[ It's like a rat race inside his head: thoughts bubbling up and chasing themselves around, only to fade out into a dull hum and be replaced by others. The conversation he's been having with Jesse has helped ground him somewhat, but he is still in a very scattered state of mind. ]
Next time, it's on me. [ Somehow, he'll manage to find a way to pay her back. ] What do you like, anyway? [ It feels so strange to be making future plans and thinking about things like what kinds of foods people like. But maybe it's a sign that he's coming out of the shell-shocked state brought on by his time in the Dark Place. Maybe. He hopes it is, at least. ]
No, it's fine. It's fine to go into town. [ He can't picture it that clearly, but something tells him that there's not very many options in Bright Falls anyway. And maybe he's wrong, but those FBI agents probably wouldn't be very happy with him if he left the area.
And truthfully, his pace is more along the lines of hiding back in that room in the cabin with all the lights turned on, not walking into town in search of food.
When she points out that not many people would recognize him as being Alan Wake, he gives her a confused sort of look. Oh, that's right. He's been missing. Thirteen years. Maybe at first, his face could be seen on those missing persons posters. But that probably stopped as the years dragged on. Right? Even bestsellers fade from the public eye, or something like that. It hasn't even occurred to him that maybe he doesn't look quite like the same man he was when he dove into Cauldron Lake. ]
Shall we? [ His words lack the attempt at flourish that they might have had thirteen years ago, and the effort probably falls flat. But at least he made an effort at trying to sound normal, even though he knows he may never feel normal again. ]
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Next time, it's on me. [ Somehow, he'll manage to find a way to pay her back. ] What do you like, anyway? [ It feels so strange to be making future plans and thinking about things like what kinds of foods people like. But maybe it's a sign that he's coming out of the shell-shocked state brought on by his time in the Dark Place. Maybe. He hopes it is, at least. ]
No, it's fine. It's fine to go into town. [ He can't picture it that clearly, but something tells him that there's not very many options in Bright Falls anyway. And maybe he's wrong, but those FBI agents probably wouldn't be very happy with him if he left the area.
And truthfully, his pace is more along the lines of hiding back in that room in the cabin with all the lights turned on, not walking into town in search of food.
When she points out that not many people would recognize him as being Alan Wake, he gives her a confused sort of look. Oh, that's right. He's been missing. Thirteen years. Maybe at first, his face could be seen on those missing persons posters. But that probably stopped as the years dragged on. Right? Even bestsellers fade from the public eye, or something like that. It hasn't even occurred to him that maybe he doesn't look quite like the same man he was when he dove into Cauldron Lake. ]
Shall we? [ His words lack the attempt at flourish that they might have had thirteen years ago, and the effort probably falls flat. But at least he made an effort at trying to sound normal, even though he knows he may never feel normal again. ]