Iɴʙᴏx ✉ Vɪᴄᴛᴏʀʏ Rᴏᴀᴅ

[bertall]

Um... This is Bertolt, and if you're hearing this I'm probably busy. You can leave a message here or call back later if you want? ...Can I start over?

Comments

heck in fuck

[meteorman]

You did post it publicly.

heck heck doodoo heck

[bertall]

oh

this is how bertolt hoover dies you thought it was some traumatic aot stuff but it was this

[meteorman]

To clarify, I'm not upset.

[He has only just now realized text is pretty ambiguous. Whoops.]

It was just surprising.

here lies bertolt, killed by blondes and old men

[bertall]

i didn't think anyone else was going to look at it

[meteorman]

To further clarify, it isn't that it was posted publicly that I found surprising. It's that you think that highly of me.

[bertall]

why wouldn't I?

[meteorman]

[uh]

You have to understand that for the vast majority of my life at any one time I had a grand total of one friend, if that. Knowing so many people here who genuinely enjoy my company and would consider themselves that close to me is difficult to grasp sometimes.

[It makes him have like three whole feelings and he's bad at those]

[bertall]

does it bother you? I|

I know you said you weren't upset, but|

_{[They don't have to be upset to be bothered!]}

[meteorman]

[HE'S BAD AT HAVING FEELINGS, PLEASE]

It doesn't bother me.

If anything, I'm

I'm touched.

[bertall]

_{[HAVE THEM MORE.]}








i did mean it.

it's|
there's not really uh|

i didn't have anyone but my dad when i was growing up.

[meteorman]

[HE IS GOING TO TRY REALLY HARD!!!]

I had only just regained a family when I was brought here, after decades alone. And I miss them terribly.

It means a lot to know that I have family here as well.

[bertall]

I'd... like to stay part of it for as long as I'm able to if you'll have me.

_{[Though there's one thing that sticks out--]}

what do you mean you were alone for decades though?

[meteorman]

[Hahaha oh boy. Well. He talked to Armin about this, after Armin saw things that Ford couldn't possibly justify not explaining. Maybe he owes it to Bert to talk about it with him too.]

Exactly that. I spent a good portion of my life, nearly thirty years, entirely alone.

[Not that he never met people, or made allies, but allies and friends are not the same thing. Any connection greater than that was fleeting at best, a drop of fresh water in the ocean.]

[bertall]

was it by choice?

_{[Because if it was, Ford no.]}

[meteorman]

It's a complicated thing to explain.

The short answer is no. It was not. The longer answer is that I spent a very long time working toward a singular cause and never stayed anywhere long enough to know anyone well enough to consider them a friend, let alone a family member.

Except in one case, but it's unlikely that I will ever see her again.

[bertall]

I'd like to know about it someday. Not now, but... If I'm ever able to tell you the rest of what I haven't, we could trade.

Who was she?

[meteorman]

I would like to trade one day, yes. When you're ready.

Her name was Jheselbraum. She was an oracle. She had seven eyes and she put a metal plate in my skull.

[bertall]

I'm still trying to think of the right way to tell you, honestly. And the right time


wait

she had what and did what

[meteorman]

Seven eyes. Put a metal plate in my head.

[bertall]

seven eyes and

ford whatttttttt

[meteorman]

I'm unsure what part of this is unclear.

[bertall]

how does anyone have seven eyes?? and who puts metal in someones head?

[meteorman]

[You know what

He's just going to. Draw some diagrams and send them over as images. The first is a fairly straightforward picture of a human skull with a metal plate in approximately the same place as his own. The second is of a woman with seven eyes, no nose and full lips. She wears a heavy cloak and a piercing expression.]

I assure you I was fully on board with having the metal plate put in. It solved certain problems I'd been dealing with up to that point.

[bertall]

Ford
most people die if they have their head messed with like that
I'd die here if I had my head messed with like that.

<sub>[Now if he could regenerate? That might be a different story. But then again, he's not sure how his body would handle having a metal plate put in like that - would his body try and regenerate around it? Would it reject the plate? The world may never know.

And then the second set comes in, and what.]</sub>

......she's not human is she

[meteorman]

She knew what she was doing. Surgery in certain universes is far advanced from what you may be used to. And I'm obviously fine now.

[For a Ford Pines value of fine.]

And oh no she absolutely is not human.