Two figures are seen from behind. One is tall, with short dark hair, dressed in a trenchcoat and posed in a world-weary slouch - the Auditor. The other figure is shorter, dressed in casual, offensively stylish techwear - youthful garb at odds with his white-streaked hair, pulled back into a braid - the Scientist. They gaze up into a space resembling a vast aquarium filled with orange liquid. A central core feeds the tank, regulating the temperature and chemical composition of the liquid. Indistinct shapes drift behind the glass. The Scientist, arms folded, asks: 'So, tell me...what do you think of my little project?'

The angle shifts to reveal their faces. The Auditor is well-groomed, but haggard - hollow-cheeked and dark-eyed, a man who has seen much, and become inured to all of it - or almost of all. He glares up at the tank, brows knitted and lips pressed tight. The Scientist, on the other hand, grins; smug and self-satisfied. His eyes are concealed behind a visor which glows lurid red, and a strange scar mars his cheek. He continues: 'Merely a step toward the greater goal, of course - but a vital one, and not without its own potential applications.'

The Auditor does not look at him as he speaks - his eyes are still fixed on the tank. He has seen much, and become inured to it all - but there is a hint of disgust in his expression, resigned though it is, and it drips in his voice as he responds: 'And should you succeed in your "greater goal"...what do you think she would make of this?' Two identical figures dressed in long leather coats stand at his back, flanking him: tall, feminine in appearance, with grey skin, shaggy, bob-cut hair. Their expressions are blank, but their eyes are trained on the Auditor. Farther back stands a similar figure, sentry-like and heavily armoured.

Rescission
[Prev. titled 'In Another Life']
October 2023

CW: nudity, vague dubcon allusions, dark & twisted AU G'raha

1/6 🧵⬇️

#zefAU #crystariumcyberpunk #grahatia