"Why the fuck are you being so awkward, Dad? You're the one who just suddenly came to visit!"
"...You won't understand."
Awkward. Perhaps if there was a time to use that word, then it would be here. Riley, Hannah, and Bernard are all at one table and eating a meal—this would have been a normal sight, but it will never be. After all, one doesn't truly belong.
"What is your relationship with my daughter?"
"Dad…!?"
As for Hannah, she just wanted to either dig a hole for herself, or stab her father right in the eye… and then put him in the hole she dug.
"It is a valid question, dear," Bernard started slicing the steak on his plate, "You, who has been single since the dawn of time, are now suddenly living-in with someone?"
"No one's living-in!" Hannah leaned in closer to Bernard and whispered, as if her loud voice didn't reverberate throughout her entire penthouse, "And we only met like yesterday morning!"
"...And he's already sleeping in your house? I think I raised you better than that."
"Uhh, I raised myself, thank you very fucking much."
"Hm. What is your relationship with my daughter?" Bernard once again turned his attention to Riley, who was just casually eating and not even minding the two of them.
"I believe I already told you earlier, Bernard."
"Wait… You guys really met earlier!?" Hannah could not help but look back and forth between Bernard and Riley.
"Your new friend did not tell you?" Bernard smirked, "He's a Ross."
"We're… we're related?" Hannah's shoulders quickly lowered as soon as she heard Bernard's words.
"No," Riley shook his head, "I was adopted by people with the same surname."
"Wait… did you approach me so you can have some of our money!?" Hannah's eyebrows also began to lower; the temperature inside the penthouse, increasing by the second.
"Someone like me has no need for money, Hannah," Riley shook his head, "I ask and people usually just give me what I want."
"...How does that even fucking work?"
"I ask politely," a very small smile crawled on Riley's face.
"That—"
"Hannah, calm down," Bernard could not help but let out a small but very deep sigh as he saw his daughter's reaction. He wanted to see what Hannah truly feels for Riley, and her quivering voice and eyebrows quickly gave away her vulnerabilities.
This situation is, in two words, fucked up. But Bernard could not really reveal anything, as anything he would and could say about Riley would completely shatter his daughter's heart. If he said that Riley was her adoptive brother in another universe, Bernard, and no one else for that matter will be able to handle the aftermath.
"It's true, he is completely unrelated to us."
"What? Is that—Wait…" Hannah's eyes started to glow orange as she grabbed the knife in front of her, "...Did you just do a background check on the only friend that I have!? I… I mean, I have a lot of friends, but that's not important! Just answer my question!"
"We're the wealthiest family in the entire universe, Hannah—any people within 1 kilometer from us are automatically being checked," Bernard breathed out, "And you don't have to worry…"
Bernard then looked Riley in the eyes as he finally took a bite of the steak in front of him, "There is nothing you should worry about—Wait, did you cook this?"
"I did," Riley nodded.
"This is good, I approve of it," Bernard also nodded. Of course, he still hasn't forgotten that the person in front of him was a World Ender, and potentially the most unique creature in the entire multiverse right now. When he and Riley parted ways earlier, he had the AI run and search the system for anyone that even had a similarity with Riley Ross—but there was truly no one. He repeated the same process a dozen times, and nothing.
Bernard has seen many RATs, Random Anomalous Types in other universes—they were people who did not have any variants, and are therefore unregistered to the system. Usually, however, RATs are just normal people that do not have much impact on anything.
A random person on Earth, a random alien on some planet—it didn't matter. All of them were insignificant existences.
But not Riley Ross.
It wasn't enough that he's a RAT and a World Ender, no. He also had to be close to a variant of him in his universe, very close.
This is a complete mystery for Bernard… and he hates and loves a mystery.
"Keep this one close to you at all times, Hannah," Bernard nodded again, "Do not let him leave your sight."
"What… what the fuck are you even talking about? Sheesh…" Hannah could really only roll her eyes, before taking a subtle glance at Riley; her cheeks, almost as red as the meat juices oozing from her medium-rare steak.
"I appreciate that you like the food I prepared, Bernard Ross," Riley raised his glass filled with milk.
"I hope you don't mind me having dinner here every day," Bernard also raised a glass.
"Of course not, Bernard. You are free to join us, I will cook your favorites every day if you just let me stay here."
"I am still checking if I should really let you stay," a small smile crawled on Bernard's face, "But as long as you promise you won't hurt anyone, I will let you stay… for now. I know the damage you can do, Riley—but I assure you, the longer you stay here, the more I will know how to get rid of you."
