twinsanity | 006. [Video]

[Alfred actually seems pretty calm over the video feed today - and it is Alfred today, as opposed to Alexia; it's overcast but it's warm enough, and he's currently settled under one of the trees in Ilex Forest. He's not looking at the camera, but rather his gaze is downcast, focused on the...thing he's got draped over his lap. No, it's not one of the Bloobers, but admittedly a three-eyed pink slug the size of a fairly large dog with a naturally-occurring Viking helmet isn't much better, because what in the good hell is having normal pets.

At least he's smiling, kinda. For once.]

So...

[And from that one word alone, we are clearly in for a bit of a story. Why? Because why not, that's why. Just let him pet his giant sea slug and talk for a while, okay, don't crush his dreams.]

Once upon a time in a faraway country - as so many of these stories tend to begin - there was a King who was noted for his benevolence and charity to all his subjects. He was loved by all who knew him, which was fortunate for him, really, as he was also naive and, while well-meaning, easily taken advantage of.

A short time into his rule, he took a bride; the Queen he chose - for reasons that were surely only known by him - was one who was notoriously cold and had a reputation for being nasty in personality, and was just generally difficult to get along with. The respect she commanded was gained through fear, not love; it seemed no one loved her but the King, in fact.

[He pauses for a moment, tipping his head a bit before going back to petting the slug.]

To his credit, he loved her completely.

[That's better, apparently.]

Now, the King had a tendency to take walks through the garden every morning at a precise time, such that he could have an hour or so to himself every day before seeing to his duties as the ruler of the country. Which is well and good...until one morning, when he didn't return.

He was found a short while later, lying dead in that garden he loved so much, a single arrow piercing his heart.

[...okay, judging by this pause here, either he's collecting himself or the damn thing literally ends there; let's have a moment and pray that he's seriously not - ]

...You know, I've never known it to have an ending outside of that; that's always how I've known the story to go.

I suppose that's why I've always liked it so much, really; the ending can be taken any number of ways, depending on how you feel that day.

[Goddamn it, Alfred.]

It's one of those weird stories where I don't know where it came from, though...I mean, I suppose my father had to have told me at some point, since I can't imagine the scientists telling me anything of the sort - but I've no idea where he got it, if that's the case. My sister and I both know a version of the same story put to music; I just don't remember hearing it.

[...]

Is that common, do you think? Having something that you've known for so long that you don't remember where it came from, and it's strange for you to try to imagine there being a time where you didn't know it...?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tch.]

I didn't kidnap anyone, they work for me. As for if they remember it, then yes, I'd imagine they do. I remember dying and all, the times it's happened to me.

[...plural.]

...Oh, and it doesn't work if you don't die; you won't just spontaneously grow them back.

Where the hell do you work where they'd be okay with that kind of thing?

_{[He is Fifty Shades of Done here.

Okay, maybe not fifty but his sweat levels vs. Alfred's bullshit levels are rising pretty fast.]}

I figured that when my Totodile was biting me and I wasn't regenerating--! T-That's why I asked to begin with, I just didn't think you'd go out and actually do something like that!

_{[...Yeah, he proably should've mentioned the whole regeneration thing before.]}

[That...actually gets him to hesitate a bit; he's not answering the first question at all because he knows better, but the entire second part of that...mnnnngh.

For a moment his expression is open and halfway vulnerable; it doesn't take him long to shut that down, however, and he's back to being agitated.]

Well, what should I have done? It was a relevant question that ought to be answered, and I was more than willing to answer it.

I didn't ask you to go do something like that! I... Alfred, I just...

_{[Deep breaths here, Bert. Alfred's in one piece, and he had a damn good point; Bertholt did ask... Ah.

His expression falls and he tears his eyes away from the gear.]}

...How many people?

Only two of them.

How many times did you...?

[...]

You're obviously upset with me; don't assume this was on your behalf, because I would have done this sort of thing anyway eventually.

I'm not! ...I-I mean, I was but I'm not anymore. I'm upset with myself. If I didn't say anything about it, maybe...

_{[Maybe it wouldn't feel like it was his fault.]

I'm sorry for getting mad at you.}

[...oh, for the love of - ]

Will you get down off the cross, because I'm sure people could use the wood. This is what I do, you know - I do experiments on people, or I help my sister with hers. Usually they're not people anymore by the time I'm done with them; these last few were fortunate because I can't do that here. I think Alexia is looking for ways, but...

[He trails off for a moment, shaking his head tightly before he continues.]

Don't worry about it. I'm not...angry with you or anything. I'm a grown man, I can handle disagreements here and there.

I-I don't even know what that means.

_{[You people and your weird modern lingo, jeez.

Give him a minute to compose himself here. It's a rough life, Alfred.]}

...I'm still sorry. _{[He frowns slightly. Something he said definitely caught his attention.]} I-I thought Alexia wasn't here though?

Sometimes she is. It's complicated - you know how people come and go from this place.

[...Alfred, that's not even technically true.]

How long ago was she here?

_{[Alfred :c]}

[...AJHDFGDSGHDKFFHJ don't do that]

It's...well, like I said, it's complicated!

_{[ALFRED.... come on, don't be cheap dude.]}

How can it be complicated?

I'm not discussing this with you, Bertholt -

[...It's about then that he cuts himself off, flinching a little. Okay. Okay, he's already pissed the guy off once today for...some reason, and he entered the conversation made of sheer unbridled "wtf", so let's just. Not. Start screaming about this because he always screams about this and then he decides that people need to die and he doesn't want to. Do. That. Right now.

He isn't sure why, granted, but he doesn't want to dwell on it, either. Because that involves entirely too many feelings that he doesn't know what to do with.]

...I'll tell you about it later, all right? Not...right now.

O-Okay, okay--!

_{[He was already in position to shy away from the 'gear, one arm in position to shield his face (for whaever good that would do over long distances). It isn't until Alfred speaks up again that Bertholt slowly lowers it. He probably deserved that after he snapped at him earlier, but that didn't mean he meant to provoke a reaction like that.]}

...I'm sorry, Alfred. _[again.]

[Ugh, what are you - ...just. Just give him a minute.]

...Don't. It's...you're fine.

[Okay, that wasn't quite what he was going for, but it's something.]

_{[How the hell did Reiner manage to juggle all of those friendships for three years and keep them all intact? He's having trouble holding one together.]}

...What about us? Are we--?

_{[There's it is. Be free, worries! Roam free and fret over everything!]}

I-I mean, are we okay?

...What do you mean?

[go go team socially inept]

...We're still friends, right?

_{[they try, oh my god do they try.]}

[...hmph.]

Of course we are.

O-Okay. Um... I was just worried.

_{[this is stupid

do they have books on friendship because he really needs one.]}

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