Preface
This is a script and well be later animated (which is why reading it may be a little off putting). Additionally, you can't differentiate between the characters since the notation didn't copy over from the doc, I'll fix that when I have the time. Enjoy!
Doors
Mai brings eggs and bacon on a plate to the table. Handing one plate to Hida.
"Thanks, Mai."
"You are very welcome!"
"…You don't have to be THAT giddy. We do this everyday."
Mai sits down and looks gleefully as Hida eats breakfast. Hida notices. She looks past Hida at the front door…
"Hmm do left-handed people struggle with opening doors?"
"Huh, w-?? Why would that be?" (Very confused)
"Well, we typically open our front door with our left hand because the doors swing in that direction. Since that's our non-dominant hand, you'd think left-handed people would feel more comfortable using their right hand."
"Mmmm I don't think it works like that. Both right- and left-handed doors exist. Just think double doors—-I feel fine using either door."
"Ohh I see now"
"Yeah, you're welcome."
"Imagine how annoying life would be if opening doors depended on hand dominance. People with only one of their hands could only open half the doors."
"Not if they were ambidextrous."
"Ambi what??"
"It means they can use BOTH hands!"
"Huh, that's interesting… so does that mean someone amphibious-"
"—ambidextrous—"
"…could write 2 times as fast?"
"Can YOU cook with 2 pans? It's a completely different skill, It takes extreme multitasking and focus to write two different words at once. Not to mention, your hands would probably get cramped writing so close together. It'd suck. A LOT. Not to mention people type more than write now."
"Dang, but still being ambiguous-"
"—ambidextrous—"
"…sounds pretty cool! Could you train to become…
"Am…"
"Am..?"
"Bi…"
"Bi..?"
"Dextrous… Ambidextrous"
"Ambidi... cris?"
"Sigh… SURE that works. And yes, you can."
"If you were to lose your dominant hand, would your other hand become dominant over time?"
"Of course, it'd have to be. Otherwise you'd literally not be able to do most human functions. On the topic of dominance, fun fact: whether you are left or right handed is largely dependent on genetics."
"You're telling me I was DESTINED to be right handed?!"
"Very weird way to put it, but sure."
Wait, then what's the advantage of being right over left hand? After all 90% of people are right handed."
"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure but if I had to guess, after Europe took over the world, the common usage of written European languages globally influenced more people to write from left to right, to avoid ink smudging, and so right handedness was preferred."
"That makes sense. Does this mean more left handed people will begin appearing as typing replaces writing?"
"Maybe… HEY I noticed you didn't put any carrots on your plate"
"Tsk" (annoyed she noticed)
"Here, eat these."
Mai noticeably annoyed that she now has to eat the carrots.
"…Do you think there exists more left or right doors?"
"Wow. That's… a really pointless question. You'd think after all this natural selection we'd be asking more important questions."
Mai tweaks
"But think about it: double doors cancel out because they have 1 left and 1 right door and car doors… oh wait, they also cancel out… ok but think about-"
"Mai.. Mai… hold your horses"
"I don't own any!"
Hida is perplexed and then disapproves of the pun.
"Ok… then hold onto your marbles because you might just lose them… all doors are right and left doors depending on what side you're looking at."
Hida smiles deviously as Mai finishes piecing it together.
"Ohhhhhh"
"I know, preeetty crazy what a little thinking the mind can do versus a lot of talk from the mouth. Speaking of which, you should use that mouth for eating-"
Hida forks a broccoli and is about to give it to Mai.
"Ok well, that question stems from another question."
"And what would that be?"
"Are there more doors or wheels in the world?"
Hida face palms and shows visible distress.
"Ok, Well… it's been on my mind recently. Since there are tons of factors to consider: double doors, trapdoors, car doors, car wheels, toy wheels, and many more things!"
"Mai, I'll humor you this once. "wheel" and "door" are objects we created and can embody whatever meaning we want them to. Like anything that rolls could be used as a wheel, although maybe not a good one. Ancient people used to use logs to transport items, YOU may not think it counts as a REAL wheel but it rolls for transporting."
"Ohh… I guess you could do the same thing for doors as well. Whether it's something that's on hinges or something that allows entry into another area, it could also be heavily extrapolated..."
"Seems like pointless arguing to me. See who's willing to stretch their definition the furthest. For example… if you take a bike wheel and strip the outside, it could be argued to be a miniature rotating doorway. And if you consider a gate as a door, does the "or gate" in a computer chip count as a door? Like I said, it's pretty dumb."
"Hey hey, but HOW abstract can you take it? Think about all those "door" used in literature."
"That's in literature."
"Buuuuut isn't it interesting? How something as simple as a "door" could have an abstract yet universal meaning. A metaphorical door could be, a change or shift in place or time period, a physical or imaginary barrier, an entrance, exit or both!"
"Yeah, that's what doors are. But you wanna know what's better than doors?"
"Whee-?"
"Locks. Doors might be cool and all…? but without locks this world would be a lot scarier."
"Oh… yeah."
"If doors are the entryway to a new area, locks provide order and limit what places you can go."
"That's pretty sad then… Without the freedom to choose where you want to go, you could end up completely trapped."
"What about robbery?"
"Ok no, of course not."
"Yup, and so evil must be contained by barriers! Like I said, veeerrryyyy important! Now that I've answered your question I'd like you to answer mine."
Mai a little confused but accepts the question
"Uh ok"
"Why do you ask so many questions about meaningless topics? How is this conversation useful to you in anyway- besides stalling eating your food"
Mai thinks for a bit
"Well, asking only useful questions is a little boring. If people stopped asking fun questions, life wouldn't be as enjoyable without that abstract, artistic thinking!"
"You only have so much life to live, so why not have some fun?"
"Hmmm, I don't get it. Locks and Order, that's the most logical way to live life… What kind of philosophy is "life is short, be silly". You'd be so much more productive if you focused on the important things in life."
"And what would happen if you lost that important thing?"
