Jema'grethy: Memory Cave

[voidtreckermods]

Passengers see a vision, an instance of someone's life, before just as suddenly - they find themselves inside a cave. It is light, a strange moss glowing on the walls and ceiling illuminates the cave nicely, and it is large enough for them to pace around in without trouble.

They're not alone. In the cave with them is another voidtrecker; maybe someone they know well, or maybe someone they've only seen in the aisles of the train. But they are together in this cave, and they will come to find out that it was one of their memories that the other witnessed. And them, one of yours.

The cave has no exit, at least not yet. They know that it will, eventually. When the time is right.

But for that time to come, they first must talk...

(OOC: Memories can be written either in this post or over here)

Comments

[redprayer]

…That feels unexpectedly sincere. Rezo doesn’t dwell on it, however, as in almost the same breath, Fai brings up Rezo’s memory. Which Rezo is naturally uncomfortable with, but the nature of this enchantment seems like one they’ll have an easier time seeing through than breaking out of.

“...Somehow,” Rezo concedes, “I have a feeling you are correct.”

He huffs. His head is throbbing. A moment when Rezo was not physically present, but likely just before he arrived, so none of the time he spent in the Hellmaster's Jar.

“If you saw what I was going through just before I arrived at the train platform,” Rezo continues, “Then what you would have seen was… my death.”

Well. It isn’t as if he’s the only dead person on board, at least, if Zelgadis were to be believed.

[truesmiles]

He paused. If that was the case then really that is not great. The whole dying thing. Sure if Fai had been the way he had been shortly before the events of Celes the thought of people dying would have been very different.

But this hit differently in a sense.

"So you are technically dead back home. Like others here might be?" So no way to be able to get home even if that was an option. In his mind that kinda sucked.

[redprayer]

“Yes,” Rezo says shortly. A very strange death, one where his physical body was already gone; or at least, no longer his.

“I was informed shortly after I arrived that a few people were also dead, although the only name I had been given was that of a man called Yondu, and he has since departed the train.” And Rezo had not spoken to Yondu to compare notes, as the man had also allegedly been one of the people who knew about what Rezo had done to Zelgadis. And thus probably wouldn’t have been amenable to discussing such a potentially traumatic subject with him.

“I never spoke with him, or anyone else on board, about this matter. You can probably guess that it is not something that one can casually bring up.”

[truesmiles]

"I mean I'm not sure why people would want to casually bring up the times they have died or nearly died anyway."

But it must be nice to have those who you could talk to about those kind of things anyway. Which was a odd thing to really think about.

"But I guess for some then it's juts a case of living a new life but only on the train, never being able to go home. I can at least understand that to an extent." The not being able to go home, not so much the dead part.

[redprayer]

“Some people,” Rezo says, faux-solemnly, “Are very strange.”

At any rate, quite a few people are in the position that Fai describes. Rezo’s mind briefly goes to the recent mission on Osiga. But what are his own feelings…? Rezo sits very still, head tilted downwards in contemplation.

“It has been an adjustment,” Rezo says slowly. “But I have found it easy enough to accept that I cannot return.”

He briefly considers leaving it at that. But this is an odd space, dream-like enough to risk honesty, and he has a sense that he’ll need to be open if they’re to escape. So he adds, “...It has been much harder to accept the possibility of living a new life. I do not think I can fully accept that.”

[truesmiles]

Fai had moved to sit down for the time being because why not, he had no clue how much longer they were going to be here after all. After all he didn't know exactly how to get a door to appear.

"So you can't fully accept a new life of sorts. Do you understand why you are unable to." It could be any reasons, Fai's was more along the lines of at the time wanting to no longer exist once his wish was granted, but thankfully that has since changed and he came to accept the life he now has.

"Being able to get another chance isn't a bad thing at the end of the day, it means you can do things over if you needed to."

[redprayer]

Rezo, by this point, is simply slumped on the ground.

He has the urge to bristle at the question, to dismiss it as something Fai simply couldn’t understand. But when he resists the urge, he realizes that he’s not sure how to answer that question for himself. Again, Rezo is quiet, barring a huff when Fai speaks of doing things over.

“...When I died, it was after I had already been granted my desire. My death was also a necessity in order to rid the world of a great danger. After preparing myself for the end, I am unsure what is expected of me now that I find myself still here.”

Another pause. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that Rezo is unsure of what he expects from himself.

“There is nothing I can simply do over. Although…”

Rezo reaches up, resting a hand over his eyes. “That same danger that was meant to die alongside me may have come with me to the train. I have not been able to determine if it is still with me or not. Moreover, I did not intend to participate in any aspect of the memory sharing of this world, out of fear that it may somehow awaken the danger or allow it to directly affect other people.”

With an oddly calm tone, he admits, “I fear you may be corrupted by the connection we just shared.”

[truesmiles]

"When you say the same danger may have, you mean you don't actually know for certain if that is the case? Wouldn't you be able to tell?"

Did he understand anything? Not exactly, but he figured if someone was housing something there would be a way to tell if they were in fact still there right? But it was something from another world.

"But as I said I am fine."

think they'll be good to wrap up memory #1 soon?

[redprayer]

Wouldn’t you be able to tell?

Rezo’s response to that question is short, simple, and bleakly intoned: “No.”

This is something of a… simplification. He’d known something was wrong with him. Something that affected his thoughts, his moods, his mind as a whole. He simply hadn’t known what that something was and, trying to work it out on his own with an increasingly impaired psyche, meant he hadn’t figured out what the hell was really wrong with him until it was far too late.

“...It’s something difficult to notice when you’re experiencing it. It is a corrupting force that can induce madness and draw out the darkness in a person’s heart.”

And under the circumstances, it’s probably not difficult for Fai to discern that Rezo is speaking from firsthand experience.

“But if you say you still feel normal, perhaps we can leave it at that.”

[truesmiles]

"So would there be signs one has to look out for exactly?" Just so he knew for the future at least. But with that question coming from his mouth he found himself looking over at a door that had just appeared.

He was pretty sure that hadn't been there before. But it must be the way out either way, which was good.

"Looks like this place is allowing us to leave."

[redprayer]

Rezo hesitates, considering how to best answer that question, but before he can come up with a simple way to explain what losing your mind feels like, Fai notices the door.

“You can see an exit? Where…?” Rezo stumbles to his feet, tilting his head, listening for the echoes to tell him where there’s a gap, or any sort of oddity, in the wall.

(It does not occur to him that it might seem a little insulting how eager he is to leave Fai’s company, although he assumes Fai himself is probably more than happy to leave as well.)

[truesmiles]

Fai didn't speak for perhaps a couple of minutes as he went to stand right in front of where the exit had appeared.

"Yahoo~ It's over here." He said cheerfully knowing that even though he cannot see, he might be able to hear which is helpful, right?

[redprayer]

Rezo listens to Fai walk about and, by the time Fai speaks up, has worked out at least the direction of the exit. Fai speaking up is helpful though, but...

"...You are an impossibly cheerful man," Rezo says wearily.

...Rezo is perhaps not as grateful as he should be. Still, he picks his way over to the exit, and places a hand upon the door. It seems they can just walk right out; he's not entirely sure where they will end up afterwards, but it's better than staying here indefinitely.

Rezo inclines his head in Fai's direction, and offers a tentative farewell.

"Until we meet again."