"Thank you for your cooperation in this investigation"
'You would think I was used to law enforcement of some kind already, but fuck why can't I stop shaking?' Looking at his hands he sighed in frustration as he saw Rion down the corridor of the Cube's enforcement centre.
"Yo Kilo!" He waved but noticed Kilo didn't look okay? "Hey… you alright?"
Touching the back of his neck in an attempt to break the awkwardness he simply nodded.
The Cube enforcement had come shortly after Dixie's run in with a Dissonance. It seems like this has happened a few times too many and was becoming a wide spread panic in Prism. Especially since Prism had been declared long ago a safe zone- sure monster weren't the issue because of clear boundaries but even dissonance shouldn't be able to enter due to their corruption.
'Whatever that means anyway…'
"You only recently woke up?" Questioned a Cube enforcer perplexed, Kilo was getting sick of that statement and he'd only been awake for a week and a bit so far.
"Why does that matter? I hardly see it as evidence for the dissonance" he had a sharp tongue when he wanted but he'd played nice till now.
Checking a holographic board in front of them the enforcer seemed to say something to another as they left the room shortly after.
"You seem to be agitated and I apologise for the delay, you are free to go, thank you for telling us everything you know regarding the incident with your friend. And thank you for your cooperation in this investigation"
'Why the hell was it a big deal anyway? So what he just woke up, why did people care so much?' Stopping in front of a bathroom door he entered as lights automatically turned on. He'd been mindlessly wondering around in thought and hadn't really paid attention until now.
In the orphanage there was quite a lack of technology on that end of Prism but he kinda understood that being away was rather a safe option considering that you could be watched 24/7.
Kilo hadn't really looked at his reflection before in this world, a lot of the kids would mention that he was pretty. He'd be the first to admit they were right about that at least, he wasn't exactly handsome but he was indeed good looking. Which was odd… did he always look like this?
'And what's with this barcode beneath my eye?' Touching it it seemed to slither a metallic silver glint. 'There's no way I'd get a tattoo and not remember'
Pressing down on it his eyes that were a pale blue suddenly became orange almost and in shock he reared backwards and slammed into the toilet stall door behind him.
"What the fuck is wrong with my eyes-!?" Being shocked was the least amount of his concern as right before his eyes numerous clear game-like cubes seemed to appear out of thin air? The fumbled and merged until a strange creature with the exact shade of his eyes at present stared back.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh-!"
people and enforcement officials alike that were in the area all looked to the bathroom door from the outside in confusion to Kilo's yelling on the inside.
Kilo on the other end wasn't playing games as he picked up what seemed to be a metal cylinder trash can. He then proceeded waving it around at the strange creature that seemed to just be floating and antagonising him. At least in his perspective of things.
"Stay the fuck back if you value you weird existence" he hissed as the strange creature looked at him like he had a screw loose.
Suddenly the bathroom stall door was busted open and a worried Rion looked at a Kilo who from his prospective had gone officially mad.
As if to leave immediately upon entering, Rion spoke to excuse himself out of whatever this was. He thought Kilo was in danger hearing his yelling from down the corridor where he'd watch Kilo aimless wonder away.
But before he could leave Kilo grabbed him and pointed to where the creature was.
"Why the fuck are you leaving me here with that!?" He yelled as Rion looked around in the direction Kilo was pointing but saw nothing?
"Hey… uh… I know everything has been rough adjusting too but maybe you should see someone" Rion spoke slightly worried for Kilo's sanity as Kilo blinked at the statement.
'Did this bastard just call me mental!? But wait…. He can't see it?' Looking at Rion who he had a dead grip on his collar to the creature floating he concluded that it seemed only he could see it?
"Ah fuck" he mumbled as he let Rion go, he wouldn't have been able to do anything to the muscle head anyway. The dude was huge. "Sorry I must of just hallucinated or something."
"Yeah sure… no problem" Rion responded, unsure of the situation as he fixed his collar and made his way out. He wasn't about to ask either, he needed to locate Dixie, chances were she'd already head-locked an official.
Washing his face did nothing,
fake claims to religious beliefs to exorcise the supposed demon, nothing,
punching himself in the face? Nothing.
Maybe he had gone insane? But why now of all times, wouldn't have insanity hit when he discovered his arm for his baseline was practically open - even if censored by components - or the fact that this world was that of a game?
ruffling his hair with both hands in distress he contemplated a lot as the creature now laid along his shoulders. It seemed that it was clearly only something he saw and that whatever this thing was could only touch him?
'Ah… who am I kidding… I've lost it…' Kilo despaired slightly sitting at a bench as shouting and more could be heard to his right. Looking up he turned almost white as he saw Rion ripping Dixie off a scared Cube enforcer as other onlookers watched confused and more.
'Maybe this is a dream…'
"You bitches want a piece of me! I ain't scared of you, Cube can shove it up their asses! Leave our orphanage alone!" Shouted Dixie as Rion tried to steer her away.
"Sorry, we will be leaving now!" Shouted back Rion as he spotted Kilo that looked at a loss for words and slung him under his arm too. 'Why am I always the get away driver' Rion thought exhausted as he walked out of the centre.
-
"Oh my dears! You're back!" Joyfully expressed Martha as Rion put down a semi pissed Dixie and a silent Kilo. "Did they hurt you anywhere?" She worried asked cupping Dixie's cheeks as Dixie huffed in annoyance. "Don't you lie to me"
"They threatened the Orphanage again… it's my fault…" mumbled Dixie as Rion sighed.
Dixie had a representation of getting in to street fights and gang affiliation but she's never brought her street life to the orphanage. Even with an advanced new reality, very real society standards still happened like human trafficking. A lot of the kids in the orphanage weren't just ones who'd been alone on day one when everyone woke up. Some were taken away and abused.
Dixie's mission was to erase that as it seemed the Cube had no interest in doing so.
"They can try if they want but the public won't allow it. I won't allow it." Martha spoke, for someone her age she had spunk. "Rion, Kilo, how about you? What did they ask?"
"Not much really, they asked a lot about if I'd be interested in being a Cube official other than what happened" A given to his appearance, he'd be exceptional for it. He was good at fighting too, he was a full package deal. "Of course I said no, why would I work for assholes that don't care about children"
'But you don't supposedly care about children…' Kilo thought as Rion laughed.
"Kilo?"
All eyes on him he saw that even the strange creature that now he looked better at, sorta resembled a cat?- was waiting for his reply. Looking down he sighed.
"They asked about my awakening… they seemed more interested in the fact I just woke up than the dissonance…" hearing silence he looked up from the floor and saw that Martha looked serious? As did the others? Did he say something wrong? "Not that they pressured me to continue or anything, truthfully I got annoyed about it and they noticed that and let me leave."
Martha looking at the other two seemed to share an inaudible conversation as they all seemed to nod in agreement.
"Kilo, maybe keep that knowledge to yourself. Even if we know, others might think that there's something wrong with that and come for you." Martha's voice held worry but above all sternness. She was quite surprised when the young man was found and enquired Rion about it.
'That fact that even Rion didn't know but received an anonymous notification by the system at that… this young man might be in danger depending on what the reasoning was for his late arrival.' Martha's thoughts were interrupted as Kilo agreed to what her and the others were saying.