IC INBOX for The Last Voyages

[magician_king]

You know what to do.

Comments

[tetractys]

OH, WELL, I'M A PSYCHOPATH! HA HA HA HA.

[Good times! Graduating did not fix this; it is an inherent part of his brain.]

BUT THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT, PROMISE! I WASN'T A DUMB KID! I FIGURED OUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE THAT I COULDN'T TURN OFF NO MATTER HOW MUCH TROUBLE IT CAUSED ME! AND IT WAS A LOT OF TROUBLE! BACK IN THE OLD HOME DIMENSION, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL IRREGULARITY WOULD GET YOU CULLED BEFORE YOU COULD PASS IT ON! SO IF I WASN'T ON MY SIDE, NOBODY WOULD BE! I THOUGHT ABOUT WHETHER I DESERVED TO HAVE MYSELF ON MY SIDE, BUT THEN I DECIDED IT DOESN'T MATTER, Y'KNOW, IF I WANTED TO STAY ALIVE, WHICH I DID! I SURE DIDN'T WANT TO HELP THE OTHER GUYS WIN, EITHER.

[Bill spreads his arms out. Just surviving made him cocky as hell, which didn't help his personality.]

ME VERSUS EVERYBODY, EVER SINCE THEN! BRING IT ON! BE ON YOUR OWN TEAM, KID. YOU NEED SOMEONE IN YOUR CORNER WHEN YOU'RE ALONE, OR LIFE WILL CAVE YOUR HEAD IN.

[magician_king]

That's- put that way, I guess I do feel that way too, sometimes.

[Less angry about it, maybe, but just as cornered by everyone else. It's an impulse he's worked hard to try to get over, as he's gotten older, since he's usually wrong- but Bill's stuff is weird and violent enough that that might very well not be the case for him.]

I hope your research lab doesn't end up making you feel like your corner is empty.

[tetractys]

WELL, I HOPE YOU'LL COME UP AND VISIT, AT LEAST! AND I'VE GOT SOME PEOPLE COMING WITH ME THIS TIME.

[Bill's eye bends up in a sincere kind of smile, rare for him. Manic or mocking is more usual.]

[magician_king]

I'm looking forward to it. I think- the stuff you do is going to be really beautiful.

[Is maybe a weird thing to say, but-]

You know, like- incredible tessellations are.

[tetractys]

AWWWW, CHARMER.

[Bill bats his hand.]

I JUST THINK THE BIG GUY NEEDS SOME COMPETITION IN THE FREE MARKET! WHAT'S HE BRINGING TO THE TABLE BESIDES WISHES AND RESURRECTION? TIME FOR HIM TO STEP UP HIS GAME!

[magician_king]

None of those are words that do anything good for my anxiety, so why don't we just say you'll catch me up on the specifics when I stop by some day, after I'm retired from working here?

[The thought of Bill vs the Admiral is giving him 'don't cross the streams' creepy crawlies.]

[tetractys]

AWWW, NOBODY AROUND HERE EVER ENJOYS THE FREE MARKET.

[maybe u should take that as a hint, bill]

SURE, YEAH! JUST GIVE ME A SUMMON, IT'S EASY! EVEN A KID COULD DO IT! KIDS HAVE DONE IT. I WISH THEY HADN'T!

[magician_king]

Remind me how it's done?

[He may have heard this years ago and filed it under 'shit to never do, obviously,' but he isn't totally sure.]

[tetractys]

[Bill reaches out of the whiteboard and picks up a marker, draws a circle of candles inside a circle of trees.]

CANDLES - BIRCH TREES IF YOU'VE GOT EM! - PICTURE OF WHICHEVER SUCKER YOU'RE TRYING TO DESTROY, OPTIONAL BUT DRAMATIC - THEN SOME FAKE LATIN!

[An incantation gets scrawled out underneath the diagram. It starts with "Triangulum entangulum" so that's generally the tone here.]

[magician_king]

[Quentin grabs a piece of paper, and starts translating it into a sheet of his own magical shorthand.]

I'll put it where curious and deserving weirdos can find it.

[tetractys]

EHEHEHEHEH. GREAT! I'LL MAKE SOME FRIENDS, TRAUMATIZE SOME FRIENDS, SAME THING! ONCE YOU SHOW ME WHICH PART OF THE MULTIVERSE YOU'RE IN, I CAN START VISITING YOUR DREAMS, TOO! OR SLEEP PARALYSIS! I MISS SLEEP PARALYSIS...

[magician_king]

Creepy.

[Says Quentin, with a laugh, finishing noting down his summoning ritual.]

Okay. I promise I'll call as soon as I get there.

[A rare, tender, genuine grin for him.]

Have a lot of fun in the meantime, Bill.

[tetractys]

HEY, YOU TOO, Q! DON'T GET TOO DRAGGED DOWN IN THIS PLACE, IT'S A RACKET.