[Ah, alright! It's matter of time before everyone else notices the presence of a fourth one here, whose duties seem to be limited to bartending. All should be fine!]
Okay. Nice to know you exist, I guess.
[Hmmmm...say, since you're here, bartending and serving things in this boardwalk, maybe you'll know...!:]
unfortunately the bar is located in the neighborhood, not the beach area, (it's the one on the main part of the locations page), so they have no idea what akihiko is talking about. ]
The food's weird? Weird how? [ share with the class. ]
Still, he sees no reason not to share with the class. He's not embarrassed, after all! He's just starting to wonder if food will stop betraying him, now that he suffered both Jiaoqiu's spice and the Guacola, haha]
There's this beach place. One of the vending machines there gave me soda that turned me green.
[Maybe the soda has side effects he won't ever notice, such as an uncanny ability to command flying monkeys, or an affinity for starring roles in modern musicals.
But yeah, he hasn't noticed any oddities, but there's always a chance they're just invisible to him. Can't rule anything out]
Maybe the lesson here is you can't always judge something from the outside? [ there's a shrug. ] Or it's heaven's idea of a joke. Meant to make things less tense. You tell me.
I think that's kind of the cool thing about what you guys get to do. Redemption is open to interpretation as long as it falls in line with being a good person. If that's your takeaway, maybe it's not the same for someone else. But it doesn't mean the impact can be similar for both of you.
Maybe it's just the soda. Everything else is probably normal. [ probably. ]
I don't remember. I don't really know anymore. I haven't experienced normal in a long time.
[And taking any of his regular life for the last few years as 'normal' feels like he's letting it all win some victory over him, so nah. He'll just admit he doesn't know what normal is]
Since I was a kid. Seven years ago or so. Since I lost my sister, everything changed so much I haven't really been able to take a breather.
[Mostly because that's self-imposed, what with his intense quest for strength since then, and even when he got -*-*-*character development-*-*- and toned that down a little, he's still got the S.E.E.S activites to deal with. Yup, nothing normal since that event so long ago]
[ they're about to open their mouth and comment that akihiko is still, technically, a kid, but then the guy continues. and... oof. lost family members are always one of those things that are complicated to move past, no matter the relationship. ]
Guess it'd be pointless to ask if the two of you were close. [ but... ] What happened to her?
[Well, may as well talk about this. Unlike the many things involving S.E.E.S and the Dark Hour, which he's trying to keep hidden from everyone for as long as he can, he's somewhat fine with talking about his own painful past, although it's painful. It's mostly because he has accepted the role of all that in who he is now and what he does, really]
There was a fire at the orphanage we were at. She didn't make it.
[The very direct way he says that pretty much spells out it's not his favorite topic ever to talk about. Talking about the impact that had is fine, though:]
Since then I just...got myself headfirst into anything I could do to become stronger. That's why I don't really know 'normal' anymore. I lost someone extremely important to me and I have done all I can to make sure I wouldn't be powerless to stop something bad from happening again to anyone I care about.
[ oh, that was straightforward. and also sad. they were hoping that maybe it was something simple, and not painful, but that's never the way these things go. ]
Sorry to hear that. [ genuinely said. ] Sounds like it really motivated you. But you must've been a young kid when it happened, right? It's easy to say what you would do now if you'd been able to change things, but when you're in a situation like that, I think you do the best you can. [ . . . ] How do you feel about your progress so far in becoming strong?
[Akihiko doesn't seem too sure what to say to most of that, but it doesn't seem like he's unappreciative. It's a very fair way of putting it, and it's something Akihiko tries to keep in mind, because yeah, what could a young kid do in such a situation? Thankfully he's far past the time when he blamed himself about it.
Well isn't that the million question]
It's still a work in progress -- but I'm getting there.
[Mostly because he's got friends who are showing him the way despite the heavy losses he still keeps having. Power of friendship! But also could life give him a break, please? The last four or so months have been hard and also he died]
[ they tilt their head a bit, assessing him again before there's a nod. ]
Wish I could say that kind of journey's easy, but I try not to lie about that kind of thing. Especially in a place called The Confessional. [ dryly. ] And... I don't know. The thing about works in progress is they're always building. I don't know if you ever really finish growing that way.
