[ Fortunately, Ford's not hard to spot. It's probably pretty rare to find old men waist-deep in shrubbery trying to draw a weird looking bird.
And yet, Ford is the one who stares at Fern like he's doing something strange. Not something he's not supposed to be doing, mind. Just something unusual. ]
[ He makes an uncomfortable sound like a grunt and turns to look at literally anything else. He just thought, maybe, he could be Finn! And technically, he is Finn, just with his name changed. But he's supposed to be apologizing, not making excuses. ]
Um... yeah. So, um... I, uh, wanted to apologize for... everything else, too. Causing all that trouble, and making a mess, and... uh...
[ He kicks at the ground, somehow looking even farther away now. ]
[ Again, Ford's instinctive inclination here is that while he's not really mad at Fern, he doesn't actually forgive him. As Ford sees it, a lot of the trauma all of them went through could have been avoided with a smidgen of honesty, and Dipper wouldn't have ended up doing... all of that.
But... Fern is apologizing. And while Ford doesn't know this Fern, he does know a Fern, and he knows that Fern well enough for an apology like this to strike him as noteworthy. ]
That's...
[ Ford heaves a sigh and starts extracting himself from the shrubbery. ]
Listen. Did Stanley explain anything about Trench to you?
[ He takes a step back on instinct, trying to give Ford plenty of space. He doesn't seem angry, but he doesn't seem to like Fern very much either. He probably doesn't want the kid coming too close.
He frowns. Why would Stan have explained anything to him? ]
A trench...? [ That sounds sorta familiar. ] That's... a place, right?
Not 'a' trench. Just Trench. It's the city that Stanley, Dipper, and I lived in before we arrived here. It was similar to the Grove, in that it was another dimension that ended up drawing many people from other dimensions towards it.
[ Which is probably simplifying things, but they don't really have time for much else. ]
And while we were there we... met Fern. Not you, but another version of yourself.
[ He stares at the ground and scratches his head while he thinks.
That's... he's not sure how he feels about that. Not great? It sounds like he appreciates the apology, but it doesn't really sound like he accepts it. He's just not surprised, because... he didn't expect any better from Fern.
He stops scratching his head to rub at his arm, his head turned towards the depths of the forest now. This is uncomfortable. He expected it to suck, but he didn't expect it to make him feel worse than he already did. ]
Not surprised... that I said I was Finn? Or...
[ Not surprised that he killed someone? Was it that obvious to everyone else that he was a monster just pretending to be a person? ]
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And yet, Ford is the one who stares at Fern like he's doing something strange. Not something he's not supposed to be doing, mind. Just something unusual. ]
Fern?
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Yeah, uh, that's me. I... guess I lied about that last time, huh. Sorry about that...
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[ Well, not okay? Ford is still a little put out about the lying thing. But he's not actually mad about it, either. ]
... understandable, I suppose, in a new place like this.
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Um... yeah. So, um... I, uh, wanted to apologize for... everything else, too. Causing all that trouble, and making a mess, and... uh...
[ He kicks at the ground, somehow looking even farther away now. ]
what... you saw.
[ He clears his throat. ]
Um. Yeah. I'm really, really sorry.
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But... Fern is apologizing. And while Ford doesn't know this Fern, he does know a Fern, and he knows that Fern well enough for an apology like this to strike him as noteworthy. ]
That's...
[ Ford heaves a sigh and starts extracting himself from the shrubbery. ]
Listen. Did Stanley explain anything about Trench to you?
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He frowns. Why would Stan have explained anything to him? ]
A trench...? [ That sounds sorta familiar. ] That's... a place, right?
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Not 'a' trench. Just Trench. It's the city that Stanley, Dipper, and I lived in before we arrived here. It was similar to the Grove, in that it was another dimension that ended up drawing many people from other dimensions towards it.
[ Which is probably simplifying things, but they don't really have time for much else. ]
And while we were there we... met Fern. Not you, but another version of yourself.
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Another Fern?
[ What does that have to do with him now? Did the other Fern do something bad, maybe? ]
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[ What's a good example... ]
If I told you that one of the first things I ever saw him do was trying to fight a horde of zombies alone, would that surprise you at all?
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[ He's actually dealt with alternate universe doppelgangers before, though they're usually a lot more different. Ice Finn was weird to watch. ]
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[ Ugh, it's so hard to get his point across here. ]
What I'm trying to say is, I didn't hear many apologies from the other Fern I knew. So I think I know what it means that you're offering one now.
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That's... he's not sure how he feels about that. Not great? It sounds like he appreciates the apology, but it doesn't really sound like he accepts it. He's just not surprised, because... he didn't expect any better from Fern.
He stops scratching his head to rub at his arm, his head turned towards the depths of the forest now. This is uncomfortable. He expected it to suck, but he didn't expect it to make him feel worse than he already did. ]
Not surprised... that I said I was Finn? Or...
[ Not surprised that he killed someone? Was it that obvious to everyone else that he was a monster just pretending to be a person? ]