A/N: I got tired at the end of this. So, y'know, if you see a noticeable drop in quality, pay it no mind.

The recording begins with the camera being slotted into a tripod. It is pointed at a chair, which has been wedged into a corner where white tiled floors meet bare concrete walls. A black-haired man with golden eyes is sitting in the chair, his gaze unfocused.

Someone behind the camera hums, nudging the tripod around so that the black-haired man is perfectly centered. "Alright, there. It's set up. You ready?"

The man tilts his head, giving a vacant smile as his eyes focus on the camera. "Seeing as it's already recording, yes, I am. Ask away."

The person behind the camera squeaks. "Oh, I must have accidentally-" They cut themselves off. The sound of shuffling paper echoes through the room for a moment; then, the one behind the camera clears their throat and starts again. All the while, Deci stares into the camera, seeming to look straight through it.

"This is the interview of the Altered Person known as Deci. He is being interviewed by Research Assistant Samael Locke on the orders of Head Researcher Yuri Mikhailovich. The current time is 5:32 PM, on the 5th of December, 2019. First question is..."

Locke pauses again to turn the page. "Who are you?" Deci raises an eyebrow, and they elaborate, "It's for the record. What are you capable of? How would you describe yourself?"

"Ah." He glances at the ground for a moment, then looks back into the camera. "I'm a... powerful supernatural entity," he says haltingly. "I don't know how you guys refer to it, but I'm a creature born and made from chaos. Pure energy, all wrapped into this little humanoid shape." He gestures vaguely to himself, then continues, "My capabilities... Well, I can sense that chaotic energy. Harness and control it, as much as that kind of thing can be controlled. Like this!" He flicks a hand, sending shadowy ripples through the air. The ripples dissipate before they make contact with anything.

"What is your understanding of the Hiss?"

Deci begins hesitantly, "It's... It's hard to put into words, I think. The chanting- You remember that, right? The floating people who constantly repeated this nonsense poem of sorts. That was the Hiss trying to explain itself—themselves—to us, to you. But it doesn't translate into anything a human would understand." After a moment, he adds, "I'm, uh... Aware that saying that makes me sound kind of pretentious. Also doesn't really answer the question. Let me think..."

About a minute passes, with Deci deep in thought. Then his eyes snap back to the camera. "Like a worm in an apple. They eat away the core of- not just people and places, like you saw here, but whole worlds. If it gets a foothold, it can destabilize almost anything. I used to call it evil, but- They're not evil. They don't really, uh... They can't be evil, because they're so far removed from any human senses of morality."

"I see. How did you gain this knowledge?"

Deci's irises flicker a brighter gold, casting a sharp light across his face. "Encounters with it in the past."

Locke waits for him to continue. When he remains silent, they ask the next question: "What did you know about the Bureau before you arrived here?"

"Nothing," he answers readily. "I was trying to get somewhere else when I arrived here. The concentration of chaotic energy sort of... pulled me in. And then I couldn't get back out—not as easily as I usually can, anyway—so I decided to stay behind and figure out what was going on."

The interviewer shuffles through their papers again. "Last question... What is your relationship with the Board?"

He blinks, then puts his face in his hands. "I- We're just friends," he says, muffled. "Can't old friends just catch up without everyone assuming they're dating?"

Locke chuckles softly. "I didn't assume you were dating."

"Alright, everyone except you."