Dee notices his lack of fluidity, especially when he wobbles and jerks back upright -- but she's not about to call him out on it. She had trouble coordinating her limbs sometimes when she first gained a human-style form too. Her first trip into the Nexus had only come after two solid days of walking practice. Maybe hopscotch will help Little Blaine get more used to his legs too! "Big Blaine sounds like a jerk," she says succinctly. "I'm glad you were able to hide from him."

There's a mutual wince from Doc, Marty, Alice, and Victor as Quint explains. "Shit -- yeah, that sounds pretty damn awful," Marty says. "I can't even -- well, I sort of can, thanks to that bastard of a Keeper I had, but at least it wasn't coded right into my brain to obey what he said. And there weren't other people there to blame me for what he did. You guys got a raw deal."

"Very much so -- I'm sorry," Victor adds with a sad nod. "What a terrible life. . .but at least it sounds like things are better now."

"One hopes," Doc says, before offering up an awkward smile for Quint. "Our reality is quite different from that of the films. Mostly because I got kidnapped by a faerie before I could actually invent the time machine." Yes, he knows that's a weird to say, but Quint's familiar with the Nexus. He has to be used to weird by now. "Spent most of my life making various things in an Arcadian lab before escaping with Marty."

"Yeah, I got taken by a guy who promised me fame and fortune and instead made me play endless concerts to an audience that didn't even appreciate it," Marty says, old hatred flaring up anew in his eyes. "Asshole. . .I think getting frenched by my mom once for five seconds would have been better."

Alice tilts her head, puzzled. "You are a paradox? How does that work? I was under the impression that was more of an event than an actual thing."