[Despite everything else in the call, it's one of the more innocuous statements that catches Alfred's attention.]
You say you live at a... Black-Eyed Susan Drive?
[Food rationing, flooding, weather fluctuations, people disappearing and appearing at random, from other worlds nonetheless, none of that seemed to bother him at all. It was the unfamiliar street that caused him worry.]
[Yeah, no, sorry Mary. :C Maybe one day, if he stops being a haughty jerk or comes to like you, but you get the last name treatment for now :(]
So many new arrivals, and me without the energy to greet you all properly.
[A dramatic sigh~]
You shall find yourself used to the eccentricities of the city in time. Though, I must say you aren't as frantic as the others so often are. Why are you so calm about being thrust into a strange, new world, Lightly?
[Oh, well. He'll let it go for now. At least he's not getting the usual 'is Mary short for Marion' thing.]
Why shouldn't I be calm? The last thing I remember is being stabbed and thrown down some stairs to die. [His voice is still the same soft drone, despite the content of his words.] This is, so far, an improvement to being dead.
[Hey man, at least your name isn't Alfred while simultaneously being a posh British gentleman.]
It is quite the improvement to death, I must agree with that much. [Most people would question Mary's sanity at that statement, but Alfred knows what it's like to... Die and then suddenly be elsewhere. He can appreciate your rationality.
If it was weird to casually discuss the circumstances of one's own death so casually, it didn't seem to bother the noble.]
Stabbed, then? How wretchedly brutal. Not that my own was any better, mind, but I recall my stabbing being quite unpleasant.
[There's a touch of hesitation before he continues. Accepting that he's been killed once is entirely different from hearing that it's a repeat occurrence.]
Once or twice, yes. The first time was a gunshot wound and a nasty fall, but the second was a stabbing. I believe I had my heart torn out, at that occasion.
You say you live at a... Black-Eyed Susan Drive?
[Food rationing, flooding, weather fluctuations, people disappearing and appearing at random, from other worlds nonetheless, none of that seemed to bother him at all. It was the unfamiliar street that caused him worry.]
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...Yes. That's the address of the house I found, anyway.
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So I see.
[There's a small pause as he ponders this. It was quite pondersome, indeed.]
And you arrived yesterday, Lightly?
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Mary is fine. And yes, I did. I woke up on the street yesterday afternoon.
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So many new arrivals, and me without the energy to greet you all properly.
[A dramatic sigh~]
You shall find yourself used to the eccentricities of the city in time. Though, I must say you aren't as frantic as the others so often are. Why are you so calm about being thrust into a strange, new world, Lightly?
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Why shouldn't I be calm? The last thing I remember is being stabbed and thrown down some stairs to die. [His voice is still the same soft drone, despite the content of his words.] This is, so far, an improvement to being dead.
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It is quite the improvement to death, I must agree with that much. [Most people would question Mary's sanity at that statement, but Alfred knows what it's like to... Die and then suddenly be elsewhere. He can appreciate your rationality.
If it was weird to casually discuss the circumstances of one's own death so casually, it didn't seem to bother the noble.]
Stabbed, then? How wretchedly brutal. Not that my own was any better, mind, but I recall my stabbing being quite unpleasant.
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You were stabbed, too? Were you murdered?
[Well, this was an opportunity he didn't think he would have. Maybe this place could be okay, after all....]
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Once or twice, yes. The first time was a gunshot wound and a nasty fall, but the second was a stabbing. I believe I had my heart torn out, at that occasion.
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...Twice. Hm. [There is a faint scribbling sound over the line.]
I'm sorry. We got off-topic. Are you in need of food? [Maybe a meeting in person....]
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Things don't run as expected, here.
[A pause, as he recalls the man who died and... Hasn't quite come back yet.]
Well, they didn't where I come from, at any rate.
[And now he's considering the offer. Between his metabolism, his weakness, and his unconventional lodgings, he probably was. If only for Dawn's sake.]
While I'm perfectly capable of rationing, a few extra provisions wouldn't hurt, I suppose.
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Well, you are welcome to come over. My door is open.
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-But I digress. I shall see you soon, Mister Lightly.
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[His tone is...eerie.] ...See you soon.
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