[and he still has the potential of an injury in one instance but listen. healing magic is so overpowered.]
But I came across— [he pauses for effect, though there's an uncertain furrow to his brow.] —a doppelganger of yours, I believe. It had some strange things to say.
[His tone lends significant negative weight to the statement. It wasn't a meeting he enjoyed.]
[First Yuri gets to see their secrets dragged into light, now Altius. And from some copycat creature that seems determined to paint them in the worst possible light.
They heave a heavy, breathless sigh, shoulders rising and falling.]
< ...It exaggerated. I may be an amnesiac, but I'm not as worried about what my memories hold as it made me out to be. Though I can't say I'm happy about people knowing about my memory to begin with... >
[Is it truly an exaggeration, or was it simply drawn from a place Dante refuses to acknowledge? He wonders... but none of that comes to the surface.]
I understand. What you do or don't feel about anything in your mind is a personal matter.
[I'm going to say he's moved inside at this point because the last thing he'd want is for the winter air to make Dante's injuries more uncomfortable. Between showing concern for their physical well being and offering without prompting what secrets the copy shared, he hopes to build trust.]
It also spoke of an aimlessness that came with that lack of memory. [He's not looking directly at Dante, partly to not pressure them into giving any answers; he's not here to ask direct questions about their inner doubts, as much as he might like to learn them. So, to give them an out:] But the way it acted made it clear it wasn't truly you.
[He turns to look at them again with a breath let out through his nose.]
[They've already mentioned it over the network once.]
< It's hard to think of what you want to do with your life when you only remember about a year of it. >
[That he's so convinced their doppelganger ultimately wasn't them... It helps. The threats it made, and the things it said... All exaggeration, nothing more.]
< Just making sure, but it didn't do anything to you, did it? I know you said it just spoke to you, but... No threats? Nothing like that? >
Not at all. Unless you consider implying I'd meet another "me" a threat.
[And it certainly would have been a problem if he had, but neither of the Dantes could really know that.]
But I'll tell you what I said then: it's alright to be uncertain. One year is a very short time to learn about yourself and what you want. [He gestures casually with one hand.] It took me nearly twenty of them.
[That's a weight off their shoulders. Bad enough that Yuri had had a gun pointed at him. Altius didn't need the same thing to happen to him.]
< I know that, I do. Just one of those things that's hard to remember when you've got a bunch of people around you who do have an idea of what they want. >
[Even if those people don't always have an idea of how to get to that destination, it's still a destination.]
< But sheesh... Twenty, huh? Hope it happens a little sooner for me. Who knows if I even have that long left. >
[Altius lets out a chuckle at his own expense. As much as he might "like" to reassure Dante of their continued survival... well. Who knows! He only has so much information about their situation. He won't be so presumptuous, but he can say this:]
I'm sure it will, if you're determined to make it happen. [He'll never deny it will take work, but so does anything worthwhile.] And I'll be glad to remind you anytime if you like.
[His smile fades slightly the moment after that. Their earlier apology, and the worry just now...]
I hope you understand all that truly wasn't your fault.
[A full set of medical supplies, noted. He holds a hand up as if to stop the thought of Dante walking about right now.]
You should be resting. Are you— [ah, wait, hm. No mouth...] Is there any pain medication you can use? Have you asked your medic to take a proper look at you?
[He's got a lot of practice with mother-hen mode recently, thanks to his injured and traumatized ward. The injury and trauma isn't his fault this time, but that doesn't mean his acting can't be effective!]
< I've had worse. And I've got a pretty good pain tolerance. >
[To put it lightly. Though from Altius's reaction, they're starting to wonder if they're in worse shape than they thought. Or maybe he's from one of those worlds that isn't used to this sort of thing?]
< Seriously, it's fine. It's not the first time I've hurt that shoulder, and this time it didn't even go all the way through. > [Everything's still attached, nothing lethal was hit, and the clock is still firmly on their shoulders. Nothing to worry about!] < But... I should probably talk to Yukina, shouldn't I? >
The look Altius fixes Dante with is one of some agitation, lips pressed together for a moment. He's putting on his lecturing hat.]
