Day 57: Greenhouse (third shift)

[purpletaint]

So speak of the day's events as one would speak of the week. They hadn't parted ways, yet, and despite the growing annoyance in Albedo's mien, he had no thoughts to separate from Nigredo. Though, speak plainly, and Albedo wouldn't--not if people were around as much as were seen. He spent a moment in irritation, considering, then decided to flee the

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[purpletaint]

To have an act reacted to spoke too much of what was wanted--here, claim it; because what did Albedo want more than reactions, more than love responded to and need placed before him. His waveform shuddered in the aftermath, though his eyes remained locked on his brother. There was truth in the sending, truth and emotion both, and Albedo loved Nigredo, then. Loved him entirely, and that was given in whole.

This is what remained. Albedo did not want to be alone, and he did not want Nigredo to be alone either. And he was finally realizing that the youngest was worse off than he--Albedo, even, had formed bonds here; had Nigredo, other than that man who could not even understand him?

Why did Nigredo want his life to end? Because of an ability forced upon him, one known by those he would never have told, and because of that, there was no remaining worth? So faulty, because even with that, if Nigredo did not abandon him, Albedo would keep overlooking it for as long as it was able.

He reached out his other hand to the knot of hands that had formed, and pulled his brother's hands to his mouth, touching his lips to fingers gently, eyes never glancing from Nigredo. "Listen to me," and he spoke, more sane and sober than he'd been all day. "I won't leave you alone. I won't. You can rely on me." {I'm not leaving you.}

[falseblack]

Albedo reached and brought hands to lips, kissing digits to affirm comfort. A promise given, less in spoken words and more in gestures. Tones. Nigredo watched like a chick observing its parent, searching for cues on appropriate reactions. He found plenty.

Nigredo wouldn't be left alone, he said. The promise was again offered so readily; the surface reaction was to rationalize the statements. You couldn't expect them to come easily, in the end. He supposed, however, that it was the simple fact of complexity that he was willing to take what was in front of him.

It was the child who answered his brother, soft and quiet and not at all the proud youngest of the night prior. {Okay.} Okay.

[purpletaint]

An acceptance was a powerful thing, and in that, Albedo might have understood Nigredo for those aspects. Nigredo gave an acquiesce, and Albedo breathed out in something close to relief. The hands around Nigredo's fingers tightened, and then he lowered them to the table, giving his brother a wan smile. "Okay," he repeated.

Instinct pulled at him to touch Nigredo, to hug him, love him, kiss him, but Albedo withheld. This was serious, defining, and the youngest Variant did not hold affection as Albedo did, and he would rather Nigredo remember this than write it off as another day. Across the random materials and cut branches and leaves, their hands remained intertwined.

For a moment, Albedo only watched Nigredo. Carefully, intently, as one might to something valuable they possessed. Then he blinked, once, and some of the intensity fled. "Are you willing," he asked near-hesitantly. "To tell me what happened last night?"

[falseblack]

Discretion gave more than affection could, and for the present, the younger of the pair was content. Quiet solidified the flow of harsh emotions, the movements again becoming lost beneath the surface. Nigredo returned his brother's smile with something small yet perfectly sincere.

For this reason, the boy did not scowl at the memory of last night. Did not desire to roll over and die at the thought. Much of this was less important in light of the previous subject, and therefore, Nigredo shifted into an objective state. "...Yeah." He had promised, hadn't he?

His gaze met Albedo's, steady despite the subject at hand. This would be truth but in pieces, and though he would ordinarily offer all facts, Sync's presence rendered it difficult. Partial explanations, then. "I ended up in the basement with a couple of others." As he had stated last night. "They made the mistake of going into the room with the many weapons."

[purpletaint]

Said like that, it was perfectly simple. For Albedo remembered, and Nigredo had just touched upon it previously--that night, and the effects of that. Nigredo had said that they had somehow came down there, but it was the others he had been with that had made a faulty decision. Albedo's expression tightened, and for any that knew, the anger building behind his eyes was obvious. {What idiots.}

This explained at least his brother's injuries, in nothing else. If Nigredo had been the one to fight the turrets, injuries would be known. Nigredo might have better accuracy than Rubedo, but Nigredo had more of a sniping mentality than all out warfare--despite his brother's apparent actions. "And let me guess--they left the challenge to you?" The boy scoffed, annoyance obvious at the unnamed individuals. "At least they knew enough that you were the best bet."

[falseblack]

Idiots was the correct term, but Nigredo had insufficient constitution to work out a tirade. Depression had its unfortunate way of killing anger. Besides, there wasn't much he could tell Albedo in terms of details. Three-fourths of his anger went to the roommate. Steering clear of that fact seemed smart.

