Video, UN: Puppetking

[throneaway]

[ The video cuts in to a very plain assigned apartment room, and a tall, reedy-looking individual who smiles to see something light up or turn on on the device. Success!

Maxwell doesn't look too worried about all this 'saving the world' jazz.

Neither does the little floating eyeball that nuzzles up to his shoulder. He pets it absently. ]

Say, pal. How many of you 'randomly chosen' otherworldly visitors were already heroes in your own worlds? How many of you were ... Less heroic?

I don't mean to be suspicious, you understand: I'm sure they actually do need help here.

But I have some prior experience with kidna--err--this kind of selection process.

Comments

[throneaway]

[ At least to Maxwell, the Constant promises a deeper understanding of magic, which he's historically always wanted more than anything, more than even before he knew to ask for that, and he accepts without condition whatever horrors come with - whether they change him or just destroy him. ]

Sounds like they could be a good time. If you could avoid them getting hostile, anyway. Did you talk to them?

[ The breadsticks and seafood arriving are a small intermission in the mutual cross examination of worlds, and Maxwell cheerfully rips one in half, dips it, and offers the seafood-bread to the Peeper, which floats down to land on the table next to him and starts chewing happily. Then he points the remaining half of the baton in Russell's direction. ]

Just want to ask in case this comes up again during a crisis. Did this experiment you were in involve... Mesmerism, anything like that? [ The time for delicacy is over, it's only fair to tell him why Maxwell's so concerned. ] For a second there, you acted like I stabbed you when I referenced Carroll.

CW pet death mention (almost forgot that)

[guilt_trip]

I did. I would… help them. [For the most part, anyway.] … … Sometimes they were beyond help, though. The Catties especially.

[It was kind of sad, watching them struggle with their addiction and fighting them when they lost themselves to it. Those wild, vicious expressions… The arrival of the food takes his mind off it, at least for a while.

Russell is still staring curiously down at his bowl when Maxwell poses the question. His whole body tenses as if a spotlight had just been shone on him, then relaxes as he contemplates an answer.]

…No, nothing like that. [Plenty of fucked up mind games, but no mesmerism.] I just… had a pet rabbit once. As a kid. White. [red white red—] … It got into an accident. It reminded me of that time. That’s all.

[throneaway]

It's a lot to deal with. In life, in any reality you happen to find yourself. Facing unwinnable scenarios. ...I thought once it was best not to fight it, but I don't think that way now.

[ He falls quiet, listening to the answer. A pet rabbit. A white rabbit. Maxwell opens his mouth, then closes it again, meditatively. ]

Good, if that's all. I didn't want to upset you.