Anomaly
Episode 29- Renewed purpose
There usually wasn't many Evolved in the heavily infected building that Alex had decided to use as their "home base" in the Red Zone, and by extension all of New York. Usually because they were out doing what Alex asked of them, and accelerating his plans. There was usually a few around, though. Chatting and talking about various things in their down time when they weren't doing anything. Usually about how they felt so loathsome about humans.
This day had a small group of Evolved talking animatedly among themselves, around ten, until the doors leading into the building were pushed open. Chatter ceased when they saw it was Alex walking in. It had stopped so abruptly when they saw he wasn't walking in the usual carefree yet calculating way he walked, but in a more calm yet predatory way. And then there was the person that was trailing Alex.
The Evolved remembered that one clearly. The one in the stained hoodie that had tossed one of their fellow Evolved away like he was nothing. The one Alex had taken a certain interest in, which especially irked the other Evolved. But the way he looked now especially disturbed them. Before, he had seemed normal. A bit wary, but acting like he didn't much care for all of the Evolved he was looking at. Now he walked in a rigid manor with his head low, and his dark hair obscuring his face. And there was no mistaking that... feeling he seemed to exude. An almost negative aura that seemed to hover around him. The Evolved present hopped down to their floor in front of Alex, but made sure to stand clear away from Corvin. They both stopped, with Alex crossing his arms and Corvin looking up just far enough for him to see the Evolved. His eyes immediately snapped to one person in the crowd in particular.
"I know your all surprised at my little un-announced visit here, but something's come up that I really need addressed pronto," Alex said. He then looked at a single Evolved in the crowd. "Hey. Jerry. Mind steppin' up for a bit?"
The mean-faced Evolved the others had grown accustomed to stepped forwards, albeit nervously. The fact his attention was more focused on Corvin then Alex did not go unnoticed by everyone watching. "Mercer, sir. Y-you need something?"
"Hm. In a sense." Alex nodded his head towards Corvin, who seemed frozen on the spot. "Corvin here just told me an interesting story, so I need some facts cleared up right now. Did you go over to the Yellow Zone and pester them?"
Jerry flinched. "I was only acting in your best intere-"
"Answer the damn question, Jerry," Alex snapped.
"... Yes," he hesitantly answered.
"And did you personally lead one Corvin here's friends to a heavily guarded research facility?"
He gave a jerky nod. "Yes."
"And you did all of this without even asking me?" Jerry looked ready to answer, but Alex raised a hand and stopped him. "Rhetorical question, Jerry. But I've heard enough." He turned his head back to Corvin, who refused to stop staring at Jerry. "Well, Corvin, do what you want with him."
"... Is he important to your plans?" Corvin mumbled.
"Nah. He's a nobody."
The second those words came out of Alex's mouth, Jerry was on the floor with Corvin standing above him, a leg in one of his hands. He didn't even get a chance to try and defend himself before the leg was snapped in half when Corvin squeezed his hand.
"All your fault," he muttered down to him. His foot stomped down on Jerry's face to muffle the pained screams. "It's because of you it happened. Meddling insect." The other Evolved around the two looked ready to jump in between the two, but froze when Alex shook his head at them. It was enough of a sign for all of them to stand down and witness Jerry's face.
Already, tendrils were bursting from Corvin's body and enveloping Jerry's body to consume it as Corvin stomped down on his head over and over again. Tendrils from Jerry's own body tried to feebly fight back, but were soon overtaken by Corvin's tendrils. His body was broken down and absorbed into Corvin's own body, and with that came the memories of the person he consumed.
He found what he was looking for all too quickly.
God-damned brat was what he was. A show-off. An amateur with way too much power. Oh, and of course Alex would take an interest in him and his little group of nobodies, just like he took an interest in Heller. Sometimes it felt like he barely cared about them. The Evolved he personally created. It really sickened him. And he was still furious at how that edgy asshole had humiliated him in front of all of the other Evolved and Alex.
Well, Jerry would show him. Show Alex how worthless all of those pests really were. He'd been around enough Blackwatch facilities and eaten his fair share of personnel to know that the teens had gotten sloppy, and that there was a special detachment hunting them down. Even had names and everything. Everything he needed.
So it was simple. He'd just put on the right disguise, then tip them off that a certain quarry would be appearing at a very specified location. That base at the edge of the Yellow Zone was up to some sketchy things according to the memories he gathered, so there was a plausible reason for them to be there. Then all he had to do was lure them there, and Blackwatch would do the rest. Perfect plan. And maybe afterwards things would go back to being normal.
"That's why you did it?" The hands gripping the sides of Corvin's head due to the influx of new memories only tightened around his scalp. "You... tried to kill us over something as trivial as that? You killed one of my best friends because of a grudge you had against me?" He wouldn't believe it if he didn't have the memories from the man himself. And the truth made him sick enough that he almost vomited blood on the spot. "Of all the idiotic... of all the...! You...!" Dust particulates and pebbles slowly started to sift away from Corvin as he staggered, his anger reaching new heights.
He was deplorable. Despicable. Just as bad as everybody else Corvin had come to hate. But oh, he wasn't alone in his little endeavor. Some interesting information had come up in those memories. They'd garnered enough attention that they were actively hunting him and his friends down? He figured something along those lines was happening when the helicopter they had all been riding in was shot down, but he didn't know there was a small group of special soldiers dedicated to it. Well, that was just another danger to his friends he was going to have to exterminate. They were all going to-
"Hey, Corvin. Goddamn, calm down." When he felt a hand land on his shoulder, his thoughts became straighter. His head snapped to the owner of the hand, which was Alex, who was looking curiously as Corvin with eyes shadowed by the hood he never took down. The Evolved behind them stood far away from the two of them.
"..." Corvin blinked, and then slackened his posture. Throwing a fit like this wouldn't do anything for him right now. "I'm alright, Alex."
"Right..." From his tone, Alex didn't much believe him. "Why don't we have another talk up on the roof again, huh? Away from everybody else."
"We've talked enough, Alex." Corvin stepped far enough away from Alex that his hand slipped away. "I just want to get back to the others for the day. I need to figure some things out."
"Well, you've been gone most of the day already. I think they can wait a couple more hours." He stepped closer to Corvin. "There's something I wanted to give you, but I'm not going to give it to you 'til we've had talked a bit more. So let's go."
Corvin's response was to roughly shove his hands into his pockets. There wasn't anything he particularly wanted right now, but it was from Alex. And he seemed a bit too adamant to brush off. "Fine. Let's go." He walked past Alex and headed towards the same direction they had taken last time to get to the roof of the building, with Alex following behind him. While walking, his gaze had wandered to the group of Evolved. Their response was to jump upwards and back into their previous positions before he had come in with Alex.
Silently, he continued walking forwards, not caring in the slightest.
Corvin flopped down on the roof with a huff, setting his back against the piles of rubble and masses of viral growth on the backside of the roof with an arm slung over his knee. Alex sat on the edge of the rubble next to him, staring off into the decaying city in front of them highlighted in a foreboding shade in red.
"So. Pick up anything interesting off of Jerry?" Alex asked.
Corvin huffed again. Nothing but a waste of time. "He tipped off Blackwatch that Hawke would be there. That's why they managed to take him down. They were prepared." He felt the hand not slung over his knee clench. "He did it just because I humiliated him the first time I came here. I think he meant to get me in that trap, but I wasn't there at the time. So he settled with Hawke."
Part of him was mortified that the shambling thing Hawke had become could have been Corvin, but then he realized that they probably wouldn't have been able to take Corvin in the first place. He'd been stronger than Hawke at the time, much stronger. If he was there and had went in Hawke's stead, he could have escaped. They could have all lived.
"I see," Alex said. "Anything else?"
"There was a certain group your Evolved made aware of at the time. Apparently my group have become noticeable enough that they sent a special team to send us down. Blackwatch veterans who hunt down runners for them." He looked up at Alex. "What are those, by the way?"
Alex waved the question off. "Humans turned viral rejects who were too good to become a normal infected but weren't good enough to even make it to an Evolved's level. They pop up from time to time when Gentek's experimenting somewhere. Then they die. Usually from a Blackwatch extermination team."
"Huh. Well, one of those teams is after us. And it's lead by a man named..." Corvin closed his eyes so he could remember the name, "Starr. Captain Starr is what he's called." Well, he'd die, too. The second Corvin wrapped his fingers around his neck, that was.
"Got it." Alex raised a hand and pointed at Corvin. "So what's going on with your eye there? It's been bugging me since we left the Yellow Zone?"
"My eye?" That didn't sound good. Spying a discarded piece of glass next to him, Corvin grabbed it and raised it to his face. The reflection was faint, but he managed to just barely make out his transparent reflection in the glass. And the wisps of black floating in the whites of one of his eyes was easily noticeable. "Oh. That's not good."
Really, really not good, actually. The last time something like that had happened, he'd been losing himself. Losing the last vestiges of humanity he had left in him. He figured the possibility of this happening once more, but he figured he'd have more time. Compared to last time, barely any time at all had passed since his transformation. Yet here it was, turning black once more.
"What do you think about emotions, Alex?" Corvin asked as he slowly set down the piece of glass.
Alex fully looked down at Corvin. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what do you think the correlation between our bodies have on our emotions and personality?" He looked up to face Alex. "There's a lot of things that define a person for what they are and what sets them apart from everybody else. Experience, intelligence, genetic and bodily differences, things like that. But there's a difference between our bodies and the ones humans have that affect our personality, you know." Corvin raised a hand to cover his eye. "Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about empathy and emotion."
"I think I understand," Alex said. "Yes, there is a major difference there. We don't have functioning brains, just brain-shaped biomass to keep the disguise up, so there are certain functions humans have that we simply don't. The most prevalent among those is the fact that we don't have mirror neurons, as there is no need to learn from mimicking. We learn through consumption." Black tendrils swirled around Alex's hand. "It's not a problem the Evolved have. They're humans that have been given our powers, but at the end of the day they're still humans. They have functioning organs they need for survival, such as a brain; they're just enhanced. Even the halflings, your friends and Heller, are like this, but way stronger and with the ability to grow and, well, evolve. Me and you, though- we're the only ones in the world who are one-hundred percent assimilated by the virus." He briefly looked to the side. "Actually, there may be another, but I'd have to meet it to confirm that. But that's for another time. What I'm saying is that it's completely natural for us not to feel empathy towards others, and quite honestly, that might be a good thing considering the nature of our means of survival."
"I'm not concerned about that. I'm concerned about the emotional aspect," Corvin said. "It's not just the neurons. The chemicals and hormones used to create emotions in the body are absent too, as we have no need for them. So we can only produce those emotions through emulation of our memory of those emotions. But because of everything that's been happening... I've just been so consumed with negative emotions, Alex. Sadness, grief, and anger. I feel like I'm being buried under all of it. And, because of all that negativity I feel, it's making it harder and harder for me to remember all of the other emotions people have. The emotions that make people human. And whenever I feel my mental humanity slipping, this happens to my eye." He pulled his hand away from said eye. "At least, that's what I assume. To be honest, I don't fully understand it myself."
Alex stared at Corvin for a long time, silently. And then he burst out laughing. "Corvin, that doesn't make any fucking sense."
He was actually taken back by that. "What?"
"Where do I even start with this?" Alex hopped off of his crumbling seat and stepped in front of Corvin. "I want you to look at me, and realize that I've been in the same boat as you for three years. Do I look like an emotionless guy who's forgotten what human feelings are?"
"I-" Corvin paused as he considered these words. That... actually did contradict everything he just said. "I don't understand."
"It's pretty easy to understand, Corvin. I'm a normal person personality-wise."
Corvin would vehemently disagree with that statement, but it still held some truth. Alex was... enigmatic, but in such a unique way. His movement and speech were in ways inhuman, but also human. His speech especially. He had his own unique flair to go with his personality. And that's what confused Corvin. Alex had seen the worst humanity had to offer for years like this, and yet he still managed to act so... distinctly human. So why was he himself breaking down in such a short amount of time?
"Corvin, there's a lot of people in the world who try and over-complicate things like the description of a personality, how different emotions affect different people, and how our perceptions of morality shape us as a person. Those people are fucking dimwits, because the answer is way simpler than all of that nonsense." He rose his hands and shook him. "You are who you want to be. That's it. End of the mystery right there."
"... It can't be that simple," Corvin argued.
"Why not?"
Corvin opened his mouth to rebut this, but he found himself unable to think of a good response. Why couldn't be that simple? He found his hand at his blackening eye once more. "But... but the-"
"Okay, let me ask you this," Alex interrupted. "Do you want your personality to reflect what's happening to your eye there?"
Corvin shook his head. "No."
"Then you're fine. Simple as that."
And just like that, Corvin felt dumbfounded as the negative emotions that had been washing over him begun to feel... subdued. Still there, but not crushing down on him. Picking up the piece of glass, he inspected his eye once more. Both sclera were purely white. "It was that easy?" he mumbled, dropping the piece of glass. "Really?"
"Corvin, personality and how you view yourself is a really fickle thing in that it really is dependent on what you want. But if you start to over-complicate it and add all these rules and restrictions and start thinking in absolutes, you're going to fool yourself into thinking you're something that you're not." Alex shook his head. "It's so nonsensical I can barely understand it. You're just- you're overreacting. That's the long and short of it."
Was that really it? He'd just been putting too much stock into the whole situation this entire time? "I... I've been a bit of a fool, haven't I, Alex?"
"Little bit." Alex crouched down to Corvin's level. "Look. I'll admit that, since your eyes were physically changing, your change in mental state had some effect on your body. But that change is entirely dependent on you. And I'll admit, it's been really rough on you for the last couple of days. Hell, ever since this outbreak started it's been rough on you, huh?"
Corvin slowly nodded. Since his sixteenth birthday, things had been "pretty rough" on him. There would good time and fun times, sure. But sometimes it seemed like the bad time outweighed those good times. And since the start of the outbreak, that's all that it had been feeling like.
"I figured," Alex said. "I don't blame you for letting all these bad feelings get to you. Getting bogged down in bad feelings isn't bad for your mental health. That's why I suggested you actually talk to your friends. It's not just for their sake; it's for yours, too."
Corvin would agree with him on that. Even though everything that had been happening to him had been unfortunate, that almost everything had been unfortunate, he always seemed to have people he could turn to to help make him feel better. His friends- his beacons of light through all this darkness surrounding him. It's why he'd always be grateful to them for sticking with him, not matter what happened. And it was why he got so upset when they got hurt.
He let out a chuckle. "You know, I've been meaning to, Alex. But you've kept me around all day, so it's kinda hard to do that."
"Yeah, I'm just now realizing that." Alex stepped back to give Corvin room to rise to his feet. "I guess I'll let you go now. I have things to do, too, you know. And this entire hear-to-heart we've had all day has really backed up my schedule." He outstretched his hand. "Before you go, though, I want to give you something."
Corvin eyes the extended hand. "And what's that?"
"I imagine your power growth stagnated after I told you to stop attacking Blackwatch. In hindsight, probably a mistake on my part. The fact that you lost so easily to Heller, who's been doing nothing but growing in power, proves that. And that last thing we want is for another of your friends to die because you were too weak to do anything because I stopped you from getting stronger." Corvin stiffened at that. "I'll admit. I was wary of you when we first met, mostly because your were a full release like me with terrifying potential, partly because you were a kid and I thought you'd end up like the Evolved; all conceited and whatnot. But you didn't. You surprised me at every turn and stayed loyal, and you even saw eye-to-eye with me on my views of the world. Your actually helping me because you want to save the world, not for power. And from what I've seen... that's a really, really rare trait in people. So as thanks, and to make sure you continue to survive, I'll just give you the power you need."
"Buh?" That's the only response Corvin could generate given how generous the offer from somebody like Alex was. He shook his head and tried again. "You can just do that?"
"Sure. It's all genetic coding made stronger from evolution and strengthening from the DNA of others. Easily transferable for people like us." He gestured to Corvin with his hand. "C'mon, seriously. I really am pressed for time."
Corvin took the hand without hesitation. He wasn't one to refuse power being offered to him freely, especially if it would better help protect his friends. And the second he grabbed that hand, he could feel himself already beginning to change.
Black tendrils glowing a orange-yellow light swarmed from Alex's hand and burrowed into Corvin's arm. He could feel Alex's cells invade his, and feel himself begin to change as information from his cells was given to Corvin's. And he could feel the power building up in him. His body strengthening, his abilities growing. His own tendrils twirled around his body as it changed, and the pressure being created from his body tensing up was so great that pieces of rubble and stone around him began to float up, and the ground around him began to crack. And then Alex released him and it all stopped, the rubble crashing back to the ground.
Panting, Corvin examined his hands in wonder, flexing them in satisfaction. This feeling... he felt complete. He finally felt just as strong as he had been back when he was first infected. No, it felt even better than that. Like he was even stronger than that. He couldn't hold back the light laughter that escaped him as he flexed his hands once more.
"This feels... amazing." Smiling, he looked back up at Alex. "I must thank you. Truly. You've no idea what this means to me." He expected Alex to be looking at him to accept his thanks, but curiously enough he was looking down. And he had a contemplative look on his face. "Alex?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. You're welcome." He looked back up at Corvin, but that thinking scowl remained on his face. "Hey, so I have some things to do and other things to think about. Go back to your friends and do some damage control, and then get yourselves to the Green Zone tomorrow."
"The Green Zone?" Corvin asked. "Why there?"
"The next phase of my plan is close at hand, so I'll need some help." Turning around, Alex approached the edge of the roof. "I'll contact you or something once you get there, so just be there." Before Corvin could say another word, Alex had dropped off the edge of the roof and out of sight.
"O... kay?" Corvin muttered to himself. He'd had more to say, but apparently Alex was a busy person. He didn't blame him; the man was planning on how to change the world. Besides, Corvin himself had things to do, too. First and foremost was getting back to the others.
After that? Hope the situation would be handled well enough to even consider anything happening afterwards.
He made sure to knock on the door leading into the apartment they had been squatting in since moving to the Yellow Zone. There was some kind of noise of affirmation from the other side, so Corvin opened the door, quickly stepped in, and closed it behind him. Jay, Washi, and Robin were all in the living room, which was thankfully lit with multiple lamps. Robin was still wallowing on the couch with Washi sitting next to her. Jay stood leaning against the wall with his hands pocketed, facing Corvin.
"Where've you been?" he asked, pushing off the wall to stand closer to Corvin.
"I've been talking with Alex," Corvin answered. He was actually surprised it was already morning by the time he arrived here. He'd spent a whole day away from them. He hadn't realized the two of them had been talking for that long, but traveling from one zone and back to the other took some time. He had to make sure he didn't get blown out of the sky this time due to carelessness. It had been a learning experience, to say the least. Plus there was the whole scuffle with Heller and Koenig.
"About what?" As he said this, Jay walked into the living room with the other two. Corvin followed.
"A lot of things, really. Some plans about the future, mostly, but we can all get around to talking about that later when it's appropriate." Corvin stopped in front of the couch Washi and Robin were sitting in. "And... he also gave me some advice. So I feel I should take the time to apologize to you all." He sat down on the couch between the two. "I've been a complete idiot, you guys."
"Eh?" Washi turned her head to face him in surprise. "Why do you say that?"
"Because all of you have been sitting in this disintegrating apartment feeling awful about everything that's happened, and like a fool I wearing myself out trying to find out what to do about that when the answer was right here all along." He clasped his hands together ans sighed deeply. "I just want to talk with you all. That's all."
Jay quirked an eyebrow, sitting down in a chair across from the three. "Wait, I'm confused. What are you apologizing for?"
"I'm trying to say that I've been neglectful of your feelings while trying to sort out my own," Corvin said. "You three have been some of the best friends I've had in the world, so when Hawke died and I told Robin, and just left... well, that was a pretty bad thing for a friend to do."
"I mean, yeah, it was dickish, but it really isn't that big a deal, dude," Jay said. "You're doing that thing again where you're over-complicating simple things."
"It has been made very apparent that this is an issue of mine," Corvin grumbled. "But anyways, I'm here now. Doing what I should have done in the first place."
With those words said, he turned over to Robin, who at least had turned to face him. It was a blow to the chest, seeing how sad she looked. But Corvin did fought past that and did the first thing he could, which was place a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry for everything that's happened," he said. "For Hawke, and for leaving."
"... It's fine," she mumbled. "N-not with my b-brother dying, I mean. I mean it's fine that you left. I don't blame you." She swung her legs onto the couch and hugged them close to her chest. "I just feel so pathetic. It's not like I'm the only person here who's lost a sibling. Jay and Washi lost a sister and a brother, but they weren't nearly as bad back then as I am right now."
"So what?" Corvin asked. "I mean, when my sister died, Robin, I was way worse than what you're being right now?"
Three head were knocked back in confusion. "You mean you're alive sister died?" Jay questioned.
"Erk..." Slip of the tongue. "I-I mean, there was a time when I thought my sister was dead when she wasn't." They all nodded in understanding, relieving him. "Now, I didn't do what you were doing and just sit around and cry. It was... more dire than that." His tone grew more somber as images from that time so long ago began to resurface in his mind.
"Like most other people, me and my sister had parents. My mother was the kindest mother one could ask for. My father... well, I thought he was kind, too." His expression darkened. "Long story short, he's the reason my mother died, and the reason I assumed my sister was dead. So I punctured his chest with a chainsaw he tried to use to kill me."
They seemed taken back by that. Washi covered her mouth with her hand, Robin looked shocked, and Jay shook his head while raising his eyebrows. "That's pretty brutal," he muttered. "It also explains a lot of things about you."
"Hm?" Corvin looked at Jay. "What do you mean?"
"I mean when we first started surviving in the Red Zone, you butchered people left and right like it was nothing," Jay said. "Even Hawke hesitated a bit at first, and he had anger issues. You did it like it was nothing. I guess this explains why."
"Probably," Corvin agreed. He became really numb to killing fairly quickly. But again, physical lack of empathy. If Alex was to be believed, these three weren't victim to that side effect, so he could understand where they were coming from. "After everything happened, and I thought my whole family was dead, I just felt lost. Empty. Like my whole reason for ever existing was just burned away, and nothing had meaning. I was just stumbling aimlessly, really." He looked directly into Robin's eyes. "I wouldn't be lying when I say that I honestly wouldn't have cared if I would have died right then and there. In fact, I think I would have preferred dying. But I don't really know how to do that, so I just kept walking."
"Really?" she asked. "You... really felt like that?"
"If you want to put it into words, I suppose you could say I was crying on the inside." Corvin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, it wasn't even that. It was just despair I was drowning in." His face brightened up, and he sat straighter. "Immediately after that, I met the first person in the first group of friends I always talk about. Flora." He sighed at that memory. One of the more pleasant ones. "At the time, I didn't much care for her existence, but she kept following me around, so I tolerated her. I never knew why. She was orphaned too, so who knows? It's from personal experience that I can say that people who have shared similar forms of misery seems to gravitate towards one another."
Jay chuckled at that, looking at the three on the couch. "Yeah, misery shared is misery halved," he said. "Or quartered, in our case."
Corvin nodded. "Yes, quite. Anyways, after awhile, I got to know her. And she reminded me a lot about my sister, truthfully. She had this same look in her eyes, and similar mannerisms. Even their voices were similar, to my ears, at least. So I got to know her better and better, and she got to know me, and we became friends. Shortly after, we met Keith, another wayward soul who'd been through hard times and in desperate need of a friend. The rule of tortured souls gathering around still held true." He actually got everybody to chuckle at that. "Over the months, we all became closer as friends. Met other people, made more friends. Had some laughs, cried a lot, we just... we experienced a lot. I never had friends before, so it was all very new and fun for me. Like I had a whole new family, like you all. I felt happy." He felt a smile grow on him. "Then I found my sister, who was alive, and that happiness grew exponentially." Well, brought back to life through cloning, but he was embellishing a lot here. "I felt... complete. Like I'd gained everything I've ever wanted in life." His face soured and turned into a frown. "Then a group of very angry people took my arm and eye right in front of them, pierced my throat with an arrow, and forced me to become separated from those friends. Then Jay and Hawke found me bleeding out in a dumpster. You all know the rest."
Jay cringed back. He must still have remembered that picture, and from his reaction, it was vivid. "Yeah, you were pretty messed up when we found you that night," he said. "Who were they, anyways? And why'd they do that to you?" Robin and Washi seemed just as interested as Jay. Especially Washi, as she had an angry look on her face.
"Oh, you'll all meet them one day. I promise you that," Corvin said. "As they're only human, we can just take them apart like they're nothing. They deserve it. They're dangerously stupid." He paused. "Not in front of my friends, though. They don't need to see all of that."
"Yes. I think we'll do just that." There was a cold edge to Washi's voice that sent a shiver up Corvin's spine. Since when had she become so vengeful?
"I feel like there's a bunch of details you're leaving out," Jay said. "Didn't you say they're on a boat? How does that work?"
"You ask this every time I bring them up," Corvin deadpanned.
"Yeah, and every single time you respond with 'they're on a boat.' You know how far the ocean is from here?"
With a sigh, Corvin rubbed at his face. "Look. I know there's a lot that doesn't make sense, but believe me when I say that it all will make sense once we meet them. You'll have to trust me on that."
"M'kay, Corvin. If you say so."
Corvin turned to Robin once more. "What I'm trying to say, Robin, is that you don't have to suffer since you have friends. I mean, look at me. If a hopeless nobody like me can be turned around just from having people that care about him, then you should be aces."
To his great surprise, she actually managed a small smile. He had to hold back from bursting out laughing when he heard the choked sound of surprise that came from Jay, followed by what sounded like him falling out of his chair. Robin, however, only grew a bigger smile.
"End of the darn world, I tell you. Corvin was the one that managed to get her to smile." Jay pulled himself back into his chair. "No fair, you cheated. You were stocking up that tragic backstory just for something like this, weren't you?"
That was all kinds of absurd, but Corvin knew that Jay was just playing with him. So with a smirk, he remarked, "I don't know what you're talking about, Jay. Fair? There is no fairness in love and war."
"Yeah, and which one is this?"
"There's a difference?"
Jay's eye twitched at that. "Where do you pull this stuff from?" He mumbled to himself, gripping his head and shaking it. "Wait. Wait a minute." His eyes slowly started to widen in realization. "Oh my effin' god, that kind of makes sense a little. I think."
"Of course it makes sense," Washi said, and then scooted a little closer to Corvin. "Corvin-kun is a brilliant person who understands that sometimes you must fight extremely hard to get those you care deeply for to notice you." She scooted closer. "And the fact he was the one to get Robin to smile only speaks volumes for how kind and good of a person he is." They were touching shoulders now. "By the way, I want to ask you something, Corvin-kun."
"Yes?"
"How close were you to this Flora person?" she asked. "I only ask because you speak really fondly of her. I wouldn't want there to be any misunderstandings."
Corvin found himself wondering what exactly kind of misunderstandings there could be, but Jay came to his rescue when he waved a hand. "Oh, me and Corvin already poured over this topic. He's hopeless with women, right?"
"Uh... right. Yeah. We're just friends." In truth, he wanted to leave the relationship they had as a surprise, for nothing else then to see the look on their faces when they learned of the pregnancy. And he would do his best to bring a camera from this world to that one just to capture that image forever. It'd be worth the century-long wait.
Relieved, Washi gave a relieved sound that was a cross between a light laugh and a sigh. "I'm glad. But I disagree with Jay-san when he says Corvin-kun is hopeless with women. I'm actually somebody as enrapturing as him doesn't have women clinging to him left and right- not that I'm complaining."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Corvin waved her off and turned back to Robin. Behind him, Washi visibly deflated, and Jay exclaimed a loud "HA!" while pointing jovially to her. Corvin, meanwhile, was happy to see Robin was still smiling. "You see what I mean? You actually look happy now, which is a pleasant change from everything else that's been happening. So smile more from now on, yeah? Because you being happy makes me really happy."
She giggled. "Yeah. I feel tons better." She reached over and grabbed Corvin's hand with her small pair. "But you're being really silly when you say you're hopeless, Corvin. Next to my big brother, you're the nicest person in the whole world! A hopeless person wouldn't be like that."
"A lot of people would argue on that, you know. Particularly somebody in this room." His eyes briefly traveled to Jay, who stuck his tongue out at Corvin. "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same. So thanks." He reached over with his free hand and patted her on top of the head while closing his eyes and smiling. His eyes opened when he felt Robin go stiff, and saw that she was blushing slightly. "Robin?" Fearing he'd done something wrong, he took his hand away.
"Don't stop!" Her hands shot up and placed Corvin's hand back on top of her head. "My brother used to do this with me all the time. And when somebody like you does it, well..." Her voice became meek. "It feels really nice. Please don't stop."
"... Okay." He kept rubbing the top of her head, noticing how happy it made her. Maybe it was something little sisters had something in common, as Aya often had the same reaction whenever he did something like this to her. Eventually, he found her entire body sinking into his as she released a content sigh, with her arms wrapping around his midsection. He found the feeling very nice. It helped him remember the better times of his life, when he was surrounded by friends. The feeling was enhanced when he felt Washi's back press to his as her body relaxed.
"Yeah, I'm not getting into a group hug with you all. I'm too cool for that," Jay said.
Corvin rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised. Somebody like you with nerves of steel requires no coddling."
"Dam-" Jay's eyes flashed to Robin. "Darn right," he said. "Anyways, uh, yeah, I'm going to head out. Keep watch to make sure the place stays safe." He looked back and forth between the two girls pressed against Corvin. "But do me a favor and stay like that, huh? They actually look happy for once like that. They could use the break."
Completely understanding, Corvin gave a brisk nod. "I'm not going anywhere, Jay. Don't worry."
"Yeah. Thanks." For just the briefest of moments, Jay's smile dropped a bit and his face turned tired. Then he brightened up once more as he stepped backwards towards the door leading outside. "Well, I gotta go. Enjoy your harem."
"I will." A flicker of thought went through Corvin, and his body froze while his eyes snapped wide open at the same time as the implication of what Jay said hit him. "Wait a second-!"
The door leading outside had already been slammed shut. Corvin could hear footsteps running away, and could faintly hear mirthful laughter behind the walls.
"JAY!"
