MICHAEL

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

The insect just stays there on its hand, apparently content to be in the company of another Spiral avatar.

Who?

Hmmm,, Was this an act of distain toward you, yourself, or toward The Spiral and its hallways as a whole...?

[He seemed oddly curious about the situation now. Well,, It actually wasn't odd for Michael, he always asked things, he was always wanting to know more and more.]

A soft buzzing echoes from around Eris; the swarm is a bit irritated at the comment, but seems to acknowledge it as a joke and calms down.

[Michael chuckles a bit at the swarm's irritated buzzing. He pauses, glancing at Hector for a moment. Hector had put the bug down, and was now looking around at some of the exhibits in the museum again. He stayed close, though. Michael spoke again.]

Well, Eris, It was lovely to catch up with you, but, I think me and Hector will be on our way now.. I did bring him here to appreciate the art..

[Michael pauses briefly, then leans closer to Eris to speak with it more privately.]

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

The insect just stays there on its hand, apparently content to be in the company of another Spiral avatar.

Who?

Hmmm,, Was this an act of distain toward you, yourself, or toward The Spiral and its hallways as a whole...?

[He seemed oddly curious about the situation now. Well,, It actually wasn't odd for Michael, he always asked things, he was always wanting to know more and more.]

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

The insect just stays there on its hand, apparently content to be in the company of another Spiral avatar.

Who?

Hmmm,, Was this an act of distain toward you, yourself, or toward The Spiral and its hallways as a whole...?

[He seemed oddly curious about the situation now. Well,, It actually wasn't odd for Michael, he always asked things, he was always wanting to know more and more.]

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

The insect just stays there on its hand, apparently content to be in the company of another Spiral avatar.

Who?

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

The insect just stays there on its hand, apparently content to be in the company of another Spiral avatar.

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

The beetle moves onto Hector’s hand, chirping contently in that odd, staticky tone that overlaps Eris’ voice.

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

It gently holds out its hand for Hector to see. A large beetle rests in its open palm, its wings folded in to form a pink and yellow spiral pattern. Eris’ jacket sleeve rustles and a couple brightly-colored organisms crawl out; they almost look like Worm On String toys, if those toys resembled actual insects.

May,, may I hold it? -It won't bite me, right?

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

Despite its struggles at first, Eris couldn’t imagine existing without its swarm. It smiles proudly, extending a hand so a few can perch there.

[Michael smiles, and its a genuine smile, unlike his usual, manic one.]

[Hector glanced out from behind Michael once more, looking at the bugs on Eris' hand. He squinted, taking in the details that he could from the distance.]

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]

[Michael laughs his iconic, dizzying laugh. He glances down at Hector, who just seemed... Nervous, still. Unsure of what to say. Michael looks back at Eris, surprised to see the bugs. He was startled, but remembered he did, in fact know about this,,, He'd seen them once before, briefly.]

Ah! Your bugs.. I almost forgot about them.. How are they doing? Are you adjusting well..?

A familiar face in the crowd catches its eye. Its head turns to acknowledge the presence, a few bystanders clearly shocked by the painful-looking angle its neck tilts at.

h I T h E R e ! ¡ !

Oh, OH! ERIS, MY FRIEND! HELLO! It's been a while, How are you, fellow??

It appears excited at the prospect of introducing its “friend group” to Michael, but pauses.

[Hector peeked out from behind Michael. Hector.. looked to only be like, barely in his twenties. He had messy, layered brown hair that ended at his shoulders. He wore a blue winter coat, black jeans, snow boots, and a white undershirt. Funny how Hector and Michael both appeared to have winter-like apparel.]