goneawayworld | Invasion!

Entry tags:

Invasion!

Who: The New Hires
What: Sudden Memory Share
Where: Their Memory Palaces
When: After Intermission
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 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 cannot control the first memory shown, the player decides that, but they can control any other memories they'd like to show people. Of course, there's always the option of an extreme emotional reaction bringing up memories unbidden.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You're full of brilliant ideas." Sirius's smile lit up his face. For a moment you could almost forget he'd been imprisoned in Azkaban.

It didn't take long to remember that though. He struggled with the mattress when before it would have been no problem. He was not going to let it get to him, he told himself. It almost worked.

Once the mattress was on the floor, Sirius pulled Remus down onto it. He wrapped his arms around him. They were both too thin, he thought. Even after months here. Remus could get back to normal, he thought, but as for himself... He turned his thoughts from that and focused on what Remus had said before.

"What's your news?"

Edited 2020-08-16 17:10 (UTC)

They were both entirely too skinny, honestly. Putting weight back on, of course, though hard to do with the physical activity on top of everything else.

Still, they fit together all right. Better than they had been, at least. At least partly because Remus was allowing it now.

He settled against Sirius with a grin. "So. I don't know if you know, but Stacia has been keeping me company during the full moons." There'd been a couple by now. "But we found out during the first one that...well, the change is just as painful as before. But I have my mind after the change. I'm a wolf, but I am me at the same time."

Sirius had spent so many full moons with Remus and each time he saw his friend, then lover, lose his mind and try to hurt himself-- and them. The wounds he received on those nights went away when he transformed back but he still felt the pain. He also knew it hurt Remus more to know he'd inflicted them. To hear that he didn't have to worry about that anymore?

"Merlin," Sirius said as the shock began to fade. "That's great. I was worried-- I asked Stacia to look after you but-- damn. That makes up for losing the rest of our magic, doesn't it?" Sirius held Remus a little closer. "I hope you still want me around," he teased but he'd be lying if there wasn't some worry there.

He'd remember what happened during the full moons, always just a little more withdrawn and quiet on days after he'd hurt James or Sirius. Peter--that rat--had been nimble enough to get out of the way any time the werewolf had it in mind to go after him. And, generally, a werewolf only went after animals when already riled up in some way.

He settled with his head tucked against Sirius's neck, easily one of his favorite places to rest. "If I'd known half an hour ago that you asked Stacia to watch out for me, I'd have been royally pissed off." It was said mildly, but it was also the truth. Something he knew Sirius knew since Stacia had never mentioned even knowing Sirius. "However, you know very well that it's more fun on a full moon with at least three." And it would be far more fun now because he knew what he was doing.

Sirius raised his hand so he could bury his fingers in Remus's hair. "Someone had to make sure you were safe during full moon." He was utterly unrepetant. Even if Remus had found out, it wouldn't have changed much between them.

"Where do you go? Is there enough room to run around?" This was Jorgmund so as much as he wanted to picture having a good time on the full moon, he expected it might be a closet.

Remus made a contented sound at the hand in his hair, letting out a slow breath. "Well, thank you. I'm not sure what I would have done with myself, because I don't think the higher ups had any plans for what to do with a werewolf on the full moon."

And considering they had TWO werewolves, only one of which actually had to change on the full moon, one would have thought they'd put more thought into it.

"However. Stacia is as good at talking as you or James ever were and she's gotten us a pass off the Rig for the night of the full moon. So we go run around outside. Just not too far away." Because of those damned electrical chains around their spines.

"I'd love to get out of here for a night." Being confined never suited Sirius and while this the Rig was much larger than Azkaban, he still chafed at being stuck here. "We'll see if Stacia can talk them into letting me join you." He didn't seem too concerned about it. In fact, he was relaxed. It was hard to feel anything else now that Remus was with him.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I missed this." Even if the last time he'd been together, he'd tried and succeeded at savoring every moment, it hadn't been enough.

"I'm sure she can. Or you can just join us. I'm not sure if they know about Padfoot or not." Remus could have told them, but...well. He hadn't felt very charitable toward Jorgmund in the least. Telling his fellow 'new hires' was one thing. Telling the people keeping them under control? That wasn't happening. "But it shouldn't take much for her to figure how to talk it around. She's good at that."

Remus's hand curled into Sirius's top, faintly clinging to him. "So did I. Even when I wouldn't let myself admit to it."

"Sneaking out just like the old days." Sirius smiled but it faded after a moment. "I wasn't sure if you told Jorgmund." That conversation with Saturday haunted him.

Lying with Remus, he didn't believe he harbored any doubts or prejudices, but he'd thought that before. That made his brow furrow slightly.

Remus frowned. Not because he was angry with Sirius for this show of distrust. After all, in this case, he actually had earned it. "I wasn't..." He paused, considering his words. "It's not my finest moment, I'll admit, but I didn't tell them more because I don't..." This wasn't easy to say. "I don't actually care what happens to most of them. Which is probably pretty terrible of me, honestly. I wouldn't go after them myself and I wouldn't have stood by if I were there and something was going down, but I just..."

His cheeks burned with shame. "I guess I'm holding a grudge."

It was a relief that Remus didn't blame him. His guilt would never go away, he was sure, but it didn't weigh as much. Maybe it wasn't another betrayal to add to the list after all.

"They did put an electric shock collar in us," Sirius said blandly. "I don't blame you." He paused, thinking about where he stood on that matter. Obviously he didn't enjoy this but the fact remained that while everyone else had been kidnapped, whether by Jorgmund or whatever fate led them here, he'd been saved.

"I don't like them either, but it's better than..." He swallowed. "Well, I'll feel a little sorry for them when we everyone breaks out of this place."

