look who has a birthday gift! it's.. the world " CHEATER " spelled out with all the fish and whatever else was left after the whole flooding incident. accompanied by a large arrow that would point to him right when he steps out. happy birthday!
Ford wasn't expecting anything for his birthday this year, and frankly, would have wanted nothing either.
He stared down at the pile of fish, his face drawn back in a grimace. This was a familiar situation. A way too familiar situation. He didn't have to take too many guesses about who would have sent these to him.
Still, there was a pause as Ford carefully regarded them a firm set frown. "... Cheater?"
What was this message meant to convey? Had he cheated somehow? At what game? His frown deepened as reluctantly he picked one of the fish up, nose wrinkling at the scent.
He was not a cheater. Sure, occasionally in his youth he let Stanley cheat off him, and occasionally he had to do something... dire in his time in the multiverse. But any test or game he played was played with fairness. What in the world could Cipher be referring to...?
And then it occurred to him. Ah. It had to have been in regards to the switcheroo that Stanley and him had pulled off. That was the only explanation his mind could conjure that made any type of sense.
He scowled, putting the fish down and going to get the waste bin. Each fish was plucked off the ground and quickly tossed away as quick as possible - the last thing he wanted was any of his neighbors seeing and getting any questions posed about this.
It was simple but quick work - until it came to a fish with something hard inside that gave the man pause. Most people wouldn't second guess something like that, or stick their hand in fish guts that by this point was probably rotting.
... He was not most people. Even so it was with reluctance that Ford felt the fish - before reluctantly reaching into the mouth, fishing out whatever it was inside out of a morbid sense of curiosity.
A pen. A high-quality one at that. For a moment, he glared at it, ready to toss it with the rest but-
Well, if this fish came from the great flooding event... he hesitated, before pocketing it. It probably had been swallowed during it accidentally. Fish swallowed all kinds of things they mistook as food.
At least one good thing came out of this nonsense...
