text;

[keep_smiling]

Hello everyone! If we haven't met, my name is Elmer. I've been here for a few weeks now, I suppose. It's good to meet you all! This place is pretty interesting, to say the least, and everyone I've met has been very fascinating. It's nice to meet so many people from places so different from my own. ＼(＾O＾)／

I have a question, though! I'm looking for a man named Victor Talbot. He was here not too long ago and now I've lost track of him completely. Typical for him, really, but in this closed-off city, I feel like it'd be harder to just disappear like that. Maybe you've seen him? Dark hair, glasses, cool sideburns, yells a lot. Let me know if you see him. Or if you're reading this, Victor, say hi already! (ノ ゜Д゜)ノ

While I have your attention, why not tell me a little about yourself? Let's break the ice this way: tell me one thing that makes you smile, no matter what. What's guaranteed to cheer you up? (・w・)

Comments

[text]

[synthedick]

Mr. Talbot dropped by the Guard headquarters a little over a month ago, but I haven't seen him since. You a friend of his?

[keep_smiling]

Now that doesn't surprise me. I'm guessing by the name that the Guard is some sort of safety patrol or law enforcement? That's sort of his business back home. And yes, I am! [Victor would disagree.] We were rooming together too, so it was easy to notice he hadn't been around since things had gotten very quiet all of a sudden. :P

[synthedick]

More patrol than police. We do what we can to keep the people here safe, both from the gods and each other. He told me he had some experience with investigations.

[Specifically the Division of Investigation, but he'd rather not put anything that might be sensitive on the network.]

How long has he been missing?

[circumitus]

you know that guy?
haven't seen him around in a few weeks.
best case scenario is that supposedly people sometimes get sent back to wherever they came from.

[Worst case is that they went out into the caves and got eaten/mutilated and not revived yet (or at all), but let's just even humor that thought. Or Elmer's latter query, for that matter.]

video

[skelebro]

[He doesn't say anything. He just sits there with the video on him, grinning wide.

What makes him smile? If you're Sans, the answer is literally everything.






Get it?]

[keep_smiling]

I see! That's good. And yes, he was an investigator. Back home he worked for the FBI.

A few weeks now, I guess. I'm not sure. He and I had shown up here around the same time, too.

[keep_smiling]

I do! I've known him for a very long time. And we showed up here at almost the same time too!

Really? Ha! Knowing Victor, he complained too loudly, and those gods got tired of hearing him and kicked him out. CX

[keep_smiling]

[Elmer laughs at that, but wags his finger at the screen. You can't get away that easily.]

Now that is a good smile. But that doesn't mean you can do that all the time and call it a real smile, right? You can hear a smile in someone's voice, you know.

[synthedick]

['Worked for the FBI' lines up with what Victor told Nick. A good sign. What isn't a good sign is how long he's been missing.]

Was he the type to go monster-hunting for the gods?

[skelebro]

I'm always smiling. I'm just that relaxed a guy.

[He pops a wink in the camera's direction. See? Absolutely, totally, and completely happy.

Definitely.]

[circumitus]

if we're going by what we've been told as fact, that wouldn't be possible since they don't have the ability to pick and choose who gets to stay here. or so they claim.
which could arguably be a good thing, depending on how you look at it.

text;

[pullback]

I'm not your Victor but hello anyway. Pleasure to meet you Elmer, my name is Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

[ and it is a DAMN SHAME that Victor doesn't know that his buddy back home's real last name is Talbot otherwise he'd talk about that. ]

text

[foundafamily]

Haven't seen him in days. Scratch that probably around a month.

[The jerk just spouted some stuff about regret and then vanished. What gives?]

You his friend?

[Szilard hadn't really paid too much attention to the relationships between people except to try to figure out how to use them for his own ends.]

[keep_smiling]

I doubt it? But it wouldn't surprise me, either. Victor's no weakling, but he'd be more of the type to read a monster the riot act instead of fight it.

[keep_smiling]

They're not very good at being gods if something like that is out of their control, if you ask me. (งツ)ว But I'm no expert. I don't even believe in gods.

Well, if he did get to go home, good on him! I'd say I'd hope he'd let my friends know where I am, but we were here from clearly two different times. Ah well.

[keep_smiling]

[Sans, you might be some kind of skeleton monster guy, but that doesn't mean you get away from Elmer's smile radar. No one can slide an unauthentic one past him. No one!]

I believe the first part, but not the second. Don't think you can fake your way past me just because there's a smile always on your face! You should be proud of that fact, though. People who are more easily fooled by it probably find it very welcoming. That should be enough to make it easier to make it a real smile, eh?

[skelebro]

'Course it's a real smile. You'd know if it wasn't.

[That's also a lie. Well, not a lie, but he's definitely twisting the truth into a vague pretzel-like shape.]

[keep_smiling]

[Elmer stares at this text for like a good five minutes before responding. The Victor Frankenstein? That's incredible! Or is it a coincidence? Just someone with the same name as the famous literary character? Elmer usually has the subtle tact of a runaway freight train, but even he's wondering how to approach this. He'll think on it. For now:]

Likewise! (ノ・∀・)ノ There's always more room for more Victors in my life. So have you thought about my proposed questions, hmmmm???

[keep_smiling]

Has it been that long? Where does the time go??? (・ω・)?

You could say that. [Victor wouldn't.] We go way back. I was really surprised to see him here. It'd been awhile since I had seen him last!

[pullback]

I have. And my answer is poetry. I often find myself turning towards Shelley or Keats in times of trouble--a pity since they seem to be nonexistent in this place.

[ he's a snooooooob ]

[circumitus]

that right?
how far apart were you?

[keep_smiling]

[Elmer couldn't read someone's emotions if they hit him upside the head - unless they're related to smiles. Then his ability to know if they're genuine or not is infallible. Lamest trick ever.]

I do know, thank you very much. And just because you have one on your face all the time doesn't mean you can't answer my question, you know. What makes it feel the most real?

[keep_smiling]

ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)Hmmmmmm. About 70 years, give or take?

[circumitus]

70 years?
so, what? he was 80 or 90 something when you met him?

[keep_smiling]

[Shelley, of course. Elmer is laughing right now.]

Poetry is great! So you haven't found any books here, then? That is a real shame. Have you ever written any your own?