trusthell | Paper Faces on Parade

Paper Faces on Parade

[ Okay, so, assuming everyone got a crossword and an invite on Tuesday, one would assume that pretty much everyone knows that Misa's planning something. A sign on the door of the music room will indicate as much, a nice big "KEEP OUT PLEASE ♥" to make sure everything's set up just right before the festivities start. The tables are set up just right for snacks and all, the stage is set, the room is even decorated with hand-made streamers and lots of bright ribbons from the art room! When Misa goes hard, she goes hard, apparently. The floor isn't exactly a dance floor, but it should be nice enough that people can dance if they want to, and though she had a really hard time pushing everything around to make the perfect amount of space, it looks like it's about as good as it's going to get.

The guests'll be happy to know there aren't any penalty snacks this time around; nothing set out on the table looks gross or horribly out of place like at Truth or Dare. Everything looks pretty cute, actually; between the desserts and the actual cocktails set out, she and Aqua kind of outdid themselves in terms of meal planning. As for the host herself, she'll obviously be running around too, making sure everything's going okay; one would think that between prepping the food and the party itself, she wouldn't have much time to get herself all dolled up, but a model always has to look her best! And Misa certainly isn't giving anything less than 110 percent, between her short black dress and her ma-- jesus Misa save some glitter for everyone else

In any case, the party is definitely intended to be a late-night affair! And all are welcome, so feel free to come in and dance the night away! Misa even has a bunch of masks in different colors made for people who didn't have time to make one themselves, so don't be shy to grab one and have fun! ]

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[AN ATTEMPT...WAS MADE...

Colress remains relatively quiet throughout the explanation of how Tarrlok handled his position on the council. It's this exact kind of stuff that he...really can't comment on considering his own methods of getting what he wants. Completely nonjudgmental here.

He leans in during the story about Amon and his movement, because Tarrlok already said that he was the one who did something to his bending. That...isn't good.]

I see. So these Equalists were something of a third party between your Council and the criminals? [He doesn't really know too much about them, but if they're going after basically everyone...] Did you end up facing Amon personally?

I wouldn't exactly say that. They're more like revolutionaries trying to completely remove bending from society because they think it's... a corrupting influence and an inherently unfair advantage, I think. The attitude existed before Amon came on the scene, but... he definitely took it to a whole different level, given that there was a sort of mysticism about him. He always wore a mask because he claimed to have been badly scarred when his family was killed by firebenders, and he also claimed that his ability to remove people's bending was taught to him by the spirits.

[...haha. hahaha.....]

...well, I have to say that our meeting actually did seem like karma catching up to me. Before we came face to face, I'd... well, attempted to curry favor with the present Avatar, Korra. She seemed like a powerful ally, and... well. I'm not going to deny that I wanted to do the complete opposite of what my father wanted with the Avatar.

Except... we were similar in all the ways that led to us butting heads rather than cooperating. I'm... not sure what the exact circumstances of what proved to be the final straw were, since my memories still have gaps, but I... believe had some of her friends arrested on admittedly flimsy charges to try to use them as leverage so she'd fall in line. She confronted me and compared me to Amon himself, which... well.

[...deeep breath.]

I can't deny the similarities now, but at the time, I was in complete denial about the man I'd become. I'd effectively been comparing the threat Amon posed to Republic City to the threat my father had been long in the past, so in effect... she was saying I was just like my father. I couldn't handle that, so I just... snapped. I attacked her, but... well, she had the advantage of all four elements, so she pretty handily beat the tar out of me.

...there's another pretty significant gap here, since that memory ended with her about to incinerate me. I was backed into a corner and entirely positive I was about to die, so the only conclusion I can come to is that I did the only thing I could --- I stopped her with bloodbending.

...so, right. What I remembered this week...

[...he's struggling with this, partially because what the fuck was he thinking and partially because it's a pretty sudden jump from the last memory to the most current memory...]

I'd apparently abducted her and locked her in some destitute real estate my father used to own to keep the secret from getting out, and then... headed back to Republic City. I think the secret must've gotten out anyway, because I was planning on taking her as a hostage. She'd also figured out my actual parentage... somehow? I'd imagine she communicated with her past life about it, but I... don't really know. The fact is, she knew, I knew she knew, everyone knew, I assumed the only option was to dig the hole deeper and keep running...

...and so I head upstairs to get the car running, and who do I find waiting for me but Amon.

