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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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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