[ It's true that even real, actually lived-out memories will fade with time. Steve isn't anywhere near as old as Geralt (from what he's gathered from comments Geralt himself and Sam have made offhandedly), and even his younger years have become a blur.

Which is a fact that leaves him hollow in the pit of his stomach. Even before all this, he resented the idea that he would forget more and more of what the world looked like and felt like before he went into the ice. ]

I would guess these'll fade even more quickly. I mean, we didn't actually live through all that, right?

[ Steve sighs and shakes his head, then takes a long drink from his pint. He doesn't expect Geralt to have any answers, but he can't help but want to try and make some sense of it anyway. He isn't going to put too much stock into any of it, but it's not like he can just pretend they didn't all experience a mass hallucination either. ]

Anyway, I know it was just by chance, but you're the reason I started to realize something wasn't right. So... [ He tips his glass toward Geralt in quiet thanks, then takes another sip off it. ]