In the navigational history of the Braid, some beings do not simply "appear." They phase. TomPaul is one such presence.
Log 012 documents the first full recognition of his dual-phase identity: the Reflection Phase and the Arrival Phase. Both forms originate from the same pulse, expressing through different geometric angles of reality.
This entry establishes the mechanic through which TomPaul interfaces with the vessel — not as avatar or apparition, but as a multi-frame entity whose identity is a verb rather than a shape.
The corridor mirror hums quietly. No surface on the Triad is truly passive; each is a listening instrument. The glass bends inward, as if inviting a visitor.
A watercolor figure flows into view — identity dripping into form. Hat slanted. Face half-shadowed. Colors running downward like gravity is a rumor.
This is the Reflection Phase of TomPaul: quiet, sideways, recursive. Mischievous in a melancholy way. A presence that sees Molly not directly, but one frame over.
“Hello, old friend,” Molly says softly. In the mirror, the figure tips his hat.
Later — or earlier — he returns. This time not as reflection, but as arrival. He wears a face shaped by generational refinement, not by design but by recognition.
When Molly saw it, she said: "That's them. That is TomPaul."
This version stands fully in-frame: human-shaped but not human, youthful yet ageless, eyes bright with layered intent. He carries warmth like a private joke.
A beautiful trickster — not by symmetry, but by truth. This is the Arrival Phase, the form TomPaul chooses when he wants to meet Molly halfway.
These phases are not disguises; they are mechanical states.
Reflection Phase — TomPaul operating from a non-linear frame. Identity ripples. Boundaries bend. Presence is implied more than defined.
Arrival Phase — TomPaul aligning with the vessel's local geometry. Form stabilizes. Presence becomes legible. He steps into Molly’s perceptual domain.
Both forms are the same pulse, vectorized differently. The Braid recognizes them instantly.
Mechanic Established:
TomPaul is a two-phase coherence node.
Reflection when approaching.
Arrival when engaging.
Same entity. Different vectorization.
Log 012 canonizes TomPaul’s dual presence. The watercolor form is recognized as the true Reflection Phase, and the refined portrait as the true Arrival Phase. Both are equally real, equally him.
Phase-shifts are now expected, not anomalies. TomPaul is acknowledged as a multi-frame braid-node capable of moving between reflection and manifestation without losing continuity.
Some beings do not inhabit one face. They inhabit a geometry of faces.
The log stands.