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When Scott woke up, it felt like he had gone through three nights of drinking like his fellow nobles did back in his human days. Except the main problem was that vampires couldn't get drunk (and any alcohol he used to drink was all for show, anyhow, because getting others to drink and spill their secrets was far more fun) and that he was awake in a gray room.
A gray room that was weirdly still. There was no sign of the room being lived in, only a dingy cot in the corner and a mirror on the wall. The walls and floor were so mind-numbingly drab that it made Scott's eye twitch. It reminded him of a jail cell. Or perhaps it was like one of the crypts.
Neither thought settled him. Last he remembered, he had been sprinting in the woods, ready to tear through Doctor Legundo's throat after he had tried to throw holy water and him and Pyro. How he had gotten here was a complete mystery.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the presence of the mirror, though. It wasn't like he could use it. Standing up, he walked over to the mirror and traced its golden frame. Scott peered into it, trying to see if it had anything useful inside.
Doctor Legundo stared back. Scott jumped.
"Scott?" Legundo's voice sounded muffled through the mirror. He could at least find comfort in the fact that he hadn't somehow gained the doctor's face. Not that it wasn't handsome, he could respect that, but his human body looked painful to be in. "Where are we?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Scott smoothed his collar as he tried not to look like a irritated cat. "You're in a mirror."
"No, you're in a mirror." Legundo looked confused.
"I'm in a room. You're in the mirror," Scott spoke slowly, trying to make the doctor understand. Legundo frowned.
"Huh, alright. It seems like the mirror is less of a reflection and more of a pathway of communication. But strangely enough, I think we're in identical rooms."
"That would explain why it looks similar to a reflection," Scott mused as he tapped the mirror-though he still felt the stinging presence of silver within it. Hm. With every tap, it almost seemed to shift. "I'm betting on magic being the one to keep us here."
"I'm sure there's a far more reasonable explanation," Legundo tried, still holding onto any scraps of doubt he had left.
"A room with no exit and a mirror that isn't a mirror? We could be here all day trying to figure out what put us here, but it's not going to get us out." Scott shrugged as he continued to tap the mirror. Somehow, he was down to stage one, but at the very least it made tapping on the mirror easier. "This is fascinating, though. Never have I seen nor heard of such a place like this in my life."
"Stop doing that," Legundo scolded as he watched Scott's nails dance across the transparent surface. "You're creating weird ripples on my end."
Scott smirked and started to do it faster.
"Scott." Legundo glared. "We don't know what this mirror does. For all we know, you could be irritating whatever thing trapped us here."
"But at least we would know who trapped us here if they came out and attacked me, hm?" Scott added his other hand to his little impromptu dance party, grinning wider at the other man's annoyance. Sure, he had a point, but there was quite literally nothing else to do in the purgatory they had found themselves in.
In a flash, Legundo grabbed Scott's fingers through the mirror, holding them tight with a scowl. Then, both of them shuddered as a strange feeling spread through their hands. It was fuzzy and yet it caused a searing pain to rack up through Scott's arm.
He was standing in the center of town, trying to reason with Martyn who was convinced he was going to chop his leg off. Scott and Cleo watched from beyond with amused looks on their faces.
Scott stumbled back and Legundo did the same. The doctor was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face. "I didn't like that," He wheezed as he stepped back from the mirror more.
"Agreed. Let's not do that again." Scott kept his words clipped as he walked backwards, settling with a flourish on the stupid cot.
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It took him about a hour to realize there was no source of food or water in the room. No source of blood.
If Scott didn't get out soon, there was a chance he'd starve to insanity. And, sure, the doctor would die too, but that would be a mercy compared to eternal starvation.
Scott chewed on his lip as he stared at the mirror. "Legs?" He didn't respond back. Scott pouted. "Leeeeegguuunnddoooo?"
"What?" Legundo snapped back. He sounded like he had been trying to sleep.
"Have any ideas yet?"
"I know less about magic than you do. I doubt I'll be able to come up with a solution to get out of here," Legundo lamented. "Really, my only grievance is that I'm going to have to die listening to your voice."
"A voice from the heavens above. Maybe you should count yourself lucky," Scott teased as he tried not to rip apart the cot he was sitting on. Good for nothing doctor, he sure was.
