"My roommate, Depth Charge," the Scarecrow answered in spite of his shock. Though rude to stare, that was all he found he could do. He'd had a roommate change once before, and it meant only one thing for certain: the man he'd been living with for some time was now gone, and as with Mele and Abe and Kaiji, he'd never gotten to say goodbye. It was worse somehow with Depth Charge- the last time they'd talked at any length, they'd argued. They had never resolved that conflict that stemmed from each other's desire to protect the other and see him safe; the chances were that they never would, now.

And that was the worst part of all. His chest ached painfully, but he couldn't fully understand why. His eyes blurred; he rubbed at them to clear them, and found them brimming with tears for reasons he wasn't capable of explaining. He'd seen Dorothy and Lion cry a few times, and Tin Man did it just about every other day, but it was an experience completely foreign to him. He looked at his hand, puzzled, and wondered idly if losing people affected the human body in some negative way about which he should be concerned. At least he couldn't rust.

That was a single benefit. In the end, he could have all the brains in the world, and still he felt he'd never understand Landel's, his sudden humanity, how to make things right, or simply how to get home.

"Oh, do pardon me for being rude," he said, his voice neutral even though tears welled in his eyes. He wiped at them again with his palm, looking as confused at his own reaction as before. He offered his free hand to his new roommate. "I'm Scarecrow. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I do wish they'd been under better circumstances."