"Leave your voicemail after the tone."
Hey Valko, it's me. I know it's late, but... I don't know. Couldn't sleep. I figured you'd still be up and working in your lab. This whole thing has just gotten so overwhelming, I just wanted to talk it through with you, I guess.
It's just- The more I feel like I'm working towards my goals, the more problems seem to pop up. It's getting hard to even keep track of them all. Sometimes I wish I had a brain like yours, almost like a supercomputer of its own. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so stuck as all of these things keep piling up around me.
I'm trying to push through as best as I can and stay focused, but it gets hard. It's nothing that I can't handle, but I just wish I didn't have to handle it. Not on my own.
Sorry, this kind of got away from me. I'm gonna swing by the lab tomorrow. There's something I'd like you to look over for me. Anyways, I'll see you then. Goodnight, Valko.
-Lamb
…beep.
“…You always call when you can’t sleep.” A quiet exhale, like he’s leaning back in his chair, something metallic shifting faintly in the background.
“I was in the lab. Still am. But I heard it ring… figured it’d be you.”
“You’re not stuck, little lamb. You’re just in the middle of it. That’s where everything feels like it’s collapsing in on you… before it starts making sense.”
“I’ve seen your work. I know how your mind runs. You don’t need a ‘supercomputer brain.’ You just need someone to help you sort the noise from what actually matters.”
A faint scoff, almost amused. “And you’re not doing this alone. Don’t get used to thinking that way.”
Another pause. You can almost hear him tapping something, maybe a pen, maybe his claw against the desk. “You said you’re coming by tomorrow? Good. Bring everything. The messy parts too, not just the ones you think are worth showing me.”
“I’ll go through it with you. We’ll break it down. Piece by piece. That’s all problems are, anyway.”
His voice lowers. “And little lamb… next time it gets like this? Call earlier.”
“…I don’t like the idea of you sitting there, drowning in it, while I’m right here.” A soft breath. “Get some sleep. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
…click.
