by The Pighead
SURPRISE! IT WASN'T FINISHED!
...OK, it would have been more efficient if I actually pretended the series was actually finished but hey, what you're gonna do?
So, yeah. I had two more chapters in mind after the one on Coda-who-isn't-really-Coda. And because I wanted to, I wrote them one after the other. So, they're both finished, now, and I'll release them back-to-back.
This one is the short one. There was multiple mentions of Reggie (aka Rootbeer Reggie) in previous chapters so now, here he is. And I hope you'll appreciate it.
Enjoy!
He liked looking at the window. It was maybe stereotypical for a man his age, but he liked it. Looking at life happening without thinking about anybody else was something he appreciated greatly.
It helped that Reginald – also known as « Rootbeer Reggie » - was a man in a wheelchair and couldn't do much else than this. Well, no, in fact, it wasn't exactly accurate to say this. He always had something that kept him busy.
At first, it was his initial job, just being a game character, something that he liked. Then, after Irving crippled him, it was getting revenge on Lionel for his mistreatment of him. Then, after he and the others managed to do exactly that, it was living a new life in a new world.
That's exactly what they did. And, being the first of all the characters created by Snill, that meant that he had a lot of experience. So, when there was a problem, he was the one the others called to fix it. Whether it was an argument, something in the kitchen or the bathroom that acted weird or talking to the neighbours, Reggie was your guy.
And when he wasn't doing that or any necessary thing in order to stay alive, he was looking at the window and at the people who were walking. When Weasel told him that no one cared about what he looked like, he thought at first that it was just him being his usual cocky self, but during one time he decided to go out, he could notice that it was, indeed, true. Was it because he stopped being a sprite ? No, he and the other patrons still looked like characters from an animated series for the Internet and still, no one ever told him about his appearance.
Whatever. He wanted (whether it was himself or the ex-patrons) to not attract too much attention and he'll keep doing that.
He admitted that watching all these people moving and seeing what the real world looked like was greatly interesting to him. If someone told him, 2 months before, that he would find a new appreciation for life in addition of being the glue to the group, he would have called this someone delusional. And that was the thing, the main difference between him and the man he once was.
One day, way before the final steps to his plan to get rid of Lionel could start, he and Rust had a casual conversation outside of the Six Pint Inn. About the group and their dynamic. He said to the old man that the only thing that was keeping them all together was the common enemy they had and the fact that he did dirty with them. That when their goals will be fulfilled, they will just go their separate ways and not see each other ever again. Too different. Too bitter. And so on, and so forth. Rust didn't see things that way. He thought that they would be able to stay together. After all, they had things in common, they were able to talk just fine and they could share. Not frequently, but they could !
At the end of the day, none of the two could convince the other and they stopped here. But now, after everything that happened, Reggie had to realize that McClain was ultimately right. Sure, no one among the Hex could have ever guessed how things turned out at the end but still, he had to acknowledge that and the fact that, deep down, he started to like it. It wasn't always easy for him to say that he missed just seeing the world as the man he once was, looking at it through a more optimistic lens and just smiling because life was better than before.
Yes, they were hiding (most of the time) in a little apartment who was part of a weird black building with a bunch of odd neighbours. Yes, they didn't really knew what they would do with their lives. Yes, all this Multiverse thing was confusing to them. But Reggie felt better than before. He could feel that for the others, too.
« Hey, Reg' ? »
Talking about Rust, here he is, holding his shotgun.
« Yes ? »
« It's possible you can just move a bit ? Just so I can see what's these noises outside. »
Reggie raises an eyebrow. He looks more closely and realizes that a loud fight is happening outside. He can recognize some of his neighbours, more precisely, the ones dressed like mobsters. They're fighting… well, he can't really see who they're fighting. Except the giant, sharply-dressed woman who was crushing cars and attempted to hit someone.
« What in tarnation… »
« Dunno. But I need to try something. »
Yeah, that was classic Rust. Shooting before talking. Reggie would like to say to him that this doesn't seem too good of an idea, especially with the fact that they're kinda far away from the battle, but when McClain has this sort of idea, you generally can't stop him.
So, the bartender moves a bit away and let his friend do what he needs to do.
No one saw the shot coming, especially not Rust' target.
Yeah, a short chapter, like I said. But a good introduction for the finale of the series, in which y'all will see who Rust managed to shot. I'm not telling you what will happen in the next chapter but there will be a lot.
It will come out tomorrow (at the time of me writing and posting this chapter). Hold your breaths, pals.
And let me know what you thought of the chapter!