[Again, Alphonse is actually the only person that he is willing to engage in with an audio conversation. Everyone else staunchly receives text, but this young man has his attention and at least maybe a little of his trust.
For his part, he sounds wearied, maybe even a bit thin of voice. There is a single cough as he settles himself into actually engaging instead of simply gathering information.]
I meant to contact you, but matters have been more pressing as of late. How are you, Alphonse? Your voice still sounds so hollow; are you eating quite enough?
[He doesn't mean to father at Al, but there are few people he might consider potential allies here. He wants to keep them healthy. He also hasn't figured out why Al's voice sounds the way it does.]
[The sound of his voice makes Al feel a pang of guilt. He should have checked in earlier, he should have made himself stop thinking only about his own pain and focus on other people.]
Yeah, I've got plenty of supplies, please don't worry about me. I'm-- I'm okay.
[Better than he was, at least.]
But you don't sound so good, are you getting sick?
[Pierce is more than aware that communication is a two-way street, and he has not reached out to Alphonse either. He decides that will change in future now that he has been contacted twice without an obvious need for it.]
Are you certain there isn't anything you would like to say? You sound... off, if I do say so myself.
[He could identify it if he takes the time to, but instead, he decides to be honest with Alphonse.]
Perhaps? I've had a developing cough the last few days, but it's nothing too concerning. Comes and goes. [He sighs audibly.] I've again been having some issues with a medical person, but otherwise, I will heal.
[Issues with a medical person brings him to House again, it has to be. None of the other doctors, except perhaps Stein, come close to causing the amount of trouble that House does.]
Do you think you're catching a cold, or do you think it might be the onset of MN poisoning?
[Because one of those is much easier to treat than the other.]
If you're getting sick, I don't think you should be travelling on your own.
I wouldn't know the difference quite honestly. For me, it seems like a regular waxing and waning cough.
[He was still too new to identify the symptoms of one over the other. And yet, the suggestion that he shouldn't travel alone was not one he was ready to consider. Face-to-face encounters had not gone so well for him the last while.]
A cough is nothing that I can't handle. There are others in worse needs than I.
[He has no reason to suspect there might be anything beyond selflessness motivating those words, though Al's voice is still sharper for it.]
There's no point being a martyr here, it's better to get help when it's something you can handle than let it carry on to a point where it's much harder to treat.
I asked for help from a doctor. I was denied. He thought it better if I were dead.
[So for the time being, he was on his own. He didn't mind; the isolation would have been worse if there was no one to speak to, but the network provided human contact to chase off the mind weasels.]
[There is another pause as Pierce mulls over how much to reveal. The truth would be best in this situation anyway.]
He is comrades with an associate of mine who has immediately sought to harm me since I arrived. Both men have harassed me since I came to be here, despite my never contacting them and keeping to myself. Both seem convinced I am out to bring harm to be ex-associate and everyone else here in Norfinbury.
James Buchanan Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, also known as Bucky. He's on the dangerous individual list from what I've seen.
[Pierce just sounded tired, like he wanted to say none of this. Of course, the Soldier painted himself badly from what he could tell, so that wasn't difficult.]
We worked closely with each other back on my world, but he was ill. He had to be medicated and regulated in order to allow him to function, and I wish it had been another way. His war wounds had been extensive and he barely survived, but here... he's off the rails at times. Paranoid, violent. I'm very concerned for Sergeant Barnes, and I wish him no ill. [Just come work for him again. It will be great.]
[Pierce isn't wrong, there's nothing that Al has seen about Bucky Barnes that makes him seem anything other than a dangerous and out of control individual. Not that he's ever spoken to him himself, but it's not been hard to see the destruction he's caused on occasion.]
It sounds like you have his best interests at heart, why would Dr. Watson think you wanted to hurt him?
Because Sergeant Barnes has allowed his fierce paranoia to weave stories of how I am going to control him or hurt him and Dr. Watson believes him, I imagine. They are allies after all.
I offered to tell my side of the story, but I was refused and told I would lie and mislead. So, it seems that open-mindedness will not be found there. And denial of treatment but no matter. I will heal.
[There's so much disapproval in his voice, he is going to talk to Dr. Watson after this, make no mistake. Though he does soften into concern quite quickly.]
Please, won't you come and travel with me? I promise I'll help take care of you, and Mr. Gray isn't the sort of person to cause trouble for you either.
Being in the present of others won't speed up my healing either.
[Like Alphonse can be irked with being treated like a child, Pierce is patient but firm when he is treated like a geriatric in need of protecting.]
Son, I don't need to be taken care of. I'm self-sufficient, and while I may be in my twilight years, I haven't fallen into a shallow grave just yet. However, I am planning on moving North. If you happen to be there and our paths cross, I will consider traveling with you.
[Was that what they were? Interesting that Alphonse considered friendship so readily after they had met so infrequently, and he once again found himself amused by the young man. So innocent and yet had clearly seen too much.]