"Mai… come on… I don't think I'll be losing my right hand or legs any time soon."
"Bahhh, must we consider such trivial matters?"
Mai hits the Gatsby wine glass pose.
"Nope, that's something I can get behind!"
"That's why you're my bestie!"
They both laugh for an uncomfortably large time. Hida stops laughing and keeps eating. Credits roll.
"Ahh…."
"You still haven't eaten a single carrot."
Machine
Mai and Hida are walking through a museum and pass by many of the exhibits filled with modern art and machinery, Mai excited about everything and Hida interested in the big, ominous structures.
"HIDA HIDA!"
"What's up"
"Isn't this stuff awesome!?"
Mai points to a mechanical arm corresponding to her arm movements
"Yeah. Lots of REALLY interesting stuff here."
"Technology is humanity's greatest strength! I'm so excited to see what people come up with moving forward!"
Hida sits down on a bench and Mai follows
"Moving forward?… I want free wifi wherever I go"
"I want to eat a mechh…"
Mai is daydreaming of chewing on metal. Hida gives a side eye before they look together at a giant robot monolith.
"All my iron deficiency problems will be solved…"
"I highly doubt that will ever happen…"
(Mai snaps out) "Whaat why??"
"I mean people right now are more occupied with revolutionizing software than building exoskeletons"
"Aww, I guess there's some truth to that…"
"AI has been getting a lot of attention in the recent decade, so, instead of anything cool, we're probably just going to get AI entertainment, AI fridges—I don't know—AI wallpaper? Don't get me wrong, AI is pretty interesting. If people are able to pull off an entity that thinks for itself, imagine how fast science would progress! Experiments, simulations, discoveries all done with a blink of an eye! But then again even with all of human knowledge, some sciences must be discovered by chance."
"Well, the news isn't only focused on AI! I've heard some really cool developments have also been made in making human and even animal robots!"
"Oh yeah, I've heard of those."
"Maybe once we can mass produce these robots, we'll be able to also mass produce MECH SUITS!!"
"Ok but why does that matter."
"Heh, you're too predictable, Hida!
Mai makes a victorious pose and Hida stares blankly and coldly w/ blizzard sfx.
"I expected you to say something like that! Exoskeletons could help the disabled and amputees move around, they could also help firefighters and other civil protection agencies. Not to mention the effects it would have on culture! You CANNOT tell me that robo basketball would not be the SICKEST thing ever!!"
"I mean, you're not wrong, but robo basketball is definitely not the best application for future robotics. Instead what would be better would be the combination of AI and robotics to create androids. Infinitely mass-producible manpower! They could do dangerous jobs, tedious work, daily chores . . ."
Hida's thought bubble is interrupted with Mai's thought bubble of eating the android.
"No, not like that."
"I didn't even say anything!"
"It seems we agree that technology is needed but have wildly different interpretations of what is needed… Here's a thought exercise for you Mai"
"Huh?" (clueless)
"Try to think of how an android could be useful to OTHER people. Not just for you to eat."
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . Oh! Androids can be used to help out lonely people! Give them hugs and helpful advice!"
"Uh- suuurreeee, that works."
Mai ponders some more as they walk through the museum and Mai passes a section with planes and tanks.
"Ooo, wait! Imagine we're at war."
"Ok."
The background immediately switches into a war ground with bombs and bullets flying past them as they stand in the middle of it with just helmets on.
"Instead of humans fighting wars, we'll instead use ANDROID SOLDIERS!"
Scene of android soldiers shredding the battlefield transitions to Mai makes weird poses as she imagines herself being one of the androids.
"And then LASARS!!"
"And then PORTALS and SPACESHIPS!"
"Uhh I don't think that will happen, or if any of that it's even possible."
"Whaat?!"
"If we have another war it'll probably be one based on heavy artillery and aerial strikes on cities. If everyone switches to android infantry, what's the point in even battling head on? In that case whoever uses the most resources and pumps out the most robots would win, which is insanely costly. The more effective strategy would be to target all of the locations where machines are produced and controlled. Essentially a war where the only victims will be innocent people."
"Oh… I hope that doesn't happen."
"People are people; they always find a way to do the dumbest things. All we CAN do is hope."
The background melts back into the museum.
"I wonder… if we keep making machines more and more human, will owning one become an ethical issue? Like how "human" does an android NEED to become before beating one up is considered morally wrong rather than destruction of property…"
"Imagine the future: when robot rights become an issue."
"Ahh ha ha.. ha…"
Silence
"Oh you're serious."
"I mean humans are humans and as soon as something becomes empathetic enough they'll act upon it."
Mai taps Hida's shoulder and whispers something into her ear.
"Yeah, sure."
Sudden transition to Mai and Hida in the museum cafe. Mai is stuffing her face with strawberry cheesecake and Hida is sitting emotionless with a cup of black coffee and a barely eaten fruitcake.
"All that talk of robots got me feeling hungry!" (laughing a little)
"Convenient that they have a cafe at the entrance."
Hida pats her pockets and realizes she left her wallet at home.
"I'll pay you back later."
"No worries, it was the least expensive item on the menu anyways… will we ever completely run out of resources? Like building all of these robots and machines has got to be pretty resource heavy, especially if they become mass-produced."
"I mean, eventually we will run out of materials, but that's a very, very long way coming. Instead we'll probably suffer from running out of other resources like usable soil, living space, and fossil fuel. That is if we don't blow each other up before then."
"That's quite grim…"
Mai stops thinking and finishes her cake, cut to them walking out to the road.
"You need to lay off on the sweets; you barely eat any vegetables besides carrots."
"You know, all this talk about nuclear apocalypse and eating sweets has given me a revelation!"
"Mhm?"
"Life is short and I'm glad to be ali-"
Car hits Mai and cuts to credits with sounds of car tires screeching and sirens.
Food
Mai is on a hospital bed and Hida is sitting on the chair to the side. Silence… someone opens the door and gives Hida a plate of food.
