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(no subject)

Who: Espio + anyone
What: One very belated intro
Where: Here and There
When: "November", if November exists
Content Warnings: Likely references to him being from a sex-or-die CRAU in the tags.

1. The Sky

[Why, you might ask, is there a short man with a lizard tail standing on a rock, arms spread wide as he laughs almost maniacally at the sky? There must surely be a reason, right?

Before he can be interrupted, he notices whoever approaches him and his laughter trails off as he turns to face them.]

Look at that! Five years, and they give me this - it's like going home! How long's that been like that?

[He jabs a thumb towards the sky behind him, where shapes are twisting and coiling just like in the weird part of the Special Zone. It has been so long since he's seen a sky as colourful as the one he was once used to that the little taste of home actually makes him feel slightly ill... still, seeing it, all he can do is laugh, even if it's not a happy laugh.]

2. How to Be Social

[Still convinced this is only an illusion, just like the countless illusions he's experienced in the past several months, Espio has not been particularly inclined to socialise. The problem with that is that while he does not want to go through meeting and greeting new people who might not even be real, being alone is... well, it's lonely! So while he has mostly been steering away from more obvious social hubs and has instead wandered what feels like the entire habitable area for he doesn't know how long, eventually he gives in and shows his face somewhere with people. What few people there are in this place, anyway...

The Heavenly Blanc is as good a bet as any, but he can also be found somewhere in the Underground Academy. Either way, his idea of a greeting is questionable:]

Still haven't seen anyone I know. How 'bout you?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Who says I haven't?

[Kaiba was joking, mostly, but he had been gifted with forerays into Atlantis, and Ancient Egypt.. and two virtual worlds before this one. Those counted. Sort of. ]

Oh- like a lava lamp exploded. Heh, sorry for you. [Not being able to see why you would miss that ] So where have you been if it wasn't home?

Point. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

[He huffs a little at Kaiba's 'sorry' - what's there to be sorry about, the sky is supposed to look like that! - but lets it go without comment.]

...here and there. An alien world, an apocalyptic wasteland... several illusions... here, but I think 'here' probably falls under the 'illusion' category.

[It was all about perspective really. What was normal for one was peculiar for the other]

I would call it a simulation myself, but I'm in the minority.

[Either way, it sounded like lizard boy had been through several hells and... Not quite back. ]

Most seem to think this place really is an alternate dimension.

As in, a computer simulation?

[He pulls a face at that.]

No way. Experience would say mass illusion, except... [he narrows his eyes a little at Kaiba, trying to figure out if he's seen him before and just forgot] ...except normally, they're shared with people I know.

What else?

[Of course he does. It's like everyone he's met here has this aversion to technology and the capabilities thereof. There were no limits to the field]

What is with you people? I can only assume inexperience or ignorance when the theory is immediately shot down.

Oh great- so you're used to hallucinating. That's just what we need.

Because my experience says otherwise. That, and I don't like what a 'computer simulation' theory would mean for me specifically. I have a lot of enemies that would absolutely pull that shit... I'd rather have gone through hell with some semblance of freedom than think I've been completely at someone else's mercy for five years.

At least the illusions go away eventually.

You think I don't? That's why it's not outside the realm of reason.

[Expelling a sigh.]

The simulation will too, once I find a way to gain access to the controls or find a backdoor. [Just saying ] It's better than assuming we're all just on some trip. [Rolling his eyes ]

'Better' how? Because it'd be easier for you to fix if it was?

Good luck with that. If I assumed simulation, I'd have every reason to assume you're not real either, with as many 'characters' I've seen come and go.

Edited 2020-11-26 00:54 (UTC)

Naturally. That and my senses wouldn't be dulled by hallucinogens.. [Not to mention having to deal with potential withdrawal after the substance was no longer being supplied ]

I'm not going to argue with that... [Since, actually, Kaiba had assumed everyone was an NPC before... But now he thought differently ] I'm just telling you like it is. The things that happen here can't be real.

Hallucinogens...? Not yet...

[He can't help but frown. He's been through Some Shit, but getting drugged up on hallucinogens has thankfully not happened yet. Just an unstable reality being unstable, and he's been dealing with unstable realities his entire life!]

And what sort of things happen here?

How else would you account for your mass hallucinations if it's not chemical in nature. [Then he swiftly held up a hand to discourage a reply] You know what- nevermind. I don't think I want to know.

[Kaiba was a skeptic on anything he couldn't explain, so if this had anything to do with something outside of scientific theory he was over it]

Like- that. [Pointing to the sky] .. though that's normal to you, I realize but it's not in reality. [Not his reality, reality in general] Haven't you observed any other oddities yourself? [Not really wanting to turn this into storytime] Sudden weather shifts and physiological changes- the terrain also expands and contracts over time but not at a rate that would make any sense...

Haven't been here long enough to notice anything drastic, but I've lived in unstable realities my whole life. I'm the wrong person to ask what's weird or normal.

[He means that completely sincerely - there's not even a slight hint of mockery in his voice, just a slightly edge that says he's explained this to people countless times.]

Edited 2020-11-26 01:45 (UTC)

[Well- that was bizarre and surprisingly non-confrontational. It's so unexpected that it takes Kaiba a moment or two to decide what to fire back with]

Heh- well eventually, any mysteries lingering about the void will be solved. You can count on that. I don't plan on remaining here indefinitely and they've already wasted enough of my time.

Edited 2020-11-26 01:52 (UTC)

'Void'... is that what they're calling this place?

[He shrugs, and turns his attention back to the sky.]

Well, we've all got better places to be. Just can't get there right now. At least this if this is some other reality, it's an improvement.

