dear_mun | welp

Shouldn't you be happier to be out and about? Would you rather be set aside and forgotten?

[ No commentary on riding a bike; her player forgot how once. ]

Tch. [do you really have to ask?] Of course I'd rather be "out and about." Try telling that to Mr. Coin Toss over here. ['here', as he closes a fist and gestures with his thumb behind him to nothing in particular. it's more to make a point than anything else.] My life is literally up in the air right now.

[psh. as if anyone would be able to forget him.]

But hey, at least I get to see you, Captain O. [salute. smirk.]

Well, then stop complaining? When has that ever worked in anyone's favor? [ Jill can only nod in response considering, eyebrows raised high and lips pulled taut. She knows where he's coming from. ] That so? Well, I'd try begging if I were you in that case.

[ Somehow, she can't ever picture him doing that. ]

Aw, you really know how to make a gal feel special, kiddo. How you holding up otherwise?

[that's impossible, jill and you know it -- like asking a bear not to maul or a pig to fly impossible.]

So you're gonna tell me that the squeaky cog doesn't get the oil after all? [pause] Think my mind just got blown. [not. he knows where she's coming from though.

well shit, that last comment made him laugh out loud. he raises a hand to swipe at the air in front of him all while shaking his head.]

You're getting real good with the jokes, you know that?

[shrug] Whatever floats your boat. [not that he was trying. it's good to know that he doesn't have to work very hard at it.] Haven't had to kill anything in a while. [good thing? bad thing? he doesn't really know how he feels about it.]

What about you? Still hunting over at what's-that-place, SOA?

[ Hey, who knows what kind of mutations could come with a few virus injections? ]

You know what, I'm not gonna answer that because I get the feeling any answer is going to be used to mess with me -- and we prefer cranks, for future reference. Cogs were Raccoon City's sort of thing.

[ What a smart ass. She seems to delight in the banter and him trying to mess with her. ]

That's all I've ever wanted to hear. Thanks for the validation.

[ She's not sure if it's good or bad; the way he's lived his life has been different of hers, not by choice but necessity. A break from fighting might be good for him. ]

Oh, you bet I am. Got myself a dog even. Practically normal these days! Leon and Claire were with me for a while. House got too quiet without them.

[pft. virus injections are a sore subject for him, okay?]

You? Never. [he feigns hurt even though he's bad at acting.] Yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Heh, as long as it doesn't go to your head.

A dog huh? I wanted to dog once. [until he figured out that it would be a terrible idea. plus, how would he get it on the bike? because of course with him we're talking about a big dog if he had one. what is normal?] 'Practically', because being completely normal is never really possible, is it? Poor you. I bet it did. [but wait, there's more.] Don't know who Claire is. That his girlfriend or something? [look at him trying to make small talk.]

[ Hey, at least his didn't come via slimy tentacle, alright. ]

Shucks. [ There is something about the light in her eye that suggests it's already gone to her head. ] Why would it ever?

[ Naturally, she has a very specific dog in mind. And just his luck, she's going to verbalize it! ]

Never had the opportunity to have one after Raccoon. You seem like a Pomeranian kind of guy to me. [ Plenty of guys seem to take their chihuahuas and poms on bikes! Perfect carry-on size for a tough guy like him. ] Yeah, you can bet it is. [ Brat. ] Claire is Chris's younger sister. Would've thought Sherry would have mentioned her, considering.

[ Everyone knows everyone from Raccoon City, apparently. ]

[ew. he's a lucky little shit for that, isn't he?]

Yeah, try saying that with a straight face.

A what now? Actually, nevermind. [knowing her, it was probably something ridiculous.]

Right, Redfield. [~~whoops. and this is why we are in the meta-verse kids.~~] Should have figured as much. Yeah, Sherry did mention her. Said she helped get her out of Raccoon. [and other things. quick thinking jake is quick thinking ~~no thanks to his dumbass mun.~~] Guess that makes Chris only 'half bad'. [he can't help himself, okay?]

[ Hopefully he'll avoid """Energy Boosters""" in the future without any kind of research first. ]

I definitely will -- if you give me incentive.

[ She's pretty sure he knows what one is. And she's going to mind it. ]

You know, those little fluffy puffballs? Very cute. Me, I've got a Border Collie mix. [ Of course she's got Sporty Dog. ] See guys on motorcycles with 'em all the time.

