[Video/Action]

[cuteshit]

[The video feed shows Kanji leaning against the counter in the diner, his chin in hand as he props himself up on one elbow. He's still wearing his blue apron, but it looks like he's been taking a break from his usual clean-up duties for a little while now, frowning to himself thoughtfully.]

I got a question for you, Wonderland. Riley an' I were talkin' about events awhile back, and I've been thinkin' about it ever since. A lot of 'em have been pretty rough lately, right? But sometimes you hear people say that they're not always bad, that sometimes they're kinda fun. People seem to be havin' a rough time lately, so maybe it's time we thought about some of the positives of Wonderland, instead. Long as we're stuck here, we might as well.

So, tell me: what events have you seen here that you really liked? Maybe someone's asked this before, but if they did, I missed out on it. I heard there were a bunch of puppies once, that sounds like it was probably a good one. I thought Hogwarts was pretty fun, but I know it wasn't like that for everyone. If you can't think of any events you liked, maybe just talk about some of the good stuff that mighta happened to you here. Friends you've made you wouldn't have gotten to meet elsewhere, stuff like that.

I'll be in the diner all day if anyone wants to talk in person.

[Later in the afternoon, anyone who comes into the diner will find that he's abandoned his post at the counter, having taken up residence in a corner booth with his mop and bucket resting against the wall nearby. He's made himself comfortable in the booth itself, sitting length-wise with his feet sticking out of the end, several sheets of paper spread out across the table with the Rabbit Hole's basic menu next to them as a reference. There are a few scrapped attempts already-- sketches in colored pencil of menu designs he's decided he doesn't like, but it's pretty clear that he's undertaken a Project.]

Comments

[video]

[cuteshit]

Uh, don't know her personally, but I've seen her on the network. She seems cool.

[He's been a little shy about responding to any of those entries, but maybe someday.]

Do you seriously poke 'em with sticks? Is that-- I dunno, safe?

[video]

[adaptiveimmunities]

Yeah, she's okay. Kind of a pain when she's on a story, though. [Fair warning.]

Yeah, I do, and no it's not. But people seem to find it entertaining, so. [He shrugs.]

[cuteshit]

[Good to know.]

This might be kind of a dumb question, but-- why?

[He has to know. Why sticks?]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[He shrugs again.] Fun and profit, mostly. I was always the kind of kid who liked to turn over rocks to see what crawled out from underneath, and messing with zombies is good ratings. I'm pretty good at it--obviously, because I'm still alive to keep at it.

[cuteshit]

Ratings? Like-- some kinda TV show?

[That gives him an unwelcome flashback or two.]

People get into some weird things for entertainment.

[adaptiveimmunities]

No shit, right?

I mean, I guess it's close to what used to be reality TV, except it's way more real. As in I'm really risking my neck to play with zombies for other people's entertainment. But it's all on my blog, not mainstream media.

[cuteshit]

I'm guessin' that means you've got a hell of a lot of followers.

[This guy is insane.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

My ratings were pretty good, yeah. That and merchandise sales help keep our site running. I'm not in the field a lot anymore, but any hints that I might come out of retirement send out ratings through the roof again, so I guess I'm still pretty popular.

[cuteshit]

Think you'll come outta retirement for real when you go back home?

[adaptiveimmunities]

Hard saying. I don't really see it happening, though. Part of what brings in the ratings is seeing the idiot risking his life actually enjoying himself while he does it, and I'm not having fun anymore.

[cuteshit]

Yeah? Something happen to make it not fun?

[He can't help being curious. If Shaun had enjoyed it, what changed?]

I'd ask if it just got boring, but... seems like that'd be tough, messing around with zombies.

[adaptiveimmunities]

You'd be right. There's nothing boring about messing with zombies. But someone infected my sister with live-state virus about a year ago and I had to shoot her to keep her from amplifying. Kind of sucked the fun out of the whole thing.

[cuteshit]

... shit.

[Shit.]

I'm sorry. That's-- damn. Nobody should hafta go through that.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Thanks.

[Sorry doesn't mean a whole lot to him most of the time, but he gets that it's what people say, and he's pretty much stopped biting people's heads off about it.]

Not my favorite memory. But she's alive here, so I guess there's a silver lining in everything.

[cuteshit]

[Unfortunately, there's just not much else to say. How do you make something like that better for someone?]

That's good. I mean, Wonderland sure as shit ain't perfect, but that's one hell of a silver lining. There are a few other people here like that, too, I think-- things didn't work out so great for them back home, and Wonderland is a second chance. I'm glad you got each other.

[adaptiveimmunities]

[There's nothing else to say, really, which is why he's stopped yelling about it. Plus it's not the immediate aftermath, where the 'I'm sorrys' came so often he couldn't stand to hear them anymore.]

Yeah. It's good she's here. It will make waking up a lot shittier, but it's not like I wouldn't go back anyway.

[cuteshit]

[Kanji frowns again, thoughtful.]

So you wouldn't stay here, even if you had the chance to choose?

[adaptiveimmunities]

I have stuff to do back home. The story my sister and I were working on is huge. I can't just abandon it.

[cuteshit]

[He nods, understanding.]

You've got a purpose. Can't give it up. I get that.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Yeah, that's about right. Maybe if the story was finished it would be easier to just disappear into fantasyland, but. [He shrugs.]

[cuteshit]

It's good that you can remember what's important to you, even if it would be a hell of a lot easier to let it go and do somethin' else instead.

[A lot of people, he thinks, would opt to do just that, if they knew they were heading back to a crappy future otherwise.]

You got guts.

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun snickers, though it's not exactly full of good humor.]

Well, no one has ever accuse me of not having guts. And yeah, it would be easier to just... not, but I know she'd never forgive me.

[cuteshit]

The right choice is usually harder. I've been learnin' that the last couple of years.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Yeah? That something you're learning here, or back home?

[cuteshit]

Back home, but I'm tryin' to make sure I don't forget it while I'm here. It doesn't come up as much, but it's real important.