"You doing okay?"
"Yeah of course! Took that car like a champ!"
"What, are you a turtle??"
"Ew no I hate turtles, they're slimy!"
"Uh- well I'm glad you're okay."
"Better than I'll ever be! Hey, just cause I can't use any of my lower body won't stop me from taking life any slower- Oh my foot itches… Ehh, I'll be discharged in another week. (Munching) The hospital has a lot of high quality blueberries though!"
Mai munches. Hida sighs, gets up with a carrot on a fork up to Mai's mouth.
"Come on. If you can still eat, then eat your veggies."
"Oh yeah? What are you going to do if I don't?"
Zoom out to Mai on the hospital bed.a
"Well I guess it can't be helped."
[Seeing Hida's expression] Mai relents and begrudgingly eats it.
"Why is it that you'll only eat carrots? They definitely aren't MY favorite vegetable."
"Well… rabbits are cute, and rabbits eat carrots! Therefore, transitive property-
"So ... they actually AREN'T supposed to eat a lot of carrots–-"
"NANANA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! Uhh uhh…"
Mai looks around trying to find something to go off topic with. Still shot on Hida's plate and fork.
"Quick unrelated question- what kitchen utensil would be the best weapon?"
Hida slowly slides away after hearing that.
"Why…? That question is a little too relevant right now."
"No no no, like imagine if you assigned each kitchen utensil to a person into a battle royal. Who one would win?"
"I mean the knife would win, but if were taking EVERY tool in the kitchen, then the answer might differ. Really only the sharp and long tools could be used for violence… I mean someone with a ladle will probably beat someone with a spoon."
Hida thinks intensely as Mai picks and throws out one of the broccoli pieces.
"See, I'm really stuck between a couple options right now…"
It cuts to an NPC holding a steak knife in an ancient battlefield. Hida narrates as the people fight according to her thought process.
"A knife, for general slicing and stabbing. A cleaver, for massive chopping damage. As long as you can land a clean hit, knife could be beheaded or mutilated. A wok, which might not be an effective weapon but will allow for maximum defense… Hmmmmm"
Hida imagines a battle scene playing above her head.
"Yeah, knife still wins."
"Aww that's a little boring…"
"Well, I'm not a kitchen utensil expert; you're kinda the only one who can cook here."
"… I mean I never said I disagreed… Oh! On the topic if food: is a hotdog a sandwich?"
"Sigh… This again? Come on, Mai. Is cereal a soup? Is pizza a salad? All of those questions take advantage of the lack of common definitions for foods."
"You know I forgot we did talk about that…"
Mai looks down and sees the fruit bowl (don't look through Mai's eyes, this shot should be in 3rd person).
"Why DOES the hospital have such good fruit? It's definitely better than the ones I prepare at home."
Mai munches
"It might be because of the color. A lot of taste is associated with sight, so if it looks good it'll probably taste good- hey did you eat any of the carrots-"
"Wow that's a little crazy how sight reliant we are. Being blind sounds incredibly difficult."
"It'd suck to lose any of your senses. We really take our senses for granted because, if you think about it, how would you explain a sense to someone that doesn't have it? How do you explain color, smell, touch, music, and taste? It's so common and essential yet impossible to describe."
"Hmmmmmmm… fire, flesh, and blood are all colored red and are associated with pain. Maybe you could use the feeling of touch to parallel sight?"
"That might work… but it's more of a work-around than a solution. Someone who's blind would probably perceive certain objects stated to be red as symbols of pain rather than the actual color red."
"Ok ok then maybe we need a better starting point… sight… is like being able to feel all the objects around you from a distance, but only the shape, not the texture- I can use shapes in the explanation right?"
"Yeah sure."
"Shape is a physical AND a visual attribute, meaning you can tell something's shape by feeling and seeing—seeing being like "feeling from a distance". Color is a visual attribute but not a physical one, meaning you can "feel" it at a distance but not up close. You can also think about color like smell! Smell is something you can't tell from feeling an object but you can tell from just being around it. Just like color!"
"I guess that's true… Using and comparing other senses would help explain the concept of color, but it still wouldn't properly explain, for example, purple."
"I- Hmm, yeah, this is definitely a difficult problem."
"Yeah, now think about the people missing more than one sense."
"Dang that's really sad.
"You can never feel truly grateful for something until it's taken away from you. Otherwise you won't actually FEEL that appreciation."
"I completely agree and I think it could be applied even further. The relationship with family members is one I only started appreciating after cutting ties…
"You're lucky enough to have a decent family."
"Yeah… I really wish I could've shown more appreciation to Tasha…"
"…Do you still know where she is?"
"Nope, she hasn't talked to me since she left the house… OH! But I could still call my parents! I think I'll do that tonight!"
Mai tries to get up, snapping back to reality that she is in fact still hospitalized.
"Darn… I do think I've developed a new appreciation for walking."
"Too bad some people never gain that appreciation, until it's too late."
"Hey, that just means you should live the best you can while you still can! Oh, Hida, Hida-"
"Yeah"
"This has given me a revelation… Let's travel the wworld! Go see sights and smell... smells!"
"Ahem…"
"Oh… right… how about next week! Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"
"You know what, you're right. We should be more grateful about things and live life to the fullest, so how about you eat your vegetables while you still can!"
"Uhhhhh I think I've got a while longer before I lose my ability to eat!"
Hida is disappointed, pouts, and keeps eating.
"You don't make sense."
Credits roll
"My foot itches again. Can you scratch it for me?"
"There's a cast."
Superpowers
Hida is sitting on a bed reading a comic book in a small room as Mai walks around.
"Hey Hida, whatcha reading?"
"Comic book."
"What's it about?"
"It's about a detective that has to fight off criminals with magical powers."
"Oooo that sounds interesting! Hmm, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?"
"Probably time manipulation—it's over all the best power."
"Heh, would you like to bet $20 on that?"
