metalogs | If madness overtakes us both [Open]

...

[His grin is at odds with his twitching eyebrow, but he supposes he shouldn't be surprised. It seems impossible to imagine a younger Accelerator outside of just a miniature version of the one Donnie knows.]

Okay Mini-rator, like it or not, those are the facts. I'm not sure what's going on here but we can try to figure it out. Not like this place isn't already weird by default.

[Mini-rator??? Who is this jerk, and how does he know his name????

Accelerator is looking even more unhappy. He's feeling totally unnerved and off-balance, and he's aware how dangerous that is for him, which is only making him feel worse.]

Your facts are dumb. I think you're lying.

First off, no, and second- if I'm lying then explain how you got here and where you are right now.

...............

[He can't explain it. Of course he can't, even though he tries to come up with something.]

It's... an experiment. It's gotta be. [He's mumbling that, tense as he grabs the edge of his shirt. This is just a little bit distressing.]

[This is right about where Donnie starts rubbing it in that he was right, but as he notices the kid's growing uncertainty, he grimaces.

Ugh, way to go, genius. Just because it's Accelerator doesn't mean you can talk to him that way. He's like, what. Five?

Okay no, older than that, but the point of the matter has already been made.

Donnie sighs. How do you children.]

...look. It's... A lot of weird stuff has been happening around here lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was a part of it somehow. This might just be some kind of temporal hiccup. Either way, it's not the greatest place to be wandering around by yourself.

[Accelerator is doing a great job of keeping it together for a ten year old, but it's obvious he's visibly faltering here.]

That's why I'm looking for that shithead. He'll know what's going on.

[He scratches the back of his head before sighing again.]

Given your earlier reaction I doubt you'll believe me when I tell you that I actually know you - or rather a future version of you.

So this technically isn't your first time here, and in that perspective, you haven't really left. You just went backwards in age.

Edited 2023-08-04 01:02 (UTC)

[From the baffled expression on Accelerator's face he is indeed finding this very hard to believe.]

You're a really shitty liar. You know that?

[Donnie practically chokes on a laugh.]

Wow, what does it take to- You know what, never mind, I got it.

[He pulls out his phone starts scrolling through pictures, bringing up one of the ~~many~~ candid ones he's taken of Accelerator, this one during movie night.]

See!

[Accelerator squints suspiciously but takes a small step closer, looking at the phone screen. That is... an older person who looks like him. It's creepy and he doesn't like it.

He'd been doing pretty good so far, but this makes him stumble backwards.]

That isn't me. That can't be me!

I don't know any other Accelerators with white hair, red eyes and think they're too cool for everyone.

[He notices the look then, the sudden step back.]

... [Sigh.] Look. I have no reason to be lying to you. Your being an esper from Academy City in some version of Japan, it's all things I've learned from you. Or your teenage-self.

And I wasn't trying to scare you, I was just trying to make you believe me because you're being difficult, which... I guess is understandable when you're suddenly in a strange place that you don't remember being in, and you're...by yourself.

[He's got a point there - the only people Accelerator has ever seen with white hair have been super old, not young like himself, and he's never met anyone else with red eyes.

... But still, it's hard to take in.]

You're being difficult. [It's the most ten year old retort ever.] I'm just trying to find that shithead, 'cause he'll be able to explain what the hell's going on.

[Donnie holds back another sigh, finally stooping down a little so Accelerator won't have to keep looking up at him.

...man, what a tiny beanpole.

He shakes his head.]

The most I can figure is that there's some instability with the active remnant energy that's unique to this world and it's causing some temporal fluctuations that have been manifesting in different ways. Some kind of feedback, but that's the best I can determine since there's still a lot I don't know as to what exactly happened not too long ago. There was a big battle, it was pretty crazy.

[Instability with active remnant energy.... temporal fluctuations....

Accelerator is silent as he listens. It should unnerve him even more, and it does a little bit, but it also gives him something to focus on. Despite being ten years old, he's still Accelerator. He's still got that super genius brain of his.]

Are a bunch of espers with time powers poltergeisting?

[Donnie had figured that the kid's still sharp despite being a little punk. Honestly it was a toss-up whether giving him more info would have helped or not, but it seems Accelerator's not too unlike him after all in that regard.]

Not that anyone's aware of, no. First off...this isn't the same Earth you'd be familiar with. It's not mine either.

