Piper 90: Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
goneawaymod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
goneawayworld2021-04-10 09:37 pm
goneawaymod) wrote in goneawayworld2021-04-10 09:37 pm
3..2...1...CONTACT!
Who: The New Hires
What: Sudden Memory Share
Where: Their Memory Palaces
When: After "Don't Touch That Dial"
Warnings/Notes: Possible in every memory, warn in subject lines.
Contact.
It's during a pause in their day. A nap. An idle moment looking across the Top Deck. Taking a slow breath between reps in the training room.
The New Hires are connected. Mental pathways locking together, they're forced into one another's innermost beings. Thrust into one another's memory palaces where the mind collects and stores everything that makes them who they are. The core of their beings are only a few steps away and no one can help the violation.
To make matters worse, it comes with no explanation or no ability to pull out and stop. Once they're through the first memory, perhaps they can find a way out, but they're already witnessing some event from their host's past. And, if they left, who knows whether or not they'd end up accidentally invading another memory palace?
And if they were there, who was in theirs?
[[So, how this works: the memories can either be viewed in spectator mode or the guest can be experiencing everything themselves. The person whose memories are being shown, the host, can watch as their current self or take the form they had of their past self. They can talk about the memory with the "guest" that's visiting.
They cannot control the first memory shown, the player decides that, but they can control any other memories they'd like to show people after. Of course, there's also always the option of an extreme emotional reaction bringing up other memories unbidden.]]
What: Sudden Memory Share
Where: Their Memory Palaces
When: After "Don't Touch That Dial"
Warnings/Notes: Possible in every memory, warn in subject lines.
Contact.
It's during a pause in their day. A nap. An idle moment looking across the Top Deck. Taking a slow breath between reps in the training room.
The New Hires are connected. Mental pathways locking together, they're forced into one another's innermost beings. Thrust into one another's memory palaces where the mind collects and stores everything that makes them who they are. The core of their beings are only a few steps away and no one can help the violation.
To make matters worse, it comes with no explanation or no ability to pull out and stop. Once they're through the first memory, perhaps they can find a way out, but they're already witnessing some event from their host's past. And, if they left, who knows whether or not they'd end up accidentally invading another memory palace?
And if they were there, who was in theirs?
[[So, how this works: the memories can either be viewed in spectator mode or the guest can be experiencing everything themselves. The person whose memories are being shown, the host, can watch as their current self or take the form they had of their past self. They can talk about the memory with the "guest" that's visiting.
They cannot control the first memory shown, the player decides that, but they can control any other memories they'd like to show people after. Of course, there's also always the option of an extreme emotional reaction bringing up other memories unbidden.]]
no subject
There's a flash of a smirk on her face at how that shuts him up, oh if only she'd been able to get away with this kind of shit back in Freelancer. It feels good, to have the power to actually stop him spinning his bullshit for even a second.
The younger South does as she's told, but there's a tangible sort of rage radiating off her in waves. She stomps into the next classroom, pulls her chair out noisily, and slams her tablet down on the desk. There's glistening in her eyes.
Hearing something like that does things, to a kid. Maybe if it had been just once she'd have gotten past it, maybe if the world and people around her hadn't reinforced that sentiment at every turn... but it did. Over and over again. It was the first time she heard it, but it wouldn't be the last, outright or implied.
The real South drops Price unceremoniously onto the floor. "You don't know what happened that day, so don't act like you do. Got it?"
no subject
...Yet...Project Freelancer was supposed to be proof that he could do great things that served him and everyone else, he was supposed to use his skills of destruction to do something that everyone approved of, for once, then things spiraled. He does want to be seen as a person, even if life forced him to give up on it.
"Agent South...May I show you something?"
no subject
South's eyes settle on her younger self, like she almost wishes she could go to her and say something, anything, but... she's not sure what she'd say, even if it were possible, even if it would change anything. The trajectory of her life feels like it's been set ever since that day.
When Price speaks, she looks down at him and huffs.
"...coming from you, that's a fucking concerning question, y'know that right?"