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Okay. Nice to know you exist, I guess.
[Hmmmm...say, since you're here, bartending and serving things in this boardwalk, maybe you'll know...!:]
Do you know why the food around here is so weird?
[He sure hated becoming green]
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unfortunately the bar is located in the neighborhood, not the beach area, (it's the one on the main part of the locations page), so they have no idea what akihiko is talking about. ]
The food's weird? Weird how? [ share with the class. ]
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Still, he sees no reason not to share with the class. He's not embarrassed, after all! He's just starting to wonder if food will stop betraying him, now that he suffered both Jiaoqiu's spice and the Guacola, haha]
There's this beach place. One of the vending machines there gave me soda that turned me green.
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A soda... you sure it wasn't something else? Maybe that was just a coincidence. Did it do anything else to you?
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[Maybe the soda has side effects he won't ever notice, such as an uncanny ability to command flying monkeys, or an affinity for starring roles in modern musicals.
But yeah, he hasn't noticed any oddities, but there's always a chance they're just invisible to him. Can't rule anything out]
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Ah, think you've got a wart starting to grow in riiiight there.
[ he does not. this is a joke. akihiko is fine and the bartender has looped around to thinking this is a little funny. ]
Guess it's a good thing it was mostly harmless.
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Mmm.
[Having made a mental note to take a better look later, Akihiko shrugged]
Perhaps it's meant to give some sort of 'lesson' or guidance for redemption. Don't ask me how, though.
[He has no idea what it'd be, he just is pretty sure a lot of the oddities in heaven can be chalked to the whole redemption plan]
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[And those who keep eating random foods with weird effects don't get as many redemption points as everyone else. That's it, mystery solved]
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Maybe it's just the soda. Everything else is probably normal. [ probably. ]
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[It's not like he's had normal in a loooong time, anyway. While he was alive abnormal things happened literally every night, after all]
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What counted as normal for you, back where you came from?
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[And taking any of his regular life for the last few years as 'normal' feels like he's letting it all win some victory over him, so nah. He'll just admit he doesn't know what normal is]
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[Mostly because that's self-imposed, what with his intense quest for strength since then, and even when he got -*-*-*character development-*-*- and toned that down a little, he's still got the S.E.E.S activites to deal with. Yup, nothing normal since that event so long ago]
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Guess it'd be pointless to ask if the two of you were close. [ but... ] What happened to her?
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[Well, may as well talk about this. Unlike the many things involving S.E.E.S and the Dark Hour, which he's trying to keep hidden from everyone for as long as he can, he's somewhat fine with talking about his own painful past, although it's painful. It's mostly because he has accepted the role of all that in who he is now and what he does, really]
There was a fire at the orphanage we were at. She didn't make it.
[The very direct way he says that pretty much spells out it's not his favorite topic ever to talk about. Talking about the impact that had is fine, though:]
Since then I just...got myself headfirst into anything I could do to become stronger. That's why I don't really know 'normal' anymore. I lost someone extremely important to me and I have done all I can to make sure I wouldn't be powerless to stop something bad from happening again to anyone I care about.
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Sorry to hear that. [ genuinely said. ] Sounds like it really motivated you. But you must've been a young kid when it happened, right? It's easy to say what you would do now if you'd been able to change things, but when you're in a situation like that, I think you do the best you can. [ . . . ] How do you feel about your progress so far in becoming strong?
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Well isn't that the million question]
It's still a work in progress -- but I'm getting there.
[Mostly because he's got friends who are showing him the way despite the heavy losses he still keeps having. Power of friendship! But also could life give him a break, please? The last four or so months have been hard and also he died]
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Wish I could say that kind of journey's easy, but I try not to lie about that kind of thing. Especially in a place called The Confessional. [ dryly. ] And... I don't know. The thing about works in progress is they're always building. I don't know if you ever really finish growing that way.
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[He says that, but he's paying full attention, that's for sure, like he's trying to commit that to heart]
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[Hah, as if that'd stop Akihiko for real]
Thanks. You gave some things to think about. I'll come back someday, if you don't mind.
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I do serve soda, juice and water if that's what you're worried about. But sure, man. I'll be here all... eternity, I guess.