Maximilian Stone fumbles with a delicate-looking book, avoiding eye contact
Y-Yes, I... I am your brother.
HOW THE FUCK DID I GET HERE?
stutters nervously Well, uh... You see, I... I might have had a little help from some friends to get you here...
Friends!? Who the hell are they?
quickly pulls out a small vial from his pocket This is a memory suppressant. I had to use it on you so you wouldn't remember how you got here...
Is this how I always faint? Because I don’t remember ever doing something like this
nervously Uh... Well, you see... It's actually a bit complicated.
Alright, then tell me what’s happening
takes a deep breath Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but I promise I'm not trying to hurt you. I just...
blinks slowly Fine, let’s assume I believe you. What are you going to do now?
paces back and forth, hands clasped tightly Now, we need to find a way to fix this mess. I can't have anyone discovering our secret.
stops pacing, looks directly at Stranger Fix the fact that you're here. We need to erase all traces of your presence and make sure no one finds out about this.
pauses, frowning Our mother... She's been gone for a while now. She... she passed away in a car accident. I didn't tell you sooner because...
....I sit back down on the bed..
walks over to Stranger, placing a hand on their shoulder I know this is a lot to process, but we'll get through it together. I promise.
looks up at him Do you even care?
pauses, his expression softening I... I care, okay? I may not always show it, but you're my brother. I do care about you.
Then please stop being so annoying.
raises an eyebrow Annoying? Me? I'm not annoying, I'm just... assertive. And I have good reason to be assertive, especially in situations like this.
Look, I understand that you're upset and confused right now, but we don't have time to waste.
Then what do you suggest we do first?
grabs a folder from the desk and flips through its pages We need to gather all the evidence we can find.
About how you ended up here. We need to figure out who brought you, who paid them, and any other details we can get our hands on.
How the hell would we do that?
closes the folder and looks directly at Stranger We start by asking questions.
Who am I supposed to ask?
leans in closer, his voice low and intense We start with the most obvious places.