"Uh- yeah I would"
Suddenly transported to a school, Mai and Hida are wearing school uniforms (parody on harry potter).
"Wha- what's this for??"
Mai points down at Hida's hands and reveals she's holding $20.
"Time manipulation is not the best power, and I'll prove it to you! For a super power to be good it also has to be useful as well! "
"For example, I can easily pass all tests with mind reading!"
"I could skip through time to see what the answers are or even stop time to have infinite time to study the material."
"Well… I could heal myself and every else's injuries and diseases with a healing power!"
"I could revert your body to before you were sick."
"Flight!"
"Stop time." Hida can walk on water when time is frozen.
"Electricity manipulation!" Mai charges her phone
"Speed up, then reverse."
"Future sight!"
"I can travel to the future."
"W- Well uhhh with telekinesis you could be lazy while still getting stuff done!"
"I could stop time and wait for the motivation to do stuff…"
30 seconds of silence… Hida finally gets up to grab her drink.
"With infinite time I can be infinitely lazy."
"Hmmmm, OK! Sure time manipulation is pretty useful… but how is it in combat?"
"Mai Mai, listen… with time manipulation, I could literally beat you in 0 seconds… but I'll hear you out."
Straight head on shot of Hida transitions to a battlefield. What proceeds is a fight scene, I'll animate trust.
"Bubble manipulation."
Mai's eyes glow blue as bubbles begin to be produced around her.
"A power is as strong as the author restricts it to be. Therefore if I strictly define my powers around the ability's definition . . . "
Mai raises her hand and shows Hida's arm begin to swell from bubbles being formed in her arm. Panicking, she quickly reverts time on her arm to heal it. Mai grabs a stone and begins to produce and burst bubbles within her hand to build up pressure and then POP, the stone shoots out at Hida. quickly slowing down time, she grabs the stone and throws it back. Mai forms a bubble shield and deflects it, but Hida reverses the object and keeps shooting it at the shield, cracks begin to form.
"Invisibility."
Mai's entire body vanishes and so does the area as well. Hida activates time stop and all she can see is void. Silence. The moment Hida resumes time she gets hit out of nowhere. Hida lowkey getting annoyed and slows time, as soon as Mai punches her she punches back and the invisibility shuts down. Mai is shot back but what Hida hit was a plate of metal rather than her.
"Space manipulation."
Mai clasps her hands together and matter begins forming in the sky and a black hole forms. The black hole grows bigger and then begins sucking both Mai and Hida in. Hida standing nonchalantly staring at the blackhole.
"Okay, playtime's up."
Hida freezes time, walks up to Mai, and flicks her one the head. Resuming time, Mai gets flung back extremely fast into a wall. Hida walks over and Mai raises a random white flag she found. Background and everything transitions back to Hida's room.
"Sighh… There goes my $20"
"You can have it. Consider it as payment for the black coffee."
"Coffee? Ohhh, right, from the cafe. Wait but that was only 5…"
"Umm inflation goes crazy nowadays. It's true that unrestricted powers are extremely overpowered… but it doesn't change the fact that time manipulation is just the most powerful."
"EITHER WAY, You don't need to be really powerful to be a hero, it's all about the heart! Powers just facilitate good!"
"Or evil."
"Yeah… But what counts as good or evil?"
"By being the most literal, being a good person means doing good things. But morality can't be simplified into do good things, don't do bad things.There are differing levels to how good something is and how bad something is, and if a hero is considered as someone who does only good than no one can be classified as a hero, everyone had done SOMETHING bad before."
"There's got to be some more leeway in that… Despite past wrongdoings, if a firefighter saves someone from a burning building, you'd automatically consider him a hero."
"I wouldn't."
"Wait whatttt"
"To avoid subjectivity, the person that was saved would probably consider that guy a hero, but looking at it objectively there is almost always more to the situation. For example, this firefighter could have an ulterior motive in which . OR this guy only saved this person for the reason to brag about it to other people, treating victims as objects or objectives. OR-"
"Ok but these are all purely hypothetical, you wouldn't know if any of that was real until you got to know that person."
"And you'd never know if they are truly a good person until you meet them either."
Sudden cut to flashback, Hida is in a school with people surrounding her. Her face has scars and hints of blood as the people are laughing. One of them drops a blade in front of her.
"WOAHH! Check out those scars! Did she really cut herself that many times?!"
"Go on, knife's not going to use itself!"
The gang follows her around presumably every day and pushes her around. She enters a room and people keep a good distance away. People stare at her scars and gossip about her.
Montage ends with Hida on the floor curled up with some bruises as her usual bullies laugh and take pictures. Mai recognizes her face (they've met before explained in the next episode) and pushes the gang member stepping on her away. Mai begins to fight them as Hida is unable to get up or even open her eyes for that matter. Mai is obviously losing (she is not built to fight people) but voices from a large group of people begin to approach the hallway and the gang retreats the other way. Mai, being stupid, chases after them.
"HEY GET BACK HERE, I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET"
Flashback ends as Hida winces at the thought of the past.
"Do you think I'm a good person?"
Mai hits a pleading emoji. Hida doesn't want to feed into her delusions.
"Well compared to everyone else…"
"You didn't deny it!! You're so kind hearted Hida, gimmie a kiss right now!"
Hida keeps distance from Mai by pushing her head with one hand.
"I think you're far too trusting, Mai. You just can't trust in the good will of people. Everyone has some amount of evil. I mean, the people superheroes save could go on to commit evil. Should then anyone be saved without regard to the potential threat towards future people?"
"Well… You are right in saying no one is perfect, but everyone has the capacity to change. Just like how the best people have the ability to do horrible things, terrible people have the ability to do something good. We live on this fine balance of morality."
"But still, just because people have the ability to change doesn't mean they are committed to or will be willing to change at all. What makes anybody worth saving if everyone's morality is volatile?
Mai thinks a long bit. Hida is out of breath.
