I condemned a man to Hell. You’ll be alright.

No, I won’t. No, I won’t. No, I won’t. The thought was toxic in itself, spreading like a plague in his mind. It became the only thing in his mind, sickening him. I won’t be alright.

You’re sounding like the idiot you’re telling yourself to be. Get yourself out there, and fucking deal with it.

“You know…” Rilon’s breath shuddered as he attempted to regain some of his pride. “Two days ago, you killed my dad, and yesterday, you knew what had happened to my mother. Don’t even start ruling my life when you have your own.”

Hyde grunted, the only sort of protest that he would give.

Rilon braced himself on the door as he began to stand, picking up his glasses that he had dropped, then setting them upon his face. He left his hair down, too lazy to do anything with it. It lay in a tangled mess, falling about his shoulders. His mess of self would be worth Asiah’s complaints — his brother could keep those thoughts to himself.

Rilon opened the door, stepping into the main room and sucking in a deep breath.

They won’t know. I can take care of myself. He told himself, relaxing.

It would be less stressful if he didn’t think about it, and, in case he did, Hyde would easily slip out and take over… guaranteeing that he didn’t take over and kill someone. He wouldn’t do that to an innocent person.

Rilon forced back the vague memory before it could take over and sicken him again.

Memorial for my dead father… never thought I’d hear those words as soon as I have. Dead father? Good.

He didn't even want to know what Lear had done in his childhood. From what he'd seen in Asiah, he didn't know, either. His only likely witness has been his mother, but she was dead.

There was another person, also vague in his memory, but he figured that it wasn't likely that they knew, either.

It doesn't matter. Rilon repeated to himself as he left his apartment. It doesn't matter, as long as he's gone.

"You should keep your hair like that." Asiah sniffed in amusement, although there was an underlying tone of sarcasm in his tone. "Suits you."

"Don't bother," Rilon muttered, running a hand quickly through his hair in exasperation. “I’m not getting ready any more than this. We need to get going.” He forced his voice flat, but it broke with panic and nearly squealed.

“At least let me -”

“No. You’re not brushing my hair.” Rilon walked ahead of his brother, tense with stress. Again, he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up more, although it was not to irritate his brother more. “You’re not doing anything to me at all.”

Without his brother, Rilon took the stairs to the lobby. He received stares as he entered, and he had suspected as such, with how ragged he looked.

“Rilon,” When footsteps nearly tripped, Rilon whipped around to face the person who had called his name. Asiah, of all people, was panting, attempting in vain to catch his breath.

Funny. Rilon had never heard him following him on the stairs, unless… he had taken the elevator. Asiah wasn't breathless from running — he was having a panic attack.

"Asiah," Rilon nearly broke into a run as well, but Asiah caught him before he could do so. He collapsed in Rilon's arms, faint. "You're an absolute idiot."

"I am," Asiah hadn't passed out — thankfully — but he appeared as though he was about to. Rilon hadn't been the only one affected by stress.

Rilon flashed glares at anyone who had happened to stare; those people looked away, pretending that they had never even seen the two.

“If you don’t want to do this, I can always go in place -”

“No.” Any trace of what Asiah had shown before was gone, and he shoved himself away from Rilon and dusted himself off. “I can do this, and, the last time I checked, you’re not the President, Frei.”

Again people turned to stare at the brothers, before being dismissed by both when they sent them slit-eyed stares.

Asiah stumbled toward the lobby doors and nearly threw them open before seeming to realize their momentous size. He threw them open with what he could and stormed out into the gathering crowd.

So much for trying to comfort him, dear Arlett.

Rilon could not reply, with all the stares he was getting from the crowd, as pissed off as he was from that remark, though, silently, he prayed Hyde would get him out of there in some way. It wasn’t a thing he could will up, though. Hyde decided when it was his turn; Rilon had no control over the changes.

He shrugged, letting out a low snarl. He nearly mimicked Asiah, storming to the doors of the lobby.

Yet he found himself more hesitant than his brother had been when he took hold of the door handle. Nobody stared at him then in his most vulnerable moment, although he still felt the burning in the back of his mind, which still made him sick.

He didn’t like that the impending doom of the outside wasn’t the thing that was bothering him the most.

