Un : ma - A question about the new arrivals(4th wallers welcome)

[stopfen]

Name: Mikasa Ackerman
Date: 18/05
Format:voice

Has anyone noticed if the people who arrived the other week have started going back yet? [Very blunt. So blunt, it almost sounds like she can't wait to be rid of them. But she's just wondering how long she has until Jean just disappears and she's alone again.

Then as an after thought.]

What happens when people return? Has it always happened out of sight?

Comments

video... how cute...

[metalcrusher]

SO I'VE HEARD! LONG TIME FRIENDS... AND SUCH OPPORTUNITY FOR CLOSENESS. SIIIIGH.

[He does it again, with more intent to needle him.]

WELL WELL WELL. IF THAT'S THE CASE... I'M METTATON! AND WHAT A PLEASURE IT IS, I KNOW. SO. WHAT'S YOUR NAME, GORGEOUS? I HAVE TO KNOW ALL OF MIKASA'S FRIENDS, ALLIES, ROMANTIC PROSPECTS, ENEMIES, AND ETCETERA! WHICHEVER YOU ARE... AHAHA.

[trost]

[ Who says 'sigh'? Why doesn't this box actually sigh instead of saying it? He's really wondering about this now. ]

'Gorgeous', huh ... [ There's a mutter under his breath that doesn't sound too displeased. He is annoyed that this box is meddling in their business, but he can't get too annoyed at Mettaton if he's going to compliment him like this. Rarely happens. ]

I'm Jean. [ Pronounced the french way. ] We met during our training days. Don't you think you're being too nosy? Mikasa is usually a private person.

[metalcrusher]

HARDLY! [A hand is planted on the rectangular equivalent of his hip.] AFTER ALL, MIKASA IS A DEAR FRIEND. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? WE MET IN OUR DREAMS! IF THAT DOESN'T SPEAK FOR ITSELF, A PRECOGNITION FOR OUR FATED MEETING, I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES.

ANYWAY. I AM AS NOSY AS I OUGHT TO BE. A CONFIDANTE... SOMEONE WE'D EACH RELY ON IF WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING UNSCRUPULOUS. A TRUSTED ALLY.

[His screen flashes the number 1 in a darker color as he raises his pointer finger.]

THEREFORE, I'M INVESTED IN HER FRIENDSHIPS FROM HOME! ESPECIALLY FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WISH TO LEAVE HER ALONE IN AEFENGLOM...

[Back to a heart on that monitor of his. Yeah... these threads aren't private, so he naturally watched as much of Jean's and Mikasa's responses as were present... #Nosy]

[trost]

Can talking boxes even dream ... [ Then again, boxes shouldn't even be talking or having ears, so he shouldn't be so skeptical of the fact that this box can dream.

He's glad Mikasa has a friend (???), even if he's still unsure what Mettaton is even supposed to be or what's happening right now. Why does this box have to be so loud too?

The heart symbol on the monitor makes him crinkle his nose and frown, letting out a huff. He definitely knows what's being implied here. ]

Like I said. We're just friends. It's normal to wanna make sure she's alright. So, you can wipe that off your screen because it's not at all what you're implying.

[ At least, he's pretty resigned to this fact by now. ]

[metalcrusher]

[Mettaton wipes his screen with his hand, miraculously not scraping his claws across it, thank god. The heart remains. It's an EMOTION]

OF COURSE IT'S NORMAL, DARLING. WERE I TO ARRIVE HERE SUDDENLY, TO FIND A FRIEND OF MINE FROM HOME... I'D ALSO BE INVESTED IN HER WELFARE. THESE UNSOCIABLE TYPES ARE ENOUGH TO WORRY OVER BY VIRTUE OF BEING SO WITHDRAWN. IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?? THAT'S BAD NEWS!

[Well, at least Mettaton seems to be getting real. He gestures with his hands as he speaks, a mild sort of exasperation to him as he halfheartedly throws his hands to the air.]

THE FACT THAT MIKASA'S BONDED NOW. THAT ALONE IS REASSURING. SHE WAS RELUCTANT, AT FIRST. I'M GLAD SHE'S CHANGED HER TUNE.

[He points to the feed, for all that Jean's is only voice.]

THAT SHOULD EASE SOME OF YOUR WORRIES, JEAN. BEING BONDED HERE IS A SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE, AND WILL DO WONDERS FOR HER, AS A MONSTER. IF YOU'RE A WITCH, IF YOU WERE TO REMAIN FOR LONG... I SHOULD HOPE YOU'D CONSIDER EARNING HER TRUST TO BOND WITH HER, TOO!

[Is he scolding him?! whoo know...]

[trost]

[ How can a box with no face somehow manage to look dramatic... Watching Mettaton emote is actually quite entertaining. Jean doesn't get much entertainment back home, so he does find the talking box's antics fascinating to look at. ]

I heard about the bond. [ From that random guy who busted in here and dropped that news on him without even introducing himself. Tendou also told him the nature of bonds, that they're something like marriage. He doesn't know if he believes him or not but the thought is a little annoying. That must be the reason there's a tinge of disappointment in Jean's tone. Still, most of him is concerned about her wellbeing and glad that she managed to find someone to keep her sane, even if it's not him. That's the kind of unconditional affection he has for his childhood friend. ]

We already trust each other. [ At least, he wants to think so. ] As for bonding, that's [ Some hesitation. ] up to her, isn't it?