"I think the novelty, which makes super heroes such a fantastical ideal, is not just because of the super part but also because of the hero part. Someone who's willing to save someone not because they are good, not because they are more worth saving, but because they make the active illogical risk to save someone for the hope that saving them physically they will also save people morally. Everyone has the ability to do good, but some people need that inspiration, that motivation to foster that ability."
"Huh, that… is surprisingly logical, well said."
"Mhm, I've been practicing! Maybe the real heroes were the friends we made along the way!"
"Ok, you can stop now."
Mai throws a thumbs up and stays silent. A slight pause as Hida thinks about her words.
"Thank you Mai… for everything"
"Oh- Uh… I could say the same thing to you! That's surprisingly empathetic!"
"I hope you know I reserve that for special people"
"Awww thank you Hida! See you can be nice sometimes!"
"Oh, and I'll probably need to borrow some more money. Forgot I needed to pay the library fee for this."
Hida holds up the comic book she was reading.
"Wouldn't you think it'd get boring to be the most powerful? Like having powers all by itself is already a level above everyone else."
"I mean it probably would give an unimaginably large god complex. And it'd get pretty hard to connect and treat people equally. That is if you have visibly powerful abilities like elemental control, space manipulation, time manipulation but who would pick such a boring- oh… that's me"
"PFFT- Hida you're a funny one."
"shush"
Looking from 3rd person at the room, with Mai laughing as
Credits roll…
Continuing from the previous flashback Hida stands on a bridge, looking down, face still freshly bruised from earlier. She takes a deep breath and begins to move up the handrails but Mai grabs hold of her (very weakly), and keeps her from going past the railing. Hida (doesn't know her yet) tries to push her away. Struggling, she turns around and separates from her. She sees the bruises on her face, recognizing her as the person who fought the gang beforehand, and Mai hands Hida a perfectly (trust this is important) folded paper boat. Something clicks in Hida's memory as Mai hugs her again.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
Legacy
Setting is a fancy looking restaurant. Little hida sits in a chair, with many people surrounding the table and then she sees on the other side of the round table, a little crying Mai. Someone passes by and the scene transitions back into the present with Mai smiling brightly at Hida. The setting is a fast food restaurant, and Mai and Hida are sitting in one of those 2 person square tables.
"What's got you smiling that much?"
"I just didn't know how sentimental you were Hida! Going out of your way to book a reservation at Great Butler? You probably had to fight several couples to get a table for 2!"
"Uhhh you know they stopped "doing" reservations years ago right?"
"Wait what…"
"And it's not named Great Butler anymore, it's "The Gutter" now. Reservation? Have you seen the outside of this building?? It's been a looong time since either of us have eaten here."
(The Great Butler was rebranded to The Gutter to save money so they wouldn't have to buy new neon letters)
"Ok but you remember why this place is so significant right?"
Mai smiles brightly expecting exact words from Hida.
"Uhmmm… I remember you laughed so hard at prom that your drink squirted out of your nose."
Short flashback to Mai suffering and Hida and a couple other people laughing. "I feel so carbonated right now!" She says half laughing and crying
"Mhm yeah that hurt... But I'm looking for something a little more significant!"
"Uhhmm… I remember during middle school someone confessed extremely loudly and you thought they were talking to you!"
Hida can't hold in her laughter.
"AND he got rejected by BOTH of you!"
"You were there??"
"Nope just heard it through the grapevine."
"Why do you only remember my embarrassing moments here?…"
"I'm just poking fun. This is where we first met."
"You're such a meanie!… though it is a little unfortunate that half my childhood memories are from this place."
"I mean yeah, your family was a huge fan of Great Butler. They introduced my parents to it after all—that was when we met."
"Yeah, I was probably their number one customer! I can't even keep track of the time I spent in this building, especially including the number of times my parents forgot to pick me up from here!"
Hida is a bit concerned for her safety as from childhood.
"It's comical!"
"Oh… heh.. heh mmmm…"
"Now that I think about it, it really has been a while since I last came here. Guess I got too used to cooking at home. Didn't they used to have paintings here? "
"Yeah but they had to sell them because they were short on money. After the news got out that several children were kidnapped by an employee, everyone's impression changed. It didn't matter however many years they've served their customers, it didn't matter how good their food was, no track record could change their opinions now. Only now is this establishment starting to get back on their feet."
"That must suck… I got to know the manager of this place pretty well, he was a very passionate guy. It was like this restaurant was his home… must've hurt to sell ownership rights…"
"Ahh.."
Seeing Mai in visible distress Hida wants to change the subject to something more light-hearted. As she's about to speak, the waiter comes over.
"Welcome to The Gutter what can I get you?"
"I'd like to try the chicken pasta."
"Oh and I'll have the… I'll have the sliders."
"Alright coming right up."
"Sayy… how's Tasha? Have you contacted her yet?"
"Oh, yes I did!… but she didn't pick up. I left a fun voicemail though, really hope she hears it! Sigh… But it's fine, she's always been like this."
"I've met your sister before, she never gave the impression that she'd ghost her own sister…"
"Well it's quite a long story… My parents held Tasha in the highest regard, and for good reason too. She had numerous achievements even at a young age, academic, athletic, she probably could've been a neurosurgeon or… or a D1 football player EVEN at age 10!"
"I wouldn't let a 10 year old perform surgery on me…"
"Either way, she was TALENTED! Me?… ehhhh not so much. I rarely interacted with my parents since they were always caught up with Tasha's competitions and tournaments. I did pretty average in school and so everyone would always be really surprised when they found out me and Tasha were sisters! Heh heh…"
"I don't think that's a good reason to be surprised…"
"Well, I found it QUITE amusing! Although, I remember one day me and Tasha were drawing and folding little boats."
Mai has a flashback to that day
"My parents called her over, they wanted to talk to her in private. I never figured out what they told her, but presumably it was about me. That was the last time I ever played with Tasha. We had the occasional "good mornings" and "Hi" but we didn't talk much afterward. So it's not a surprise she's ghosted me after so long… but she's probably just busy, with being a billionaire or something!"
