[It's late when the call comes in. This shouldn't be surprising: dramatic late night calls are Mettaton's usual M.O.
He'd say it's because he feels the quiet of night helps him get his thoughts together or feel less judged, but... Really, there's just something aesthetically pleasing about late-night confessions.]
You awake, Peri-pie? [Of course she is. She doesn't sleep.]
[Pft. Oh, Peri. If this were a few weeks ago, he might have it in himself to be offended. Instead, there's only a soft chuckle on the other end of the line, followed by what sounds like quiet rumbling.]
Do you remember Percy? The Zymandis agent, not the camper. [For Peridot, this is a very important distinction.] ...about how you felt about him?
[It's a very important distinction. There's silence on the other end of the line for a moment. There's a couple of breaths like she was going to say something and then decided against it, until finally all that she says is a very sad:]
Affirmative.
[Her Percy feelings are still uncomfortable and don't go away.]
I thought he was clearly incompetent for allowing us to get arrested, and then I thought he was entirely too comfortable with that Zymandis agent... but then it occurred to me that we were all in a bad situation, and he might have just been being nice, since she was all alone and we all had it each other. And it would be better to reserve judgment.
Well, it's not an unfair assumption. There was no evidence suggesting one way or another. Logically, it would have been safer to distrust him.
[She's not providing lip service- she's laying out the obvious facts. If George had turned traitor then a lot of people would have gotten hurt by trusting him.] I would have... But after Percy...
I don't know. [It's hard- she wants to do this the way Steven did it, even though she's called that tactic naive and ridiculous before. But it worked for her, and when she put the same offer to Yellow Diamond, it didn't]Steven never had one. He wanted to help Jasper even when all she wanted to do was kill him, and... I wasn't any better.
Maybe it's just seeing what they do when they're given an opportunity to understand.
[...Maybe it's just seeing what they do when they're given an opportunity to understand.
Something about that hits and rattles the center of his core. It feels familiar. He's quiet on the other end, his silence overtaken by tiny purrs, as he tries to place the feeling.
It's what Frisk did, isn't it? Despite the fear, despite the unknown, they knew the only thing to do in the face of potential cruelty and destruction is... nothing.
It's to wait. To have mercy instead of retaliating. To offer patience to the storm and wait for it to end, to see if it ever will. Because even if it doesn't, at least you stalled it for everyone else.
...no, that last bit doesn't sound like Frisk at all. There wasn't any stalling. Why does that...?
Whatever. Finally, he laughs. It isn't joyous, but it's understanding.] Yeah. I guess so.
Hnngh. The point is I think that's what makes it mean more. If it were easy, you wouldn't feel anything. And as much as I am a being who prefers logic and reason to feelings... They're still important. And necessary.
Feeling good is important, and you can't always feel good unless you earn it.
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futurology CONTACT POST
[voice; un: METTATON]
He'd say it's because he feels the quiet of night helps him get his thoughts together or feel less judged, but... Really, there's just something aesthetically pleasing about late-night confessions.]
You awake, Peri-pie? [Of course she is. She doesn't sleep.]
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[SHE'S LEARNING SOCIAL NUANCE.
...sort of.]
Erm. Yes, I am.
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Do you remember Percy? The Zymandis agent, not the camper. [For Peridot, this is a very important distinction.] ...about how you felt about him?
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Affirmative.
[Her Percy feelings are still uncomfortable and don't go away.]
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How did you feel about George?
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Hahaha... So, even Peridot figured that one out before Mettaton, eh? Considering the response to that network post, everyone else did, too.
...
There's a bit more rustling on his end of the line before he bothers to respond.]
I thought he was going to get us all killed. That after bungling his first mission, he'd sell us out the first chance he got.
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[a pause]
Well, it's not an unfair assumption. There was no evidence suggesting one way or another. Logically, it would have been safer to distrust him.
[She's not providing lip service- she's laying out the obvious facts. If George had turned traitor then a lot of people would have gotten hurt by trusting him.] I would have... But after Percy...
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"But after Percy" what?
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I want to give them the same chance Steven gave me. To think about what they're doing and change their minds.
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So. After she watched him die.
There's a bit more rustling as that rumbling gets louder. It's fairly obvious now Mettaton is laying next to something that's purring.]
I can see that with George. [In hindsight. After being proven wrong about him, again and again.] But Percy was violent. He had no mercy.
Where is the line?
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Maybe it's just seeing what they do when they're given an opportunity to understand.
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Something about that hits and rattles the center of his core. It feels familiar. He's quiet on the other end, his silence overtaken by tiny purrs, as he tries to place the feeling.
It's what Frisk did, isn't it? Despite the fear, despite the unknown, they knew the only thing to do in the face of potential cruelty and destruction is... nothing.
It's to wait. To have mercy instead of retaliating. To offer patience to the storm and wait for it to end, to see if it ever will. Because even if it doesn't, at least you stalled it for everyone else.
...no, that last bit doesn't sound like Frisk at all. There wasn't any stalling. Why does that...?
Whatever. Finally, he laughs. It isn't joyous, but it's understanding.] Yeah. I guess so.
[...]
Thanks, Peri-darling.
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[There's a pause, and then she adds, almost hesitantly.] It doesn't really get easier to think like that. I wish it did.
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Feeling good is important, and you can't always feel good unless you earn it.