Gambit (IC)

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek watched Whitefire and Sarah with interest, occasionally glancing back at Dee worriedly. He still wanted to help, but he didn't know anything about what was happening. Most likely, if he tried anything, it would either have no effect or make everything worse. He frowned slightly, concerned. He couldn't even help Whitefire, given how much his appearance tended to scare children, and not just humans, undisguised.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:41 pm

"It's for my pet birdy," the girl said, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "He flew away and when I find him I'm gonna put him in here so he can't fly away again."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire stared at the girl in silence for a moment. "Maybe your bird is happier now....i think he would be sad if he couldn't use his wings...don't you?" She let her wings materialize and stretched them out once before tucking them to her sides. They dragged behind her in the grass since she was sitting.

Reaching out to the girl, Whitefire picked her up and set Sarah in her lap to warm her, surrounded by feathers and fur.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:02 pm

Sarah did not object to being held, rather finding the novelty of being held by a giant cat amusing. And warm.

"I guess so..." the girl admitted. She sighed heavily. Sadly she set the cage down.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

"There we go...." Whitefire said quietly, and glanced over at Dee, Zal-Tek, and Nuke before saying more. "And you know," she said carefully, "you hurt my one of my friend's feelings." She pointed to Dee. "He is hurt now......could you tell him you're sorry, and maybe talk to him? He's quite nice, I promise."

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:33 pm

"But he's scary," the girl protested, her body suddenly tensing. "I don't wanna talk to him."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Holding the girl a bit closer, Whitefire smiled. "No....he's not scary at all. Look at what he made for me." She carefully took the orange flower crown off to show her. "I don't think anything scary could make this, do you?"

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:41 pm

Sarah admired the crown. "We'll that's pretty," she admitted. She fell silent for a moment. "Do you think he could make me one?"

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

"Of course he would!" Whitefire smiled. "He'd do it in a heartbeat." She purred for a moment.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:48 pm

"Okay..." Sarah said hesitantly. She stood up. "You'll come with me right?"

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek watched Whitefire and Sarah a moment longer before deciding he'd seen enough. It seemed the situation could be repaired, but there was still something very wrong. Sarah herself was not an illusion, that he knew, but if something wasn't wrong, Sarah would recognize Dee. And yet she didn't...

He about had it figured out before he even looked, but a quiet check through Sarah's mind confirmed it to him. He looked back at Dee, then said quietly, "she has false memories."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire nodded reassuringly. "Yes, I will. Don't worry." The white cat got up and lifted Sarah into her arms so she could walk back through the water and keep the girl from getting wet again. She soon got back to the other side and set Sarah down near her three friends.

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Nuke watched Whitefire carry Sarah back to them. Apparently Whitefire had been successful, which was good. He wasn't sure what effect his appearance would have on her, so he decided to make himself look nice so as to seem less scary. His cloak appeared around his shoulders quietly, glistening despite the low light.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Jan 14, 2015 11:59 pm

Sarah clung to Whitefire, afraid. She took a good long look at Nuke and Zal-Tek. She recognized Nuke as a beaver, barely, and rather liked his shiny cloak. Zal-Tek looked like a lizard to her, but he was much too big and didn't walk around on two legs like Nuke and Whitefire. Promptly Sarah decided he was a dragon, despite his disappointing lack of wings. Maybe he was Chinese. She tore her attention away from them and looked at Dee, who was slumped up against a convenient tree.

"Hello Sarah," Dee said, his voice an alarming kind of quiet, He lifted an arm and waved weakly.

Sarah didn't respond, fear threatening to overwhelm her. If he was so nice why did he have a scary black misty cloud coming off him?

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek gave Sarah a strange look, then decided he probably ought to help somehow. Maybe he could... Carefully, aware that he could easily get himself into some kind of trouble with whatever had made the illusion in the first place, he attempted to remove the false memories that had been given to Sarah. It worked surprisingly well, but there was something alarming.

Her original memories weren't coming back. He could tell they were there, but he couldn't get them. But maybe there was another way. He brought his head lower, to Sarah's level. "Hello," he said quietly, "my name is Zal-Tek." He didn't bother to give her an alternate name, but he decided he didn't have to complain if she gave him one. "This is Doctor Dee, but I think you've met before." He glanced at Dee, hoping he would catch on.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

"Yes...I think you have met before..." The white cat glanced at Zal-Tek, kept herself from sounding commanding, and resumed talking to Sarah with her 'convincing mother' voice. "See? he wasn't like that before....you hurt his feelings. Why dont you go say sorry...." She crouched down to come level to the girls face, and smiled. "He isn't mad at you, I promise."