"Sigh… you really always see the good in people."
"Live by what you preach! I am grateful for having a sister like Tasha, even if she doesn't feel the same way about me. OH did you ever see the Tasha statue they made?"
"Excuse me, THEY MADE A WHAT??"
"Yeah, when she graduated from our high school she gave a speech that moved the principal to tears. Oh and the president of the United States."
"This sounds like a tall tale…"
"Anyways they just HAD to build a memorial for her after that."
"Well… I wouldn't doubt she is a billionaire by now. Afterall, you are defined by your past. Your past experiences and learnings make up who you are and what you can and will do. Tasha's for sure got a phenomenal track record, and I'd bet she'll continue to."
"Hmm I really only partially agree with you there… You aren't strictly defined by your past. It's more like you are defined by what you take away from your past. Everyone has the ability to change for good or for worse in response to their past. Tasha's future is up for her to decide, but I do hope it's a good one."
The waiter arrives back and hands Hida her dish
"Here you go."
Hida cuts off tiny pieces and eats in between dialogue.
"Once this is all over, Tasha will at least have a statue to be remembered by. It's pretty frightening to think I'll die with nothing to leave behind. I don't even know what I want people to remember me for…"
"Yup, that does sound pretty scary."
"What kind of legacy would you want to leave?"
"Being completely honest, I probably won't ever build a legacy off of fame or achievement. Instead I'd like to bring kindness back to the world; the happiness of others is a good enough legacy for me."
"Funny you say that, since the world we live in lacks kindness. Everyone performs kindness with a mask on, expecting something in return."
"Everyone?"
"Ok- so MOST PEOPLE."
Mai smirks since she just corrected Hida (rarely happens).
"My point still stands. People are too focused on making an impact, stocking up on favors, that we lose authentic kindness and meaningful relationships."
"That's why we need to be the change!"
"Two people can't change all of society."
"It's always nessesary to try your best at everything! Full power 100% effort!!"
Mai hits a pose and Hida visible cringes.
"Sigh… I guess you're right, I never give full effort… ever."
"Hey don't sweat it—history writes itself! Whether we're remembered for something good or something bad. Just focus on living life to the fullest!"
Mai stops to think.
"Oooo, I know! We could go visit the beach! I heard they finally cleaned up the shore!"
"Oh really? I haven't been to the beach in years, sounds like fun…"
"Anyways, you ready for seconds?"
Hida glances down realizing Mai had finished her food a long time ago. Top shot of Mai's empty plate and Hida's food cut up and half eaten. Hida is in shock.
"How did you… You were talking… I guess I'm still working on it."
Credits roll…
"Ok actually, why do you love food so much??"
"It's called living life to the fullest for a reason ya know? Can't be living on an empty stomach! You aren't going to get very far if you're gonna keep nibbling away at your food!"
"What does your philosophy say about over-eating?"
"Uhhhhhh… I will not accept any further slander against thy name!"
Post credits…
Little Hida sees no one else is bothering with Mai's crying. She jumps down the chair, grabbing her napkin. Mai is crying but Hida pushes a folded boat in front of her. Shows Hida showing a comforting smile. Mai stops crying and she begins folding her clearly more impressive origami boat and Hida is shocked. Mai hits a 😋
Time
Mai and Hida sit on the beach shore. The only sound is the waves crashing. No one is around and the sun is close to setting.
"Ahhh isn't it so nice? The beach brings me calm."
"It is nice… I think this is the first time in the past year I've ever worn a different outfit."
"All because I forced you to!"
"It does make this occasion feel special."
Hida looks at her flip flops and smiles.
"Though this hat might've been a bit much, it was mostly cloudy today…"
Mai looks up at her hat and then spots a ship in the distance.
"Gasp! Is that a pirate ship??"
"I hope not."
"Oh! I learned about this really cool thing. Do you know about Theseus's ship?"
"Is it a ship owned by Theseus?"
"It's a philosophical question: if you repair the ship with new boards and eventually replace every board in the ship, is it still the same ship?"
"Oh I have heard of this. I think every modification creates a new variation of the ship. So even after one board is replaced, the ship is no longer the same as before. Did you know after 7 years all of the cells in your body are replaced? It's kind of the same idea here, you aren't the SAME as your previous self, just a variation of the original."
"Dang that's scary… there is almost no part of my original self left, and that will keep happening as I grow older??"
"Yup, everything breaks down eventually. Plants, animals, buildings, planets, stars, this universe."
"What does a table break down into?"
"Uhh you mean like a metal table? The metal would probably rust and very slowly degrade putting the metal back into the earth."
"Ok what does a wooden table break down into?"
"The wood would rot and break up in smaller and smaller pieces through weathering and return back into the soil as well."
"What do clothes break down into?"
"I'm assuming you mean the fabric. If it's synthetic the fabric would degrade into microplastics and break down smaller and smaller over years."
"What if I break dance?"
"I would cringe to death."
Mai was about to get in position to do a windmill but decides to spare Hida thus once.
"What does a star break up into?"
"Well over a long long time, depending on the mass of the star, it could either go supernova or… not."
(they just shed into a white dwarf if small enough)
"Well I guess this makes sense, with enough time anything can break down, so there's no way the universe would be ending any time soon!"
"On the contrary, with enough time anything is possible. If a monkey were typing randomly for infinite time, they could type anything. Infinite is infinite."
"Woah, so it could type up everything I'm thinking of right now?"
"Yes, your death, your future, everything you've ever spoken. And then it could write it all again but backwards. Here's another fun one: with infinite time and infinite space, you'd be infinitely insignificant. In the grand scope of things, your time would be infinitely short and anything you do would be infinitely small."
"You'll have to walk me through this one… I don't really get it..."
"All good. Imagine you were the size of a city."
Hida and Mai suddenly become the size of a city, Mai crouches down to look at the tiny people.
