| “ | I guess I do have some appreciation for a boundless greed like that. I even respect it. Somewhere along the line, I gave up on the things I wanted for myself. But obviously I'm not gonna say he was right. Hell no. Greed may be honest human instinct, but we came up with law and order to keep it in check. It's all we have, and it's a damn good thing we do. | ” |
–Victor to Edward Noah, 1935-B: Dr. Feelgreed | ||
Victor Talbot (ヴィクター・タルボット, Vikkutā Tarubotto) is an Englishman who arrived in Lotto Valentino in the 1700s alongside fellow Dormentaire-sponsored alchemist Szilard Quates in order to investigate the city's illicit activities. He becomes a complete immortal after stowing away aboard the Advena Avis in 1711, having intended and failed to stop the ship from leaving the harbor.
In the 1930s, Victor is the Assistant Director of a special Bureau of Investigation [BOI] department which deals with all cases involving immortals. He is responsible for Huey Laforet's incarceration in Alcatraz, and in 1934 has Firo Prochainezo and Isaac Dian sent to the same prison.
Appearance
Victor has black hair (tinted purple in some illustrations), with distinctive sideburns that turn sharply at a near right angle on his cheeks. He wears square glasses in the 1930s, but lacks glasses the 1700s. In the 1930s, he is often seen wearing a white vest over a black shirt and matching white trousers.
Personality
His dialogue with Firo in 1934 introduces him as short-tempered, arrogant, and somewhat immature. He expresses a vehement personal hatred towards all criminals, and shows no qualms about psychologically manipulating Firo or threatening him with violence. In the prologue of the same novel, Nile states that Victor is not naturally the type of person to fixate on rules, instead holding a deep conviction that law is necessary for the greater good and must be rigorously enforced, even at the cost of some individual freedom.
Accompanying his hatred for all things criminal (including the mafia) is an abiding passion for the United States of America, his adopted country.
Victor is someone who is very upfront about himself and his flaws, and believes that deep down he remains human at heart. He reacts with anger in some instances even when his anger is unjustified - often spurred out of pure spite. When one of his new subordinates answers his question correctly, he is irritated because he wanted to put the man in his place had he given a wrong answer.
For someone who is a part of a secret agency he has gone to no trouble to conceal his own identity, making him one of the easiest immortals to track and gather information on. At times Victor seems like an idiot, and at others he comes across as a very intelligent man; one person who investigated him proclaimed that he was an 'idiot who made up for his stupidity with his own genius', which the person then acknowledged to e contradictory.
The immortal whom Ennis devoured before she turned against Szilard was a good friend of Victor's, and he has a grudge against her as a result. However, he has stated that killing her out of vengeance would violate his principles.
He is unwilling to let his fellow immortals get away with things that are either illegal or immoral (or both). He is perfectly happy to lock away Huey Laforet, and has expressed his dissatisfaction with Maiza's criminal associations. He still considers Maiza a friend, and to see him willingly collude with the criminals that Victor so detests is quite terrible.
While Victor often bickers with his subordinates and frequently complains to them (and sometimes about them), he values their lives and is extremely displeased to see them injured.
Unlike some of the other immortals who have given up alchemy for different reasons Victor remains an alchemist at heart, and appreciates ingenuity and creativity. With the creation of Cellophane Tape, at first he wondered why he himself did not think of it, but it quickly passed and now he uses it in his everyday life.
Victor was exiled from his home country England because he dared to speak out against slavery, which he regards as morally vile. He believes all races to be equal, and finds it ludicrous that discrimination was freely supported by the English aristocracy. There is a sense of optimism in him in the 1700s - he strives for justice and equality, and he is unabashedly straightforward about his opinions. He is horrified by what he finds in Lotto Valentino.
Victor in the 1700s is a markedly different Victor than the one the reader is introduced to in the 1930s. By the 1930s, Victor has grown used to such misdeeds - he is unsurprised by Huey's latest experiments, the latest string of murders. He clings to his ideals, but the sense of optimism from the 1700s is less present. He is well-meaning, but much more brusque and tough and unlikeable than he once was.
He is one of the most prolific users of profanity in the entire series.
Chronology
(To be added)