Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Come undone

           Jimmy didn't even attempt to work on his railway that day. He'd learned by now that every time he tried, something was going to disrupt his work, so there was really no point. It kept on bothering him, though. The sight of the railroad that would forever be unfinish constantly mocked him and his inability to complete it. The sheriff just sighed, stirring a nasty soup of resentment and resignation within him and boiling it under the heat of the mesa sun. 

           Don't stare at the sun; it'll hurt your eyes. Jimmy had heard the cautionary warning several times as he grew up. Every child has heard it at least once. But here he was, a lone toy lying flat on the ground and staring straight at the sun. He wasn't even wearing Gem's sunglasses. Since he was now a toy with painted eyes, though, the bright light didn't hurt him. And now he could honestly say he looked at the sun and saw what it was. 

           "Don't stare at the sun; it'll hurt your eyes." Jimmy blinked and looked around until he saw Scar sitting in the safety of the shade, sipping an ice-cold drink. "Where did you even get ice?" Jimmy asked, sitting up. "Don't ask," Scar replied calmly, drinking it all up. "So, how are you, sheriff?"

           "Annoyed," Jimmy grumbled. "There's a railway that needs to be finished but I'm not working on it because every time I try I get disturbed and there's no point anymore. And even if I do finish it, all my work will just come undone and I'll have to do it all over again." 

           "And?" Scar prompted. "And I'm stuck as a toy!" Jimmy added, gritting his teeth. "And Joel and fWhip are being annoying and I can't even get my revenge on them!" "I don't see Grian on that list," Scar said, sounding genuinely surprised. "What list?" Jimmy asked. "The list of people who are annoying you." Scar said, sounding like it was obvious. 

           "Well, he's actually not doing anything much," Jimmy said. "Other than call me a toy every now and then, but everyone does that." "I see," Scar said, although Jimmy was doubting that he was actually seeing. "Well, uh, do you want to do something other than lie on the sand and painfully stare at the sun?" "Yes," Jimmy said, walking over to him. "Got any ideas?" 

           "Do you want to try revenge again?" Scar asked. "We tried that already," Jimmy pointed out. "Yes, but we'll try again," Scar said. "And again and again until we succeed." "I don't see a point to it anymore," Jimmy muttered, folding his arms. "No one gets anything done with that kind of mentality," Scar said, frowning. "Come on, sheriff, you've at least got to try." 

           "Scar, I appreciate you helping, but there is no point to this. None at all." Jimmy insisted. "But how do you know until you try?" Scar asked. "I already know this will fail!" Jimmy shouted. "Nothing I do works out! I try being a good sheriff but no one respects me! I set up the law and then I get turned into a toy! I start making a railway but it'll never get finished because everyone keeps on disturbing me and destroying what I've built! I try and get revenge but instead I'm the one who gets humiliated!" 

           Scar just sat there patiently listening to Jimmy's rant. He gently patted the toy sheriff on the back. "Do you feel better now?" He asked hopefully. "Yes," Jimmy admitted, feeling a bit calmer now that he'd let out his pent-up emotions. "That sounds hard," Scar said. "Yes, it is," Jimmy agreed. "I don't really see you trying to fix all that, though," Scar said. "What?" Jimmy looked at him, unsure if he'd heard him right. 

           "I mean," Scar continued, "I know that no one's going to give up the toy joke, but the railway never getting finished is on you. If you never work on it, it's always going to stay incomplete. And if you don't try getting revenge again, you'll definitely never get it." Jimmy frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but what Scar was saying made sense. "But it's not going to work," Jimmy started, although his argument didn't sound as solid as it did earlier.