Yes, you should. [He's not a doctor himself, sure, but god has he had to read so much.]
Untreated pain hinders recovery, Dante. Trying to push through it will only make your wounds take longer to heal, and in the meantime you're still struggling. There's no point in avoiding what might make the process easier.
[He lets out a mild sigh through his nose and replies a little less forcefully:]
Yes, it does.
[Ultimately, the concern wins out over the stern demeanor. It's rare that he displays such direct forcefulness! Dante should be flattered, or something. Altius pulls out a small notepad from his pocket along with a pencil, jotting down a few notes.]
I'll see if I can't find you some local analgesic, along with the bandages. [Huh, he seems to be writing more than just that. He glances up.] How quickly are you used to healing?
< Pretty much immediately after getting back to the bus. Okay, not immediately immediately, but pretty close. And not for scratches and bruises either. >
[Not unless they were injured any worse and those happened to be healed along the way with the injection.]
[Which tells him that Dante really does not know how to take care of themselves, if just due to a lack of opportunity. He momentarily presses his lips together before making a few more notes.]
Alright. [He sounds accepting of the answer in a way that implies there's work ahead. He's not used to dispensing medical advice, but the surety in his tone might make that hard to guess:] For now, try to keep your injuries above the level of your heart. Ice packs can help with any swelling, but don't apply them directly to the skin. Hopefully Miss Yukina can help you with anything else.
[He closes his notebook and pauses before looking up, directly at Dante. If they had eyes to meet...]
[Sometimes not having eyes is a good thing: it means you don't have to meet others' eyes if you don't want to.]
< As good as I can be after all of that. >
[It's not the same sort of tension and exhaustion that tend to come with a mission involving a Golden Bough, but there are just enough similarities (and questions stemming from those similarities) to drag at them.
Or maybe their injuries are bothering them more than they thought.]
< Though, I feel like that's something I should be asking you. Aside from appearing here in the first place, this is the first time you've had to deal with something big happening in the simulation, isn't it? >
[At the question, he blinks like he's halfway to a flinch, and his eyes move just barely off of Dante's face—like the thought hadn't even occurred to him, perhaps. In one way, it's true: while the situation was certainly more obviously dire to everyone around him than any other he's been in, he'd had the resources and confidence to come out on the other side without trouble.
Not much of that makes sense for Altius, a man who up until now has supposedly only had one or two instances of violent trauma in his past, and certainly nothing supernatural. There's a lengthy silence as he seems to consider the question, in which he returns his notes to his pocket while taking a slow breath.]
It is, [he eventually says with a furrow in his brow.]
I've been moving from task to task. There hasn't been time to think about anything past that.
The silence is something familiar, but the movements leading up to it, and the words after... Maybe the whole thing just has them paranoid. Too much to think about. And too many things they'd rather not think about.]
< ...Sometimes it's the best way to handle it. Maybe not the healthiest, but you don't always get a choice. >
[Frankly, he's just not used to anybody asking him how he is. He's been the one in charge for so long, the one who asks everyone else how they are, the one who's always in control—or the one tearing it down, which hardly creates allies interested in your well being.
Funnily, it means he's out of his depth in this place, just in a different way than he tries to portray. Without a facial expression to judge, he merely takes Dante's momentary pause as appropriate to the difficult topic.]
I know it will catch up to me eventually, if we're granted any sort of peace after this, [he says with some resignation as he folds his arms.] So... I suppose I'll find out then just how well I'm handling it.
[Altius, at least, wouldn't pretend to be just fine in the face of all this, not after all the sorts of advice he gives to others. He turns his gaze back to Dante.]
It sounds as though this isn't the first such crisis you've been through, even outside of this place.
< You could say that. We have to deal with a lot of interesting situations thanks to my job, and home isn't exactly the best place out there to begin with. >
[Which is putting it lightly.]
