The Human Paradox

[madginger]

WHO: Max, Billy, Robin + anyone else left
WHERE: the bar of the Peanut Party
WHAT: Saying goodbye
WHEN: Before leaving
WARNINGS: Panic attacks, grief, course language, upcoming violence


Welcome to my delirium - open to anyone
Max listens to everything, to their options, to the explanations, and feels the world shift as she does. For a second, it feels like she's going to pass out - please no - so she reaches out to steady herself.

Go home. She can't even begin to process the conflicting fear and grief with the elation of maybe seeing Lucas and El again. Seeing Will, Mike, Dustin, Steve, Nancy - her friends. But, she's also made friends here, and there are some she'll never see again, no matter what. There's also knowing the first thing she's going to deal with when she returns is Vecna part. Her heart thuds in her chest, painfully and she finds herself gulping in air.

Sure, she could go into the open with everyone at the bars, maybe that would help, but she's embarrassed at the lack of courage. Not that she doesn't want to face and fight Vecna - she does. She wants to rip a hole through his damned chest for everything he's done to all of them, their home. But right now, Max needs to rely an older tactic of hers. She runs. She finds a small, hidden away, dark area and breaks into frightened, torn sobs. Collapsed into a ball, head buried in her knees, she cries in a way she's not accustomed to. Max hates it, hearing herself, feeling the heat on her face, but she can't seem to stop it, either.

She knows what she has to do, and she suspects what Billy is going to do. She won't deny him, hell, she would encourage him to go with Tommy, but it's a little bit like losing him all over again.

When she finally cries it out and feels stronger, she stands up with the knowledge at least Billy will be alive somewhere, and get the happy ending he always deserved but was robbed of. She can live with that.

No matter what, she's taking her memories with her, the offered crystal, the chance to return once in a while, and she's taking some time to say farewell, first. She manages to find one last piece of paper, and a pen that's survived.

Her eyes are still red, but she forces a smile as she starts to approach people she wants to say goodbye to. Max reaches out to touch an arm, first, then gives a silent hug.


Dear Billy, 2.0 - closed to Billy

When she's ready, Max breathes in, deeply, and starts to look for Billy. No matter what, they need to say goodbye, but she can't pretend she doesn't clench her hands into fists and that her feet feel like lead. It takes everything she has, because she doesn't want to speak to him for the last time.

And what did Max take time to write? The letter she plans to give Billy as they part ways?

Dear Billy,
I had this letter for you from home, but when I came back I couldn't find it. It was kind of terrible, anyway, and I was planning to burn it. It was from my heart when I first wrote it, but after we met here on Agra-10 and reconciled, it felt immature when I reread it.

Maybe it's best I couldn't find it. Now, you get this one.

We both know I have to go home, and I can't promise you things are going to end well, but I can promise I'm going to fight with everything I have. I can promise you I'm never going to forget having you as a brother here. I'm not going to forget how far we both came.

I also suspect you're going to go home with Tommy. I want you to go with the knowledge I'll be fine, and that I'll always cherish the extra time we got to steal from the universe. You deserve that happiness, especially after how hard you've worked, and how you were robbed back home. Take this second chance. Don't make me push you.

I'm probably going to say some of this, but I want you to have it in writing, to take with you, since this is probably the last thing I'll be able to give you. The last things I'll get to say to you.

You became the big brother I always wanted. You earned this. Don't you ever forget that. Every time you question that, and we know you will, read this and remind yourself how much you struggled, how much you changed. Remember the fact you became a good person. That was a choice you made. Remember I'm somewhere back in Hawkins, alive and well, thinking of my brother, and my brother-in-law, somewhere living a better life.

Love, your shitty little sister,
Max


Step right into pandemonium - closed to Robin
Sure, they weren't that close back home, but after spending time together on Agra-10, the ships, this whole adventure, she feels far more sentimental about her, closer to her, so Max decides to at least speak to her before she takes the final steps to leave.

"Hey, Robin," she calls out and waves to her as she approaches. "So, I can't turn away from what's happening back in Hawkins. But I wanted to check in and see what you're thinking."

Comments

[madginger]

Max frowns to that, twists up her lips and voices, "Shame," which is probably unnecessary.

Then her eyes flicker back to the wings as she adds, "Still cool, though."

She puts her hands behind her head then asks, "What else did you do here? Other than look out for people? I didn't do much beyond skateboard around and pilot a ship."

