(no subject)

[evowhisperer]

(Let's just start with this post and have new threads for each scene, shall we?)

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[pineapplesalmon]

Caesar's mouth slowly drops open. He hasn't had the six months of separation of Rex, and hasn't been working under Black Knight. Providence wasn't yet a toxic environment full of EVO hatred. And there is no reason for him to control his emotions so completely here.

His heart is sinking. Using it against sentient EVOs makes sense if only to transport them after they've been belligerent, and only under special circumstances at that. But Circe and Sqwydd didn't seem like the types to attack people. Well, besides that one punch, but if what Cesar was saying was indeed correct, it was understandable.

"How bad is it?"

[evowhisperer]

"Very bad."

"Prejudice against EVOs is at an all time high. After Rex was gone, Providence's 'Cure, Contain, or Kill' policy was shortened to only have 'Contain or Kill'. Violence was breaking out all over the world. For a while it seemed that an all-out war between EVOs and non-EVOs was imminent."

"The collars were the only measures strong enough to pacify everyone higher up enough to give non-violent measures another chance."

[pineapplesalmon]

Caesar closes his eyes against the knowledge. There had been no choice, then. Rex had told him that there was prejudice against EVOs, but he had been a fool and had been completely unaware of it. Even when he went home once and returned, he was still unaware. With the world sent into a panic with Rex gone, he'd have to learn about it very, very fast.

"It's better than everyone dying," Caesar opened his eyes and looked at him. "The alternative had to be quick. But it's not a permanent solution. A temporary one at best, especially if it's being used improperly like I suspect."

He looked away, visibly disturbed. "One of Rex's friends came back muzzled, like she was a dog."

[evowhisperer]

He hadn't known. For just a moment, disgust, mingled with something else--guilt? Deep guilt?--leaks through. There's plenty more where that came from, but this is his burden to bear. The expression is gone soon enough, buried under a solemn, resolute frown that's carved into his face in a way that previous stone mask hadn't been.

"... I see." It's very telling that even in the surprise of the moment, Cesar can't find it in himself to disbelieve it.

"In time, I hope that this solution becomes not just temporary, but obsolete. If we can find a cure to EVOs everywhere, then the collars would theoretically be decommissioned as soon as possible. With Providence's resources, even if the Consortium disagrees, we should be able to find some way to make it work."

[pineapplesalmon]

He saw the expression, even if out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't speak, for there really.. isn't much he wants to say on the subject. Caesar doesn't even want to really think deeply about the subject. It's too disturbing. Instead, he focuses on that ray of hope that--

"--Consortium?!" Caesar's head whips back around to stare at his double; he quickly forces the panic out of his voice and tries to speak more evenly. "What does the Consortium have to do with Providence?"

He already knew with those words: they had to be funding Providence.

[evowhisperer]

"They have everything to do with Providence," Cesar replies. If his counterpart hadn't been sure yet, he can be, now.

"One of the things my research uncovered during Rex's absence was the source of Providence's extensive funding. It came up after a rather destructive coup--White Knight is gone, and Black Knight is his replacement."

[pineapplesalmon]

He had only briefly wondered in his current time where the funding was coming from. Perhaps he should have dug a bit deeper. Still, even if it is the Consortium funding them... it is funding that's necessary. As much as he hates to admit it.

Black Knight only makes the situation worse. Caesar's face is grim.

"It's no wonder why no one would tell me these things. Not even Rex."

[evowhisperer]

"It's possible that no one knew where to start," Cesar offers unhelpfully. He might try to soften the blows as they come, except that in the end there's really no way around the fact that Cesar's arrival comes with a lot of bad news.

It'll be alright--this is himself, they're talking about. They're one and the same, and if Cesar could take dealing with all of this on his own, then even if it is all at once, Caesar will probably be fine. Of course, being 'fine' isn't the same as being happy about it...

[pineapplesalmon]

Well, Sqwydd did. He punched him in the face. Circe hadn't been on good terms with him for a while, but she had slowly opened up to talking to him again--not that he pressed for it, but it had just happened over time. Really, though, it's all troubling.

"Possible. Probable. Most likely." Caesar glanced away from his double, then back. "But what is done is done. I know now what they were hiding from me. Thank you."

He clearly wasn't happy with it, but it was something he needed to know. It changed a lot of things, but he still shared the same house with Rex in Nautilus. Some things remained the same.

[evowhisperer]

"No problem," Cesar answers, uncomfortable.

"I thought that it would be better for you to find out now from someone you could trust, rather than being surprised by it all later. As it is, it sounds like not knowing has already brought you some confusion." Of course, neither Cesar knows they can trust each other. They can, however, assume with an acceptable degree of uncertainty that even with their differences, they are likely to still have similar enough goals to have it be in their mutual best interests to help each other. Plus, in a distorted, strange way, they're almost family. More or less. Are they family enough to bridge that last bit of minimal uncertainty with trust?

Cesar pinches the bridge of his nose discreetly, his headache having made a full return. It's hard to say anything for sure, especially with the complete overload he's still dealing with from before. He needs more of what he just hasn't had so far: time to work through things, figure them out.

[pineapplesalmon]

Cesar wasn't the only one that was getting a headache. This time, Caesar was as well. Or more precisely, it was his thoughts going around and around in his head that was contributing to it. There was so much to consider, so much to think about....

He didn't know where to begin.

It was odd, the way Cesar said it--from someone he trusted. There were still reasons why he couldn't trust him completely, but there was a kinship there all the same. They understood each other on a basic level that no one else could. There was a possibility that this other man was... something odd, but... he could trust him with that sort of information.

Of course, this would require him to confirm information with someone else he trusted, such as Dr. Holiday. That would be something that happened tomorrow.

He watched Cesar pinch his nose, and his eyes softened slightly; he'd been through a lot, and Caesar remembered how he felt after the whole infodump, "... I think some food and sleep are in order for us both."

[evowhisperer]

"That sounds amazing," Cesar blurts, for once agreeing too much to filter his own answer. Then he lowers his hand, looking at his counterpart.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, at least temporarily. I hope I'm not too much of an imposition."

[pineapplesalmon]

The first response gets a quirk of a smile from Caesar. Yeah, it sounded pretty darn good. Caesar wasn't sure if he could sleep, but he could try.

"It's no problem," Caesar replied, because it really wasn't. "And you're not. I look forward to being able to speak to you on a variety of matters."

He really did. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk to himself without sounding insane. How could he pass that up?

[evowhisperer]

"And I look forward to the same," Cesar replies with a small smile.

Even so, at that particular moment his brain could really use the break. After a moment Cesar looks around, before realizing that without his noticing, they've gradually moved closer to the kitchen, and that Cesar is blocking the way. As soon as he sees this he goes ahead through the door, clearing the way and giving his double room to follow.

[pineapplesalmon]

The small smile was a good thing, but so was getting dinner. Caesar nodded to him, then walked past and started rooting in the cabinets. He found a particular type of spicy Udon that he knew he liked and tossed it over to Cesar before grabbing one of his own.

"Try this. You'll like it."

[evowhisperer]

Cesar catches it and looks at the package, before raising his eyebrows and nodding once.

"Judging from how much I liked the drink at Furman's, I think I will," he agrees.

And they're right. A few minutes later of silence (broken only by occasional, non-ground-shaking small talk), the Udon is delicious.