Day 57: Greenhouse (third shift)

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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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[falseblack]

One could take present happenings and pick them to pieces. Today was something he could mangle on sheer principle; it seemed right to thoroughly analyze a pair of disappearances, a brother's friend, and a deal partly unwanted. Nigredo's thoughts, however, were several hours ahead, locked onto what was inevitable. They had only gotten the sword. Sync and his acquaintance would require the shield, and with three as a necessity, the boy would be taken. There existed no other alternative. He couldn't even ask his brother for assistance. He honestly did not know if he wanted to live past this afternoon

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There was a break shown, clear and perfect, and Albedo wondered what he had stumbled onto. Of course, he knew in some way--it was why he had held it instead of tossing it away--all that was said in that night had some meaning if one cared to look. And here was the resolution, the complete agreement of the fact, in a way Nigredo would likely not want to portray so readily. Nigredo stared, and Albedo only waited. A waiting that was not long in coming.

His brother spoke in a way disjointed and perfectly clear and Albedo could now at least see the cause. What night would Nigredo refer to as such but that one, and here it was spoken clearly--for Albedo had called, though he couldn't easily say why, and Nigredo had shown up with Albedo's twin and that man. That night, and here, those words, words familiar, that Nigredo had practically said the morning after. "I thought you had left me alone."And how had Albedo replied? With mention and claim to Rubedo, as want prompted him to do here. Here; claim hesitation instead, for allow

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There lay a query among the mental process, a detail made apparent thanks to a name. Albedo would wonder why and draw comparisons between the twins, despite Nigredo's absolute displeasure in the contrast. He looked at his hands, pausing once for courage, before gazing up at the elder with broken eyes

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Nigredo spoke, and Albedo nearly did not comprehend. "Rubedo told me how I died." The eldest told him? How in the future Nigredo had died, was dead as Albedo apparently was? But that seemed not to be it at all, instead it traced backwards, was a response to a question Albedo hadn't asked, and he hesitated, listened. Did not wholly comprehend

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The explanation settled as odd. From Albedo's perspective, an apology registered as flawed. Gratitude as bemusing. Nigredo, in truth, had never understood and assumed his gestures were something annoying to the middle variant. Something insufficient from a brother who carried a power abhorred and stood in his way. How could he understand otherwise? It was as if the other was saying he was undeserving

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The words Nigredo used kept to clarity and perception--without the flaws readily apparent. Albedo understood, in whole, what the other meant. If Nigredo's existence had value to Albedo, then Albedo could do what he wished, in all simplicity. A straightforward mindset, and one that nearly split the boy. Of the part the cared for his brother enough to consider his feelings, Albedo was nearly dumbstruck at the thought. If Albedo accepted his brother, his brother would allow anything? It was wrong, and horribly stunning in its enticement--and herein laid the other half, for Nigredo had but signed a part of himself away with the words. Albedo would not forget that sentence easily: "--you have every right to take what I have."And Nigredo was no innocent. He understood Albedo likely better than any other here, at least in motivation and movements, if not the reasons why. And Nigredo should then understand how dangerous those words could be. It was likely he did, and said them anyway. Be it possibly from a complete disregard of self--but here

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To give one's self away was part and parcel to acceptance. To offer everything for the chance to be seen as worthwhile was prepared for since birth. Isolation led to deficiency, possibility to desire. From the start, it was his brothers who defined his existence, and in the end, Nigredo would give himself to one, the other, both, or no one. His wants subsisted in this paradigm, and no hand--Father, sister, circumstance--would force a change

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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

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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.

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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?"

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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

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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

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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