedy for more.

Carl will just have to kill them first before they hurt him again. ]

[ Yeah. Carl is right about that: Jesse isn't sorry. He made it clear he wasn't sorry. The way Joel looks down with a an awkwardly glum expression on his face says as much. And hearing and seeing Carl getting all worked up doesn't remotely help matters.

Joel pushes away from the armrest to stand tall and he steps across to Carl. He's a tough kid but he's still just a kid. He's not really sure what to do, so he lifts his hand to rest on Carl's shoulder, squeezing it with his best manly effort of support. ]

C'mon, son, it'll be okay.

[ Quietly, awkwardly uttered reassurance that probably doesn't sound all that reassuring. He's trying, though. Is he still angry with Carl trying to kill Jesse? Well, it's hard to be as angry as he was now he's talked to Carl about it. Maybe it's just the dad in him that finds it hard to stay angry when he knows exactly the kind of life Carl has had. ]

Will it?

[ Dad is right about one thing: retaliation from Jesse's group - even if Jesse doesn't want it - is a likely thing. He's too much of a wreck to really handle it, so it's up to Carl to deal with it. Carl can clean up his own mess. ]

I told Dad what happened. He's scared someone or someones from Jesse's group will retaliate.

[ Carl looks up at Joel - he's a big man, so there's a lot of neck craning - and his lone eye is still angry and determined, if not a little resigned. ]

Will they?

[ Well... Daisy just might. The thought has Joel heaving a quiet, heavy sigh to himself. ]

Maybe. Not if I can help it, though. I mean, Jesse's a good friend of mine but I don't want anything happenin' to you any more than Jesse does.

[ Not that it's bound to be any comfort to Carl knowing Jesse doesn't want retaliation. He gives Carl's shoulder another small squeeze. ]

But, look, since I wound up back in this place, I wound up with a new power. Teleportation. So, y'know, if anyone starts givin' you trouble, all you gotta do is contact me and I can be there within seconds.

[ Carl nods. ]

Okay.

[ He believes Joel. He has good intentions. But he's starting to worry that Joel won't be able to stay as a neutral party for very long. Or, at least, he'll try to. But it'll bring a whole heap of a mess on his head.

Trying to please everyone is what got Andrea killed, and Joel comes from twenty years after civilization. He's not going to make the same mistakes as Andrea did, he's sure of that. ]

Dad will need to know your place in all this. From you. If he hears from me or anyone else that you are friends with Jesse, he's going to expect the worst.

[ Because out of everyone and everything in this place, the most dangerous individual of all is a survivor gunning after you. ]

I'll talk to him.

[ A final small squeeze of Carl's shoulder before he drops his hand away. ]

Maybe put my number on speed dial. Just in case.

I will.

[ He doesn't hesitate what he says next: ]

Thank you. For listening. You are the only one who ever did.

[ Dad was understanding, but he couldn't understand how deep the betrayal was to Carl. Everyone else dismissed his feelings, or told him Dad never really died. ]

[ Maybe it's only because he himself is so close to Jesse yet also feels an instinctive protectiveness towards Carl that he's able to appreciate the magnitude of all of this. And maybe it's also because he can't help thinking how Ellie would've reacted in this same situation. Whatever the reason, he gets it.

Joel almost, for a second, goes to give Carl a quick manly hug, but he stops short at just patting the kid on the arm instead. ]

Look, I'm gonna talk to Jesse 'bout all this, okay? But you gotta promise me that you don't go doin' what you did again. I get you're angry but your dad needs you. The last thing he's gonna want on top of everything else is his kid bein' in jail.

[ Carl is not certain if he even wants to promise that. He still wants Jesse to pay for what he did. It's not enough for Carl that he gets to survive the attack and Dad didn't, even if he suffered multiple stab wounds. But he values Joel's friendship even more, so it's clear on Carl's face that he's torn. But several seconds later, he nods. ]

Okay.

[ He doesn't regret stabbing Jesse. But he does regret the horror he caused in Dad, and doesn't want to repeat it. ]

I won't.

[ Joel is looking down at him like, don't make me repeat myself. He can see the kid is torn, and he get it, but nothing good is going to come of him doing this again. So, when Carl finally agrees, Joel's shoulders sag slightly with relief. Not that Carl saying he won't do it again is a guarantee but it's better than nothing.

Letting out a tired exhale, Joel glances down, gives a reassuring, almost imperceptible nod to himself, then sets his attention back on Carl. ]

You gonna be okay?

I'm okay as I'll ever be.

[ Meaning: no. But he'll try his best. ]

[ Hardly reassuring. It's about as much as Joel expects, though, really. ]

Wish you'd said somethin' to me about all this earlier. Instead of it, y'know. Comin' to this.

I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess.

Guess I got used to hearing how Dad's to blame on dying from nearly everyone, it's just easier to expect that's how everyone feels about the whole situation.

[ Maybe Carl should know better from Joel? Well, Joel wasn't there. And if Carl knew about his friendship with Jesse, he'd definately be expecting the worst out of the situation, like Dad is currently. ]

Edited 2016-05-27 10:14 (UTC)

[ Whether it ultimately is or isn't Rick's fault, that's not the kinda thing a kid needs to hear, as far as Joel is concerned. Not wanting to upset the kid anymore than he already is, Joel doesn't really know how to respond to that. So, he just gives Carl's arm a pat and a brief squeeze that's an attempt at being reassuring. ]

Well, just keep it in mind in future that you can always contact me, okay? A lotta people who're sayin' stuff like that... they also don't get the kinda worlds me and you come from.

No. They don't. They think the world is a game to play in.

[ And they all deserve to die, in Carl's opinion. One way or another, they are gonna pay for what they done. For when the moment comes when they come begging for Carl's help, he will refuse them. Deny them of the justice they crave, as they deny him the justice he needed. ]

And I'm tired of helping them.

[ Heroes. What a joke. ]

Edited (ic reasons) 2016-05-30 05:36 (UTC)

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Two men walk into a bar

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