locked to manufactured

[scythegun]

[When Wesker didn't contact him a day ago he was worried, but worry has quickly turned to fear and Jaeger's never been good at dealing with fear. Repeated attempts to reach Wesker have failed, so Jaeger's taken it on himself to go looking for his boyfriend.

Thankfully Wesker cuts a distinctive figure and Jaeger's able to trace his location to the outskirts of the city. He's worried that he's going to find that something's happened to Wesker, that he'll be injured or dying, or maybe even already dead—

But that isn't the case, and when he finds Wesker the man looks perfectly fine.]

Albert!

[He'll approach immediately; the worry and concern is probably obvious just from that exclamation alone, but once he gets close he speaks up again.]

Are you okay? What are you doing out here?

[If Wesker will let him get close enough, he'll reach out to touch Wesker's arm, as he usually does.]

Comments

[scythegun]

[Jaeger takes his usual seat, and it takes him a moment to realize Wesker isn't coming to join him. Usually he doesn't remain standing like that, but he's already shrugged off Jaeger's touch so maybe he's just not feeling up to physical contact right now.

Why though? Usually he doesn't mind it now...]

Can you tell me what happened now?

[manufactured]

Again, it's hard to say.

[He stays where he is, not moving to enter the room properly or sit down; he's fine like this for now.]

...It seems I've been having difficulty remembering things. It was all very sudden, and I can't say what brought it on, if anything. Perhaps it's something that will pass in time. But the point is that none of this is striking me as familiar.

[scythegun]

[...Oh. So his fears were correct, then.

Jaeger hasn't forgotten what he promised Wesker, and his first thought is that he needs to leave. He promised Wesker that he wouldn't get hurt, and he intends to keep that promise.

...But he can't leave Wesker like this. Memories or not, he's still Wesker. Besides, he's been a little strange, but hardly terrible.

While Jaeger's processing this, he finds something to say.]

...You don't remember me either, do you?

[manufactured]

You'll have to forgive me for not being forthcoming about it sooner.

[He doesn't sound genuinely apologetic, if anything it's a little facetious.]

But no, I'm afraid I don't. Though I've gathered enough to understand that it's...unfortunate that I don't recall.

[scythegun]

[Unfortunate. Yeah, that's one word for it.

He knows he should be feeling more about it, but right now he's just sort of in shock. That this is happening again, that he's actually forced to deal with it, that Wesker really doesn't recognize him... it's all a lot to take in.

He nods a bit.]

My name is Jaeger. Do you remember anything at all?

[manufactured]

About you or the rest of this situation...? No. The last thing I remember is dying, oddly enough. And the rest of my life before that, of course...

[Hm...]

How much do you know about ne, Jaeger?

[scythegun]

[So it is like the situation before. He really does need to be careful.

Of course, the next question is a dangerous one, and Jaeger's not exactly sure how to respond.]

I know a fair amount about you; we've known each other for quite some time now. We've been close for the past six months or so.

[He's not going to get into exact details if he can help it, and he's certainly not going to try to explain Retrospec and everything else that's happened here.]

[manufactured]

[That gets him to tense up; the reaction is involuntary but it's noticeable.]

So it's not just recent memories that I've lost - I'm missing a good amount of time.

[His words, too, are odd and tight, in a way that they usually aren't.]

[scythegun]

[It gets Jaeger to tense as well, though he's doing his best to remain calm.]

Ja, that's right. I can tell you anything you'd like to know, of course.

[What happened here? Is this the same thing that happened last time? Does he need to complete some sort of task to get his memories back? What if it's different, though? What if it's permanent—

No. He won't allow himself to start thinking like that. Wesker said he'd always return to him, and Jaeger believes him.]

[manufactured]

[He's quiet for a moment, forcing himself to breathe deeply and evenly until he can feel himself start to relax; he shifts a bit where he's standing for a brief moment before finally deciding to approach. He'll sit down nearby, though he seems stiff and strange about it, like he's prepared to get up again if he has to, if he's given some sign that he should move.

He's very clearly hypervigilant; not anxious, but obviously not willing to let his guard down. Even so, he isn't making direct eye contact either, instead focusing somewhere vague in front of him.]

It really is fortunate that I came across you, then.

[scythegun]

[It's probably a good thing that Wesker's sitting down, it makes it a bit easier to talk to him. Jaeger doesn't reach out, he'll stay right where he is. He wants to touch Wesker, of course, but Wesker doesn't remember and that's...

That's making him go tense again, so he forces the thought from his mind.]

I certainly wasn't going to leave you out there alone.

[manufactured]

[Mm.]

...How close are we, exactly? I have an idea, of course... But that isn't the sort of thing you want to make assumptions about. You understand.

