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]

[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.]

[manufactured]

I won't stop you.

[It's fine with him, really; it would likely be best to not spend the night with someone he doesn't know in the house.]

Though I do owe you some appreciation for bringing me back here, in that case.

[scythegun]

Of course. I wasn't going to leave you out there, especially without your memories of this life!

[...]

I'm just glad you're safe.

[Maybe it's not something he should say, but he can't really help himself.]

[manufactured]

I'm more resilient than most people would think.

I imagine you know about that to at least some extent, however. Don't you?

[scythegun]

I do.

[He glances away. He's not really sure he wants to try explaining himself.]

I just worry a bit too much, I suppose!

[manufactured]

I suppose it's natural, if we're as close as you say.

[...]

I'm fine, Jaeger. Just disoriented. It'll pass.

[scythegun]

Yes, I know.

[It will pass, right? He'll remember everything soon, won't he?

...]

Would you prefer to be left alone? I'd still like to check in on you sometimes, if that's okay, but I can leave if you'd prefer to be on your own.

[manufactured]

If you're in a hurry to leave, then go ahead and do it; there's nothing standing in your way. I'm not making you, however; do as you wish for the time being.

[scythegun]

[Wesker's been perfectly fine to him so far, and while it might be better to get out quickly, Jaeger knows it'll be very difficult for him to do much of anything if he's home alone. So maybe... maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while longer.]

No, I'm not in a hurry. I just don't want to make things too awkward for you. I'm sure this is quite a lot to take in.

[manufactured]

I've handled worse.

[So he doesn't mind you staying for now.]

[scythegun]

[...Yes, you definitely have.]

Thanks, then. If there's anything I can do to help you, don't hesitate to let me know.

[Maybe that's something he shouldn't offer so easily, but it's Wesker. How is he supposed to resist offering it?]

[manufactured]

...You're taking this well.

[scythegun]

Ah, I'm doing my best. It's... a lot to take in, admittedly.

[But as long as he doesn't put too much thought into it, he should be fine, right?]

[manufactured]

...Tell me some things about you.

[There's no hesitation behind the request, but it is a bit odd-sounding; like he's not used to asking things like this, maybe.]

It doesn't have to be anything important, mind. Just things that you want me to know. I'm curious.

[scythegun]

[Oh, it probably would be good to actually talk about himself a bit, wouldn't it? Wesker doesn't know anything about him right now. Hmm, where to start...]

Well, if my accent didn't already make it obvious, I'm originally from Germany. I came here around three years ago to open a business. I run a curio shop; it's a charming little place! I come from a very large family, and while I do miss them terribly sometimes, I'm quite fond of my life here. I've met all sorts of interesting people and I'm very happy with my life now!

Retrospec has certainly made things very odd, but I can't say that I completely hate the experience. The memories I have of my past life are confusing at best, but they aren't too difficult to deal with.

[Aside from the blastia, but he's not going to talk about that.]

...Ah, laying it all out like that makes me sound a bit boring, I'm afraid...

[manufactured]

There's nothing wrong with your life having been reasonably normal. If anything, it's a nice change of pace from what I remember.

[That weird, hard edge is still present in his tone, but he doesn't seem half as on-edge; just the way he talks, probably.]

I would offer to answer any questions you have for me as well, but that's probably redundant by now.

[scythegun]

You did tell me quite a bit about your memories, so I don't think I have any questions for you.

[He could probably come up with some, but he's not really sure he wants to ask. There's something jarring about hearing the answers from this Wesker instead of the one he knows so well.]

Thank you for the offer, though.

[manufactured]

Yes, of course.

[This is all fine by him, really.]

What led us to start dating, exactly? You've explained how we started living together, more or less, but not the rest.

[scythegun]

We met through being in the same social circles, though we didn't know each other very well until we both ended up getting involved with Retrospec a year ago. That's what brought us closer together, actually. In August, there was a... well, Retrospec calls it a "storm", where we were spirited away to different places. It was the first time we'd really been separated after growing closer, and when we were returned here, I realized I had feelings for you.

When I finally worked up the courage to talk to you about it, you were a bit resistant to the idea at first. It wasn't because you didn't like me - not to sound egotistical or anything! - but because you were concerned about what the future would hold, especially with Retrospec being as unhelpful as always. Thankfully, you changed your mind and decided to date me anyway!

[Okay, so that's not exactly what happened, but it's close enough. Jaeger's not really aware of it, but he's started toying with his sleeves while he talks, and he can't keep his eyes on Wesker for very long before his gaze drops. He doesn't mind talking about it, but he's talking to Wesker and it's... it's not easy. But maybe talking about it will help Wesker remember...?]

[manufactured]

...I see.

[Despite the explanation, there's no recognition at all on his tone; it's the same as it has been, really.]

You seem anxious - not feeling right discussing it, or...?

[scythegun]

[...He didn't really think there would be any recognition.]

Ah, it's just a little strange to talk about. I...

[His breath catches in his throat and he clears it, shaking his head. He forces a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes.]

Sorry, I'm fine.