and fate reaches sidewise for another "duplicate". sort of.

[psychomachy]

[air is not supposed to warp and pixelate like that, oh no. but then, a plaza shouldn't have new arrivals plummeting through the pixelation to crumple nicely against the ground, either.]

... oww ...

... What --!

[it shouldn't have been a surprise -- given where he'd been -- that when the ground gave way he'd plummeted straight through to some

Comments

[ventus_aerius]

[the howl of pain was what caught Harpuia' attention initially. He only took five seconds to decide to go investigate. With the layout and building, Harpuia could easily fly to safety if things got out of hand...

But picture his surprise when, upon nearing the location where the sound originated, he ends up coming across what should have been a familiar face? The armor looked exactly like Omega's but for the fact that the color scheme of the other Reploid was entirely wrong. Caught off guard, Harpuia ends up hovering in the air in plain sight longer than he intended simply staring]

This place... [torn between being on edge or disgusted, Harpuia lets himself drop in height until he's only hovering slightly off the ground]

[ventus_aerius]

[here are some brief instructions, because the mun is too lazy orz ]

[he frowns at the snort]

That you were created from Zero. How, why, those sorts of things. [pause] But those questions might be better left unanswered. [because he certainly couldn't remember his own creation]

[psychomachy]

[hee ~]

[glancing away briefly --]

A known thing, this; to be, must be, will be.

Of the red one, the dead one -- shards, fragments ... the core.

[ventus_aerius]

...

This isn't a good place to talk about that sort of thing. You never know who's listening.

[psychomachy]

A known thing, this. Scapegoat, a broadcast -- not hidden, I.

[ventus_aerius]

[wide-eyed stare]

A scapegoat? But for what? [ah, there was that feeling that he was missing something again]

[psychomachy]

...

Virus; Nightmare, the Nightmare.

For the red one, dead one, gone -- a scapegoat, false sighting. A lie.

[ventus_aerius]

[he'd read vague reports about that virus, but nothing definitive. Had the data been lost during the Elf Wars? Harpuia had never paid much attention to the data left over from the Maverick Wars]

...

[actually, he's been stunned speechless. Give him a minute to try and digest what you've just told him]

[psychomachy]

[oh, this expression he's seen before.]

[patient pink cat is patient.]

[ventus_aerius]

[he shakes it off after a while, but he's still confused]

[softly;] You're... a copy of Zero? Or a virus made in his image?

[psychomachy]

[there's a quick, fangs-bared hiss, just as quickly cut off; and Nightmare shakes his head violently. bad habit, very bad -- but he's so tired of people assuming he's nothing but a virus.]

No; no. Reploid, I.

Of Zero, from the core. From shards, remnants -- from the dead, I. But of Zero, of the red one.

[copy? depends on how you look at it]

[ventus_aerius]

[he stands his ground, but Harpuia's expression hardens for a moment]

Hmmm... [before falling back into a contemplative one. Was it even possible to give a virus physical form? The Cyber Elves of his time were different from viruses. Nightmare claims to be a Reploid and not a virus. So then...]

[Harpuia sighs] Reploid. That previous idea wouldn't have worked well... At all? This isn't sort of thing isn't my forte.

[he doesn't even know what to make of the second portion. It couldn't be similar to himself and his fellow Guardians... More akin to Copy X (right down to a different personality)]

[psychomachy]

Virus, the Nightmare -- solid, yes, tangible. Could, did show once; enough, large enough to ensnare. A different thing.

[forces himself to relax ...]

[ventus_aerius]

Then... You are associated with that virus, without being it. The two are separate entities? [at least he's trying to understand]

[psychomachy]

Yes. Carrier, I.

[the effort is appreciated ~]

[ventus_aerius]

...!!

[kinda jumps back a bit here. It's not your fault, Harpuia's just... hasn't gotten over the memory of the baby elves yet]