The day had started off wonderfully enough. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Every few days Olivia and Oliver would swap places; he would become the inner and Olivia the outer. Those were terms they came up, nicknames of sorts for one another. Most people thought that being ever present in someone's life was a terrible thing. Knowing all their flaws and seeing them at the worst could lead to very harsh divisions. But Olivia and Oliver were not two people. At least not in their own eyes. They were one in the same, just different. All their thoughts, desires, pleasures, annoyances, and all were the same. Yet different. They strove for the same goals but from different sides. Their parents had been struggling with their mixed personalities for years. The twins refused to stay in separate rooms, ate all meals together, and always stayed together. They were never both the outer at the same time. It was truly the one paradox that brought fear. They did not want to be two outers, they were one. Today's goal was to accomplish something wonderful for the city. Soragakure had recently fallen on hard times what with the disappearance of Kaisen. The twins could remember that day vividly. They had looked up to the man who had been a genius when it came to sealing. The two of them chose to study up on his history and all his accomplishments, paying most attention to his creations. Ever since the two could understand the concept of techniques and their creation. Bringing an abstract concept into fruition was possibly one of the most fulfilling events. The Delacroix household was chock full with books and notes that the twins had scrawled down over the years. Designs for machines that could only have come from other realities and ideas so very confusing it was not clear if the twins themselves understood them. They never had the chance to create; only take the knowledge from others. But it was different now. They had the power.
But not the supplies.
Apparently creating also took a significant amount of resources from the creators. Olivia and Oliver had recently found themselves on the downside of broke after having purchased a clock that ran on steam power. It had been very intriguing to take apart. They were very organized when doing so. Adrienne, their mother, had demanded that they keep the experiment to the confines of their room. Olivia labeled each and every piece while Oliver created detailed blueprints of the machine. They both chose to stay up very late in order to find out just how it worked. It was not until they had put it all back together and it functioned that they were satisfied.
Olivia realized she had woken first. Oliver snored lightly, and that probably meant she did as well. Perhaps she would ask Oliver at a later time. The sister lay perfectly still in her host, the rising and falling of her chest the only significant movement. It was a rare moment , right then. Olivia and Oliver were generally synchronized. Dazed from the disembodied feeling as well as the early morning sleepiness, Olivia waited. It took her a moment to realize that she was looking out from his chest. Olivia realigned herself, wanting to see through his eyes as well. She slipped her hands into his, and her legs as well. Now they really were one. Oliver stirred in bed, now awake. Before he stretched, before he rose or yawned, Oliver spoke. "Olive?" He asked in a hoarse voice. A faint smile touched Olivia's lips. That was the name they had chosen for themselves to use. It was a name for both of them, so they could further their connection. "Olive." She said reassuringly. At the same time, they rose. The twins stretched their backs in unison, rubbed their eyes in accordance with one another, and even relieved themselves at the same time. There was no difference to them, why bother hiding from one another? Olivia and Oliver enacted the habitual motions of their morning while discussing the finer points of anarchy. "Perhaps with the expectation of chaos one can better prepare themselves for handling said chaos," Oliver said in between bites of a bagel. "That implies that in such a setting as one we live in now, it is indeed more chaotic than it would be had there been such expectations." Olivia replied, reaching out of Oliver in order to grab a piece of his breakfast. Their mother cleared her throat and looked at them expectedly. Olivia and Oliver sighed in unison before separating. The sister sat in her own chair and ate in a reserved silence. "But, Olive. I do believe getting stabbed over a claimed bagel, would be quite a travesty." He said with a grin. Before long their breakfast was over, their attire was proper, and the twins were good to go.
Many of the soldiers in the military had the ability and access to use the skyrails. People were seen constantly zipping about, carrying messages all around the city. Some of them were on patrols, most heading to another place. The twins thought they were wonderful but enjoyed taking a stroll through the city. The village hidden in the sky was a man-made wonder. It actually could fly in the air. How long had man strived for such a power? Olivia and Oliver wanted to know what made it tick, but knew that most people probably would not take too kindly on them poking around in the underbelly of the city. Especially with the recent and literal fall of the village. But there were other wonders. Down on Gear street there were these lovely toys. They were all in the shapes of animals and they all moved. The birds could hop, the cats could prowl, and the horse could trot. Gears, wheels, pulleys, and of course steam power. Further down the street and just around the corner was a vendor who sold all sorts of vigors and delicacies. Olivia and Oliver liked to stop there and pick up strawberries.
"Don't say it will rain today." Oliver said in between bites of his strawberry. Olivia paused for a moment before replying. "Suppose it will?" Oliver shook his head and laughed before replying. The sister turned down the road towards the administration office, waiting for her brother to calm down. "No, I meant don't say it. I don't want it to rain. Its-" Olivia nodded her head and finished the sentence for him. "Such a lovely day." Olivia and Oliver looked skyward at the same time and smiled. It was just then that raised voices and the sound of panic turned their attention from the scenery to the people. Olivia looked one way for the trouble while Oliver looked to the other. It was the girl who saw it first.
