Got a Mind Like Swiss Cheese

[hollystrike]

Who: Katie and you
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Vanquish, Iskaulit
When: 25th June onwards

[You'd think she'd reach out to let people know she was okay.  What a jerk.

Instead, running into Katie might be an accidental thing.  She's either curled up in her room on the Vanquish (her actual room, not the personnel office), patting Licorice absently and not sure why the poor cat sounds so distressed...

...or the jumbled pieces of memory she has eventually lead her to the Iskaulit, exploring most places in the vain hopes it will fill in the gaps.

Run into her anywhere.  She's not staying put in any one place unless someone gets her attention, but moving through in a slow sort of way, wrapped in the warmest coat she has.  Except for one point where she passes her reflection and stares for a while.]

...

When did I get so old...?

Comments

[brothersboots]

[Edna notices Katie shuffling around the Iskaulit. She knows that her friend died during the mess with the undead humans, but she's not sure what sort of penalty is going to come with that just yet.

She watches her as the pooka seems to be in a daze, going from area to area like she doesn't know where she is.]

I can only assume that it happened linearly. Like most humans.

1/2

[hollystrike]

[......]

[hollystrike]

[And after a few seconds, she peels away with a faint frown and continues on her way, straight past Edna.

You weren't expecting a response, were you?]

[brothersboots]

[Not used to being ignored by Katie, Edna frowns before following after her.]

Hey! Where do you think you're going?

[hollystrike]

[The bar! Seems like a good place to try for anyway. She looks old enough to drink, it'll probably be okay.

Sorry, Edna.]

[brothersboots]

HEY! [Edna doesn't normally raise her voice. She finds she gets better results when she's deadpan and her face is flat. It seems to unnerve most of the people on the Fleet. Since that's when she's the most serious.

She only yells when Eizen or Mikleo are involved. Now, it would appear that Katie is lumped in with her brothers, for better or for worse.]

What's the matter with you, you stupid pooka? Can't you hear me?

[shroudedsecrets]

[Ever since learning about how Katie died -- and from the source, no doubt, her double has been rather wary. Granted, it was a good way to observe the impermanence of "death" to the Fleet, though at what cost, indeed.

Especially when Katie does return, but something seems... off. The young woman nearly walks right on by one of her favored locations, and Haggar only notices her by chance, because for some reason the energy usually surrounding her seems... decided muted or even not there.

So this time, when she does pause, her "reflection" talks back.]

What a question to ask.

[hollystrike]

[Y ELP

...well look it's a tiny British yelp but nevertheless. She skips back for a moment before she realises she's not, in fact, hallucinating a talking reflection. What the heck, lady.]

...valid question, given the situation, I would feel.

[shroudedsecrets]

[Listen, she's just good at what she does, especially when it comes to unnerving people. But the fact that Katie seemed different and even confused by her circumstances meant that she needed to have more information.]

And what do you consider the situation to be?

[hollystrike]

I consider it to be confusing. [How forthright. Now that she's getting over the shock a little, her eyes narrow in speculation.]

How is it you have my face?

[shroudedsecrets]

So you don't remember? That is... concerning.

[Not that she sounds it, exactly--still more curious than that.]

I'm your sister, Lucy. We're twins, you know.

action.

[collegedropout]

[The Iskaulit is practically where Sam lives, when you consider he works shifts there so often. And really, it's easier to just launch into work, work, work, so that he can try to keep his mind occupied. It's hard, though — just because he's a Winchester doesn't mean the deaths of his friends roll off him. Especially when they're someone as close and important as Katie.

Seeing her wandering around the Iskaulit is like seeing a ghost for a split second; blame it on being a hunter. But then that split second passes and he recognizes, with unyielding relief, that she's back.

So he abandons his post to follow.]

Katie — Katie!? Hey!

[He looks extremely happy to see you. That's nice, right, confused lady?]

action.

[hollystrike]

[Well, she turns at the sound of her name at least? :D?

Though there's a long, narrow-eyed look as she considers him, shifting from one foot to the other and hugging her coat close. You're familiar. Um...

What was it...]

...

Sam, right...?

action.

