solitarysongs – The Perfect Scientist

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

“I… I don’t know,” Carlos said. “I mean… it might not even be intentional – Night Vale seems to have a strange and ancient sort of… power to it. But… I suppose it’s something worth wondering about.”

An idea struck Carlos and he pulled out his phone. He started to set up alarms all over his calendar, the subjects simply reading his dad and his brother’s names. He couldn’t let himself forget about them again.

The prospect was horrifying. If he forgot his own family…

“I’ve got to leave now. Tonight.” he said, quietly. “If you want to come with me, Carlos, you can, but I can’t risk losing anything.”

He had little enough already.

Carlos blinked at Sylvain, surprised. “Wait, you – you are?” he asked.
“Wha – but what if something happens? There needs to be some planning to
ensure safety and… I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to be so
hasty.”

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

“What? Oh, no, no, no, it’s not that,” Carlos assured him quickly. “It’s just… heh… I uh… haven’t even really thought about them in a while.” Which was very strange and, now that he thought about it, concerning. He loved his family. They got along so well! There was no reason to not talk to them.

He seemed more distressed than something like that would warrant. He felt a new level of distaste for Night Vale at his new suspicion.

“You don’t think they’ve been… keeping you from thinking of them?” he asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Carlos said. “I mean… it might not even be intentional – Night Vale seems to have a strange and ancient sort of… power to it. But… I suppose it’s something worth wondering about.”

An idea struck Carlos and he pulled out his phone. He started to set up alarms all over his calendar, the subjects simply reading his dad and his brother’s names. He couldn’t let himself forget about them again.

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken back by this. “My… my family?” he asked softly. He hadn’t thought about having a family before. Did he… no wait – he did have a family. His brother and his dad. They lived in Oh-ree-gone. He hadn’t spoken to them in so long… how long? Carlos’ eyebrows scrunched together and he wasn’t looking at particularly anything as he thought, trying to make sense… why had he not talked to them?

Sylvain’s eyebrows crinkled.

“Carlos, you alright there?” he said. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about them if you don’t want to.”

“What? Oh, no, no, no, it’s not that,” Carlos assured him quickly. “It’s just… heh… I uh… haven’t even really thought about them in a while.” Which was very strange and, now that he thought about it, concerning. He loved his family. They got along so well! There was no reason to not talk to them.

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos frowned slightly at Sylvain, but in response to his question the scientist shrugged and nodded. “The town is very interesting – I honestly haven’t seen a place like it before, and I can always find myself to be very engaged in my work here.”

“And you don’t- Do they let you see your family, or no?” he asked.

Carlos was taken back by this. “My… my family?” he asked softly. He hadn’t thought about having a family before. Did he… no wait – he did have a family. His brother and his dad. They lived in Oh-ree-gone. He hadn’t spoken to them in so long… how long? Carlos’ eyebrows scrunched together and he wasn’t looking at particularly anything as he thought, trying to make sense… why had he not talked to them?

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hummed. “Well, I said the short answer is ‘yes’. But the long answer… is ‘Yeeeeeesssss….?’ Drawn out with an inflection at the end, as the one answering isn’t sure if what they speak is entirely the truth. Lemme explain: There are, technically, various ways to leave. You can drive to Desert Bluffs, an equally weird and seemingly inescapable place. Or a portal to the early Jurassic to the early Cretaceous period could open and one may be transported to a time before Night Vale even existed. Or you could simply stop existing. That happens too, sometimes. But I myself have been trapped in a Desert Otherworld that seems to be an alternate universe that runs very closely to Night Vale in the multiverse. So, technically… you can leave this place. But being picky about how you leave… that’s where it gets tricky.”

He nodded, closing his eyes.

“Great. Yes. Wonderful. Thank you.” he said. “Well, all that stuff can get fucked, because I will find my way back to my world. What about you? Are you happy to stay here the rest of your life?”

Carlos frowned slightly at Sylvain, but in response to his question the scientist shrugged and nodded. “The town is very interesting – I honestly haven’t seen a place like it before, and I can always find myself to be very engaged in my work here.”

