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

[manufactured]

Well enough, though it's odd having a legitimate job. I don't recall ever having a proper one before now.

[scythegun]

Oh, I suppose that would be very strange... I hadn't thought about that. Are you settling in okay?

[manufactured]

It's similar enough to what I was doing at the training facility to be intuitive, at least.

[scythegun]

That's good! You don't find it boring or anything, do you?

[manufactured]

Not as much as I thought I would.

[How do you even...]

It's less competitive than I'm used to, and much more collaborative. Which was annoying at first, the number of people who wanted to talk to me while I was working... But it's something I'm getting used to. I don't mind it; it isn't as stressful as I'd assumed.

[NORMAL...WORK...ENVIRONMENT...??]

[scythegun]

[OH NO...]

I'm pleased to hear that! I'm sure you'll get used to it easily. I can't say I really know what it is you do, but I'm happy to hear that it's something you can find engaging!

[manufactured]

It's strange to me.

[He's...kind of tense about it, really; not as badly as last night, but this is agitating him in a similar sort of way.]

My resources aren't as good here; I've noticed that much already. They're decidedly less varied, and far less research has been done into ebola in particular.

[scythegun]

Well, I suppose there are bound to be differences between your world and this one.

[He's a little uneasy with this topic of conversation, but it's not like he really has the means to create Uroboros here, right? So he probably can't pass judgement on humanity and kill almost everyone. Right?]

[manufactured]

...I suppose. It's just frustrating to notice it in such a way.

[For several reasons.]

[scythegun]

Oh? Why's that?

[...is he going to regret asking...?]

[manufactured]

It feels limiting.

[...]

You aren't going to like this conversation, you know.

[scythegun]

[...yep, he was afraid of that.]

I understand.

[He's quiet for a moment while he works out what he wants to do with that.]

If it's okay with you, I think I'd rather talk about something else.

[He doesn't want to run away again and he knows that ignoring it like this isn't the answer either, but... he's not really sure what else to do right now.]

[manufactured]

Likewise.

[That's...prompt, really.]

[scythegun]

[Oh, that's... He wasn't expecting that. Jaeger's not sure what to say for a moment, but he'll change the subject eventually.]

Ah, so... How are you doing with the dogs? They really do seem to have the run of the place! Have you gotten used to them yet?

[manufactured]

I have, though they were a concern at first; I don't want them biting me, for obvious reasons.

[...You know, he's avoided asking about it, but...]

How familiar are you with the virus...? I assume you know, because it would likely be impossible for you not to, but I don't know how much you know about it.

[scythegun]

I know that you can come back from almost anything and you're much more durable than a normal person would be. You're also much stronger and faster because of it. It's changed your eyes, as well.

[He probably missed something, but those are the first things to come to mind.]

[manufactured]

Apparently I've only had it since January - it was dormant until I was hit by a car and killed, according to notes I took around that time.

I didn't take it well, from the sound of it.

[scythegun]

...No, you didn't. You were immensely bothered by it.

[His left hand has settled over the blastia again without him even realizing it.]

[manufactured]

[He's noticed that gesture every time it happens; he's seen enough notes to know why. But for the time being, he doesn't feel inclined to comment.]

I didn't care for it much the first time either. It took months to get accustomed to it; it troubled me a fair amount until then.

[scythegun]

Really?

[He certainly wasn't expecting that. It makes sense that Wesker would be troubled by it, but he just hadn't expected it from this version.]

...Well, that makes sense. I imagine most people would have a difficult time with something like that.

[manufactured]

...Loss of one's humanity is something that people aren't equipped to deal with in any sort of rational manner. Even if you're expecting it and know what you're doing when you initiate it, nothing can fully prepare you for the way it feels when you wake up again.

It feels like a violation, as though something vital has been stripped from you. You can become accustomed to it's absence, and you can come to appreciate the benefits you gain from what's left in its place. But it never does stop feeling wrong in some way.

[scythegun]

[He has a better idea of what it's like than most people would, but even then it isn't as though he can ever fully understand. He woke up again in a body that was still more or less human, after all.]

...I'm sorry. It... It really does sound terrible.

[Wesker really has been through so much...]

[manufactured]

[He shakes his head a bit.]

I knew what I was doing at the time; after a while I came to prefer living this way. The benefits far outweigh any drawbacks, and I'm capable of so much more than I was when I was still human.

But it was a rough adjustment period. Give your boyfriend a year or so and he'll have himself figured out.

[scythegun]

[Is it really true that he'll get used to it? This Wesker did, but that doesn't necessarily mean his boyfriend will.

...If his boyfriend's memories ever return, that is.]

I see. It's good that it doesn't weigh as heavily on you anymore.

[It... is good, right?]

[manufactured]

I've come to enjoy it, in its own way. It never stops feeling off, but the power has been more than worth it.