outdistanced | turbo heaven 🌼 chrono

There's always something messed up going on in here.

[ but that's beside the point. they should leave, but when chrono stills, so does laurence, glancing over to see what caught his attention this time.

...oh. this feels like something he shouldn't have seen, somehow, even if he doesn't fully understand what's going on. so he'll just. gently nudge the other with his elbow. ]

Hey. You alright?

[ as the memory plays out, something that had been entirely (unwillingly) in his own head, it's hard to fight down the urge to break a mirror.

he flinches as laurence makes contact, shaking his head. ]

It's because of that stupid question they asked on the phones this morning.

That thing about the simulation.

[ the question that disturbed laurence too much to even try to answer. ]

So that whole thing - it really was just some kind of dream?

My mom died when I was three.

[ which seems enough to answer the question, and explain his anger.

the five of them, just children. and the one adult, already in the pillar of light, trying his hardest to prevent them from having to fight at all. ]

It was a taunt. We were always going to wake up - he needed us awake to finish things. But we saw what he wanted us to see. That fake "ideal".

[ oh. yeah, that explains a lot. they seemed so happy, too - not the picture of family that laurence knows, but a happier one by far.

awful, to show someone what could have been. kind of like the effects from the week before. he hates it. ]

What kind of a screwed up taunt is that? There are other ways to mess with someone's heads - or better yet, don't play any mind games at all.

[ chrono snorts, mirthless. ]

Yeah, well, that was kind of his thing. That, and claiming to "hate violence", like he didn't try and kill me twice anyway. Don't know what my dad ever saw in him.

Sorry, the buy tried to kill you?

Yeah. Twice.

What the hell for?!

[ ...shrugs. awkwardly. ]

Wanted me to join him. I said no. Turns out megalomaniacs get pretty pissed when you tell them their genocidal ideas are shit, no matter how much garbage they spout about peace.

...Guess that makes sense. Madam is kind of the same way.

Was that the guy you said your dad worked with before?

[ the one who turned chrono into some kind of science experiment. ]

...she's in charge of the Tower, right? So, Iris's mom?

[ hm

anyway ]

Yeah. Myoujin. He and my dad had a pretty bad falling out after that, which he never got over, I guess.

That's her.

I guess if they're that insane in the first place, you can't really expect them to be normal about something like that.

So that's kind of... her "ideal", then? The way you make it sound.

[ those eyes, then... there's always a payoff.

chrono's expression flickers, and he starts moving again with a kind of. pat to laurence's arm to prompt him to follow. ]

He did genuinely think he was doin' the right thing. World peace, sounds great on the surface, right.

Don't know if I'd call it an ideal. But she always talks about things like - honesty, and trust, because "if demiflora can't trust each other, who can we trust?" But she's the one using all of us, and hurting people who learn too much.

[ he'll follow, frowning. ]

Maybe it's a little different if you really think it's the right thing. But I guess everything's too complicated to be solved that easily.

[ he nods, though the motion at this point makes his head spin unpleasantly. ]

It's all just contradictions. Speakin' against violence until it suits your goals. Preachin' about trust while lying to people's faces.

[ it all feels a bit familiar, here. ]

Too complicated, and not the call of a single person to decide what's best for everyone else. It's selfish.

[ if he looks at all unsteady, laurence will offer him some support with a hand on his shoulder. ]

It really makes you wonder who you can trust. And this place isn't any different.

[ the contact makes him realise he's just going to have to slow down a little. they're lost, and haste isn't helping any.

a sigh. ]

Mm. Get lied to enough, and you start thinkin' that's what everyone's doing by default. [ glances at him. ] ...well, maybe not everyone.

A lot of them are.

[ sometimes there's just no choice but to deal with it, anyway. stay in your lane, keep your head down, and wait.

...he sees chrono's look and turns his eyes away. ]

But no, not everyone.

[ even like this, a tiny upturn of the corners of his mouth makes it through. ]

Guess us year two thousand and whatevers gotta stick together, huh. Sorry you had to see that, man.

[ laurence huffy out a breath, just short of a laugh. ]

Guess so. [ ... ] I should be the one apologizing. You had to see... all that. I'd know how hard it is to take that in.

[ human body parts? knowing that it may not even stop at eyes? that can really screw with anyone. ]

[ the reminder has him feeling a little ill again, but he shakes his head. ]

S'okay. I mean, it's not at all okay, but you get what I mean. [ bad at words. gestures vaguely instead. ] When we get outta here, you want somethin' to eat? Promise I won't stick you on potato duty this time.

[ same, buddy. ]

It's not, but... yeah.

[ maybe it's better not to talk about it when there's nothing to be done, anyway. what would be the point? ]

...Sure. We could probably use something good, after this.

[ a nice distraction wouldn't hurt. ]

[ not talking about it in the creepy mirror maze is at least, like, baseline being sensible. probably. ]

Okay. Great. What d'you like? Is there anythin' you won't eat, aside from mystery meat?

[ dumb teens can agree on one (1) point of common sense. it helps that it means not having to talk about emotions tbh. ]

I'll eat the mystery meat, it's just not good.

[ it's the saturday special, three times a day... either you eat it or you starve until sunday. ]

I don't know, man, you guys all know different foods than I'm used to.

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