Dempsey still remained frozen in place as he anxiously tried to process everything that was just told to him. His eyes glazed over as he stared off into the distance. His mind raced at a million miles an hour as it tried to overcome the sudden cognitive overload. Kiana looked at him with concern as it was now too late to take back what was said.
Primis also looked rather uncomfortable as he felt like the man in the middle. All he could do was suck in a steadying breath before clearing his throat - the sound of which seemed to snap Dempsey back into the present. His eyes finally locked onto Kiana's before he suddenly opened his mouth.
"Aaaaaaah!" Dempsey screamed in a shrill girly voice.
"What the fuck is up with this world?!" Dempsey cried as his voice cracked.
"Aaaaaaaah!" Dempsey screamed again.
It was rather terrifying for the others to watch as Dempsey flailed around in absolute panic. The strong - gravelly voiced - masculine American was now reduced to a emasculated mess. Primis shifted on the spot awkwardly as he prayed that Dempsey would finally compose himself. Kiana was so taken aback by Dempsey's reaction that all she could do was laugh uncontrollably. The situation was far from funny seeing Dempsey in such a state but it seemed to be the only response Kiana's body could give.
Takeo seemed to take the information much better than Dempsey - though, that was not saying much. He seemed lost in his own thoughts as if completely oblivious to Dempsey's wailing and flailing. The Japanese man's brow wrinkled as he methodically processed everything he had just been told. He had remained completely calm as he gracefully held his composure.
Then, Takeo's mind seemed to finally return to the present moment. His eyes lifted from the ground as if they were back in use. Then, he calmly but quickly turned to Dempsey and gave his a swift slap across the face.
"We see two Richtofens! Why didn't you realise that there would be two of us as well?!" Takeo asked almost frustratedly.
"Hold it together, Dempsey. You are a better warrior that this! Do not insult everything you have overcome!" Takeo hissed disapprovingly.
The slap seemed to sober Dempsey up as he began to finally calm down. His arms dropped by his side as his shoulders slumped and his breathing began to find a more regular pace. The look of sheer panic and fear seemed to fade from Dempsey's eyes before being replaced with defeat.
"Okay", Kiana announced abruptly to break the now awkward silence that enveloped the group.
"Let's all just take it real easy and sit by the fire. I think a timeout is in order", Kiana insisted - trying to move on from this strange chain of events.
Everyone seemed to agree with Kiana's suggestion as they all took a moment to breath before walking over to the fire. As Primis approached the firepit; he bent down on one knee to rekindle the flames. It only took a few seconds before everyone was seated by the now smouldering fire. No one dared speak as they allowed eachother to take time to process everything.
As everyone sat contemplatively gazing into the growing flames; Dempsey was the first to speak.
"Sorry", Dempsey finally said.
"Sorry, Tak. You're right, I'm much better than that", Dempsey continued - clearly embarrassed at his outburst on hindsight.
"Hai", Takeo grunted approvingly.
"Don't be daft, Dempsey!" Kiana interjected.
"I shouldn't have been so flippant about offloading such important information", Kiana explained as she tried to reassure Dempsey.
"But as Takeo said, you are strong. You've overcome so much just to be here right now. But no one can be strong all the time", she added.
"Just try not to think about everything too deeply or you'll just torture yourself and wind up overthinking!" Kiana said in her usual dry humour as she tried to joke a little to lighten the mood.
"Ja, don't be too hard on jourshelf, Dempshey", Primis agreed.
"Aw, shucks. I appreciate it guys. But I'll never be able to take back that girlish scream!" Dempsey responded embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, could you imagine if your voice had stayed like that?!" Kiana fired back playfully.
Kiana and Dempsey with roared with laughter as Takeo shook his head. Primis, however, seemed completely unsure of how to navigate such precarious situations. It was strange how he seemed to struggle to read emotions in times like these. Plus, being self-aware of this shortcoming seemed to bother him deeply. Even now that there seemed to be some kind of resolution; he was still wary of letting his guard down.
"Hey, where's Nik?" Dempsey asked with a furrowed brow.
"Oh yeah, he wasn't with us when we all went to investigate the lunar lander", Kiana agreed.
Takeo shook his head in annoyance as he glanced over to the steps leading up to the PhD Flopper vending machine. Everyone else's gaze followed his before they were all met with the sight of Nikolai passed out on the stairs. Somehow, he seemed to have managed to sleep through all the commotion.
"He doesn't even know what happened!" Dempsey laughed in disbelief.
"Baka!" Takeo spat angrily.
Primis looked to Kiana as if thanking her. It was clear he had felt overwhelmed by the situation himself. And having Kiana there to try and explain things took a great deal of responsibility off of his shoulders - something he had found himself having too much of these days. She returned the gesture with a warm smile as they both then looked back at Nikolai.
Nikolai's drunkeness had seemed to lighten the mood - which was definitely helpful. Dempsey had seemed to calm down and was now enjoying a good belly laugh at Nikolai's expense.
"Oh, man! Wait until he hears there's another one of him!" Dempsey blurted out as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"I wonder if he'll scream like a girl when we tell him?" Kiana added.
"Hey! This is some fucked up shit we're dealing with! I'd just bottled up all my frustrations for so long that they just had to come out!" Dempsey tried to defensively justify.
"I'm just pulling your leg! Everything's so messed up that it's hard to stay sane with it all!" Kiana laughed.
"If I was like that then I can't imagine how terrifying it must've been when you first came here!" Dempsey chuckled apprehensively.
"Ja, jour universe seems to be outside of ours. I do vonder how zhe two managed to collide in order to bring jou here..." Primis interrupted as he mused over the thought.
"Yeah..." Kiana whispered sadly.
"But at least I didn't scream like a girl-- and I am a girl!" Kiana added which started Dempsey off.
"Oh, that's it!" Dempsey laughed as he lunged over towards Kiana.
She managed to jump out of the way in time before speeding off with Dempsey - who was quickly closing in behind her. Primis watched the two as he seemed baffled by the display. But out of the corner of his eye; he noticed a faint smile form on Takeo's lips. The man in question quickly realised he had been caught and immediately replaced it with one of his usual looks of disapproval.
Takeo and Primis watched as Dempsey and Kiana disappeared from view. After all the excitement of the day everyone was exhausted! So it was both baffling and terrifying how Kiana and Dempsey managed to still have energy for their shenanigans.
Primis then focused his gaze as he looked into the dancing embers of the campfire. He thought back to that day at Site 64 as he remembered his own Dr Maxis beg him to save his consciousness from death. It was painful remembering how he had to execute the only man who had ever shown him any care in his life - Dr Maxis had truly been like a father to Primis.
And just as he was transferring Dr Maxis' brain into the drone prototype they had been working on at the site; his meeting with the others marked the moment all their lives changed. And without the assistance of Dr Maxis via the drone; they would never have escaped.
For Primis, it almost felt like a lifetime ago. He had decided to leave his Takeo, Dempsey and Nikolai behind to pursue his own mission alone. After two years travelling through multiple realities; he had begun to lose track of time. It was not until he finally located the original Richtofen - who had fractured the universe - that he had planned to reunite with the rest of his crew back in Der Riese.
It would have been so simple for Primis to simply confront Richtofen and execute him there and then. Richtofen would never have had the chance to betray his Dr Maxis - and the resulting events would never have come to pass. Dr Maxis would never have been transported to Agartha nor would Samantha have been trapped in the Aether.
But, for Primis, Kiana changed the course of his plan.
Her arrival had changed his plans far beyond anything he could have ever imagined...
End of part twenty-two...