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[sketchycharacter]

[Nate's face looks unusually serious when it appears via TAB today. Not sad or upset or grim, just like he's feeling unusually contemplative. Shut up, he's allowed to have a moment once in a while.]

You know, when I first came through the Ingress, I actually thought I was dead? I'd been flying in my best friend's plane and suddenly I was in bizarro land, so I figured we went down and I'd just blocked out the fiery death. And then they gave me a job and I knew I was in Hell.

[He's mostly kidding, but only because the teaching gig had turned out to be surprisingly fun.]

Space isn't the worst place I've had a rude awakening in, and I figured okay, we're on a ship, we're going somewhere with a way to get home, it's just a matter of time. And then the ship crashed but we found that place anyway but actually getting home depends on a bunch of science bullshit I don't understand.

And then I took a closer look at the local calendar and, near as I can figure out, it's been almost a year. [He holds up a hand.] Yes, okay, we also spent a year back on party planet, but I try not to think about that so it doesn't count. Makes me wonder how long it'll be—how much time will people spend passing time before deciding to actually live their lives?

Honestly...I'm not sure it makes a big difference with me. There's stuff I want to get back to, sure, but passing the time with some of you guys hasn't been too awful. [He grins.] Hey, to mark the anniversary, I'll do free sketch portraits for anyone who comes by to find me on the front steps of the big museum in Region 1.

[action option: he's a dude sketching in a journal on the front steps of the museum. Whoa, didn't see that coming.]

Comments

[sketchycharacter]

Twenty-two-year-old me was kind of a jerk anyway. I've matured.

[tearsinajar]

Have you? Sometimes I wonder...

[ Elena winks. She can't always lovingly pick on him. He might take her too seriously. ]

From what I remember, no he wasn't. He seemed pretty keen on pleasing his older, hot, from the future wife.

[sketchycharacter]

I hate to tell you this, but it was less the wife part and more the bit where you were willing to take your top off in front of him.

[tearsinajar]

Among other things, I'm sure.

[ She pushes her tongue against the inside of one cheek to make it bulge slightly, a hand lifted like she's holding something to her mouth. ]

[sketchycharacter]

[He snorts a laugh.]

Real subtle, honey.

[tearsinajar]

[ A grin spreads wide. ]

My middle name, didn't you know?

[sketchycharacter]

Is it? I don't remember that being on the marriage license.

[tearsinajar]

It's subtle.

[sketchycharacter]

A literal name. Your parents must have looked at you at birth and known what you'd be like.

[tearsinajar]

[ She snorts and muffles the snickering laugh behind a hand. That's all she's gotta say on that. ]

[sketchycharacter]

[Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.]

Where are you, anyway? I'm almost done here—I'll come find you.

[tearsinajar]

Oh, I'm around. De-tec-tive Drake.

[sketchycharacter]

[ROLLING HIS EYES]

Sorry, I'm not a detective anymore. It's too hard when you don't live next door.

[tearsinajar]

Then let's go back to being next door neighbors.

[sketchycharacter]

Tony might pout if you move in with him and Pepper.

[tearsinajar]

Maybe it'll be a threesome you wouldn't be invited to.

[sketchycharacter]

[He clutches his chest like he's been stabbed.]

Ouch. You wound me.

[tearsinajar]

Okay, maybe I can slip you an invite...

[ Chin propped on her hand ]

What's wounded me is you haven't come to find me yet. You're leaving me hanging here.

Not cool.

[sketchycharacter]

Told you, not a detective. And it's a big planet.

[tearsinajar]

You don't recognize the hustle and bustle?

[ Her TAB pans around to show the stalls, the vendors. ]

[sketchycharacter]

Yeah, because there's one place to go shopping.

[tearsinajar]

If you want food in the cupboards, this is the place to be. And what a lonely place it is— I can't hold and swing hands with the thin air.

[ Her TAB passes over a vendor that should be familiar and contains brightly colored orange-like fruit. ]

[sketchycharacter]

[Ah, the usual place. Good thing he was actually headed in that general direction anyway, despite his words.]

That's more like it. Getting anything good for dinner tonight?

[tearsinajar]

Maybe. Maybe you'll have to wait and see.

[sketchycharacter]

Ooh, a surprise. I like the sound of that.

[The background shows he's on the move. And probably bumping into a few people, since he's paying more attention to the TAB.]