An excellent way to spend time {open}

[Marceline Abadeer]

Marceline took careful aim at a passing elderly woman. She moved her arm once, twice, then let her projectile fly. The marshmallow collided with the old woman, who then wasted several seconds looking all around her, obviously trying to determine where the oh-so-deadly projectile had come from. She wasn't seeing Marceline though, mostly because Marceline was currently up, as in up in a tree. She looked comfortable too: one hefty boot pressed against a branch, knee slightly bent, while her back leaned against the main trunk. The bag of marshmallows set open on her belly, and she was already reaching in to pull out another, taking careful aim.

So far that day, Marceline had:
-taken apart a CD player and attempted to eat the contents (they weren't edible)
-super-glued a coin to the floor at the Entertainment complex
-switched her left and her right boots (they were still on the wrong feet)
-asked a hobo to play chess (and lost)
-punched herself, then started fighting back (Marceline won)
-stapled every loose sheet of paper in her home together
-microwaved a bar of soap
-had a staring contest with herself (Marceline lost)
-told three random people their "wigs" looked real (got one compliment)
-and slapped herself randomly, only to shout "stupid pixies"

So, yeah, she'd been bored, and decided to steal some time on a roommate's computer. This had resulted in her pulling up a list of 100 things to do, and she was steadily working her way through them. Considering that it had only been about an hour and a half, Marceline felt she was making excellent progress.

"Check out the hair on that one," she muttered, watching an incoming pedestrian. With that wide grin still on her face, Marceline took careful aim, tossing her sugary projectile. She was pretty good at this, but even she wasn't certain she'd get the one with the impressive hair or not...

[Simon Petrikov]

Well, this was pretty awesome. On a scale of lame to super-fantastic, it pretty much landed squarely in the ‘awesome’ category. The cruise the Ice King had been on was a bit disappointing over all, but the whole experience here certainly made up for it. Here the staff was attentive, gave him whatever he wanted, and would stand and listen to him for lengthy stretches of time looking only marginally uncomfortable. If he hadn’t a kingdom to run, Ice King could have considered staying there for a long while. But then again, eventually he needed to be back in Ooo to decide which princess he needed to marry. PB was still in the lead, but the wizard’s mood switched at times. In any case, it wasn’t as if any princesses were around here… probably.

While the staff was dealing with some paperwork, Ice King had been left to his own resources and the old man decided to wander the grounds of the expansive resort. Since his crown still seemed to be powered down, he ignored the few staff members who asked him to wait where he was and went to take a walk. After a few minutes of walking it was apparent that the hotel grounds were rather impressive, like it was its own town or something. The Ice King eventually made his way to an open field-like area, not noticing how most passers-by stared at him for being dressed in a flowing white robe and a glitzy crown. Mostly, he was still thinking about whether he should work on his tan or work on some slam poetry. In the middle of his thoughts, he felt something little and soft glance off of his head.

”GAH!” After screaming in surprise, Ice King automatically threw up his hands as if to cast a spell that would encase this enemy in a block of ice, ”WHO DARES TO ATTACK THE ICE KI—Oh. Hey Marceline.” The rage in his voice was snuffed out as quickly as it had been summoned as soon as he saw the pale girl in the tree, “I didn’t know you were on vacation.“

”But, hey! This is cool; we could, you know, do a jam session or something. Work out some sweet riffs.” After all, spending time with someone would be way better than anything that Ice King could do alone. Really, he could always attempt to kidnap somebody to hang out with him, but it was nice to be around someone who wasn’t forced to endure his company, ”I could totally set up a drum set in my room, since I have an in with the hotel staff here. There’s this one girl who works here… and she definitely has the hots for me!” Ice King couldn’t suppress a little giggle at the end of his statement.

[Marceline Abadeer]

Attack the what? Marceline leaned over slightly, looking at the lanky old man who looked up at her and seemed to know her name. She hadn't caught the full name, but she really only knew one person who acted like this. Unless, of course, she'd managed to get another creepy old man stalker since she arrived here, a fact that she wasn't entirely ruling out. In fact, it seemed slightly more probable than actually running into the Ice King, even if Marceline had run into Finn since her arrival.

"Uh, I'm not on vacation," she offered, blinking and looking about. "I'm chillin' right now, but I actually work here and everything. Been playing for my supper and all," she studied the guy further, considering. Jam session, girl that had the hots for him, yeah, this guy was sounding more and more like Ice King with each passing moment. Marceline leaned over, sliding off the tree and almost oozing down from the branches, landing lightly on the ground. The marshmallows were clutched in one hand, while the other knocked loose tree debris.

"Soooooo," she said, looking up and eyeballing the man, "you, like, know me, obviously, and you're totally acting like this one guy that I've met before." Marceline straightened, considering the guy closely now. "But there's no magic here. Like, none. So if you were the guy I know, then you wouldn't be the guy I know but would actually be the guy I know."

