dualisnet | [voice] un: lionheart

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[voice] un: lionheart

I'm looking for someone who's familiar with magic involving mind control. I know someone who needs help. He's free from her control now but something must have been left behind. He still gets sick and disoriented in the morning.

Let me know if you can help. He may not think there's a cure but I do.

[Sorry Seifer. He knows this is going to piss him off but this is important. ~~Never mind that he's put it off for a little too long himself.~~]

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Good intentions aren't always enough.

We don't... He doesn't trust easy. Can you try it on me first? I wasn't controlled but I have memories taken by the GFs - the summons I think I told you about.

I remember that! Yes, I could try it on you first. I understand being worried

Good. We can meet on the roof of the dorms tonight if you can make it.

[It'll give him time to be yelled at.]

Okay! I'll see you then. Don't be nervous either

I'm not nervous!

[He so is, alongside a buzz of frustration and anger. He's a bundle of miserable nerves by the time she sees him on the roof, having gone up there early. For air. Yeah. That's it.

He's sitting on the edge of the roof, one leg dangling while the other is drawn up to his chest. Hands atop his knees and his chin resting on them. His frown leaving deep grooves between his eyes.]

[ When she shows up she just shows up. Poof and there sitting next to him with a smile on her face. ]

You are nervous. You don't have to be. I only hurt bad guys or Kait. She hurt my chickens. [ She says that last bit with a firm head shake. Kait had deserved what she got for hurting the chickens.

She tilts her head as she looks over at him with furrowed eyebrows. ] What's wrong? [ Obviously a lot considering his initial post. ]

[Gah! He really can't get use to that. He jumps and immediately turns away and resumes his original position to try to cover up that he was startled at all. Ugh.

Wait what?]

Chickens...?

[Those must be some important chickens. But he's looking away again back at the too-bright lights of the city.]

It's none of your business. [And he's annoyed that doesn't come across as coldly or easily as it used to be. Something's bothering him but he still wants to do this.] Are you still in or not?

[ The chickens were very important. But they're neither here nor there to the conversation or situation in question so she doesn't mention them again. She can focus when she needs to! ]

Isn't it my business if you're going to let me snoop around? [ Arkady uses logic. It's super rare and foreign. She tilts her head and then nods. ]

Of course! I want to help. [ Genuinely. ]

[Ngh. He deflates a little. She's right, of course. She is going to be in his head and all. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.]

He saw the post. He's... angry. [Because of course he is.]

Wouldn't he be about something? [ Her tone is light, just a little teasing with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. ] Why would he be angry that you want to help him?

[He presses his lips together, frown deepening. Not liking the feeling of admitting wrongdoing.]

He's stubborn, so I didn't ask him.

[ She frowns at that. ] It seems like something you should ask someone about. Not communicating just makes problems.

. . .

[He knows. He's sharply aware now that things have blown up. It felt like the right thing to do but he didn't consider... Never considers these things.

It takes too long for him to say something.]

I know.

[But does he really? He certainly looks troubled. Frown lines so deep it might as well be permanent.]

[ She sighs and shakes her head. ] The roads to hell are paved with good intentions, aren't they sweets? [ How often did people jump into assumptions and thinking they were doing the right thing only to make a mess? It reminds her a lot of Sirkka and Jack. Always fighting and assuming and making decisions for the other. ]

You should probably say sorry.

... I didn't do that right either.

[Look he's bad at this. He shakes his head.]

Let's just do this.

[He's in too deep. He's not backing out now.]

You didn't apologize right? [ How does one not apologize right? Even her expression practically screams 'how does someone not apologize right?' Then again she thinks about Jack and how terribly he apologized. It's clearly not impossible. ]

Do you just want me to read your mind or do you want me to look for something in your mind or...?

[By being very very very bad at tact. It's a skill. He practically sulks/pouts at her reaction, glancing away and folding his arms as the conversation shifts. That's a good question...]

You'll look for something lost, I think. [He doesn't really know how it works.] The memories should still be there but I can't reach it without help.

[Buried or displaced by the GFs' presence. Locked behind fresher, newer memories.]

Okay. [ She smiles in an attempt to be comforting, or at least make things seem less threatening. ] I don't think it'll hurt. Or you'll really know.

