Summary
Scar and his boss talk about a project
The scene is a new one, and a more boring one. A cubical not small enough to be limiting, but not too spacious either. There were sticky notes on the walls and rolled-up papers scattered about. An open blueprint sat in the middle of a desk, empty. Pencils scratched on paper while others quietly chatted to each other.
"Where are we?" Jellie sat on another section of the desk.
"Maybe this is where Other Me works." Scar looked around, "Ah, there he is."
Other Scar walked down an aisle in a formal button-down and dress-like pants. He took a breath and smiled at coworkers as he passed. Phasing through Scar, he sat at his chair and picked up a pencil. Then he didn't start to draw. Just sat there, pencil in hand. It seemed like he didn't know what to draw.
A clock ticked in the background.
Someone cheered then apologized for the noise.
Someone sneezed.
An elevator dinged.
Someone in heels quickly approached. An androgynous person in androgynous clothing stopped at Other Scar's cubical.
"Mr. Goodtimes?" Even their voice was androgynous.
Other Scar turned. "O-Oh! Yes?"
"Mr. Land wants to speak with you. Please, follow me."
"Uh, okay." Other Scar stood and dusted off his shirt. There was nothing on it. "This is very formal," he laughed as the two of them walked down the aisle. Scar and Jellie followed close behind.
"Mr. Land is like that sometimes," the other smiled back. They walked to the end of the cubical and took a turn into a short hallway. At the end of it was a door with a plaque. 'MR. LAND, CEO' was carved in large letters. The androgynous person opened the door, "Mr. Goodtimes is here, sir."
"Ah, thank you," said a voice on the other side of the door.
The person opened the door fully, allowing Other Scar to enter. He smiled and entered the room. The other two darted in before the door shut, just in case they still couldn't phase through doors.
Mr. Land's office was large, floor-to-ceiling windows covering two walls. The view was wonderful. Skyscrapers sat all around them, a bustling road so many floors below them. If Scar squinted hard enough, he thought he could see the building Other Scar lived in. A few plants sat around the otherwise sterile white room. The boss man himself sat at a glass table with merely a monitor, placard, cup full of pens, and a cactus.
He smiled and motioned for Scar to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Welcome, May I simply call you 'Scar'?"
Other Scar sat in a chair, looking scared and uncomfortable. "Yes, you may. What did you want to speak to me about, sir?"
"I understand that you're working on a design for one of the gardens of this wonderful city. Not something you normally do. Wonderous you decided to step out of your comfort zone."
"Oh, sir, I don't want to offend you but, you assigned me to the garden sculpture project."
"Really? I guess I forgot. So many employees!" Mr. Land laughed and Other Scar laughed along, warily. Scar and Jellie looked at each other with a 'what is going on' look. "Either way, your deadline is coming up. Two weeks left. Just checking in."
"A deadline? Two weeks? Sir, when you assigned me this job you said it was a one-year deadline. It's barely been a month-and-a-half."
"It's a small project. I've seen you finish the layout for a tiny house in a month. And that was twice as big as this sculpture. I'm just keeping you on a good schedule." Mr. Land leaned in, "I also think the city would like to build it while it's warm. A park sculpture isn't interesting in the winter."
"Oh, well, that does make sense."
"But you're asking about the deadline, are you not close to finishing? Like I said, it's a small project."
"Of course not, sir!" Other Scar blurted immediately. "But, you know me! I like to take a small break from my projects then look back on them, add that 'Goodtimes touch' you've always loved." He let out a small, hesitant laugh.
"Right, of course Scar. Well, I shouldn't keep you from your excellent work. You're free to go."
"Thank you sir," Other Scar smiled before standing and heading over to the door.
"Oh! One more thing!" Mr. Land called out as Other Scar held the door ajar. "You're one of my best men, Scar. Don't disappoint me."
The wind blew once more, muffling whatever response Other Scar gave. Another card floated in the seat Other Scar had sat in. It was once again upside down, showing a Scar sitting in the chair one hand in the air. Presumably the right hand as the card read 'JUSTICE', the 11th card.
"Part of justice is honesty," Jellie remarked. "Other You was very dishonest this...so does an upside down card mean the opposite of the original meaning? That makes sense so far, right?"
Scar shrugged, "I've already forgotten what cards were what way. I'm more invested in the memories, honestly."
"Of course you weren't paying attention," Jellie sighed before jumping onto the chair and hitting the card.
(OG post date - 6/2/23)
YOU ARE READING
How Did We Get Here?
FanfictionScar wakes up in a world that seems familiar to him and goes through a life that feels like his but he can't remember anything. Jellie is along for the ride, and she can somehow talk...? Oh, and, what are these weird cards they're finding? Even wors...