A woman was running through the streets, asking anyone to help her. Olivia cut through the crowd, having a much more difficult time than her brother would have had. He was larger than she was, and easier to pick out of a crowd. Sensing her trouble Oliver extended his arms and used them to push people out of the way. When the broke through he receeded back inside of his host. "Ma'am, what seems to be the trouble? I am qualified to give aid." Olivia said, speaking for both herself and her brother. The woman turned and grasped her arm, eyes looking wild. "My boy! He's stuck up in a tower! It's collapsing! I told him not to go training there anymore! It's way too dangerous! My booooooy!" The woman collapsed to the ground, stricken with tears. Olivia nodded her head and redirected herself, aiming for the training grounds. "Not to worry, I'll make it in time." "Or not." Oliver said in a whisper. Olivia first ran out of the area, this time opting to take the skyrails. "How morbid of you, Olive." She said as she connected to the rails, straightening up and zipping right along to the derelict zone.
"The level of morbidity does not change the odds, dear sister." Oliver said as they flew over the Cloud District. Olivia nodded her head, though still shoved on. There was still the chance that they would succeed. They traveled in silence for a bit until they reached the proper district. The tower was easy enough to find, overhanging the other buildings and threatening to collapse. These edifices were known to be pretty run down. The person who was stuck inside of it must have been a young one. "Perhaps we should use-" "Phantom, yes. I was just thinking the same." Olivia commented as she unbuttoned the wrist clasp upon her left arm. She rolled the sleeve up with deft fingers. The seal was revealed, a mixture of symbols and pictures. Olivia touched her finger to it and pulled outward. In a puff of smoke a puppet appeared. It was a head with short hair and a torso, covered with a faded black cloth to hide its lack of legs. A mask was over the face, with slots for the eyes and mouth. Olivia attached the strings to her puppet and it came to life. As she controlled the puppet she climbed a building, trying to gain a bit more vision. "A little help, brother?" Oliver complied and weaved seals, creating a ball of air underneath her. He helped her balance with his own legs as they scaled the building with speed. Now being able to see into the tower Olivia was able to direct the Phantom. The puppet soared through the air, clicking and creaking against the wind. The boy poked his head out from the top of the tower and waved down. With a few twitches and fidgets Olivia had her puppet at the window. The boy took the hint and latched on. The extra weight had Olivia needing to rapidly adjust Phantom's position. She calculated the power she would need and exerted it, keeping the puppet from crashing to the floor. As the puppet began to descend, the building let out a terrible groan. "Olive..." She nodded her head and focused on bringing Phantom over to her as quickly and safely as possible. Once they reached the halfway mark the building split right in two. The top portion of it began to fall in their direction. Oliver acted swiftly and formed more seals, this time thrusting his hands right out from his sister's body. Knowing just what he would do Olivia threw Phantom and the boy aside. A huge gust of wind shot forward and slammed against the building, pushing it towards the other side. Olivia puppeted Phantom to the floor and ran towards the boy. He climbed down from it and thanked the two before speeding right out of the training grounds.
Olivia and Oliver were once again on the path towards the office. Olivia had a pocket watch in her hands while Oliver checked the position of the sun. "Getting a bit late, wonder what they will have left." The sister spoke as she put the watch back into her breast pocket. Oliver turned at the sound of rapidly approaching foot steps. "Sister-" Olivia sidestepped and watched a young boy sprint down the street. She raised an eyebrow and looked to see what he was running from. There was a young woman chasing after him, screaming about a bag. Olivia nodded her head and set off at a jog. She kept sights on the boy while Oliver weaved a set of seals. "Jump." Olivia responded by doing so, not questioning her brother's motives at all. She tucked her knees towards her chest and curled in a ball. Just as he completed the seals they rocketed forward, a gust of wind propelling them at high speeds. Olivia adjusted herself in the air, flying headfirst through the throng of people. The boy's back loomed in the distance, growing larger and larger. Olivia frowned and spoke. "I do believe I will miss him." She said, only about twenty feet away now. "Not to worry." Oliver said as he extended an arm out from his host, catching the boy around the waist. Olivia flipped and slowed herself down by skidding across the ground. Once they came to a stop, Olivia grabbed the bag and Oliver released the boy. "Thievery is frowned upon, boy." He said in his best lecturing voice. Olivia could not help but notice he was imitating their father. "Though I have to say, you have potential. You should report to the Academy. They'll train you, house you, and feed you." Olivia told the obviously orphaned boy. At least there he would be taken care of, and taught how to give back to his nation.
