deadly_ned | 008

So.

As a first time Warden more or less mentoring a first time Inmate, there's this very important question that's been hovering menacingly near my head for the last few days like a demonic little helicopter and I would be remiss if I didn't at least ask it, even if I'm sure it's obvious to the more seasoned Wardens, Inmates, what have you.

...Is an Inmate's happiness more important than their graduation?

If you had to choose one, I mean.

And I think I should also ask to Inmates because I don't...like the unspoken divide and communication is usually an effective bridge over most divides..

What do you need from your warden to be happier?

[Private to Claire Bennet, Jesse Pinkman, the Marquis de Sade, and Megamind as a group]

Someone happened to tell me you're a dog person.

I'm trying to..rehome my dog, Digby. My Inmate is scared of them and it's probably best if Digby and I separated until my Inmate graduates. And I'd like to find someone to...borrow him, or take him, but if I don't find someone he'll have to go home and we've never been separated and I'm feeling a little...clingy.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

deadly_ned

I. Uh.

I'm sorry. My mind is sort of...inclined to take things in their literal meaning.

It's good that you weren't physically beaten.

From:

fuckingvisions

I'm big on figures o' speech and such man. I'll try to keep this in mind with you.

Yeah, so what about you. Not were you beaten, I mean how was your childhood and such.

From:

deadly_ned

Thank you. I do like metaphors, I just. They sort of blow up in my head.

It was a childhood until it wasn't anymore. It probably stopped when I was around nine.

From:

fuckingvisions

It happens to the best o' us man.

Mind me askin' what happened? If it's too personal you ain't gotta share but nine's awful early for a childhood to end.

From:

deadly_ned

My mother died. And when my mother died my father dropped me at a boarding school and I didn't see him again.

No, I did see him one time before that. He sent me a postcard telling me he'd moved away and when I went to go see the new house I saw his new family and his two new, younger sons.

He abandoned them, too. Maurice and Ralston. My...twin half brothers who are magicians and like to call me Frere Piemaker.

From:

fuckingvisions

Damn man, your dad sounds like a real peice o' work there. Not to be insultin' I ain't got a high opinion o' father's myself.

You have my condolences on the loss o' your mother though, even if it was years ago I doubt that kinda pain ever really quits.

People must love callin' you on your profession huh?

From:

deadly_ned

He is a real piece of work. A really...really terrible, jagged piece without soft corners or love.

It doesn't. Didn't. It still. Yes.

...They...I don't mind that so much as I do the magician part of it. My dad...used to do magic tricks.

From:

fuckingvisions

Fuck him, you're better off without him.

I figured as much, I'm not really great with this stuff but if you need someone to talk to man, just look me up.

Well, so you dislike magic because of him or that he might have passed that to them?

From:

deadly_ned

I know. I know I was. It took less than the twenty years between then and now but I'm aware.

No. But. Thank you. I'm not...the best at talking. Don't need to. Thank you again.

...Both...?

From:

fuckingvisions

So I gotta ask this, do you feel you would have been better never knowing him or seeing the type of man he is as you do now?

Not a problem, I understand. I'm not either I just try to be there for those I count as friends and you're getting there man. Even if we've not seen face to face you're clearly good people.

Both are understandable, but sometimes magic can be really helpful. If they have the gift have you tried to see if you do?

From:

deadly_ned

I would have been better never knowing him. He brought nothing good into my life and left only bad memories and an unclear future with no guidance.

I'm getting there? I'm getting where?

There is no gift. It's an illusion. It's all a trick. Illusions aren't helpful, it's entertainment.

From:

fuckingvisions

[ Doyle was silent a moment weighing those words.] Then let his bad vibes hurt you no more. I mean I know thats harder said then done but maybe use this place to try and better yourself and be everything you want to be without any of those hang ups?

To bein' counted in the very few I call my friends. [ Doyle's nice to mostly everyone but only a few of them does he really count as friends.] So Ned, next question, are you a card player at all?

Where I come from magic is very much real.

From:

deadly_ned

I do try. I used to write angry letters to my future self telling me to never forgive him. They were these little...furious time capsules.

I can...sort of play? I mean. I once accidentally...lost at cards during an undercover mission with Chinese gangsters but I'm not much of a gambler.