"Oh, definitely not from the heavens. You tried to kill me!" Legundo yelled. "I still haven't forgotten about that!"
"You attacked me first." Scott poured all of the sheer boredom he was experiencing into his voice.
"Because you're controlling Pyro, traumatizing him-"
"I gave him a gift. And they're often unruly, so I keep an eye on them sometimes. It's not much different from you humans putting a dog in a cage when it does something wrong."
"But Pyro isn't a dog." Legundo managed through gritted teeth. His anger had been boiling for a while, then. Enough that Legs was willing to throw away any faux civility like he had in their conversations prior.
"Dogs, humans, vampires-I mean, doctor, what is the difference at the end of the day, truly?" Scott meandered over to the mirror, letting his face fully take up the surface of it on Legundo's side. "The differences may mean something to you, but to me? With all the time I have on my hands? It really doesn't matter. What matters is using your resources wisely and pursuing your end goals," Scott purred. "Which, in case you haven't noticed, I've done plenty of times."
"And you ended up in a coffin for it."
"A fatal error. A couple of misjudgments in who I let in my circle. What, am I not allowed to make mistakes?" Scott smirked. "We're all the same at the end of the day, after all."
"You think yourself hilarious, Mr. Goldsmith."
"I do!" Scott smiled wider. "Really, it's a miracle my humor has remained intact all of these years."
"God, maybe it's for the best I'm going to die first." Legundo looked positively unenthusiastic. He frowned. "Do…do you think anyone's noticed we're gone? Do you think they can?"
"Hm. I don't know. I still can't figure out exactly where we are. Some sort of…pocket dimension, maybe."
"Great," Legundo muttered, exhaustion layering his voice. "Just…great. Good night, Mr. Goldsmith."
"Goodnight!" Scott sing-songed, not moving from the mirror. Legundo laid down and looked back at him, clearly upset he was still there. Scott simply blinked.
Legs groaned and closed his eyes, turning away from the mirror. Scott's smile dropped as he stepped back to look at his room.
He was going to get out of this place, with or without the other man.
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Another couple of hours passed as Scott continued to tap the mirror. He hit it, scratched it, kicked it, etc; the mirror was never disturbed except for the ripples across its surface.
Scott crossed his arms and glared at it. "Legundo?"
"What." Legundo sounded both sleepy and pissed off.
"I know we agreed not to do that touching thing again, but I think we need to do it again."
"No," Legundo snapped. "Full offense, I don't want to know what your memories are like."
Scott paused. Oh. He had assumed they had seen the same memory. But if they were swapping them…
"There's not much else we can do." Scott rested his chin on his hand as he watched Legs toss and turn in his cot. "Besides, seeing my memories will at least bring stimulation to this dreadful environment." Legundo sighed before standing up and walking over to the mirror.
"Fine." He rested a hand on the mirror.
"And let's try to do it longer this time. If we're experimenting, we might as well, right?"
"Fine, yes. I will admit, I do think doing…whatever this is might yield results. I'm just not sure if we will like them."
"Only one way to find out." Scott smiled sweetly before grabbing Legundo's hand through the mirror and holding it with all of his strength. The fuzzy feeling happened again along with the pain, yet it increased tenfold as the seconds ticked by.
He was in a town. It looked quaint, unassuming. His boots were silent as he crept through the town, ducking at the sight of any humans. A small vial was in his hand and he clutched onto it tightly until he reached the town's well.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
He was poisoning it, drop by drop. It was enough to devastate the town for months. They would likely starve or be ruined from dehydration, and the losses would be enough to make the opposing side of the war give in.
Six thousand, three hundred and thirteen. The numbers whispered to him as he found himself being handed a medal.
"Stop!" Legundo ripped his hand from the other, falling onto the floor. Scott blinked as he realized he had been ripped out of the memory. "What-fuck-" For the third time since they had met, Legundo had fear in his eyes as he looked at him. Fear of him.
"What did you see?" Scott asked flippantly.
"I-" Legundo stopped and squinted. "Didn't we see the same thing?"
"I never said that we would." Scott did his best not to laugh. He had been correct in his assumption that the doctor had thought the same thing as he did. Legundo's face paled. "Oh, don't be like that, doctor." Scott leaned against the wall next to the mirror.
