And the stars look very different today...

[zunesareawesome]

It was a way out. But it wasn't home.

Truthfully, after Norfinbury, anything would be better than that place, but the cold truth was--there was no way to find his own universe out of the endless multiverse, even if Norfinbury's busted technology had worked properly. He was stuck, here, with a megalomaniac Flynn--granted, a Flynn that managed to open up a portal out of there. Maybe that's what it took to get out of Norfinbury.

Or, Peter thought sometimes on bad days, Norfinbury only released you once you became the twisted version of yourself it wanted you to be. A specially-designed virus inflicted on countless worlds.

Besides, he ought to know something about that.

He didn't stay long on earth, he couldn't. Maybe it had something to do with the mystery of how they were revived in Norfinbury, their bodies recreated or cloned or healed, or maybe it was something that was gonna happen to him anyway, but he could feel the Light burning inside him, inside his head almost as soon as he landed. A desperate need to take to the stars. He'd managed to create a ship and took off.

Time passes, and scientists notice something odd about several exoplanets they're monitoring, especially ones marked as 'earth-like' or other planets in zones that could make them potentially habitable. Bright bursts of light and changes in the composition of the atmosphere or surface, it was inexplicable. Possible evidence of intelligent life? If they didn't know any better, especially with the rocky planets that now somehow boasted extreme changes, it was like something was terraforming them.

There was cause for alarm when Mars suddenly turned blue and green a few months later.

Meanwhile, a small blue-and-orange ship that looked suspiciously like a slightly more organic-looking Milano was racing towards the earth.

Comments

[luckythief]

Yeah!

[And he looks genuinely excited about it.]

And I'd go into auditoriums and scare all the professors who dare to give boring lectures to students.

[bookbrawler]

...okay, I can get the scaring the professors who give boring lectures to students because that can be really discouraging to the curious mind, that's not so bad but--

--but seriously!? Why!?

[luckythief]

Because it would be so much fun.

[Because life right now isn't fun. Because nothing is fun anymore. Because this banter with Jake is the most fun he has had in – in so long that he almost forgot what it feels like. Because he's scared that over the coming centuries he will forget what it feels like.]

I'd put some sweet, sweet LEDs into the mask, too, so it'll look like your eyes are glowing and angry light is coming out of your mouth. It would be like "APPRECIATE THE DEAD PAINTERS!" and then you'd shoot lasers out of your mouth.

[bookbrawler]

[...

.........

..............

He's just going to stare for a good, long minute before--]

That would be amazing?!

[That's just the coolest sounding thing ever. See, the future's going to be great, even if he's not there with you, bro!

...right?

Even though right now he doesn't want to think about the future, think about anything, because this is also the most fun he's had in...he's not sure how long.]

[luckythief]

[Hah! He knows you so well, bro.]

I knew you'd like it!

[The biggest grin in return.]

And you know what? When the lasers hit a wall, they'll depict some famous paintings, too!

[bookbrawler]

Oh my God, that would be the greatest thing ever!?

[Please accept all of his excitement, bro. Suddenly it's hard to remember all the bad things that have happened because this is one of the nicest things anyone's ever potentially offered him.]

his face im crying

[luckythief]

[He will gladly accept all your excitement and raise you some!]

I'll let you pick them, too! Just give me a list and I'll work them in.

8D

[bookbrawler]

Okay! But like, I'm gonna work some obscure ones in there so that people will have to look them up and then enjoy their journey into art history!

[luckythief]

Now that's a school I can get behind!

[bookbrawler]

...I'm going to hold you to this, Jones. All of it.

[Not that he could, just...

...this is nice.

He wants to hold onto this bright moment before it's snatched away again.]

[luckythief]

You bet. I'm a man of my word.

It's gonna be amazing, believe me!

[He's gonna be so lonely without you.]

[bookbrawler]

Good.

It sounds amazing. I wish I could see it! I know it's gonna be great.

[His voice hitches the tiniest bit at the end.]

[luckythief]

Yeah.

[He falls silent for a moment.]

Are you gonna...

You're gonna call again, right?

[bookbrawler]

[There's a long pause. He's trapped forever, Flynn won't ever let him go, and wants to ruin their friendship. Maybe he shouldn't.

When I'm done with you, you'll be ready to go after Jones on your own accord.]

Look, I...

[But if he gives it up completely, he will lose himself to this. Maybe if he can keep in contact with Jones, it'll...help him hold on longer.]

...yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna call again. Just...

...if I sound weird, or don't sound like myself, it's...just hang up, okay?

[luckythief]

[Aw man, what did Flynn do to him? He probably was still in his head, messing him up. Ezekiel feels a helpless rage that he can't direct anywhere so he makes an effort to smile through it.]

Okay, sure.

[Absolutely not.]

Just... as long as you call.

[bookbrawler]

I'll call.

[It's a little more certain this time. He's only holding on by what little hope he had left that he'd be able to make the call himself, that he would still be...himself.]

Don't worry, I ll call.

[luckythief]

I...

[He should make some stupid, glib remark to round this off. Make light of the situation.]

I'm looking forward to it.

[bookbrawler]

Me too.

[He wants to make a joke or say something to cut through the...realness, but he can't.]

You take care of yourself, Jones.

[luckythief]

Yeah. You too.

[He's about to cut the connection because he isn't sure how much of this realness he can take; it hurts so much, but at the same time it's suddenly so important. He suddenly needs it dearly after putting on that armor of fakeness around Peter which feels like putting his heart in a cage each and every single day.]

... Don't give up, alright? I won't give up if you don't give up and... it's gonna be okay, Stone. We're Librarians.

[bookbrawler]

[Despite everything, that manages to get a smile out of him. A broken, sad smile, one that was decidedly too painful for something that should be easy to make.]

I won't give up.

[He doesn't think it's gonna be okay, but there's at least one fact here.]

We're Librarians.

[luckythief]

Me neither.

[It's something. Holding on to this might be weak, quaint, but it's something. A little spark of hope, glimmering somewhere, protected from all the darkness that's engulfing the galaxy right now.]

Librarians forever, right?

[He doesn't want to think about how literal that might be in his case.]

[bookbrawler]

Good. Don't...don't give up.

[Keep holdin' on, Jones. If anyone can come out the other side of this and be okay, it's you.]

Librarians forever.

[And hey, at least one of them was gonna make it.]

[luckythief]

Alright.

[He falls silent. He doesn't want to cut the connection.]

[bookbrawler]

...yeah.

[...he doesn't want to cut the connection either.]

Um. G...good luck.

[A pause.]

Yeah.

[luckythief]

Yeah.

You too.

[This really is like being fifteen and not hanging up the line first, isn't it.]