$title Part 8: Judgement
$overlay_color #000 0.0
$wait 1.0
$set_background after_rescue
$overlay_color #00000000 1.0
$stop_music
$wait 1.5
Marco: ...As far as I can tell, your [color=#00ffff]soul[/color] is stable. The vessel is still weak, but it appears to have no lingering side effects from the Carnal River.
Bard: Why?
Marco: I don't know. Maybe the Carnal River–
$set_sprite bard bard/sweat bounce
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/confused
$start_music loose_thoughts
Bard: N-No. I mean, why did you s-save me?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/clutch_chest
Marco: Why wouldn't I?! The thought of losing you made my chest hurt, like it was twisting itself inside-out.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: B-Because it's your job to take me safely to the [color=#ff00ff]Hereafter[/color]...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad_speak
Marco: No.
Marco: I also didn't want to take you there, and be forced to say farewell to you.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: ...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms_speak
Marco: I don't understand why I feel like this... and I was afraid of these emotions, because they go directly against my duty as [color=#ff00ff]soul ferrier[/color].
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms
$set_sprite bard bard/blush
Bard: M-Marco...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/explain
Marco: But more than that, there was one thing that I was afraid of the most...
Marco: That you wouldn't understand why I didn't want you to cross over. That you would misinterpret my intent, and do something reckless.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: ...A-And I did just that.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/closed_eyes_speak
Marco: Still... I'm sorry that I lied and caused you so much pain.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: N-No, Marco! I'm the one who should be apologizing...!
Bard: First of all, for throwing myself into the Carnal River, and causing you to panic when you tried to rescue me... But I–
Bard: ...I'm so sorry, Marco. Gosh, that was so stupid in retrospect.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: Besides, I understand why you'd lie about the [color=#ff00ff]Hereafter[/color]... M-Meanwhile, I've only had stupid reasons to lie to you, from the very start.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive
Marco: ...
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: When we first met, I told you that there wasn't anything in my life to reflect on.
Bard: And you thought I had amnesia, or something... but I really didn't. Still, I went along with it.
Bard: It was just a tiny lie so you would stop asking me questions, b-but you only kept asking me more... And you even tried to help me remember!
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/confused
Marco: ...
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: I...I decided to play along. I pretended that I didn't have my memories.
Bard: That's how I learned to deal with others while I was alive. Lie, and pretend that everything was alright... And that I didn't need help from anyone else.
Bard: It was like wearing a mask for the sake of others, to hide the ugly world inside of my own head. And to keep others away so that they couldn't hurt me.
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: When I said that there wasn't anything to reflect on... It's not that I'd forgotten everything.
Bard: It's because my life, in the end, amounted to nothing.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: It was pointless. Meaningless. Not worth reflecting on.
Bard: When I met you, I decided to wear this mask one more time, and lie. And, well...
Bard: Heh. In the end, I guess this charade almost made my life sound interesting, didn't it...?
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: But the reality is that it's not...
Bard: I'm sorry, Marco. For lying. For everything. I know now that I shouldn't have. You've been nothing but kind to me...
$stop_music
$wait 0.5
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/curious
Marco: ...
$wait 0.5
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: I understand if you hate me, now that you know the truth. I didn't want to toy with your emotions–
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/curious_speak
Marco: I always knew.
$set_sprite bard bard/sweat bounce
Bard: H-Huh?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/explain
Marco: I mean, not with certainty. But I had a hunch. That you hadn't actually lost your memories.
$set_sprite bard bard/sweat
Bard: H-How...?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive_speak
Marco: Well, just a few details you've let slip here or there. I wasn't certain until you admitted to it, though.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: Th-Then... Why didn't you confront me about it?!
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/playful_speak
Marco: Because if I did, you would've likely stayed quiet. And you wouldn't have been able to reflect about your life, and realize how precious it was.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/playful
$start_music stars
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: ...B-But I still don't think it was.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral

# Fork 4
$if route_a >= 2 08_f4_route_a
$if route_b >= 2 08_f4_route_b
$if route_c >= 2 08_f4_route_c
$goto 08_f4_route_d
$label 08_f4_route_a
Bard: I couldn't ever do anything right... So I thought, why do anything at all? I was bound to fail, anyway.
