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]

[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.]

[manufactured]

[That's...better, perhaps, if a bit difficult to get his mind around.]

Reincarnation, then. And this...Retrospec is working to restore things to the way they should be.

[It sounds like a slow process, though not one without merit; they've apparently saved his life somehow, after all, so he's not going to bite the hand that feeds unless they render themselves deserving of it.]

[scythegun]

["And this...Retrospec is working to restore things to the way they should be." ...He really doesn't like that. The way things should be...

There's no sense in getting worked up about it, so he dismisses the thought.]

Ja, that's right. We admittedly don't know a lot about Retrospec or the people behind it, but I'm inclined to believe they're at least trying to help, even if they're often incompetent at it.

[How is wiping Wesker's memory helping? How could they do something like this to him? Hasn't he been through enough? He already went through this once, why would they do something like this again—

Getting worked up isn't going to help. He dismisses those thoughts as well.]

[manufactured]

...Am I very different, then, to how I was before?

[With the...new experiences and all.]

[scythegun]

[Yes, he thinks, but it takes him a moment to find an answer.]

I think so. I've heard bits and pieces about your past life, and it sounds very different from your experiences here.

[manufactured]

Does the Umbrella Corporation still exist?

[The question is tense, agitated, though he doesn't seem aware of how much so; if it's revived itself somehow, or if it exists in this world (because if their worlds need to be restored, this must be a different one, right?), then he'll have to tear it down again. And he will tear it down.]

[scythegun]

[Right, he wanted to destroy Umbrella. It makes sense that he'd be worried about it in this world as well, especially after everything that company put him through.]

No, it doesn't. I'd never heard the name until you mentioned it.

[manufactured]

[Hearing that is both a relief and somewhat strange to think about; a world completely untouched by that corporation sounds both promising and almost like a waste at the same time. Like a toy that's never been played with.

As much as he hated that entire setup, they did have ambition. He would grant them that much.]

That's good to know, I suppose.

[scythegun]

Yes.

[He could mention that there aren't any zombies or viruses or parasites or giant leeches here either, but he's not sure how Wesker would react to any of that. After a moment of awkward silence, he speaks up again.]

Do you have any other questions...?

[manufactured]

[He imagines that goes without saying, really, if Umbrella doesn't exist.]

...At risk of asking something obvious, I assume we both live here?

[...What...is the living situation, exactly...]

[scythegun]

We do, yes.

[He hesitates for a moment before pressing on.]

This is your residence; you invited me to stay over and we both liked the arrangement, so I ended up living here.

[It's a bit better than trying to explain what happened, anyway.]

I do have another residence, though; I can stay there for the time being.

[It would probably be too weird to try to stay in the house with this Wesker here, right? Right.

...It still aches though.]