"You see all those people running for their lives? That's how small people are compared to a city. Now imagine yourself as the size of a planet."
Mai and Hida, still in beach clothing, are now wearing astronaut helmets and are floating by earth.
"Woah it's way too cold out here."
"Stop being so dramatic, we're only in space. That speck right there? (points) That's the city"
"Oh wow, you can't even see a single person anymore."
"Yup, which makes it perfectly fine to do this."
Hida catches the moon and throws it at Earth causing it to explode. Immediate cut to the milky way.
"This is our galaxy, and uhhh the solar system's… somewhere there. I don't remember, never got too much into astronomy."
Hida and Mai then grow to the size of the universe.
"Woah it's growing!… very slowly!"
"I know I know, spent half my budget for this simulation. Let's speed things up—you see those glowing areas? Those are galaxies of stars dying and being reborn. And if we go even faster, even those celestial bodies seem to have a small lifespan along with humanity. But we aren't at infinity just yet!"
The universe becomes smaller and smaller as Hida and Mai grow bigger.
"Well, being at least a little realistic, we'll never reach infinity. That all encompassing blob we call a universe is still finite and so it too becomes infinitely small along with humans and everything else in the perspective of the infinite."
Suddenly popping back to the beach, Mai is flabbergasted.
"I guess living in a temporary world is more of a blessing than a curse… It's weirdly calming to know our existence is just as finite as everything else. But I do wonder… how far will humans be able to go? Will humanity ever live out to see the end of the universe? If we aren't able to fix earth we'll have to move to a different planet. Of course our solar system won't last forever and we'll have to leave then as well. Then what next?"
"Well we might die out then."
"What?? There's no way, that'd be so sad!!"
"Well it will be a long long time until our solar system collapses and we might find some sort of technology to stay living in space and maybe even travel to a new solar system. But even if we were to travel light speed it'd take YEARS to get anywhere. And we aren't even considered if we humans tear each other apart beforehand."
"I believe in humanity!"
"That's what someone who's dying first would say. I could definitely see AI taking over and using their robot bodies to explore the universe freely."
"OR WE'LL ALL BECOME CYBORGS AND HAVE HUGE MECH SUITS-"
"Not so sure about that one. Being flesh is already a bad idea in space… but as it stands, the future matters in the future. Right now matters… well right now. We've got plenty of issues on Earth already."
Hida sees a plastic bottle wash up onto the shore.
"Yup! We must not forget—time keeps ticking. No matter what you do, in this lifespan, that sun will keep rising and falling. The most important thing at this very moment is that we need to spend more time with our friends and family! Everyone will rest one day and when I grow old and… crinkly… my greatest regret would be wishing I had spent more time with everyone."
"I guess I already have a sense of that right now."
"You still have a chance! I'm not the best person out there, you should know that best! Well… what I'm saying is that I believe you can make more friends, and reconnect with your parents (those are hard to come by)!"
"Heh… I really wish I could live by that degree of optimism."
Hida grabs the bottle and waves it in front of the sun. Mid-wave the whole beach suddenly transforms into a plastic covered wasteland. Hida stares at the ground.
"The ground feels more dirt than sand. Are you sure this place was cleaned up? I'm seeing a couple stray bottles-"
Hida turned her head around to see another Hida staring at her. Panicking, she stumbles and stands up. The camera shows the real Hida's face, she has eyebags and looks like she hasn't eaten in days. The other ("past") Hida has the usual appearance.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
"That's a really pointless question. You'd think after all of these discussions we'd start asking the more important questions!"
"ANSWER ME"
Hida realizes the bottle she's holding is glass. There is a half buried TV in the sand along with a lot more trash, Hida sees the TV. (in the reflection there is a paper boat where past hida/mai should be). She smashes the bottle against the TV to obtain a sharp weapon. Holding it out against Past Hida.
"Woah woah… I think it's pretty obvious who I am. And just look at yourself, you clearly don't have the resources to keep this up. Let's think this through logically-"
"I CAN'T THINK THROUGH ANYTHING LOGICALLY ANYMORE! None of this makes sense… where… where is…"
Hida frantically looks around searching for Mai.
"You're overreacting. And why do you care so much anyways? Aren't you supposed to be the cynic? Start thinking with your brain, although you should probably eat something first"
Hida blinks and the water turns to blood, the sun begins to eclipse, cuts begin forming on Hida's body and her scars come out again.
Past Hida begins to smile. As everything cuts back to the beach with Mai.
"Hello? Are you good?"
"…yeah…"
"You zoned out for a hot second. Don't worry, we always have those moments! This is supposed to be a relaxing experience afterall."
Mai pats Hida's cheeks.
"Just don't look at the sun for that long, the bottle doesn't do much to protect your eyes."
Hida looks down to see she's still holding the bottle, un-smashed.
"Yeah… I'm just a little hungry…"
"Oh My Grilled cheese, I was just thinking about food too!"
"You're always thinking of food."
"No but like, I'm feeling nostalgic now. We're about to hit our friend-iversary!"
"You've been counting??"
"Yup! And I've decided! We're going to Willow Hills for a picnic!"
"Isn't that YOUR favorite picnic spot though…"
Credits roll
"Hida. I've been planning this for the past week—are you really about to make me switch the locations-"
"No no it's fine. Just bring actual food this time, not just snacks."
Memories
"The weather is amazing today!"
"It's a bit too sunny, but I guess that's where this tree comes in."
"Yup! There we go, already thinking a little more positive!"
"OK Mai, whatever you say."
Hida takes out a bag of berries and hands it to Mai. Hida takes out her sandwich and then freezes. Then sets it aside.
"Why IS this your favorite picnic spot?"
"Well, besides the view, it's where I have all my favorite memories. Eating and playing with Tasha, flying kites with you—it's the most peaceful place I know!"
"Well I've only come here a couple times. Can't really say I feel as nostalgic as you, since those aren't MY memories…"
"That's actually a fantastic point! Memories are like stories… each one unique and special to that person!"
