Day 56: Magus Park (Morning)
Getting to check up on Neku had been good (even though Sora realized that he was the one who'd been approached, rather than doing the approaching), but when the buses finally made their way through the snow and into the town, the boy was completely distracted by the view that followed. It really did remind him of Christmastown. There were no lights
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When he first stepped out of the bus, his first instinct was pull his coat a little closer. It had still been mild back home, and there and had been no gradual change to this point, so now that he was actually out in the cold, it just seemed that much more harsh. He didn't really mind it, exactly, but he did kind of wish he at least had a hat or another layer. Keeping his arms close to him, he drifted along with the clusters of patients leaving the buses, pausing at the edge of the park.
.... It really was pretty. Not just the endless white from the snow, but the town itself was small and a bit removed from the rest of the world. Almost isolated. There was something nostalgic about places like that, even if you'd never been there yourself. He'd been a little surprised they were going to let them leave at all, but now that he was here, he felt like he could understand. In a small mountain town, it wasn't like they really had anywhere to go, right? And they couldn't expect any local help, either. The pretense had shifted back to a hospital for now, so even if they'd tried to say anything, they only be dragged away and be written off as crazy. Wasn't that a little too convenient? But then, he probably shouldn't have been surprised. If it had any real chance of ruining their plans, they probably wouldn't have bothered bringing them here at all. Did this have some kind of specific purpose, or...?
Ahh, enough of that. With nothing to really go on, all he was going to end up doing was think himself into circles. And with how little food he'd had since he'd gotten here, it was starting to give him a headache. Even after the bagged meal from the morning, he was still pretty hungry. He wasn't sure where he was going, exactly, but for now, maybe it would be best to find one of the places listed on those coupons. Instead of following the roads, he decided to take the scenic route, starting his way down one of the path in the park.
[for Nigredo!]
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In the light of day, the snow proved utterly fascinating, the white a softer version to last night's drift. Nigredo wasted a few minutes to stare out the window, watching the frost on the glass fade against his breath as the rest of the patients climbed off the bus. The fact of snow was a surreal concept in reality. A brain's perception couldn't compare to the real thing, now could it? For the first time in a long time, he wondered how much he had missed in this world. Pondered on how much had passed him by thanks to the boy's single-minded focus.
"Kane, are we going to dawdle on the bus forever, or do you plan to get off some time soon?" a particularly agitated "orderly" barked out.
Nigredo's lips twitched at the question, but he slid out of his seat obediently. There was no point in staying here; at any rate, he would gain a better perspective outside. With a quiet apology, the U.R.T.V. made his way to the front of the bus and slowly down the steps. The orderly glared at him the entire time.
To his displeasure, the world outside had changed little in terms of temperature. He fidgeted, wondering how he was going to manage the rest of the day. They hadn't given him enough layers for this kind of weather, and Nigredo, unlike his brother, desired an overabundance of warmth. He stood at the edge of the park with a deep frown, a part of him wondering if he should take the time to look for Albedo or retreat back to the buses.
Fortunately, a nearby staff member had the foresight to give him an oversized gray coat, which she offered without a word. Unfortunately, the method in which she provided the coat was a tad forceful. She slipped behind him and hung the coat over the boy's head. Before he could properly assess the situation, the woman shoved him toward the interior of the park, away from the buses. As if she already suspected his intentions to return. He stumbled uncharacteristically and to his dismay, slammed headfirst into the backside of a figure walking away.
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To be honest, Battler was so lost in his own thoughts he probably wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should have been, which only made the sudden contact that much more surprising. H-hey, come on, even if he looked like this, wasn't that kind of indecent~? ... Well, his lewd jokes aside, it didn't really feel anything quite like that, and when he turned to look, he was met with a young boy who seemed to have stumbled into a pretty, um, unfortunate situation. That was one way to start to the morning, wasn't it?
"Iihihi, sorry about that," he laughed. "That's a pretty crappy place to land, though I guess it could have ended worse. Better a face full of jacket than ice, at least."
Normally, he probably would have left it at that, politely exchanging a few words over an awkward incident before parting ways the way you normally would with a stranger, but there was something about this kid that seemed really familiar. It was a enough to give him pause, since so little things gave that feeling since he'd arrived.
