ioduanlogs | [EVENT] March Memory Madness

[EVENT] March Memory Madness

Characters: Everyone!
Date: March 5-9
Location: All around Aifaran
Situation: The Dreaming is a bit enthusiastic about the research at the Aisling Tower. Memories ensue.
Warnings/Rating: Shouldn't need any, but add to subject lines as needed!

Outside the Aisling Tower, the first clue anyone will have that something is wrong is small. Little things: trinkets lost, but fondly remembered, appearing in your hand when you reach for something else. A snatch of song that tugs your heartstrings.

That alone might have been nice. Unfortunately, things escalate quickly.

How did memories get loose on Aifaran?

Science Fair

Well that all went a bit wrong. Researchers at the Aisling Tower sent out a request for volunteers, hoping to get to the root causes of just why Dreamfolk frequently wind up with memory loss. The tests are reasonably painless beyond the occasional blood samples taken and rather tedious questionnaire volunteers must fill out.

And then there’s the machine.

It’s not big or scary looking - just a small, strangely organic looking earpiece linked up to a console used to measure neural oscillations. All very new, high-tech stuff that the researchers just barely control their enthusiasm about. Again, the tests are mostly tedious. Just a lot of sitting around while researchers display pictures, ask questions, have you smell a variety of scents, and other things to spark various mental associations. Though side-effects may include dizziness and nausea afterwards. It’s still a little bit too ‘mad science’ for some, even if the researchers involved don’t even cackle maniacally even once.

But as all things of this nature must go, something takes a turn for the weird.

Memories On Display

The Dreaming takes an interest, insofar as much as an omnipresent force of nature can be assumed to take an interest - maybe it just reacted strangely to the mental probing of the Dreamfolk. The how, for now, is not important.

The immediate problem is that memories are running rampant in the city - and not just from volunteers for the little research project, but also any Dreamfolk who come in contact with them. It starts off small - little things appearing in and out of your peripheral vision such as an old toy or a beloved pet. Maybe the echo of friendly laughter, or the incomplete form of a first love’s smile. These flashes of memory only grow more potent, however, as entire scenarios begin to play out for you and those in your proximity - just as vividly as you remember them. And just as accurately as you perceive them.

---

OOC Notes: Your characters will have the option of seeing memories play out, and/or being drawn into a mind-share memory experience-- basically, however you want to play it, the Dreaming will accommodate! It's also more than possible that the Dreaming will oblige if someone really wants to show someone else something specific-- but there may always be a little more than bargained for.

There is a specific starter for shenanigans at the Aisling Tower but the rest of the post is open!

Please address questions regarding the event to the monthly agenda post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This memory came softer than the last, slipping in almost unnoticed as Valdis walked around the outskirts of the city, still trying to avoid the tower.

I don't normally dream.

She turned at the sound of her own voice. Another memory seemed to have caught up with her, yet this one was so different, still painful, but in a very different way, because the pain came with equal amounts of joy.

Dreams are a gift to humanity, to people whose souls are complete and unbroken.

She looked around, half hoping the memory would end there, half hoping that he might actually appear.

And yet, here you are. Dreaming. Funny how we surprise ourselves sometimes, huh?"

There it was. It seemed like forever since she had heard his voice, and in a way, it had been. But he still wasn’t here.

You care for kids, and now you're having dreams. Pretty good for someone who's soul is supposed to be damaged.

She was running now, chasing after the voice, suddenly all she wanted was to see him again, even if he wasn’t really there. Just a glimpse at the least.

Why would I challenge you when you imply that I might not be as broken as Malicant claimed? As most of the beings on my own world claim?

It was her voice again and she knew, she knew, what was coming next. She turned a corner, still praying to catch a glimpse of what she was hearing.

"You just struck me as the kind of woman who can't take a compliment.

There. She could see it now, growing clearer with each word. If only things could go back.

Besides, I don't exactly think it's worth caring what anything you have to call a 'being' has to say.

He had been right. He still was. He always was, no matter how much time passed. This garden was the first she had seen, or perhaps the first within the city that she had noticed. But at least it was empty for this. Valdis stopped short, watching as she saw herself and him, as they had interacted in the Dreaming so long ago.

Funny thing she had said before crossing over to him. I used to never care what others thought of me. Now I find that there are people whose opinions do matter.

Then she had kissed him, just on the cheek, but it didn’t matter. It had been the beginning of something she hadn’t known before. Something beautiful and irreplaceable. The scene faded and she sank to the ground, not realizing that there were tears. Valdis couldn’t remember if she had properly mourned. She had buried his sword, but she couldn’t actually remember if she had ever cried over what she had lost. Yet she wasn't sure that these tears were from sorrow.

Oh, nine hells.

It wasn't as though Devin wandered the city in search of Valdis, but they seemed to run into each other with some frequency. Perhaps it was because they had similar habits - with memories running amok, he wanted to be as far from that damned tower as he could manage. Too much of his past was filled with trauma, and it had already been seen by more people than it should have.

He only understood what he was seeing when he spotted Valdis - present Valdis, not the tail end of the memory, and he'd only come here because he heard her voice. What she told him at the festival, about the man she loved-- shit. This was a private moment and he'd accidentally stumbled into it.

Torn between staying and going, Devin decided that being honest about what he saw was the better choice. Slowly so as not to startle her, he drew nearer. Softly: "Hey. Are you alright?"

Damn. Despite the fact she had essentially told the man behind the question exactly who this memory was about, it was extremely embarrassing to be caught in this moment. She wiped away the tears, centering herself and reminding herself that breathing was somewhat essential to being alive. Valdis didn't look at Devin, her gaze remaining on the spot where Dante and her past self had vanished.

"How much did you hear?"