He sighed, exhaustion seeping into the tone. "Not exactly." answered Nigredo, frank despite the withheld information. "I volunteered. Neither obviously had been trained in weaponry, and I couldn't afford to lose." Here, the child threw a pointed look to Albedo, the insinuation obvious. "I chose the weapon and took the test. But Albedo--"

What to say? Here existed bemusement. "--it was different." Enough for parts of Nigredo to wonder on the accuracy of Albedo's theory. The pieces fit if you considered the possible context, which the rest refused to look into. Another time, perhaps. "Impossible in reality, to be honest. They had me eliminate six standards, but... They were in the form they take when infected in the U-DO simulator."

[purpletaint]

At the point, Albedo shrugged slightly, eyes skirting to the side briefly. His actions this morning held too much in mistakes to be rightly touched on more than they were. In that, of only, he did not speak--glanced back at his brother from the sides of his eyes to watch him speak instead. Nothing shifted in the tainted Variant's expression at the reveal; his mien remained thoughtful, calculating. For speak as much, his brother was right. Those forms did not exist in the reality that they existed in--he could rant and ramble on the different layers of consciousness and the forms took, but he gathered Nigredo wouldn't be as attentive an audience as Albedo would like. Instead he blinked twice, slowly, mulling it over.

What did that point to, other than an incomplete reality? A fissure of space and time, filled in by technology instead. It was not unrealistic on the whole--for Albedo had heard a Song that had not existed now or here, and yet it had been pulled to give to him, held out on hand and foot. And that night... There had been crackling and blurs of mismatched coding in the walls, to end with a brother dead and yet alive. And in that place. He wondered. If it was only....

He turned back completely, tilted his chin upward in declaration. "Work on this rationale, and note any other peculiarities. The institute aside, it's safe to say the area of the basement exists separately from the rest of this dimension. Either a completely separate realm of space-time, or a pocket of technology, like a precursor to the UMN, with anything that happens there existing as would happen in a synaptic net dive. Spoken plainly; what happens there does not hold true in the rest of this world. It is cut off and perfectly separate." He blinked again, expression edging in caution. Concern. "Do you understand?"

[falseblack]

His sibling had a talent for innate information. Oddly, it had failed to make an impact until now. Nigredo had always known--of this, there existed no doubt--but one could only regard so many traits with Albedo before care refused to hold. With nowhere to go, the understanding must have taken root in intuition. No other explanation could carry as well. By now, he was more comfortable with the idea that the other was infused with strange knowledge. In regards to U-DO, Nigredo had learned well not to question, and that itself was a little strange.

It made him wonder, the result of which caused the boy to stare openly at Albedo. For a while, he had assumed he had eventually overlooked the changes in his brother since the Miltian Conflict. Taint was taint. Albedo was Albedo. Presently, however, he found it much more difficult to separate the two spheres, as though the lines between them bled into each other. He was beginning to see the other as a new person.

That thought was striking when Nigredo considered it was this Albedo who would place care and preference on his younger brother as opposed to his twin.

"I understand," the boy acknowledged, voice soft. The explanation was plain and contained enough familiar elements for him to decipher the logic. His mind, however, moved in another direction. "The man wasn't lying, then. He talked as though the institute--" Or more accurately, the Institute. "--itself could be manipulated." "How to run the Institute itself" was the exact phrase. The connotations were obvious. "Did you hear the broadcast last night?"

[purpletaint]

The reaction was interesting in itself, and he stared levelly at Nigredo as the other nearly gaped at him. From the theory, or from the information? His mind skewed at that point, and he could not remember if he had been like this before. Likely not, no? For how could a child, weapon or otherwise, speak philosophy and science, mixing and mingling both with the finesse of an expert. No, it had to have... come after, but note this clearly--it was as if it had always been there. Not like the knowledges that slipped and spoke to him, but a clear and steady interest in the subject, and Albedo did not know if he had that before. If he had wondered on the theories and digested knowledge on the subject. He did not know, and could not bring himself to ask--because asking would seem too much a death, too much an admittance to something lost in transition.

He glanced downward suddenly, something unnerving in sensation slipping from him, something obviously not related to the current subject.

He locked it away, shut it behind armored doors--a black Pandora's box not unlike others in his mind, only matched and beat by another one more worn, of colors that spoke of the brown of decay and the green of leaves, and he shut it away and then it was gone.

Albedo glanced up as if nothing had happened, the only obvious tell the slightly widened eyes, whites showing around the rims. "I didn't. Do you think it's important?" Ah, and that was a misstep. Albedo should have defaulted to that. A manipulation of their environment? Of course that was interesting enough to claim importance. "What did he say?"

[falseblack]

The mental process could not be missed. An intense repulsion and the disappearance of the same slid under Nigredo's watchful eye and was taken as noteworthy. He did not know what had set Albedo off, nor did he dare guess at the source. All Nigredo could make of the reaction was a force and its subsequent absence. With nothing to call to, the child allowed the minute to slip away, to fall into the inky black of memory.