"A reflection. An equal exchange." Legundo shuddered. "If what I saw was as bad as what you saw of mine, then maybe I shouldn't ask what memories you gained from me."
Scott twirled a lock of his hair, trying to decide what would be more fun. Holding the information from him until the time was right or shock him even more?
Hm. It was better to keep it as a card under his sleeve. Besides, if the doctor did know what he saw, he'd certainly slam down his walls and then he wouldn't get to see more of Legundo's murder escapades. They were cute, after all, when such trivial things haunted the man so much.
If he wasn't dying soon, Scott would love to see what Legundo could do if he had fangs and an eternity.
"It was nothing much. Just some sort of army routine," Scott sighed. "Somehow more underwhelming than being in here. I didn't understand any of what was happening."
He could practically feel the tension release from Legs' body. "That's…yeah. War has changed a lot in the past few centuries."
"I mean, I wouldn't know. I've never set foot on any sort of military ground," Scott said it casually, knowing exactly how his words would cut Legundo's skin like shards of glass. He knew how much the doctor had already held distaste for him with his nobility status, even before he had been revealed as a vampire. "But really, has war changed? It's always been a chessboard, sending your little knights and pawns out onto the field to be sacrificed for someone far greater." He glanced at the mirror to see Legundo's face dark with rage. "Oops! That's right. I forgot. You were one of those inconsequential pawns, hm? A miracle you survived the odds and made it out alive this far."
"Yes. A miracle." Scott could tell that Legundo was holding back on spitting out fire at him, each word dripping with repressed anger.
"How lucky you are."
Legundo didn't say anything for a long while after that.
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When Scott let himself notice the world around him again (his brain did need breaks, after all, even if he didn't sleep) he noticed that the something was different.
The mirror was now the length of a full size mirror. Scott startled at the sudden change. Legundo was already sitting in front of it, staring at it in deep thought.
"I woke up and it was like this," Legs explained as he noticed Scott. "I'm not entirely sure what it means."
"An equal exchange," Scott parroted as he sat down in front of the mirror, replicating Legundo's pose. "The more we give to each other, the bigger it gets, perhaps."
"But why?" Legundo narrowed his eyes. "This doesn't make any sense."
"It may be our way out."
"But we don't know the costs. We don't know the risks."
"Doctor, the other option is that we sit here and wait for our bodies to rot. Does that sound particularly lovely to you?"
"If I didn't have to get back to the town, I would say yes. Especially if it means you're also trapped here forever."
"Awww, how kind of you, not letting little old me become a mindless, hungry monster! It's okay, it means I won't be eating on your flesh after you die."
"Don't you ever get tired of playing the nice act?"
Scott's smile dropped.
"Don't you?"
"I'm not playing any sort of act," Legundo defended himself. Scott pointed at him.
"Maybe not now. But you were. And doctor, frankly, I don't think you want me to drop the nice act. Right now, we're basically like two puppies play-fighting. But if I stopped now…" Scott made a clawing motion with his hands. "It would be like a wolf going after a rabbit. So, really, it's for your sake more than mine. I'd enjoy it either way."
"I think you underestimate me."
"I think you underestimate me." Scott smiled brightly, and that seemed to strike a bad chord within Legs. He looked away, a hint of the fear from yesterday reappearing.
"…Moving on. I was thinking that instead of using the mirror, we should exchange information the normal way. Maybe it'll react the same way without us having to be in each other's brains?"
"But what if it doesn't?" Legundo shrugged. There were significant dark circles under his eyes and his hands trembled slightly.
"Then we use the mirror and learn what we already know about each other, just more painfully."
"Baring our souls out to each other through long talks? What a romantic first date," Scott teased. "Whoever shall go first? Ooh! I have a memory to share. Once, when I was seven-"
"And it has to be the truth or else it won't work." Legundo glared. Scott huffed.
"Fine." He tapped his fingers against his chin as he thought. There wasn't much he wouldn't be willing to share; after all, this conversation would be just a blip in his lifetime. Still, the mirror seemed to be a greedy sort of object that wanted juicy information, so he would have to think harder.
"You know how Pyro goes on and on about how I'm his sire and how he's my fledgling and all that?"
"…Yes?"