[3wingedangel]

He nods, and then sighs. "That is mostly what I did. Including trying to catch the serial killers that were at large." He is still frustrated that took so long.

[madginger]

That gets Max's head to snap back in Sephiroth's direction.

"Thanks for helping with that. One of my friends was targeted by those dicks."

[3wingedangel]

A nod. "I'm pleased we were finally able to catch them before anyone actually died. But I'm sorry so many were hurt by their nonsense."

[madginger]

Max's eyes trail down for a moment.

"Luckily, they didn't kill her, but they really hurt her. I would have liked to have stopped them myself." And maybe hit them with a bat a bit.

[3wingedangel]

"I fully understand. Had they harmed my loved ones, I might not have restrained myself as much as I did when we fought at last.

"Has your friend fully recovered?"

[madginger]

Max nods her head, first.

"Yeah. She has...at least physically. I think it's a little harder to recover from things like that on a mental level."

[3wingedangel]

"It is," Sephiroth agrees. "I'm not certain they ever are fully recovered from mentally or emotionally."

He is still suffering from the deep scars of losing his friend and feeling like what happened was his fault.

[madginger]

Max's eyes study Sephiroth for the second, then flicker down, before they rise back to him.

"Sounds like you have experience with that," she says with sympathy in her tone.

[3wingedangel]

"Yes," Sephiroth says quietly. "Although I believe most people, at some point in their lives, have such an experience that affects them deeply to their very soul."

[madginger]

"Yeah," Max agrees with a shrug. "But that's personal. Sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense, to me. Then others...it's haunting just to hear about."

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth nods. Some experiences definitely sound worse than others, to him.

"... I haven't decided yet whether I shall ever return here for a visit," he muses. "Do you feel you will?"

Having mostly felt like an outsider to the end, he's not sure if there's a point in returning. Anyone he wants to see, he can probably visit them in their worlds instead.

[madginger]

Thinking about what she has to do, first, Max closes her eyes, then, slowly, nods her head. After all, she can't visit the people she met here any other way.

"Yeah. I want to make sure they'll be okay. Want to see everyone again, if they also visit." She'll never get to see some of them again, she knows that, but it will help keep her connected to a time that mattered to her.

"Why haven't you decided, yet? Something holding you back?"

[3wingedangel]

"I don't know if anyone would want to see me," he says honestly. "Except perhaps Radley, and Knuckles.... Maybe a couple of others.... And I can teleport under normal circumstances, so I could probably visit them in their worlds. I suppose ... I would like to see Agra-10 at least once, however.... I would like to know it's coming along alright."

[madginger]

"That's my view on it. After everything we did, we deserve to know if they're going to manage, right?" Max asks with a half shrug as she starts to smile.

"I'd like to see you, too. If you can figure out where Hawkins, Indiana is, you can stop by any time you like. Though...I guess there's not much appeal to visiting."

[3wingedangel]

A nod. “We most certainly do.”

A smile. “I would be happy to visit.”

I'm looking to wrap these soon, if that's ok with you?

[madginger]

"Then...I'll warn you, we've got a monster psychopath that haunts kids' minds to torture them and kill them currently wrecking havoc over there, but you're welcome to visit whenever you like."

Max figures anyone deserves that warning before making their way to Hawkins.

Yeah, that’s fine.

[3wingedangel]

How pleasant.

“Perhaps if it’s still causing trouble when I come, I can help defeat it.”

He hated the thought of leaving something like that roaming around.

[madginger]

Max's eyes widen a little and she looks at Sephiroth with renewed interest.

"Wait...you would do that for someone you barely know, and a world that you don't know? Just come defeat something preying on them?"

[3wingedangel]

He nodded. "I did things such as that for years."

[madginger]

Max is just quiet for a moment.

"Well, if you come, and we're still fighting that monster, you're more than welcome to assist. We've been struggling with him for years. And we'll owe you one."

[3wingedangel]

He nods. "Then I will be sure to try to come soon. I hate for anyone to be terrorized by something for so long."

[madginger]

Max frowns at stares at Sephiroth with uncertainty.

"And how are you going to find our world?"

[3wingedangel]

"I have ways," he says. "I have been to many worlds. Speaking with someone from there should enable me to gather information in their aura to locate the world's coordinates. If I have your permission to proceed with that."

[madginger]

"If you can defeat the asshole that's been terrorizing us? Then yeah, of course. You have my permission." Max can't begin to explain her level of desperation there.