There's a silence before they pull themself back to the surface.

"Yeah," they say, a little more colour in them, in their neutral expression, leaning back upright (it'd be selfish to draw more comfort than they need), and rubbing at Chara's nose with their sleeve, crinkling it.

"I... I thought the ones here..."

Were versions of their brother. It never occurred to them that things could differ so greatly between worlds. This is more than a simple timeline split.

"...I guess not. Um. Can I ask a favour?"