Muse is excited about newcomers to the city. Is NOT excited about a hiatus.

[deusrexmachina]

Dude, wait. What? A two week hiatus? Even if it isn't happening until more like the start of November, that's still so close! Plus so much can happen in two weeks! All these cool new people arriving and you need to call a hiatus right after they get to Nautilus? Seriously?

Man. It figures you wouldn't give me the break I've been wanting until I don't actually want it. Not like it's news, but wow, mun. You really are horrible.

Comments

[deusrexmachina]

[...uhm. Looks somewhat like Zim, but obviously is not Zim. Who the heck...?]

Yeah, I'm going home with my brother for a while. Why?

[pronetoprobing]

Caesar's leaving too?!

[Oh god. worst news ever]

Why?! What's at home?

[deusrexmachina]

[What's going on, here? And why is his mun laughing at him? URGH.]

How do you know my brother? And why should it matter to you what we do? I don't eve know, wh--

[Wait a sec.]

[His eyes narrow.]

Who are you?

[pronetoprobing]

What-...?

Oh, that's just great, Rex! Jeez! I mean, I know we don't like each other, but pretending I don't exist? Forgetting me? That's...that is low! Come on!

[deusrexmachina]

Dib?

[Facepalm.]

Dude, you're green! And you have little antennae sticking off your head! I thought your voice sounded familiar, but--why are you like that? Or is this Nautilus' idea of a joke?

[pronetoprobing]

...Oh.

Oh, right. I forgot you can. Uh. Whoops.


No, I turned into this myself. Well. Lelouch helped.


...


But why are you leaving?!

[deusrexmachina]

[Sigh. Well, if Lelouch helped, maybe he's had a chance to talk to the kid... This is going to come out over the network later, anyway.]

Because Caesar is way behind the rest of us in terms of our timeline, but he can't go back alone or he might come back...wrong.

Not entirely the same person we know right now.

[pronetoprobing]

You can't just tell him what he's missing? Why does he need to go back?




What if he comes back horrible?

[deusrexmachina]

I already told him. But I think it's like Six said when he went back before, even though he knew he might lose six years worth of memories... If you fall out of the loop, you don't understand what's going on with the people around you. The world back home that Caesar knows isn't the same one that the rest of us are living in when we go back.

And he won't come back horrible. I won't let that happen.

[pronetoprobing]

...


I don't-




Nngh.



Promise you'll protect him.

[deusrexmachina]

Nothing will happen to him. Me being there should be enough to keep him from getting messed up.

[pronetoprobing]

...


I'm counting on you.

[deusrexmachina]

[Silence a long moment. Rex looks away, gaze cast down.]

...I know.

[pronetoprobing]

..Just...


augh.



He's the best thing that ever happened to me. I know you're his brother and everything and you won't but...


I don't know what I'm saying. Sorry.

[deusrexmachina]

[There's a lot of things Rex could say to that, many of which aren't really all that nice. But what's the point? The only thing that matters is making sure the Caesar they know doesn't become the Caesar of the present in Rex's timeline. ...who in some ways could be what Dib might become if his behavior doesn't shift accordingly.]

He's the only blood related family I've got left. The only one alive who remembers what my whole childhood was like...and what Rafael and Violetta Salazar were like as parents, not just as scientists.

[He sighs.]

But...he's not just my brother. That's not all of who he is... He's made his own choices to be other things, too.

And as long as what he's doing isn't dangerous, it's not my place to tell him what he can or can't be.

[Rex shifts his gaze toward Dib.]






...I'll bring him back to you.

[pronetoprobing]

Thank you.