The Pied Partier of Mexico

“XX/XX/XXXX

I was wandering through the wastelands, and I came across a small town north of Mexico. I almost missed it amidst the rubble, actually. Hoping to find either some supplies or some more paper and writing tools for my journal, I did a bit of poking around and came across a small group of people, living in a ruined house. A man, a woman, and a small handful of children. Were they 4? maybe 5 children there.

I was only on my way through when I took notice of the small huts. It took a some doing, but I was able to convince them that I wasn’t here to burn the houses and rape the women. In fact, they’ve even extended an invitation for me to stay a while in the town, providing I pull my weight. How could I say no?

I met with the husband and wife, the Rodrigos. Hear this; they were married BEFORE the apocalypse! What are the chances that they both survived together? It’s a heartwarming thought, for sure. On top of that, these two took it upon themselves to take care of some children that had survived. They’re real saints, those two.

Anyway, it’s getting late so I should hit the hay.”

“XX/XX/XXXX

Day 1 staying in the village. The couple’s put me on helping with their garden. They’ve set up this beautiful garden with plants ranging from flowers to medicinal herbs to even fruits and vegetables. It’s not very big, but it definitely helps with keeping them and the kids fed. It’s hard work, definitely more work than I thought keeping a garden would be, but it’s honest.

I got to meet the kids today. They’re all good kids, and they work hard keeping the place clean or helping with the cooking. There’s this one boy’s who’s a bit of a firebrand and tried picking a fight with me when I first introduced myself. I think his powers might actually be fire-related. Then there’s this other boy who’s kind of a tryhard. He’s the eldest of the kids and tries acting more ‘adult’. It’s a little odd to look at, but understandable. One of the three girls is so god damned sweet, it’s making my sweet tooth hurt. I swear she’s literally made of sugar.

Anyway, I’m planning on throwing a party for them as thanks for letting me stay here. I’ll try and ask them about what they like without seeming too obvious tomorrow while working. I just hope they don’t find out.

It’s been awhile since I’ve felt this tired at the end of a day. Here’s to hoping I don’t have to pull more weeds tomorrow.”

“XX/XX/XXXX

Day 2 staying in the village. They had me in the kitchen with Mrs. Rodrigo preparing the foodstuffs that we picked yesterday. I guess they want me to help out a little everywhere. The first part of the day was spent cleaning a shitload of vegetables. Carrots? Got’em. Radishes? Sure. Potatoes? You betcha. My fingers were beyond pruned at that point.

The latter part of the day was spent working on a diamond dust tapir Mr. Rodrigo caught earlier. You wouldn’t think it, but because of the snow manipulation, they actually keep themselves refrigerated. Mrs. Rodrigo even taught me a few cool cooking tips for preparing some of the monsters in the wasteland. You would not BELIEVE what she can do with a sparkplug monkey. With the right combination of spices, those things leave a spicy, tingly taste in your mouth that’s to die for.

It was a bit before suppertime when I got dismissed from working, since the meal was just about ready anyway, and I started coming up with a party plan. From what I was able to gather, the parents liked jazzy music, and the kids really like sweets. Typical stuff, I’m sure I can improvise from there. I’m actually pretty excited, since I don’t think they’ve had a party in a long time. I think they need something to liven up their day!

I’d better head off to bed, I’ve got a party to host tomorrow!”

“XX/XX/XXXX

Today was a disaster. A total, complete disaster. Everything was going so well! I got assigned to help with vegetable picking, and was mentally preparing myself for the party I’d be making later. When the time came, I gathered everyone and gave a little speech: “I know that, with me being here, I’ve been another mouth to feed and another bed filled and I can’t thank you enough for that. However, I hope I can at least start by giving you guys a party. It’s kinda what I do.” Everyone was enjoying themselves; the kids were running around and stuffing their faces, and the parents and I were relaxing and dancing, enjoying the music.

