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R nzb szev tlmv fmwvixlevi lmxv li gdrxv.
Dszg'h grsh zylfg, Yroo?
Dszg'h grsh zylfg, Yroo?
Hl R kivgvmw R dzmg gl hsfg rg wldm, yfg zxgfzoob hzylgztv gsvri vuuligh zmw kzhh gsvri kozmh lm gl blf?
R wlm'g pmld, Yroo, droo gszg ullo zmblmv? Rg'h mlg z hvxivg gszg dv xllkvizgvw wfirmt gsv ozhg klig. Gsvb nrtsg hfhkvxg z gizk.
R wlm'g pmld, Yroo, droo gszg ullo zmblmv? Rg'h mlg z hvxivg gszg dv xllkvizgvw wfirmt gsv ozhg klig. Gsvb nrtsg hfhkvxg z gizk.
BVK!
Z XLFKOV KVLKOV PMLD DV'IV TVGGRMT ZOLMT. ULI GSLHV LMVH, R GSRMP BLF HSLFOW KIVGVMW GSZG BLF'IV YVGIZBVW YB GSV PMLDOVWTV GSZG R DZH FHRMT NZGVIRZOH UILN BLF GL YFROW GSRH!
GSV LMVH GSZG WLM'G, DV SZEV KOVMGB LU GRNV GL HMRKV ZG VZXS LGSVI RM KFYORX!
Z XLFKOV KVLKOV PMLD DV'IV TVGGRMT ZOLMT. ULI GSLHV LMVH, R GSRMP BLF HSLFOW KIVGVMW GSZG BLF'IV YVGIZBVW YB GSV PMLDOVWTV GSZG R DZH FHRMT NZGVIRZOH UILN BLF GL YFROW GSRH!
GSV LMVH GSZG WLM'G, DV SZEV KOVMGB LU GRNV GL HMRKV ZG VZXS LGSVI RM KFYORX!
[he hates to admit it, but it might work. Steve still thinks they're trying to get to the Admiral. It's plausible.]
Qfhg sld olmt wl blf dzmg nv gl pvvk fk gsrh xszizwv, Yroo? Fmgro blf'iv gsilfts gsv kligzo? Li fmgro gsvb gvzi rg wldm yvsrmw blf? R dlm'g hgzb yvsrmw zmw wl wznztv xlmgilo, Xrksvi, R'n tlrmt gsilfts rg drgs blf.
Qfhg sld olmt wl blf dzmg nv gl pvvk fk gsrh xszizwv, Yroo? Fmgro blf'iv gsilfts gsv kligzo? Li fmgro gsvb gvzi rg wldm yvsrmw blf? R dlm'g hgzb yvsrmw zmw wl wznztv xlmgilo, Xrksvi, R'n tlrmt gsilfts rg drgs blf.
Zoo irtsg, R'oo wl rg. Ru gsv ivhg lu gsv Yzitv tvgh drmw lu gsv kligzo zmw girvh gl hsfg rg wldm, gsvm R'oo kivgvmw R pmvd mlgsrmt zylfg rg zmw hzylgztv zmb vuuligh gl wvhgilb rg.
Yfg blf ldv nv lmv uli gsrh.
Yfg blf ldv nv lmv uli gsrh.
Camp has been made for the night. The fire is still going, and Bill has cheerfully offered to take watch.
In this case, taking watch means as soon as the other three drop into deep sleep he's going to peel out of his physical form and visit their dreams. Duh.
While he waits for that, he's perched on a stump like a really strange kind of gargoyle. Wings is still dozing, Pinky keeps waking himself up because he's never slept on the ground before or something stupid like that, Bill doesn't care, and Sixer is -
In this case, taking watch means as soon as the other three drop into deep sleep he's going to peel out of his physical form and visit their dreams. Duh.
While he waits for that, he's perched on a stump like a really strange kind of gargoyle. Wings is still dozing, Pinky keeps waking himself up because he's never slept on the ground before or something stupid like that, Bill doesn't care, and Sixer is -
--is tinkering with the scanner, a little ways away from the tent. Ford has no idea how far it is to the Southern Seer, and maybe if he can just increase the range he'll be able to pick up the memory-gun radiation directly, saving them the fantasy-quest runaround he knows they're going to get. Frankly, in this case, Ford would prefer to have the Eagles fly them to Mordor. It's not like he'd be missing out on Rivendell here, just a Bog of Badfeels.
Sixer isn't even TRYING to sleep, which means Bill can't have this conversation in his mindscape like he'd prefer to. Fine. Whatever.