"You're .... Albedo's brother, right....?" he thought aloud. .... Yeah, that was right. He'd mentioned having one, didn't he? No wonder he'd almost felt like he'd seen him before. He wouldn't have thought it at first because of their hair and eyes, but now that he was really looking, they really did look exactly the same. Twins, maybe...?
.... Come to think of it, addressing someone like that out of the blue was pretty weird, wasn't it? "Ah, sorry. My name's Battler. We'd met the other day, and he mentioned something like that," he explained.
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By now, the boy had to wonder if today happened to be the day for karmic retribution. It seemed if he could not be locked in conflict with his brothers, another aspect gave out to keep a balance, whether in regards to a roommate, a seatmate, or a random passerby who probably didn't expect a literal run-in. Whatever the cause, it was annoying to deal with, to the point of ruining what apathy he might have built up over time. Nigredo straightened from his awkward posture and prepared to apologize profusely.
Only, the man's features stopped him dead in his tracks. From his view below, the younger noticed the blue in the other's eyes. The red in his hair with such perfect clarity that it hurt to perceive. The nature of the reminder was almost too obvious, and he took a reactionary step back, eyes widening in brief recognition. Nigredo nearly lost himself to a heart attack then, as he entertained the notion that this individual was the brother fifteen years ahead.
A notion, in the end, remained a notion. Facial structure proved much different than what was expected from a Yuriev clone while Battler did not even attempt to hide his identity. Furthermore, Albedo had met him (like everyone else, it seemed), and the albino would have mentioned if their brother had aged several years overnight. Nigredo blinked for several seconds, only to let out a slow exhale.
"Yes, I am," he affirmed. His gaze flitted between the other's face and the scenery behind him. The colors were too disturbing. "I'm Nigredo. I apologize for my clumsiness." There was a pause as something sank in. Albedo had mentioned him? "Excuse me, but what did my brother say?"
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The name caught him by mild surprise. First Albedo, then Nigredo....? His own family had a pretty weird naming sense, but this was on a totally different level. Did that mean there were others, or did the pattern stop there? Either way, Nigredo seemed to have a totally different feel to him, for which Battler couldn't help but be thankful for. He'd acted tough before, but.... When it came down to it, he didn't exactly have much desire to repeat that kind of creepy conversation.
"It's not a problem. Nice to meet you," he smiled, then paused to consider the question. ".... Well, nothing in particular. Just that siblings are something we have in common."
He frowned at the thought, still not really understanding what it meant. He Albedo had said he'd met Ange, but.... How and when was that even possible? Was it possible that she was here somehow? ..... No, that couldn't be true. Hadn't she been through enough already? And even though there were a lot of people here, something like that ... he couldn't help but feel like he would've noticed by now. It wasn't necessarily the case, of course, but unless he saw her himself, he wasn't going to entertain the notion. It was just ... too sad, and focusing in on that kind of possibility wasn't going to accomplish him anything.
.... Yeah, it'd be better to focus on something else for now. "By the way, have you been here before? I thought it might be kind of nice to get out of the cold, but I'm not really sure where anything is," he explained.
Admittedly, it was a bit different from how he normally would have reacted to the cold. If his cousins were here, he'd had a funny feeling they'd already be rolling around and flinging it at each other like a bunch of brats. Here, he still almost wanted to, but it wasn't like he had many acquaintances, and his newly terrible eating habits left anything requiring that level of energy without the same appeal it would normally have. Not that it was entirely his fault, but he was starting to realize he was going to have to start making an honest effort eating that pink crap. ... Well, they gave them money, at least, so maybe he could buy some snacks? He couldn't say he knew how much five dollars was really going to be worth here, but even something minor was better than nothing.
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Ah, but he had promised not to come to such conclusions. Furthermore, Battler was already moving forward in the conversation, and Nigredo was staring at him a little too intently. The young man wasn't his brother, and Albedo hadn't said anything wrong. Best to move along as well. A beat passed as the boy took the chance to collect himself, before he, too, smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you as well," he said. The mention of a sibling struck his curiosity, but out of propriety's sake, he kept the questions to himself. If the topic surfaced later, the child would take the chance, but for now, he wouldn't be intrusive.
Which proved to be the best course of action. Battler had another subject in mind. "I have," Nigredo confirmed. "Was there somewhere in particular you were looking for?" Granted, the places he had been in weren't examined too carefully, but he could offer what he remembered. And if the patterns for memory held, he could offer much.
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