Oh, I see. I...actually did not realize that your world has people who cannot bend anything. I can see why there may be some resentment, there...

[Not to extreme levels like these Equalists, but...

...

Okay so this was already pretty escalated when Tarrlok talked about his past, but good lord did it really escalate just now. There's really no avoiding it- Colress flinches a little bit at the bloodbending reveal, and just...frowns at the rest.]

So all of this is what you have been remembering each week...

[No wonder Tarrlok started looking more and more unwell as the weeks went on. It's good that he's been able to look at the memories at a distance and see the issues with what he did, but...man, none of that looks great for him. Especially the last bit. How the hell is he supposed to recover from that? No doubt that's probably one of the biggest concerns Tarrlok is facing...

Solemnly, he glances off somewhere else in the room. This is...difficult.]

And that is when he did what you told me, correct? The icing on the cake, so to speak.

[The Worst Cake Ever, of course.]

...Oh, yes, I... should have mentioned that, since it makes all of this make a lot more sense. It's actually a fairly small segment of the population that can bend, but... well, it's enough that you're definitely going to know a pretty sizable number of people who are benders unless you live in a remote town where the population is only in the triple digits or something.

[...he smiles a touch bitterly at the discussion of memories, since...]

...and yes, it's been the perfect way to end the week, really. Ah, yes, I thought things couldn't get any worse... but now they have.

[...right. yeah. here it goes.]

Well, I didn't go down without trying to bloodbend Amon, anyway. As it turned out, he managed to break out of it in a few seconds and... well, the icing on the cake, as it were.

[...]

You know... after it happened, I could only really think about one thing. It's the sort of thing that you don't recover from immediately, but you'd expect to be more blank than anything, right? I just... thought something about the experience felt familiar.

[...........]

You remember... those letters from last week, don't you? I told you that mine contained a blatant lie.

[It's a little surprising to hear about the relative few amount of benders out there, having had the impression that they were...super common. But now it does make the whole Equalist revolution thing more easy to understand.

...It also makes it kind of even more alarming since Tarrlok basically just told Colress that Amon, the leader, took his bending. Tarrlok seems to be one of the biggest authority figures so...Republic City needs a prayer circle is what he's getting here.

Understandably, his eyebrows furrow in confusion when Tarrlok says that Amon actually managed to break out of the bloodbending. That...seems very difficult to do, and Amon apparently doesn't even have bending? So how...]

Ah...yes, there is no way I could forget them now.

[Judging from the way Colress says it, he has really mixed feelings about his. But that conversation can be saved for another time.]

Did yours...end up predicting something for you as well? I know we wanted to not believe, but...

[...buddy you don't even know the half of it, but...]

...mine was that I was a bloodbender related to two of the other most notorious bloodbenders in Republic City's history, Yakone and Amon. It... was mostly right, but I thought that last part had to be a cruel joke.

...having my bending taken, though... it felt just like it did when Noatak bloodbended me when I was eleven. I tried to think of literally any other possible conclusion I could take from this, but... everything just falls into place. We never did find a body, even when warmer weather rolled around, and as far as I know no one else knows how to bloodbend when it isn't a full moon.

...

It's definitely... not the way that you'd want to find out that your dead older brother is actually alive.

[Oh.

...........Oh.

Colress' eyes widen in shock. When he said that Tarrlok getting his bending taken by Amon was icing on the Worst Cake Ever, he...did not expect this to be the follow-up.]

N-No, I cannot imagine it is. Of all the people for Amon to end up being...

[What a cruel, awful twist. But what he says aloud is what he manages to get out before he places a hand on Tarrlok's shoulder.

He stays like that for a moment before murmuring,]

You've certainly been through the wringer, Tarrlok...

[Understatement of the year. But Colress doesn't go into the morals behind it- whether Tarrlok's actions were right or wrong, whether he brought the consequences upon himself or not. Because that's not something Colress has ever tended to get overly concerned about, for better or worse.

He didn't come here for that anyway, he came to listen and hear Tarrlok out. He recognizes that there's significance in all of this, that trust is involved, and he wants Tarrlok to know that he does. He...well, he wants to be comforting, because frankly this is pretty awful. Tarrlok shouldn't have to keep all of it bottled up.]

[...he... maybe flinches a little bit at the touch, because holy shit, it has been actual decades since he's allowed himself to be vulnerable enough to actually be comforted on something and this is weird...]

