Third Animus Data Fragment - I've seen enough for one life

[shirley_templar]

[Desmond looks....tired. His face is unshaven and sallow, and his eyes are red. He shakes his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. When he speaks, it's not in English, but an older Italian dialect.]

<<Ugh...did anyone get the number of the goddamn train that hit me? It'll be another month before I'll shake this nightmare.>>

[Desmond looks surprised, as though he wasn't expecting what came out of his mouth. He shakes his head again.]

<<What the hell? Am I speaking Italian?>>

Comments

[backwordscompatible]

[Message received; it was far from a definitive answer, but it was enough for her to have some idea of how and why this was happening.]

<< Depends on how long you've been out. Did you get the memo about Asti waking up? And the most recent land-ho? >>

[shirley_templar]

<< It's been...a month, I think? Longer than the first time this happened to me, anyway. Worst part is...I dreamed about dying. Like...it was Ezio's death, but I felt it. That might've been caused by the big turtle waking up, from what I've heard about him. >>

[backwordscompatible]

[She visibly winced at that. Trying a little too hard not to think about the Death realm and...failing miserably.]

<< I can't say for sure, but it's possible. All the Great Turtles of this world have the ability to affect people's dreams. How much, I don't know, but I've definitely been visited by more than just him in the past. >>

[shirley_templar]

<< Oh, that's fantastic. So you're saying that this could happen again? I've gotta figure out something to get my head back on straight, or I'm likely to go fully nuts before long. Never thought the Bleeding Effect could be triggered by magic, yet here I am, talking like an old Italian because my brain thinks that that's who I am. >>]

[Desmond scrubs his face with his hands. This has just not been his day.]

[backwordscompatible]

[All she could do was shrug sheepishly at that.]

<< Sorry? I've learned the hard way that it's better to tell the truth than lie. >> [Especially when it comes to Magic and Keelai and possible Dreaming effects.] << Has anything like this happened before? Back in your home. Did you ever learn how to turn it off? >>

[shirley_templar]

[Desmond shakes his head.]

<< No, it's fine. I'm just...really stressed out. We never really had the time to work out how to get rid of the Bleeding Effect. It was hard enough just getting the Animus to work so I could get the intel I needed from my ancestors. The last time I was in a coma, my dad put me into the Animus, hoping that whatever was going on in my head would sort itself out if I was connected to my ancestors. It worked, but I had to make it work. >>

[He pinches at the bridge of his nose.]

<< What I really need is the Animus, and someone who knows how it works. As far as I know, there're only two people in my world who can do that, and I killed one of them. The other is Rebecca, one of the Assassins who helped me after I escaped from the Templars. Is it too much to hope that she'd end up here before I completely lose my mind? >>

[It sounds facetious, but the expression on Desmond's face is one of genuine panic. He didn't have to worry so much about it back home, knowing that his time was finite. Here, though, he's gotten an extension on his lifespan he wasn't expecting, and all of the worry that comes with living with the memories and personalities of three other people in his mind.]

[backwordscompatible]

<< It's not...completely impossible >>

[Again, she wouldn't lie to him, but she also saw no reason to send him spiraling even further if he was this upset already.]

<< But just in case it is, there must be another way. Meditation, maybe? Have you tried meditation? >>

[shirley_templar]

<< I can't say that I have, but considering that I have nightmares about the Animus when I sleep, you can understand why. >>

[He shakes his head.]

<< I'm sorry, I don't mean to vent, I'm just...a little on edge. >>

[backwordscompatible]

<< It's cool. You'd be surprised how much venting I can listen to when I know I'm not the one in trouble. >>

[Jokes aside, however...]

<< I get why you're worried about the nightmares, but meditation is different. If anything, it's meant to be the opposite. You're supposed to be able to learn how to control your own mind. Keep the negative thoughts either in control, or push them out of your mind altogether. >>