thefoundation | Week 7: Fast Forward to 2020

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round 5

Week 7: Fast Forward to 2020

It is done.

The last tape has played. All of the information that can be found from them has been discovered. They are free to re-watch the tapes, but nothing new can be found there.

The barrier will fail next Saturday. This is unavoidable. The barrier set by Tages will finally fall, and the curse will be free once more.

The only question is, what will those left alive in 2020 do to prepare?

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... mhm.

[ Boa nuzzles a little deeper into Mitsuru's shoulders at that, taking a moment to reply. ]

I don't think I'll ever forgive her. I know why everything happened the way it did, but still...

[ He has to blame someone for camp. Everything they went through, everything horrid that happened. His time being dead and ignored... it isn't Red's fault. But the anger won't subside that easily. ]

You're right though. She's, if nothing else, compenent.

[Resting his head on Boa's.]

Would be nice if we had other, equally or even more competent options.

[Unfortunately the bar is extremely low at this point. They'll have to take what they can get, especially if Mayuri of all people is their consideration for the job in the first place.]

[ They probably need to be grateful that they have options at all. It hasn't always been this way. Back in the Snake Pit, the lack of autonomous choice never bothered Boa. He'd simply wanted to abuse the system and climb through it as is... But here? There is so much more happening and he just.... wants. He wants more from life than the Foundation can give. ]

It's too bad we can't just destroy it all instead...

[ They used to dream of that, dismantling the Foundation to gain their freedom. Now they're freer than before but they've seen so much of what SCPs can cause in the world that it's hard to deny the Foundation's power is sometimes needed. Everything has gotten far too complicated. ]

But if we manage to ensure that leadership isn't a complete disaster that's something. Maybe then we can leave for good.

If we did, this case alone would have put an end to any freedom we got.

[Ugh. Why does something so incompetent have to be so very necessary, too?]

I wonder if I could ever fall asleep soundly, trusting in the Foundation to actually take care of things without us... [He sounds doubtful. What a shock.] Then again, it seems like they've managed to find enough people with the drive to actually take care of this world by now.

[Those ones... well, he doesn't particularly trust them per se, but they seem to be more functional than the rest of the place if nothing else.]

[ It's true, not everyone in the Foundation reeks of corruption and selfishness anymore. There's people with sincere intentions - maybe too sincere to be good at the job even. Strange. ]

If we never manage to get the Foundation to a state where it seems like it won't mess everything up... would you want to stay here?

[ Take responsibility for this world they never asked to be in but that allowed them to meet... which makes it a world Boa has some pretty complicated feelings about. ]

The less to do with the Foundation, the better, in my opinion.

[Bluntly.]

But finding another way to live in this world has its own problems. There's too many records and files for everything - if we left now without the Foundation's blessing, unless we went off the grid entirely, we'd probably get caught sooner or later.

[It's a headache of its own, one that he's thought of tackling every now and again only to get bogged down with logistics.]

While I'm sure we could find somewhere to squirrel away, I'd rather not live the rest of my life hiding just to keep the peace.

[ Boa relaxes a little at that explanation. They've been far too busy for future plans for a long while and with their souls tied together these worries have lost a lot of their immediate relevance, but still... ]

I agree. I don't want to run away, I want to... somehow finish it. Fight our way out in a way that matters. If we could go to another world, that'd be ideal, but... If we fix this one up so we can really step away and be free here, that's okay I guess.

[ It's goals to work towards. In a way, he's still living the same life he's always had at home. He's part of a machinery, fighting his way up up and further up without any real exit in sight. It keeps him motivated. As long as he has goals like that, he won't ever lose track of what he needs to do. But... ]

I can't really imagine what it'll be like, though. Actually belonging to ourselves...

Me neither. I think the closest I ever had to that was when I was a Traveler, but... the entire reason I became a Traveler was so that one day I could return to my family.

[Here... the goal would be true freedom. A family, yes, but not one with any official guardians, any reluctant adults dealing with a child they didn't ask for, any parents with a relationship so strained, it would eventually snap and turn towards murder.]

It's different.

[ Boa goes silent for a moment. It's nice to be together. Mitsuru's warmth against him calls for some closed-eye appreciation. Their dynamic has shifted a lot from those earliest weeks in summer camp but Mitsuru has always and will forever be the number one person who can make Boa feel safe and anchored. As long as they're together even an endless stay in the Foundation wouldn't be so bad, but he still wants more. For Mitsuru and for himself. ]

... it really is different. I don't really know what I want to do with it. Making plans seems too hasty, but... What would you like to do?

[The silence is comfortable - Boa is comfortable, a weight that's become familiar over all these months, nearly two years now. He's still reading, but there's a soft smile playing on his lips as he does.]

...I'll probably keep studying magic, at least. Kirisame has a knack for finding some interesting stuff.

[What was originally learned out of pragmatism has definitely turned into something closer to a passion, even if he's got nothing on the witch when it comes to actual enthusiasm.]

Besides that... it's hard to say. Most people build up their lives around their jobs, but it's hard to imagine myself just growing up and spending my days in some office.

Tell me about it...

[ They've been working non-adults for two years now and if anything that work experience has only made it feel even less appropriate to settle down and choose a real job. ]

I think I'd like to travel for a bit, before we find a real place to live. Maybe if we go to someone else's world in the end, there is new magic for you to find as well.

[ Boa loves watching Mitsuru use magic. Though it's commonplace now, some part of it never stops being dazzling. ]

Maybe doing that would clear my head a little about long term goals.

Traveling to other worlds, huh...

[Intellectually he knew it was possible, of course. But their lives have been subject to the whims of higher powers for so long, it was difficult to consider all that seriously. Not only that, but knowing his fate in Vision...

...]

I think I'd like that, too. In all this time, I've never gotten the chance to explore another world properly.

[Either he was too busy with his Journey, or he was stuck working as a Foundation agent who shouldn't even technically exist here.

Maybe... seeing what more the universe had to offer would do him some good.]

[ Boa finds himself smiling at the agreement. He's dreamed of this specific scenario for a long time and every time it becomes a little more concrete it shapes itself into a tangible goal. ]

Good. And as much as I'll miss competitive beyblading, I don't think I want to go back to my world either.

[ All his provisions against returning so far had been made with the fear of returning alone in mind, but even if he could take Mitsuru with him... is that really for the best? A world in which Boa has no own existence, a world without magic... Would they really be happy there? ]

Where we settle should belong to both of us.

Mm. And with how many different worlds are out there... in theory, there should be something that works for both of us. The possibilities are nearly endless.

[Just the small group assembled from these ridiculous "games" proved how diverse the worlds could all be - expand that to include everything and that was the logical conclusion to reach.]

Well, we'll probably come across plenty of duds along the way, but after all the nonsense we've been through here, I'm sure we can handle it just fine.

Heh. A different kind of nonsense from usual seems like an exciting change of scenery already.

[ If it's not a death game nor something weirdly slimy trying to eat them? He'll count that as a plus. The weird vending machines and such could stay, those are fine. ]

Nonsense that isn't our problem to solve would be a nice start.

[Weird vending machines are indeed acceptable. He'll even take weird creatures that aren't interested in murdering them. That might be neat.]

Not our problem to solve and optional to watch. I am done with these video marathons for a long time.

[ Even though they did kind of skip out on most of it.... It still counts.... ]

Yes, agreed. I think I've seen enough of people making terrible life choices to last me a lifetime.

[He says, before R6 brings back this bullshit but with an actual reason for him to watch.]

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Week 7: Fast Forward to 2020

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