...well, I'm not going to pretend that I didn't hit rock bottom and then try keep digging, but... thank you for listening. Really, I feel like there's... always been a part of me that wanted to get all of that out there to someone, but I've always had so many hangups about being too weak to rely on myself, not being able to trust people...

...

Maybe if I had someone looking out for me, I wouldn't have basically become my father with legitimate political power when I was doing everything to set myself apart from him. But... there really isn't anything I can do about that now, is there? Even if I actually was given the opportunity to go back and fix things... I can't actually trust myself anymore.

Of course. I do hope it helped somewhat to get it off your chest. I can truly see how badly it was eating away at you.

[He eventually withdraws his hand and allows both to rest on the table as he listens, thinking hard about everything he's heard tonight.]

But I have to say...the fact that you are able to reflect on your actions says a lot. As you told me about what was happening to you, you seemed to be looking back on the memories and thinking about what you could have done differently. You may not have been able to see the flaws at the time, but you do see them now. [Being away from them and re-experiencing them probably helped there...] That is good. It truly takes a lot to realize your mistakes, and it is difficult to do it, especially in front of someone else!

So I suppose what I am getting at here is that you are not as weak as you seem to think you are. At least...that is what I believe.

Edited 2016-04-16 02:32 (UTC)

...well, I feel less like I'm going to explode at any second, so it definitely does help.

[He smiles, but just barely.]

I... don't know, honestly. Everything's calm right now, but it's a lot harder to figure out how you'll react when under pressure. I was starting to actually reflect on things last week, but... when I figured out Norman was the killer, I... still effectively slipped back into how I usually handle things.

[Maybe nobody else really noticed but he sure did. Or maybe Norman's name was mud enough that no one really cared.]

I don't think anyone here has really had to see me at my worst, because I never got a hunch that was outright wrong or laid into any of the culprits who didn't deserve it... but the latter was mostly just because they all hit a little close to home. Missing siblings, horrible parents... I couldn't help but relate to them, even if I didn't want to.

In...all honesty, the trials have proven to be a good way to figure out how much pressure one can take. It certainly must not be easy for the many culprits that have had to deal with us discovering their crimes. ...Mr. Bates included.

[Ugh... He's really thankful that Tarrlok was able to figure that out, but everything that followed was...unfortunate...]

I believe you've reacted about as well as anyone could expect, considering the circumstances. And...I know now that you have been doing your best to hold back. But if you truly are so concerned that you may make a misstep at some point, well... You have me to look out for you now, at least.

[He's looking at Tarrlok with a small smile. He does mean that. After everything he's heard, he is totally willing to step up and assist.]

Edited 2016-04-17 05:26 (UTC)

...yeah, I guess that's true. I really wish it wasn't something we had to be all that worried about, but...

[WELP.......]

...well, I'm going to try harder to do that now, anyway. I wouldn't say I was holding back so much as... not exactly in possession of resources that would allow me to go full tilt, but...

...

Thank you. I think... that should definitely be helpful in the future, I think. It'll take some getting used to, I'm sure, but I'll try to keep you updated if I think things might go south.

[how do friendship.]

...but really, I shouldn't do this without making sure you got something in return, so... here.

[THANKFULLY, he has pockets enough for that Equalist shock-y glove, so here it is!]

I was planning on giving it to you anyway, though, since I think you'd actually be able to maintain it.

You are most welcome. Though really, you don't need to thank me. As I said, I am happy to assist. If you would like to talk or think you need a stern talking-to, I am always a few doors away. As is Klinklang!

[So basically, that is an open invitation to decompress and pet the gears whenever needed.

How do friendship, indeed. They're trying.

As for the other bit...Colress glances curiously at the glove once it's in his hands.]

Ah- What's this now...?

[He's happy to have received a gift, but he's wondering what it does!]

...yeah, I'll definitely have to do that. I never actually thought that petting a living set of gears would be at all comforting, but here we are.

[...he's actually smiling, at least.]

...well, I got it out of the machine, but that's one of the gloves the Equalists use. I know we have some of them stored in various places as evidence, so I'm not too suspicious as to how it got there... but basically, the device in the palm is supposed to be able to crackle with electricity that's enough to stun someone. While it was... not the sort of thing I'd normally want to see, a non-lethal way of subduing someone would be incredibly useful here.

