Looking For A Lost Friend

[museicalmarty]

Have a confused Marty wandering around the general question area, looking like he's searching for something -- or, rather, someone. "Where the hell -- okay, you know what? Place is for questions -- anybody seen Victor? He said he was going to 'clear his head' about an hour ago, and we thought he'd be back by now."

[For those curious, Victor does happen to be in the Nexus -- passed out on a rather large couch that Marty just hasn't come across yet, thanks to the weird way space and directions work in this place. Maybe it thought he needed the sleep]

Comments

[museicalmarty]

Seriously? I always thought it was just a joke. . .then again, I don't branch out in my meats much. Definitely a chicken tenders and hamburgers kinda guy.

Look, I know you can't help it -- I just try not to look too close.

[palmerthing]

Chicken's kinda bland, so just about anything that's kinda bland tastes at least a bit like it.

Yeah, that's fair.

[museicalmarty]

. . .so the frog's not all that tasty then? Or do you really not give a shit what it tastes like? I guess you don't even "taste" the same way we do. . .

[palmerthing]

Yeah, taste is pretty minor for me. I'm capable of it because humans are, but it doesn't matter nearly as much as whether something is alive.

[museicalmarty]

Huh. Should probably tell this to Doc later, he might want it for the notes.

[palmerthing]

Yeah, probably.

It's kind of a shame that taste is less important now, I have memories of liking it. Even if they're not really mine.

[museicalmarty]

Right. . .is it weird at all to remember liking sweet stuff, but not really wanting it now? Or anything else? I imagine there's foods you miss as Palmer. . .

[palmerthing]

Yeah, pretty weird. I have things that I kind of like because he liked them . . . luckily I can make pot work for me still.

[museicalmarty]

[Marty can't help a little laugh] A stoner Thing sounds like it should be in a parody version of the movie.

[palmerthing]

Yeah, I strongly suspect that's why it chose me. I'm not exactly the person you would expect to be the monster, right? Which makes me the first person you should suspect. Which makes me, the last person you should . . . well, you can tie yourself in knots trying to figure this out.

[museicalmarty]

Yeah, I think my brain's good. I mean, I get what you're saying, but I'm not making myself cross-eyed going down the rabbit hole of how suspicious people should have been of you.

[palmerthing]

I'd say that's for the best. Suspicion is bad for your mental health. *But then he would say that, wouldn't he?*

[museicalmarty]

And your general health. [yes he would, which is why Marty's making that joke]

[palmerthing]

*Palmer smirks, revealing teeth just a little too sharp.* Quite.

[museicalmarty]

To be fair, though, nobody's gonna be suspicious of you here, if only because you're pretty straight-up about what you are.

[palmerthing]

There's no random violence here, I can be honest without having to worry like Hell. It's really nice that way.

[museicalmarty]

Yeah, that's true. It is nice to just be able to be yourself and not stress out over it.

[palmerthing]

It's interesting, certainly. Makes things easier, too.

[museicalmarty]

Yeah. . .you know, it's funny -- back when I was in my own reality, I had to hide too. Not just that I'm now a "Changeling" thanks to all that time I spent in that shithole Arcadia -- I had to hide in general, because there was a "me" already there.

[palmerthing]

Ugh, yeah. Having a copy of you must be strange. *He looks a bit embarrassed.* We have kinda opposite situations, huh? You're the original but with powers, I have them because I ain't the original.

[museicalmarty]

Strange and really upsetting, when you're looking forward to a nice reunion with your family and come home to find they never knew you were gone. [he lets out a long, sad sigh] Ain't their fault, but still. . .

Yeah, I guess so. I mean, who knows if my fetch -- that's what the official name for that kinda double is -- has anything going on. I never found out before I decided to move in permanently with Doc.

[palmerthing]

Yeah, that would suck. Although to be honest I'm glad I never had to meet his parents. I'd have felt very weird if I had to talk to them.

[museicalmarty]

I can bet. I mean, obviously you could do a good job of pretending to be the original Palmer, but -- yeah. I know I'd be squirming in your place, wondering if and when they'd notice something's off.

[palmerthing]

That and . . . well, in a way I killed him didn't I? It's a Hell of a fucking mess.

[museicalmarty]

Yeah, kind of -- absorbed him, if I get how becoming a Thing works. . .it really is. Makes what happened to me seem a whole lot simpler. [still shitty, but simpler]