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:58 am

Sarah now looked distinctly confused. "I...I don't remember you," she said to Dee, bringing a hand up to her head. She stared at Dee uncomprehendingly, wondering why a moment ago she had been so afraid of him, and now why she couldn't think anything about him.

With her words, the black mist spiraling off Dee ebbed away. Dee took a deep breath, knowing full well what was about to happen. He waited, in agony, as the mist sputtered out.

The first crack appeared in the center of his chest. It did not physically breach his clothing, but it seemed a jagged light broke through his very being. From this crack blazed forth the brightest, purest white light ever seen by another living thing. Dee gasped quietly, his body tensing in response to how much it hurt. Smaller cracks, breaking off from the large one, began to appear. These travelled down his sides in a slow, infectious pattern, like cracks in a window.

Dee was breaking.

"If you don't remember me," Dee said softly, his voice strained, "then don't try. Instead remember what happened when I was with you."

"Huh?" Sarah mumbled.

"Remember last winter, when your school declared a snow day," Dee whispered, "you went out into your backyard to build a snowman. Who helped you stack the snowballs and find the icicle for his nose?"

The girl's eyes flitted to and fro as she tried to remember. "You...you did?"

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire's emotions were rising to a new height, almost overwhelming her in pain....but now was not time for one of her drastic mood switches.....so she took it. Tears of agony streaked down her cheeks, but she didn't act at all like she was crying. "You have to try and remember....." she urged softly, her voice tight.

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek blinked at Dee for a moment. He quickly decided that that couldn't mean anything good, and nodded at Sarah in what he hoped was an encouraging manner. He had never been that good with kids. He wished he could help more, but it seemed she had to remember on her own...

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:52 am

--hooray for me eating the IC Very Happy

--

"Remember the time your family went camping two summers ago," Dee went on, "and you became lost on a trail. Who helped you find your way back?"

"You did," Sarah replied, almost robotically. She seemed deep in thought now, hardly aware of what anyone was saying. Her eyes stared at Dee unblinkingly.

"Remember last Christmas," Dee whispered, "when you opened an unmarked present, and found a scarf inside. Who did you tell your parents it was from?"

"You," answered Sarah. "They didn't believe me."

There was a long pause before Dee spoke again. "Remember just a few weeks ago," he said, his voice incredibly quiet now, "when you were home alone, and went ice skating out on the pond. Remember when you fell through the ice. Remember how scared you were."

The girl gasped, hiding her face in horror.

"...Do you remember who pulled you out, and carried you home?"

Sarah froze. She looked at Dee with an odd sort of intensity. For a horrible moment it seemed she was going to scream and run away. Instead, she blinked, and recognition dawned in her eyes. "Doctor Dee?" she said, the veil removed

Dee smiled. "Hello Sarah."

"Dee!" she repeated, forgetting everything and launching herself at him. She caught him in a hug, causing him to cringe, but he said nothing. "You're my birdy!" Sarah yelled. "But you didn't fly away!"

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Sarah's lack of remembering pained Nuke. This was one of those times that his powers included those of the mind, like Silvera's or Cindy's. He would never say it aloud, but sometimes he would have given much to be able to do what they could with a mind. Now was one of those times...
However when Sarah began to remember and her memories finally clicked, he smiled, forgetting his wishful thoughts about being able to help more. He wished there were more times such as this back home.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire pressed a hand against her chest, hurting from her strong sense of relief as the girl finally remembered, but had to lean herself heavily against the person nearest her, which happened to be a Nuke. She didn't look well, but didn't say a word about what was wrong, either.

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Nuke, like anyone else probably would've, noticed Whitefire leaning heavily against him. He also mentally knew the exact percentage of her weight she was putting on him, and that since Whitefire had not initiated much contact since he had met her, that this probably meant something was wrong. Especially with that hand on her chest.
He turned his head to her "Whitefire, are you alright?"

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Flinching at the next sharp pain that flashed through her chest, Whitefire took a moment to answer. "No," she said truthfully, her body shaking slightly, "I'm not."

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Concerned about her answer, Nuke replied "What is wrong then? Do you need me to heal you?" Her apparent injury in proximity to Dee's was troubling.