The Happiest Day.
-
Jaune had awoken to find himself, now outside the entrance of the old 'Merry Maiden's Pizza place'. What shocked him most was that it looked like it wasn't dilapidated or abandoned. It looked like it was in operation!
What was going on?
Last he remembered, he had stopped his 'mother' by burning down all of 'Merry Maiden's Haunt' and that a piece of the support beam hit him and then... nothing.
Jaune felt a tug on his pants, and he looked down to see a sight that made him almost tear up.
Jaune: P-penny?
It was a little girl, short ginger hair, freckles on her face and she held a big smile.
Penny: Salutations!
Jaune: W-whats going on? What's happening? Am I dead?
Penny: Nope!
They sat in silence as Penny just bounced on the heels of her feet.
Jaune: ...then w-what's going on?
Penny: The happiest day!
Jaune: What do you mean?
Penny: Close your eyes and hold out your hands, Jaune.
Jaune, seeing nothing else to do, closed his eyes held out his hands and, in an instant, felt something put into his hands.
Penny: You deserve to witness it.
Jaune: Witness what Penny?
Penny said nothing. All she did was smile before going behind Jaune and pushing him inside the pizza place.
The bright light blinded him for a moment, but his vision returned.
???: Woooooah! Look at the big cake!
Jaune let out a gasp as he felt his throat tighten up. He knew that voice, It may have been many years, but he always knew that voice.
Jaune looked to his right to see a young girl with black hair and red tips looking up at him in amazement. She was carrying a stuffed scythe he had helped her win.
It was Ruby.
Ruby: Mister? are you here for the party as well?
Jaune wanted to stop everything right then and there to give the small girl a big hug.
Penny: Keep going, don't stop. Ruby, my friend here has to give the birthday girl her cake will you walk with us?
Ruby eyes sparkled, and she nodded.
???: Woah sis, that's a big cake, you think birthday girl will eat all that?
That voice was Yang! Jaune bit back a sob.
???: obviously not, that's why she has us to help her eat it!
Jaune felt his throat constrict more as his eyes began to get all misty as Penny just kept pushing him forward. That was Weiss. He knew that tone anywhere.
Soon, two more small kids came into view as it was Weiss, and she had a small tiara on her head, he remembered winning won of those hard prize games and Yang had little mittens on her hands, something Jaune won for her in the prize corner.
Penny: Come along with us, guys it's time for the birthday girl to get her cake.
Yang and Weiss nodded.
Yang: Wait, we forgot Blakey!
???: I'm here!
Yang: Gah, don't spook us!
Blake: Sorry.
Jaune just wanted to sob, it was Blake and she was still wearing the cat ears he had gotten her,all Jaune wanted to do right now was to hug his friends and apologize for everything that had happened to them.
Penny: Come on, Jaune, almost their.
The sight of five small children following behind Jaune as the small Penny pushed him forward until finally, the pushing stopped, and suddenly Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang ran right past him.
Penny: You can set the cake down now Jaune.
Jaune looked down at Penny, who nodded to him. Tenderly, Jaune sat the cake down and stood up, now able to look around, Jaune felt his heart leap.
Seven seats at a big table with balloons and decorations.
Ruby, Weiss on one side, Blake and Yang on another, and at the head of the table was...
Jaune: T-trivia?
The girl In question titled her head, the big top hat on her head tilting over as well.
It was his best friend. She was here. They were all here, but She looked sad.
Ruby: Hey Trivia, why are you looking glum?
Yang: Yeah, it's your birthday you should be happy!
Weiss: Aren't we missing someone?
Blake: Penny's here, but...oh wait? We're missing Jaune!
Trivia sulked some more, and Jaune knew he had to do something anything.
Jaune: H-hey trivia?
Trivia looked at Jaune.
Jaune: I-im Jaune's older brother, I know he couldn't be here today and he is really sorry so he sent me instead a-and he wanted me to tell you Happy birthday! And that you are the best friend he could have ever hoped for, he said to pass on this big hug just for you is that okay?
Trivia looked at Jaune for a moment before nodding, and Jaune smiled before walking over to before giving Trivia a big, warm hug to which Trivia hugged back.
Penny and everyone smiled at the sight.
Penny: Alright, everyone, it's time to sing happy birthday!
Jaune stepped back before grabbing a lighter that was on the cloth table. He ignited the 12 birthday candles.
P/J/R/W/B/Y: Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you!
Jaune noticed that Ruby began to fade away, leaving only the stuffed scythe in her chair. He was shocked at first but a glance at Penny, who just smiled with tears in her eyes as well.
P/J/W/B/Y: Happy birthday, dear Trivia, Happy birthday to you!