[ Meta's just easier in their universe, man. ]

Good job hiding that disdain a little. I don't know the story down to the details, but I know Claire sacrificed a lot to make sure she was safe. I guess in some ways, I'm glad we didn't cross paths otherwise they wouldn't have managed to do things the way they did. [ It's pretty blatant that she was there at the same time as them. ] At a certain point I'm gonna start thinking your little grudge is a crush. Can't blame you, though. Chris is pretty cute.

[ That'll shut him up, right... ]

[ouch. like he has that kind of time on his hands.]

And ruin the joke? Pass.

[jfc he can't even.]

Tch, if I wanted fluffy puffballs, I'd get a cheerleader with pom poms. [one would fit better on the bike too.] Aw, isn't that cute. [head tilt.] They short on German Shepherds and Doberman's or something? [you knew something was coming even if he could see her with a border collie. and he's more of a pitbull guy.]

Sherry told me that her and Leon were her closest friends. Where I come from? Shit runs real deep for people to call someone a close friend. [or a friend at all.] I get that. [a pause.] "The way they did." So what, you would have made things worse or something? [it's a joke but he has to wonder with a comment like that.]

Pft. If we're talking about a literal crush, then sure. Don't get me wrong, I get why things had to happen the way they did, but I still want to punch the guy in the face.

[welp.]

[ SUCKS IN LIPS. ]

And here I was gonna say I was worried your sense of humor was slipping.

[ She makes a face to that last part. Really? Who even says things like that? She guesses him. Maybe it's an Edonian thing about American girls? ]

Ha, well, I was thinking about a Shepherd. Wanting something that could keep up with me on hunts and my pal Archie came with his dog -- [ It's a pokemon. She's friends with a pokemon pirate, this is her life now. ] -- and they got on. Listened well.

[ She thinks all dogs are good. ]

Where we come from, too. Don't think any of us are the type to start or carry on a friendship unless it's worthwhile and will last. [ That's why Jill tends to keep them few and far between. Especially after Raccoon City. ] Don't know. I think it had to be the way it was for them to find out what they did. Entire time, I didn't realize there was a lab beneath the city. Beside that, it might've been more dangerous for them if they'd been running around the city with me.

[ A literal crush. Very cute. Jill lets a hand fall to her hip and she sighs heavily. ]

Like I said, I don't think you have a real reason to. Get over this little grudge, you stubborn ass.

[ But Jill is clearly biased. ]

Ha, you and I both know there's bigger things to be worried about than my sense of humor slipping -- which by the way is just fine, thanks.

[nailed it.] What a surprise. [harr] Guess I know your type all too well. Good for you. The last thing you need is something to slow you down. [if he only knew.] Let me guess, you running around with another jarhead?

Imagine that, something else in common. I'm almost beginning to like you.

I thought you people were supposed to be more resourceful. Don't tell me you were falling behind on your work. From what I heard, it doesn't seem like the amount of danger would have mattered. Would have thought they'd be better off with someone with more experience.

Still? The guy killed my father. Think he can give me at least that, then we can have that talk.

[because clearly violence solves everything.]

Yeah, but that sense of humor is what's going to pull you through those bigger things.

[ Jill chuckles because he's... not wrong. That's pretty much all there is to her "friends" list a year later. She'd still do anything for Chris to be there with her. ]

You do know that's a nickname for Marines, right? But that's beside the point. I work best with someone who can take care of my blind spots and the type that it happens to be are walls. Parker is a big guy, too. If you want some tips on bulking, you can always ask them.

[ She's still quick to be defensive of them, especially of Chris. Nothing will change that. ]

It was down to me, Chris, and Barry. Barry had his kids to get to safety and Chris went to look into the Umbrella Europe HQ. I stayed behind and things went from just tense to barricaded off by military in the blink of an eye. Nearly the entire population had turned -- it was the first outbreak of its kind. I was up against that, the police I worked with being corrupt, and Umbrella's mercenary army -- and something like you fought. [ She seems exhausted just recalling it. She'd had no experience in anything like that before. No one had. ] My experience only meant so much. They were safer underground and able to bring more information to us. If they hadn't gone to the RPD they might not have met Sherry, either.

