Corruption

Eiden's mouth opens and hangs a while like that as he searches for a reasonable answer. There isn't really any, Chuuya's word make as much sense to him as they would to any other out there.

" You ...started!! "

Not really. Eiden clears his throat and points Chuuya in protest.

" You played along...!! " he corrects but soon enough his face turns into defeated, half-smile. A sigh falls off sharp and his arm along it.

"Wow, you look so pissed for someone with such a cool talent!" Haru had seen plenty of floating wizards and witches before, but not so much in Spirale. So, it definitely caught his attention when he noticed the guy floating in mid-air.

So much so that Haru had taken it upon himself to pull out his phone and snap a few photos for his followers. "Yeah, that's a great additude!"

" ...you're not ...broken or anything. "

Insignificant detail to cling on to when Chuuya... At least Eiden hopes he was just talking about the ability.

" Err, but ... believe it or not! I've heard that before. The meddling part. "

And he had - although he's guessing it's not a surprise. Whether it was delivered in Kuya's snark remarks, Quincy's gentle huff, Edmond's scolding or by any of the others, he sure had heard it in similar warmth. It is his in his nature so there's no use to go denying it.

He leans to bump his shoulder into Chuuya's.

it was a bold claim and one chuuya really wished he could believe. most of the time he'd come to peace with his identity as a monster in human skin. for the longest time, knowing whether he was human or just a string of data in an equation to keep the singularity inside him at bay had been the biggest reason for him to get going. all signs he had came across pointed towards the former. but in the end, every single evidence that could bring it to closure 100% was destroyed by now.

only a single scar from lead poisoning on his wrist was still tying him to the potential of humanity. but even so. even if he wasn't entirely created by science. that part of him was an unobtainable story. he had already decided to live as the chuuya nakahara he was now, and not try to chase down a past that he could never connect to. he didn't have to be human anymore. but the one part of his monstrosity that he wouldn't be able to control was also the one part that he doubted he could ever come to terms with.

instead he dismissed the elephant in the room, pretending he hadn't heard it.

Ordinary people were such a bore. After settling in nicely in Spirale - and having encountered one or the other unfriendly face - he had enough of sitting around and just talking and decided it was time to take action. Otherwise his enemies would begin to underestimate him. Stripped of power did not mean the Doctor was without options, and his plan to usurp the gods was far away from being discarded entirely. Only because he had found himself in an unfamiliar place, did not mean the gods were less detestable than the ones he knew back in Teyvat.

But as he had gathered before, and despite his own judgement, taking on such a task alone was no easy endeavour. Even back home his work was dependent on different factors and different people that had to get involved; funding, resources, volunteers, not-as-willing volunteers…science was neither cheap nor simple.

However, the people he had encountered today were so plain and unappealing that the thought of dethroning whatever entities controlled this land all by himself became more and more appealing; until he caught an interesting face in the crowd.

Oh, he recognized a man pained with a heavy burden to bear from miles away, a crooked smirk painting his lips as he found the perfect candidate for his little plan. At the very least scouting him could already bear fruits.

Slowly he approached the man, hands folded behind his back, eyes narrowing behind his mask and sparkling with professional curiosity.

yet, every single cell in his body warned him that this man was bad news.

the smooth words offering unwarranted assistance. showing interest in his wellbeing as a stranger out of the kindness of his heart. the vague description that offered a story without actually offering anything consistent.

this man reminded him of n. an unscrupulous scientist without morals and conscience. the man who had created him as he was today. his father, one might say.

if he could have it his way, chuuya would never again want to have anything to do with that kind of person. but at the same time he was facing a huge dilemma. there was a chance this guy was just some weirdo or whatever, but on the off chance chuuya's suspicions were right, it also meant some poor sod would be suffering in the name of science or whatever those devils could justify themselves with. it was none of his business, yet the possibility that anyone could be going through something he had was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

They'd known each other... long-ish with a break and yet somehow he'd missed the whole part about another world. Eiden would find it surprising if it hadn't happened before. It's just always a little much to explain after all....

" Um so. Haha. Klein is.. it's in another world. I got summoned there by accident and.... "

" Was working on a commission, allnighter and all, for an adult toy and got this fancy neon gemstone sent to me... "

He lifts the gem hanging from his neck, swinging a little for emphasis.

" And it started shining! And poof! I was transported to another world! Next thing I know there's these two hotties on me getting all steamy and stuff... The usual isekai stuff right? "

Not really. Also not the best of his storytelling but he figures it's good to keep things simple so he can keep it simple and easier to follow. But uh, that said, he might be digressing from the original topic there.

" ...but you wanted to hear how I came to be? Or uh. About my not-brother. Because I've got some pretty wild lore in store tell you what! "

"somehow got a feelin' a few too many things are a bit too abridged, but whatever." chuuya deadpanned. "bottom line is, it's kinda like this place, i guess? sounds like a pain in the ass."

personally, he was already displeased enough with being spirited away to one alternate world. at least you could fight your way out of a pocket space.