What I didn’t realise was that we weren’t the only ones at that party. A couple of geowolves heard the music and came to check it out. Mrs Rodrigo quickly brought the kids inside, and Mr. Rodrigo showed me what his powers were. It was one of those really cool powers, where he could breathe fire and change some of his body parts into bear limbs. As much ass as we kicked, Mr. Rodrigo’s kinda old, and got exhausted pretty quickly. We weren’t able to take them all out, but the few remaining ones turned tail and ran. I’m positive that they’ll be back when they’ve licked their wounds.

I don’t know how much sleep I’ll get tonight, keeping an eye out with Mr. Rodrigo, but I know he can’t keep this up for too long. I need to come up with a plan tonight. Something, ANYTHING, so long as this family stays safe. I won’t let this sweet family get hurt!”

“XX/XX/XXXX

I’m taking a short break to write this, in case things go south. Today, I put my plan into action. As we expected, the geowolves came back, and in bigger numbers. On top of that, Mr. Rodrigo hadn’t recovered from yesterday’s bout yet and I really don't think that I can take them all on myself.

When I spotted the geowolves approaching, I had put my plan into action: What is the thing I do best? Party, of course. They’re geowolves, not psychic-shielded super geniuses! I was sure that my party powers would be able to keep them distracted. I got to dancing and playing music, which definitely drew their attention, and then all of a sudden they just started playing with eachother. If I stop this party, they’ll stop and resume their attack. I guess this is just a stamina contest, now.

I’ve gotta get going, the wolves are starting to calm down, and I can’t let that happen.”

“XX/XX/XXXX

This is day 2 of the party marathon. Turns out Mr. Rodrigo pulled something yesterday, and he’s not going to be able to fight for a few days. I feel awful, this was all my fault. If I hadn’t made the party so... festive, I guess, those wolves wouldn’t have noticed them. I guess that’s why they hadn’t had a party in a long time. I’ve noticed some of the geowolves are starting to get tired, but for some reason, there are still lots still playing. I can’t really ‘convince’ them to just leave, since they’re just animals, but at least they’re not attacking anyone.

I’m stuck sneaking away food in secret ‘cause if those geowolves smell the food I’m eating, they might get distracted enough to break the trance.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep this up. I’ve been partying for just over 24 hours now, and there are still so many geowolves still standing. I’m just one guy, and I need to keep partying to make sure the wolves are partying too.

I better get back, can’t afford to spend too much time on my breaks.”

“XX/XX/XXXX

48 hours. Over 48 hours of straight partying. I can actually feel the bags forming beneath my eyes right now. Hell, I’m even having a hard time writing this log. But thank God that there aren’t too many geowolves left. If I could, I’d fight off the rest myself, but I’m so exhausted from the constant partying that I wouldn’t last 2 minutes.

I really hope I can do this..

"XX/XX/XXXX

Well this was a strange turn of events. I guess I passed out from exhaustion, because I woke up in the Rodrigo’s guest bed in the morning. The Rodriogo family was sitting around me, and so were a few others that I didn’t recognize; a scruffy looking guy named Solitary, this creepy looking guy named Amos and this cute girl named Vulkyren. I guess they heard the commotion of my party and wiped out the geowolves. They’re all part of this team they call the Accord. Sounds cheesey, I know, but I rolled with it.

Solitary, one of the leaders, said he was impressed with my dedication to help the Rodrigos to the point of physical exhaustion and invited me to join up with them at their base to become a member. A consistent roof over my head? People to hang out and converse with? New challenges to face? How could I say no? In fact, I’m actually writing this from my new room at their base, not too far away from where I was staying just a few days ago.

I’m glad they have paper and pencils here, or else I’d have to go out on a lot more trips. I’ve taken a quick look around, too: they’ve got a decently sized stash of real, non-junk food, the ‘abandoned airforce base’ is fairly well furnished, and they have a hovercar here! I’ll take more in detail about what the Accord’s all about in the morning, but the short-and-sweet of it is that they go around helping people where they can, kinda like a superhero team, but without all the attention and spotlights. Which is cool, I’ve always kinda wanted to be a superhero. There are a couple of others here at the base, but I haven’t had the chance to meet them yet. I guess that’ll give me something to do tomorrow.

I’m still feeling fairly drained from the last few days, so I should get some rest. I think I’m going to like it here.”

== THE END ==