maskormenace | 01 ( voice )

[The gravity of somehow escaping death (even if he's not entirely sure this isn't some weird afterlife, yet) is enough to put Harry in an unsettled and confused mindset. What tips it into freaking out is being dropped in the middle of a new place with new responsibilities by himself. He's never had to do anything completely on his own before, and the prospect is more than a little daunting. Suffice it to say that as soon as he was showed to his new home, he immediately ran to his room and locked himself inside. Sorry, roomies.

Since then, he's been waffling around with whether or not to ask the imPort network for help. Pride says no, but desperation says yes. Eventually, he settles somewhere in the middle.]

Hey, um. Is there a map of this place I can get a hold of somewhere? I am so lost. [He laughs, and it's almost entirely convincing to an untrained ear.] Back home, I had a driver I could just say "Take me to this place!" to and they'd take me there. No such luck here, huh? I mean, I guess you could hire somebody, but I'm completely broke at the moment. [The reminder makes his stomach flop. Going from a billionaire to nothing in a second is... well, he's going to have some trouble adjusting.

He sucks in a quick breath before continuing.] Oh-- and for the record, I'm in... [A pause as he tries to recall the name-- and ends up somehow butchering the pronunciation:] I think it's called De Chima? Anyway. If anyone's got some advice for settling in here, I'd appreciate it.

[It seems like he might end it there, but something's been niggling at him since he got here. Now's as good a time as any to bring it up, right?] By the way... this whole "alternate worlds" thing. Is that for real? Are you guys really from other places?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's okay, if just a little embarrassed by his actions.]

I suppose that's true. [The building isn't exactly subtle, after all. ~~Thanks, grandpa!~~] Still, I'm not sure I should have dumped all of that on you like that.

[He forces himself to smile as he cautiously looks up, juuust avoiding his gaze.]

And you'd have every right to freak out, too. At least grandfather isn't here anymore. That helps everyone.

[With the symbiote's help, he rises to his feet, brushing the dust off the symbiote-disguised cloth of his pants once upright.]

You'd have no way of knowing this, but back home, it's... been a really long time since I've seen my dad. I was just scared I'd somehow already screwed up with you.

Honestly? I... kinda prefer that over sitting around and wondering.

[And it saves Harry the trouble of blurting things out for once. Maybe they are related. He manages a sincere smile for Normie, even when the other man can't quite get there.

...Grandfather. --Right. Norman. But not his dad. A different Norman Osborn, probably. So weird. Even after everything, Harry still finds himself wanting to see his father, though. They were starting to make amends before he died, and Harry can't quite let that go.]

I... Did he cause a lot of trouble when he was here?

[He pauses for a moment, watching Normie as he climbs back to his feet before joining him. He wants to ask what happened - to this other him, but somehow, that feels too personal. They are still technically strangers.]

Can't screw up by telling the truth. [A beat.] The tour can wait if you don't feel up to it, Normie. But I definitely still want one, if that's alright.

Me too.

[Normally Normie would be more reserved, but matters of family usually has him acting less than rational.]

.......How much time do you have?

[Because frankly, Normie's not even sure where to start with that question. His grandfather had 6 years to screw up not one but two universes. It's been almost a year and Normie's still working on cleaning up some of the messes.]

But perhaps the tour would be better time spent. [Anything is better than talking about Norman the elder.] I'd... like to get to know you while we walk.

[...Not exactly the answer Harry wants to hear, but it's the one he was expecting. His father caused a lot of pain and suffering back home as the Green Goblin, and he's not sure he wants to know if this other version was better or worse.

So he doesn't ask. He just gives Normie a crooked smile and moves on.]

Tour it is, then. [He gestures to the city with an air of playfulness.] Lead the way. My knowledge of the place is officially in your hands. And I guess I can try to scrounge up some interesting things to tell you about me-- if I can hear a little about you, too.

