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[manufactured]

NOAH ISAACS

Albert Wesker. Pharmaceutical Research and Development. This surely won't end poorly.

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

Comments

[manufactured]

You have my apologies for avoiding you, then, even if I still say that isn't what I was doing.

[...Jesus, you can practically hear the "is that what you wanted" at the end of that.]

[scythegun]

Well, I appreciate the apology and it's good to know that you weren't doing it intentionally, but...

[No, that's clearly not all he wanted. Sorry, Wesker.]

What's going on? Isn't there some part of it you can discuss with me?

[manufactured]

[He's quiet for a moment at that, clearly frustrated with this in some way, before he shakes his head eventually.]

The memories have been difficult lately, I suppose. It's nothing that I'm not accustomed to by now.

[scythegun]

Did you receive any more or are you just dealing with the ones you got while you were on the ship?

[He knows he shouldn't push too hard or it'll just drive Wesker further away, but he's curious and he's trying to help. Sort of. It's mostly curiosity though.]

[manufactured]

...They're things I remembered afterwards.

[It isn't hesitant, but it's tense; there's a reason he doesn't like discussing these things, he made that plain last time.]

[scythegun]

Oh.

[So Wesker's remembered even more...]

...I take it you don't want to talk about it.

[manufactured]

Not particularly.

[He also knows better than to assume it'll be left at that.]

[scythegun]

[Jaeger's not satisfied leaving it there and it's probably obvious, but he takes a moment to play with his sleeves and try to work the frustration out of his expression.]

...Is there anything I can do to help?

[manufactured]

[...It's a bit obvious, yes.]

There are some things you're not going to be able to help me with. Surely you understand that by now.

[scythegun]

Of course I do. There are some things that no one can help with, I know that.

[The frustration's back though and it's leaking into his voice.]

But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying! Maybe getting your mind off it for a little while will help? We could go out for a little while!

[HE'S TRYING REALLY HARD OKAY]

[manufactured]

[...Well, that's...unexpected.]

Did you have somewhere in mind?

[scythegun]

Not really! But if it sounds like a good idea then I don't really care where we go!

[Just getting out of the house might do you some good, maybe.]

[manufactured]

...You really are concerned, aren't you.

[I mean he might have let that go normally but you are just kind of throwing options at the wall and hoping something will stick, good lord.]

[scythegun]

[Yes, that's exactly what he's doing shut up.]

Of course I am! I want to be able to help you out, but I don't know how. I'm doing my best here!

[CUT HIM SOME SLACK, GOD]

[manufactured]

[He shifts a bit at that. Brings one of his hands to his head as though warding off a headache.]

It's as I've said. There's nothing...

[..............]

...It was murder again. Two different people.

[will you step off now.]

[scythegun]

[Jaeger opens his mouth to say something, thinks better of it, and shuts up. He's quiet for a moment while he tries to work out what to say to that. He's not surprised it was murder, even if he probably should be. Two people this time though, and they probably didn't deserve it like the old man.]

...May I ask what happened?

[...he's kind of doing it anyway, but that's not the point.]

[manufactured]

It was two separate incidents. The first time I simply ordered it, I didn't actually fire the gun. I was working with someone else at the time, I think he wanted the target's research. We both watched him bleed out on the floor and said some hideous things to him while he did that, and then we took his body to a nearby sewage plant, where I threw it in the water to dispose of it.

[...There was also some sort of gigantic leech involved for...some reason? He's got no fucking idea what was going on with the leech but the goddamn thing was like the size of a football, it was impressively repulsive.

That said, he pauses for a moment before he continues.]

So that was objectively terrible, and the second was worse.

[scythegun]

[Maybe he doesn't want to know. If the second was worse than that...]

What happened there?

[Who is he kidding, of course he wants to know. He can't help if he doesn't know what the problem is, right?]

[manufactured]

[He shakes his head after a moment.]

...We're not discussing it.

[scythegun]

[It's that bad, huh...]

...Okay. I won't ask again. I... I'm sorry you've had to remember these things.

[He's not sure that's quite the right sentiment to express, but it's out there anyway.]

[manufactured]

As I've said, there's nothing that can be done. And I've told you before that there are some things that I don't want to talk about.

[His words are tight; he's very pointedly not making eye contact.]

[scythegun]

...I understand.

[Does he, though? He hasn't kept anything from Wesker, though it feels like his memories aren't nearly as traumatic as Wesker's are. How does Wesker handle it? His own method of "ignore it forever" probably wouldn't work.]

Well, I understand as well as I can, I suppose. I'm here for you though - even if you don't want to talk about them, I'm here to distract you. I'm good at that, ja?

[manufactured]

...You are, yes.

[He pauses, though, once that's out there; just...thinking, really.]

I know that you don't like the fact that I keep things from you. But it's better for both of us that way.

[scythegun]

Why do you think that?

[It's not pointed or trying to weasel information out of him, it's a genuine question.]

[manufactured]

Because there are some things you don't tell others in good conscience - once someone knows things, it's impossible for them to return to a place where they didn't know.

There are some things you don't need to know about me, for that reason.