Episode 3, Chapter 2: I Know My Place, Do You?

The first place Jess looked at was the library. Sure enough, Lukas was there, quietly reading.

"Hm? Oh, you- Jess, right? The new Servant?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Jess quietly sat across from him, pulling a book from the shelf with the subtlety of a brick. "...And not very good at trying to blend in."

"I'm still learning the ropes, apparently." Jess rolled their eyes, looking at the cover. DON'T FORGET was embossed into it, lettered in a brilliant yellow. Opening the cover, they read the words on the page.

DON'T FORGET

By Soren Phlox

Dedicated TO those HELPed me through researching.

Huh. Strange dedication… Jess shook their head, closing the book and shrugging. Lukas gave them a look.

"Decided not to read?" He asked. They shook their head.

"Book didn't seem interesting." They replied, "You… do you… I dunno…"

Lukas shrugged. "Maybe I do. What's there to be done?"

"Remembering. You remember me? I guess?"

"I mean… there isn't much to remember. You're just a person who saved the world and then ruined everything. And because you're a bad person, but somehow better than the rest of us, the Admin made you a Servant."

"Bad… bad person!?" Jess scoffed. "Please. I did so much for everyone it's not even funny. Fuck, you'd still be stuck to Aiden if it weren't for me calling on you to help us get Ivor."

"Is it all about you, though?" Lukas put the book down, sitting up and placing his hands in his lap.

"I- I… yeah? Kind of? You'd still be stuck with the Blaze Rods, Petra'd still be a cave-dwelling loner, Ivor would've caused the end of the world by now… Olivia and Axel wouldn't even be the leaders of their towns if it weren't for me."

"Yeah. 'Cause killing their idols was absolutely something you should have caused." He shrugged. "But hey, I'm not you. I'm not breaking my poor little back to make sure everybody's happy."

"I didn't kill them!" Jess protested, sighing. "The Witherstorm did. You remember that, don't you?"

"Oh, of course I do - you actually accepted Ellegaard's armor, and then insisted that Axel find some way to squeeze into Magnus' armor. It's what Magnus would've wanted right? For Axel to wear the griefer's armor? Magnus wanted to die so that Axel could feel a little better about himself?"

"Shut UP!" Jess shot to their feet, throwing the book across the room. It hit the wall with a thunk, falling to the ground. "I didn't ask for your opinion!"

"You never asked for anyone's opinions. They all just went with what you wanted to do because they were too afraid to say no. Maybe that's something good the Admin's done for me - While I'm here? I don't have to be afraid of you."

"I. You never had to be." Jess said, though… deep down, a pit was growing in their stomach. They really had no reason to be upset… right? They were just… doing everything the way they thought would be the best. Was that wrong of them? To want the best for everyone?

They sighed, picking the book up and pocketing it as they left the library, walking across the courtyard to the lounge, flopping down helplessly into a chair and covering their head with the book.

They didn't wanna exist for a while, truthfully - The last thing they needed to hear after all of this was their best friend tearing into them. They figured they'd deserved it - maybe that was what made Lukas break it off?

They squeezed themselves onto the edge of the chair as they felt the air shift around them as someone else attempted to sit next to them. They felt a hand on their shoulder, and looked up to find a familiar face smiling at them.

"Overwhelmed?" Jack asked softly, tilting his head slightly. Jess shook their head.

"Don't look at me." Jess mumbled in response, "I don't wanna be here."

"Hey, I was like that my first day here. You wake up, you're in a jumpsuit, you don't know what's going on and can't make heads or tails of it? It happens to the best of us." He chuckled. "Luckily, I had my lovely 0224 by my side - he helped me figure things out! ...Man, and here I thought he was gone forever."

"Nurm. You mean Nurm."

"Do I?" Jack shrugged. "I don't know. I'm 0225, and he's 0224. Seems easy to remember to me."

"You're Jack!" Jess threw their hands into the air. "J-A-C-K!"

"And? That might be my name, but that's not my number."

"I- whatever." Jess sighed. "Have you just been… here the whole time?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like you can leave - someone tried last night when you first got here and got sent right to the Nodes."

"The… Nodes?"

"Oh, you know." Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Where the impossible ones go."

"But doesn't the Admin think everyone-"

"Look, all the Residents know that's a load of garbage if you get sent to the Nodes. It's rumored the Admin sends the worst of the worst there - you know, the ones who can't be fixed." Jack looked around, leaning down to whisper. "Heck, I've heard even Servants can get sent down there, and not for patrol."

"...But you've never seen it."

"And that's a good thing! You think I want to get sent to the Nodes?!" Jack put his hands on his cheeks. "Sheesh, you really have a low opinion of the Residents, especially for a newcom-"

Jess grabbed Jack's wrist, pulling him to eye level with them. "Jack. You know what's going on. I know you do. Nurm came back into your life, and now you're trying to keep at least this together."

"...What makes you say that?" Jack hissed. "Maybe I just like being reunited with the love of my life? Maybe we're happy learning we can fix ourselves for the Admin. You ever think of that, kid?"

"You need to listen to me."

"No I don't." Jack pulled his hand away from Jess' grip, glaring.

"I need all of you by my side if we're gonna get out of here-!"

"MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE!" Jack roared. "Have you considered that maybe, juuust maybe, we WANT to be here?"

"No you don't! That's the Admin's… The Admin's lying! Hasn't he hurt you enough? What about Sammy? What about Vos?!"

"What about them?!" Jack slammed his hand on the table. "They're alive, aren't they?!"

"But are they here?" Jess swung their arms out. "They're not in any of these rooms, and you would be a lot more upset if they were the ones who tried to escape."

Jack blinked slowly. "They're… not here?"

"...Seriously?!" Jess groaned. "You saw Nurm and immediately forgot about literally the entire other half of your group? Your friends?! If they're not here, Jack, then where are they? Where would Sammy and Vos be - the real Sammy, by the way - if they're not here in the main area."

"...The Nodes." Jack said softly. "But that makes them-!"

"Still your friends! Are you really gonna let the Admin trick you into thinking that they're worthless just because they made him angry enough to get chucked into those Nodes? Or are you gonna do something about it and get them out?! Get all of us out of this stupid Resort?!"

Nurm gave Jack a questioning look - Jack's face was scrunched, deep in thought. "...I… I guess you might be right."

"Then help me get Lukas. Nurm… if he wants to, he can join us."

Nurm nodded affirmatively, Jack looked at Jess, and the three left the lounge.