[ It all happened in a precise way that they were all safe. A crowd might've been a problem back then. ]

We killed your father. I sent him to go after him, pleaded him to end it. I didn't think I'd make it out alive. When I met up with him at the end, I was just happy to be free and watch him die. It wasn't just for me, though. It was for STARS and Raccoon City and everyone else. If we hadn't, the world would have been infected. It would be you, me, your father and a world of monsters. We didn't go out to take anything from you, we only did what we had to.

[ You lil shit. ]

You got a point there.

Hey, no offense army girl. I meant as a replacement for your 300-somewhat-pound buddy, Redfield. Dunno, you seem to like those types -- just saying -- and I'm good where I am. Thanks for the tip.

Sounds like a real walk in the park. [he wasn't about to get into a pissing contest but he doesn't dismiss what she went through either. one person against the entire fucking world is not a light matter.] Something like I fought? You mean the ones that aren't human? Cause there's a lot of shit that I've fought like that, so you're gonna have to be more specific there. Why does everyone always think that underground is safer? I guess it all worked out in the end. More importantly, they saved Sherry. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably still be in some shithole in Edonia. [a pause] Oh, and glad you made it out too I guess. [smirk.]

Here we go again. My father was a monster. I get it. I really do. But if it was your father instead of mine, don't tell me that there wouldn't be a part of you that wouldn't want to deck the guy who did it. You might have sent him, but Chris pulled the trigger. It was his call in the end and that's on him.

[plus, this lil shit's not a fan of hitting women. just saying.]

"Army girl," ugh. That was a solid twenty years ago. C'mon. [ Also girl. At least he didn't call her a "female." ] Hey, I've got friends who have your build. There's only one person that's my partner.

I should've been better prepared. [ It's all she says in passing. She just wanted him to get it. He unfortunately lived most of his life being aware of BOWs. Things are different now, even so far as preparation. ] The big bastards. Guy chased me down through the city streets and mutated a few times along the way; infected me, even. [ She's in the same club as you and Sherry, apparently. ] Well, at the time it was. Sort of. The lab was there, but it didn't have thousands of BOWs roaming the streets. [ Jill smiles though, her eyes softer than her expression. ] Why, thanks.

[ Jill shakes her head then, breathing in deeply through her nose. ]

What I'm saying is we didn't have a choice. It's not that it belonged to you or us because you were owed it just as much as we were -- and honestly, I'm glad you never got to meet him. You're better off. [ She isn't being dismissive at all in saying it, either. ] I was right next to him when he and Sheva did it. I handed him the damn rocket launcher. Stop acting like either of us wronged you, especially him. You don't get to punch him when he didn't do anything to harm you. You wanna take a shot? Take it on me.

[ She'll make him. ]

And here I was trying to pay you a compliment. [shrug.] Yeah, yeah.

Shit, that guy doesn't know when to quit. [there's only one shit for brains that comes to mind. he was lucky not to have seen the shit in raccoon. ogromen and one ustanak were enough. at least he was spared the tentacle drama.] You're immune too then. Welcome to the club. [he distinctly remembers leon saying the same thing to him in a different context, but he says it better of course.] Thousands of BOWs and only one shit for brains. Sounds like the norm anywhere you go now. [it's been so long for him that he can't even imagine a time when it wasn't.] Look, I wasn't there for it, but from I hear, there's nothing anyone could have done then or even now to be prepared for this shit. [he gets it.] Just how it is. Don't be so hard on yourself, SOA. [look at that, he's not even being a smartass about it either.] Yeah, sure thing. [even if he's trying to wave off the nice guy act now. he has a reputation to maintain.]

Hold up, now there's a third person involved? [how do--] How big of a monster was my father? [--literally. he doesn't expect an answer.] So you're telling me that it took two people to take one man down? [it's not like he expected this conversation to be easy, it's just taking him a little to wrap his head around.]

Because you were the one that gave the order?

[he shakes his head at her 'offer.']

Look, I'm not defending my father. It's just... you know, personal?

[his head lowers thinking about what chris said and what went down. there's a part of him that doesn't want to get into it, but another that... maybe she should know if she didn't already know.]

The guy was at the end of my gun ready to take a bullet to the head. Told me to take the shot.

[dramatic pause.]

I took the shot.

[he lets out a sharp breath of air before continuing.]

Fucking missed at point-blank range because the guy didn't get to go out like that. [and deep down he knows that he didn't deserve it either.] We weren't finished.

[he looks back up at her.]