Unfortunately, it... doesn't seem to be working at the moment. When I got it, it smelled a bit like seawater, so there might be some water damage to it... or it might have been tampered with. I'm not really an electronics person, but I thought you might have the electronic know-how to actually get it to function.

Believe me, I find it surprising myself! Klinklang is the most compassionate of its species that I have ever seen. It certainly seems to have become quite attached to you!

[And Colress doesn't mind that one bit. Despite everything, Tarrlok has been nothing but kind to Klinklang.

When Tarrlok goes into detail about the glove, Colress is helpless to hold back the gleam in his eyes that follows. Or...was that a gleam in his glasses. It is a mystery. Either way, he looks pretty dang excited by this thing now.]

How marvelous! I cannot wait to get to work on it! Perhaps with the right pieces, I can replace any of the fried circuitry and get it back in working order.

[He's...grinning.

Tarrlok may have just unlocked Colress' SCIENCE!! mode or something.]

You have my utmost thanks, Tarrlok! I promise I will do my best to restore it to its former glory. [Except it was used by Equalists, so...] Well. Actually, it will at least serve a better purpose.

[He seems to be thinking about something else as he gives the glove a closer look.]

If I am able to get this to function, would that make me an honorary lightningbender?

Maybe people just don't give them enough credit? I don't know if many people would think to pet a living gear even if it was more common where you're from than where I'm from. It's definitely more of a novelty to me.

[...

...he tries not to laugh at how fuckin' cute that is, because christ, it's cute.]

...you know, I also just thought you'd really like it. I don't know if I'd quite say that, though I do seem to remember someone using them against the Equalists rather than for them, so... at least there's that.

I would say that you have more of a natural affinity to show kindness to even the most unorthodox living creatures, then. And trust me, there will be plenty of other Pokemon to pet if you decide to visit my world.

[One day he's going to tell Tarrlok that they also pet living ice cream cones where he's from. Now that's going to be quite a ride. #WelcomeToUnova

Having calmed down a bit from his SCIENCE!! trip, he shows a genuine smile of appreciation as he glances back to Tarrlok.]

You've certainly come to know my interests well. I will get to work on this right away, in preparation for the day when we meet the Kingmaker face to face.

[Because after all he's put them through, he deserves a good shock.]

...Again, thank you. This means quite a lot to me.

Please, if you do need to sit down and talk like this again, do not hesitate to seek me out. The situation that we are in is not the greatest, but despite everything, we should try to make the best of it- not continuously suffer through it.

...well, you know, it's not like I really have anything to go back to at this point. Maybe I should just think about taking a permanent vacation there.

[...he's not sure if he should actually be considering this, though. His world's definitely better off without him, but...

...

Well, no. If that's the end of things, then he should probably at least try and tell someone back home, because maybe it'll lead to a breakthrough... and then actually take responsibility. If he makes it out of this alive, anyway...]

Well, do be sure to leave some of him for me, at least. But... really, thanks for being here for me. It's nice to have someone I can count on for once.

...And really, if you ever find something bringing you down, I'd definitely be happy to reciprocate. I'm here for you too, you know? It's kind of selfish to just dump all my problems on you without offering a friendly ear in return.

[That doesn't escape Colress' notice at all.]

Ah- don't think like that! I am sure that there is something that can be done, especially now that you are aware of the problems.

[He's speaking optimistically, even though he knows it all seems really bad for Tarrlok back in his world. Look, if he has to come over there and help too, he will. No one should feel like they have nothing to go back to. ...He should probably be worrying about his own world in that regard, buuut.

The next bit pulls him into a curious silence. Tarrlok counts on him...that is definitely significant, isn't it. At this moment, he inwardly vows to make sure that it can continue to be that way.]

You are most welcome, and you will absolutely get a piece of him if I can help it. It's your glove, after all!

[...He's trying to keep a neutral expression here, but he's failing a little bit. These are all things that he is not used to hearing at all.]

Oh... You are not being selfish at all, please don't worry about that. But I will make remember the offer- it is very kind of you.

Well... maybe. I've definitely got a lot to think about, but... well, maybe I should pick up my plants if they're still there, at the very least.

[the poor things are probably super dead right now.]

...well, right. Even so, it's just right to do that, isn't it? I mean, I think at this point I'd offer regardless.

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Paper Faces on Parade

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I am so sorry for this icon

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