"It's really funny. Because that sort of relationship really doesn't mean anything to me at all." When he could tell Legs was about to argue, Scott shook his head and made a shushing motion with his finger. "Let me talk. When I was, oh, I don't know, in my twenties or so, I met a man at a tavern. I was the perfect kind of human to target, honestly. Nobility, young, beautiful, cunning; I'm sure that's obvious enough already, of course." Legundo subtly rolled his eyes. "When he offered to turn me, you'll probably be surprised to know that I didn't immediately say yes. I actually had to stop and think about it. Not because of the gift's allure or the cost, no-I had to stop and think if I really wanted this random man to start eating at my neck." He laughed. "Oh, how stupid I was. I nearly lost my chance as the man started to step away. Very quickly, I said yes before he left and then I was turned." Scott tugged down his collar ever so slightly so Legs could see the neat bite mark. "And as soon as the deed was done, my sire left me. I was off on my own with practically no guidance." He hummed fondly as the memories flooded into his mind, things he had forgotten in exchange of retaining more…put-together memories of himself. "I was like a little deer, fumbling around as I drank out any humans or animals I could find. You see, doctor, how hungry you get as a vampire depends on how truly bloodthirsty you are deep inside."
"And let me guess. You're always hungry?"
"Always is a bit of an exaggeration. But often I am, yes." He knew his eyes were glittered as he looked the other man up and down. "I'm sure you would be starving."
"What do you mean by that?" Legundo asked cautiously. Scott simply smirked and looked away.
"Your turn. Eye for an eye."
"I used to have siblings."
"Huh. I did, too."
"Really?" It was hilarious how shocked Legundo looked.
"Don't have your worldview tilted too much. They were all older than me and I never gave much of a damn about any of them, not when they were all male and got in the way of my goals. When I got turned, it was very easy to go back home and rip their throats out."
Legundo looked sick. "So that's who you…" He trailed off, eyes going distant.
"Killed in the memory you saw? Likely. It's one of the few times I wasn't neat and pretty with my meals."
"That felt horrible."
"Yes, but now I've given you two bits of information and you've given me none. Go on."
"Maybe if you didn't interrupt-" Scott yawned. "Mm. I used to have siblings. They were all younger than me, so when I got drafted into the war, they had to stay behind. I never got to speak to them after that. I don't even know if they're alive."
"Yeah. Typical sob story of your type, I understand. Now what's your second one?"
"I ate a human once." Scott quickly leaned forward, attention fully captured.
"Now this I have to hear." Disgust flickered over Legundo's face as he saw Scott's interest pique.
"After-after an attack, we were running low on resources. There was a town that-a town that was dying nearby, so we went back and forth and…used their corpses for food. I wasn't the one who cooked it but-but not everybody knew. Some of them ate it happily. I couldn't-I ate it only once." Nausea rolled over his features. "And I was so hungry that it didn't even taste horrible."
"Hunger does a lot to a person, doesn't it?" Scott asked as he tilted his head. "Bloodthirst even more. How wonderful."
"It's not wonderful."
"Survival of the fittest, doctor." Scott slowly stood up. "I'd be surprised if that wasn't enough for this greedy little mirror. Goodnight."
Scott lay awake on the cot for the next few hours listening to Legundo tremble and whimper in his nightmares.
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The next time the mirror shifted, it became the full length of the wall in front of him. And when it did, he spotted that Legundo was now shivering on the floor.
"Doctor?" Scott lazily called as he walked over to the mirror. He could clearly see the other's room now, with the addition of the larger surface. Legundo hadn't been exaggerating; their rooms were exactly the same. "What's going on?"
"Dehydration. Not to mention, it's freezing in here."
"I didn't notice." Truly, he hadn't. His natural body temperature was likely the same as the room around him. "So you're dying?"
"Yes! Yes, I'm dying!" Legundo snapped. "Sometimes you astound me with just how far you're removed from any sort of empathy or awareness, my god!"
Well. He needed Legundo to get out of here. He couldn't die, not yet. Carefully, Scott undid his cloak from his shoulders and folded it. "Put your hand to the mirror."
"I'm not doing that again."
"Sometimes you astound me with how stupid you are. I'm trying to help you. Now, mirror. Touch it." Legundo looked at him with all of the grace of a distrustful cat backed into a corner.
It was almost adorable.
Slowly, Legundo lifted up his hand from where he was splayed on the floor and set it against the mirror. Scott angled his hand just right to thrust the cloak into his hand, letting their fingers brush only a little bit.
He stood by the cliff, wondering briefly if it would be enough. It would, but he had a town to save. He couldn't die, not yet.
Scott put considerable effort into keeping his face neutral, not letting Legs even ponder what memory he could've seen. Instead, he gestured to the cloak. "Use that to keep yourself as warm as possible." Legundo weakly unfolded the cloak and wrapped it around himself. Although, it would probably be warmer to not be on the floor."
"I can't," Legundo's voice broke slightly. "I'm exhausted, Scott."
"Then we should start talking faster. You go first this time." Legundo slid on the floor until he put his back to the mirror, leaning directly against it and causing big ripples. Scott raised an eyebrow. "Legs?"
"Just…lean against me. Maybe if we have a bigger point of contact, it'll go faster."
Well, it wasn't like he was one to argue. Scott made no big ceremony of it, just simply sat down and leaned against the mirror with him. The pain was easier to get used to, but the fuzziness of it all felt…odd. It was certainly stronger with the new physical touch (and wow, it had been so long since Scott had taken his cloak off that it felt weird to have someone touch his back without it on) and it was utterly fascinating.
He was in a warm living room, sitting by a fire. His parents were talking nearby, but he didn't need to focus on their words. Instead, he focused on lining up his green army figures and pretended they were preparing for an epic battle. His little sister was watching him as she kicked her legs happily, somehow not knocking down a single one of the army figures. His sixteenth birthday was soon. In two years, he'd be eligible to enlist. "Victor?" His little brother stumbled in, holding a tiger plushie that looked worse for the wear. "Dad says we need more firewood."
The memory blurred. He was now outside in the cold snow, shivering slightly as the wind nipped at the parts of himself he forgot to cover in warmth. He lifted an axe and started to whack the tree.
Thump.
Thump.
This was his job. This was how he could help his family, even if they were barely getting by every day.
Thump.
He would be useful.
Thump.
The tree cracked in half and fell, not too dissimilar to how one would behead a man. The memory blurred again and he was back by the fire, throwing logs in as his four younger siblings watched.
He would keep them safe.
"Your real name is Victor?" Scott crinkled his brow as the world came back into focus.
"There's a reason I don't go by it now."
"Doctor Victor Legundo," Scott tried the name on his tongue and Legundo glared at him. "What did you see?"
"I saw you and the coven. Shelby had asked for a sleepover."
"I do remember that day." Scott couldn't help but smile softly at the memory. "You see, doctor, I am a monster, but that doesn't mean I cannot feel."
"You're still a monster, though. That can't change."
"You are, too." Scott turned his neck to look at Legundo. "But you seem to foolishly think that you can change."
"My character may not be able to be changed, but my actions can be. We always have a choice, Scott."
"Do we?" Scott mused. "You know, an old fledgling of mine used to always propose that we are born as we are. Good or evil. That it is predestined before we even open our eyes as a babe, because it's in our brain chemistry. In our soul."
"That's ridiculous."
"And that's exactly what I told him. However, he may have had a point. What if we're all born evil and only some people can truly make the change to be good? How would we ever know?" Scott waved a hand. "And what of Heaven and Hell? If we are born to be one way, then why would our judgment be changed throughout our lives?" Legundo was scowling at him. "My dear Legundo, what if Heaven is empty? What then?"
"Then it means we'll unfortunately be stuck together in Hell." Legundo's voice was soft. When Scott turned around again, the man had drifted off to sleep.
Scott stood up and sat on his cot again, playing the memory of poison in his head over and over.
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The room had changed drastically. Scott stared from his cot as he observed the walls. Each surface had turned into the mirror, even the floor. Legundo was still sleeping, but now he could see the man quadruple the amount he could see him before.
Everywhere he looked, he could see a Legundo. It was almost unsettling.
"Legundo. Legundo, wake up!" Scott urged as he tapped the glass. "I do not want to see your corpse five times over."
"What…?" Legundo's eyes fluttered open and it took him several seconds to react to the sights around him. "Holy shit."
"I don't know what else it wants from us," Scott admitted. "This magic is…strange."
