Work Text:
"Good morning, Guide." The headless man announced as he entered the lobby, clipboard in hand. "Surely you didn't pull an all-nighter?"
"Morning, MK II. I just came early, is all." Guide responded coolly, briefly glancing back out of politeness for his boss before looking back at the terminal.
"Is there anything I need to know? Reports, messages from the other staff, the usual…" Crazyblox stepped to Guide's side, handing a paper to his blue companion. "Could you summarize and relay this to the players? It's not much."
"Sure, no problem."
Guide quickly scanned over the words, before reaching into a nearby crate to grab his writing supplies. He continued to talk as he wrote.
"Not much has happened so far, I didn't arrive that early." He clicked his pen and began to write on the small notepad. "Quarter of an hour ago, we ran through, uh, Beach City, I think. The one with the statue of you."
"I heard the floods there aren't as frequent as they used to be. Good for the people."
"Right?" Guide replied, tearing off the paper, but not before writing "Patch Notes" and circling it several times. "Crazyblox said he'd take me there once the conditions got better, so I'm a little excited. I always wanted to see the city back then."
"Yeah. There's- What?" Crazyblox stood up from his seat on the platform's edge. "I haven't forgotten, you don't have to remind me."
"Huh?" Guide slightly frowned, just as confused. "I mean, if you wanted to come along I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"What are you talking about? Guide, I don't forget that easily."
"But we were talking about Crazy-"
Oh, good god. If Crazyblox had a physical jaw in this form, it would have dropped to the floor. He shook his head. Not him, too…!
"Guide. Guide, hold on." He said calmly, trying to interrupt the blue NPC's rambling. "Guide. I'm Crazyblox."
"Yes, I know, he made more robots but to resemble him even close-"
The purple man in front of Guide, that he'd refer to as "MK II" to differentiate from his more familiar friend with the same name, began to quickly transform, until standard Crazyblox, red hair and suit and all, stood before him.
"Do you see what I mean now?" Crazyblox asked, looking partially amused but mostly concerned
"I- um- well. Hi, Crazyblox." The NPC said, before facepalming and leaning his side against the console, papers in the other hand. "I thought you were two different people! Ugh, it's not even the first time you've changed forms…"
"That's what confused me! You knew it was me during that time I was a bit green with wings, and even when I was a girl." Crazyblox began to titter, though he tried to hold it.
"I know! Look- hey, stop laughing! It's just that, you and I are similar," he rapidly pointed between them both. "And then there's also MK III and the shopkeepers, so I assumed there was just a completely new person, you know?"
"Fair enough, I mean, the yellow one isn't me." Crazyblox reverted back to his default, violet self. "Forgive me, I suppose the way I met you in this form was odd. You're not even the first person to mistake me as someone else, if it's any consolation. Some people will ask if I can ask Crazyblox to friend them."
"God, really? At that point, I'd just play along." They stood together in silence, before Guide smiled and looked at him again. " What's even the benefit of being purple, anyway?"
"It's a more higher form, I guess. I'm significantly more powerful, and, as you've seen," he gestured to his wings, "I can fly. I'm still working on a way so that I can be quicker, or at least have enough strength to hover for more than a few seconds."
"Is that what that dark science stuff was about?" Guide had returned to finishing up the last parts of the notes so that incoming players could read them.
"Yes."
"I'm sure Zak and the others told you the same thing, but be careful with that. Seriously. When you were looking into the swords, you hardly slept and you reported that you kept seeing-"
"That's a discussion for another time, I think. I'd never be so careless while developing a special microbe anyway. Let's talk about planning a vacation. Please?"
"Sure." Guide began to set up the comms line. Any listeners would be the very first to know about the update. "Would all seven of us go?"
"If it was one location, maybe, that would be less complicated. Oh. If we all went, who would look after the facility?"
"MK III?"
"Oh, absolutely not. They hardly have a brain…"
They talked, minutes ticking by, ignoring the numerous players constantly coming in and out. Crazyblox noticed as Guide became a little more relaxed, less formal, just like how he was around his original self. Obviously, he had noticed that his creation had grown somewhat distant, he chalked it up to the incident with the ruins, not that he blamed him. If it wasn't for today, if he had arrived an hour later or just never came, how long would Guide have still not known? That he would think that his friend had gone off to wherever again?
But for now, they overcame another misunderstanding. Maybe like this, in this very form, they could start being friends again.
I won't abandon you again, Guide, he thought to himself. I swear on it.