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Again, silent, while he considered Ripley's proposition. It was nothing less than Finn had expected, really. "Okay. To be clear, though, there is probably only one person I would trust to share any information with, and I would only do so because he knows a lot about the legacy's, and may be able to help. Jack."

He tapped a finger on the table, and pursed his lips together, thinking. "I can vouch for him. He'll keep it to himself if I ask him too, but if you don't think you can trust him than I won't tell him anything."

Well, anything more. Finn decided it probably wouldn't work in his favor at the moment if he let Ripley know he'd already been talking to Jack about it.

The next part made the moon hunter feel slightly indignant, the very idea not sitting well with him at all. "You know, ********, we were friends before we were anything else. I would hope that that would still count for something. I have no intention on turning my back on you, even if things never go back to the way they were."

Well, thinking about it was better than an outright no, so Finn was content to leave it at that for now.

As for the other matter.

"Ya, well, you were also acting like a tool."

He left it at that for about five seconds before adding on.

"I am a little sorry that I kicked you though. That was out of line."

As ominous as Ripley made it sound, Finn couldn't see himself saying no at this point. This was, after all, exactly what he wanted. To know what was going on, to find out what Creation needed Ripley for. The fact that there was more wasn't even surprising in the slightest. He'd always expected as much.

"Yes." He answered, while reaching for his pack of cigarettes and tapping out a second before holding the carton towards Ripley in silent offering.

Finally, Finn was getting what he had wanted from the start. Answers, or at least, a recounting of everything Ripley had experienced thus far, which certainly helped to explain a few things. Most of it was, of course, quite surprising, considering he had absolutely zero idea of what to expect. Some of it raised more questions than it actually answered, but that was to be expected as well.

There was a part of Finn, the part that still cared deeply for the Ripley that used to be, that sunk deeper and deeper into the pit of despair the more the other man shared.

And then the key tattoo. Green, unsurprisingly, though a curious sight nonetheless. What did it mean?

"Well....s**t." Was his immediate response to everything that Ripley had said, and Finn slumped back in his chair. His own cigarette had not taken long to burn down to the filter, but a new one had taken it's place, though it was not far from needing to be butted out as well.

"So...what made you think it was a good idea to just do whatever Creation asked, rather than turning yourself in?" He asked, before giving his head a shake.

"You know what, that's not really that important at this point. s**t's gone too far, and you've gotten yourself sunk in really ******** deep. I ********>."

He continued to mull it all over, and then, "Is there anything I can do to help? Are you concerned about becoming possessed? Do you need someone to watch you for strange behavior?" It occurred to him that it might actually be too late for that. Who knew if Ripley was, at that moment, already just Creation's meat suit, placating him to throw off suspicion.

It was a scary thought, but one that he hoped wasn't the case.

It was a lot to process. Between everything Ripley had told him, and the mentally flinch-worthy response to Finn's recent questions, it felt like he needed a few moments to think it all through, to sort through what was important and what wasn't.

It was hard to focus at all, however, when something Ripley had said kept playing on repeat in his head, in deafening cacophony.

I feel like there is nothing for me here.

There were things he wanted to say, but they were quickly dismissed as each of his observations seemed to have a logical response. What he thought not to make any sense at all, ultimately actually seemed to make perfect sense, when he attempted to put himself in Ripley's position.

Finally, he spoke again.

"The girl in your dream...she alluded to you being able to save everyone, but how do you even feel about that? Your stance on this situation seems to indicate that you are only interested in yourself, in your survival, in what you can gain." He finished off his cigarette and butted it out, exhaling slowly.

"You don't need to worry about what I'm going to. I want to help, and.." He frowned, staring at the table top for a moment, deep in thought. "I just need to figure out where to start..." His voice trailed off, and then, abruptly, he looked up, making eye contact with Ripley.

"What you lost, what Creation took, it would have connected you to other people, but it should have especially connected you to me. There's a chance, however small, that the memory that was taken was one that we shared. One that was, maybe, related to...." The word, even now, was hard to say. It always felt too heavy, and uncomfortable. He hesitated slightly before saying it. "....love.

"So tell me, do you remember New Years? Do you remember the dream of the alternate world?"

Learning that he was a part of Ripley's decision, inexplicably only served to remind Finn that his past role in Ripley's life had become, for a lack of a better word, obsolete. He was no longer a part of any equation when it came to the other man's choices. If he was thought about anymore, it was likely in passing confusion.

It reminded him that perhaps the only reason Ripley was here telling him all of this was because Finn had threatened to expose him if he didn't. And what had this information really even garnered him? More questions, and an even bleaker outlook on the future.

"I see." His voice was calm when he was feeling anything but, his tone carefully neutral.

When Ripley answered the question about the New Year's memory, and then posed a question of his own, Finn paused. "Well, no, just the ones I thought might actually be relevant......Do you want to figure out which one was taken, or not? If this is too tedious for you, you can always leave. I've never stopped you before."

Finn had to fight back another sigh of frustration. He knew everything Ripley was saying was true, they did have a lot of memories together, and there was nothing to say that the particular memory that was missing had anything to do with Finn. "I know." He voiced his thoughts out loud.

"I know, but at the moment, this is all I can try and help you with. I know it could take a long time. I know that it might be something that seemed so unimportant that it gets overlooked entirely. I can hope, however, that whichever one it was, that it was something big and significant, something that did involve me and not somebody else. Something that that stood out. Something memorable, because it was worth remembering. If I were Creation, and I wanted to be a giant d**k, that's what I would take." He smirked then, but only briefly, before he was dragging a gloved hand down his face.

"I need a drink. Do you want one?"

Finn nodded, and then pushed himself back from the table, standing up so that he could make his way over towards the cupboard where he kept his alcohol. Pulling down a bottle of whiskey, he grabbed a couple of glasses next, and brought all three items back to the table, the glasses set down first, and the top unscrewed from the bottle.

Finn pursed his lips together as he poured about four fingers worth of whiskey in each glass. It wasn't something that he'd thought about much until that moment, but it occurred to him suddenly why Ripley seemed so confused by his willingness to help.

"Yes. I really ******** am." He answered, while setting the bottle back down and screwing the lid back on, a rather sad feeling settling into the pit of his stomach. "I don't expect you to understand why. Not now."

And maybe not ever again.

He slid one of the glasses towards the other man, and let his gaze drop to his own glass for a second as he lifted it up, sifting through his own thoughts carefully.

"Do you remember when you punched me in the face?"