Because

So... my shattering happened... kind of sucked a little harder than I thought it was gonna. Or... a lot harder maybe... it sucked. It sucked real hard.

It started off fine. A bunch of my fellow masks, peers I had worked with mainly, came in to participate. I'd name a few but they tend to get pissy for using their actual names. It makes them less faceless having a proper name.

Out of the non-mask friends, or at least out of the non-obscure and blog-less ones, attending were Ivan, Maggot, Nat, Sloth, Jack, Picasso, the Fire, Devil, and John. Most of those are Free Market home bodies though. They didn't exactly have to go out of there way to be here. Again... most of them. Picasso, Maggot, and Ivan were all kind enough to take a day or two off of very important assignments to come see me for this. Jack claims he abandoned something important to be here but that kid likes to lie through his teeth so... whatever.

Kind of wish Fracture could have been there but... well I guess he kind of was... We'll get to that.

So things started well. Everyone, who could, was talking and reminiscing. Reflecting on the days gone by that led us all here. Lamenting time spent apart. Being reminded of why we spent so much time apart from some of these people. Reunion stuff essential.

Right up until our late arrival made it, Ivan. He took off with Nat and we didn't see them again until well into the middle of the ceremony. And when they did arrive they look exhausted, sweaty, and frustrated... it was awkward.

Late or not, they both got to put their mark on my mask.

I should back track and explain, or maybe re-explain, that.

Essentially, all the Rite of Shattering ceremony is, is everyone gathering in one room and passing the decommissioned mask's mask [that is to say my mask] around. Everyone it goes to either cuts the mask or, if they disapprove of the ceremony or just don't like me, they can visibly abstain. Naturally, the more people there to cut at the mask, the easier the final step of shattering the mask against my face is so it pays to be on good terms with your fellow mask or to at least have a lot of friends willing to show up for this.

Most people cut into my mask... the rare exception being the ultra traditionalists among my mask buddy's who would probably refuse me the shattering rite outright if they could.

The mask passed to everyone at stopped at my Shatterer for this event, Maggot. Its mandatory that the shatterer be another mask. And it's traditional that that mask be something to the effect of a Mentor or a pupil. Duckies.... gone now. So that just left my old ward Maggot.

Picking a good shatterer is extra important. Usually the mask is far from ready to break by the time it gets to the shatterer and it's the shatterers job to make sure its cut, cracked, and damaged enough to brake when it hits your face... you know, assuming they like you. If you choose poorly, they can always abstain from damaging the mask themselves and bash the fuck out of your face until it breaks that way.

The mask reached Maggot and suddenly everything went black, save for a single light shining over Maggot. Which wasn't supposed to happen mind you. Maggot looked around confused when suddenly Duckie ran in out of nowhere and sucker punched Maggot in the face and out of the light, ripping my mask away in the process.

The Duckie turned to me with a wide crooked grin.

"Looks like someone thinks they get to stop being a Mask! Ha! What in the nine fucking hells make your stupid fucking ass think I would ever let this stupid fucking ritual go down? Being a mask in a life long Oath! Only way out of this is death. By everyone is already here so I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna shove this in your mouth so deep you'll gag, and then I'm gonna pull it down as hard as I can and we'll see if your jaw snaps off before the mask snaps in two! In fact, I'm feeling so merciful that if it snaps first, you get to live," he said grabbing me by the hair and pulling my head back forcibly, mask held up to my face ready to bash through my teeth if I didn't open up to let the mask in.

That's when there was a gun shot out of the blue. It blew Duckies jaw off, ironically enough, and he fell on the floor violent twitching and panicking. "Stay dead!" yelled Fracture as he stepped into the light and leveled his gun at Duckie, unloading his entire clip into him before grabbing Duckie by his left ankle. "Sorry about that. Carry on Maggot," he said dragging Duckie's bullet riddled corpse into the dark.

I blinked and everything was bright again.... for like 3 seconds before Maggot started bashing my face in with my own Mask. I blacked out after the 5th blow. I would find out the next day that that hadn't been an accident. Maggot didn't cut into my mask at all. I guess it disapproves... can't say I'm surprised... or disappointed... I kind of raised it to think like that... kind of a victory I guess.

Apparently, Picasso and Jack had to chase Maggot off of me to get it to stop. I woke up the next day curled into bed with Picasso. Everyone else had already left... save for maybe Jack and the home bodies.

I missed my chance to talk with... was kind of looking forward to that.

I got to make a lot of Noise with Picasso before she left though~

And I guess Maggot still remembers everything I taught it... silver linings.

Moth out.