A lot of us were brought here by something called the Confluence, and while no one here's been able to pinpoint where it came from, the surge of power from it can reach between dimensions and time, where it then pulls people in and drops them here.

I haven't seen or heard any reports of any new Confluences recently, and it seems a little overdue.

........

[Not... his Earth. That's totally insane, but it would explain why he's in some random city talking to a really tall reptile. And he's read about parallel universe theories in his classes on quantum physics.

Still, he looks nervous about all of this. It's one thing to read about theories, it's another to actually be experiencing them.]

I've never heard of that before. 'Confluence.' [But then, he's only ten and hasn't finished school.] Is this part of some hidden-variable theory?

I mean, it could be? But then again it could be a lot simpler and just that no one except for a key few were actually very aware of what happened in this place that caused the Confluences.

[He frowns. How many times had he watched that clip of Chaos Gate before she and Fantastic had vanished? She hadn't been speaking in riddles. It had sounded like she was making a confession. But Donnie still can't wrap his head around how one person could have potentially caused such a crazy enough phenomenon that's punctured other realities and linked it into this one.]

The Confluence seems to be exclusive to this place so far as I'm aware.

[Or at least it was. If they've truly ceased, then he's not sure what it means for them who had been brought through them. Just another thing to look into.]

Anyway, I know it's a lot to take in. Still is a lot to take in. [He sighs, standing up again.] So I don't know what to make of your situation. Maybe it's temporary, or...maybe this is the version I'm going to have to get used to.

[That's...mildly upsetting to think about, an uncomfortable expression brushing across his face before he schools it back into something neutral again.]

I can show you where you've been staying. You at least have a place to go to, and even if you were being kind of a jerk earlier, you've still got me and my brother if you need anyone.

.....

[It's bizarre to him to hear that only a few people might have that kind of information about the Confluences. He's had hundreds of scientists - if this Confluence thing existed in Academy City, he's sure there would be that many people wanting to study it. There'd be tons and tons of research on it.

It's still messed up and he isn't totally sure he believes this whole temporal fluctuation thing, but he doesn't have any other explanation to go off of. If this is all some lie meant to kidnap or kill him, well, he already knows plans like that won't work. He might as well see where this place is.

Maybe Kihara will be there? Or some other scientist he knows? Or there'll be some way for him to get in contact with one of them.]

... Fine.

[There's lots of research, it's true. But it had seemed even harder to find more condensed information that wasn't mostly theoretical, and while studying it at its source would have been Donnie's preferred method, it was impossible to do when the location changed and you were trying to remain off of government listings.

In the end they're all still excuses, and Donnie's the least likely to give himself any slack for the lack of progress.

He motions with his head for Accelerator to follow then. See, stalking the esper to see where he lived has paid off! ...for this very oddly specific circumstance.]

[Still looking thoroughly unhappy, Accelerator will follow after Donnie. As he does he looks around, making sure to memorize the buildings and streets so he can start building a map of this city in his mind. At the same time he's making sure to keep a safe distance from Donnie, to prevent any accidental physical contact.]

[Donnie points at a cafe as they near it. Accelerator doesn't drink coffee at this age, does he? At least there's other stuff. It'd probably be good to find out before getting to the apartment and finding only coffee drinks to imbibe.]

How long have you been wandering anyway? Want anything?

No.

[He's answering that immediately. The thought of getting food at a weird non-Academy City cafe is weird, especially when he doesn't have any money on himself.]

I'm fine.

O-kay then...

[Shrugging, Donnie continues on then. He can just pick up some water or something later if it seems needed.

Eventually they get to the apartment complex, which is always weird to go up to taking the normal route instead of sneaking in the usual way he'd prefer. He mystic-tech's up a "key", pushing the door open once it's unlocked before stepping aside.]

Well, here we are.

[It looks like a normalish apartment building (at least, normal compared to what he's seen in tv and manga). The apartment is the same, very... normal. Very Western. Pretty weird for a kid who has grown up in school dormitories with other kids.

He follows Donnie inside, looking around for a moment before focusing on the turtle.]

How'd you do that? [He waggles his hand at Donnie's meaning the mystic tech key.]

[Donnie hits the light-switch.]

Huh? Oh that.

[Right, this Accelerator's never seen his mystic-tech.]

Magic.

[He gives the kid a dry look before he holds his hand up again to conjure up a robotic arm not too unlike the ones equipped in his battle shell, which he uses to grab the watering can from by the sink to fill it up. Since he's here he might as well see to the plants.]

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