Essentially. It could use some updating. Something catchier and less basic.

[Gotta critique everything]

I don't know about you, but I have a company to run and time is money. [It was evident that he was itching to take over the reigns again. Mostly he was worried about his brother- but didn't say so.] What pressing business do you have?

Do you want the whole list?

[He does give Kaiba a curious look, noting that he's quite young to be running a company, but he's not going to make a big deal out of it.]

I don't care about your business, and you don't care about mine. We're both stuck in the same situation, but all I'm thinking is how much worse it could be. If you're struggling to wrap your head around the 'void', you'd never survive Between.

Abridged would have been enough.

[Unable to resist rolling his eyes at the evasive dialogue. Just 'running a company' hadn't really listed his obligations in full detail either, but if this guy wanted to be smart about it, then forget it. Kaiba had his fill of small talk anyway]

You got that right. [Not even trying to deny it, though- knowing whether the stranger possessed any skills might have come in handy later] Feh- don't get cocky just because it's sedate now. Who says that I'm struggling with anything. You're the one that was laughing maniacally into the sky. I'm the one that's composed. You can keep your underestimation of my endurance to yourself.

[Espio sighs, because this... boy, who he can’t quite tell the age of but he’s guessing around twenty, could have at least asked him what he was talking about first instead of making assumptions.]

You... might have wanted to establish context first. I’m not questioning your endurance, I’m questioning your sex life.

[A little younger than that actually, but the height could have easily thrown off the assessment. He was 6'1"]

Would you even have provided it, if I asked? [This part-lizard guy hadn't been forthcoming with information thus far] Then what are you questioning? [Nothing could have prepared Kaiba for the response that followed. His mouth involuntarily gaped open, his eyes widening in surprise. Though he hated to project this, he was noticeably flustered]

My what?! [Emotions mixing into a bizarre cocktail he wasn't sure whether to be more confused or angered.] What does that have to do with anything?!

I’m not that cagey!

You try living in a reality where your existence is tied to your sex life. I’d give you maybe a week.

[Though he says that with a casual flippancy, his tone quickly shifts to something more level and serious, just to impress it upon him:]

And I’m not making that up - everything was fuelled by ‘belief’, and ‘belief’ was fuelled by sex. No, I don’t understand the logic, but everything we went through proved it. Compared to that, I can handle a bit of nonsense - I’d be a poor New Teker if I couldn’t.

[New Tek being his home city.]

Other reason I don’t like the ‘simulation’ idea - that’d mean someone is watching.

...

[Wait. Give him a minute with this one.

Kaiba's irate expression fell into mild consternation as he tried and failed to process this information. It just didn't make a wit of sense]

Look- the details of my sex life are [non-existent] best left unsaid but why in the hell would you ever believe something so preposterous?!

[There was always an alternate explanation for going along with such a stipulation. Maybe, the prospect hadn't been as unappealing as lizard boy was insinuating]

Sounds more like you were nothing more than an easily manipulated gigolo, and that your clients weren't as particular about appearances.

[Also, he couldn't allow for such a condition to exist. Not in his reality, it didn't matter what the stranger had personally witnessed. Seto often rejected unpleasant notions as if he could somehow shield himself from having to deal with it in earnest]

Someone is. It accounts for many of the alterations to the mechanics.

[There's a small snort at that, because really. That's what he's going to assume?]

Nice try, but I think I know my job. Got a big fancy title if you want it.

I'm sure you'd believe it too if you'd experienced it yourself - finding yourself on the edge of nonexistence one too many times is usually enough to convince someone. Not the best of experiences... I don't think it was a simulation, but if it was, I bet something very real was happening to our bodies.

[There are so many reasons he does not like the simulation theory! But not liking it doesn't mean he's discounting it completely, because as Kaiba goes on it does make more sense - alterations in mechanics, alterations to the setting...]

...and I have questions for anyone who gets off to people stuck in a dusty dead wasteland being forced into sex...

[Pretty much]

Yet I'm still waiting to hear what it is, and I'm not sure that I still care enough to listen.

I sincerely doubt it. [In a setting like that, if it in actuality existed he would most likely perish on principles than degrade himself for someone's entertainment. He had issues with physical contact as it was and he didn't need to add more. Also he had past experiences to back up his stubborn assertions that he wouldn't be easily convinced. He actually had been close to nonexistence on more than one occasion and yet he still insisted that magic wasn't real...] You clearly are unaware of what technology of capable of. With the right components and programming you can subvert reality and utterly replace it with a wholly immersive experience. [The stimulation- not of a physical sort- but a mental one could fire off certain sections of the brain and convince a person that what they experienced actually happened]

....

[I MEAN- Kaiba would have issues with that as well but there are sickos out there]

Look- can we just stop talking about sex.

If you stop trying to persuade me you know my experiences better than me, sure.

[If not, he'll be happy to continue, especially now he knows it makes him uncomfortable. It seems like a fair trade to ask for.]

...SeeD 43172, Piloting and Weapons Specialist Operative, Martial Arts Platoon, Level 3.

[It's been a long time since he last gave anyone his full operating title, so it feels a little odd, but he's pretty sure that will give this sour-faced lad some idea of his actual role.]

[~~That may not be how canon FFVIII Garden refers to their SeeDs, but it's how it was in Witches Reign.~~]

[Although Kaiba made no verbal guarantee, he just made a mental note to end all discussion on the related topics.

It certainly did seem to bother the youthful ceo.]

Military? [Crinkling his nose at that.] I moved Kaiba corp out of that trade the moment I seized control. [His disgust with the idea wasn't hidden under a thick veil. World domination could be achieved through more efficient means with less loss of life. He'd rather tie everything up financially]