[ It's good that he changed the feed to voice because he's going red? Ugh. ]

[metalcrusher]

[That's pretty much where Mettaton heard of the Bond... He imagines it must be a recent development.

The robot strokes the area underneath his monitor thoughtfully, as though appraising Jean without seeing him. His monitor's flipped to an unlit red, which just looks like hella dark brown on this sepia camera.]

IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU BOTH, REALLY. TO HAVE A BOND. A WITCH-MONSTER BOND... IS THE NECESSARY INGREDIENT TO STABILIZING BOTH WITCH AND MONSTER. BUT I CAN TELL. YOU'RE ALREADY UP FOR IT.

[He can practically detect that flush without seeing it..... He's imagining it...]

IF SHE TRUSTS YOU, THEN AT LEAST SHE'D HAVE A WITCH TO BOND WITH! WHICH IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOU, TOO. SINCE WITCHES EXPLODE, IF UNBONDED. AHAHA.

[trost]

[ Don't expose him this way. ] What? You don't know anything about me.

[ He does see the merit in forming a bond. It'll keep Mikasa sane and stop him from dying a really stupid, needless death. Objectively (because he is a very practical lad), it's the most logical option. However, now that it's been framed as a spiritual marriage, it's just too awkward. He feels that fluster and nervousness creeping up on him just thinking about it. ] I'll figure it out, alright? I have no plans on dying for something so stupid.

[ Annnd, topic change. ] So why are you a talking box that wears clothes?

[metalcrusher]

[At that resolve, Mettaton claps his hands together as his screen lights again in the formation of a heart, to demonstrate his approval. He doesn't need to say much more than that.]

I MAY NOT KNOW YOU WELL, BUT YOU'RE CLEARLY LIVING WITH MIKASA! THAT'S ALL I NEED.

[He brushes his hands, as though to signify that business is taken care of. But then Jean asks Why he is a talking box that wears clothes.

Mettaton's monitor zeroes out again. He remains perfectly still.]

... HOW, EXACTLY, DO YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER THAT. WHY ARE YOU A HUMAN WHO WEARS CLOTHES, DARLING? WHAT IS THERE TO SAY. I WEAR CLOTHES... BECAUSE I FANCY THEM.

[trost]

That heart again ... [ There's an annoyed huff. He doesn't know if this is Mettaton's way of emoting or if he's being teased deliberately right now. ]

Okay. Why are you a talking box, then? Where is your real face? [ He's assuming this talking box is just being controlled, the same way they would control the new trains and ships back home. ]

[metalcrusher]

OH MY GOD.

[Mettaton has seen Jean's world. Things are messed up there. They have some wild gear, there are titans ambling about, titan shifters, vast skies, a massive wall... But, perhaps, no robots. If Mikasa's general reaction to all of him has ever been an indication. Still, is it so hard to imagine?

His bunny ears flatten irritably. Mettaton lets out an actual sound that resembles a sigh, a drawn out stream of a noise that resembles air. He doesn't have lungs. He presses a hand to his front.]

JEAN, DARLING. LISTEN. I'M SOMETHING CALLED A ROBOT. ROBOTS... ARE BEINGS MADE OF METAL, AND OTHER STUFF. THIS IS MY FACE. I'M A TALKING BOX BECAUSE THIS IS HOW THIS BODY WAS BUILT, OF COURSE!

[trost]

[ Jean continues to watch Mettaton as his little ears flop over, and he actually does a little machine-sigh. This is actually pretty funny, even if it's not amusement that he willingly expresses. ]

A 'ro-bot'... [ He says it like it's the first time he's ever said that word, because it is. ] So you really are a machine, like the steam engines or ships.

[ He is going to compare Mettaton to common machines because it's his only reference point. It's still a lot to wrap his head around. Not the fact that machines exist (he knows that), but the fact that one can talk to him like it's a person. ]

But they don't talk like you do. [ And then, because he has to add: ] They're also not this dramatic. [ Mettaton might have noticed by now that people from Jean's world tend to be needlessly blunt. ]

[metalcrusher]

[It's true. Eren, Mikasa... Now even Jean is a terribly serious sort. It's like they don't know how to have a good time. (Did they ever have time for good times? Once again, Mettaton is weirdly reflective over how good he had it, in many respects.)

Mettaton hums, a vocal sort of hum. Not a mechanical one.]

PLENTY OF SIMPLE, YET ACCURATE, OBSERVATIONS. YES... WHAT SETS A ROBOT APART FROM A MERE MACHINE, LIKE AN ENGINE OR SHIP, IS THAT WE HAVE SENTIENCE, DARLING. I'M EMOTIONAL. METACOGNITIVE. AUTONOMOUS. JUST LIKE YOU, BUT DRAMATIC! THAT'S MY PERSONALITY YOU'RE BEHOLDING.

[Any display on his screen switches to a neutral 'M', red against yellow.]

THIS MUST BE YOUR FIRST TIME SEEING A ROBOT. HOW LUCKY YOU ARE, FOR IT TO BE ME.

[trost]

[ off to the overflow because i'll be kicked out of here soon ]