"I feel sorry for the day to day folks, but I think we all know that they're not much better off than we are." They didn't have an electric shock collar, sure, but not many of them seemed to want to be there.

Remus lifted his head, looking down at Sirius. "You won't go back," he said, then frowned. "Or, rather, you may go back but I promise it won't be for long. Either I'll find a way to prove what I've seen or...Well. I'll figure something out."

Perhaps put the werewolf to good use for once. Even Dementors had to have trouble with that, right?

Sirius returned Remus's gaze. For a moment, he regretted saying anything, but they'd need to talk about it sooner or later.

"What's important is you know the truth." That comfort wouldn't last long in Azkaban. He might not even remember it after a while, but the fact that it was real meant everything to Sirius. No, not everything. Freedom was worth even more.

"Dumbledore might believe you, if you can convince him through Occlumency or veritaserum." The latter was so expensive it was doubtful that Remus could convince anyone to use it on him, not without convincing them of the truth to begin with. It was a long shot though and Sirius knew it.

"Or you can hunt down the rat but you should wait for me to break out first." Sirius tried to sound light but there was a real hunger there as well as anger. He wanted the revenge he'd been deprived.

"I will find a way." Occlumency might work. There were some who were skilled at it, after all. "I still work with Dumbledore fairly often. Hunting down dark creatures and the like. I think he'd at least give me a chance to explain things."

Veritaserum might be a bit much of an ask, at least to start. But occulmency was a good start.

That was a good a plan as any, which was more to say that none of the plans had a lot of promise. Overturning a lifetime sentence for multiple murders wasn't going to be easy. The truth was, no matter how much Sirius believed in Remus now, he knew that he'd quickly forget it once he returned to Azkaban. It was too good of a thought. How long could he endure that?

"It could talk a while. I can wait but if that doesn't work-- I don't want you coming ater me. I could try to escape." he asked. "I've thought about it some. I could get through the bars but I might need to lose some weight again." That said something, considering he hadn't put on that much weight. "I think they can't sense me as well when I'm a dog."

It wasn't good enough for Remus, but he settled down against Sirius again. This wasn't the time to belabor the point, after all.

Also, there was no way he was promising not to come after Sirius if his first plan didn't work.

"That's good to know." He settled his head on Sirius's shoulder. Still too bony, but that was actually comforting. Sirius always had had bony shoulders. "Though I'd rather you not have to lose that much weight again."

"I don't want to either, believe me." He didn't miss the hunger pangs. "It'll be the last resort. I can mostly keep track of time. We can agree on how long I'll wait."

Sirius ran his hand down Remus's back. He remembered doing that often when they were wearing a lot less clothes and he used to trace Remus's scars. He wondered how many new ones Remus had. He wondered if he'd be able to tell.

Remus let out a breath and sighed. "We should have plenty of time before we have to think about that," he said after a moment. "I somehow doubt that this is something that will be finished all that quickly. We should, one hopes, have some warning before we're sent back."

But...there's a moment of questioning. Whether, really, they needed to go back at all.

There was also the question of if they could get back at all. Sirius didn't relish the thought. He'd rather have some choice in the matter. And he didn't want to leave Harry...

Not that he'd done a good job of being a godfather, even before Azkaban.

"I can't imagine it will be any time soon," he said. "Let's worry about it later, then." Although now something else was worrying him. "I don't know- what happened to Harry? I mean, who is he staying with?"

It should be Remus but given the fact he hadn't mentioned anything combined with his "condition," that clearly hadn't happened.

"Yes. No real use worrying about it now. It's not like there's anything we can do about it."

Mention of Harry made Remus pause, but not tense up. He understood why Dumbledore had done what he did, even if he didn't agree with it. "Dumbledore invoked the Bond of Blood charm on Harry." Sirius had been in the house, where Remus had not. He knew as well as anybody how things had gone down. Which meant that, for the Bond of Blood charm to work, Harry needed to be with a blood relative of Lily's. "He-Who-...Voldemort may be gone, but his supporters aren't."

Sirius hadn't been able to fully understand what happened that night. It was too much, too fast, and his brain had broken. How could Lily willingly sacrifice herself when Voldemort was there to kill them all? But it was the only thing that made sense. Harry was alive because of Lily and that meant--

Sirius did tense at the thought. "Tell me he's not with her sister."

Petunia hated Lily, James, and any magic. Harry shouldn't be anywhere near her but Sirius couldn't think of any other relation. Maybe there was a cousin? A distant one?

Remus sighed. "With both sets of grandparents dead, there wasn't much option." Which meant Petunia or leaving Harry in greater danger. "Still. I may have railed at Dumbledore for about an hour after I returned and found out about it."

Sirius's grit his teeth. "Good. He deserved it."

On top of Dumbledure not intervening to get Sirius a trial, Sirius was still a little bitter about Dumbledore giving Hagrid orders to take Harry. If he knew he had Harry to take care of, things might have turned out differently.

"He can live with us when I'm declared innocent." At least there was some comfort in that idea, however many obstacles were in the way.

"Oh, he absolutely deserved that much and probably more. I just ran out of steam." In fairness, it had been a rough few days by that point.

Remus hummed at that. "Well. Perhaps nearby at the very least. Unfortunately, the reasons that Dumbledore put him under the Bond of Blood do still exist. There's rather a lot of Death Eaters we're still tracking down."

"James and Lily wanted us to take care of him. Not--" He had to stop himself not because he was about to say some very rude things about his deceased friend's sister (she deserved it) but because he had failed his friends so horribly that he hadn't been able to even look after Harry. And Remus was right. He couldn't protect Harry from Merlin knew how many Death Eaters.

Sirius closed his eyes. "...Nearby, then. To start with," he said grudgingly. "I can always threaten them."

Invasion!

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