The woman looked up with the startled expression of someone who had been caught doing exactly what they were obviously doing, but who had somehow convinced themselves that they were being subtle about it. "Oh! No, no, not following. Observing. For science. I'm Dr. Priscilla Von Overthink, and I'm conducting a preliminary study on the correlation between spatial navigation abilities and villainous potential. You've made seventeen wrong turns in the past five minutes, which is actually quite impressive from a statistical standpoint. Most people would have given up by now and asked for directions, but you're demonstrating a remarkable commitment to a fundamentally flawed methodology. It's exactly the kind of thinking that leads to the construction of easily escapable death traps and the hiring of incompetent henchmen."Marcus wasn't sure if he'd just been complimented or insulted, or possibly both simultaneously. "Are you also looking for orientation?""Oh, I found orientation twenty-three minutes ago. I'm just following you to see how long it takes you to realize you're walking in circles. We've passed the old Spencer's four times now, and you haven't noticed that the 'Customer Service Desk' sign has been getting progressively more sarcastic each time we've walked by it."Marcus looked around and realized she was right. There was the "Customer Service Desk (Former Spencer's Location)" that he'd seen when he first walked in, except now the sign read "Customer Service Desk (You're Lost Again, Aren't You?)." He'd somehow managed to walk in a complete circle without noticing, which was either a testament to his dedication or a sign that he really was in the right program.
The woman looked up with the startled expression of someone who had been caught doing exactly what they were obviously doing, but who had somehow convinced themselves that they were being subtle about it. "Oh! No, no, not following. Observing. For science. I'm Dr. Priscilla Von Overthink, and I'm conducting a preliminary study on the correlation between spatial navigation abilities and villainous potential. You've made seventeen wrong turns in the past five minutes, which is actually quite impressive from a statistical standpoint. Most people would have given up by now and asked for directions, but you're demonstrating a remarkable commitment to a fundamentally flawed methodology. It's exactly the kind of thinking that leads to the construction of easily escapable death traps and the hiring of incompetent henchmen."Marcus wasn't sure if he'd just been complimented or insulted, or possibly both simultaneously. "Are you also looking for orientation?""Oh, I found orientation twenty-three minutes ago. I'm just following you to see how long it takes you to realize you're walking in circles. We've passed the old Spencer's four times now, and you haven't noticed that the 'Customer Service Desk' sign has been getting progressively more sarcastic each time we've walked by it."Marcus looked around and realized she was right. There was the "Customer Service Desk (Former Spencer's Location)" that he'd seen when he first walked in, except now the sign read "Customer Service Desk (You're Lost Again, Aren't You?)." He'd somehow managed to walk in a complete circle without noticing, which was either a testament to his dedication or a sign that he really was in the right program.
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