companionsgrasp | [eastbound] ic inbox

[ Marty doesn't have a lot of friends here. Granted, he didn't have a lot of friends back home either, but he's learned that if he wants friends, he should probably encourage bonds or whatever the hell it is people call it.

Most everyone in Hill Valley had been pretty asshole-y, which didn't exactly inspire Marty's desire to be kind. Everyone in this weird set-up with that Merchant guy, though... well, nobody's called him hopeless so far, at least.

The point is this: Benedict had been pretty cool helping him collect ores and minerals for the local blacksmiths. The guy's smart as a whip, and considering he's not the smartest tool in the shed himself, Marty figures it'd be nice to have a right nerd for a pal. He'd been kind enough making conversation as they worked, and that felt important. "Awkward but kind" is better than "asshole", after all.

So now, in the interest of nurturing a relationship, he's standing by the outside of Benedict's dwelling a few hours since their return to the community. Marty rubs the side of his neck, then bites the bullet and calls out-- ] Hey, Benedict? It's Marty!

[ He shoves his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels. ]

You got a minute?

[Benedict wasn't doing much but sorting through his thoughts on this whole ordeal, writing down a few notes in his notebook, when he heard the call from outside. He recognized Marty's voice, and the ever-helpful voice in his head reminded him that it was the teenager from earlier as well as supplying the general aura of 'nervous' and 'hopeful' to the state of the young man. Benedict put away his journal and took a moment to compose himself, then walked out the door to greet Marty. He offered the young man a small, genuine smile.]

Hi, Marty. I've got time. What can I do for you?

[Now that he was fairly positive the kid hadn't seen his eldritch abilities while they were climbing up the mountain and gathering ore for the blacksmith, it was easier for Benedict to remain calm in front of Marty. He had been plenty awkward enough earlier in the day and would like to rid himself of that image. Yet he still displayed a nervous tick of his own in the form of fidgeting with the pouch at his belt as if adjusting it but it didn't really need the adjustment at all. After all, he wasn't really certain what the kid wanted--hopefully it wasn't to actually confirm the sighting of inky tentacles coming from Benedict. Benedict thought at this point he could probably pull off a convincing lie that it was a trick of the eye or something but he would rather not try.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to deceive someone about his eldritch condition. But he certainly hated to do it to a friend, and Marty seemed nice enough, plus everyone here was working together for their common goal. He would hate to disappoint.]

Oh, uh, [ it's nice of Benedict to offer help-- call that another reason for Marty to want to befriend him! ] no, I'm not looking for favours, really.

I was just wonderin' if you wanted to grab dinner together or something. [ He rubs the back of his neck. ] Some folks're roastin' fish over fire and, y'know. [ He gestures some. ] Thought it'd be cool.

If you wanted to hang out, I mean. I know it's sudden and all.

Oh. Um...

[Benedict didn't have an immediate answer. That nervous tic returned full force until Benedict forced himself to place his hands on his hips and then his body stilled. It had been a long time since he'd been asked to hang out with anyone. Of course, he tended to mostly avoid people outside of business and working a case. It made him harder to find.

He thought of Harry though, his one true friend, and the pang of longing struck hard. Not only did he miss the older man but it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what happened to the old badger. Harry had only been at the house to help Benedict and the old man had gotten caught up in all the mess. Benedict was certain Houdini had gotten away--handcuffs? really?--but afterwards Benedict had no idea what might have happened. And now he was here in this other dimension, on another world. He didn't know when he'd see his friend again.

Benedict put the guilt aside for a moment and let the longing take priority. That was something he could work on in the immediate passage of time. He offered Marty another hesitant smile.]

Sure, that sounds swell. Campfires are...fun, right?

[ "I don't know, nobody's ever invited me to one" doesn't sound like a very confident answer, so when Marty grins, what comes out is: ] Yeah, that's usually how it goes.

And gettin' some food in never hurts, [ a sheepish chuckle ] 'specially after a day like today.

[ Gathering things for the blacksmith hadn't been difficult, necessarily, as much as it had been exhausting. Climbing had been a pain in the ass, and the mine didn't even have the decency to be easy to walk around. Come on. ]

I can wait out here if you got stuff you need to wrap up in there?

[ But if Benedict opts to leave immediately, Marty's happy to lead him to where some others have gathered to share their rather generous spoils from fishing. He'll know well enough when they're near-- the scent of grilling meat is hard to miss, and so very god damn mouthwatering after the workout they had. In Marty's humble opinion, anyway. ]

Yeah, yeah, I could definitely use some food. And no, I've got nothing- I'm good to go.

[He patted his book and other gear absently to indicate his readiness to leave. Not that Marty would have known what Benedict had been doing prior, but everything was in place so that at least showed that he didn't need to grab anything on the way out. He followed Marty to the area the teenager had been talking about.

He definitely smelt the food well before it came into sight. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the moment it hit him. He licked his lips and swallowed the tantalizing smell and then smiled at Marty to show his appreciation for being invited.]

Do we just...?

[Shit, did they need to pay for this? With what? They'd worked earlier, but Benedict was under the impression they were getting gear in exchange. Did it earn them enough good will for eating someone else's hard caught meal? How communal was the living here? Well, no time like the present to find out.

He was content to watch for a moment to find out how the interactions between people typically went although he didn't account for whatever Marty would do while he people-watched from afar.]

[ Marty's an adept in the ancient art of Monkey See, Monkey Do. Before he'd gone and called Benedict, he'd already seen the folks here be more than generous to anyone who wanted a morsel of food. Upon asking, he'd been told that losing a home in Alem made their sense of community stronger-- that everyone who contributes deserves something in return.

So, while he turns on his heel and walks backwards to give a curious look Benedict's way, he doesn't urge him to follow. Instead, he goes to ask for some of the fish already skewered, thanking the folks who prepared them profusely for giving him four. With two fish on each stick, that's an easy eight, and he's not about to be picky when he hadn't helped catch it. ]

We have to make our own fire, [ is what he leads in with as he returns to Benedict's side and hands him his half of the haul ] but I figure that shouldn't be too tough, right?

[Benedict blinked almost comically as he realized what Marty was doing and he watched the younger man walk backwards towards the crowd around the fish. He took a hesitant step forward as if to catch up with the teen but stopped short of the full action. Observing had always been more easy for Benedict than actually getting involved. It would be easier on him if he just watched and figured out the best course of action, then performed it swiftly and without fault. In theory anyway.

In practice, he supposed it just made it look like he was shy. And when it didn't come to a job, he supposed he kind of was. Yet when it came to investigating and getting a case solved, he was as confident and cocky as the next man. This...was not a case.

Benedict started forward a minute later only to fall short again as he watched Marty walk back in his direction. He was surprised to find that half of the fishy haul was offered to him and he took it carefully from Marty as it was held out to him.]

...I suppose that makes sense. [He glanced at the skewers now in his hands.] Um. That might be an easier task without our hands full.

[Unless Benedict wanted to use some tentacles to start a fire. Of which he did not, nor did his Companion judging by the wave of discomfort that directly followed the thought.]

[eastbound] ic inbox

action > forward-dated to downtime event

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject