GRIMMFALL: CHIBI

Episode 13

Carlos Factor

"So why am I doing this again?"

Carlos was in a bathroom, staring at a reflection of himself in the mirror as Dr. Director walked in. "Well Carlos, we are here to study the Carlos Factor."

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "The Carlos Factor?"

"Yes." Dr. Director nodded as she brought out her tablet. "It's been noted Carlos, that you have an impressive ability of greatly annoying nearly everyone around except for a handful of people, namely your wife, your sisters, your teammates and your father."

"Hey, the less said about my dad, the better." Carlos quickly said, pointing at Dr. Director. "That man provokes insanity."

"That's not what our science department believes." Dr. Director pointed out.

"Well, then they are as blind as everyone else except me." Carlos shuddered. "If anything he's responsible."

"Be that as it may, we want to see if your tendency of provoking great annoyance in everyone is somehow triggered by the way you speak, act or if it is just being in the general area with you." Dr. Director stated.

"And you think me standing in a bathroom, talking to myself like what, some depressed billionaire who is secretly dying is somehow going to help you study this 'Carlos Factor'?" Carlos asked, making air-quotes as he spoke the last two words.

"Just try it." Dr. Director closed the door, leaving Carlos alone in the bathroom.

He looked at the mirror, raising an eyebrow. "Okay…Here I am. Looking at myself in the mirror, trying to help you understand the 'Carlos Factor'."

He crossed his arms and tapped is feet.

After a moment passed he started whistling.

When he was bored with whistling, he starting making funny noises with his mouth.

"Tsk-Tsk….Bop-Bop….Chck! Chck! Chck!" Carlos rolled his eyes as he looked at his reflection. "So what are you doing?"

The camera shifted to show the full reflection as it 'talked back'. "Me? Well, I thought I was going to have a productive day then I got somehow suckered into this."

The camera shifts back to Carlos. "Yeah tell me about. I bust my butt on secret missions to try and save the world and they want to study me by watching me talk to myself in a bathroom. How sad is that?"

The camera shifts back to the reflection. "About as sad as an imaginary ability to somehow tick people off? What do you send into a murderous rage by just saying 'hi' to them?"

Then back to Carlos. "I know right. Maybe someone screwed up and wants me to save their necks."

The reflection snickered. "Yeah, see how that goes."

"I know right." Carlos chuckled. "Poor saps. They could have at least gave me today's crossword puzzle."

"You would ace that in three minutes." The reflection 'said' back.

"Kurt would do it faster." Carlos shrugged.

"Yeah, he would have it down in one minute." The reflection 'laughed.'

"Wait." Carlos frowned. "Are you saying I'm dumb or something?"

"Hey, don't get defensive. I'm agreeing with you." The reflection 'shrugged'. "Are you sensitive or something?"

"No but I don't like feeling I have been insulted." Carlos took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, you meant nothing by it. Let's just move on."

There was beeping sound and an electronic voice spoke into the bathroom. "He also called you a clueless nimrod."

"What?" The reflection 'looked' up at the ceiling where the voice came from.

"Just stay out of this, Betty. You want to push me and see if I can get angry at myself." Carlos retorted.

"Well that is the point."

"Well knock it off." Carlos then pointed to the mirror. "And you, nimrod. That isn't nice."

"I didn't call you that, she did." The reflection 'retorted'. "You having a memory problem now? Also, to you readers out there, a fun fact: Nimrod means 'skillful hunter'. Look it up."

"Now? Are you saying I brainless or something?" Carlos narrowed his eyes. "That I'm not very bright?"

"I am not saying that, you are saying that." The reflection 'argued'. "You really are overly sensitive. What, did Daddy forget to play catch with you or something?"

"You keep my dad out of this!" Carlos barked.

"He also says you are a useless, Daddy's boy." Dr. Director cut in.

"I said stay out of this!" Carlos barked before glaring at his reflection. "And I said no talking about my dad!"

"I didn't say anything about your dad. She did!" The reflection 'snapped'.

"And he thinks Melissa made a big mistake liking you."

"Oh, I think someone is wanting to get their teeth punched out." Carlos cracked his knuckles. "You don't talk about my wife, moron! Stay away from my wife!"

"Yeah, I know all about your wife, pal!" The reflection retorted, arms crossed. "And lemme tell you, she really did marry below her class-"

CRUNCH!

Shards of the mirror clattered to the floor. "Welp, let's see if she likes you with seven years bad luck!" The reflection's mouth said from the shards it occupied.

Carlos stomped on that shard, reducing the reflection's words to distorted mumbling. "Shut. Up!" He grunted, twisting his heel.

The reflection's mouth shifted to another shard. "Or what? Whatcha gonna do? Take your top off? Flash your nonexistent perky chest at me?"

"Why you little-!" Carlos began stomping on every shard.

Meanwhile, in the observation room, Dr. Director was addressed by one of the researchers. "So…should we tell him he's just breaking glass?"

"No." Dr. Director rubbed her chin with an intrigued expression. "I believe we are witnessing the Carlos Factor in full effect."

"Sooooo is it magic or does he have like a second semblance or something?" Another asked.

"Possibly, or something else…"

"I'll 'couples counselling' you!" Carlos raged as he jumped up and down on the remaining mirror shards.

"We should keep him for further study." Dr. Director decided. "…let's just wait until he's run out of mirror to break. And get a count of how many times he broke them. I want to see if prolonged amounts of bad luck affect it at all."

"When I break you, everyone shall think I am the real Carlos!" Carlos cackled maniacally as he finished stomping. "There can be only ONE! Mwahahahaha!"

"…take the job, they said. It'll be good on your resume, they said." One of the two researchers shook his head. "I'm not even in the room and he's already annoying me."

"By Glob it's more powerful than I thought!" Dr. Director gasped. "Containment team! On my position immediately! Code C! Code C!"

"Code what now- glurk!" The researcher began before he was roughly dragged out of his desk and out the nearest door before his replacement was shoved in, looking dazed and confused.

"I'm sorry, what does Global Justice do again?" The remaining researcher asked.