vivarium | A Graveyard Smash

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A Graveyard Smash

Happy Halloween Vivarium!

The day will start not with Calhoun, thankfully, but with Monster Mash playing. Well, that's cute. That's what you might think if it didn't play again immediately afterwards. Then again. And again. It won't stop all day, enjoy.

Anyone who goes to the first floor warehouse will be greeted by the entire room decked out in the cheapest, cheesiest Halloween decorations available- plastic bats that vibrate angrily, ghosts that make obnoxious sounds and lights when passed, orange and black streamers every five feet.

Calhoun is sitting at his equally decked out shop, dressed in a little witch outfit. When anyone approaches he'll seem pretty upbeat.

"Happy Halloween, Test Subjects! I figured you sorry lot would enjoy a little festivity, so here you go! Don't say I don't do anything for you ungrateful subjects."

"I have a little gift for you too! Seeing as it's Halloween and all, I thought hey, why not play a little trick or treat? In this case with memories! So here's the deal, everyone gets a free memory, but I'm gonna guarantee you here it's going to be a spoooooooky one!"

He cackles. "Of course that can mean a loooooot of things, huh? Your choice! Just go through door number one over here-" He gestures to the door always used when people are taken away for memories. "-or just sit back and enjoy! Boy, it sure will be interesting to see what people pick! I'm on the edge of my seat here."

Shockingly he isn't.

BASIC INFO ✖ MEMORY ✖ MINGLE

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"Because of his dad," said Heiji. "His dad was a driving instructor -- a really good one, but strict. One day he died in an accident, and the cause was ruled to be drunk driving. But this guy, he always figured there had to be more to it. That's why he joined the police: he wanted to find out the truth behind his father's death.

"And he did... he found out that six of his dad's students staged a nasty practical joke. It went bad, and that's what killed his father. Sakata killed four of the former students while taking advantage of his position as an officer on the force. He told me all of that, and then he took out his service revolver and put it to his temple. Cause he was cornered, see? Now that he'd told me about it..."

Jesus, what a story already. Hershel listened quietly, frowning more and more as the story got darker. By the time it reached putting the gun to his temple his brow was furrowed.

"I can't believe... No, I suppose things like this happen every day." He frowned, shaking his head. "I'm guessing you tried to stop him, is that when you got shot?"

Heiji nodded. "I tackled him, and pulled the trigger until all the bullets were spent. But there were a few fuel cans in there, and it started a fire. I got hit in the abdomen, he got hit in the leg... but he was alive. The pain was pretty intense, but... then he said something about how he was sorry he got me involved.

"That's when I couldn't take it any more. I hauled him to his feet, yelled at him about how he wasn't fit to call himself a police officer... and then I dragged him out of the warehouse through the rising flames."

Of course there was a fire, of course, it's Heiji why wouldn't there be a fire along with all the gun drama. Hershel stared a moment, not as surprised as he would have been even a month ago but still.

"I... can see why stab wounds would be easy to work through, if you can do all that with a gunshot. Goodness, Heiji, how on earth do you get involved with things like this?" He's a weird mix of impressed and concerned. "Did you remember anything after? Maybe your family came for you."

"Well..." said Heiji, "I mean in this case, I get the feeling I ain't had to confront Sakata. Actually, I guess you could say it wasn't such a great idea?"

Have a bit of a self-conscious laugh, Hershel. "But... I really felt like I had to do it by myself. I cared about what happened to him. I mean, he was a police officer -- ! In Japan, they're one of the very few people who can carry firearms. That's because the public trusts them implicitly. And yet he abused that trust for a personal vendetta! There's no excuse for what he did."

He turned away and frowned at the edge of the room for a moment or two. "...I remember hearing sirens as we got past the flames. So there were probably emergency workers and the police."

"Heiji..." Hershel sounded very much like he wanted to get into a scolding but instead pushed on. Frankly reliving being shot was probably punishment enough. "Well, I can see why you did it. It wasn't a morally bad thing to do by any means, you're right just... I wish you'd be more careful."