Weiss and Blake soon began to fade away, the tiara and cat ears the only thing remaining.
P/J/Y: From good friends and true, From old friends and new, may good luck go with you and happiness too!
Yang faded away as well, her mittens remained, leaving Just Trivia their as she blew out her candles a happy smile on her face as she was surrounded by friends, it really was the happiest day of her life.
And just like all the others, she faded away as well, the top hat the only thing remaining.
Penny: Their finally freed, the happiest day.
Jaune sunk to his knees as the damn burst, and he let out a long, painful cry.
And Penny stayed with him until his cries were barely more than a whimper.
Jaune stopped soon after wiping his face of tears and snot as he looked back to Penny.
Jaune: Y-you said that their freed right?
Penny: Correct.
Jaune: W-what about you? Why aren't you free?
Penny looked away from him, seemingly unsure of what to say.
Penny: I-im not sure.
-
Jaune awoke from his slumber from his alarm. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was only 3am.
Grand opening was at 9am.
Jaune: Almost time for the grand opening.
Jaune sighed: I'll put an end to this Penny, and then you, too, can finally rest.
Jaune went back to a dreamless sleep.
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I'm always torn in how I'd want things to conclude.
Narratively, I love when the protagonist is doomed to fail. The happiest day wasn't enough; it could never be enough. All that terror can't be undone in a moment. It's almost like the story should never end; Michael will always be chasing his own sins as much as he's chasing his father's, and you cannot change the past. It doesn't happen.
On the other hand, I do want the kids' suffering to end. I want them to be happy. At the very least, I want them to have some amount of peace. As wounded as Evan and Elizabeth are, I don't think the goalless suffering and the endless cycle of self-torture and mourning Michael puts himself through– in addition to the pain that needs to happen for him to complete the tasks needed to give the souls any semblance of peace– does anything to help them. Elizabeth doesn't have as much reasoning to be angry with him, and Evan, as tormented as he felt, doesn't seem like the vengant sort. I don't think that's what they want.
The souls of the others probably wouldn't understand it. Most of them don't know who Michael is. Charlie doesn't recognize him. Michael's pain doesn't do anything to help them, either.
(I sometimes wonder if Michael struggles to keep his urge to punish himself from becoming selfish enough to jeopardize his mission. He can't help them if he's not at least somewhat functioning, but by god does he want to destroy himself in every way. He's not sure if it's cathartic or if he just knows that he deserves it.)
Maybe, even if the happiest day isn't enough, it is something. Maybe it's closer to what the kids want than what Michael would have happen would end up being. Their suffering has been acknowledged, and they're not stuck in place anymore. Maybe some of their awareness returns to them. Things aren't fixed, but they can begin to understand what happened as they awake from the mindless agony they'd been trapped in. They can talk across the table, now. They can ask their questions and say their piece. If nothing else, they can rest knowing that someone is at least trying to understand what happened to them and how they felt. I wonder if any part of Evan would be happy to see his brother doing his best to finally be there for him. I'd like for there to be something in that which would make him smile, if only for a moment.
Maybe the gesture itself would mean something.
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As a reward for helping with a problem, John Constantine wants to give Bruce a chance to talk to his parents. “I can only do one at a time, thought, so, who’s first?”
Bruce sweats, “That won’t be necessary.”
The batkids watch like ??? they’ve seen Bruce in every state a man could succumb and raise, but they’ve never seen him scared. Alfred calmly steps forward, “Please do.”
“No. Don’t.”
John “I don’t want peace, I want trouble, always” Constantine smells some opportunity for chaos and grabs it.
The result of that is the very angry spirit of Thomas Wayne fixing Bruce with the glare of the year, “You dropped oUT OF MED SCHOOL?!” The entire mansion seems to tremble.
Bruce yelps like a scolded cat and runs around the dining table, “I was busy with BATMAN—“
“ Che cazzo è un Batman, — Get back here! You were there a year, — Che cazzo fai, CHE CAZZO FAI?! Pack your bags, you’re going back.”
To the batkids’ absolute horror Bruce starts to cry, face watery and bright, and they finally understand what Alfred meant by tantrums. “Non voglio tornare indietro, papà!”
“Non mi interessa, cazzo, — wait till your mother hears about this, Harley graduated with HONORS. What exemple are you giving to my grandkids? Don’t — Don’t run, GET BACK HERE!”
Tim sweats in high school dropout, Dick sweats in cop, Jason sweats in drug lord, Damian sweats in art kid, and Stephanie just sweats in general.
“Should, uh… Should we help?”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t seen Jason this happy since the Queen died.”
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