He returned there beats later, in response to Albedo's inquiry. Two men and a radio... An occurrence dated early last night and therefore, would prove little difficulty in recall. Nigredo tipped his head to the side as green eyes followed suit. Without prompting, the words began to spill, each a perfect product of another's expression. Two others, specifically.

It took some time and concentration to finish. Reiteration wasn't as simple as a straight recall, but for his brother, the effort was fine. Hopefully, his point should be clear with the evidence offered.

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There was no prelude to the speakers, but at least one became clear from the words used as Nigredo went on. Albedo quirked an eyebrow at his brother, obviously amused, as he listened. Brief confusion dispersed into full understanding. Taking his sibling's penchant for memory into mind, this was actually quite obvious and Albedo wondered if Nigredo fully understood. Albedo's head tilted slightly, amusement worsening. Someone with a talent like this would be highly useful to him, and he was a bit disappointed that it was his sibling. He wouldn't manipulate Nigredo as he might others. Another time, though. This was moderately interesting.

For a few reasons, really. He bit his lip, grinning. That kind of interaction... Was quite similar, now wasn't it? If that man on the intercom was less boring, Albedo might like him. "They have such a beautiful relationship," he chirped cheerfully. "I'm sure their night was very... productive." In one way or the other. It seemed there were hang ups from an older relationship there.

Albedo blinked slowly, lashes touching his cheeks. "The basement, mm?" He stared at his sibling. "Did you see anything when you went down?" A new program set? How interesting.

[falseblack]

Albedo exuded amusement, leaving Nigredo to ponder on the source. He suspected the men's conversation contained a joke he had missed, but that could not have been everything Albedo caught. Suspicion awakened other possibilities, and the child watched his sibling with half-lidded eyes, scrutiny taking place of recall. Maybe the humor would come to him.

In the end, nothing came, and Nigredo was forced to resign. He could never understand these matters. "I don't see how bickering is productive," he stated, deadpan, before releasing a strained sigh. Much of this was getting quite tiresome. "Nothing new. There were four sets of doors, like before. The northern set was probably what he was referring to as his 'gift'." In other words, the former director had granted access to the place behind them.

"I suppose I'll find out for certain tonight," added Nigredo. This would come as a great displeasure to Albedo, and despite his own misgivings about it, it had to be said. Otherwise, his brother would find out elsewhere. That would prove more problematic. "I made an agreement to go down there again."

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Such an answer. Of course his sibling would say this. Albedo grinned at him, listening as Nigredo spoke. He made a face of exaggerated thought. "Well, then. More death and despair, more than likely. Is there anything actually useful down there other than blood, riddles, and useless weapons?" The boy rolled his eyes.

To stop entirely as Nigredo went on. The amusement died as he carefully looked at his brother. "And you're taking me."

[falseblack]

More useful than blood, riddles, and weapons? Nigredo would normally agree with the sentiment, if not for Sync's reaction when he attempted to discuss what lay behind the last set of doors. There had to exist something worth looking into for an artificial blocker to be in place.

The thought, however, became secondary as soon as Albedo responded with his intentions. Of all things, his brother was the last individual who should be taken on this venture; Nigredo and his roommate being in the same vicinity of each other would give everything away. But he knew that an outright rejection would not appease this sibling. It would, in fact, make Albedo dig in his heels in the matter.

No, Nigredo had to take a subtle approach, and thanks to a certain night, the child knew exactly how. He looked at his brother for a second, eyes blinking, before one eyebrow quirked. "Are you sure? We're just going to answer the Sphinx's riddle tonight."

[purpletaint]

Yes, yes, Nigredo knew his brother well indeed. At the answer, Albedo's expression died to something mimicking a child being told he was receiving extra chores. The act stopped entirely and Albedo pouted at his sibling. "I hate that thing," he said, almost a whine. "Why does it always ignore me? I was just..."

Asking questions. Likely annoying ones and baiting it to try to squish him. A mischievous grin grew at the thought. And to that, Albedo tugged a hand out of their pile and held up a finger. "All right, Nigredo. If I let you go by yourself," as if it was something granted as a boon and not Albedo backing out, "you have to fulfill two conditions:

"You can't die. Or become more harmed. Or I might be mad at you." He grinned, his hand raising another finger. "And you have to promise we'll go down there tomorrow to test these doors. No backing out."

[falseblack]

Just bothering it with questions, Nigredo finished internally. For once, he hadn't the care to roll his eyes at the memory. There were more important aspects than admonishing a brother for his behavior from another night. He had already expressed his disapproval. There existed no need to repeat it.

Besides, Nigredo technically had no moral ground to stand on when it came to throwing past actions in another's face.

He sighed at the thought and the conditions, before returning the grin with a strained smile. At least Nigredo was feeling slightly less weighted and could answer with complete honesty. "I promise I won't die or become more harmed," he said, "and I promise we'll go down there tomorrow to test the doors. But you have to find others to take along." As any test there required more than two children.