Part 8: Vibe Check

There is goon participation in this chapter!





: Hey, Carla.



: We don't want any!

: Yes, yes, that's very funny.





: I was just sitting here, thinking that I didn't have anything to do or stress over for the first time in what feels like my whole life... and I found myself quite bored.

: Aah, and I'm the one you turn to when boredom strikes, is that it? I'm a tool that exists only for your amusement? A monkey that dances when you say 'dance, monkey?'

: Yes.



: Well, you happen to be in luck: I had the same thought when I woke up this morning. I opened my eyes, stared at the ceiling, and realized, 'well, damn. I have nothing that needs doing for the first time in a decade.'

: I had to convince myself to get out of bed, to make it, and to even put on some clothes after.

: Right? Isn't it great?



: I'm guessing you're calling because you want to do nothing together, is that right?

: I couldn't think of a worse way to waste the day, correct.

: Hah! Ezra, you are a viper when you want to be!

: I learned from the very best, Carla.

: Damn right, you did.

: You wanna meet up downtown? We're on Day Three of the nonstop festivities down there. It'd be a good way to kill a few hours, at least.

: Yeah, sure. It doesn't really matter where we go, in the end.

: As long as it's with me, right? Careful, you'll make a lady's heart skip a beat with talk like that.



: Maybe... twenty minutes from now?

: Cool! Meet me in front of that old army surplus store. They're probably not getting a lot of business right now so it'll be easy to find each other there.

: Hah, makes sense to me. See you then.

: I'm gonna hang up now.

: Bwweeeeeooooooo



: I have twenty minutes to get from here to where I'm going. Which isn't a lot of time.

: I'd better get moving, then!

*The screen fades to black.*





: No, not even for a second.

: Their energy is so infectious... it's like a perpetual motion machine. A feedback loop of party-hardy-ing. Everyone is partying, so everyone else wants to keep the party going.



: Maybe it's not impossible. Give everyone a beer and a giant hamster wheel, and we'd be in business.



: ...



: Different, how?

: Just... I dunno. Different.



: I can't really tell what it is you mean.



: The last time I really got a good look at this place, I was three sheets to the wind and it was the middle of the night. That probably didn't help.

: But... hmm. It doesn't feel like that's it.

: Maybe it just feels different because of the constant, upbeat attitude and atmosphere? I mean, up until just three days ago, it was a pretty dour place to be. Everywhere was.

: It's wild what a little attitude adjustment could do for a person – or a place.

: I'll be real with you, Ezra: realistically, that sounds dumb as hell. That a place's 'feel' would somehow change how it looks.

: ... But I can't think of a better explanation. Maybe there's some truth to it.

Interesting disagreement from Carla, here. I think we can all agree that a person's own "vibes" can influence how they look, so why not a place? The presence of people, and what they're doing, absolutely can make a street come alive, or die out entirely.

Mind Your Poise (Carla's Theme)



: It's a wonder that every store isn't somehow geared towards either military goods, combat training, or something else war-related. You'd think thirteen years with humanity being laser-focused on beating a bad guy would have turned them all towards the effort.

: On the one hand, it's only been thirteen years. Most of whatever store that isn't army-related would have been around before then.

: But on the other hand, you're totally right. It's been three days and I'm still having a hard time trying to understand that the world existed before the last decade-and-some-change.

: Like, when's the last time anyone had either the time or the inclination to go to a pawn shop? A fabric store? A brewery? A farmer's market? A library?

That is depressing as hell, coming from Ezra. I'm pretty sure that life goes on whether or not there's a war for existence happening, but if Ezra is serious, then the Riklid really did have humanity by the balls. It's likely that an entire generation of teens growing up have known nothing but warfare and the adults in their lives did little else with themselves but keep training and getting ready for battle. Or Ezra is just being herself, the robotic nerd shut-in she is, and projecting hard.





: Hah, that's true. We've gotten really good at beer.



: In fact, that doesn't even sound like a half-bad idea. It's lunch time. What better way to celebrate our newly-gained futures and freedoms by destroying ourselves from the inside out with a greasy burger?

: We had bar food last night for supper, Carla. What's with you and burgers?

: I like burgers.

: You know what? That's fair.

: Fine, we can go to a fast-food place for lunch if you want. If you promise me that you'll eat a salad tonight.



: No, but you've also been the one to choose where we go to eat for the past two meals. And on the night we won, we went to the bar you suggested.

: ... You know what, Ezra?

: You're right. I've been in the driver's seat for the past couple days.

: What is it that you want to do this time? It's up to you. You lead, and I'll follow.

: Hah, it's good to know that I have your permission to choose this time.

: Oh, you know me. Even when I'm not steering, I'm still sitting in the hotseat.

Man, I don't think I could handle a friend like Carla, whether she's putting up a front or not! Let others make decisions too, girl!

: But seriously, go ahead and choose whatever you want this time.

: Hmm...

: Our options are admittedly pretty limited. Most of downtown is either food, bars, or army surplus stuff. It's only been a few days and life hasn't adjusted yet.

: But I'm not in the mood for more quick, greasy food and I'd rather we didn't go somewhere that... reminds us of the past.



* * *

Goon participation!

Carla is finally letting us take charge of a date? Wow! Where do we go for our date? There's the arts and crafts store or the computer parts store, but we could just eat out again.