This is between me and Chris.

[for more reasons than what he's letting on.]

Well, I'll take it.

[ She's not sure if she believes he put much of an effort into it, but she'll take it. ]

Mm, yeah. Tough to dodge in the tight alleyways but I've always been fast -- thankfully. [ She laughs a little, shaking her head and shrugging. ] Aren't you the one that should be welcomed? As for Raccoon City, we... should've seen a lot of signs, but STARS was separate from the rest of the RPD. Think we had revenge on the mind, too.

[ That definitely was a driving force for a few years before they'd created the BSAA. They'd run on anger and the need to have someone pay penance, someone be responsible for their losses. ]

Sheva was Chris's partner during that mission and followed him. She didn't know him at all and wasn't personally affected by him. [ Well, not in the same sense that she and Chris had been. For her, it had just been the usual bioterrorism bullshit -- but she hopes it had been satisfying to make him pay. ] Honestly, it took a lot more than it should have. We watched him get impaled back in Raccoon City.

[ He'd been too strong. Worse than some mindless BOW that mutated and mutated and mutated. He was cognizant. ]

It was personal for us, too. [ Jill makes a sound and she knows she'd have torn him apart, been part of the machine that never stops if he'd done it. She was nothing without him. ] He had amnesia at the time, you know. He was... he was running on guilt and loss.

[ Jill stares, her eyes almost glossy, but not quite. It's not just about Chris, it's so complicated and convoluted now. ]

No. It isn't. It wasn't just about what Wesker would have done to the world, it wasn't just about Raccoon City or STARS. It was about how I spent just short of four years as a prisoner and the things he made me do. How he used my blood to make a virus, how all I wanted to do was finally die even if it was at Chris's hand. [ That's how it had been. She'd wanted so desperately for him to end it and the shame and guilt that washed over her now, that never would fully be clean, was still present. ] It wasn't just an order to move on and ensure the world's safety. I wanted him dead, but I wanted to be free more.

Yeah, Leon already beat you to it. Thought I'd pay it forward. Tch, of course. You know they say revenge fucks with your judgenent or some shit like that. [welp]

Great, nice to know not everyone's reason for killing my father was personal. [eyeroll] Christ, you got to be shitting me.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for the guy? That shit doesn't make him special. Throwing your life away as an option to make something right is a shit move.

[her expression doesn't go unnoticed and neither did her words describing what his father did to her. he clenches a fist at his side and looks away.]

Shit, I'm sorry.

[he looks back at her shaking his head.]

I didn't know. I... know what is like to be experimented on. They tried to do the same to me too. Would have killed everyone in that whole damn facility too if I had to.

[it's not something he's proud of or even something he likes to bring up. he gets the lengths someone would go to to get back their freedom.]

Yeah, but I'm more likely to throw you a party. [ Or, you know, a get together. Where she'll ask if he's old enough to drink several times as an unfunny joke. ] Maybe. I think it answered a lot of uncertainties for us. We didn't let it consume us for long, it was just the way we mourned.

[ She has to wonder if Jake is including himself in that statement, but she empathizes enough not to snap at him or draw attention to it. For the moment, anyway. ]

Didn't say that. I'm giving you a reason. That's not him. You think I'd ever partner up with someone unreliable like that? Or allow someone I cared about to feel that way? Get that far?

[ The way her yes don't meet his becomes more subtle; carefully practiced. She figures someone like him is aware of it, but she still derives comfort from the action. ]

He developed a mind control serum. It wasn't really profitable or suitable to use long-term, so he transfixed a device to my chest and pumped it into my bloodstream directly. For close to four years, that was it for me. [ But he understands that, at least. The test subject even if it's just drawn blood is dehumanizing and disgusting. Maybe he didn't fight against bioterrorism like she did, but she thinks he understands. ] I threw myself out a window with him to stop him from killing Chris. That's how it started. I was declared KIA within six months, but Chris never gave up on me. That... is the other way that it's personal for him. Us.

From you? Sounds like more fun than I can handle. [just what he needs: a de-facto embarrassing aunt.] To each their own.

"That's not him." Sounds like more excuses to me. We may have talked here and there, but I don't know you or the kind of person you'd partner up with. You can say all you want to defend his ass, but the past doesn't define who you are now. [to which, this statement hits a hell of lot closer to home than she'd know. in a way he was defending his own ass and trying to believe what Sherry said about him.] People make their own damn choices. He's got to live with his and be accountable for them like everyone else. [aka: one dead psychopath father.]