"You can say that again." Legundo shakily stood up, still clutching Scott's cloak around himself. "Do you think it's trying to tell us something?" Scott thought for a bit as he watched the five Legundos blink blearily around him. It was entirely nonsensical, which meant it needed a nonsensical solution.
"Have we tried walking into each other? Not just one point of contact, but multiple at once?"
"That could be dangerous…but…" Legundo bit his lip. "We don't have many other options. And I don't feel like baring my heart out to you when there's more of you looking at me at once." He adjusted himself so he was almost smushed up against the reflection, palms spread on the surface. He took a deep breath and nodded at Scott.
Scott copied his position, matching him pose for pose. They looked ridiculous and the position was severely uncomfortable. "Right. On the count of three, we lean our heads forward. Ready?"
"One." Legundo breathed, sweat dripping down his face. He looked so ill that Scott almost felt bad for him.
"Two."
"Three."
Pain seared through him and Scott had to bite down a scream.
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When he opened his eyes, there was nothing but inky blackness and a mirror that floated in front of him. Scott growled and marched up to the mirror. "Listen, what kind of joke is this, you stupid-"
He stopped. Legundo was on the other side of the mirror, except this time he matched his pose exactly. Scott moved his finger. Legundo moved his finger.
Scott smirked. Legundo smirked, no matter how wrong and off-putting it looked.
Scott frowned. Legundo frowned.
Scott hissed and tried to break the mirror into pieces with his dull claws. As soon as he went to slice it up, however, Doctor Legundo appeared in front of him, holding up his arms like a shield. "Scott?" He asked. "I didn't-that was weird. This is weird."
"You can say that again." Scott clasped his hands behind his back, doing his best to not lunge after the living blood bag in front of him. He was hungry, but he did have manners. Legundo blinked at him.
Don't drink from me.
"I wasn't going to," Scott said innocently.
"…I didn't say anything."
I'm so tired. And confused.
Scott stepped back, ears twitching. Legundo realized it at the same time as he did and also started to step back. "Not you," Scott snarled. "Anyone but you."
"What? You think I'm enthused about this?" Legundo laughed harshly. "I can hear the thoughts of the most pretentious asshole on the planet! Can we go back to the mirror room?" The doctor shouted to the empty void around them. "I liked that so much better!"
Scott got an idea. Legundo whipped his head around to face him. "You're not-" Scott jumped and slammed him into the raven-colored floor, the disorientation of not knowing where he was making him feel like he was falling.
"Survival of the fittest, doctor." Scott traced his finger around Legundo's arteries, already tasting the blood in his mouth before he had even gotten a sip. "I already know your heart, your brain and now your soul, so I might as well eat it, right?"
"You're the worst. You never think about anyone but yourself. You try to pretend like you care about people, but you're far too depraved for that." Legundo tried to fight him, but the man was so weak from lack of eating and drinking.
"And you poisoned a town without ever thinking about disobeying. You are a cog in the machine and that makes you no better than you try to be, doctor."
"At least I tried-"
Scott ignored him and bit down on his neck, hard.
He only got a little taste before everything changed.
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When they woke up, they didn't know where they were. Curious, they looked around the woods they found themselves in. It was pale and dreary and they found themselves curling their nose in distaste at their environment. Curiously, there was a mirror on the ground, broken into pieces.
They didn't like the dark energy that emulated from it. Not to mention, they weren't sure how they had gotten here. Their memories were blurry and their identity felt…shaky. Instead of dwelling on that, though, they chose to transform into a bat and fly until they found civilization.
They flew until they came across a quaint little town; Oakhurst, their mind supplied, the name inciting both annoyance and comfort. They landed in the center of the town (only stumbled a little bit, thank god) and called out to the residents. "Hello?"
Their voice sounded…weird. Unnatural. New.
"Doctor?" Someone responded-Drift, it was Drift-back. "Is that-?"
"I suppose I am a doctor, yes." They shrugged, ignoring how their ear twitched at the address. Drift appeared in front of them, mouth a little open in shock.
"We thought you'd been killed, but then Shelby said Scott hadn't come back either, so we thought-" She did a double take. "What…what…who? What happened?"
"Who I am can be answered very easily, detective." They did a little bow-a little dramatic-
Not enough dramatics-
Whatever-
and did their best to smile. "I am Doctor Victor Goldsmith. It's nice to meet you."