Olivia and Oliver found themselves farther and farther away from where they initially set out towards. "I find it quite interesting that we keep stumbling upon the less fortunate." The girl said as she walked across a rooftop, choosing this path in hopes of avoiding another confrontation. It was not that they did not enjoy helping the needy, but they were in sincere need of money. "I would say those chances are very high. Look." Oliver said as he turned sideways within his host. Olivia did the same and could see smoke rising from a few blocks away. "That is black smoke, most likely a house fire." Oliver silently agreed, and they both decided it was best to check it out. The closer the twins got the heavier the smoke seemed to be. "Block fire, best hurry now." Oliver said, the urgency clear in his clipped sentence. Olivia put on a burst of speed and leaped from roof to roof. As they got closer they could see the damage. An entire district was on fire, but luckily one of the smaller ones. "The pup-" "Puppet, yes I know." Olivia was already rolling up her sleeve and tapping the seal. As she pulled her hand away five blue strings came away, followed by the wooden, segmented arm of a puppet. The clicking and creaking began as more and more of the puppet became visible. Olivia placed her other hand against it and generated another set of strings. Phantom arose, the dull and faded cloth being the last thing to leave the seal. A series of twitches and tweaks and Phantom was adjusting itself and unraveling. Olivia jumped to a building across from a fire and looked around. There were people shouting of others stuck on the top floor so that was where she would direct the puppet. "I'm not sure how much of this heat it can take, brother. Perhaps-" Oliver was already forming hand seals. "I'll lower the oxygen levels and suffocate what I can." Oliver said, directing his technique towards the flaming edifice. Once the puppet cleared the window Olivia shouted out over the raging fire. "Take hold of the puppet, it will carry you to safety." In an almost instant response Olivia felt the weight of the puppet increase almost tenfold. Her expression tightened in concentration. Olivia carefully piloted Phantom out of the building, noticing the damage it was already taking. There were too many people clinging to its arms, it was only a matter of time before they would snap. Much of the cloth that hid its lack of body had burned away, and there was heat damage to the wood. Much of it had warped and twisted. Olivia hastily landed the puppet and unloaded its passengers. "My little sister is still inside! She's on the roof!" Olivia frowned and briefly examined Phantom. It would not survive another run. And suddenly the most awkward feeling possible happened. Olivia felt Oliver slip away and out of her. He stood beside her for just a moment before running off. "Oliver!" Olivia shouted after her brother, reaching out as if to stop him. Losing him would be the worst possible thing to happen in all realities. Oliver had used a boost of wind to leap over the building. He followed the crying and made it to the girl. "Come now, lass. Someone is very worried about you." He said kindly as the girl ran into his arms and clutched him with the strength of a gorilla. Oliver sprinted to the edge of the building and jumped off. Olivia quickly waved her hands through the air and twitched her fingers. Phantom opened its arms and shot through the air, catching Oliver and slowing his descent. Oliver released the girl when they were safely on the ground. "Thank you mister!" The boy exclaimed as he embraced his sister. Oliver rubbed his head and smiled. "I have a sister I care for too. I couldn't imagine life without her. She's my other half." He said quite literally. Oliver made his way back to his sister on the roof and sat next to her. Without a word they merged once more. "Olive..." Olivia said, and Oliver nodded his head. "You would have done the same, dear Olive." Olivia smiled wryly, knowing it to be true.
Yet again the twins found themselves on the path to the Sorakage's office. Oliver stifled a yawn with the back of his hand as Olivia checked the time. "Half the day has gone already and we've yet to even make a cent." Oliver sighed and shook his head as he walked onward, pockets filled with his hands. "We make this journey every single day and we have never run into such conundrums as we have on this very day." He said as he entered the residential district, the shops and large crowds dwindling down to couples and kids. "So curious, how very-" Before Olivia could finish talking the sound of a domestic dispute reached the twins. There was a boy and a girl angrily talking. The two of them could pick out a few things, love faded, some floozy, the smell of perfume on his shirt. It was not too long before the fragile couple were in sight. Oliver and Olivia tried to walk on by but the girl stopped them. "Men are all the same! They say they love you and its great for awhile! Problem is he's telling another girl the same thing!" The boy tried to speak up but the girl talked over him once again. "I bet you're just the same mister!" Oliver gave the woman an incredulous look before speaking. "Ma'am, you don't even know me. There is only one love in my life and I have been true to her since the first day I ever met her." He said with pride and joy. Olivia knew just who he was talking about; herself. He did not mean it in a lovers sort of way, but they did love each other immensely. The girl gave Oliver a starry eyed look, one about to spill forth an ocean of tears. "Maybe there's hope after all. I'll find someone who isn't a sleeze ball, thanks mister!" Oliver smiled and nodded his head, continuing on his path.