[Sorry Harry, but everything about this particular Norman Osborn was a shitshow from start to finish.]

Good thing I'm good with directions then, or this would be even more embarrassing than I think is humanly possible.

[He looks over and smiles at the alternate reality version of his dad.]

And I'll tell you anything you want to know. About me, I mean.

[If that ain't the truth. At least the Norman from Harry's world cared about him. He was awful at showing it, but he cared.

He cracks a smile and laughs.] It'd be a hell of a way to break the ice, though. Bumbling around, lost-- and who doesn't love an adventure?

Good. [God, what doesn't he want to know, though? There's so many things he could ask. But he starts off with something simple yet important--]

--Well. What kind of stuff are you into? Like, hobbies and interests?

Me, because I'd be dead from mortification. I'd be the first recorded case and everything.

[Normie picks a direction and starts walking. As they're in the business district, there isn't much to point out just yet.]

Um, well... I like building things. I could never really figure out the chemistry part of the family business, but I figured out the gadget part of it pretty quickly, and I found doing that kind of stuff is really relaxing to me. I'm also a bit of a nerd, I like sci-fi and video games, all of that kind of stuff.

If only I had the time for it lately, heh.

A little over-dramatic, don't you think?

[Says the pot to the freakin' kettle. Harry contentedly follows Normie, though-- but he's not really paying much mind to their surroundings. His attention is pretty much focused on Normie.]

Oh man. You're a genius and a nerd? [He smiles openly to show he's just teasing him.] Guess that kinda thing skips a generation. [A beat.] Unless the... other me-- [So weird.] --was, too. ['Cause him? Definitely not.]

I'd ask, 'how come?'... but running a business isn't exactly a cakewalk.

I assure you this is calm and rational. You don't want to see over-dramatic.

[Calm and rational even comes with a smile.]

Whoa, let's not throw the word genius around. I tinker, that's about it. If you ever need-- [A pause. He just now realizes he has no idea whether or not this version of his father is, was, or even knows about the Green Goblin. Then came the second question: did he even want to know.] -- your TV repaired or anything, I'm your guy.

As Uncle Pete can attest.

[He throws out the name casually, careful not to stare as he says it. He wants to see the other man's reaction.]

I'm... not exactly sure, to be honest. My dad was a great man with... many faults, and a lot of them people won't say to my face. You tend to remember the best and forget the rest.

[It's certainly a strange sensation, talking about your father to someone who is more or less also your father. Just how many people ever had the chance to do that?]

It's not... And truth be told, I'm vastly under-qualified. Back home, I'd pretty much just taken over the company when I got brought here.

[Yeah, that's not comforting. Harry's just kind of side-eyeing Normie and returning his smile with a lopsided grin, 'cause--] Geez, you're so well-spoken.

I'm just saying-- you gotta be pretty smart to manage "tinkering" without obliterating something. 'Cause... me? I managed to screw up those baking soda volcanoes you make in middle school. Pretty sure there's still a stain on the ceiling from that little incident.

[There's no anger when Harry hears the name. He just gives another crooked smile to match the tilt of his head, because... well. Odds are, this 'Uncle Pete' is exactly who Harry thinks it is, and if that's the case, he's happy to hear that Normie's at least got Peter's influence around. Still--] Uncle Pete, huh? As in, Peter Parker?

--Huh. [He goes quiet for a moment, wondering, and a flicker of sadness washes over his face. What are people saying about him back home, now that he's dead? Is he still the mistake-riddled disappointment most people painted him to be, or are people saying all these good things about him that they never managed to tell him while he was still alive?] I guess nobody likes to speak ill of the dead... [But it's kind of depressing to leave it on that note, so he screws on a smile to cover it up.] As long as you have good things to remember him by, right? That's the important thing.

I'd offer advice, but I'm probably the last guy you ought'a be getting advice from. I've got "what not to do as a CEO" covered and that's about it.

01 ( voice )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject