forum Halp- boredom sucks- (Open OxO)

Started April 13, 2023 by @lord-of-the-carnival group

tune

Dustin huffs, moving back and summoning a platform of metal underneath his feet, “Probably.” He mutters, “But still, I have a job to do.”

Renata looks at the platform with sadness before crumpling it - harmlessly but tightly - around his legs, leaving her just slightly winded.

"Your 'job' is protecting a flawed government that at any moment can turn into a dictatorship if the wrong people get power. Hell, the wrong people have gotten power. Do you understand? You are protecting the people that have turned us against each other. They break friendships and lives with little effort. They can't even distinguish friend from foe anymore!" she says passionately.

Dustin puses the metal away from his legs, vracing his feet, "I know! But you're going about doing it all wrong, Ren!"

"And you're not doing anything at all, Dust!" Renata says sharply. "At least I'm trying to alter the system!"

Dustin sighs, "Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm never going to do anything. There are more peaceful ways to change things!"

"We've tried peace! Look at human history, Dust! Mountains of corpses followed by these so-called 'Golden Eras' which are really just fronts for patriarchal bullshiterry and murder. Look at where America is right now! We're following the same pattern that's happened in history before. NOTHING is changing! So I'm making it change." Renata growls.

“What you’re saying makes sense, Ren, but you doing stuff isn’t going to change it! Humans will still become corrupt! There’s no way around it. So why don’t you just live instead of Bo stupid things like this?”

"You know why I can't just live with this, Dust. You, out of everyone. I grew up in a damn trailer park! I got into juvie at 11! I saw firsthand at a young age what the real world was like. Developing powers added an extra layer of hell, but you know what I did? I tried to use them to help. You know I worked in construction for a while there. That's when I realized how truly, deeply fucked the system was. Whenever I tried to do my own thing to help, it got backlash to the point where they passed laws to regulate people like us. So no, I can't just fucking 'live,' Dustin, because 'living' is an impossibility. It doesn't matter if people will still be corrupt - I will do everything in my power to change that." Renata growls.

Dustin sighs, “There are other ways of doing that, Ren. . .” He whispers, looking away, rubbing the back of his neck, “I just don’t see why you have to do it like this. I don’t want to fight you, you’re my friend, and I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt, I don’t want to have to be the one to drag you to prison. MY life wasn’t a piece of cake either.”

Dustin was right, having struggled constantly with his gift and his family being to poor to pay the bills or put their son in a proper school so he could learn to control it, Dustin was stuck in the backyard, learning his own limitations. He’d passed out only God knew how many times from it. He’d been rushed to the hospital so many times because if it. Eventually, they learned that his gift va used him to have an iron deficency in his blood.

On top of that, he had spontaneous bleeding from his Hempophila B, and they had to take care of that. Money was really tight with them in their tiny, reeking and rotting apartment. He could still rember the rats that lived in the living room. He looks back up at Renata, crossing his arms, “And yet I still lead a ‘lawful’ life, I make enough money to live by, making small changes at a time.”

"Like what? Sitting around and blandly staring at the people who abuse their power daily? Wait for everyone to try and nuke each other and watch as the missiles blaze their songs through the air, mixed with sirens and screams? Or maybe watch my friends die because the government couldn't care less about healthcare? Should I do any of that?" Renata glares. "And besides, they've tried putting me in prison. There are no cells that can hold me."

She pauses, and continues more gently. "And I know your life wasn't easy. But the way you're going about things, it will continue to be hard. My way may be 'villainous' and 'despicable,' but I do not harm those who are innocent, nor do I kill - which is more than can be said for any government. Your 'small changes,' as you call them, will only lead you to bleed out because you ran out of money for the hospital."

Dustin sighs, “I don’t blandly stare at them, Ren. I’m trying to climb the ranks so I can change it, you know. . . The legal way. And I’m sure they’ll eventually find a way to keep you in prison. It only takes time.”

He looks down, silent, biting his lip slightly, “My life is not as hard as it used to be, because I’ve made decisions to get me where I am now. I’ll figure more out. I’m just trying to get high enough for them to listen to me.”

"Then you're a fool who will die because he can't make the hard choices in life." Renata says quietly.

Dustin laughs softly, “You know me, I avoid conflict when at all possible. It’s safer for me, you know. Less of a chance for me to get hurt. Something that may just cause you to bleed a tiny bit could kill me, so you know. . .. I don’t wanna die.”

"Even if you avoid conflict, that doesn't mean conflict will avoid you, Dust." she retorts. "That's not how the world works. The world isn't fair to the little nobodies like you, who try and get to the top and fail, so they become bitter and abuse whatever power they currently have."

Dustin huffs, “I’m not like most people, Ren.”

"Everyone thinks that. I thought that. Guess what? NOBODY is special. Nobody. Whatever you're going through, at least one person has gone through it, is going through it, and/or will go through it. Like me. The only diference between them and us is that some of us are villains, while most of them are martyrs." Renata growls.

Reo shrugs, “Look, I don’t want to be on the run my whole life! I don’t want to be hiding from the law!”

"Then you're just hiding in it! You're literally being your own biggest obstacle! Don't you want to be able to live without fear of even a tiny little scrape? Don't you want to be able to see a world where hunger and poverty are concepts long past? A world where nobody is judged based on gender, race or sexuality?" Renata pleads.

“Of course I do!” He growls, “But either way I’d have to fear a tiny scrape! I’d have to fear about being close to passing out! I just don’t want to add on the run from the law and always having to hide to my list of worries.”

"You would be able to get the help you need, Dust! Think about it! This isn't just about me, or anyone else! You may not be special but I still care about helping your sorry ass out!" Renata retorts.

Dustin shifts on his feet, staying silent.

"Please, Dustin. . . I don't need a fighter, alright? I just need someone who agrees. Someone I know will stand by me." Renata says softly. But she knew what his answer would be.

She could see it. He was unconvinced.

He looks at her, silent for a moment, then he sighs, “Fine.” He crosses his arms, “But only because you’re my friend. Not that I agree with what you’re doing.”

Renata looks stunned.

"Wait- you looked-?" she starts before stopping. She tries to start several more times but can't. So she just stares at Dustin for a moment.

"You're serious?" she asks after a couple seconds.

“Yes. You’ve not convinced me to believe in what you’re doing. But you’re my friend, and I don’t want to fight you. So fine.”