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[ . . .
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. . . Holy shit he can't mean- ]

So that's... zombies, basically?

...Basically, yes.

I don't... I don't know why that is surprising after everything else, but it is.

That was more or less my reaction to it as well.

[He's quiet for a moment once that's out there, before just- ]

There was an incident a short while ago. An auto accident. I'm told I was dead for several minutes.

[ You know realistically, that's what she should have immediately connected it to. Whatever viruses he'd had have been in his body and he had told her that he couldn't identify the specifics of them. If he had studied it, there's only so many ways he could know how it would reanimate dead things - mouse subjects, or... or something else. Honestly though the could have beens don't matter. The fact it's him, that it's some freak accident...

Her eyes are wide, looking at him with some naked surprise and concern and then while there are concerns to be had here - the effects, her mental image of that Uroboros and - her immediate reaction is starting to scoot towards him and then lowering her head to say, ]

... Holy hell, Albert. I'm glad you're still - [ alive... ] here with us.

[...Thank you for not going there, Elda. Jaeger's kind of spent a good while going there already, it doesn't get any less awkward.]

I feel physically different to some extent, but it isn't terrible, exactly. It's something that's going to take getting used to.

[He's. Dead. "It's going to take some getting used to" is probably an understatement.]

Albert that's-- [ horrifying? Terrible? It's- ] An understatement, of course.

[ There, she held her tongue. ]

...Perhaps so. But it isn't as though there's anything else to be done about it.

[What's done is done in that regard, honestly.]

[ . . . Mmmmmmmmrrr but ok ]

Does that mean anything for your diet or the like? Anything I can help with?

...I don't know, at this point.

[...TO HIS KNOWLEDGE HE DOESN'T EAT PEOPLE.]

It's done things to my metabolism, I know that much.

Slowed or increased?

[ She would assume like... slowed...? But then. Medical science doesn't have a lot on undead obviously. ]

Slowed.

[He...kind of hasn't needed to consume anything yet, actually. ...He'll start being concerned if that lasts for days, but for now it's probably fine.]

That... that makes sense, really.

[ If he's dead. ]

You look mostly healthy?

...I feel fine, for the most part.

[...]

The virus will keep my body alive for quite some time. It's more likely that I died to Uroboros than it is this, if I died to one of my viruses at all.

[ God this is all...

She finds herself brushing her lip with her thumb, as if she wants to bite a nail. It's a habit she's never had before, but one she's been doing more and more lately, she doesn't even realize she's doing it while she ponders a response after her nod. ]

And this was similar on ebola in structure? Honestly, that's... amazing. It's amazing, to have this sort of potential.

...From what I understand, it was created by a colleague of mine. He at least assisted in the testing stages; I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of his entirely, from what I recall of him. He was a brilliant man.

[He certainly seemed to think so back then, at any rate.]

Creating the medicine that ended death.... honestly, that's sort of the goal for all of it, in a way.

[ But at what cost? To have died and.... Mm. ]

...I don't think that was it.

[He knows for a fact that it wasn't, honestly.]

We worked for a corporation that created things that were to be used in combat situations; even this was only to be used in the event of an orchestrated incident. It was more likely that he was trying to weaponize it, somehow.

[ . . . Well there goes any sort of loose optimism. She bites her cheek, glancing away a moment and resists whatever odd urge she has to point out how human that is. That reflex, more and more, persists for her. It's frustrating. ]

Orchestrated - so what, they intended to make a zombie terrorist attack on some population?

...I don't believe so, thankfully enough.

[...Were they?]

I think what he was referring to there was more along the lines of "you're going to use this for a specific purpose" and he was being needlessly grandiose - or at least, that's what I'm going to assume for the sake of my faith in humanity at the moment.

No I... I agree, because weaponized zombie plagues- Actually, does this virus spread? If it's based on ebola like you said...

[ Then that could be real bad, right? He said it didn't before but... ]

...I don't know. There's still a large amount that I don't know about it... It doesn't seem to have affected Jaeger any, though admittedly I've entirely avoided physical contact with him.

[ That's an incredible risk she can't help but think but - no, no, that's fair. Entirely isolating Albert for this would be cruel and what's more she trusts the man to be cautious where it counts. She exhales and, ]

Right, of course. It's something we'll have to study more then, then.

For what it's worth, I've remembered touching people after infection without any adverse effects, and I was living with Excella for a while then as well - we weren't intimate, to my knowledge, I didn't like her touching me, but she had been in close proximity to me for years without falling ill herself. She was also in a position to come in contact with things contaminated with my blood, and she seemed to be fine.

[So at least there's that.]

I wouldn't risk his life like that if I didn't believe that having him here would be safe, nor would I risk yours by asking you to be here now.

- Oh, oh heavens no, I'm not doubting that at all, Albert! I know you wouldn't put a risk on us to the best of your knowledge. In fact no, not even that loose, you would have wanted to make sure as best you were able.

[ It's more... ]

It's more I'm thinking about the future, that's all. The parameters of it being understood better would allow us to make your life easier, wouldn't it?

[ Because if he had to be isolated at any point....? And also even what he just said didn't answer for it being intimate with Jaeger is a risk or not. The contaminated blood is probably more risky than anything like that so it's probably safe-ish but...? ]

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