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

[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]

[palmerthing]

They're better off not having to deal with it, honestly. As am I. Thus another reason why I'm not doing back.

[museicalmarty]

Not that I think you'd even get to deal with them if you did go back, considering that going back means dealing with everybody at the base first, which. . .probably wouldn't go well?

[palmerthing]

No, probably not. Not unless I can get some weapons here, but even then it would be rather unpleasant.

[museicalmarty]

I think you might be able to -- that mall sells just about everything -- but why go inviting trouble?

[palmerthing]

Yeah, I don't plan on it. It would just be nice to be able to go home, you know? But then that's really only an illusion anyway . . .

[museicalmarty]

Tell me about it. I got hit in the face with that the moment I tried it and found "I'd" technically never left. There's reasons I'm living with Doc and the rest of the fam now.

[palmerthing]

*Palmer makes an abortive gesture as though to give him a pat on the shoulder, then sighs. Not being able to touch people safely is annoying, at least to the part of him that enjoys being human.*

[museicalmarty]

[Marty notices and grimaces] I -- appreciate the thought, man.

[palmerthing]

Thanks.

So, anything else you feel like doing today?

[museicalmarty]

[Marty shrugs] I had nothing really in mind. . .anything you particularly want to do?

[palmerthing]

You probably don't want to see me experimenting, so no. *He runs a hand through his hair. It twitches.*

[museicalmarty]

Experi -- [notes the twitching hair] Maybe I don't want to know.

[palmerthing]

What, you don't wanna find out how many joints can be added to human fingers before they can no longer be held straight? *Palmer has so many questions, so many things he wants to try out. Digitigrade legs, backwards legs, backup spines, split jaws, tails of all kinds . . . but sadly people don't tend to like experimenting with that kind of thing. He sighs and forces his hair to calm down into something more normal.* Admittedly that wouldn't be the most useful knowledge or anything, but it's something to do when I get bored.