Treasure Town ~ Marketplace

[Tanuki]

“What do I take you for?” Zane was at the end of his rope, too. He held a bottle in his claws to at least pretend he was still drinking. “A decent person.” His eyes stared ahead while he tipped the empty bottle against his lips.

Give her the knife.

“You’re a good person protecting good people from trash like me.” He took another “drink” and looked her in the eyes. “I deserved the punch, didn’t I?” He switched out his empty bottle of beer for a clean scotch. “That blue shithead you saw is my side of the story. That’s who I am. Don’t waste your energy caring for someone like him.”

He put the bottle on the counter to better stare at it. “Hurry up and hate me already.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“What do I take you for?” Zane was at the end of his rope, too. He held a bottle in his claws to at least pretend he was still drinking. “A decent person.” His eyes stared ahead while he tipped the empty bottle against his lip

"Oh." Curio didn't know what to say -- she certainly wasn't expecting that from Zane.

“You’re a good person protecting good people from trash like me.” He took another “drink” and looked her in the eyes. “I deserved the punch, didn’t I?” He switched out his empty bottle of beer for a clean scotch. “That blue shithead you saw is my side of the story. That’s who I am. Don’t waste your energy caring for someone like him.”

"No, Zane, I'm not having this." She pawed at her face. Why was this so difficult? "It doesn't hurt to think about what you say before you say it. And I'm sayin' that as a loose cannon myself. If you're that torn up about what happened, then do something about it instead of beating yourself up over it. You're not gettin' off that easy."

He put the bottle on the counter to better stare at it. “Hurry up and hate me already.”

No. He was too pathetic to hate.

 

[Tanuki]

The memory of scotch lost its flavor: Zane hoped the rum would fare better. “No, it doesn’t hurt to think before you speak.” Even the rum’s fumes had faded. “Have you ever thought after?”

Tell them that it’s all a lie until there’s nothing left inside.

He didn’t have high expectations for the vodka. “Have you ever wondered what poor excuse for a person would say such a thing?” The bottle had one more drop to spare him. “You ever wondered why someone would make it his mission to antagonize everyone he knows? What kinda person wants everyone to hate him and why?”

He kept his eyes on the bar. The wood had varnish, but it was still the least reflective surface he had. “It’s fun to think he’s a hero, sacrificing himself for the sake of the world. Really, there’s nothing else to him. This sour patch kid’s just the glaze. I’m not a pepper. I’m capsaicin.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“You ever wondered why someone would make it his mission to antagonize everyone he knows? What kinda person wants everyone to hate him and why?”

“No, and honestly, that’s a sad way to live. Just— why put yourself through this pointless shit?”

He kept his eyes on the bar. The wood had varnish, but it was still the least reflective surface he had. “It’s fun to think he’s a hero, sacrificing himself for the sake of the world. Really, there’s nothing else to him. This sour patch kid’s just the glaze. I’m not a pepper. I’m capsaicin.”

“Oh, my, fucking, god.” She tugged at her aura sensors. “Will you stop it with this riddle and metaphor crap?! Talk that way all you want, but I know you’re deflecting! I don’t care if you’re a hero or a sour sweet or whatever the hell it’s called, you’re just you, okay?”

 

[Tanuki]

She’s right. You’re just you.

“‘You’re just you,’” Zane echoed. “Tell me, then, who am I?” He put the bottle down to hold his head up instead. “You used to call me Blueberry. You used to smile when you saw me. Then, we got to know each other better.” His claws rapped against the bar. “I’m just me. You saw that and did what anyone would.” He stopped tapping his claws against the bar with a sigh. “What everyone will.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“‘You’re just you,’” Zane echoed. “Tell me, then, who am I?”

Curio shrugged and chuckled in disbelief. “Hell if I know! Ain’t up to me to decide, you’re the only one that can tell themselves who they are or what you’re worth.”

“You used to call me Blueberry. You used to smile when you saw me. Then, we got to know each other better.” His claws rapped against the bar. “I’m just me. You saw that and did what anyone would.” He stopped tapping his claws against the bar with a sigh. “What everyone will.”

“So...” Curio sighed. “That’s it? You’re just gonna drink yourself to death because you’ve already decided you’re worthless and you think everyone hates you? That’s a self-fulfilling prophecy and a half.” Another sigh. “You said something stupid once and I got mad. Big whoop. Sorry if that was such a kick in the teeth for ya.” She rubbed her forehead — she hoped there was a berry equivalent of aspirin nearby.

 

[Tanuki]

You’re just gonna drink yourself to death because you’ve already decided you’re worthless and you think everyone hates you?

Zane shrugged. “I might. Who’s stopping me?” He looked for the blue reflection of his shadow, but only saw his own face wrapped around each bottle. It didn’t say a word either. “Who cares?”

 

[NebulaDreams]

Zane shrugged. “I might. Who’s stopping me?” He looked for the blue reflection of his shadow, but only saw his own face wrapped around each bottle. It didn’t say a word either. “Who cares?”

“Well, I do? If I’m standin’ right here and lecturing you about all this crap.” She really considered turning around and leaving — this was so not worth the time and energy.

 

[Tanuki]

Some synapses in Zane’s brain clicked—snapped, really. She was still here. Curio was still listening to him. “You...” the realization truly hit him, a punch to the gut that left him breathless. “Wait, are you saying you—“ not even worth entertaining that idea. She had her reasons to stay, he was sure, but care for him definitely wasn’t one.

