Another one that requires explanation, sorry about this guys. I see Gregor as inherently dualistic and have been toying with the idea for weeks now. This is kind of a jumping off point for a possible longer fic I have in bits and pieces. I've tried to sum up a pretty heavy theological/philosophical concept in a couple of sentences. It's imperfect but I think it gets the message across sufficiently for our purposes. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: See Ch. 1
Iste: The free-roaming soul, the split spirit (Finno-Ugric concept of certain people possessing a soul that animates the body and a second that is free to wander the world esp. in sleep or after death. This soul often emerges during a time of stress or change for the person in question. There are stories of taltos/shamans being subjected to some sort of test meant to induce this soul-split)
The waitress with the dark hair and black eyes smiles at him. Gregor feels something inside him tear. She takes the plates to a table and he watches her, conscious that he is doing it, that his watching is somehow more significant than the way the other patrons watch her.
She kisses him three days later, behind the diner, after he locks up. He looks down on himself kissing her from above and realizes everything's gone wrong. He watches himself take her hand; follow her home and he knows he's not allowed these things but he can't stop his other-self.