Altair sleeps badly, sitting with his back to a wall that faces the door. He nods off and wakes again five or six times before giving up. He wishes he was back in Masyaf. It feels too strange here, and no matter how hard he tries he can't quite relax. There's nothing familiar here.
It's either very late or very early, and everyone else is asleep. The last time Altair nodded off, Rebecca was still at her desk, working through something and occasionally mumbling to herself, but now her desk is deserted.
After a while, Desmond says something, but it's in English- so many meaningless syllables to Altair without Desmond's mind to translate for him- and rolls over on the bed. He's breathing hard, and his face is twisted in pain. He says something else, louder this time, and Altair approaches the bed on silent feet. Nightmares, probably made worse by the physical pain.
Altair had shared a room with a dozen other novices for most of his childhood. Nightmares were common there, but as the boys got older, they faded away, or learned to stay quiet.
Desmond cries out again and half curls up on the bed, knees drawn in, head down, and it strikes Altair for the first time how young Desmond is. Not in years lived- he doesn't think their ages are too far apart- but in experience. Living through someone else's memories could show him what it meant to have an assassin's skills, but there are some things everyone has to learn for themselves.
Like how to avoid the nightmares.
"Desmond," he says quietly. "Wake up." When Desmond doesn't wake, Altair gives him a light shove- just enough to wake him. Desmond's eyes shoot open and Altair sees panic and confusion there before he remembers where he is, and relaxes.
"What's the matter?" he asks.
"You were having a nightmare," Altair says, and Desmond sits up, suddenly looking anywhere except directly at Altair.
"Yea," he says. His voice is casual, almost too casual. "They started back at Abstergo. It's not a big deal. They're just dreams."
"They're going to get worse," says Altair. "Especially if you ignore them."
"I'm fine," Desmond insists. "Why do you even care, anyway?" He does look at Altair now, and there's something defiant in his eyes.
"You're not used to being with people," Altair guesses. He sits on the opposite side of the bed from Desmond, legs crossed, and studies him.
"What-" Desmond shrugs. "I've been on my own for a long time," he says. "Since I was sixteen. I've had to figure out a lot of things on my own. I'll get through this too."
The sheer stubbornness annoys him, and Altair shakes his head. He remembers spending months suffering through nightmares of his own before he would let anyone help him, but he doesn't say this. "Just because you can do something on your own doesn't mean you should," he says, and sighs. He can't stop himself from thinking about Solomon's Temple, and wonders if he'll be having nightmares of his own later. "I've learned that the hard way."
For a long time, Desmond looks at him without saying a word. Then he asks, "What do I do?"
"Stay calm," says Altair. "Your nightmares are going to be things you don't want to think about or memories you don't want to revisit. You block them out during the day, so they come to you at night, when your guard is down. But they're only thoughts and memories. They can only hurt you if you let them."
"That's a lot easier to say than to do," says Desmond.
"Nothing ever is," says Altair, and suddenly something starts ringing loudly. Altair stands, startled but ready to react to whatever it is, but stops suddenly when Desmond laughs. "What?"
"It's just someone's alarm clock," Desmond says, and sighs as he stands as well. "Time for another exciting day in the animus." He starts to move, then checks himself. "I was thinking- if you can, you should probably stay out of my head today. I don't think the animus is going to work if we're both going in at once."
Altair nods. "I'll try," he says. "But I can't exactly control it."
"Guess that's the best I can ask for," Desmond says. He rubs at his face and yawns. "See you later, then."
Altair watches as Desmond meets up with the others, says a few words, and then settles himself into the animus. Rebecca and Shaun spend a few minutes talking quietly and pointing to something, until finally they seem to find what they're looking for. The animus whirs softly, something is starting-
And then Altair sees a bright flash of light, and when it fades, he's back in his own bed at Masyaf.