He looked at her like she was the first riolu he’d ever seen. He barely managed to speak, as if this was his first foray into speaking English. “Why are you still here?”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“I dunno, I’m just tryin’ to snap you out of this nonsense.” She crossed her arms. “I mean, I don’t like you, at all, but that doesn’t mean I wanna see you waste away like this.”

 

[Tanuki]

“You don’t—“ Zane clasped the bridge of his nose. “If you don’t want to see me waste away, what the hell is the point of any of this?” He seemed to be talking mostly to himself, but didn’t make any attempt to muffle his words.

“Bunch of stupid heroes,” he decided with a resolute scowl. “You’re just like Jolt. ‘Haha, just because you’re insufferable and terrible doesn’t mean you deserve to die.’ What a load of it.”

He felt like he’d just ran a mile long circle. Same words over and over, but he felt like he was getting off on another stop this time. “It’s supposed to be simple. I’m an ass, you treat me like one, and I hate you so I don’t have to care. Only an idiot could screw this up, so of course I did! Over and over and over I tell myself I don’t care, that I hate you, list every reason I can think of, but there’s this constant nagging regret that I didn’t at least try to make something of the time I have with you.”

It was exactly at this point that his meandering mind caught up with his running mouth. “N-not—“ he couldn’t stand to glance at her for more than a nanosecond. “I meant you, like—team! Plural! Not—you hate my guts. I hate yours. N-no way I’d wanna spend... time with....” His claws clacked against eachother and his eyes defied looking at anything else.

 

[NebulaDreams]

He felt like he’d just ran a mile long circle. Same words over and over, but he felt like he was getting off on another stop this time. “It’s supposed to be simple. I’m an ass, you treat me like one, and I hate you so I don’t have to care. Only an idiot could screw this up, so of course I did! Over and over and over I tell myself I don’t care, that I hate you, list every reason I can think of, but there’s this constant nagging regret that I didn’t at least try to make something of the time I have with you.”

"Again, I don't get it." Another laugh of disbelief from Curio. This was going nowhere fast, as usual. Then she thought back to a certain yellow ass she used to know. "I mean, I kind of do. It's easier to wanna be hated than open yourself up for people to accept you. After you've been burned enough times, you don't wanna risk getting caught on fire again."

It was exactly at this point that his meandering mind caught up with his running mouth. “N-not—“ he couldn’t stand to glance at her for more than a nanosecond. “I meant you, like—team! Plural! Not—you hate my guts. I hate yours. N-no way I’d wanna spend... time with....” His claws clacked against eachother and his eyes defied looking at anything else.

"Okay, Zane, I get your point. And I may not like you, but I don't hate you, if you catch my drift."

 

[Tanuki]

“Do, you don’t...” Zane struggled to switch gears. Did she just psychoanalyze him, or did she just repeat his own thoughts back to him? “You don’t hate me.” Were they moving too fast? What was he supposed to say back? Was it hot in here? “Th-thanks. You, too.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Okay, good, now we're gettin' somewhere."

 

[Tanuki]

“Somewhere?” Where were they going? Was she asking him to go somewhere? Out? What was she planning? It wouldn’t matter. Zane would take the lead right out from under her. She couldn’t fool him. “Wh-where are we going?”

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Um, figure of speech, Zane. We're going somewhere. As in, read my lips, we're making some progress since we don't hate each other, at least."

 

[Tanuki]

“Don’t hate, right.” Zane nodded along despite not at all understanding the basic premise that she didn’t hate him. “Guess that makes us—“ the bottles were gone. He didn’t have anything to fiddle with but his claws.

Panic. He was out of plans. He needed to evacuate. Escape plan. Easy. He swiveled his bar stool to face her, looked right into her eyes and said, “You need to go to the restroom.” He was half standing up before he heard himself.

Mission failed. That didn’t make any sense. Why was he getting up if she needed to use the restroom? He sat back on his stool and reswiveled it forward, staring miles past the wall in front of him.

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Don’t hate, right.” Zane nodded along despite not at all understanding the basic premise that she didn’t hate him. “Guess that makes us—“ the bottles were gone. He didn’t have anything to fiddle with but his claws.

Panic. He was out of plans. He needed to evacuate. Escape plan.

"Acquaintances. I'd say that makes us--"

Easy. He swiveled his bar stool to face her, looked right into her eyes and said, “You need to go to the restroom.” He was half standing up before he heard himself.

"What? E-excuse me?" God, why did Zane have to turn every conversation into an obstacle course of confusion? "I haven't needed to go to the bathroom the whole time I've been here! I don't even know how that works! Not that I wanna know where this stuff goes." Great, now Zane gave her that mental image.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane held his head in his hands. He was so lost. Trapped. He couldn’t even come up with an excuse to book it. He was utterly screwed.

He started to laugh. It was stupid. It didn’t make sense. It was hilarious. He couldn’t stop until his head rested on his arms on the bar. He looked at Curio with a smirk. “Well, did it work? Hate me yet?”

 

[NebulaDreams]

He started to laugh. It was stupid. It didn’t make sense. It was hilarious. He couldn’t stop until his head rested on his arms on the bar. He looked at Curio with a smirk. “Well, did it work? Hate me yet?”

"No, you idiot, what are you smoking?" She couldn't help but laugh, yet again. If she was Zane, she'd probably die of embarrassment too. "You'd have to do some screwed up shit to make me hate you."