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

[hollystrike]

[Now, see, that's one of the pieces of memory that she has she's absolutely sure on, because her childhood is clear as a bell. Her eyes narrow.]

Are we now? You could tell me our parents' names then, I'm sure. [She's not exactly hostile, but nor does she appreciate this game.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[So... a lack of magic, and noticeably affected memories. She'd laugh if it wasn't familiar, in its own way. How to proceed, then...]

Mother's name was Lucinda. We were raised... apart.

[She pauses, then tilts her head.] Do you remember anything about where we are? This fleet likes to play games with people. It must be doing something to you.

[She's not entirely willing to drop the guise, though it's not maliciously. More... curious.]

[hollystrike]

[The fact that her memory is so full of holes is the only reason she doesn't shift to outright hostility. She doesn't believe for a moment that this woman is her sister, but then how does she explain the likeness? Coincidence is a bit much out here.]

That's not my mother's name. [Bluntly.] And we're on some sort of weird, cooked up space telly show. I've pieced together that much.

[Well, it's helpfully supplied by her augment, too, but she hasn't worked that out. Personally, Katie wonders if they're all on some odd set in the middle of London. You never know. Rich people are weird.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[And she seemed to have lost what kept her from speaking the truth. How interesting. A vulnerability? The question was whether this was some trick of the augment, or something natural that had turned itself off...

Haggar's mind is ever turning, even as she continues the conversation.]

Yes, we are. You have been here for quite a while, in fact. I'm sure other people must have said as much to you, unless I'm the first you've encountered.

[And if they had not, well... shame on them, really.]

As your sister, I hope you can understand why it's concerning to me that you don't remember at all.

[hollystrike]

I remember enough. [She knows she's been here a while, though Katie's memory is shattered enough she would be surprised to find out just how long. But the jumble of knowledge is the only reason her mode right now is numb and confused, not ...hysterical, really.]

I've been here some time. I've met people. Some are familiar. How is it I don't remember you?

[Because logically, she wonders if there were twins and they were separated for some reason, and that would mean this woman's mother was Lucinda. It's far-fetched but...you're too closely alike to not be related somehow.

(Because magic, what is that. It doesn't exist.)]

[shroudedsecrets]

... When I figure that out, you will know.

[It makes her wonder if Katie remembers meeting her at all, and not just in the guise of her twin. Not that she had given her a name then, either.

No, she thinks she'll remain as the mysterious twin for now. It seemed safer. She'd had her own ways of probing into it, but... not yet. Memories could not be fully wiped away, but she'd have to be careful about this.]

But if you have been injured, perhaps it is the sort of thing that slips through the cracks, forgetting your own sister. You know, just like on the telly.

[hollystrike]

It's always been a complete myth on the telly. Real life doesn't work like that.

[Dubiously. But lbr, she's... either in space or on an exceedingly clever set, she really can't rule anything out at all.]

Did we know each other well?

[shroudedsecrets]

[To be fair, it had been... a joke. The other Katie might have understood. She really did need to be careful with this one.

What a terribly ironic situation.]

We know what suits us, and we tend to get along. We haven't had the time to spend together until being brought here, really.

[hollystrike]

[In a better frame of mind, this Katie would probably realise it's a joke. Today, she's just too confused and everything feels so distant.]

Do you know how long I've been here? Have I told you anything?

[shroudedsecrets]

[What an intriguing mystery.]

I know you have been here for a few years. In comparison, I have only been here for about a month or so. We haven't spent the time discussing details beyond... adjusting to this situation. Pretty weird, and all of that. [...] If it helps, you were happy to see me.

[hollystrike]

I suppose I would have been, if you were truly a long lost sister. [She'd always wished for one when she was younger. To share the fun, and share the blame.]

I'm sorry I don't remember. But it can't last forever. I don't feel particularly well, so maybe that's associated.

[shroudedsecrets]

It's most likely related to that augment that gets placed on us here.

[Not that she entirely believed that, in this circumstance, but it would probably help if Katie had thought there was something physical to blame this on.]

I've heard that it can... malfunction sometimes, which is why I think this is only temporary. Otherwise, I'd be more upset, you know.

[hollystrike]

[She's trying not to think about the augment. But at the same time, that feels like old news, and the sort of panic she'd expect to feel is just not there.]

Well, I hope it's a very quick temporary. People keep staring at me like I'm a puppy they've lost.

[shroudedsecrets]

[If only there was a way to determine that's what it was... she is thinking.]

They say that it does not tend to last for long... what is the last thing that you remember, by the way?

[hollystrike]

Hard to answer. Everything's such a jumble I have a lot of difficulty determining what came last.

[She's already tried to work this out.]

The surest memories I have are all far too old to be the last thing. Sorry.

[shroudedsecrets]

I wonder why that is.

[Oh does she wonder. Did it mean this had happened before, that she "lost" whatever had been that special part of her, enough for her to be left like this...?]

Until you start feeling better, we will just have to make new memories. Then we can laugh about it when it does all come back.

[hollystrike]

[She tries a tentative smile at that.]

Well...I suppose I've only met you just recently, as you say. Do you mind telling me about yourself again?

[shroudedsecrets]

[She tilts her head.]

Most of it you will remember later, so if you don't mind, I'll skip the boring parts.

[hollystrike]

Can't you at least tell me why we were raised apart? That sounds juicy.

[shroudedsecrets]

There is a lot we don't know about it at all. We haven't exactly gotten to the confrontation stage with our families. We wondered if it was because I was ill, growing up. Being here has been a... change of pace instead of dealing with that.

[That almost hits home in an entirely different way. Easier to keep it real, she supposes.]

[hollystrike]

[Oh. She doesn't know this sister from a bar of soap, but she still feels a sudden concern.]

Have you recovered now?

[shroudedsecrets]

Better than I have been in a long time. Do not worry. The only cause for concern is you not remembering... maybe you would feel better with a distraction.

[A considering pause.] Do you want to watch a movie?

[hollystrike]

[She brightens a little. That sounds so... normal.]

We can do that here?

[She has some recollection of a tiny cinema, but surely that was some place else.]

[shroudedsecrets]

Yes, there is a place to watch them on this ship. You seemed quite fond of it.

[hollystrike]

I'm not surprised. [Lots of B Grade movies, she recalls. And-- oh.] Have you watched any with me before this?