Tikoh's starting to realize how lonely this island is for her. It reminds her of her time before the Grandcypher, in a way. Only a few months ago, she was constantly surrounded by people she knew and trusted, crewmates she cared for deeply. It's not to say she doesn't have friends now, but seeing people isn't the same as living with them.

Is that what life is like for the wayward duplicates? Perhaps they're out of place and trapped within The Inn, but at least they have each other. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on her part. In fact, from what she's heard, it sounds like they're pretty angry about the whole thing.

She doesn't have a specific goal in mind, but Tikoh knows if there might be fighting, then there will likely be people in need of help. And wondering through the maze-like hallways, it isn't long before she finds someone in need of help. A child- no, a young man, leaning against a wall, catching his breath, He's injured, but not terribly so. Either he's had a disagreement with his duplicate, or he's run into some of the other unsavory residents of the building. Whatever the case, Tikoh announces herself with a clearing of her throat, keeping a respectful distance.

"Are you alright?" she asks, knowing it's kind of an obvious question. "Do you need any help? I'm a doctor, so I can heal those injuries if you like. I don't like leaving people injured."

but not fighting back was always more difficult than the alternative.

he was leaning against a wall after having shaken the stranger off, and was now catching his breath. that was when a new intruder let their presence be known.

"this little thing?" he asked, raising his forearm where the skin had been breached in a cut. "suit yourself. it ain't much. i've had worse." the countless scars across his body confirmed he was telling the truth and it wasn't just an attempt at bravado. but most of those were hidden beneath his clothes.

"eh?" well, he certainly hadn't expected his name. for a second chuuya found comfort in the fact that he might know someone in here, but that comfort quickly broke.

Faint, cheeky smile crosses his lips as he glances over to Chuuya before diverting his gaze again.

" I mean. Mine isn't so bad - things turned out for the better for most part. "

Aside that whole world end thing... it's probably going to turn out fine too though? Eiden would like to believe that anyway.

" It's uh... Sort of...? " Eiden starts, mulling over all the details, " I mean. He's from Klein. I guess you could say technically I am too but I just ended up on Earth-- "

He blinks as he pauses, turning then to Chuuya with tilt of a head.

thus chuuya listened carefully.

and thus he was lost.

given the entrance, Lumine had her doubts the window to so much as breathe would hold open for long. "any other warnings we should heed?"

her sights drew overhead in anticipation for his pursuer, sword coming to form in her left hand. naturally, she'd rather not test how far someone's doppelganger could go before they were subdued, but her hopes of talking things out weren't particularly high in this case. the man who had appeared certainly didn't seem too surprised or panicked by the encounter. that alone wasn't a promising sign for diffusing whatever had been going on.

Paimon kept to the room's edge and as out of harm's way as she could manage for the time being, clinging onto the door handle so her time airborne wouldn't eat into her limit. unlike the man, her brow was knit with anxiety, frightened perhaps by his demeanour almost as much as by... everything else that just happened.

✦do you want to use the door next time? you almost gave us heart attacks!✦

"don't let him touch ya. forget the sword. ain't gonna do ya much good. does that pixie or whatever of yours got any tricks?" it was nice to be able to get straight to the point. civilians tended to spend too much time panicing when something suddenly happened. chuuya took a step back, and from above his younger self glared down.

"he uses gravity, but at the end of the day he's just a brat."

this verdict did not appear to sit well with his younger self, whose brow furrowed in anger.

'haaah?! and how are you any better? if yer gonna be all high 'n mighty, the least ya could've done is grow some more. if this is what's my future's gonna be like, it's lookin' pretty fuckin' bleak.'

low blow. unfortunately chuuya himself knew where his biggest insecurities lay. and he really was enough of a brat to go straight for them. this time it was adult chuuya's turn to lose the cool he had otherwise managed to keep thus far.

"i really wasn't very cute at all, huh. i might not want to kill ya, but i wouldn't mind beatin' ya within an inch of yer life."

'would like to see ya try!'

the younger chuuya jumped into the fray as well and landed with a force much stronger than what should be normal for such a small frame. good thing was that if this him had the same limitations as chuuya himself did, that was gravity manipulation number two. bad news was that it would be much harder to simply suppress him peacefully. he turned his head to face the girl while still keeping an eye on the opponent.

He shrugs noncommittally. He smiles when Chuuya nails on his thoughts of family.

" Well yeah I don't - I mean, I've got a little brother I'm not related to here - and then a rowdy bunch of guys back in Klein I kind of consider as one, that should be a proof enough yeah?"

"..." for a moment chuuya was left in quest contemplation. then he decided on his words.