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: A-And even if I did anything, I'd get the same negative criticism. If the result I get is the same, it's better to save my energy and not do it in the first place, right?
Bard: I could never accomplish anything good. There were days when I felt like just a waste of space. M-My entire existence felt like a net negative in the world...
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: If heaven and hell really exist, then I'm doomed for hell, no matter what.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
Marco: Bard, you don't have to be perfect. Nobody CAN be perfect. That's why it's only an ideal.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms_speak
Marco: No matter what your parent thought, failure is a part of doing things. It doesn't mean that putting in the effort is worthless, or that goals are not worth pursuing.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/happy
Marco: And whether you have managed to achieve a lot in your life or not doesn't mean that you are or aren't deserving of love.
$goto 08_f4_end
$label 08_f4_route_b
Bard: After my first crush...well, crushed my heart, I could never trust anyone with my feelings anymore... What if someone started using them against me again?
Bard: N-No matter if it was a romantic or a platonic relationship, almost all of them felt hollow. Like we were just two people using each other...
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: Was I manipulating them into liking me, unconsciously lying about myself? I wanted something that was real, but...
Bard: The romances that you see in movies and games... Are they all just fairy tales? Simply fake?
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: You know...even i-if I turn into a ghost, and roam the Earth for an eternity, I don't think I'll ever stumble upon another ghost who really likes me.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
Marco: Bard, I–
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy
Marco: ...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy_speak
Marco: There's more to relationships than just mutual attraction. There are boundaries, affection, commitments, vulnerabilities... and much more.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/greet
Marco: For some people, being in a relationship is extremely hard. Opening yourself to someone else is always a very brave thing to do.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms_speak
Marco: I think that love is real, and you deserve to be loved. But that friend of yours wasn't going to offer you any real love.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms
$goto 08_f4_end
$label 08_f4_route_c
Bard: Most of my life, it felt like everyone else was hiding something from me. Something obvious. Something that everyone knew except for me.
Bard: Maybe they all were pretending to like me, b-but they secretly hated me. I kept feeling like people were talking about me behind my back...
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: It only made me feel like I had to hide myself even more. So other people could have as little reasons to hate me as possible.
Bard: It feels that, if I reincarnate as a snail or something, the other snails will still be able to look through me and see how twisted my soul really is.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: I'll just want to hide forever in my little snail shell... All alone in the next life, too.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
Marco: Bard, I don't think your soul is twisted. It's normal to have different preferences, and that doesn't make you better or worse than others.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/reflect
Marco: It's also normal to have darker thoughts. And I think it's wrong that others would judge you harshly about your fetishistic desires if you aren't harming anyone.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms_speak
Marco: I'd rather judge someone like your guru, who's actually doing harm to others.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad_speak
Marco: The world at large may not change into a more accepting place... But I'm sure there is a community out there that would have accepted you.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/happy
Marco: I wish you could go back to the living world, just to find these people who would truly love you for who you are.
$goto 08_f4_end
$label 08_f4_route_d
$set route_d 1
Bard: Unlike my c-cousin's... They always seemed so happy, I always remembered their face with a smile on it.
Bard: Th-They were the only person who could understand me on a deep level. It was like a mirror into who I'd grow up to be.
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: And maybe, if they could be happy, then I could, too...
Bard: ...So it sounded like a lie, at first. When I heard that they had taken their own life.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: It...it wasn't fair. The only person I truly cherished... who I loved like my sibling... That they would come to such a terrible conclusion.
Bard: A-And I kept asking myself... Was it maybe my fault, somehow? Maybe I didn't see the signs. Maybe I said something I shouldn't, or didn't say something I should have?
