Living in the domes was nothing short of hard. Born with a twin (Mint), they were already set up for failure from the start with his sibling's disease. Instead of military training they were put to education in the sciences where they both excelled in different fields. Mint took to physics and engineering, and Tai to biology and chemistry. 

Thy stayed close together, Tai taking the role of the protective brother who would help Mint in any action to reduce strains on their weak body from injuries, and soon vowed to become a doctor so he could cure Mint. Oh childhood dreams.

While Mint climbed the ladder of hierarchy, Tai was a simple military doctor and assistant where he took care of both normal octolings and the roughened soldiers. Needless to say, he has a way of dealing with uncooperative patients, and he's good at it. 

When Mint went missing his entire world shattered. He desperately tried to find them again, losing himself in the process of his lost twin. He couldn't cope with the sudden loss that no one batted an eye about. It seemed like no one cared, or no one wanted to tell him no matter how much he begged. A few soldiers he was looking after gave him some advice on coping with the loss finding the situation similar to that of lost comrades, and gave him a temporary coping mechanism: cigarettes. 

Eventually Tai has had enough, he couldn't sit around longer in the underground twiddling his thumbs and listening to the lies and deceit they were fed by Octavio; so when the leader disappeared, Tai took it as a chance to run.

Hearing rumors about a small rebel organization helping octolings escape, he took the chance to trust them and make his way out of the underground in a relatively safe manner. He was thankful for the help, and as soon as the rebels passed him to an Octoling Society that helped refugees settle and gain footing to stand on their own two feet aboveground, he began life over again.

With little to no knowledge of the language, Tai took on part time jobs as a janitor wherever he was called, and learned the language on his own time. On his off time he would go places, travel, and search for the one he truly missed.

Days, weeks, months passed. He lived humbly, but his faith was dwindling that his twin was on the surface, if even alive. And he was ready to give up, when somehow two people mistook him for someone else, and his heartbeat doubled as they dragged him someplace with excitement.

Meeting Mint was like the train crushing him finally reversed. Suddenly all the weight on his heart released at once, and he couldn't help but cry out with happiness- only to be met with the fact Mint has no recollection of him at all. 

Very slowly Tai has attempted to earn Mint's trust with stories and memories of them together, old photos and items Mint only saw in dreams as nothing more than coincidences. But, eventually, they relented, and let Tai into their life and home, where he has lived since.

Still learning inklish and with a less than ideal job, the reality of the situation quickly began piling on Tai's head again, and he once again returned to smoking to cope. He may have found Mint, but his twin, Frail, the one he knew and loved was really gone. Dead in his eyes. They weren't the same two people. He could barely recognize Mint in their presentation and personality. It felt familiar, but alien at the same time. Like something was wrong. He simply couldn't make piece that Mint will never be like he remembered them as, and his thinking slightly twisted.

It didn't make it any easier to cope with when Mint and all their friends seemed to keep things locked behind their teeth. Secrets. Many of them. He was never told why Mint has a missing limb, or why they bare scars so severe they'll remain for life, or why they all sometimes disappear off the grid and don't pick up the phone only to return with bruises and scratches. It was all lies lies lies and excuses. He was getting fed up with them.

He doesn't understand why they won't tell him what's going on. But he'll find out. His own way.