Finishing Obligations, and still homeless for good reason

[commanderbuzzcut]

I suppose I should be glad that you're making progress, and even the EMS is doing good. For starters, anyway. You do need work on your aim, you know I shoot faster and more accurately than that. For being more than halfway done, that isn't so bad.

Just make sure you keep up, and not let things get to you so much. We were all novices at one point but we get better. You will, too.

[Lookit Shepard giving his mun a pep talk.]

Though I kind of wish you didn't do this in reverse order.

Comments

[sixthanimorph]

Are you coaching your mun?

[That's a first in his experience.]

[commanderbuzzcut]

It looks that way, doesn't it.

[sixthanimorph]

Looks like it might be working too. Even if chances are it's gonna come back to bite you in the ass.

[commanderbuzzcut]

I'm starting to accept that I'm in here, and probably for good. Best thing to do? Make the best of it. Antagonizing them isn't really going to make things better, or make them change their mind.

[sixthanimorph]

Huh. Guess it's hard to argue with when you put it that way. Just shrugging and saying it's permanent, though? That's a little defeatist. I don't know about you, but I know I don't wanna hang around here forever.

[commanderbuzzcut]

Not so much a defeatist attitude as much as it is realistic. I'm getting to the point where the mun can throw whatever he wants at me, and he knows I'm going to get through it no matter what.

You may not want to hang around here forever, but how long do you think you'll be in your mun's... "headspace"?

[sixthanimorph]

Gotta admit, it's been a while. Over two years. I keep saying I'll find a way out but nothing I do ever works. It's annoying as hell because it's just one thing after another with this guy.

You sound like you've been around a while too. Does encouraging them really work?

[commanderbuzzcut]

I have to admit, I'm actually one of the newer guys in here. Most of them have been here for quite awhile. I guess you can say I just handle it a lot better than they do.

I've found out that it's a little bit of a double-edged sword. The mun might get tired of doing things one right after the other but that means they might lose interest in you. And that means they'll stop paying attention to you. On the other hand, I can see how it gets irritating because they put us in a lot of awkward and just plain bad situations for their own amusement.

Catch 22.

[Shepard, Shepard....]

[sixthanimorph]

So what you're basically saying is that no matter what I do I'm screwed. Encourage him and I get to keep getting sent into one messed up situation after another. Don't encourage him and I can end up getting forgotten like the other guys up here, because that's so much better.

[Now look who's being defeatist.]

It's crap. I didn't sign up for this.

[commanderbuzzcut]

Is it really all that bad? Granted I haven't really been put anywhere but the guys up here didn't always have it bad.

[sixthanimorph]

Hit or miss. Sometimes it's not all that bad. I guess it beats being back home.

[commanderbuzzcut]

Yeah, and I like to think that beats being forgotten. There are a lot of upset people in here right now because I'm getting all the attention, so to speak.

[sixthanimorph]

Maybe it's just me, but you don't seem all that bothered by it. Do they keep to themselves, or do you have to fight 'em off every now and then?

[commanderbuzzcut]

Let's just say I've put up with a lot worse, so yeah I'm not really bothered by it. Most of them keep to themselves while some are loud and make empty threats.

What bothers you so much about the ones you're around?

[sixthanimorph]

Half of them tell me to suck it up and deal, and the other half want to kill me. Most of them are the types who would sign up for crazy shit like this and they give me hell because I'm not the type to just fall in and follow orders.

They've all been here longer, too, so they're pissed off that I get out more. Sounds like you know how that goes, at least.

[commanderbuzzcut]

[Insert amused Shepard. Especially the part where he says he isn't the type to fall in line and follow orders]

If that's the case, you wouldn't make a very good soldier, would you?

[Shepard's not really being serious here. Again, amused.]

In a way, I can understand their frustration. Not being paid attention to while they've been there for a long time. A guy can only put up with that for so long. But don't worry about their threats just because you're getting more attention than they are. Most of the guys in here never follow through them, anyway.

[sixthanimorph]

[David's not quite so amused. It's a bit of a sore spot for him.]

No, not really. You'd think he'd have figured that out after the last time I was in a war, but nope.

[As far as he's concerned, David knows what's best for him. Even if his mun begs to differ.]

I'm pretty sure the guys up here won't follow through either. Most of 'em already had their best days and now they can't accept they're more or less retired. It just gets kinda old putting up with their griping all the time. I almost wouldn't mind getting sent somewhere at this point. At least then it'd be a break from them.

[commanderbuzzcut]

[Shepard would notice that tone of voice didn't exactly match his own so...]

Oh. You too, huh? I don't mean to offend, but you seem young for someone to have been in a war.

Almost wouldn't mind? You think your mun would still make your life miserable even then?

[sixthanimorph]

No offense taken. Like I said, I didn't exactly sign up. I guess you could say I was drafted.

[David manages a thin-lipped smile for a moment. That's probably the most diplomatic way he's ever put it.]

And yeah, I'm pretty sure my mun would end up picking the worst possible place to send me. Last time it was some kind of shitty Survivor deathmatch arena, and I only dodged that bullet because nothing ended up actually happening. You ever been anywhere like that before?

[commanderbuzzcut]

I've been through worse, let's put it that way. In a way where billions upon billions of lives were on my watch.

Sometimes, I worry that my mun would send me somewhere even worse than that but I don't think there isn't much worse.

[sixthanimorph]

Billions of lives? I thought you were just a soldier. Aren't you a little young to be a general?

You're not kidding about that. All I had to worry about was me. I'd go nuts trying to deal with that much responsibility.

[commanderbuzzcut]

Honestly? That's not something I get a lot. I was in command of a ship called the Normandy. The rest... is really complicated.

Where has your mun looked to put you in?

[sixthanimorph]

Are we talking complicated like getting pulled into something way over your pay grade complicated? Because if we are, I know how that goes at least.

My mun's not sure. Been on the lookout for a while but nothing concrete. He got an invite to a place called somarium but he's not really sure I'd fit there. Apparently he's open to suggestions.

[commanderbuzzcut]

No. It's more complicated than that. It'd be too much to explain just in one sitting.

I hope your mun hasn't thought about the_love_hotel. He keeps telling me it's a vacation I need but I highly doubt that's why he'll be sending me there for.

[sixthanimorph]

How much more complicated could it get? You could explain it in more than one sitting then. Unless it's classified shoot-you-if-I-told-you kind of stuff.

Sounds like we oughta swap muns. I like the way yours thinks. And with a name like the Love Hotel, what else would he be sending you there for?

[commanderbuzzcut]

I'm still getting used to this whole thing about being here and having multiples and people having different memories of events that took place. Let's just say it involved saving all living beings across the galaxy.

Well, I have someone back where I'm from and I'm not really the kind of guy who'd do something like that.

[sixthanimorph]

Yeah? I'd say that means you earned yourself a vacation. Or at least a little leave. The team I got picked up by, they thought they were doing something like that, but they were just kidding themselves. They weren't making any difference.

Apparently your mun thinks differently if he's sending you there. What'd you say before, just make the best of it? You ought to take your own advice.