Marco's Heart

[peccatore]

You find yourself in a bright white, circular room. It's nearly empty; too bare, almost clinically so. But the bareness of it means that what is visible here stands out:

A podium in the center, where a familiar figure sits, head buried in his hands. Three paths running from the podium to three different spots near the edges of the room - not corners; circles don't have corners - where three doors leading seemingly nowhere stand with no regard for their complete lack of structural support.

It doesn't take you long to figure out where you are, does it? You only have to decide where to start.

Comments

[oneknightsstand]

[nods slowly]

Did you do it? They aren't talking as if you did.

[peccatore]

"... No. I didn't."

[oneknightsstand]

If you want to do something bad very badly, and choose not to, isn't that a good thing? None of us are without sin in our deeds, let alone our thoughts.

[peccatore]

His brow furrows deeply.

"What if I only held back out of fear for my life?"

[oneknightsstand]

Then you held back regardless. Do you think everyone should be held responsible for actions they don't take, my man??

[peccatore]

Marco hesitates with the air of someone who very much wants to say no, but before he can even try, the spidery man interrupts with a gleeful laugh.

"Heheh... Hahahaha... HA! Funny you should ask!"

[oneknightsstand]

Dude... Are you like his self-loathing or something?? What is the deal here.

[peccatore]

"What? No, I'm real. I mean, not the me in here right now, but..."

[oneknightsstand]

Wow. ....wow. Truly the world is full of amazing things.

[peccatore]

"Wha-- What the fuck are you talking about."

[oneknightsstand]

There's just so many kinds of people. Like people you wouldn't even anticipate being real. One of God's many miracles, I guess. [deadpan or pious?? You tell me]

[peccatore]

"... You know what, I think we need to move the fuck on."

If you have any last-minute words for Marco, now's the time to get them out before this guy takes the wheel again.

[oneknightsstand]

[to Marco, quiet] Give yourself a little leeway for the things you didn't do, so you can focus on what you did.

Okay, buddy, let's move the fuck on, then.

[peccatore]

Marco offers Kieran a glance - it's difficult to read what exactly is behind it - but if he was going to say anything else, he doesn't get the chance to before the spidery man cuts in.

"Focus on what Marco did, huh...? You know what, I think we can do just that!"

There is an abrupt shift, as if the ground itself moved. Then everything blurs; Kieran might feel like he's moving backwards, rushing past before the first memory in this door, until -

Kieran finds himself in the audience for a press conference.

[oneknightsstand]

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

[peccatore]

The ever-helpful guide is right behind Kieran, apparently; he chooses to announce this by putting his hands on Kieran's shoulders. Something about his touch feels numbing.

"Hey, don't complain, buddy. I'm expediting things just for you."

[oneknightsstand]

Don't touch me, man.

i'm. sorry . about him

[peccatore]

He withdraws his hands. "No homo, man."

... ANYWAY,

Intrigued whispers surround Kieran; nobody seems quite sure why they're here. An announcement, Marco Evangelisti had said. Nothing related to current or upcoming products; what is it for, then? Apparently, he'd been vague.

But he's stepping up to the podium now, with a perfectly diplomatic smile on his lips and something distant in his eyes.

"Thank you." That's how he opens. "Thank you all for coming, on this... very important, very non-standard day. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I hope I may continue to rely on your trust in the coming days. I expect them to be... unprecedented. Unprecedented, I think, is the word."

[oneknightsstand]

Yes homo, but not for you.

[God. This guy. He shifts his attention to the podium, listening to the unprecedented press release]

[peccatore]

"Not for me? What the hell do you mean, am I not--"

Wow never mind that. Best to just pay attention to Marco, yes. After a pause, he continues.

"But that is probably enough beating around the bush. You didn't come here to listen to a rich man say nothing of consequence. I'm sure you get enough of that in your job." His smile is a convincing facsimile, from a distance. It may not fool Ashwyn. "My announcement is as follows:"

The room is utterly silent, awaiting Marco's words.

"From today on, I, Marco Evangelisti, vow to make the public aware of a threat that has menaced mankind since its inception. For centuries, all manners of inhuman creatures with supernatural abilities have lived among us in secret, and they pose a danger to us all."

[oneknightsstand]

[oh. Oh, cringes. Actually, he's cringing at Marco calling himself a rich man like it's nothing but it's not like he stops right after that.]

[peccatore]

Yeah Kieran remember when you were like "you're a vampire and a CEO and the part you feel bad about is the vampire part"? Yeah.

Many cameras go off. The journalists seem universally hesitant to speak up, but once just one of them does, the dam breaks. The memory is already fuzzing at the edges...

Also, Mr. No Homo nudges Kieran with his elbow. He actually looks kind of serious, for once.

"So, you were saying?"

[oneknightsstand]

[No, he doesn't think that it's a sin to be a ceo or anything, though it certainly can lead to some -- and is like maybe a sign of some life choices -- but announcing "I'm rich" as part of a press release is cringe. Cringe is also not a sin though.]

[raises his hand, speaking to the fuzzying Marco] Too vague. What danger and is this a standard 'danger to your way of life and the safety of your children' announcement? Can any human not choose to do acts of immeasurable harm?

[peccatore]

Tragically, aside from being problematic... Marco can be cringe...

Marco opens his mouth; the way he looks at Kieran, it feels like he's going to burst into apologies before he answers anything meaningfully. Before he gets to do either, however, it seems like this door's guide wants to get the last word in instead.

"Oh, buddy, you're asking for way too much logic out of a guy who should have seen a shrink a solid decade before things got to this point."

[oneknightsstand]

I'm not asking to change the past. I'm trying to lay groundwork so he can have a better life in the future. You know? I know this is all over with. If I say something logical now then hopefully that like, percolates. We can have some contrite-offee.