Very well. I will contact you when I have arrived in the North.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio;
For his part, he sounds wearied, maybe even a bit thin of voice. There is a single cough as he settles himself into actually engaging instead of simply gathering information.]
I meant to contact you, but matters have been more pressing as of late. How are you, Alphonse? Your voice still sounds so hollow; are you eating quite enough?
[He doesn't mean to father at Al, but there are few people he might consider potential allies here. He wants to keep them healthy. He also hasn't figured out why Al's voice sounds the way it does.]
no subject
Yeah, I've got plenty of supplies, please don't worry about me. I'm-- I'm okay.
[Better than he was, at least.]
But you don't sound so good, are you getting sick?
no subject
Are you certain there isn't anything you would like to say? You sound... off, if I do say so myself.
[He could identify it if he takes the time to, but instead, he decides to be honest with Alphonse.]
Perhaps? I've had a developing cough the last few days, but it's nothing too concerning. Comes and goes. [He sighs audibly.] I've again been having some issues with a medical person, but otherwise, I will heal.
no subject
Do you think you're catching a cold, or do you think it might be the onset of MN poisoning?
[Because one of those is much easier to treat than the other.]
If you're getting sick, I don't think you should be travelling on your own.
no subject
[He was still too new to identify the symptoms of one over the other. And yet, the suggestion that he shouldn't travel alone was not one he was ready to consider. Face-to-face encounters had not gone so well for him the last while.]
A cough is nothing that I can't handle. There are others in worse needs than I.
no subject
There's no point being a martyr here, it's better to get help when it's something you can handle than let it carry on to a point where it's much harder to treat.
[Trust him, he's seen that too often.]
no subject
[So for the time being, he was on his own. He didn't mind; the isolation would have been worse if there was no one to speak to, but the network provided human contact to chase off the mind weasels.]
no subject
[He can't help sounding shocked and horrified, surely even Dr. House wouldn't go that far.]
Who-- who was it? Which doctor? And why would they say that?!
no subject
[He might sound a little dubious of that last statement as he said it. Like he might have received some of that over requested care.]
They clearly don't like me very much. Hate me, in fact. I suppose being lured with the expectation of care was on me though.
no subject
[Al can't help the slightly sterner note entering his voice, though it's all for concern.]
Please stop avoiding the question, who said that to you?
no subject
Dr. J. Watson.
no subject
[He sounds incredulous, but more out of shock than disbelief.]
Why would he say that to you? What happened?
no subject
He is comrades with an associate of mine who has immediately sought to harm me since I arrived. Both men have harassed me since I came to be here, despite my never contacting them and keeping to myself. Both seem convinced I am out to bring harm to be ex-associate and everyone else here in Norfinbury.
no subject
[He sounds just a little guarded, not as if he thinks Pierce is lying, he's just someone who knows there are usually two sides to every story.]
Can you tell me who that man is? Is he dangerous?
no subject
[Pierce just sounded tired, like he wanted to say none of this. Of course, the Soldier painted himself badly from what he could tell, so that wasn't difficult.]
We worked closely with each other back on my world, but he was ill. He had to be medicated and regulated in order to allow him to function, and I wish it had been another way. His war wounds had been extensive and he barely survived, but here... he's off the rails at times. Paranoid, violent. I'm very concerned for Sergeant Barnes, and I wish him no ill. [Just come work for him again. It will be great.]
no subject
[Pierce isn't wrong, there's nothing that Al has seen about Bucky Barnes that makes him seem anything other than a dangerous and out of control individual. Not that he's ever spoken to him himself, but it's not been hard to see the destruction he's caused on occasion.]
It sounds like you have his best interests at heart, why would Dr. Watson think you wanted to hurt him?
no subject
I offered to tell my side of the story, but I was refused and told I would lie and mislead. So, it seems that open-mindedness will not be found there. And denial of treatment but no matter. I will heal.
no subject
[There's so much disapproval in his voice, he is going to talk to Dr. Watson after this, make no mistake. Though he does soften into concern quite quickly.]
Please, won't you come and travel with me? I promise I'll help take care of you, and Mr. Gray isn't the sort of person to cause trouble for you either.
no subject
[Like Alphonse can be irked with being treated like a child, Pierce is patient but firm when he is treated like a geriatric in need of protecting.]
Son, I don't need to be taken care of. I'm self-sufficient, and while I may be in my twilight years, I haven't fallen into a shallow grave just yet. However, I am planning on moving North. If you happen to be there and our paths cross, I will consider traveling with you.
no subject
It's not just for that, Mr. Pierce, you helped me out and I want to do the same. That's what friends are for, right?
no subject
Very well. I will contact you when I have arrived in the North.
no subject
[He'll make sure to check in if he doesn't hear anything by the time he's at the industrial area. Otherwise, for now, he'll sign off.]