"Uh huh…? But if I relay the details of my memories, someone else can now envision those stories. Doesn't that mean they're no longer unique?"
"You could explain down to the finest detail what your memory was about and they will still only visualize an interpretation. You could tell stories, but those stories will change after each retelling as we all picture something different in our minds."
"Memories and stories are also the most fragile things, being easily forgettable in an instant."
"Isn't that beautiful?! Memories are the most personal and unique thing in the world, and it could all be lost in an instant… Say… Hida, how much do you remember about me?"
"Well… um… I remember we first met at The Great Butler…"
"That was so long ago! Can't you think of something a little more… recent?"
"We… came here to picnic after graduation?"
"We graduated years ago, you've got to remember!"
"I- what am I supposed to be remembering?"
"Remember what happened."
"WHAT? Remember what??"
"Remember what happened."
"I don't- I don't want to!"
Hida's breathing becomes heavier as she grabs hold of her head.
"Remember what happened-"
"I SAID I DON'T- JUST CUT IT OUT!"
Mai stares blankly at Hida.
"Why? Why did this have to happen? Nobody deserves this fate, especially not you… You brought life to everything; you saw the best in the worst. So why?! This doesn't make sense. You don't make sense. NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!"
And as Hida curls over Mai switches to Past Hida.
"Of course none of this makes sense, you buffoon. You wouldn't have had to freak out if you'd just listened to what I said. Oh and not to mention, you still haven't eaten anything."
"You're not helping…"
"Well I'm not going to pamper you! Being nice doesn't get you anywhere! I think she was a pretty good living testimony of that."
Past Hida glares are the cup of berries.
"Why… she did nothing wrong…"
"Oh she did plenty wrong. Said it herself. 'No one is perfect'—–you're idolizing a fool."
"If only I-"
"I'm fed up with your whining. There is literally nothing you could've done, and really nothing you can do now. It's completely her fault for being an idiot. This world isn't built on sunshine and rainbows, it's built on lies, corruption, and most of all: logic and reason."
"…"
"If it's not benefiting you, those memories are better left forgotten. That's the only way you're going to keep living."
Past Hida kicks over the cup of berries
"… it's over isn't it? It all ended in that moment. She was my hope… I can't keep going. Without her I'm- I'm… "
Hida, about to break out into tears, hears Past Hida's voice transition into Mai's voice.
"Now that I've answered your question, I'd like you to answer mine."
Turning, Hida sees that Past Hida was again replaced by Mai.
"Why are you so concerned about the past?
Why are you so stuck on something you can't change?"
"Because it's just so… so UNFAIR! There are so many worse people out there who didn't suffer as much as you… Why Mai?? How… HOW CAN I LIVE WITHOUT SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT TO ME?"
Mai stares blankly as Hida curls up sobbing.
"Well, you can never feel truly grateful for something until it's taken away from you"
Hida feels like she's said that exact line before and looks up.
"You only have so much life to live. Instead, try to have some fun!"
"I- I can't- you were the only person who ever truly cared about and laughed with me."
"Believe in humanity!"
"But I can't… And I can't do anything about these DAMN SCARS! My life has been a joke since birth because of these scars!"
"You aren't defined by your past. You are defined by what you take away from your past."
"Even if I tried… if I tried to move past my scars. People will continue to laugh at me just like they always have. I live in a cruel and unforgiving world; what CAN I do??"
"Everyone has the ability to do good, to change. Bring kindness back to the world; happiness is a good enough legacy."
"Mai… please don't leave me…
"I already left a long time ago! Just… remember this… No matter what you do, in this lifespan, that sun will keep rising and falling."
Mai stands up from under the tree and points at the sun.
"What matters the most at this very moment is that we spend time building and cherishing relationships. Everyone will rest one day and when you grow old and… hopefully not crinkly… I hope you never regret having not lived life to the fullest."
Mai turns around and smiles at Hida, who is in shambles. Her empty eyes are suddenly brought to life as…
Flashback (hida snaps back to reality); Hida sits in the hospital eating by herself with Mai bandaged on the bed unable to move, speak, or think. As she flatlines the doctors rush over trying to use the defibrillator. Hida, still sat down, cuts to her standing up in front of Mai's grave. Her grave was the smallest out of the rest in the graveyard and was the only one without flowers. The funeral organizer whispers to his advisor.
"You DID contact her family, right?"
"Yeah, but they claimed they didn't recognize the name."
"So who's that? Her sister?"
"No, her sister didn't respond to any of our contact."
"So is she a friend or…"
Their voices fade as Hida's eyes remain dark and empty. The background cuts back to Hida at home. She looks down, she's now holding the comic book, but the only thing on the pages are big bold words "forget". With very brief flashes of "remember". Background cuts again to show Hida in a restaurant at a 2 person table, of course no one at the other side. Another quick cut to her on the beach. The outfit she's wearing is the same exact one throughout all of it and her scars are showing, afterall this is from a third person perspective.
Finally cutting back to under the tree, the camera solely focused on Hida. She has eyebags, looks like she hasn't eaten, and her scars are present (she's finally viewing herself as she is, no more hallucinations) but no longer has her dead empty eyes. Hida sniffles, laughing a little.
"I guess you're right… Life is too short to stay in the past."
Hida picks up one of the knocked over blue berries. It was moldy, they always have been.
"You always chose to see good within the worst people… I guess that's why I'm still alive, so I think it's time I follow in your footsteps."
She sets down the blueberry.
"Heh… Live life to the fullest right?… I'll try my best."
Hida picks up the sandwich she had set aside.
"Thank you Mai… thank you for everything."
Hida takes a huge bite into the sandwich, tears streaming. After swallowing she places the rest of the sandwich in front of a folded paper boat. Cut to a wide shot of Hida sitting under the tree beside the paper boat where Mai used to be.
Credits roll
"I think… I think I'll keep sailing."