She felt relieved when her neighbors eventually stopped their searching.
They had knocked on her door, asking if she had seen anything.
They side-eyed her quite a bit.
"Even though I'm innocent."
Though she supposed that she technically wasn't.
Since it was her delusion, she likely subconsciously went and stole those things.
But could she really be blamed for what she assumed at this point was something akin to a split personality?
"No, even if he is a split personality..him being a guy is really in bad taste..is my subconscious mocking me?"
She mumbled to herself, sitting on her bed.
"Since when am I a split personality..?"
Visio asked while laying face down on the floor. He had received a severe beating for the crime of stealing.
Though he still wouldn't admit it was theft. He was only borrowing things. Humans are odd. Can't they just imagine more things anyway?
"Don't you feel at least a bit guilty for abusing me like this.."
"You deserved it. Besides you're just a split personality delusion. It doesn't matter what I do to you."
Hearing her say this, Visio slowly stood up.
"What can I do to finally convince you that I'm real?"
"Are you serious..you're a weird delusion that no one except me can see. At best I'd give you the rank of imaginary friend. Except we aren't friends. Now stop bothering me I need to concentrate."
Not even bothering to look at Visio, Ruby shifted her gaze to the dull wall. Letting her mind wander to her usual daydreams.
"As much as I enjoy watching a master at her work. Not this time."
He leaned over her, slamming his hand on the wall behind her.
"I didn't come here for no reason you know. So tell me. How can I convince you that I am real."
"...you."
She looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. His expression was complicated.
She didn't like looking into people's eyes for this reason.
Their emotions were always nauseating to her.
Strangely, his emotions seemed more pure despite their complexity.
She didn't know how she knew this.
Perhaps because he was her delusion and lived in her mind?
Either way. She felt she indulge this delusion of her..at least for now.
She sighed.
"Fine..but first..why are you so insistent on convincing me you're real. If you are real..why are you even here. I'm a nobody."
She observed his eyes.
"You..if you were a nobody I wouldn't even be here. You can't see what you have..your imagination..I don't know how. But it is unlike that of any human I have come across. It is..deep. Boundless. Endless. It feels like sinking into a bottomless sea."
"So I'm good at deluding myself..what does that have to do with anything.."
"It has to do with everything. The reason I'm able to be here. And interact with your world. It's a first. People..well..things like me..we exist in the mind of every human. It's rare for us to sneak glimpses of the real. Much less interact with it."
She looked at him as he was speaking, as if looking at insane person.
"You..really believe this stuff huh. So what are you? A fairy of some kind? And I don't mean the dish soap."
"No, I..am Visio."
"...."
His face received a kick from a remarkable angle.
"Be serious."
"I…am."
He spoke through the foot lodged in his face.
"I'm..Visio. It's not so much a name. As it is a title. For one of a select few dream deruges."
"Now you're just making up words. Deruge..really. A word that sounds so awfully similar to Delude? Are you trying to get kicked again."
She glared.
"No no! It's uh..kind of like your CEO? I guess? Back in the daydreams, I own quite a bit of the places that manufacture..well..dreams. On behalf of humans."
"This is ridiculous. An imaginary friend who is a CEO. Couldn't I at least have imagined someone more humble."
She laid down on her bed, getting a headache from this nonsense.
"I'm going to sleep. Your nonsense is starting to annoy me. I don't need any dreams manufactured by you. I'm quite good at deluding myself without that! So disappear already!"
With that, she ignored Visio, slowly drifting off into sleep.
Visio simply stood next to her bed, deep in thought.
"Oh if only you knew how true that was..you'd realize why you're so special.."
Mumbling this, he laid down on the floor, thinking on how to better convince her…in the morning.