The memoryscape isn't collapsing, though, so she isn't sure she actually gets a choice in the matter. It's not like Price has ever respected their autonomy anyway, with all his bullshit and mindgames.
cw discussion of violence/attempted murder
Also the fact he is a very private person who never shares anything about himself - all he has done so far was retell the story of Project Freelancer in different angles to make it look like he's said something about his background, really - and yet he chooses to show South something so intimate will have her consider not spreading it, because of the implications. Is he going to laser South in the face or ruin her life further if she does? Not necessarily, but she would certainly fear it, so...
"Here."
The memory takes place in some kind of office. The doctor seems relatively young, hair in an untidy pixie cut and an overall 'means well but is an idiot' air to him. Sitting at the other side of the desk there is a tiny, tiny seven years old Price that has no business looking as adorable as he does, looking down with an annoyed expression and swinging his little legs.
A silent starter, which is a common and effective but still irritating technique.
"You had me come here, why don't you start?" spits the child angrily.
"Well, then." the therapist holds back a sigh "Aiden, we need to talk about what you did to Paxton."
The boy rolls his eyes and then proceeds to stare angrily, refusing to speak.
"He is in the hospital with an hemorrhage. Because you fed him broken glass."
"But he pushed me down the stairs, that could have killed me too! Also he called me names, beat me up and tormented me all the time, but you never did anything!"
"We did mediate and clarify every instance."
"No. You just blamed me for being angry at him. I don't want to 'make peace' with a kid that will go back to bullying me as soon as you stop looking."
"Aiden, you have all the right to be angry, but--"
"I made him a sandwich, you said to do something nice for him and I did."
"But you put glass in that sandwich."
"So? The pieces were big, it's not my fault that he's so stupid that he didn't notice!"
"This is not a game, he could have serious permanent damage and even die from it."
"So?" little Aiden asks again "The workers always guard the fridge like it's a crime to take food to eat, I might as well sneak in and make it a crime. You always blame me anyway."
"We don't have anything against you. We are to take care of you and make sure you are safe, but that extends to other children as well, and you have threatened their safety. For this reason, we will suspend your attendance to the gifted children program and send you to a behavioural school until you are no longer a danger for yourself and others."
"WHAT?!" the smug expression vanishes in favour of an angry one "That's not fair!"
"I'm sorry, it's for your own good."
"I outsmarted the workers! I got the code to the fridge! Before they took me here I taught myself how to read and write when nobody else did, I belong in the gifted children's program!"
"Perhaps you do, but an important part of education is basic respect of the rules of the community. There is no such thing as skipping grades for this, you have to go through it."
"I can perfectly respect rules!" little Aiden protests "I just don't because you people put me in danger!"
"I'm sorry that you feel this way, but it's not true." the therapist's compassionate tone becomes a little harsher "Also, I am going to have to contact your case worker to discuss this."
"What? Why?"
"It is important that he has this information too before making any decisions."
"What decisions?"
"Setting you up for an adoption. Your behavioural problems call for special needs, and not every candidate is capable of handling correctly a child with special needs."
"So I will never have parents because of a bully?" his voice breaks and a single tear comes out. He is sincere, but the doctor mistakes this for a manipulation.
"Just for now. We promise you everything is going to be alright if you do as we say."
"Right..." he gets up and heads towards the exit.
"Where are you going?"
"To sleep. I'm tired."
The current Price gives South an exhausted knowing look. He wasn't really fond of doing this, but he hopes it's worth it. He sighs.
"After that, the situation spiraled." which probably sounds very scary to a normal person seeing that he considers this not to be the spiraling part "Some authority figures, despite their good intentions, fail to help those in their care very often. We have seen it."
A moment of silence follows.
"Sometimes authority figures don't want to take care of you, and don't pay attention to your needs. I know this won't solve anything, but I would like to make sure you know that you weren't in any way inadequate, and even if it was my job to encourage that negative belief I have never agreed with it, not even for a second."
Before South can curse at him, he continues.
"While there are things your brother can provide that you can't, the opposite is also true. Many might judge you based on your outbursts, but you are actually much better at handling your emotions that your brother ever was. You are genuine. You have different skillsets and you should never have to fight to be your own person.
