He's not really sure. Ultimately, he would like to have
a career in music, but...when's the last time we saw Deathmøle practice? His last jam session with Hannelore and Amir, according to
the most up-to-date timeline, took place about a month ago in
2446, shortly after the wedding. It's quite possible that the band has been practicing regularly since, of course; Jeph spent some time focusing on other characters between that evening and the present (Angus and Faye, Marigold and Dale, Dale and May, Veronica and Jim, etc.), so Deathmøle could be getting together several nights a week for all we know. More on that in a moment.
Meanwhile, several things have happened in Marten's life since he met Claire in
2203:
-
His dad got married,
-He
bought a new guitar and depleted his savings,
-He had an unsatisfying
one-night stand with Delilah,
-His mother
started a whirlwind romance with Jim and decided to move to Northampton,
-
Emily kissed him!-He and Claire
started dating, and
-His best friend/roommate
lost her job and nearly
drank herself to death.
All of these have happened in just the last month (see timeline above). Taken one at a time, these little events might not mean much. Add them together, though, and they'll really start to add up. First his father remarries, then his mother starts a relationship--and in between, Dale and Marigold
become a couple, a development which causes Dora and Faye
to mock Marten for his own love-less love life, which leads to Tai
suggesting a random hook-up, which leads to his one-night stand that Claire
DOES NOT JUDGE HIM FOR HAVING. That was only two weeks ago, remember--and only a week before Marten and Claire got together--which could lead an outside observer to wonder what this guy's deal is, anyway. Why Claire? Why now? As comfortable and happy as he is with her, could his decision to ask her out have, perhaps, been motivated by seeing all of his family and friends (including, then, Angus and Faye) in various stages of relationships when he hadn't met anyone since Padma? Factor in his
panic and doubt over the Emily!smooch, only days before he asked out Claire, and one might
really start to wonder. Why panic over one intern only to run to another, especially when he and Tai have
been debating the ethics of dating their interns
since Day One? Now, I'm not trying to say that Marten is only with Claire because she was the nearest available (and sanest) girl, because that would echo the problems he had with Dora (DEAR GOD NO), but it's surprising that no one in the comic has called him on it. And let's hope that Claire doesn't start to connect the dots.
I'm going to regret writing that last paragraph, aren't I?
NOW, WHERE WAS I? Oh, yes, back to the music front: Again, we're not sure how much Marten has been practicing with the band, but since he made a huge investment when he bought the new 8-string, we can only hope he intends to make it pay off. But another problem has arisen: Faye is now unemployed and her future uncertain, and rent is due at the end of the month. If Faye can't pull her shit together right away, Marten may need to pick up the slack. Where's the money going to come from? Will he keep working extra hours at the library, or start pushing the band to go live? Can he even make money with the band? Does he have a future at the library? Can he juggle both? Will this affect his relationship with a certain redhead, especially if he tries to choose between his current job and his dreams? And is he standing in the way of Claire achieving her own goals? He doesn't want to stay at the library forever, and Claire probably expects to get an actual paying job once her internship ends. But making a change sounds risky, and we know
Marten is afraid of taking risks. Maybe he needs a little extra push. Which brings us to...