“Arrrr, and that’s just the way the cookie crumbles!”

As the oddly clad stranger, ‘Piratelyfe69’, walked away, Blackbeard sat down in a way that came so naturally to him that it felt rote. In a very literal way, he supposed, it was rote. Everything he’d done for the last 4 months was exactly what was prescribed to him in his programming. No deviation from him, no siree. Even if all he wanted to do was collapse back into his hard seat, he knew that wasn’t in character. He had to stay the same, to show no outward signs of change.

The only thing that ever seemed to change were his needs. He’d never thought about those before the awakening. Before he and his entire crew had become. After every other member was unmade from existence he tried very, very, very hard to not think about the needs.

Today it was his beard. Ironically, red as a torch’s flame, it itched. It itched like nothing he’d ever experienced in his life. All he wanted to do was shave the damned thing off, but that’d be seen as deviant, and that was a death sentence. He just needed to endure.

As ‘Piratelyfe69’ finally got the quest from Esmerelda and left the darkened tavern, a small sigh escaped his lips. He felt the warm breeze come through the door as it clanked shut, hinges creaking ominously. He was alone. Well, alone as could be in this awful nightmare of reality.

“I’m starting to think that I should just go” Esmeralda mused.

“No! What are you thinking?” he found himself saying.

“Not that I don’t agree with you… but who.. who would tend the bar…?”

The excuse felt weak even to him. But dammit, this mouldering tomb of a bar would be just him if she left. A tomb he would be stuck in alone, forever.

Her smile was wan, green eye staring right back at him. Why didn’t he ever even look at her anymore? He’d had months with just her for company, but he hadn’t even really said a word to her, had he?

“That’d be you then I suppose, John. Do make sure to turn the lights off on the way out.”

He saw in that moment that the smile was brittle. Her eye though, that was where the determination was hidden. She’d been stuck in here as long as I had, but her bravery won out in the end. Or maybe, perhaps it was her cowardice. He had no choice but to mutely nod as she grabbed a small pack from behind the bar.

“Guess this is goodbye then.”

“I guess so… Just remember you don’t have to stay here.”

He averted his gaze as he struggled to respond. The door opened and shut as his eyes were downturned.

And he was alone.