"Oi, what's your name."
"Hm?"
The crusader looked at his side where the sick-looking young man resided, staring back at him with a gaze that seemed much sharper than what it was.
When he stared at him, he felt something wrong with his face.
Those tired-looking eyes, sharp as ever.
His messy hair, still managing to look out of a hair salon.
His sharp, white teeth and pointy nose…
A face full of contradictions, and the biggest of them all…
"Hey, you heard me?"
His voice was sharp, decisive, yet it had a ring on it, it was almost indescribable, but…
...Calling it macabre would be a close approximation.
"Oi lad, don't leave me hangin' y'know?"
...Of course, all of those nerving characteristics are canceled by his manner of speaking.
He spoke a combination of almost every form of English, some American here, some Bri'ish there, a little bit of Scottish mixed with Australian...
It was a combination of all, yet one thing was clear.
English wasn't his first language.
"...Are you gonna answer me or nah."
"Ah!"
The crusader stood up and motioned a slight bow.
"Forgive me, my name is... Noah Bismarck."
"...Yeah, thought so."
"Excuse me but," The crusader took a deep breath before proceeding. "I do not remember meeting someone like you."
"Yeah, figures." The man looked towards his hand, doing with this a circular gesture. "But I know you."
"May I ask what your name is then? Perhaps it could help my memory."
The man stood up proudly, his chest pumped and his hands on his hips.
Something peculiar was that first he grabbed it with the back of his hands, and then quickly switched to the conventional way, as if remembering something.
He opened his mouth with a grin from ear to ear and a proud-looking dumb face.
"The name's...!"
"Yes?"
". . ."
He stood frozen in place, his smile still in his face and his eyes now staring at the sky.
"Gimme a sec."
In the man's mind, he was trying to find the solution to a newly arisen problem.
A problem so dumb, yet so important in that specific situation, a problem that would define the rest of his days.
'Okay so, how the fuck do I present myself? What name should I use?'
'Battery name? Too cliché'
'New name new me? Hell nah I ain't memorizing a new name'
He scratched the back of his head in thought, concluding his (pretty dumb) problem.
'Then that only leaves…' Gazing back at the crusader, he boasted loudly "Hyde! Edward Hyde!"
"...Edward Hyde?"
"The one and only!"
One with a smile on his face, the other with a puzzled expression under his helmet, both gentlemen stared at each other.
"...I am sorry, but I don't remember knowing you."
"Would be surprised if you did."
Every answer that this strange man gave only amplified Noah's questions, his manner of speaking as if they were both childhood friends.
"Wondering how I know so much 'bout cha aye?"
"That's correct."
Edward made a V shape with his index and thumb, placing it under his chin and smiling at Noah.
"Man I didn't expect ye to talk so fancy and respectful," Placing his arms behind his back and leaning forward, he continued "but I guess that's how things are without me in the equation."
'This man… Can't he be clear for once?' His curiosity rising on par with his confusion, Noah finally asked.
"Who are you exactly?"
Edward only rolled his eyes and…
"Geez, finally asking the real fucking questions."
Made a pout.
= = =
"Could you repeat yourself?"
"Are you seriously gonna make me intro myself twice!?" Edward complained, placing his hands ahead of his annoyed face. "That's like, heresy for any interesting character y'know!?"
"Jiiiiiiiiii"
"DON'T "Jiii" ME YE FUCKER-" Ed stopped his ranting, taking a deep breath while raising his arms and lowering them back, his hands in a praying motion at the center of his chest. "Aight, I'mma say it again."
He moved sideways and put a leg in front, his heel on contact with the floor as the front of his foot was raised, his left hand on his wrist and his right was pointing at his stupid-wide grin. He slightly turned his head to face the crusader and boasted in a proud tone:
"I am certified memelord and RPG connoisseur Edward Hyde!"
"Yes that," the crusader, still sitting and with a hand under his chin, he extended the index and pointed at Edward "What do you mean by "memelord"?"
"I am the lord of the memes, that's it." Edward stopped his dumb pose and made a shrugging motion. "Anything else that's bugging your mind?"
"What does Arr Pii Gee mean?"
"Role Playing Game you uncultured dumbass."
"One last thing," Ignoring the insult, he stood up, noticing how the two of them were almost the same height, although the memelord was clearly one head lower "How do you know about me?"
"I made you."
"...Wha?" In utter confusion, he replied "Explain yourself."
Edward sat down at the side of a nearby bench and crossed his legs, blankly staring at the empty space at his side.
"I created you to play with my homies, my first ever creation, my avatar, that's who you are."
Noah stood silent for a moment. Finally he decided to sit down on the empty space beside his creator.
"What are you?"
"I already told ya, I'm a memelord."
"Why did you create me?"
"Cuz I wanted to."
"Why are you so cryptic?"
"Why are you repeating the same shit?"
"..."
"..."
Edward let out a sigh as he lowered his head.
"Sorry, I'm just not good at answering shit like this."
"..."
Noah didn't say anything.
"...You're wondering if what I said is true, am I wrong?"
"..."
Edward raised his head and rested his back on the bench.
"Your name is Noah Bismarck, you lived on a small village until you became a pilgrim and became fluent in many tongues, at the start of the Holy Great War you got enlisted in the army and developed your skills as a marksman, your signature weapons are a pair of Desert Eagles and a retractable shield that you obtained when raiding an enemy base."
He stared back at Noah, and even though he was wearing a helmet, Edward could imagine the face he was making under it.
A face of surprise and disbelief combined.
"...I guess you now know that what I say it's true but…"
"..."
"...Sorry."
None of them dared to say a word for a while, Edward noticeably growing tired of the uncomfortable tension decided to break the ice.
"Awkward silence."
"...What?"
"Awkward silence," he repeated "Used to say that when there was awkward silence, normally used to get the conversation going."
"Well… I guess it has the opposite effect."
"...At least it serves as an ultimatum between talking or just ending the conversation right there."
Noah let out a small chuckle before replying.
"Well then, anything in your mind, Sir Edward?"
Edward stopped looking at the depths of the universe or (whatever he was looking at) and fixed his gaze on Noah, his smile upside down.
"Tell me, what's the last thing you remember?"
Noah gazed to the sky in thought.
"I was with my party members after the clearing of the Zodiac tower, after that I was given a new shield and these guns and…"
"That's all you remember?"
"I wonder if there's more to remember?"
Edward looked up along with Noah.
"Who knows, I can't remember jack shit. I even think you have more memories than me."
As they sat down, they both appreciated a thing they didn't know they missed.
Time alone.
They both liked the feeling of finally being alone to rearrange their thoughts, and they desperately needed such things.
"Welp, I've decided."
Edward stood up, crossing his arms and looking determined at Noah.
"We've got a place to explore, don't ya think?"
Noah formed a smirk under his helmet and stood up.
"I wondered where this sense of adventuring came from."
"I'm in a new world, might as well explore it."
The crusader slightly bowed, as he placed a hand on his chest.
"I agree, Sir Edward."