Bill drifts over and puts both elbows on Ford's head in a way calculated to be annoying.
"WOW. I WAS GOING TO MAKE A JOKE ABOUT YOU FIDDLING WITH YOUR TOOL OVER HERE BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Bill drifts over and puts both elbows on Ford's head in a way calculated to be annoying.
"WOW. I WAS GOING TO MAKE A JOKE ABOUT YOU FIDDLING WITH YOUR TOOL OVER HERE BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Please, who needs sleep? Finding a way to pick up long-distance radiation is much more important.
"Aah!"
Ford does what he always does when Bill gets up in his space: lets it happen, winces, then recovers. It is deeply annoying to have two little elbows on top of his head, but his hands are full and he can't spare them to push Bill away right now without dropping a valuable piece of machinery.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean by that," Ford grumbles, reconnecting the flux-circuits and closing the device's casing. He'll finish it later. "Didn't you say you were going to take watch? Shouldn't you be over there, watching?"
Ford figured Bill awake while everyone else was asleep would end in a dream-haunting. That's part of why he's not particularly in a hurry to fall asleep, but is interested in speeding up the quest.
"Aah!"
Ford does what he always does when Bill gets up in his space: lets it happen, winces, then recovers. It is deeply annoying to have two little elbows on top of his head, but his hands are full and he can't spare them to push Bill away right now without dropping a valuable piece of machinery.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean by that," Ford grumbles, reconnecting the flux-circuits and closing the device's casing. He'll finish it later. "Didn't you say you were going to take watch? Shouldn't you be over there, watching?"
Ford figured Bill awake while everyone else was asleep would end in a dream-haunting. That's part of why he's not particularly in a hurry to fall asleep, but is interested in speeding up the quest.
He really should have known Bill would say that.
Ford sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose for a moment with his free hand. "All right, Bill, out with it -- what do you want?" There's got to be a reason Bill's come all the way over here besides just to bother Ford. And if there isn't? Then Ford can tell him what changes he's trying to make to the scanner and maybe the potential benefits of cutting their trip short will motivate Bill to let Ford work.
...buuuut Ford kind of really wants to know what's up.
Ford sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose for a moment with his free hand. "All right, Bill, out with it -- what do you want?" There's got to be a reason Bill's come all the way over here besides just to bother Ford. And if there isn't? Then Ford can tell him what changes he's trying to make to the scanner and maybe the potential benefits of cutting their trip short will motivate Bill to let Ford work.
...buuuut Ford kind of really wants to know what's up.
Ah, it's this. Ford figured they'd have this conversation sooner or later.
"There's a number of reasons," he says, matter of fact, tucking the scanner into a pocket. "What I told Luke was true. I do want to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't cause too much trouble, and find the source of the radiation. But, besides that..." Ford pauses, looking back up at Bill. "I wanted to come," he says, and there's a note in the tone that sounds almost like a shrug. "I want to find what's making you vanish and stop it."
It doesn't sound like he's lying. But it does sound pretty unbelievable.
"There's a number of reasons," he says, matter of fact, tucking the scanner into a pocket. "What I told Luke was true. I do want to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't cause too much trouble, and find the source of the radiation. But, besides that..." Ford pauses, looking back up at Bill. "I wanted to come," he says, and there's a note in the tone that sounds almost like a shrug. "I want to find what's making you vanish and stop it."
It doesn't sound like he's lying. But it does sound pretty unbelievable.
Bill doesn't turn red but he does flicker a darker orange.
"YOU - YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SHOT ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!" he hisses.
That was genuinely the worst thing that's ever happened to him. He's not a very revenge-focused guy, he prefers to just move on and learn from defeats, but you know what, this doesn't make any sense! If Ford didn't want him dissolving why is he even DEAD, we could have skipped all of this!
"YOU - YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SHOT ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!" he hisses.
That was genuinely the worst thing that's ever happened to him. He's not a very revenge-focused guy, he prefers to just move on and learn from defeats, but you know what, this doesn't make any sense! If Ford didn't want him dissolving why is he even DEAD, we could have skipped all of this!
"Of course I did! You were going to cause the end of the world!" Ford doesn't raise his voice, exactly, but the intensity of the hushed tone spikes. "But right now, what I have to do is keep you alive! You have the portal and the coordinates to the target dimension, so it's very important that you don't die yet! I need answers about the Barge. And I need you, to get them." Qr krpr.
Ford could figure it out without Bill. It'd take him a little longer, but he could do it.
"BUT IF I FALL APART AND YOU GRADUATE, THAT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM ANY MORE, IS IT?"
