Seaside [open]

[six_lives_left]

It had been bound to happen eventually -- after tinkering around with the various Shiny Things brought back from the Ruins, and getting accustomed to little things like living in a proper building, Serin had gotten a little restless

Comments

[mega_bluebomber]

Seaside was one of the areas that Mega Man liked best in all of Reality Vanish. The atmosphere was usually pleasant, with people enjoying the sun and the sand and children laughing and playing in the water. No one looked twice at him if he wore his armor. No one cared if he was human or mechanical or the famous hero Mega Man. Mega Mans were a dime a dozen here, and there were certainly better heroes to be found. It was nice. Nobody expected him to be anything other than another beachgoer. He wondered if he should take off his armor.

"Only if I feel like it," he murmured with satisfaction. He took a step off the sidewalk, heading toward the beach.

[six_lives_left]

If Mega Man had been watching, he would have realized that one person at least was giving him a second look.

Or at least was watching him with obvious curiosity -- and then shaking his head slightly, blonde hair rippling behind him, and starting to veer in Mega's direction.

On the upside, the slight blonde seemed unlikely to either snap at him for being an obvious 'machine', or to mob him for being who he was. It did seem like simple curiosity.

[mega_bluebomber]

Mega wouldn't normally have taken any note of Serin, but the fact that Serin seemed to be heading straight for him caught his attention. He stopped and turned to look at the blonde young... he was a man, wasn't he?

"Can I help you," he asked once the other had caught up.

[six_lives_left]

"Maybe?"

The blonde's voice was quiet, and a light tenor -- but seemed reasonably male enough. More or less. Serin smiled and trotted to a halt a short distance away, still not looking anything other than cheerfully curious.

"It's not anything serious ... I've only seen someone armoured in those colours in dreams before I came here."

"But you look a little different, so i wanted to see; I'm not being a bother, am I?"

[mega_bluebomber]

Mega dropped his arm to his side once it was released. "He wasn't completely destroyed, no, but what was left was completely unsalvageable." He and Protoman had made sure of that.

At the revelation of who X thought Serin was supposed to be, Mega tilted his head slightly and took a closer look at him. "I guess I can see a resemblance, but I never would have guessed that myself. You look very different from the Zeros I've seen. What makes X think that's who you are?"

[six_lives_left]

"Still a shame, really."

Serin clearly had no problem with being studied in turn; he waited patiently, watching Mega and demonstrated no real unease.

"Because of what I dream, mostly, and because I recognized him from those. I know that Corbeau had to piece me back together again, so some things might have changed --"

"And because I had this with me when Corbeau found me."

Out of nowhere -- possibly hidden in a sleeve or some other hold of clothing -- Serin pulled the hilt of a beam-sabre type weapon.

[mega_bluebomber]

Mega thought if over, but in the end, he just shook his head. There wasn't enough information to be certain what the real truth was. "It could be a coincidence. You might have known both X and Zero once. Or maybe you're just a very different alternate of Zero? I don't know. Does it matter to you?"

[six_lives_left]

"Not as much as maybe it should?"

Serin tucked the hilt away and again and shrugged.

"I'd like to know what I was, but if I can't find out I won't be that upset ... it might be that that part of me is just lost."

"X seems bothered by it sometimes. But that might just be that I need a few things fixed still."

[viral_lord]

At that moment, X had his hands somewhat full. Perhaps, in retrospect, it hadn't been such a good idea to let so many of the cyberelves out at the same time. But, since they'd all been stored on the same data recorder, X hadn't been sure how to let them out one at a time.

So now he was sitting on the couch in the middle of the main room of the condo, watching as five assorted cyberelves flitted around him. He was vainly trying to keep an eye on all of them as they explored the room around them.

[six_lives_left]

And may X be wished with damn good luck in that task, indeed. Inquisitive and nosy little critters -- especially Maya and Kynite -- they poked and prodded and peeked into everything.

Granted the little X elf was staying a little closer, but that wasn't necessarily better.

Serin trotted into the room and stopped, blinking, at the bright-coloured and flitting elves.

"Are you busy, right now ...?"

[viral_lord]

X pulled his attention away from the elves for a moment to look distractedly over at Serin. Which might not be the best idea if he intended to keep track of them all.

"Serin? Not especially - I don't think..." He paused and gently tried to coax the little X elf into letting go of his hair. "I just let them out for a bit... They won't wander off and get lost, will they?"

[six_lives_left]

"I don't think so, no. They'll stay here if they want to stay with us; and they haven't left yet, so I don't think they want to."

Serin watched the elves consideringly, briefly distracted.

"I should let the others out too, but I need to ask something first --"

Giving himself a bit of a shake, he recounted his conversation with Mega.

"... So, he would like to come up and meet you, if you didn't mind ..?"

It did take come coaxing, but X elf did eventually let go. Unfortunately, this was just to slip within X's shirt-collar and around the back of his neck.

[viral_lord]

"You must be from long before the current time in my homeworld, then." X shrugged slightly. "As much a brother as any, then. I have none from my own world - none that I've met, at least."

X turned his head to look at the little Xling on his shoulder. He reached up to lightly pet the elf before replying to Mega. "I... do not believe so. The circumstances of where we found him-" X shook his head slightly and returned his attention mainly to Mega. "I think it more likely he was made from an X, rather than being an X himself."

[six_lives_left]

"... There wasn't one like me there, no. Maybe there wasn't ever; it depends on who I actually am, maybe."

"But I think X is probably right about the 'making' theory. There were a lot of different things and people being made there ..."

Martina shushed Serin, and flitted her wings.

"Don't need to talk about that, you --"

[mega_bluebomber]

"That seems to be the case with most Xes," Mega said. "Most of the ones I've met have never met their world's Mega Man or Rockman. My guess is that I died before they were activated."

Mega tentatively reached a hand out toward the Xling. "Made from you?" he echoed. "How? And what does that make him to you?" Would the little X elf let him touch him? Maybe even sit in his hand?

[viral_lord]

X didn't know Mega well and didn't want him spooking the tiny elf. However, he resisted the urge to pull away from Mega. Instead, he kept an eye on how the little flitter reacted to Mega as he answered Mega. "I- I'm not sure, really... And made from X's DNA coding, I suppose. I don't know much about how cyberelves are made."