I Think I Need A Little Change

[fragileandsoft]

Who: Greg and Anyone
Where: Around and about
When: In the week or so following the kidnappings
What:The feeling when you just can't find the silver lining and give up trying

While Steven's more than earned some time off of work recovering from his wound and the sudden rush of changes, Greg can't justify the same. As much as he'd like to stay with Steven all day there's still things that need fixing and lights that need arranging, and so long as Steven's in no actual danger Greg has to trust he can be left to his own devices. After all, Greg usually has to leave him to his own devices even when there is actual danger. That's how things have always been. It's no different.

No different, no different. Who cares about growing horns or fangs or the rest, it's happening to everyone. He has to get over it, deal with the differences, it gets better after all, and so many people just love living here, and what has he got to complain about anyway. Steven's fine, he's fine, everything's fine.

A. On the job


The work is just involved enough that Greg can focus in on it and block out the excess of frustration and distress plaguing his consciousness. The rest of the world fades to a blur while he works.

Still, sleep deprived, working on autopilot, and electrical wires rarely make a good combination. If he doesn't irritate people with an overbright spotlight shining in their eyes, he may draw ire via the occasional yelp as he shocks himself.

B. Comfort Eating

Greg's never been the most outgoing or energetic person around, but he's made an effort to appear open and friendly to his coworkers and peers in passing. Still, he's fairly certain he's of passing interest to anyone, and that suits him just fine right now. He moves quickly around the grounds, avoiding eye contact and speaking little. If he can't shake off this bad mood, he may as well avoid rubbing anyone the wrong way with his moping.

The longest he spends outside of work or his trailer is in the cafeteria, where he guzzles down coffee and whatever's served with the highest calorie count. When all else fails, he can stockpile the energy and comfort. It's not exactly the prettiest sight, but he does make the effort to eat by himself where no one has to watch him scarf it down. Doing great, feeling fantastic.

Comments

[mossbuds]

Oh. Greg knows him. He's not sure they've ever actually been directly introduced, but he figures his parents have probably hung out with Greg or something before, doin' old people shit. He couldn't be too surprised, since it was such a small place...

"Apparently," Lars responds, leaning forward to bend over, picking up his bomber from the dirt next to the console. Lars shakes it, then brushes it off. "Knew Steven was here, but I can't say I was expecting to see his dad. I'm givin' it a week 'till I see Mayor Dewey runnin' around tryin' to govern this stupid circus as a flying cyclops or somethin'. Figures that stupid place would just follow me here."

[fragileandsoft]

He knows Martha a little, and of course Steven has often talked at length about his most favorite employees at the Big Donut. Still, Greg can probably count on one hand the number of times he's talked with Lars outside of donut transactions.

Greg gives a wan smile at the thought of Mayor Dewey trying to bring some order to this madhouse. "Well, it'd help this place feel a little more like home, if nothing else." He rubs at an eye, stifling a yawn. "A few gems are around here too, but all this seems at least a little closer to what they're used to."

[mossbuds]

"Euch," Lars responds, rolling his eyes and extending his tongue in disgust. He leans against the console, crossing his arms. He also crosses his ankles, one of his legs bent at the knee. "Half'a why Beach City was so annoying was because of the gems! I was hopin' t'get further away from all that weird stuff, not deeper in."

Why he's hanging around isn't apparent; he coulda just hi'd and bye'd with his jacket, but the truth is that he's kinda lonely. It helps that he's a familiar face.

[fragileandsoft]

"Ehh. Guess that means we'll appreciate home even better when we get back." Usually Greg would be faster to defend 'all that weird stuff,' but at this particular moment he's awfully burned out on it himself, and a lot more negative than usual.

"At least it's not twenty four-seven back there. Around here, us humans are the weird ones." Except the tusks, growing horns, and slight point to the ears hardly make Greg look too human.

[mossbuds]

Lars pauses.

"I guess," he eventually agrees, taking Greg's pessimism as a bright side—after all, it's hard to get lower than Lars! "Can't say anything super weird's happened to me since I got here, though. Mostly, I just see that super weird stuff's been happenin' to other people." Lars eyes Greg's tusks while he pinkies his ear. "Course, I know it's only gonna be a matter'a time before I end up growin' a second head or something. Blows."

[fragileandsoft]

"It's different for everybody. Some people got 'em as soon as they came in, for me it's been slow... Steven's only just getting his now, but it looks like a bunch at once. Making up for lost time, I guess."

He pauses. Now that he thinks of it, Lars might not know what happened. Then again, are Lars and Steven close enough for Greg to talk about it?

There's a quiet zzt, and Greg bites back another hiss and shakes out his hand. Right. Now's not the time. "Well, it's all stuff to worry about when it happens, right?"

[mossbuds]

"H-huh... Yeah, guess so."

Greg's detailing of Steven's transformations makes Lars feels a little nervous; he's recently been dreading every day, living with a sort of daily increasing anxiety about when he would finally start to change. It's weirdly been making him feel more appreciative of what he's got, a little...

Looking a little tense, Lars rolls his eyes away, rubbing the back of his smooth head.

When Greg shocks himself, suddenly pulling back his hand, Lars jumps a little.

"Huh? No!" Lars exclaims, sort of more exasperated than he needs to be. "That's stuff t'worry about like—the second you hear about it! It's messed up, man!"

[fragileandsoft]

Greg looks up at Lars when he raises his voice, a little surprised by the outburst. Except not actually.

"Well... yeah. It's pretty scary."

It's not exactly the best or happiest thing to agree on. But pretending like that frustration isn't there sure won't help.

"It's going to happen, though. And from what I can tell, no matter how weird it gets, it's pretty harmless." He scratches at the hard lump under his skin where a horn is slowly growing.