< Believe it or not, this simulation, despite everything, is somehow... kinder? I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for. >
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< Thanks. I'm glad you managed to get out of all that unscathed, at least. >
[A pause and a tilt of the head as Altius continues]
< Um... sure. Everything okay? >
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[
and he still has the potential of an injury in one instance but listen. healing magic is so overpowered.]But I came across— [he pauses for effect, though there's an uncertain furrow to his brow.] —a doppelganger of yours, I believe. It had some strange things to say.
[His tone lends significant negative weight to the statement. It wasn't a meeting he enjoyed.]
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< Yeah, I had the pleasure of meeting it too. Gave me my "souvenir" for the night. >
[And given what Yuri had to deal with, they can only imagine what what Altius had to hear.]
< Sorry if it bothered you. I didn't even think about having one of my own until it was on me. >
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It injured you and you're concerned about it "bothering" me? [Half under his breath as he folds his arms:] I should have tried harder to find you...
[To warn Dante, is the implication of his guilty mutter. Altius shakes his head after a moment.]
All it did was speak to me. I only thought you should know what it said; things about lost experiences and fears of regaining them.
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They heave a heavy, breathless sigh, shoulders rising and falling.]
< ...It exaggerated. I may be an amnesiac, but I'm not as worried about what my memories hold as it made me out to be. Though I can't say I'm happy about people knowing about my memory to begin with... >
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I understand. What you do or don't feel about anything in your mind is a personal matter.
[I'm going to say he's moved inside at this point because the last thing he'd want is for the winter air to make Dante's injuries more uncomfortable. Between showing concern for their physical well being and offering without prompting what secrets the copy shared, he hopes to build trust.]
It also spoke of an aimlessness that came with that lack of memory. [He's not looking directly at Dante, partly to not pressure them into giving any answers; he's not here to ask direct questions about their inner doubts, as much as he might like to learn them. So, to give them an out:] But the way it acted made it clear it wasn't truly you.
[He turns to look at them again with a breath let out through his nose.]
I'm sorry you had to experience that.
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[They've already mentioned it over the network once.]
< It's hard to think of what you want to do with your life when you only remember about a year of it. >
[That he's so convinced their doppelganger ultimately wasn't them... It helps. The threats it made, and the things it said... All exaggeration, nothing more.]
< Just making sure, but it didn't do anything to you, did it? I know you said it just spoke to you, but... No threats? Nothing like that? >
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[And it certainly would have been a problem if he had, but neither of the Dantes could really know that.]
But I'll tell you what I said then: it's alright to be uncertain. One year is a very short time to learn about yourself and what you want. [He gestures casually with one hand.] It took me nearly twenty of them.
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< I know that, I do. Just one of those things that's hard to remember when you've got a bunch of people around you who do have an idea of what they want. >
[Even if those people don't always have an idea of how to get to that destination, it's still a destination.]
< But sheesh... Twenty, huh? Hope it happens a little sooner for me. Who knows if I even have that long left. >
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I'm sure it will, if you're determined to make it happen. [He'll never deny it will take work, but so does anything worthwhile.] And I'll be glad to remind you anytime if you like.
[His smile fades slightly the moment after that. Their earlier apology, and the worry just now...]
I hope you understand all that truly wasn't your fault.
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It's a strange yet welcome feeling, and one they aren't sure what to do with.]
< Well... Whether it was or wasn't, there's not much I can do about it now. Good thing I can't really do much to hurt anyone. >
[...Not personally, anyway.]
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But for now he's frowning. Not only did Dante not agree, but there's this idea of fearing themselves hurting others?]
And yet you were hurt, yourself. Is there anything I can do for you, Dante? Any errands to run?
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< Some extra bandages, maybe? >
[They really were spoiled with all those ampules from K Corp, weren't they? Waiting for these to heal is going to be such a pain.]
< You don't have to though, really. I can still go get them if I need to. >
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You should be resting. Are you— [ah, wait, hm. No mouth...] Is there any pain medication you can use? Have you asked your medic to take a proper look at you?