[Where the Piemaker came from, his magic was very much real, too. Specifically he had the ability to bring back the dead. But instead of sharing this relevant information with his newfound friend, the Piemaker only said; ]

That's....interesting.

I mean.

Magic does...exist here, too.

From:

fuckingvisions

That's a cry for help if I ever heard one. Tell me you stopped doin' that, right?

...So that means out of practice? Fair enough and you sir have a very interesting life just from what I gather. So, soon you'll be gettin' called to meet a bunch o' guys I know and play some cards. Be ready yeah? It's kinda whenever were all free and not half dead or busy, so there's no set time.

[ One day maybe they can share more on that, for now this was more then enough.]

Well, I come from a rather interestin' world. It's home though. [ Not that he has ANY intention of ever going back.]

So how come you say your brothers stuff is illusions if magic be real.

From:

deadly_ned

I did. Not that anyone caught me, I just...stopped. Got tired of it.

You want me to...join your card game? I don't. I don't have much to gamble. At all, really.

What makes your world interesting?

....It can be real here. On the Barge. But magic is only magic if you don't know the secret behind it.

From:

fuckingvisions

Makes perfect sense if you ask me. Getting tired o' it. You can only hate yourself so much man. [ Hypocrite, thy name is Doyle.]

We don't gamble money, were all broke. Its usually favors or truths. Strange stuff but its mostly just to play the games. Theres a few not even of Earth which its a bit fun to learn their games.

The monsters, any monster you've read about Godzilla aside is probably real in our world. A lot of people don't know because they refuse to look. But there's those o' us that stand against it and protect people. Which is what my friend back home did, fight the good fight anyway you can and such.

Even if you do know the secert sometimes it's still magic.

From:

deadly_ned

I don't hate myself. I do...hate him. I hated my brothers until I met them.

Truths? What sort of truths?

You're monster hunters?

....I...sometimes. But there isn't magic. Not where I come from.

From:

fuckingvisions

Sorry if I read that with the time capsules wrong then. So are you and your brothers at least getting along well?

We haven't had to do that one yet but kind of like the whole childish truth or dare stuff I guess. Easy enough if it's too personal to tell someone to fuck off. No need to worry.

Something like that, I'm more the monster hunter's side kick.

Let's just let that go. No need to argue over stuff like that, yeah?

From:

deadly_ned

We...try. We're still in a getting-to-know-you grace period. I helped...solve a murder of a mentor of theirs. That...seemed to help.

I'm not worried.

[He was]

....Right. You're right. And you...still seem like you're involved with very dangerous monster-hunting activity. That's impressive. And horrifying.

From:

fuckingvisions

That would certainly help bridge the gap a bit. I'm curious again, you're a pie maker. You've mentioned that so when does a pie maker have time to solve murders and go undercover with Chinese gangsters? You sound like a busy man.

Good, I'll let you know when the game is.

[ Don't worry, Doyle will be dodging truths as much he can.]

I can't be wrong all the time. [ He chuckled a bit.] Once you fall into a life style it kind of keeps you. I figure the more lives I help save the more I atone.

From:

deadly_ned

The, um. The murders are just an occasional thing, on the side. They usually almost...solve themselves.

Can I...bring my inmate along?

Atone for...what, exactly?

From:

fuckingvisions

Whatever brings in money, is worth doing if you ask me. And if it helps people more power to it. You're lucky, our cases were always a pain in the ass to solve. Angel the friend I mentioned most of our monster fighting was done through the detective agency he had. And before you ask no, I'm not a detective.

Sure, the more the merrier.

We all have mistakes we made, some are just worse then others. You ever been asked for help and then realize that the choice you made was the wrong choice?

From:

deadly_ned

What are you,? If..not a detective, I mean.

...occasionally. I try..not to make a habit of it but sometimes it's.

Difficult.

You don't usually get do-overs.

From:

fuckingvisions

I'm... It's complicated. It requires goin' into a bit more then I usually just tell people on the network but for now consider me an outside source that had connections that helped said detective.

That's a bit of an understatement.

Yeah, it's strange gettin' such isn't it?

From:

deadly_ned

That sounds....oddly similar to what I do for a private investigator. I'm sure it's, um. It's probably not the same thing, but....freelance detective work is something I'm familiar with.

It is. I'm still waiting for the rug to be yanked out from under me but for now I've decided to enjoy the ride.