At least no one had a gun here, right...? "What I don't understand is why he couldn't arrest these boys or bring them to justice officially. He must have been sure it was them to go to such lengths, surely there must have been some evidence?" Was it ever that simple? "Ah, so that woman from the first memory, do you remember what happened to her?"

So no family memory. That sucked. "Are you alright? This must have been harrowing."

Heiji looked a bit subdued. "Yeah, well. He wasn't just some police officer, you know. He was a friend. That's probably why I did it."

"But they weren't boys. They were adults who sat on the knowledge of what they did for a good 20 years. One of them was even a city councilman. Anyway, that auntie from the first memory? I think she probably died."

His right hand wandered back over the location of the old scar again. "I'll be okay. It was just that remembering it all of a sudden was kind of like getting shot all over again. I could feel the heat from the fire."

That made it that much sadder. Hershel frowned deeply before reaching over and putting a hand on Heiji's arm in support. "Well, you could hardly be blamed for going after a friend then, as ill advised as it was. It- I'm sorry. I can't imagine finding out a friend did something like that then having to be the one to stop them." Then getting shot.

Heavy shit, and Monster Mash playing in the background really just added to the scene. "I suppose justice isn't always that easy." He sighed, sitting back a bit. "Heiji, are you glad you got this memory back? I guess it's a strange sort of thing to ask but do you think it was worth it in the end?"

Heiji smiled back at Hershel a little, although he did have to think about the question for a second.

"Yeah, it was. I mean, I'm sure it'd be different for everyone else, but I'd rather know about it than not." He frowned a little. "I'd never want to go through my life not remembering who Sakata was, even if that meant I had to feel that pain all over again. He was important. And I think what I was feeling when I hauled him up out of that warehouse was also important. I found out about something that really matters to me."

He rubbed at the side of his face with one hand. "Besides, people are a sum of their memories. When I get back a memory I lost, I feel like I'm getting a little closer to the person I was before I got in here."

Suddenly, his demeanor changed and he was all energy again. "Oh, but -- I mean, that's just for me. Don't feel like you have to go in there; it's pretty scary."

Hershel nodded as Heiji spoke, looking thoughtful after a moment. "It makes you wonder what we really are now, if people are the sum of their memories."

"I think you're right though, no matter how hard it was it sounds important that you remembered this Sakata and the entire story, if only for the sake of the people who died for it." He regarded Heiji a moment before asking. "Who do you think you were? I mean, who is the person you were before you got here?"

"Hmm... someone brave, smart, brimming with good looks and confidence?" Heiji laughed a little before settling into an expression that was a little more serious. "I dunno for sure. But whoever I was, it was pretty important that I get to the truth. I mean, if I wasn't willing to stick my neck out, why would I have been on that ship? Or in that storeroom?

"Of course, it's pretty obvious that I got into tons of trouble. But I kept getting this feeling, like... if anyone could get through it and bring things to a close, it was me. I think whatever reason I had for pokin' my nose into all these crime scenes, I'd been doing it for a long time. And it goes without saying that friends were really important to me. I think it's the same way now."

"That sounds like you now." Hershel said, vaguely amused by the blatant Heiji brand self confidence. "It's strange to think Zero knew all of this and brought you in anyway. Sometimes I think whatever this game is they do want you to try and figure out the truth."

Then they poisoned him possibly so who knows. "Well, I know you're 'brave, smart, and brimming with all that nonsense' but you know you should try to take it a little easy right now, reliving being shot and all. I think the truth can wait for a few hours." He said, dryly but still serious because yeah, worried.

Heiji smiled. "Yeah, I guess it does. But it's kinda like the difference between having a feeling like you can do somethin', and knowing for sure you can. That feeling... when I solved that puzzle, and when I heard Sakata talking. I felt alive then, like I was really firing on all cylinders. It's a different feeling from how it is in the warehouse."

"Anyway, I think the real problem right now is that dumb song. How long they gonna keep playing it?"

"Yes, I can see that." Hershel frowned, crossing his arms. "It's been well over a month now, I guess it must be October too unless Calhoun is lying to us. I'm worried about morale here, people getting burnt out. It could happen so easily and then..." Well, bad shit happened. He shook his head. "Hey Heiji, will you promise me you'll say something if you start to feel that way?"

