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[scythegun]

GUNTHER SCHWARZ

Jaeger. Leviathan's Claw owner. Not particularly pleased to be here.

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03/30

[manufactured]

[It's likely obvious from the start that today is an off day.

Wesker is distant before work, not interested in engaging much or having all that much to say; he's very up in his own head, and honestly he just wants to get work over and done with before taking a few days for the holiday. He could probably take today, given scheduling, but today isn't a day where he's interested in being alone with his thoughts.

So it's looking like things are...going to be a little rough; he stays a bit later than usual today before returning home - not enough to be worrying, it's still within his reasonably normal range of hours, but it's still later than he usually is when he returns home.

Just the same, he'll check the study for Jaeger first, given that today has been weird but he's pretty sure it hasn't been enough to escalate things to Alarm Level: Kitchen; if he's not there then he'll move elsewhere, but as usual, study first.]

[scythegun]

[You're right, it's not enough to warrant Alarm Level: Kitchen, but Jaeger seems a little more worked up than he usually is this late. He's messing around on his phone when Wesker comes in, but he's quick to put that away and focus his attention on his boyfriend.]

How was your day?

[manufactured]

[He'll move to sit nearby - not touching Jaeger at all but close enough to pull him over later, should either of them decide they want that.]

It's been fine; there was some progress made at work, which was nice for a change, and I decided to stay a bit later.

[He sounds a little terse, maybe, but not terribly so.]

Yours...?

[scythegun]

[Something is definitely Off here...]

Oh, it was fine. Nothing to complain about today!

[...]

Are you okay? You've been acting a bit odd all day.

[manufactured]

...I believe so. I remembered something difficult earlier, is all.

[That gets something of an agitated noise out of him as though to punctuate it; he settles back a bit more thoroughly against the couch.]

It's another of those tiring things... Just when I think I've remembered all of it, something else feels the need to prove me wrong.

[scythegun]

Ah... I see.

[There really isn't any end in sight for Wesker, is there? Just how much more does he have to remember...?]

Do you want to talk about it?

[manufactured]

...To start with, it wasn't something along the lines of "ending the world." It was more personal than that, something I did to one person in particular. So it was...

[...]

It doesn't seem right to say that it was less terrible, but it was at least less catastrophic on a mass scale.

[It honestly sort of pisses him off that he has to verify that? God, he doesn't know what his damage is today but he's feeling volatile as fuck in a way that he usually isn't.]

[scythegun]

[It's good to have that verified and Jaeger nods.]

I understand. What did you do to this person?

[manufactured]

[It's going to take him a moment to figure out where to start...]

Do you remember when I told you that I would hurt people sometimes, in order to ensure that they wouldn't leave?

[scythegun]

Yes, I remember that.

[He definitely doesn't like the sound of it, but...]

You remembered a specific instance of that?

[manufactured]

It was something I suspected was happening when I told you that. It ended up being worse than I thought it was.

It has to do with Jill - that woman I remember from S.T.A.R.S., back when I was on the force. I remembered working with her some time after that, as well - she was assisting Excella and I when we were planning to release Uroboros. She stayed with us for three years, while we were preparing all of that.

[God, this is...weird to talk about.]

...She stayed because of something I did to her. Something...chemical, I attached a device to her that would keep a steady flow of particularly powerful drugs in her system. Brainwashing, essentially. She was aware of what was happening the entire time, she just couldn't do anything to stop it.

[scythegun]

[Oh, that's... Wow.]

I see. I'm sorry you had to remember that, Albert. That... really does sound awful.

[You really didn't want her to leave, huh...? That's supremely fucked up, yikes.]

[manufactured]

It's something I've known for a while, I think, but I really did end up no better than that old man in the end.

[scythegun]

[...]

I wish things had gone differently.

[But Wesker made his choices, and ended up like this.]

I'm sorry, Albert. I wish I knew what to say.

[manufactured]

...It's fine.

[It really isn't.]

Again, it's just difficult to think about; I'll handle it.

[scythegun]

I know you will. You always do. Still, I really wish you didn't have to remember something like that...

[Why was past-you like this, goddamn.]

[manufactured]

The fact of the matter is that I have, and there's nothing to be done about it now.

[...That's...it's more agitated than it should be, probably, but he doesn't seem inclined to amend it, either.]

[scythegun]

Albert...

[...]

Well, you're right. There isn't anything to be done about it now. I suppose you can only try to move forward.

...I'll be here, though. I may not be able to help, but I'll always be here for you, no matter what you remember.

[manufactured]

...I know you will.

[That does get him to break eye contact, though, noticeably and visibly despite the sunglasses; he doesn't seem to know what to do with that, even though it's far from the first time he's heard it - he doesn't know why it's striking him oddly now, but the fact is that it is, and it's going to take him a moment, all right.]

[scythegun]

Good! It's important to me that you know.

[He's said it a lot, but it bears repeating after something like this. Well, he thinks so, anyway.]

[manufactured]

Of course I do.

[...]

It...concerns me, remembering things like that. I don't want anything to happen to you, or any of the others that I care about.

[scythegun]

[Jaeger holds out a hand at that, though he's not sure if he really expects Wesker to take it.]

I know you don't. You're a different person now; I can't ever see you hurting any of us like that.

[manufactured]

[He looks like he's considering, at least, but in the end he doesn't.]

...I don't know, Jaeger. It's likely pointless to consider it, at any rate.

[scythegun]

[That's okay, he thought that might be the case.]

If it's bothering you, then it's certainly not pointless. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, though.

[manufactured]

...I don't know what you would have me say.

[He doesn't mind, per se? But he isn't sure what there is to discuss, precisely.]