#aibal

The first thing Ryuki noticed when he came to was the feeling of eyes on him- he was disoriented, a bit groggy.. had he been... dreaming? Or perhaps he still was... he didn’t even have time to really think about it, though- people were talking at him, all the crew members behind the cameras laughing at something... it took him longer than it maybe should’ve to remember where he even was- Studio Dvaita. That was right, because he’d agreed (or been forced, more accurately put) to go on that quiz show thing.

Shaking his head, Ryuki attempted to put his mind back onto the quiz show, brushing off the concerns of the people around him with a quick smile. Sure, it was embarrassing to have fallen asleep during a livestream, but he was fine. And besides, it wasn’t like anything was going to happen-

...a blackout? And what was that...

The lights came back on quickly, but things only got more chaotic- the sound of a scream rang in his ears as he leapt from his seat, the sight of half a corpse on the ground drawing the attention of everyone in the room. A part of his mind noted that there was someone extra there, though- since when had Aiba been in the room?

“...Aiba? Are you on your own here?”

This was something that... didn’t make sense. Ryuki recognized the AI’s design well enough, but she didn’t look like a hologram- which should’ve been impossible. He could only ever see Tama with his left eye when she showed up in it, and she was always semi-transparent. It didn’t make sense... just yet another thing that didn’t line up. 

She’ll be dropped for you!

"Aiba, thoughts? I don't buy the alternative timeline theory, but something tells me we aren't anywhere near Tokyo." In fact, it felt like they weren't anywhere on Earth. It didn't sit comfortably with him that he had no memory of arriving, and he almost hated to ask, "How long have I been here..?"

A second thought hit him next, "Man. Mizuki's gonna be pissed if I disappear on her huh." Equal parts guilt and apprehension at how she might take it out on him after they'd just barely made up gnawed at him, but there wasn't much worrying would do to help his case.

"Almost feels like we're inside a somnium," he joked. It was a fair point, he thought. With the strange districts and bullshit about magic and some black hole in the ground. In that case, the most illogical of choices could yield the most fruitful results.

He looked at the yellow eyeball, noting how squishy it looked. The overall form surrounding the eye looked very similar to abomination goo, which caught his attention.

You stared at the creature, head tilting as you blinked in confusion. The small size was nothing to fear and yet the single eye, the blobby shape, the aura of something malicious? No....Hostile would be a better phrase.