[ With that her violet eyes blink and then start to glow bright white as she starts to gently poke around his mind. ]

[It was comforting up until the verbal reassurance, but there's no time to really protest. It's... wait how is this even supposed to feel like?

While he wonders about that, Arkady is getting treated to a quick jaunt. With surface memories of Seifer coming to his room to throw a lion plush at him, the feelings of guilt associated while doubling down on his mistake so he can continue to try and help him. His upset at Rinoa not talking to him until this is resolved...

There are memories of his adventure back home to stop a war, of falling in love and a waltz in a ballroom, of many battles and and a fresher sting of remorse over unknowingly killing Seifer.

And an oddly emptiness after all of that, like something had occupied the space and it hasn't been filled. In the center of it is a darker memory. Wandering aimlessly, exhausted and believing he'll never see Rinoa or his friends again, hopelessly lost between space and time... and the pain of having his memories and entire being torn apart.

If she makes it past all that... she'll find a small figurative pool of childhood memories, dusty and faded but still present, with the occasional memory from when he was a tween. The GFs weren't very discriminative of what gets shoved aside.]

[ Arkady begins with the memories on the surface. Things that have just happened, the disagreement with Seifer is the first thing that pops up. It makes her immediately wonder if it's a memory Squall's particularly focused on. That's usually why things stay in the surface, they're the things someone's dwelling on and allowing themselves to be consumed by. It's somethign she takes note of and them moves past, pushing deeper to another conflict. Tied to the same mess. Squall really went all the way when he made a mistake, didn't he?

There are other memories, things that are a little less focused on his more recent arguments. Dancing. Love. Happier things until...something much darker. It's aimless and the darkness pours over her in a rush. It's unexpected and she recoils from the memory for a very brief second before she pushes forward. It's not a memory meant for her. That much she knows. Of all people Arkady can recognize a memory that's meant to stay buried to keep the pain away.

Past that though there's something else. Squall as a kid. Or at the very least much younger than he is now. She lingers on those and then pulls back, her white eyes returning to violet. ]

I found memories of you as a kid. Childhood things! They'er weay back there

[It is the most recent fuck up he's had. He hasn't been making the best decisions lately.

Meanwhile, Squall is starting to feel a little ~~unnerved~~ concerned, seeing as he can't tell anything's different aside from Arkady evidently not being all there right now.

He lets out a breath when her eyes flash back to normal. So it looks like she did do something. And found something even. He perks, eyes lighting up.]

They're still there? [That's a relief.] Can you help me remember them?

[ she nods to both questions ] They're still there. Back in the back hidden behind other things and dark places. I saw something painful, but I didn't want to look too much. That's yours. Memories being torn...I'm sorry. [ Sorry it happened and sorry she saw any bit of it. ]

I can unlock them. It'll come fast though, are you ready?

[He blinks. Not quite sure what she saw until she mentions memories. He dips his eyes, exhaling slowly.]

Don't worry about it. I got better.

[It's just one of those experiences that stick. He looks back at her to nod. Prepared.]

Do it.

Did you? [ Somehow she doubted someone just got better from something like that. But if that's what he wanted to say and think then there was no reason for her to argue with him right now. There were other things they were supposed to be focusing on anyway. ]

Okay. It may be a lot at once. If you get overwhelmed I'll take it back some. [ She gives him a tiny smile and then her eyes begin to glow again. She doesn't spend even half as long to unlock his memories. She just went in and tried to gently smash down the bits and pieces blocking his memories. It'll come like a dam, letting all the things that were hidden flood back in. ]

[He doesn't have time to answer her doubt because 'a lot' is a little alarming. Still, what did he expect? He lost most of his childhood. He tries to brace for it without knowing how... and it still catches him off guard.

The memories flowing back in a rush. He slaps a hand against the ground to brace himself as the other hand touches his forehead. Yeah. Okay. Those feel like his memories all right.]

I'm fine...

[He manages to gasp. It really is a lot to get back all at once. Give him a minute. And maybe don't mention the tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. That has nothing to do with anything physical at least. He just really did cry a lot as a kid.]

[voice] un: lionheart

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