[ She's out walking again, having spent the last days trying to obtain information. It's a slow process - being reduced to asking around is both humiliating and tedious. She does not waste her time, wishing for miracles. She tries to plan ahead, but her mind isn't focusing properly and it angers her. When she sees him, leaning against a lamp post, she goes still for a few seconds. Action, planning, action, reflection... Just now, none of it matters. She approaches him, her strides quick and maybe, just maybe, a little bit eager. ]
[ The voice is enough to make him completely freeze up, and given his lack of breathing, he might as well be a statue for about fifteen seconds. It's a voice that rings too painfully familiar for him, in more ways than it should. Wesley finally looks up, and the PDA he was typing on slips a little in his fingers, his expression oddly blank, but his voice is weak. Anyone he was still talking to on the Network will probably hear this. ]
[ His tone of voice is familiar, as always tainted with deeper layers that she can't understand or read. Frustrating. But he is here and he is... She stops a few feet away from him, looking him up and down, eyes narrowing. ]
[ His gaze is suddenly guarded, and he stiffens a bit, actually forgetting what he's holding for a moment. This is a shock to the system, after all. Somehow even seeing Lilah was less shocking. Of course, he can't help but think 'Why not Fred?' before he clears his throat, a sardonic edge to his voice. ]
Well I'm not bleeding from the gut anymore, if that's what you mean.
[ She notices the way he goes tenser, his words making something inside of her feel different, less comfortable. The same way she felt last time she saw him, the faint memories of 'Fred' having faded away since then. ]
When I last saw you, I think you were angry.
[ She steps just a bit closer, seeing no need to be cautious. ]
[ He doesn't back away, mostly because there's a lamp post in his way, but he sees no reason to at this point. He's still recovering from the shock of seeing her. Somehow he just didn't picture her getting trapped here. ]
I'm not sure angry is really the word. And dying does tend to result in...being dead...
[ He trails off as the realization occurs to him, and the PDA falls to the ground, shutting off access to the Network in the process. ]
[ He understands now. She does as well - he is not the Wesley she last saw. But though he feels dead, physically, he acts and talks the same. That, at least, is satisfying. She speaks mostly to herself now, staring at him.]
A corpse. This is nothing, nothing at all.
[ She looks around, scanning her surroundings again without much interest. ]
[ A pause as she considers his words, trying to ascertain whether or not he is berating her. It would not be wise of him. She speaks with some coldness, her attention fully focused on him again. He wouldn't dare. ]
I did not expect you to be here. Why would I look for you in a dimension that I have not entered willingly? I thought it likely that you had caused it.
[ He shakes his head a little, far too weary to really pay any attention to what she was probably assuming. In the small time frame that she didn't remember, things had changed. ]
As if I... [ Wesley waves his hand into the air. ] ...could manage something like this. Not that I would if I could.
...Angel was also here. But he left last night. The people here are unable to enter and leave out of free will. If you've been here for two days, I suppose that means you're no different.
[ He's quiet over that, thoughtful, before turning his head to look at...nothing, really. ]
I'm trying to think of an argument to offer, but I'm not finding anything valid. It doesn't seem too different to me, really. Walking dead. Mind games. It's better than Pylea, at any rate.
[ Shutting his eyes and leaning back against the post, he ponders over what to do, and his voice has weakened again. Stupid emotional gravity. ]
I was going to go for a walk to get some fresh air, but my legs suddenly don't feel like working.
I really...wasn't expecting to see you. Ever again.
Humans are not in charge in this place. It is different.
[ She lets his words sink in, trying to make sense of her emotions, without much success. The question feels natural, something that she needs to ask because everything he says is so difficult to interpret correctly. She seeks clarity because she needs to know what kind of role he plays in their interaction. ]
[ Another light shake of his head as he opens his eyes to look at her. He hesitates, though not for any reason other than confusion. He doesn't want to lie. Illyria is someone he's never seen any point in lying to. ]
Not because you're here. [ Because Fred isn't. But that can go unsaid. ]
I'm just...startled, is all. Especially after what Connor told me of our future, I wasn't sure...what to expect out of anything.
Where have you been staying? Lurking in alleyways when you grow weary?
[ She nods, letting it go for now. He would rather have the shell, the girl that she isn't. She knows it though she doesn't understand. It is unimportant for now. ]
I do not 'lurk'. I stay where it suits me - the roofs are closest to the sky.
[ A brief pause. The future. Getting a glimpse of it used to be so easy... ]
Wesley.
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...
Illyria.
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You are different.
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Well I'm not bleeding from the gut anymore, if that's what you mean.
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When I last saw you, I think you were angry.
[ She steps just a bit closer, seeing no need to be cautious. ]
You were alive. Yet now, you feel dead to me.
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I'm not sure angry is really the word. And dying does tend to result in...being dead...
[ He trails off as the realization occurs to him, and the PDA falls to the ground, shutting off access to the Network in the process. ]
You don't remember, do you? You're from the past.
How long have you been here?
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A corpse. This is nothing, nothing at all.
[ She looks around, scanning her surroundings again without much interest. ]
I have been here for two days. It is long enough.
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Why didn't you contact me until now?
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I did not expect you to be here. Why would I look for you in a dimension that I have not entered willingly? I thought it likely that you had caused it.
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As if I... [ Wesley waves his hand into the air. ] ...could manage something like this. Not that I would if I could.
...Angel was also here. But he left last night. The people here are unable to enter and leave out of free will. If you've been here for two days, I suppose that means you're no different.
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[ She feels it, her body still too weak, too useless, compared to what it used to be. ]
In this body, I am not any different. Staying here is not a choice, though I do think this world is better off than the one we left.
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I'm trying to think of an argument to offer, but I'm not finding anything valid. It doesn't seem too different to me, really. Walking dead. Mind games. It's better than Pylea, at any rate.
[ Shutting his eyes and leaning back against the post, he ponders over what to do, and his voice has weakened again. Stupid emotional gravity. ]
I was going to go for a walk to get some fresh air, but my legs suddenly don't feel like working.
I really...wasn't expecting to see you. Ever again.
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[ She lets his words sink in, trying to make sense of her emotions, without much success. The question feels natural, something that she needs to ask because everything he says is so difficult to interpret correctly. She seeks clarity because she needs to know what kind of role he plays in their interaction. ]
Are you disappointed?
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Not because you're here. [ Because Fred isn't. But that can go unsaid. ]
I'm just...startled, is all. Especially after what Connor told me of our future, I wasn't sure...what to expect out of anything.
Where have you been staying? Lurking in alleyways when you grow weary?
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I do not 'lurk'. I stay where it suits me - the roofs are closest to the sky.
[ A brief pause. The future. Getting a glimpse of it used to be so easy... ]
What did he tell you?
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Nothing you'd care to hear. You'll experience it all as soon as you return.
[ Wesley pauses, then turns towards the building to look at the lobby's entrance. ]
Have you spoken with anyone since you came here? Have you learned what you needed to about this dimension?
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