Worth a shot, Heiji was less ridiculous than some people here, which was saying something. At the mention of the song Hershel's lips thinned a little. "I imagine all day, over and over again. That sounds like Calhoun's style."

"Sure," said Heiji. "But I don't think I'm the one you gotta worry about when it comes to that kinda thing." After all, Heiji knew how to compartmentalize. Really, really well...

He sighed. "Maybe I'll make a pair of earplugs for myself. Anyway, what about you? You ain't go in for a a memory yet, right? You going to?"

"It's always the people you don't think you need to worry about." Hershel countered, deal with it man he was gonna fusspot. Still, he seemed satisfied with that answer. "Thank you, let's hope it never comes to that."

"We could try going to the garden, maybe the waterfall would drown it out..." Worth a shot. "Oh I... yes, I'm going to. I'm nervous about it but I think you're right about everything you were saying before. It's important to know." He rubbed the side of his neck, glancing up. "Besides, I really don't think I had anything like gunshots happen in my life anyway."

"In the meantime, don't you think you're forgettin' to promise me the same thing?" Come on, Hershel, give it up.

"Yeah, but... you've got that other thing to worry about, right? The boy Calhoun tried to blackmail you about before." He was worried about you, dude, deal with it.

Have an amused sort of smile. "I promise. You know you're becoming quite the worrier, Heiji." He teased because it was never too early or late in the day to be a shitlord.

"Yes... honestly I've been wondering if maybe I'd get something back about that." He frowned, staring down. "I don't... know what I'd do if I actually did kill someone, even if it was an accident. Either way, I think it's important to know. Whoever this boy is he must be important, I should remember him." He glanced over with a sheepish look. "I guess I will be then. I hope everyone else who does has an easier time than you did, though."

Heiji huffed a little in amusement. "Ain't like I had that a hard time of it. I got somethin' really important out of it, so I can't complain."

He looked at his right hand, squeezed his fingers together into a fist. "Well, whenever you wanna go, I can come along and wait outside for ya."

Hershel looked a little surprised by the offer even though he really shouldn't have been before smiling a bit sheepishly again. "I'd actually appreciate that, if you really don't mind. I suppose I should go now and get it over with, no use delaying the inevitable."

Or chickening out and not getting a memory back at all. He stood, time to face the music he supposed.

"Then let's go!" said Heiji, already a few steps on his way to the door. "If it is something awful, it's better to be with someone else. Right?"

Totally should have seen it coming.

"Yes, probably." Friendship was shounen and great. He headed out, sighing a little once the decorations became an issue. I hope you like hearing ghosts tell you what a scare you're in for and spookily say boo, because that was going to be the whole trip there. Even with a haircut Hershel's hair was too much for the Halloween decorations not to knock into.

When he got to the door he let out a soft sigh, giving Heiji a small smile before heading in. After a fun wait he came out, looking kind of bamboozled.

"Ah well... that wasn't bad." Is apparently all he has to offer at first.

"Well?" said Heiji, all curiosity now that he'd been waiting for Hershel to get out. "Were ya 'in for a scare'?"

A ghost decoration near his head started wobbling, lighting up, and making "WoooooOOOooooo" noises.

Hershel was so over these ghosts, god damn. He rubbed the side of his neck as he spoke. "I remember something... nice, actually. I suppose it was scary, but in a fun way. It was just... Randall, the boy from the ruins, he was insisting I play this scary game with him to prove my adventuring spirit or some nonsense. We did, I suppose that's what was scary about it."

He couldn't help a small smile. "Well, that and Angela coming in and startling us. She's another friend I think, she seems like a lovely girl." Wow he lucked the hell out, huh.

"Oh?" Heiji looked suddenly interested, elbowing Hershel a little and moving closer. "What's this about an 'Angela', now? Was she cute? You sure she was just 'a friend'?"

Congratulations, Hershel. Now he thought you had a crush on your best friend's girl.

A Graveyard Smash

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