You were broken and I broke you further,"
because that's just what I do"because I was in charge of breaking you, and right because of that I ask you to please believe me when I say: it's not too late for you, Agent South. I am not sure why were sent here, but now you can heal. It might take some time, but I promise you, it's not too late."He really thinks it. Perhaps he just wants to vicariously live the joy of a healthy recovery through South, because he knows that for him it really is too late. He's sad that healthy people abandon him because they know better, but on the other hand he is giving her an opportunity, he's pointing to exit and if she refuses to go then well, she deserves anything bad that he might do to her. It's not his fault that that is the only way he can keep his family close.
no subject
South's not exactly surprised that Price as a child was apparently just as dangerous as he is today—maybe even more so in some ways because fucking hell feeding another kid glass?—but somehow it leaves her almost stunned, for a second. Shit, and she thought she was an unruly child.
She's not quite sure what point he's trying to prove with this until he starts talking and okay, sure, what he's saying is technically true, even if it feels wild to try and apply that to a situation where he fed another kid glass, but... then he says that.
There's a time in the not so recent past where hearing Price urge her towards 'healing', changing, would have her recoiling violently away from the progress she's starting to feel she's made. He's only ever done things to hurt her, he's only ever made her life worse, so if he wants her to change, to do better—
But there's more people in her corner than she once realised. Price doesn't get to make her back away from that, from them. Not today.
She grits her teeth, barely resisting the urge to grab him by the coveralls again and actually hit him this time.
"You don't get to play mind games with me for years, twist my relationship with my brother so far that I thought I hated him, push me so hard that I let him die, then turn around and tell me you didn't believe it for a second," she says, voice remarkably steady and calm for how much pointed rage is in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what you agreed with, Counselor. It doesn't matter what you think of me. You're just another person in a long line of people who made me feel like my entire existence was a mistake and y'know what? I'm done with it. I'm done with entertaining your bullshit for even a second. I'm not gonna let you and your shit take up any goddamned space in my head anymore. So just shut up, and stop trying."
no subject
He's even showed vulnerability by sharing this memory. Tried to be a little more human when he didn't have to, especially since he just wants to go back to being just 'The Counselor', this entity that only does its job and doesn't have to work hard to trick people into thinking he's a human being.
He lowers his head.
"Alright."
He bites his lips because part of him wants to hold back from commenting, but ever since he had the painful realization that he has no power here and that he can never be 'the Counselor' again he's been descending in this hellish spiral of impulsive behaviour.
"I understand why you still think I'm the enemy, but that is not the case. We are all in this together, whether you like it or not."
Which is completely true, to be fair. Of course he can't tell her that because of the incident in the memory combined with, ahem, some other irrelevant details, he never got a family like he always wanted and that Project Freelancer truly was the closest thing to a family he ever got to experience, so much so that anyone being healthy or able to leave him breaks what's left of his cold, dead heart that somehow still yearns for love even if he himself is uncapable of giving it.
"I can't ask you to get along with me, but...Don't isolate yourself. Everyone loves you, Agent South."
no subject
"Not the enemy?" She tilts her head just slightly and gives him a look. "You know damn well the only reason we haven't gotten rid of you is because it'd get us into more trouble than it's worth, here."
Well, that and trying not to commit murders, but that's beside the point. Jorg sucks more, but Price will never be anything but an enemy in her eyes.
'Everyone loves you'. Now that one she knows is a bullshit lie, though what the fuck he thinks its achieving she doesn't know. Sure, she's on better terms with the others than she expected to be; her and Wash are no longer one wrong step away from murder and York... he's almost alright to spend time around, but she expects that to end the second she gives Delta back, anyway.
Even her brother...
People tolerate her. They don't like her, they sure as hell don't love her.
So she just rolls her eyes and snorts dismissively, arms folded.
He doesn't get to play games with her head anymore.
no subject
He doesn't hide how lost he is, but doesn't add anything else. He just sits there and stares blankly, secretely wishing that the Director was here with him.
no subject
She rolls her eyes again and scoffs, this time. She's not rising to this, if he's going to pull this weird, sad bullshit again, he can just sit there and do nothing until this damn memoryscape collapses and they can get out of here.
There's not many people South can confidently say she's a better person than, but she knows damn well she's leagues above Price. It's not on her to put up with his shit.
no subject