It wasn't the answer to his question, but she didn't mean it to be a deflection either.

"Not much," Devin answered, keeping at a little distance to give her space if she wanted it. He sounded apologetic. "Just the last of it. I didn't realize what I was hearing until I saw you. I was just out for a walk and..."

He trailed off, gesturing to the garden. It had been unintentional, coming across her at all, much less in such a vulnerable moment.

"I'm sorry for the interruption."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Valdis replied, though she didn't rise from the ground, "And since I can't hold an entire plane of existence responsible for showing people my memories, well, there's not really anyone to be angry at, is there?"

She felt oddly calm, but there wasn't a reason to be anything different. This memory changed nothing, but that didn't mean it meant nothing.

"Perhaps not," he allowed after a moment. "Though I wouldn't blame you if you were." Devin offered a brittle smile. "I was, if you recall."

There was a low stone bench in the garden, and he took a seat there. "I won't ask you any questions," Devin promised quietly. "If you'd prefer, I can just pretend I wasn't here, and leave you be, but-- we've enough shared secrets between us that you can speak openly, if you want to."

Valdis arched a brow, appearing perfectly serious but for the amusement in her eyes, "Yeah, well, I'm more mature than you."

She watched him sit on the stone bench, shook her head and then moved to join him, crossing one leg over the other as she settled down.

"We have shared plenty of secrets," she sighed. And they still had many more she was sure. "But Dante was never meant to be one. I just...didn't want the reminder."

"True." Devin laughed quietly in what might have been agreement. Then he waited, silently, until she chose to join him. So, Dante was his name; the man she almost leveled Keeliai over.

"I can understand that, I think." His experience was different, but he knew all too well what it was like to want to hide the painful memories of the past. Even the good ones. "You were lucky to have met each other, if you don't mind my saying it."

Valdis laughed, the sound both joyful and bitter at the same time.

"He was dumb, honestly. Always getting into trouble, or trying to to." She replied, "But I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else from someone who's half demon. I hate demons. His dog jokes were terrible too, and he had zero sense of self-preservation. Got impaled by his own blade once. Seriously...who does that?"

That one time when she had fought Bakura aside, that had been on purpose, kind of.

"He also threatened to shoot me once. Though in his defense I was acting a little crazy."

That hadn't exactly been her fault, but it had helped her regain control.

"To this day, I don't actually know what I saw in him," she admitted.

Edited 2018-03-11 01:41 (UTC)

"Oh, I don't know. He sounds rather endearing," Devin said lightly, relieved that she didn't seem too upset. "If a bit clumsy. A half demon, really?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. Clearly, there had been something redeeming about Dante, demonic blood aside. Valdis might not always make the best decisions, but she knew people. "I can't believe you let him get away with dog jokes."

"Less clumsy and more...recklessly confident," Valdis corrected.

She set her elbow on her knee, resting her chin on her palm as she recalled more fond memories.

"He wasn't like the demons on my world. He was honest and kind, even if he was rather loud at times. Not a manipulative or mean bone in him. He just wanted to do what was right, though I'm not sure he always knew what that was." She laughed, "I'm fairly certain he was working for the guy I was trying to dethrone back in Keeliai, but I never worked too hard to confirm it, and it probably wouldn't have changed how I felt."

She glanced sideways at Devin, "They weren't very good jokes, but I didn't have much of a sense of humor back then."

"All the more reason I'd have expected you to smack him upside the head for it," Devin replied, just barely teasing.

This was uncharted territory for them, in some ways. Valdis had seen Devin's past ripped open by the Dreaming, and they had certainly talked in some depth about their circumstances. His more than hers, it seemed sometimes, but perhaps that was self-centered thinking. Discussing Dante was... more like friendship, and less about alliances based on their ability to kill each other. Personal in a way that was bittersweet, but not so prone to sharpness and pain. He hoped, anyway.

"What is right and what is wrong is so rarely clear," he sighed, looking out at the garden. "But I think trying to do what is right will usually lead a person in a direction that has a positive impact, although sometimes at great cost to themselves." Devin paused, considered his words carefully. "He changed the way you saw the world, didn't he? I'd like to have met him."

"He changed everything," Valdis admitted, "I didn't realize that someone could love me like that, and I didn't know that I could love them back either."

She sighed, pulling herself out of her memories, looking at him with amusement, "I'll be honest," She said, "He wouldn't have liked you much. He'd probably have challenged you to a duel on more than one occasion. All the while yelling at you about honor and being a gentleman." She tipped her head, "Dante was a bit of a hothead, at the very least you'd have had fun provoking him."

She may not have appreciated Devin provoking Dante though. The two of them would have been at odds from the start had they been on the turtle at the same time.

How strangely similar they are, and how utterly different they continue to be. He is not jealous of what Valdis has experienced, exactly, but there is a longing in him for companionship that does not end in heartbreak and bloodshed.

"Oh, lord, yes I would," Devin agreed with a laugh. "That almost sounds too easy. Dueling could have been interesting, though I'm rather out of practice and the mercenary isn't around any longer to keep me on my toes," he replied with light amusement. Things would have been different if Devin had met Valdis while Dante was still around, he imagined. Quite different, indeed. "Well, at least the Dreaming saw fit to bring something a bit more positive to light than it sometimes does."

"I suppose it depends on how you look at it," she pointed out, "The Dreaming isn't sentient, it just is."

Her relationship with Devin would have been very different if Dante were still here, if she and Dante were still together. She suspected they would have never reached a point of understanding.

Valdis looked at him, "Kratos isn't the only one who can use a sword," she commented, offering a small smile, "I have some skill, though apparently it has been awhile since I've used it. What did they say? 566 years or something?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[EVENT] March Memory Madness

Loving Him was Red | Closed to Devin

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject