2019.02.18 - Cutscene: Into the Black Lodge--The Other Darkness

**Emitter:** Angel

*Angel enters the Black Lodge and confronts a different past failure than expected.*

January 4th, Year Unknown; Evening

Outside the Black Lodge

When Angel entered this place, he was expecting to see his sadistic alter ego torturing everyone in sight to death. But that's not the version of himself he found within the dark place. Instead, he found an Irish Man, drunk and surrounded by barmaids that looked suspiciously like Slayers he knew under his care. "This is the life we could be livin', and we know it's a lot more fun than runnin' around savin' the world." Terrible Irish Accent and all, there before him is his original self, Liam. Whoring drunken layabout and a terrible disappointment to his father.

"And what did we ever gain living like that?" Angel's question is pointed.

"Why, we got to imbibe the drink o' the devil and taste the sweet nectar of womankind, over and over, with variety! Yer mistake is tying yourself down to one."

"And that's a mistake?" Angel continues questioning.

"Yer surrounde by women that'd freely give themselves to ye. Ye don't even have to try! Even the ones ye call 'best mates' would mate with ye if ye let 'em. Ye could have a HAREM, like we always wanted."

"And...to what end? To dissapoint our father a little more? He died a long time ago, slain by the monster we became."

"Nay, lad, to be US. To be true to who I was! To make who I was have meaning!"

"You never thought of mom. Or Kathy. You always were trying to punish dad. And as a monster we 'showed him who had the real power'. But that didn't make us feel any better, did it?"

"And what do ye get out of livin the way ye do? Yer life is temporary, at best. Ye'll live hundreds of years. Ye'll be lucky if she lives 5, with a life of constant battle. Hell, WE could be dusted, immortal or not. Should nae we be embracing how temporary this all really is?"

"She isn't the noblewoman father wanted us to marry. She's someone exciting and interesting. I love her. I really don't need any more than that."

"So ye can what please a man nearly 3 centuries dead?"

"No. It's not about dad, though if you think about it...isn't what we've become something he'd respect? I own a business, even if it's not the one he wanted. I've settled down. I have a wide circle of friends, and the respect and trust of all of them. Living the way you want...I wouldn't be able to forge the relationships I have. Only respect, freely given and freely earned can do that."

"Life, or even unlife, is too short for the way ye live."

"No. Life is too short to be anything less than focused on the friends and family I've managed to gain. And ya know...since you became me, you always had it in you to be better than you thought you were. Living with a monster inside us didn't add anything but guilt. All the changes we made after that? That was a choice on how to live, just like living in the gutter was before I chose better."

"Ye can't please dad!"

"That's true. But the friends and family and lover I have now are plenty pleasable. And it's them I live for now."

"Yer wastin' your opportunities..."

"You're the one who never had a chance to change. Darla found you first, and that was the end of that."

"Have it yet own way, then...ye always do. You get many of those closest to you to do as ye say..."

"...You're right. I've been a little too...quick to make decisions for other people in the past. I've had to work on that."

The illusion of his original self dissipates...almost as if whatever was in the Black Lodge just...lost interest. And the Champion continued on. "A greater darkness once lay in you...I'd rather have him."

"...You're outclassed." And Angel paid it no further mind.