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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 21, 2008 23:47:01 GMT -5
"The Managers no more helped you than made you a pawn in their own drive to win," replied Kamui, "You only existed for that one sole reason. They weren't out to help make you feel you're worth something, because they couldn't care less whether you won or lost and how you felt."
Ebony looked back at them even as they entered the Arena, which was huge. Several small groups of tuners were scattered about and chatting when they looked up to see the trio.
Not far from them, there came a child's innocent laughter.
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Post by fierano on Oct 22, 2008 8:35:29 GMT -5
"But they were the only ones who came to help me..." Glimmer sobbed as he followed them into the Arena. He could not help but take a glimpse at his surroundings though. It seemed a lot like a marketplace than a Thunderdome, though he still feared that they had something like that tucked away after a hidden corridor.
Yet the one thing that most caught his attention was the laughter of a child nearby...and he seriously thought he was hearing things.
Is this another flashback?!
Noot quite...
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 22, 2008 9:49:47 GMT -5
Kamui, whose awe of seeing such a place for the first time melted away, came up beside Glimmer. "Jens, take a look around you," she said, sweeping her antenna at the groups, "What do you see?"
All the tuners who lived there seemed to have accepted their lot in life and went about their daily lives despite the bad situation that they were in.
In the meantime, Ebony had went to fetch the child whose innocent laughter was heard earlier and came back with a little red Ford Probe. The Probe child looked to just about 10-years-old, but her mind was already that of an adult. Holding onto Ebony's antenna, she stared up at Glimmer with bright Amber eyes that did not have a bit of fear in them, but held a sort of wonder and curiosity in them.
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Post by fierano on Oct 22, 2008 12:10:20 GMT -5
Glimmer looked around as Kamui did, and his interpretation of seeing and noticing the same thing came out differently when he replied, "People who have to live with the damning mistakes they've made. I don't see how this is any different from what I have to bear."
It was then that Ebony came back with the Ford Probe child he'd heard laughing. He could not help but stare into those eyes. They were eyes of innocence despite her tuner appearance.
"I can only hope that she does not make the mistakes I did when she grows up..." he solemnly said to Kamui.
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 22, 2008 12:26:43 GMT -5
"They aren't the ones who made the "damning mistakes" that force them to live like this," said Kamui, "It's society that has made that mistake. From what I see, these are good, honest people who are just trying to survive the cruelties that are inflicted upon them. They had no choice in the matter. That little girl reminds me of me when I was that age. Full of innocence, but understanding the harsh reality of my existence, but I was always being optimistic about things."
Ebony laid her antenna on the girl's roof. "This is Rosa and she's only ten-years-old. Her parents were killed in a road wreck five years ago, but she doesn't know how to deal with such a big loss. Do you think that her parent's deaths are her fault? Her "damning mistake" as you say?"
Rosa only stared up at Glimmer with intelligent Amber eyes.
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Post by fierano on Oct 22, 2008 22:32:59 GMT -5
"Her parents' death was not her choice to make," Glimmer replied sadly, often looking into Amber's eyes, "It's not her fault. It was my choice to have the Managers hire me after my accident, and my choice to stay with them for the years afterward. And if we've lost our innocence..." he paused for a bit to let the double meaning of that word stew over for a bit, "It's only for the choices that we make."
===
"Yo Slick? This is Neville from earlier." "Oh 'sup man, how'd Jenny turn out?" "Pretty bad. The cops raided the building just as we got there. We all got split up, dunno what happened to Jenny. Probably got taken by an undercover or something." "How do I know you ain't a cop?" "I'm with the Palmont Rage. You can check their perp database for me."
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 22, 2008 23:10:42 GMT -5
"But, if we keep dwelling on those choices, then how can we go on with our lives?" asked Ebony, "Sooner or later, we're gonna break down completely with nobody around to help us get back up. We can't run from our past, or pretend it doesn't exist. Denying it doesn't help either. It's there like a big, blinking neon sign and we have to deal with it before we put it behind us."
"She's right again," said Kamui, nodding in agreement.
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Post by fierano on Oct 22, 2008 23:39:10 GMT -5
"I'm not dwelling on my past," Glimmer replied, getting agitated, "I'm just trying to deal with the consequences of what I've done." He lowered his voice as he leaned in closer and spoke to the three tuners around him, "I know there's a bounty on my engine block after what happened between me and Von Klamp...I know that sooner or later I'm going to be handed in or killed for it. And I just have to take it when that happens."
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 22, 2008 23:52:21 GMT -5
"Now that's what where you're wrong," said Kamui, "and I won't accept the fact that you're just giving yourself up just because of this bounty."
"If I were you, I wouldn't give up," said Ebony, "I'd try to fight for my rights and my freedom."
Little 10-year-old Rosa listened to this conversation silently.
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Post by fierano on Oct 23, 2008 8:21:51 GMT -5
"You don't know the half of it..." Glimmer pleaded, "I didn't put this bounty up on myself. And if they don't get some lucky bounty hunter to bring me in, they'll do it themselves. Dead or alive. If I stand up...they'll come back hard."
They stood for the Managers, of course.
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 23, 2008 9:40:59 GMT -5
"Then fine!" Ebony snorted, becoming angry, "Be a coward for all I care! I don't even know why I decided to help you anymore! I'm tired of all this whining about what the Managers would do!"
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Post by fierano on Oct 23, 2008 13:13:27 GMT -5
Glimmer backed off as Ebony suddenly got in his fascia. The Arena leader's outburst certainly garnered the attention of nearby onlookers.
Now look what ye've done.
It's just...
Noo, yu' can't keep alienating people like dis. Why don'chu man up fer once in yer life. It's noot like it's gonna kill ya.
But I-
'Ere, lemme help ye with that.
No...I guess...I should for once.
"I'm...I'm sorry, okay? I just...I just haven't found a way out of what I'm in...and it's hard for me to trust anyone anymore." Glimmer lowered his voice to a whimper, "...even tuners."
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 23, 2008 13:40:21 GMT -5
"Hey, I had serious trust issues too," replied Ebony, "Heck, I didn't even trust Kamui when I first met her. It took me awhile to trust people again when I was convinced they won't hurt me. I learned to make the best of a bad situation. I now have young children of my own whom I love and care about and I never want them to feel sorry for themselves because life throw them into a terrible situation such as the one I've been in. Look, I'm sorry I yelled, but I'm just tired of hearing people whining about their woes and how they can't make it better."
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Post by fierano on Oct 25, 2008 11:45:19 GMT -5
"I'm just saying..." Glimmer continued softly, "...it'll be hard to be rid of them. Kamui would know...she and I had a lot of encounters with them over that season..."
===
"Neville, I looked it up, none of you was the narc. Yo' girlfriend is the queen of the Nitropolis Underground, and some legit racing champ from Canada or somethin'." "Damn...somebody must've been tailing us." "Yeah..." Slick was a bit hesitant to continue... "I know the bosses won't bring anyone in they won't trust...but I got no leads." "Crud. Look, we'll return Jenny to you, swear on my engine block." "Hell, I don't expect him back. Guy kept disappearin' so much the only reason I kept him was because when he did bring a cut it was big at the time. But I'm expandin, so I don't need to take a risk like 'em. You can keep 'im." "Uh...sure. Thanks."
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Post by ebonyviper on Oct 25, 2008 12:06:20 GMT -5
"Yeah," Kamui nodded, "We had a lot of encounters with them. Almost too many for me to feel comfortable with."
"I don't think I need to hear all the unpleasant details, but at least you both got out of all that alive," Ebony pointed out.
"We did, but I think there was a price..." said Kamui.
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