My father included. [at least he's admitting it.

so much for a story about a pint of blood and fighting through a bunch of j'avo. he puts a hand up to his mouth and draws it down his face. how do you even begin to respond to mind control and throwing yourself out of a window?]

Christ... That's fucked up.

[he doesn't have that mind-set to give his life for someone -- to want to. he's always saved his own ass before he'd ever compromise himself for someone else. the people he did give a damn about had become few far and between.]

Says a lot about you for sharing something like that.

[he sure as hell couldn't.]

Lucky you, I like 'em low-key and quiet.

[ Well, sometimes. Always small, though. Always intimate. Plus, it's about time he met Barry. ]

I know him better than anyone else. I'm giving you a reason. I only rely on people I can trust implicitly and that's a number I can count on a single hand, really. The past can be a foundation if you want it to be, it can give you a reason but you're right. [ It's a complicated thing that she isn't sure how she wants to define. It's messy. ] He does, yeah. But I'm also making my own damn choice in defending him -- and for what happened.

[ She is responsible for it, too. Not just because she needs to help carry the burden but part of it is a desire to be close to it, to have caused it. It's finally over. All those years of hard work, of blood and guts and break downs. It wasn't for nothing.

Give him time, she thinks. How many years had they fought directly or indirectly with this for her to do that. ]

Yeah, you're tellin' me. I didn't expect to be alive, but like you said. You make your own damn choices. [ And Chris was hers. Jill shakes her head trying to let her body language be more open since it's so naturally closed off or irritated, even if she's not feeling quite either of those things. ] You deserved to know the whole truth. That's not all of it, but it's been put off for too long. You might not want to hear it from him and... I think he'd feel wrong telling it. People in the BSAA know about this, people we know are aware. You're in that circle now and you're directly affected by our actions. Like I said, though. We didn't rob you of anything. Would've gladly called your ass in to take a launcher to him, too, had we known. We've all been touched by his actions. The blame is on him.

[ After a pause, brief enough he can't cut in with any commentary, he gets a light shoulder punch. Head tilted up to get a better look at him, eyes narrowed with a certain mirth despite the conversation, Jill laughs. ]

Yeah, I like you. Thought you were a little like Chris but you've got the high walls and stubborn streak like I do. Well, enough like I do to make it frustrating.

As long as you don't crash it.

[ He might have heard some stories. ]

Don't think cursing at them works the way you think it does. Might want to rethink your approach.

Here we go.

[eyeroll. he'll have to have a talk with sherry about this.]

That's rich getting advice from you of all people. So what? You kill my father and now you're trying to act like one?

Don't flatter yourself too much, kid. It's advice I'd give to anyone. Trust me, neither one of us want me trying to father you.

[ Can you imagine the fights they'd get into? He doesn't even want to think about disciplining him either, or having to front the bill when he crashes another expensive bike. ]

Good luck.

'Good luck'? So, that's it?

[he's not having it.]

You don't get to get out of this that easy. Not again. You and I need to talk.

Oh, but why limit the possibilities to only two when there are so many more. It's quite underwhelming. Wouldn't you agree, my... dear little nephew?

[this just gets better and better.]

Two is enough. Like if you piss me off? You'll get punched in the face. And if you don't piss me off? You don't get punched in the face.

[why must he be related to crazy?]

Look at you spewing out threats just like your father - but unlike a true Wesker, yours are simply empty. After all, I hear that you're quite soft.

Edited 2019-03-08 14:52 (UTC)

Think you need to get your ears checked. [and your head while you're at it.] I'm nothing like him, and when I say I'm gonna do something? I do it.

Oh, come now. You and I both know that you're all bark and no bite. I would say that it's a wonder how you managed to survive at all for so long, but you do have your father's genes working in your favor - if only some of them.

Keep telling yourself that. Yeah, guess good old dad was good for something. I survived on my own merit. His genes were just a small part of it.

Why don't you try a little manipulation?

[is that--? nope. he's not going to address it. with all of the shit he's seen, it's probably just the result of some bad shit he took... maybe.]

I prefer negotiating -- but hey, if manipulation can somehow turn the odds in my favor? I'm all ears.

[shit this is weird.]

welp

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