[collegedropout]

[Oh, and here he was about to lunge in for a hug. Isn't that just his luck? He stops mid-step, looking surprised for a moment. Oh, shit, there's a catch — there's always a catch, when it comes to this fae business. He stares in surprise at her for a moment, then clears his throat, trying to figure out how to even start.]

I — yeah, that's me. Do you... Um. Do you remember anything? Other than my name?

[Shit, he's not sure what to even expect. Something must've... forked? After all, the last time she'd died, her soul split from that other part of her, but that was in a giant dark cloud of death, so...]

action.

[hollystrike]

We went exploring once. [She has more than that, but it's all fractions of memory, looks and exasperated laughter and...hnn. She's frustrated, but that doesn't stop her crossing her arms.]

You told me rat tails would taste like spaghetti. I'm pretty sure you're wrong, by the way.

action.

[collegedropout]

[Oh, lord.]

I hope that's not your only memory, because I gotta say, there are way more interesting ones.

[He smiles a little, sad but relieved she's at least... you know. Not fucking dead.

How does he even begin to address this whole situation?]

What do you remember about yourself?

Action

[canofmanji]

[Manji has actually been spending a bit more time on the Vanquished lately. There hasn't been anyone he needs to avoid there after all. He spies Katie in her room as he passes by.

He passes by without a word and is gone for nearly a full minute before he suddenly backtracks and actually gets a good look into the room. Huh, suppose the rumors about not staying dead around here were true.

Damn. That means he should probably return her weapon. Just going to walk in here announced. Hope you don't mind this weird one armed, one eye, heavily scared man with a samurai complex staring at you before barging into your personal space!

Manji reaches into his kimono and pulls out the handle to the light saber.] Here. I found this.

[He didn't steal it! Except he totally would have if she had stayed dead.]

Action

[hollystrike]

[Licorice's reaction is a lot more unfriendly than the last time. Rather than sniff at Manji curiously, the cat plants herself between the two of them and hisses.

On the other hand--]

Licorice! I'm sure it's okay. He's probably got a good reason for being...here. [YOU LOOK SO DUBIOUS, MAN. On the other hand, she has no idea who you are at all. She glances from his face and the scars to the ...torch? Is that a flashlight, maybe?]

Um. Okay? Thank you.

[No but what is it.]

Action

[canofmanji]

[Manji gives the cat an unimpressed look. Like he's going to be scared of a cat.]

You gonna take it? If you don't want it back I'm happy to keep it, 'cause I'm not going to stand here with it all day for you.

[He's happy to admit that he thought the weapon was cool. Even if he had already burned himself once when he turned it on upside down by mistake he sort of wanted to keep it.]

Action

[hollystrike]

[Whatever it is, it's apparently hers and Katie isn't about to let him walk off with it. So yes.]

Yes. Please. And thanks. [She holds her hand out.]

Action

[canofmanji]

[Manji holds it for her to take in her outstretched hand.] So what do you call that weapon anyway?

action - iskaulit

[monolike]

[Sorey spends a lot of time on the Iskaulit, so he's gotten pretty used to feeling people entering and leaving his domain. He's gotten used to how certain people feel, gotten used to that quiet "okay so they're here" feeling that's hard to describe.

He'd more than gotten used to how Katie feels, so when she enters his domain feeling...not her, Sorey leaves his book behind and goes in search of her. He finds her staring at her reflection in one of the windows and slows to a stop a few feet away, squinting at her, trying to figure out what's different.]

...Dorothy?

[hollystrike]

[Sorey gets a glance, brief and absent as he arrives. Then a second one, more curious, because he's familiar, but that's the wrong name, and--

--no, there's nobody else here. Huh. She chews on her lip a moment.]

That's... not my name. [But she sounds unsure, because it doesn't seem entirely wrong. Which is kind of stupid, right?]

[monolike]

[He won't hurt her with this, will he? ...he needs to try. What if she's in danger? What if she's a danger to herself?] Is it...Katie, then?

[tsunergy]

This feels weird.

[Mikleo had been dwelling inside Sorey for a while while he fusses at the interfaith center, but being in Katie's general vicinity had caught his attention alongside his vessel. With a flash of light he ventures out to stand at Sorey's side, brows furrowed.]

You don't look so good. Maybe you should sit down...