[007] Action, all over town (and the park)

[fasterthan]

[Wally's kind of sad today. A friend of his has been droned, just when they had really started to be good friends. Sure, Eddie could be a jerk, like, a really big jerk, but he had been really growing an changing, you know? And now he's gone.

And Wally knows that it might not be as good for him back home.

So Wally can be found walking around town today. Or, well, in the morning.

Because by afternoon he can't really contain his jitters anymore and he's running.

No, he's not wearing his costume.

No, he doesn't particularly care who sees him running faster than pretty much all the cars on the road in his civilian clothes.

Because you know what? He's realized that having a secret identity here doesn't really matter. It's not like it was a big secret anyway.

So you can find Wally either walking around town or running past you. If you call to him he'll stop and chat, because that's what he does. He won't ignore anyone, even if he's in a bad mood.

Also later on in the afternoon he'll just be sitting on a park bench eating ice cream.

Don't ask how many cones he's had already. (It's probably a very large number.)]

Comments

[crazyclownwoman]

[Harley is sitting on a parkbench nearby looking miserable. She's not in costume either.]

[bread_goes_bip]

[Between the carnival and Eddie, Death is basically checking on everyone.]

Wally?

[priceofmagic]

[ Satou here can't eat ice cream, sadly, but that didn't stop her from buying a pop immediately after her revival effects wore off. She had the intention of going to the park and training, and puzzling over the demon printed on her regain card, but completely changed her plans when she sees someone on the park bench. ]

Hm? Hey, you there. [ She walks over and sits next to him. ] If you eat ice cream by yourself then it won't taste even half as good, you know.

[fasterthan]

[He lifts a hand in greeting.]

Hey Didi. How's it going?

[fasterthan]

[Wally grins a little.]

Really? I had no idea. Makes sense, though.

[fasterthan]

[On his way back from getting the next ice cream, Wally sees her and stops, then turns around.

A moment later he's sitting down next to her with two ice cream cones, one of which he offers to her.]

Hey.

[priceofmagic]

Uh-huh! I learned that from Mikale-san!

[ Her smile brightens, even as her courage is beginning to fade. ] Sorry though... is my company okay? I'm Satou Kuroneko!

[bread_goes_bip]

I'm fine. Mostly checking up on how everyone else is doing.

[And really doing a very good job of hiding that she misses him an awful lot]

[fasterthan]

Yeah. I should really do that too, actually.

[And now he's feeling kind of guilty about being selfish by spending time by himself rather than helping other people out.

Actually no that's a lie, he's been feeling a little guilty about it this whole time, he just hasn't acknowledged it.]

[fasterthan]

[He smiles.]

Your company is great. I'm Wally. Nice to meet you, Satou.

[bread_goes_bip]

Did you... hear about Eddie?

[fasterthan]

[He scratches his head and nods.]

Yeah. I saw him earlier today.

[bread_goes_bip]

You gonna be okay with that?

[fasterthan]

I dunno.

[He shakes his head.]

On the one hand he's not here. And here's pretty terrible. But on the other, if you really do go back where you came from when you get droned like that... then I'm not really sure he's gone back to a place that's much better.

[bread_goes_bip]

We can hope.

[She really does wish she had a better answer]

[fasterthan]

Yeah. I guess that's all we really can do, isn't it.

[Makes him feel kinda useless.]

[bread_goes_bip]

Maybe someday I'll even get used to that idea.

[fasterthan]

Well hey, you never know. Maybe someday something we do will actually mean something.

You know. Other than breaking half the town.

[bread_goes_bip]

This can't last forever.

[It's said with the confidence of ten billion years]

[fasterthan]

You know what, I'll believe you on that one. You've got a better idea of forever than the rest of us.

[bread_goes_bip]

It's an occupational hazards. But huge disruptions like this do have a habit of getting corrected... eventually.

[fasterthan]

Eventually is better than never. But waiting around has never been one of my strong suits.

[bread_goes_bip]

[Death can't help laughing a bit at that]

That's putting it mildly.

[fasterthan]

[Wally grins.]

What can I say. I'm a humble guy.

[LOLOL.]

[crazyclownwoman]

[Glances over and eventually takes the icecream.]

Hey.

[fasterthan]

[He sits quietly for a moment.]

You gonna be okay?

[bread_goes_bip]

Wally... remember the part where I've known you since you were born?

[fasterthan]

Details.

[HE IS TRYING TO PROVIDE LIGHTHEARTED COMEDY OKAY COMIC RELIEF]

[bread_goes_bip]

None of you costumed people have ever really gotten the hang of humility. Probably an occupational hazard.

[fasterthan]

I dunno, Supes is pretty good at it.

[crazyclownwoman]

[Her voice is strained and a bit higher then normal]

'Course I am. I mean I should be used to this right. Everyone ends up leaving. Always.

I mean I thought Eddie was different 'cause he came back and knew me, but now he's gone.

Everyone leaves. It's just what happens.

[bread_goes_bip]

He's always been a class of his own, hasn't he?

[fasterthan]

[Well he can't say anything to that. Not really.

So he just sits there awkwardly for a minute.

Then, hesitantly, he puts a hand on her shoulder. Not around her shoulder, just on the closest one to him, and he just.

He's here, okay? Like maybe not forever, but forever is way too long for anyone to think about.

And he really really doesn't know what to say here and he knows that if he says the wrong thing it'll be really bad so he just. Doesn't say anything.]

[fasterthan]

Yeeeeah pretty much. Gotta look up to the guy. And not just because he's tall.

[bread_goes_bip]

Everyone has to go about it in their own way though.

[crazyclownwoman]

[Just sighs after a while. Yeah. It's nice someone's there.]

...Thanks.


And for the ice cream.


....hey, can I ask you a question?

[fasterthan]

No problem.

[He smiles a little.]

And you just did, but you sure can ask another one.

[fasterthan]

What, looking up?

[bread_goes_bip]

Well... life.

[fasterthan]

Oh. Well yeah. I mean obviously, right?

[bread_goes_bip]

You would think so.

[fasterthan]

Conversations with you are really weird, you know that?

[bread_goes_bip]

People have mentioned it, yeah.

[crazyclownwoman]

[She pauses for a moment, it's a question she's wondered before in regards to a few other people as well.]

Why do you help people?

I mean, why do you dress up and go off and save people all the time? Why do you guys care?

[fasterthan]

[It sounds like it should be an easy question to answer. Wally feels like he should have something prepared, but he doesn't, because back home people actually are at the point where they take it for granted that they help people. So he has to think about it.]

I guess it just kind of boils down to the fact that people need help, and I can give it. It's not just about saving people's lives, either. It's about trying to make their lives better. Because there's a lot of people whose lives really suck, and maybe by being what they call a superhero, maybe I can make their lives... suck less.

Sure, I don't have to. But I don't think I'd be able to sit by and do nothing even if I didn't have superpowers, you know? The fact that I do just helps.

Did any of that make sense?

[crazyclownwoman]

Kinda.....

[Being a villain so long makes it hard to wrap your mind around things like that. She sighs.]

Maybe I should just go back to tryin' ta be a shrink after this.