Marceline paused, blinked, and drew out a marshmallow. She tossed it in her hands a few times. Not the best of weapons, but slightly better than nothing. "So, who are you? The Ice King? Or... the other guy..."

Marceline just couldn't quite bring herself to say the full name. Just having the Ice King would be enough, really.

[Simon Petrikov]

”You moved?” Ice King assumed, sounding a little surprised and a little hurt. His fingers reached up and he started to twiddle strands of long, white beard in between his fingers, not knowing what else to do with them, ”Aw, you should have told me. I would’ve thrown a party for you or something. Made a little snack plate.” As the vampire came down from her perch, Ice King pulled his hands away, though one finger got caught, and he had to fail a bit before it came loose.

Ice King’s eyebrows arched just slightly as Marceline studied him. Puzzled by her talk of this guy and the other guy and what not, he cocked his head a little bit to think of what she actually meant by that. Finally, he interjected. "Marcy, stop talking crazy.” The old wizard said flatly. On the other hand, there being another ‘him’…it did sound a little less crazy than one might think. After all, as much as Ice King hated to admit it, there wasn’t any magic here and it was making him think about things that he hadn’t really thought about in a long time. On the other, other hand, it could just be that his crown was on the fritz and it was making him weird.

Despite that, when asked who he was, he gave an indignant scoff, ”Well, duh! These stylin’ robes, magical-dohicky crown that does stuff—That’s classic Ice King! I mean, I thought we were… well…” His voice trailed off. It’s not like Marceline had ever really said that they were friends. And maybe, now that she had moved, the Vampire Queen had forgotten him. Although, now that he was here, there was a strange feeling creeping up on him that things would be okay. Eventually a small smile halfway crept across his face, ”I’m just glad you’re doing well.” But soon a more vacuous glint found its way back into Ice King’s expression, and he stared at Marcy a little more, trying to discern what was off about her, ”You look a little different. Did you do something with your hair? And you’re all… not on fire. That’s neat.”

[Marceline Abadeer]

Marceline was half tempted to point out that they'd all moved, taken from their homes like a confused black and white Kansasan and dumped here, only with less witch killing and more marshmallows. However, she was beginning to get the idea that this was the guy she knew but not the one that really knew her. He did call her Marcy, which was something of a step in the right direction, but the whole comment on his rad duds and the general attitude just screamed Ice King.

Wait! The crown! Marceline's eyes went to the magical adornment, wondering. Surely it couldn't still be messing with Ice King's brain, making him all messed up and junk? That just didn't make any sense. It should have lost all its powers. Maybe it was one of those psycho-somantic things. Marceline didn't know; she didn't care, it only changed so much anyway. End result was the same: the crazy version of her friend was here instead of the kind protector that she was beginning to believe had died many years ago.

"I'm doin' rad, Ice King," she finally said, grinning and showing off her fangs. She popped another marshmallow into her mouth, scrafing it down before continuing: "Oh and yeah, I'm not, like, actually a vampire here or anything. I'm totally human now. You are too; pretty much everybody is. It's like a whole world made of Finn," Marceline paused, shifting the marshmallow to form a pocket in her cheek, "only less crazy, I guess. So, whatcha doin' out in the park? Hey, wanna help me throw marshmallows at weird people? That's totally what friends do here," at least, that's what Marceline assumed friends did here. She hadn't exactly watched the television show yet, though she heard it was pretty good.

[Simon Petrikov]

A small, uneasy chuckle escaped Ice King at the thought of a world of Finn. He supposed he might have to be a bit on guard then, whether they were less crazy or not. It always seemed like that boy was attacking him or tricking him or not inviting him to parties. But maybe it really did mean something else. Looking at his hands, Ice King’s brow furrowed at the pale peach skin and… five fingers? Oh. Weird. Something was definitely up, though he had to admit that he wasn’t too concerned by the changes for one reason or another.

”Would I?!” Ice King grinned widely at the invitation to hurl sugar puffs at strangers, showing probably a little too much enthusiasm about participating in any activity that friends would do. He reached out for some marshmallows and, after taking a handful, tossed one at a passing jogger. It missed, but the old wizard didn’t seem to mind, and rather continued with the conversation, ”I just decided to take a walk since the staff is doing some boring setup stuff before I get my hotel room. I can’t believe I won a vacation! That kind of stuff never happens to me.” He fiddled with another marshmallow puff until finally deciding just to eat that one, ”At first, I thought I had gotten over to where Fionna and Cake were, but really I had just fallen into the ocean. Probably would have drowned if I hadn’t been selected for the vacation package. Although, I think my crown might have gotten waterlogged. Isn’t doing a darn thing.” He gave a small sniff as his gaze flicked up to the crown still perched on his head, ”You think I should tie it up in my beard for safekeeping?”

But as he continued to throw marshmallows, his second attempt proved more effective, as it hit a dog passing by with its owner. ”HA! Gotcha!” Ice King laughed victoriously, and pointed after dog and walker as they gave him a strange look and tried to hurry away from the crazy old guy, ”Yeah, you better run!”

