CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[dissimulative]

I can catch you. Don't worry... so, let go.

[ let it go

let it gooooooo ]

[insinning]

If... you're sure you can make that jump.

[ mentally screaming. common sense vs faith in Oria at war]

[dissimulative]

I am!

[ The only reason why he hasn't left yet is because Sinclair has a hold on him. He wouldn't be surprised if his mother heard them through the door. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair lets go and glances over his shoulder. Go Oria, go!]

...okay. I really don't want to see you in the hospital again.

[dissimulative]

Yeah, I don't wanna see anyone in the hospital again either.

[ Anyway, he holds onto the windowsill and dangles for a moment, then kicking off the wall to land properly. Ta-da.

Oria's mother, Kaleria, opens the door to Oria's room, seeing Oria jump out and Sinclair standing there. Her shoulder length and slightly wavy white hair and her outfit makes her look like a regal noblewoman—absolutely elegant. However, her gold eye with the other being covered by a medical gauze eyepatch looks quite sharp when she looks at Sinclair. She doesn't say anything, but she sure is staring Sinclair down despite being shorter. This is the woman who gives off a silent yet deadly pressure and the person Oria doesn't quite like. The vibes are pretty suffocating.

"Have you spoken to her yet?"

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

Static interrupts Sinclair's senses for a moment. ]

Jump!

[ Meanwhile, Oria is at the bottom, waiting to catch Sinclair. ]

[insinning]

...her?

[ Sinclair flinches as static overwhelms him and he steps back towards the window. He knows Oria is telling him to jump, but his head his pounding. A familiar sinister laugh rattles in his head.

Projection K...]

Who are you? What are you talking about?

[dissimulative]

[ "I'm Kaleria Ostrovsky-Severine, though I am aware that you may know me as Oria's overbearing mother."

She's self-aware, but continues to do her thing, unfortunately. There's a small smile on her face, but none of the positive words fit it despite looking like such.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that question, Emil Sinclair." ]

Emil?! Hurry!

[insinning]

...I don't.

[OS... Sinclair has a feeling he knows what that stands for. But he can't accept it. Because it implies so many things. He takes another step back, anxiety warring with bitter frustrations]

I don't have a good memory, you see.

[Fractured like a broken mirror, pieces almost impossible to put together again. He turns to face Oria, meets his gaze for a short moment and jumps,because he understands now why Oria wanted to just run.]

[dissimulative]

[ Kaleria watches Sinclair jump and walks over to the window. Meanwhile, Oria catches Sinclair and miraculously doesn't fall over, because he readied a position to do so, putting his foot to the back for balance.

He wants to run. He sees his mother at the window, but he still wants to run despite knowing how she won't chase them. He puts Sinclair down on his feet, holds his hand, and runs away. Don't look back. Don't look back— ]

[insinning]

[ Running.

Sinclair is good at running. He squeezes Oria's hand tightly. He'll gladly follow Oria anywhere right now.]

[dissimulative]

[ They make their way out of the Severine property, past the bus stop and all the way to the subway station. They certainly ran a long way and even Oria is finally out of breath when he realizes he has to stop running to buy train tickets. Oria is normally not this good at endurance, but adrenaline drove him very far beyond normal limits. ]

... Emil?

[ He's panting so hard, and he finally turns to see Sinclair. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair's endurance is good and he's only a little tired when they finally come to a stop. He stares at Oria for a moment but nothing comes out of his mouth. What could he even say?

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

His head is still pounding, the static sending little fragments of memory through his skull. So he leans forward and rests his head against Oria's shoulder. He wants to hug Oria. But that was more of a comforting thing for himself than the person he wanted to help the most]

[dissimulative]

[ Sinclair doesn't look as exhausted as he does, so he wonders why he rests his head on his shoulder. ]

... Hey, what's wrong? Did she say something weird to you?

[insinning]

...yes. But it's fine. I'm just glad you're here.

[Not glad that Oria felt the need to run away from his own mother. But he's glad Oria is still with him.]

[dissimulative]

That's not fine.

[ He says immediately, buys two tickets and starts pulling Sinclair along to the train. Good thing it happens to be right there, waiting for passengers. The entire cabin is empty. Must be a slow hour.

Oria sits down and makes Sinclair sit next to him. The train ride will take at least 30 minutes. He has time. ]

What did she say to you?

[insinning]

[Sinclair sits down automatically, letting Oria drag him along]

...she asked me if I had "spoken to her". Then, all I could hear or see was static.

[He squeezes the note in his pocket]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria frowns. ]

"Her"? Who is that supposed to be...

[ He doesn't ask Sinclair specifically, but the cryptic answer has him reeling. Why must his mother be like this. ]

[insinning]

...someone who makes me very afraid, I think. Someone they don't want me to remember...until they need me to fulfill my potential.

[Projection K...a coin. An irritating whistle and

no no no not that. he can't. he won't be trapped by the memory of her ]

[dissimulative]

[ ...

Oria hates this for Sinclair. He really does. ]

What the hell...

[ That's fucked up—obviously. Oria tries to think of something, but he can't. He's at a rare moment when he's actually at a loss for words, so he holds Sinclair's further shoulder and pulls him in so that Sinclair can lean against him. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair turns, pressing his face into Oria's shoulder. He wonders still, why Aria had been in contact with hackers. Why she ended her friendship with Shion.]

...adults really are the worst.

[Sinclair mutters. OS ver 0.089...The only thing he could think of that fit was Oria's name. But Oria was as human as him.]

[dissimulative]

... Yeah. We should push them out of power so that we can rule as soon as we can.

[ He's only half-serious about this. ]

[insinning]

That sounds like a lot of trouble too.

[That gets Sinclair to laugh. Finally]

Still, I don't want to become like that.

[Someone who forgot the humanity in the children they claimed to be raising.]

[dissimulative]

Yeah. Me neither.

[ But Oria has never been good with younger kids... He doesn't want to think about raising anyone, not even a pet. (Mike doesn't exist here... sad) ]

... Was it how you thought it would be? Your situation about the memories.

[insinning]

[ nooo oria's bird. Sinclair tries to imagine it and he can't quite either. Dog...none...Sinclair is quiet for a moment before shaking his head]

No. I didn't think this many people were involved.

[dissimulative]

Come to think of it, yeah. Why the hell would my mom know about your situation to the point of telling you something that's highly impactful...

[ ???? ]

I guess we came out with more questions than answers in the end.