"I do not mind, Bernard. I will even welcome your attempts," Riley also smiled as he lowered his glass.
"Very well, then I will also—"
"Why the fuck are you two deciding like the one who actually owns the house isn't here!?"
And so, after a little more exchange of words, Bernard finally left. Hannah was actually looking forward to spending time and chatting with Riley since she fell asleep last time. But alas, she once again fell asleep, drinking her way through frustration since Bernard and Riley seemed to have a world of their own.
And so, with Riley left awake all alone in the penthouse… he decided to return to Toronto.
And there, he found another drunk lady—Claire, the leader of the people who cleaned Aerith's statue, was sleeping in front of her house, completely wasted.
"...Hm," Riley glanced at her for a few seconds, before looking at the key in his hand. Did… she only have one set of keys? If so… then why did she even give it to Riley?
Once again, Riley's charm makes everyone else completely… disarmed. Riley was supposed to create a clone to sleep in Claire's house so that he wouldn't be rude and refused her offer. But alas, the world had different plans.
"..." Riley could really only just look at Claire again, before letting out a small breath and lifting her in the air as he unlocked the small house. Riley only needed to take one step inside before he could see the bed and very carefully place Claire there,
"I will leave your key on the table, Ms. Claire," Riley then waved his finger, covering Claire with her blanket, "Please keep on cleaning Megawoman's statue."
And with that, Riley stepped out to immediately return to Hannah's penthouse… well, that was the plan.
"Who are you, really?"
As Riley stepped out of Claire's house, Gracy was already there waiting for her. Her back leaning against the wall as she had her arms crossed while once again wearing the ski mask on her head,
"Your name is Riley Ross. You say you are not related to the Ross family, and yet I saw the news that you are currently living with Hannah Ross. So tell me, who are you… really?"
"I have lost count of how many times that has been asked of me," Riley let out a small but deep sigh as he looked Gracy in the eyes, "Shall we…
…talk elsewhere?"
***
"Shit… I just entered the USA illegally."
"It is fine, Gracy Gray. This world does not seem to care about illegal domestic travels, only multiversal travels."
"...What are you even talking about? And… why did you bring me here?"
Although Gracy was a little lightheaded from being carried by Riley all the way to another country, her eyes were completely clear—reflecting a statue of her mother that has been vandalized and literally defecated on.
"Your people, the supporters of Megawoman…" Riley also looked at the statue in the middle of Central Park, "...Why have they not cleaned this statue yet?"
"They're not my people," Gracy rolled her eyes and scoffed, "And why do you even care about my mother that much?"
"I told you, I was her lover."
"Do not let thy bullshit come out of your mouth again, Riley Ross," Gracy crossed her arms as she stood closer to Riley; their eyes, at the same level, "I know you could've killed me anytime you wanted, so just tell me what it is that you want."
"May I ask why almost everyone hates your mother?"
"Have you been asleep for the past decade?"
"Only half of a decade, Gracy," Riley sighed, "I have been searching the internet, trying to learn more about how different this Aerith is from the one I know. But all I read is that she is an alien, and she had been colluding with her race to conquer Earth—that's it."
"And what more do you need to know?" Gracy's eyebrows lowered, "How else could it be any clearer than that? If that is what it reported, then that's what the people decided."
"Are you saying it is true, Gracy?" Riley once again sighed as he looked at the face of Aerith's statue, "Are you saying that Aerith… wanted to enslave the humans?"
"Bullshit!" Gracy suddenly raised her voice, "Of course not! My mother loved the rest of you more than me! Do you know how many times I celebrated my birthday without my mother? Because she's out there saving the rest of you?"
ραΠdαsΝοvεl ƈοm "I assume she was never there during your birthday, Gracy," Riley casually answered, "I already know that she was not a present parent."
"Yes! Yes!" Gracy seemed like she wanted to pull her hair out as she started walking around, glancing at her mother's statue repeatedly.
"You felt unloved?"
"I feel unloved—no. No!" Gracy let out a forced chuckle as she raised a finger, "I don't feel unloved because I don't even know if Megawoman even loved me in the first place. She chose you, she chose the rest of you over her own daughter. Over her own family…"
Gracy then suddenly rested her face on Riley's chest; wanting to hide her tears from Riley's eyes, but their warmth dampened his skin.
"…Do you think someone like that... someone like that is really capable of betraying mankind?"
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