["Just Oz" is the point where his smile falters a little, but it's not much at first. It's what he's referred to himself as countless times lately, after all: he doesn't even use the last name Vessalius to introduce himself anymore.
But the longer Cole talks, and the more he says, the farther his smile drops until it's more or less shifted into a look of panic. The golden world, the real world, Alice and Alyss and Lacie and the Core - himself, as he had been back then. The words dredge up that imagery and those memories and leave Oz feeling more than just a little unsettled. He doesn't take a step back, but he looks like he might want to.]
Wait— What you're talking about, that's...
[Impossible, isn't it? How could anyone know-- but even though he's speaking in riddles, Oz knows. There really are too many similarities for it to be a simple coincidence.]
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But the longer Cole talks, and the more he says, the farther his smile drops until it's more or less shifted into a look of panic. The golden world, the real world, Alice and Alyss and Lacie and the Core - himself, as he had been back then. The words dredge up that imagery and those memories and leave Oz feeling more than just a little unsettled. He doesn't take a step back, but he looks like he might want to.]
Wait— What you're talking about, that's...
[Impossible, isn't it? How could anyone know-- but even though he's speaking in riddles, Oz knows. There really are too many similarities for it to be a simple coincidence.]