[scythegun]

[For some reason, his first instinct is to lie. There isn't much of a point in it; Wesker's not stupid. But it would be easier if he lied, and said they weren't as close as they actually are.

The thought bothers him immensely, so he dismisses it, just like everything else that's been troubling him today.]

We're dating. We're... very close.

[The words are carefully chosen. It's not exactly what he wants to say, but he's not sure how Wesker will take it. It's better to play it safe.]

[manufactured]

[As he'd thought, then.

It doesn't seem to faze him; it's something he'll bear in mind, but ultimately something he'll save for later.]

Do you have any idea what I've been working on, in my time here? I do tend to prefer keeping busy.

[He doubts it's Uroboros again, especially in a place like this with no viable resources. But maybe there's something...]

[scythegun]

[That's worrying. It's possible it's just a bit weirdly phrased and he's only talking about work, but from what Wesker's told Jaeger about his past life... Well, it's definitely setting off warning bells.]

I'm afraid I don't know. We don't really talk much about your work.

[manufactured]

No, that's more than fair.

[He doesn't relax, exactly, but he does seem a little calmer at that.]

...This must all be a bit jarring for you, especially if we're as close as you say. You don't have to be so anxious around me; things are a bit different, perhaps, but I don't foresee that lasting forever.

[scythegun]

[Jaeger nods a bit at that, but it doesn't get him to relax any. He knows he has to be careful, and he's not going to let his guard down. He can't let Wesker hurt him and even though it doesn't seem like he has any intention of that, Jaeger's no longer dealing with the Wesker he knows so well.]

I really do hope it doesn't last for very long. It's a bit... difficult, to know what to say to you right now.

[manufactured]

[That's...hm.]

What would you want to say to me? Without overthinking. Just what you want.

[scythegun]

[Without overthinking? But that's all he's been doing this entire time!

He's really not sure what to say and it's probably obvious, but he takes a breath and tries to find something anyway.]

...I'm sorry that this happened to you. I... I wish I could do something to help, but I don't know how.

[manufactured]

That wasn't so terrible, I'm sure.

[It isn't chiding; really, it's easier than anything he's said this whole time.]

Answering questions is acceptable for now; it's helping a good deal.

[scythegun]

...I'm glad to hear that.

[He is, it's good that he can help in some way. It's just... it's difficult, to look at someone he knows so intimately and see someone else there instead. But if he starts thinking about it, he'll never stop, and he can't afford to let his guard down.]

Is there anything else I can answer for you?

[manufactured]

[There's a pause then, as though he's considering not saying anything more; there's still something about this that he doesn't like, and he isn't sure how much he wants to admit to.

But if he has someone willing to answer questions, it's pointless not to ask. Isn't it?]

...I don't understand what happened. The last I recall, I was being killed. Now I'm told I've been here for quite some time - is this some sort of project I was never made aware of...? I can't come up with a viable explanation without at least some information, and unfortunately that all seems a bit beyond me for now.

[scythegun]

[Oh boy. How the hell does he answer this? If he tells the truth, Wesker probably won't believe him. And if he lies...

Well, he'd be lying to Wesker, and that doesn't sit right with him. What the hell would he even say anyway? Maybe he could write it off with something like "sorry, I don't know" but if Wesker doesn't remember everything soon, then that's just going to make things more complicated...

He absently reaches up to toy with his bangs while he considers his options, but there's really only one answer, isn't there?]

This is going to sound very strange, but I promise you it's true. The memories you have right now are of a previous life - you did die and all of that did happen, but this is a new life.

We lived our lives here without any idea about our past lives until about a year ago, when we were introduced to Retrospec. Retrospec's stated purpose is to try to remake the worlds we originally came from... at least, that's what they say. They're the ones responsible for us remembering our past lives, and they're probably responsible for you losing your memory of this life. Strange things like this happen all the time here.

[...]

I know it sounds impossible and completely ridiculous.

[manufactured]

[That gets him to tense up again, tightly, and his eyes shift a little, emitting that odd, unnatural glow for a brief moment - it isn't prolonged, he seems to have close control over it, but there's definitely a visible flash.]

So I'm usually someone else entirely. You're saying I don't...exist, anymore.

[It's obvious from his tone that this is bothering him; he sounds almost angry. He doesn't move, however; if anything, he's gone very still.]

[scythegun]

[It's a stupid thing to get stuck on, but the last time Wesker's eyes did that, they were glowing for quite some time before they stopped. This Wesker has better control over it.

...It's creepy to think about, but they really are two very different people.

Jaeger's not really sure how to answer that; it's obvious Wesker's not happy with that idea, but he's not exactly wrong either...]

I wouldn't say that's exactly it. You went through different experiences so obviously you aren't the exact same person, but you do still exist in some form.

[Even if that form is just terrible memories his boyfriend's had to deal with for the past year.]