[He's got a lot of practice with mother-hen mode recently, thanks to his injured and traumatized ward. The injury and trauma isn't his fault this time, but that doesn't mean his acting can't be effective!]
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[To put it lightly. Though from Altius's reaction, they're starting to wonder if they're in worse shape than they thought. Or maybe he's from one of those worlds that isn't used to this sort of thing?]
< Seriously, it's fine. It's not the first time I've hurt that shoulder, and this time it didn't even go all the way through. > [Everything's still attached, nothing lethal was hit, and the clock is still firmly on their shoulders. Nothing to worry about!] < But... I should probably talk to Yukina, shouldn't I? >
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The look Altius fixes Dante with is one of some agitation, lips pressed together for a moment. He's putting on his lecturing hat.]
Yes, you should. [He's not a doctor himself, sure, but god has he had to read so much.]
Untreated pain hinders recovery, Dante. Trying to push through it will only make your wounds take longer to heal, and in the meantime you're still struggling. There's no point in avoiding what might make the process easier.
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[They shrink slightly, from both the look they're being pinned with and the scolding.]
< I guess I'm too used to the technology from back home... >
[Even after everything, they couldn't deny how helpful the ampules from K Corp could be.]
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Yes, it does.
[Ultimately, the concern wins out over the stern demeanor. It's rare that he displays such direct forcefulness! Dante should be flattered, or something. Altius pulls out a small notepad from his pocket along with a pencil, jotting down a few notes.]
I'll see if I can't find you some local analgesic, along with the bandages. [Huh, he seems to be writing more than just that. He glances up.] How quickly are you used to healing?
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[Not unless they were injured any worse and those happened to be healed along the way with the injection.]
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Alright. [He sounds accepting of the answer in a way that implies there's work ahead. He's not used to dispensing medical advice, but the surety in his tone might make that hard to guess:] For now, try to keep your injuries above the level of your heart. Ice packs can help with any swelling, but don't apply them directly to the skin. Hopefully Miss Yukina can help you with anything else.
[He closes his notebook and pauses before looking up, directly at Dante. If they had eyes to meet...]
... How are you faring? Other than the physical.
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< As good as I can be after all of that. >
[It's not the same sort of tension and exhaustion that tend to come with a mission involving a Golden Bough, but there are just enough similarities (and questions stemming from those similarities) to drag at them.
Or maybe their injuries are bothering them more than they thought.]
< Though, I feel like that's something I should be asking you. Aside from appearing here in the first place, this is the first time you've had to deal with something big happening in the simulation, isn't it? >
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Not much of that makes sense for Altius, a man who up until now has supposedly only had one or two instances of violent trauma in his past, and certainly nothing supernatural. There's a lengthy silence as he seems to consider the question, in which he returns his notes to his pocket while taking a slow breath.]
It is, [he eventually says with a furrow in his brow.]
I've been moving from task to task. There hasn't been time to think about anything past that.
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Something doesn't sit right.
The silence is something familiar, but the movements leading up to it, and the words after... Maybe the whole thing just has them paranoid. Too much to think about. And too many things they'd rather not think about.]
< ...Sometimes it's the best way to handle it. Maybe not the healthiest, but you don't always get a choice. >
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Funnily, it means he's out of his depth in this place, just in a different way than he tries to portray. Without a facial expression to judge, he merely takes Dante's momentary pause as appropriate to the difficult topic.]
I know it will catch up to me eventually, if we're granted any sort of peace after this, [he says with some resignation as he folds his arms.] So... I suppose I'll find out then just how well I'm handling it.
[Altius, at least, wouldn't pretend to be just fine in the face of all this, not after all the sorts of advice he gives to others. He turns his gaze back to Dante.]
It sounds as though this isn't the first such crisis you've been through, even outside of this place.
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[Which is putting it lightly.]
< Believe it or not, this simulation, despite everything, is somehow... kinder? I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for. >
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