Bill's eye is glowing a little in the dark which makes it more clear that it's narrowed suspiciously.
(The kind of paranoia Ford had in 82 was a sort of infection Bill passed to him; Bill's never thought to apologize for doing that to Ford because that's just generally what he feels interacting with people all the time. It's a side-effect of treating life like its a competitive sport.)
"BUT IF I FALL APART AND YOU GRADUATE, THAT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM ANY MORE, IS IT?"
Bill's eye is glowing a little in the dark which makes it more clear that it's narrowed suspiciously.
(The kind of paranoia Ford had in 82 was a sort of infection Bill passed to him; Bill's never thought to apologize for doing that to Ford because that's just generally what he feels interacting with people all the time. It's a side-effect of treating life like its a competitive sport.)
"That isn't the plan." Ford says this low and flat, very serious and very aware that it isn't likely Bill will believe him. "I know there's no way to make you believe this, but--"
He stops short. Then, he breaks into a chuckle. "Oh, right, of course! There is!" Silly of him to forget about it. Sure, this is a little bit of a risk, but Ford's confident enough in his own conviction that it's probably going to be worth it to get Bill off his back here. "Do you still have that ring?"
Ford has been quietly referring to it in his own head as the Ring of Truth. Shame he's not journaling anymore, or he could have immortalized that bit of wordplay. Ah, well.
He stops short. Then, he breaks into a chuckle. "Oh, right, of course! There is!" Silly of him to forget about it. Sure, this is a little bit of a risk, but Ford's confident enough in his own conviction that it's probably going to be worth it to get Bill off his back here. "Do you still have that ring?"
Ford has been quietly referring to it in his own head as the Ring of Truth. Shame he's not journaling anymore, or he could have immortalized that bit of wordplay. Ah, well.
"EEH, YEAH, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL GO ON YOU OUTSIDE OF THE DREAMSCAPE..."
He digs into his inventory and comes back with it and - yeah, it's for Bill's tiny little doll hands, it's gonna take some creativity.
"OH-" Bill's eye brightens as the idea flashes across it - right! Got it. "GROWTH CRYSTAL!"
He offers it out on his palm.
He digs into his inventory and comes back with it and - yeah, it's for Bill's tiny little doll hands, it's gonna take some creativity.
"OH-" Bill's eye brightens as the idea flashes across it - right! Got it. "GROWTH CRYSTAL!"
He offers it out on his palm.
Oh, wow, that is smaller than Ford remembers. Thank goodness they have the crystals from the Enclosure: with some creativity, their potential applications are really limitless.
Ford takes it, pulls out the flashlight, and grows it to an appropriate size. He slips it on his radial pointer finger and opens and closes his hand a few times.
"All right, time for a test run. My name is Stanford Pines."
No flash.
"...and my favorite inventor is Thomas Edison."
The ring lights up like the Fourth of July.
"I'd say it's working perfectly. So, what do you want to know?"
Ford takes it, pulls out the flashlight, and grows it to an appropriate size. He slips it on his radial pointer finger and opens and closes his hand a few times.
"All right, time for a test run. My name is Stanford Pines."
No flash.
"...and my favorite inventor is Thomas Edison."
The ring lights up like the Fourth of July.
"I'd say it's working perfectly. So, what do you want to know?"
Huge eye-roll at the Thomas Edison thing, oh my God, we know you love Bill's boss, at the lounge, who won't let him turn it into a rockin' nightclub, and also invented alternating current one time, we know.
Here's a pop quiz, dude.
"SO WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE? NIKOLA TESLA, OR YOURSELF?"
think fast fucker
Here's a pop quiz, dude.
"SO WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE? NIKOLA TESLA, OR YOURSELF?"
think fast fucker
Sorry, Bill, Ford is getting over this when Tesla does, which is to say: never.
"What?!" Ford certainly wasn't expecting to be questioned along those lines. "What does that have to do with this?"
"What?!" Ford certainly wasn't expecting to be questioned along those lines. "What does that have to do with this?"
"HAHAHAHAHA."
Nothing. He saw an opportunity to make you do the 'ice cube down my shirt' face and he took it.
Okay, okay, okay. Bill looks down like he's interviewing the ring instead of the human wearing it.
"ARE YOU HERE TO GATHER INFORMATION TO DESTROY ME WITH?"
Nothing. He saw an opportunity to make you do the 'ice cube down my shirt' face and he took it.
Okay, okay, okay. Bill looks down like he's interviewing the ring instead of the human wearing it.
"ARE YOU HERE TO GATHER INFORMATION TO DESTROY ME WITH?"
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