Get it past you, Arlett. He rebuked himself with a snort, and threw open the door, into the outside world.

The cold air was the first thing to hit him, even before the realization that he was outside. Rilon was moved to shivers, gazing around the expanse of the city.

It would be even more crowded soon.

Instead of fear, he felt a strange excitement, that he found suspicious. It stole his breath, almost sending him to tears. The childishness he felt, he knew, made him look stupid to people staring at him.

Is this excitement, or is it fear?

He started on the path outside the Tower, glancing around in a hurry for his brother. The path became a street, a narrow street.

Rilon now knew what he was feeling. The excitement he once felt was now dashed by worry.

Not this. Not this, please.

He kept his head held high, even when his heart rose his throat.

Where would someone like Asi be?

This was a rich part of the city, so Rilon figured he couldn’t have gone far. Asiah only spoke about the tall buildings that he could see from his window, and rarely, his escapades from the dinner table to go outside.

One building in particular - a skyscraper about a tenth the size of the Tower and about the same size as wide - caught Rilon’s attention, distracting him briefly from his panic. There seemed to be a crowd gathering before a podium, which stood near the middle of its lobby, behind a thin sheet of glass that Rilon suspected breakable with just a single, gentle tap.

He stilled his breath, stalking up to the building, praying that nobody was watching him. Through there he could see a man step onto the podium, a man that Rilon may have thought panicked if it weren’t for the confident way he held himself.

Asi. It’s Asi.

Thrill replaced the worry inside him, but he didn’t tap at the glass to get Asiah’s attention - his brother had already seen him, but was glaring at him as he spoke. He made a small, angry gesture with his hands that the crowd did not appear to notice, telling Rilon to get inside.

Rilon nearly shook his head but refrained. He followed his brother’s instructions, walking a few paces down the street to the small rotating door. It brought him some joy to open it, and even more, restraint to spin around in it.

As he stepped inside, nobody turned to look at him, to acknowledge the mess that he was, which was good in a way, but it sent a pang to realize how insignificant he was seen is, probably as the messy, insignificant older brother.

I’ll show them insignificant. They’re all staring at the murderer of their President. They should be grateful that he’s gone.

Rilon wanted to shout the words Hyde had spoken, feeling nearly euphoric as his alter spoke them. He could allow Hyde to take control, and show them his true self. The only problem stopping him was that they didn’t know that the murderer of their dear former President was a fragment of someone’s damaged mind, just an insignificant fragment, a person that the world didn’t know quite yet.

Rilon pushed his way through the small crowd, to the front, just before his brother. Asiah hardly acknowledged him as he continued his hurriedly-prepared speech.

“I honestly don’t know where to end - there are just so many things I could say. It’s going to be a long day for a lot of us - especially me and my brother -” He finally acknowledged Rilon, who visibly flinched and shuddered. “I just hope… we can get through this, as… I was not expecting to take on this role, but rather my brother.”

Again, Rilon flinched, hoping that nobody stared at him. He was very aware of how improper he looked in contrast to these people — he didn't need any more reminding. He visibly shrunk and fought back the urge to pull his coat over his face.

"He will be joining as my First Lord, and will succeed me shall any…" Asiah hesitated as if searching for the right word. "Further incidents occur."

Don't piss me off, and no incidents will occur. Hyde snarled; Rilon — unfortunately — could agree. He himself would never hurt his brother, but given what had happened with Lear, Hyde would.

Asiah finished his speech while Rilon had been lost in thought, dismissing the crowd, which then scattered like a flock of starlings.

"I could yell at you for how you look and make you look foolish, but that would be unsightly of your dear brother, wouldn't it?"

He's starting to piss me off. Hyde seemed to take back his earlier statement regretfully.

"At least I don't hide my grief behind cheerful sentiments, Asiah." Admittedly, Rilon was hiding, but it was guilt behind grief, rather than the other way around. Asiah just couldn't see it.

"Does this look cheerful to you?" Asiah's voice broke, from what likely was from the pressure of trying not to lose his temper.

Don't, Rilon willed Hyde not to expose him. This was the absolute worst time. Don't even try.

I can and I will.

"Fine." Rilon turned on his brother without giving a direct response, storming out of the building before Hyde could even try anything.