Bard: A-And worst of all... Was it inevitable that I'd follow in their f-footsteps...?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
Marco: Bard. What happened to your cousin was their choice. It wasn't your fault.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive_speak
Marco: I can't tell you why they did it. Maybe they were desperate, and couldn't keep their self-doubt in check. Maybe they thought the world didn't have a place for them.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/curious_speak
Marco: But it wasn't your fault. It's clear that you loved them a lot, and they must've known that you did. They should have known how their death would affect you.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms_speak
Marco: Unfortunately, we can't change the past. What's done is done.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/neutral_speak
Marco: But I've met enough souls, and I don't think suicide is ever the answer. Not to them, or their loved ones, or anyone.
Marco: No matter how much things may seem hopeless in the moment.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/clutch_chest
Marco: When you're lost in your own self-destructive thoughts, it's easy to forget about all the love present in your life.
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: ...
Bard: ...You're n-not just talking about my cousin, are you?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms
Marco: ...
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: Did...did you always know?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad_speak
Marco: ...I had a hunch, too.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad

$label 08_f4_end
Bard: ...
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: Y-You know... When you talk like that... It sounds like you know a lot more about life than anyone who actually lived.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy_speak
Marco: Who, me? Not at all. There is still a lot I struggle to understand.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy
$set_sprite bard bard/blush
Bard: ...Yeah, me too.
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: Oh. I was thinking about something.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/curious_speak
Marco: What is it?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/curious
Bard: I still don't understand how I'm still... w-well, "alive" is not the right word. But how didn't my [color=#00ffff]soul[/color] disappear when I threw myself into the Carnal River?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive
Marco: Hmm...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/explain
Marco: It could be that my implanted memories are wrong, or incomplete. Or...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/confused_speak
Marco: ...Maybe your soul weighs heavy on a living person's mind, even as we speak.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/confused
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: ...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/closed_eyes_speak
Marco: Bard, please try not to take what I'm about to say the wrong way.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/playful_speak
Marco: But maybe you're ACTUALLY forgetting something. Or rather, someones.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/playful
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: Someones...?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad_speak
Marco: Yes. Other people who are still alive. Who you shared nice moments with, and who have fond memories of you. To whom you were very dear.
$if route_d < 1 08_no_route_d_extra
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/clutch_chest
Marco: Like your cousin was to you.
$label 08_no_route_d_extra
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: ...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/sad
Bard: I...I think I remember at least one. But I'm not sure if they really cared about me...
Bard: I never had the chance to talk to you about them, but–
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: ...
Bard: I-I feel guilty about leaving them behind, Marco.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive_speak
Marco: I think that's normal, Bard. I haven't met a single [color=#00ffff]soul[/color] that doesn't feel regretful about something after they've passed away.
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/pensive
Bard: ...E-Even the farmer lady...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/closed_eyes_speak
Marco: Even the farmer lady.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/closed_eyes
$stop_music
Bard: ...
$overlay_color #00000000 0.0
$overlay_color #000 2.0
$reset_background
$clear_sprites
$overlay_color #00000000 1.0
$set_sprite bard bard/sweat bounce
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/surprised
$overlay_color #fff 0.0
$overlay_color #ffffff00 0.3
Bard: IT'S NOT FAIR!!
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/wide_eyed_speak
Marco: Not fair...?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/wide_eyed
$set_sprite bard bard/face_away
Bard: I-It's not fair... that only when I'm running out of time... that only after I DIED...
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: It's not fair that I only found a purpose to live now, of all times...!
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy
Marco: ...
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy_speak
Marco: And...what is that purpose?
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/shy
$set_sprite bard bard/blush
Bard: ...
$start_music afloat
Bard: It's you, Marco.
Bard: Being with you, after all I've been through... Somehow, it makes me feel special.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/crossed_arms
$set_sprite bard bard/normal
Bard: ...You make me feel special.
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/clutch_chest
Marco: O-Oh, Bard...
$wait 0.5
# Marco covers his face with his sleeve again
$set_sprite marco marco_no_mask/cry
$wait 0.5
Marco: I'm so happy to hear you say that...!
$hide_textbox
$overlay_color #00000000 0.0
$wait 1.0
$overlay_color #000 5.0
$clear_sprites
$reset_background
$wait 1.0
# Fade to black
$load 09_postmortem