[Marceline Abadeer]

Now this Marcy could get used to. She beamed as her old friend cozied up to her, grabbing some of the offered marshmallows. Per usual Ice King, he wasn't exactly aiming all that well, essentially shot-gun throwing the handful at a group of passing joggers. Still, this was definitely more normal than Marceline had experienced in a while. Well, maybe not strictly normal, but definitely more homey, which probably said more about Marceline's home environment than she cared to admit.

As the rocker chick reached for her own handful, grinning a fangy smile at the affronted passersby, she listened to Ice King's story. A hotel? He won something? Marceline was again reminded that this was, in fact, the insane version of her old friend of so very long ago, the version that had been warped by that crown for centuries. When Ice King mentioned that crown, Marceline hazarded a look. Not doing anything, not on his head. Maybe this was the chance she'd been waiting for. This place had already taken away the vampire and demon in her; maybe it could give Simon back his brain too.

"Eh, beard might look a little weird," she commented, trying to make it sound nonchalant. She reached for another marshmallow, pausing as Ice King picked his own out. Simon wasn't the only one to laugh as the marshmallow actually hit the target; Marceline let out a throaty chuckle of her own. She ended by flicking her tongue against her teeth and picking up the conversation: "You want to impress the ladies, right? Well, the ladies here aren't about crowns. It's just totally not in. You'll have to do something else if you want to win over the princesses here," Marceline nodded sagely, her expression totally seriously. In actuality, she was trying to recall if she'd met any outright princesses that she could nudge Simon toward. There had to be some, right...

"Hey, you met any princesses yet? I think there's a couple around here," she commented, again keeping her voice casual. Sure, that might be inflicting Simon on someone, but it could also give him something to think about that might not be quite so... crazy.

[Simon Petrikov]

Ice King self-consciously tugged on his beard a little as Marcy told him that he should not use his facial hair as a storing place for his crown. Well, if he wasn’t going to be using it, where else could he put it? Maybe there was a safe or something in the hotel room… or maybe there was another way to keep it on his person. In any case, Ice King kept listening while sometimes eating and sometimes hurling handfuls of marshmallows. One thick eyebrow quirked as Marcy gave him the scoop on what the single ladies appreciate in these parts, ”What? Ladies love the crown! It’s like… shiny and stuff.” He pursed his lips, not quite believing that he should ditch his headwear just yet. Although… if there really was princesses all the way out here, the wizard supposed he should give himself all the advantages to have the best shot at dating one. He reached up and took the crown from his head and sat it in his lap. He’d decide what to do with it later. ”Well, if crowns are no good, I’ll just have to wow ‘em with my serenades. No woman can resist that.”

To her question about any new princesses in the Tenebrae estates, the Ice King shrugged and ate another marshmallow,“No, No princesses yet. Some foxy gals on the staff, but you know… not really my type. Did you meet some? Oh, but I can’t try to woo princesses looking like this. I haven’t had any time to unpack or freshen up.” Ice King crossed his arms, ”I don’t even know what these guys put in my luggage. I asked them to pick my best robes, but I don’t know… a guy has to pick his own robes, I think.” Oh well. The staff here seemed like real classy people, so he supposed he shouldn’t worry. Another marshmallow was thrown, though it went over the head of the little girl Ice King had aimed it at. The sight still elicited a giggle from the old man, and he took the next marshmallow and held it out in front of Marceline, ”Ooh,Ooh! I’ll throw it up in the air and you’ll catch it in your mouth! Friends do stuff like that.”

[Marceline Abadeer]

"Nah, they don't dig that kind of thing here," Marceline insisted, shaking her head. "They're totally like 'oh, he's got a crown, that's so not cool. We should stay away from him and junk,'" she finished by nodding sagely. Sure, there was this niggling feeling in the back of her head, this whole "you really shouldn't lie to him" type thing. But it wasn't lying, not really. Stretching the truth, maybe bending it a little, but not lying in the strictest sense. Marceline just didn't know the ladies' tastes here. She just knew it didn't run toward vampires, which struck her as really weird.

"Yeah, stick with the tunes, I.K.," agreed Marceline nodding. "I've got a steady gig worked up here. I can probably get you in from time to time. No rad drummers or slick dudes around here, so you'll own it,"  and if she could get him focused on that and away from the crown. Maybe she could even jog his memory. Shame that Marceline didn't have any of her old notes or anything. She thought about bringing it up to Simon, but then realized that she hadn't been flinging as many marshmallows as she probably could. The vampire grabbed a huge handful and was gonna fling them when Simon came up with a suggestion.

Marceline laughed, shaking her head. "I.K. you're so weird. But yeah, I can totally do that," she nodded and then turned to him, opening her mouth wide. Oh, Marceline strongly suspected that she was going to end up choking on a badly thrown marshmallow any time now, but it did sound like something that would alleviate the boredom.