Identity V: One Shots [REQUESTS CLOSED]

Bring Back The Dead (Aesop x Joseph)

This was requested by uselessdampotato!
Thank you so much for requesting~ ^^
Enjoy~

Joseph's P.O.V.
I adjusted my cravat as I entered the Arms Factory. 'Now then... where could they be?' I thought.

I wandered for a while and noticed the antenna of a cipher machine shaking. "There you are," I muttered in a dark tone as I went to the machine.

The explorer looked up from his typing and saw me. In panic, he darted away as fast as his could. I pursued him as he ran behind a tank. When I turned the corner, he was gone, as if he had vanished into thin air.

I was about to leave before I saw movement in the tall grass at the corner of my eye. Without warning, I swung my blade at him as he returned to his normal size and continued running.

With a big swing, I finally got him. As I carried him with my balloons, I noticed another survivor hiding behind a wall. He was skinny and wore a face mask. 'I've never seen him before, is that a new survivor?' I thought to myself, carrying the explorer to his very own rocket chair.

When he was tied in place, I looked around to see any cipher machines shaking.

I had only turned my back for a few seconds and the explorer had already got out of the chair and vanished. I looked at the empty rocket chair in surprise. Nobody came to the rescue, how did he escape?

Then, I heard a crow not so far away as it flew off. The survivor was hiding behind an old shipping container. I came around and saw the embalmer with a coffin in front of him.

I gaped as I saw the explorer had already ran off, completely healthy. "What did you do?" I asked as I swung my sword at him.

He showed no emotion as I injured him. "I simply brought him back to life," he said in a slightly irritated tone.

"You... You can bring the dead back to life?" I asked. Could be possibly.. bring back my beloved brother?

He nodded and went to the cipher machine behind me. "A-Are you really going to decode in front of me?"

He looked up and realised what he was doing. In a swift motion, he ran away as fast as his thin legs could carry. 'He has no sense of danger...,' I thought. 'He didn't even flinch when I hit him.'

I went to the direction of where he ran to catch up to him. The area was quiet, I seem to have lost him.

"I'm sorry, it'll only be a while," I heard a female voice from behind a wall.

"Please be faster," said the embalmer.

"I'm trying, stop shaking."

I looked around the corner and saw the coordinator wrapping bandages around the wound I'd made. "...Don't look now," said the embalmer. "The hunter's here."

Frightened, the coordinator aimed her flare gun at me. I quickly hid behind wall as the flare hit the wall instead of me. "You've wasted your bullet," I said, smirking as I swung at her.

I noticed the embalmer getting away. "So many people...," he muttered in annoyance.

I followed him as he went around the walls, trying to lose me. "W-Why must you chase me?" he said.

"Your ability is quite strong, I can't let you rescue another survivor," I said. "Also, I was wondering, could you... by any chance.. bring my brother back to life?"

He jumped through a window. "Your brother?"

I nodded. "I miss him dearly. He was all I ever had..." The embalmer stared at me with a neutral expression. "All I have are pictures of him. Sure, I could go back to the time when we were still together. But it's just a photograph, an illusion," I said, tearing up.

"I have a suggestion," said the embalmer. "Maybe you should stop living in the past and start living in the present. You sound like you have nobody in your life."

"My brother was everything to me!" I said, a bit too aggressively. "..Sorry."

"You have your hunter friends right?" he said. "Aren't they treating you well?"

I thought for a moment. 'He's not wrong,' I thought. Whenever I felt down, White would console me, much like my brother. His kind smile was so similar to him, I'd cry even more when he comforts me.

"Joseph?" said the embalmer, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"...You're right," I said. "As hard as it is, I should focus on the present."

I noticed his nervous posture. "Are you okay? You seem worried."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just not good with communicating with living people... it.. it makes me nervous," he said.

"I see."

I heard another cipher machine turn on. They were already at their last one. 'I've wasted time chasing him in hopes of reviving my brother... the others won't be pleased,' I thought as I sighed.

"You can go," I said. "See you again soon..."

"A-Aesop Carl."

I nodded. "See you, Aesop," I said as I turned, wandering around the factory despite knowing they'd win this round. I just wanted to walk alone for a while.