[ voice ]

[hostage]

[He's so bored, he can't take it anymore. Asking for trouble, maybe, but there's all kinds of excitement he's missing with the new arrivals, and he's not used to missing out on it. He keeps the video feed off, unlike usual, because both his cell and he himself are a mess. His voice is only slightly hoarse, recovering from a first week in custody that was spent screaming.]

So what's the deal with all you new guys? Usually I do this in person but I'm, uh, a little tied up right now. Anyway, lemme hear it. Where you from? Whatcha usually get up to? How you feeling about being in this skanky shithole up on the moon?

Hope the rest of you guys didn't leave 'em starving.

Comments

[hostage]

How come?

[selfequipped]

Rich girl from the Upper East Side. Sure, I do charity, but cut out the superhero stuff, and I probably lose half of what makes me tolerable. [This is said easily. She's got enough white girl guilt to last her a lifetime, but she can speak lightly about it. It's not even a point of insecurity. It is what it is.]

[hostage]

[He sounds so amused:]

You think I'd hate you just 'cause you're rich?

[selfequipped]

Hey, if not, then that means that any of my occasional slip ups won't be as bad.

[hostage]

You got some funny standards.

i have no idea why i did text html in that last comment

[selfequipped]

Or a whole lot of well-trained guilt. There's a certain level of self-awareness to it.

I do that soooo often

[hostage]

What's there to feel guilty about?

[selfequipped]

Money spent on things that are unnecessary rather than trying solve national poverty and everything in-between.

[hostage]

Fuck that, yo. It's your money. Do whatever you want with it.

[selfequipped]

Some people would call that hedonistic.

[hostage]

Who cares what other people think? Life's too damn short. I mean, I ain't telling you to go ahead and be a scumbag, but you can't save the whole world by yourself, and anybody who expects that from you ain't being fair. And I don't think they're saving the world, neither, so they can shut the fuck up.

[selfequipped]

Yeah, but what if most of it is all from myself? I'm not exactly someone who grew up surrounded by people who inspired these feelings in me.

[hostage]

That's some extra-special bullshit. You don't go 'round thinking that 'bout people, do you? Like, blaming 'em for not fixing everything there ever was wrong with the world. It don't sound like you do, so why would you expect yourself to do it?

[selfequipped]

I'm an overachiever.

[hostage]

Don't do that to yourself. You'll go crazy.

[selfequipped]

I dress up in a costume and fight crime.

[hostage]

Hey, that ain't crazy. That's just awesome.

[selfequipped]

Awesome, and a good way of channeling all that potential crazy.

[hostage]

Does it feel like that a lot? Like... like you gotta do something to work it out or you're gonna explode?

[selfequipped]

Yeah, actually. That's a good description of it.

[hostage]

Yeah...

Try not to beat yourself up too much. Especially here. There's gonna be a whole lotta losing and having to stand by and watch people die. Lotta people here'll just straight up not let you save anybody.

[selfequipped]

I'm a hard person to stop once I get going. I'd like to see them try.

[hostage]

Heh.

Hope whenever it is I get to see you, it's not 'cause you're getting locked up in the cell next to me.

[selfequipped]

I'll take being locked up because I care too much.