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stone was staring up at julius like julius had grown seven extra heads. he supposed that made sense, if this was stone's first time experiencing flight via chaos energy. though, julius was instinctively aware of stone's gaze lingering on his eyes. ah, great.

"i, uh, i was looking for you. it worked." ⸻ w h A t ⸻ his brain short-circuited. in fact he was so shocked by this that julius' grip on stone's arm slipped and stone started falling away.

he scrambled, diving down after him and catching stone properly this time, by grabbing him and lifting him so that way julius was holding him flush against him. he exhaled, mumbling, "if you say so." he's avoiding looking directly at stone, a light flush coating his face. "let's get you to the ground." & julius starts to descent then, before landing and letting stone go, stepping back from him.

"there. no risk of you falling and becoming a splat on the ground." an ungloved hand moves to run through his hair. julius exhales, boot shifting along the dirt beneath him. "⸻i sensed chaos energy, earlier. that was you?"

well it definitely had worked, as when stone reappeared he was in a different place entirely but also... wait. he was falling?? he in fact was falling and could feel himself plummeting towards the ground at an almost alarming rate. why had he been brought to the literal sky and not the ground??

as he fell however he swore for a brief moment he saw robotnik, flying in the air like some damn bird might but that wasn't possible... right? people just didn't fly, but his brief thought was only confirmed when he feels something grab him and a sharp pain erupt in the upper part of his arm right after.

though he soon forgot about the pain when he realized he was no longer free falling, as the only thing he could focus on was how he had been saved by him, and... no way. his eyes were glowing? not only was this man flying, but his eyes were glowing an intense crimson that made stone feel very small beneath the man's gaze. then he hears the man speak, and his voice was just the same as it was all those years ago. in fact, he hadn't changed at all, it seemed.

fucking speak, stone!

"I uh, I was looking for you," he finally says as the initial shock wore off, and he managed to catch his breath despite the pain from being only held by the arm soon coming back into his mind. "it worked."

ian, really⸻? julius had to fight not make a face of disgust, kept his expression neutral, before smiling and giving a slight nod toward them all. he hated this already. how did any of them find this fun? the crowds were far too loud for julius' ears, that scent of oily greasy foods overwhelmed him.

"sonic do you mind asking him what brings him to station square?" amy's staring up at him, and julius can't tell if she's caught wise already or she's genuinely curious. he keeps that smile plastered on.

"ah, right! sure thing," sonic's turning towards him then, paused to consider before he spoke, "Ok, allora fai finta che ti stia chiedendo perché sei qui."

julius glanced at sonic, impressed. that was near perfect italian. "È un'assurdità, ve ne rendete conto?"

sonic's smiling, but his next words sound a tad sharper, "Dai, non è poi così male."

sonic's looking back toward the trio, smiling, "he says he's here to take in the sights, and try out some new food."

"heeeey, sonic!!" amy's voice sing-songed the second that she saw sonic's quills and saw him shuffling past a group of people walk-dancing across the street to some of the more jivy music playing over the loudspeakers strewn along the sidewalks. she paused then, noticing that sonic was leading someone closer to them. she blinked, hand lowering a touch as her fingers curled, "tails, did sonic mention anything about bringing someone?"

"it's news to me too, just indulge him amy. sonic likes to bring new people for us to meet."

"that's a big hat," knuckles sounded amused by it, not really caring either way who sonic did or didn't bring. wasn't any of his business anyway.

"hey guys, sorry it took a bit t'get here! had to go get my friend." sonic's letting go of his hand, and motions towards him, "this's ian, he's not from around here and can't speak english too much. so sorry if he's quiet."

'ian' gave a short, very brief smile, nodding toward the trio.

why are you so damned sensitive⸻

⸻you just marinate⸻

damned sensitive⸻

⸻marinate

⸻

⸻

.....

"we are merely getting to know one another" distant, though through a haze, or muffled from underneath water. he blinks, but doesn't move. simply stands there, gaze looking a tad duller than it even did in his waking day to day. which was saying something, how detached he felt normally. "i.... i M SOROY- unkwo- somet-" he blinked, a hand moving to slam against the side of his own head, as if wanting to jostle himself out of whatever stupor or state he were in⸻ all it served to do was making that pounding in his head worse, but his hearing did come back to him somewhat.

lips. what had stone's lips said. he blinked, focusing on the movement he had just seen a few seconds ago. 'i am sorry' 'didn't mean to upset you'.

julius scoffs. gaze lowering away from stone. he shrugs briefly. "hardly something to get upset over." he could feel it, that churning sensation; like a rolling fire, stoking and trying to vault higher but he was pushing that down. no no no stop stop⸻

stone instinctively took a step back when he saw how quickly the man's demeanor had changed, though he knew ultimately if julius chose to attack him there wasn't really much that he could do. in a way he had been unknowingly provoking the man, it seemed, not that he had any real way of knowing.

whatever feeling of annoyance and boredom stone had previously felt was quickly replaced with dread, like his instincts were telling him to try and run and yet... he didn't. he just stood there, staring aimlessly at the man.

something was wrong, and stone was almost sure the man was currently experiencing some form of PTSD. he'd seen it firsthand during his time with G.U.N, and for a moment stone's expression softens before he hears the words the man uttered next, whatever sympathetic words of his own getting lost entirely.

"we are merely getting to know one another," stone replies as he refrains from moving further away from him, a bit of him on guard regardless if the man chose to suddenly snap. "I... I am sorry, if I unknowingly triggered something with what I was saying. I did not mean to upset you..."

jaw flexes minutely upon realizing who julius is face to face with. instantly, his crimson red irises began to glow, piercing through even the darker tint of his sunglasses. chaos energy licked along his fingers and arms in the form of a darker red electricity,

"COMMANDER," there's no affection to his tone. in fact, one could only call the words that spill from julius' mouth mocking, "how nice to see you again. i expect the cavalry will be arriving shortly to try and take me in. again."

@towerfcllen

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MUSE'S HANDWRITING

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that frown doesn't leave him, head lilting to the side just a fraction. "and you're bald, how quaint." his arms cross, an eyebrow jutting upwards as his other demands to know who he is. a fit of laughter threatens him, but julius quells that urge. for now. "i'm you. well, an alternate version of you. we've led different lives, no doubt." am i going to go bald? he certainly HOPED not. & there was no chance in hell julius would ever grow such a horrendous looking moustache.

@drrobctnik (julius) sent : he stares, then frowns, a low scoff leaves him, "why on earth do you have that god forsaken moustache." what a lovely way to greet your alternate self, julius. insults.

"you mean my utterly handsome moustache?" ivo replies as he twists the ends of said moustache to further emphasize the word, then tilts his head as he observes the man before him. "who the hell are you?"

📜 heehee

incorrect quotes generator ft. johnny & julius!!

"yes, you. I have a question."

not chaos energy, exactly, but not dissimilar in sensation. he couldn't tap into it though as easily as he could've with chaos energy. not that julius was going to try, currently, too spent from that dimensional hop to bother trying. so he'd been wandering around, not really caring how suspicious it may look that a total stranger was wandering about, peering in through windows as though looking for something.

honestly he was trying to gather an understanding of this universe. & sometimes that meant peeping through windows to look into businesses or homes to check things like decor, technological advances or lack thereof.

so of course someone ratted julius out and called the authorities. lovely. it seemed no matter what universe he found himself in, he'd need to deal with these uppity pricks. his gaze narrowed a fraction behind those sunglasses at this uniformed person's appearance: fishlike in all but how he stood. made julius think of mobians but if they were even more humanoid. hm.

where in hells name had he ended up.

"& what can i help you with, officer."