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hummed, scratching his fuzzy cheek as he thought about it. “The short answer is ‘yes’. Yes you can.”

“Really?” he said, “Oh, thank god. I would not be able to survive here. So, is there any trick to it? Because I heard some guy left, but he was replaced with a clone of himself, or something?”

Carlos hummed. “Well, I said the short answer is ‘yes’. But the long answer… is ‘Yeeeeeesssss….?’ Drawn out with an inflection at the end, as the one answering isn’t sure if what they speak is entirely the truth. Lemme explain: There are, technically, various ways to leave. You can drive to Desert Bluffs, an equally weird and seemingly inescapable place. Or a portal to the early Jurassic to the early Cretaceous period could open and one may be transported to a time before Night Vale even existed. Or you could simply stop existing. That happens too, sometimes. But I myself have been trapped in a Desert Otherworld that seems to be an alternate universe that runs very closely to Night Vale in the multiverse. So, technically… you can leave this place. But being picky about how you leave… that’s where it gets tricky.”

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

“History says you don’t need steady hands for a lobotomy,” Carlos said – a bit of a grim anecdote, he knew, but Night Vale was made up of grim anecdotes. “I’ll be honest to you and say that, in the case of Night Vale laws relating to the questions, I may not be entirely honest. Or forth-coming. It takes a healthy sense of self-preservation to live here, after all.”

“Then I’ll stick to the basic one.” he said. “Can I leave?”

Carlos hummed, scratching his fuzzy cheek as he thought about it. “The short answer is ‘yes’. Yes you can.”

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

“Being in Night Vale has given me foresight to clarify if you mean literally,” Carlos said with a slight smile.

He ‘huffed’ out a laugh, surprising himself.

“Yeah, no,” he said, “don’t think I have the steady hands required for a lobotomy. I’d just stick with questions.”

“History says you don’t need steady hands for a lobotomy,” Carlos said – a bit of a grim anecdote, he knew, but Night Vale was made up of grim anecdotes. “I’ll be honest to you and say that, in the case of Night Vale laws relating to the questions, I may not be entirely honest. Or forth-coming. It takes a healthy sense of self-preservation to live here, after all.”

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hurriedly scrubbed at his hands, which stung a little bit, and then dabbed at the spot on his elbow with a wet paper towel. When he deemed it clean enough he came out, still holding a folded up towel to the wound before going to the front counter for a band aid. Once he got one he located Sylvain and came back smiling.

“Got it!” he said triumphantly as he sat down across from him. He was glad the SSP hadn’t decided to pick him up. “Hey, mind helping me with this? I only have one hand to use.” He offered the band-aid to the other man.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” he said.

He took the white paper off of the adhesive areas, and reached forward, carefully applying it.

“So,” he said, as he smoothed over the adhesive ‘legs’. “you’re one of the few people I know who moved here instead of being born Night Valian. Is it alright if I pick your brain?”

“Being in Night Vale has given me foresight to clarify if you mean literally,” Carlos said with a slight smile.

solitarysongs:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos looked down at the notebook and frowned slightly. “Huh? Oh, yeah, grab some seats,” he said. “And, uh… put that ‘definitely-not-a-pen’ away so nobody can see it…” He leaned in and dropped his voice lower. “I’ll explain in a bit. I’ll be right back.” Carlos hurried off to the wash room to get his scrape cleaned off. He hoped the guy followed his advice.

Sylvain froze for half a second, then stretched his neck in annoyance at himself. He’d been told this rule before, but then had managed to forget it amidst all the others. He quickly stowed both pen and notebook away, before getting them a booth by the window.

Carlos hurriedly scrubbed at his hands, which stung a little bit, and then dabbed at the spot on his elbow with a wet paper towel. When he deemed it clean enough he came out, still holding a folded up towel to the wound before going to the front counter for a band aid. Once he got one he located Sylvain and came back smiling.

“Got it!” he said triumphantly as he sat down across from him. He was glad the SSP hadn’t decided to pick him up. “Hey, mind helping me with this? I only have one hand to use.” He offered the band-aid to the other man.