R³

Well isn't it obvious? We build an interdimensional device to bring her back, like we did for Ryder and RB!

Rex flares daggers at Rocket. Sure, they had made interdimensional devices before... with tech that wasn't theirs.

Rocket catches his eye and smiles at him, seemingly reading his mind. How hard could it be to figure it out for ourselves?

Lucy smiles, "Thanks, you guys. And, sorry for suddenly changing your plans for today..." She rubs the back of her head in her embarrassment.

Nah, I'd take having company over sticking to a plan any day! Rocket puts his hands on his hips. Thing is, building this might be a lot of hard work... What would you like to do while we're working on it? If you aren't confident around technology, maybe one or two of us could do something fun with you!

"Oh, well.. hmm..." she puts her hand under her chin and thinks... "I don't know really.. maybeee.... a tour to this place or somethin?"

Well then, the perfect person for that would be Rex! He built this ship after all!

Rex... blushes, at being volunteered. "Uhm... Sure? But maybe Rem would want to come with, since he's not great with tech either."

Rem giggles. Yeah, I'd like to help with the tour!

Lucy laughs a bit at what Rocket said.

But after a few moments of silence, the question that the asker posed sank in. "... Oh no..." She pats her hips in hopes of finding her phone with her-- Shoot, right, she doesn't have pockets. "Oh no nononono, shoot! I should have been back from my walk by now. Emmet must be so worried, I-- I need to get back-- How can I even get back...?!" She covers her face with her hands, stress suddenly threatening to overwhelm her.

Hey, it's all right! Rocket quickly said, lifting his hands as if to stave off her worry. Like I said, this is fine! You're not the first person that's fallen through a temporal anomaly and ended up here, we'll get you back before he realizes you're gone!

She looks up at Rocket, not quite convinced. "... Really? Y-you can do that??"

Sure, we've done it before! Rocket smiles reassuringly. Twice, actually! We'll have you home in two thrashes of a raptor's tail!

She smiles back at him and sighs in relief. She felt a bit calmer knowing this could be fixed.

Ah yeah, I wanna hear more about this 'Emmet Dangervest' character of yours! Rem said with a raised eyebrow. So... He looks and acts like our Rex, and he's the one that saved you from the Melting Chamber... I gotta know. What was his relation to Batman??

"Oh, they're bros, when or-- if-- you first meet them together, you might mistake them for being in a relationship or something!" Lucy laughs.

Oh well good for them, nice to hear they're so close.~ Rocket shot Rem a wink, before grinning back at Lucy. So... Did Batman help you escape the Old West?

Lucy nods, "Yep, it's still a bit hard for me to believe Emmet is so close to Batman."

Rocket tried to keep his composure and not burst into laughter. I bet! It was surprising for us too, to hear your counterpart uh... knew him so well.

Rex couldn't help but snicker.

The pieces were finally clicking into place! Rocket's guess was correct, hers was most likely a universe where just Lucy and Emmet swapped the roles they were all used to them being in. That wasn't so hard to understand!

"Y'know, he also has that blue vest you guys wear, but minus the 'R'. Not to mention he also used to look exactly like Rex when I first met him. I wonder why that is?" Lucy ponders aloud.

Lucy looks around to find where the asker is and remembers, right, they're just voices

"Oh, who looks a lot more like Emmet? uhmm..." she looks at Rocket, Rem, and finally at Rex, "... Rex does." she shyly smiles, shrugging one shoulder.

Rex's scowl fades, and he looks at Lucy with interest. "Oh, me? He got the shorter hair then?"

"Yeah, but not as short as Rem." she laughs a bit at the mental image of Emmet with a close-cut 'do... No, that wouldn't work for him.

Rex nods slightly, as if he had expected this "Fair enough."

What about personality? Who's the most like him that way? Rocket asks, grinning.

She thinks this over for a moment. "Hmm.. he's more like Rex in a way... I think?? I don't really know you all that well, yet. But um, he's more of a 'only to his close friends he's a bit soft, and more open with his feelings' kind of guy. To the others he's known as, in their words, a 'Mr. Grumpy Pants!"

Yeah, sounds like a typical Rex to me!! Rocket says with a laugh.

"Hm? Nothing, I..." Rex trails off, seemingly searching for the right things to say. "I'm just... realizing... that I jumped to conclusions." Rex glances over at Lucy, hoping to catch her eye.

Lucy sheepishly looks at the three then stops at Rex noticing that he's looking at her, blushing a bit.

Rex has to look away again at her expression, his own cheeks turning pink. "I... just wanted to say I... I'm sorry that I was so... rude to you when we met. I was scared that... Maybe you were the Lucy from my universe, here to take Rem away or... Something. I dunno."

He clears his throat, and suddenly he's looking up, and giving her the kindest look Lucy had gotten from him since arriving here, a soft, warm smile. "Whatever it was I was expecting, I'm glad I was wrong."

She looks at Rex smiling, eyes welling up with happy tears. Seeing Rex's expression, hearing him talk to her so kindly, it reminded her of her Emmet... He had acted the same way when they first met. It was a relief that he finally was interacting with her without the scary death glares...

She looks away, a bit embarrassed, and wipes away her tears... though the smile remains.

Vale... Who is Vale? Rem asks curiously. I don't know that name.

"Oh, Vale is... was... the uhh.. future version of.. me(?)" Lucy says nervously chuckling.

The three bevested boys share a look.

... So... You... You know about Undar...? Rocket asks hesitantly, looking nervous as he looks at Lucy again. It's not exactly a comfortable thing to talk about.

"... Undar?" Lucy looks down and then nods a bit, "Yeah... Yeah I know about it.. I'm guessing you know that too?" She nervously looks up at them again.

Rocket nodds slightly, looking down at the table as to not see those sad eyes.

Each of us spent a long time down there, Rem explained softly, staring into his coffee mug. I'm guessing... 'Vale' did too?

Lucy nods again, "... Yeah..." She has to look away again after that. Had she said something wrong again?

... S-so, Re-- the Emmet in your universe, he... He never went to save Vale? So she...? Rem trailed off. What had Vale done? Was she like Rocket...? Or like RB and Ryder? Or something else...

Lucy slightly shrugs, "I guess... I mean, I know he tried to find me- or her, but.. I-I guess he just... couldn't..?" Her brows furrowed a bit. What had Rem said? "... Wait, y-you said that each of you spent a long time there... does that mean... you guys were like Vale? The.. future version of... Emmet..?"

Rocket nods again. Yeah. If not now, I'm sure you were bound to figure out sooner or later... Rocket shrugs, trying to look casual as he sips his coffee again. We all were Emmet. But once we got out of Undar we decided... we weren't going to be anymore.

Lucy's eyes saddened a bit and just nods, she can't do anything about it anymore anyways...

"...H-How come you guys aren't... 'Back-to-the-futured'?"

To be honest, I'm not from this universe either, so nothing I do here can change my own past life, Rocket says with a half smile. As for Rex and Rem...? He glances over at them. Rex is pointedly looking away, while Rem frowns at the coffee cup he's gripping tightly. ... Just lucky, I guess.