Rabbit Hole Carnival: Start Again

Cel kicked open the door to the tavern. “Renee! Nick!?”

“Cel! I just told I’d leave unlocked for—” Renee replied, before staring into eyes that had given up. What’s your order? Both of you.”

“White owl.” Cel said. “He um…”

“I got it. I got it, don't you two worry.” Renee replied. “Just make sure he stays here.”

“Renee!?” Nick replied.

“Code Jigsaw! I’ll handle it. Cel texted me a while ago.” Renee said.

“So when did you guys get codes?” Cel asked, as Nick walked down the stairs.

 “Oh we had them for a while. Mostly for Renee's safety, but she insisted on code Jigsaw.” Nick replied. “So if no one minds I like to see why exactly.”

Renee serves up both drinks, and lets Cel chugs her. “Daddy, it just means there’s another story that needs to come in long after we close.”

“Why would you even have that if it just means taking in trash like me?” Lucas asked.

“His name is Lucas.” Cel said.

“Lucas.” Nick replied. “I would call Renee, who I took in alot of things. Trash is not one of them.”

“Fell pretty far, huh?” Renee asked. “Been feeling like you’re at rock bottom a bit too long?”

“And here throwing away every last thing I have… You should let me throw myself away too.”

“I haven’t known Cel for long, all things considered, but that is the farest thing for either of these girls’ nature.” Nick replied, with a yawn. “I’m heading back to bed.”

“Just like that?” Lucas asked.

“He wanted to understand what a code Jigsaw was, and now he knows.” Renee replied. “He got what he wanted. And he's exhausted, so now he’s gonna go get sleep.”

“And you two are getting what you wanted out of this?” Lucas said.

“Helping a person down on their luck, which is basically written into my blood. And working with Renee?” Cel replied. “Yeah, I would say so.”

“Working with Cel, and serving up drinks to another lost soul.” Renee said. “So yeah, I would also say so.”

Lucas grumbled, and took a swig of his drink. “Enjoy my misery then I guess…”

“Lucas, you said you gave up everything.” Renee said. “So I have to ask, are you so sure it didn’t give up on you?”

“What?” Lucas replied. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I think it makes perfect sense.” Cel said, taking another swig. “I never experience it myself, and maybe that’s why I’m so fascinated with a lot of the things outside of it.”

“Cel, here is the 7th generation of the females in her family to deal with mental health. And up until I came around. There were at least 3 rivalries going on.”

“But you just had to go and need to ‘Redo your friends, and restart your life’ twice!” Cel said.

“I would’ve tried to find all of you, but I figured you hated me. That was stupid I know that now, but I still do it all again.”

“Restart?” Lucas asked. “Restart everything just like that.”

“I wouldn’t say just like that.” Renee replied. “It was hard, almost just as painful. But that pain was more from learning just how much of life I throw away, following others, and thinking ‘well they can do it, so it must be right.’ But that's just not my way to live, I prefer the company of every misfit, discharged pile of a mess I’ve met.”

“She’s gotten a lot stronger too ever since she first restarted.” Cel said.

“You are in a bar at like 3am, because you decided it was time to throw away everything you started with, Lucas.” Renee said. “So make it different this time around, because it seem even you feel you need to start again.”