[18.]

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[Sophie's deduced by now that, well, there are pictures and videos that are in need of being returned to their rightful owners. all of them seemed to contain memories of some sort, no matter how vague or brief, they seemed like they would be precious to other people in some way. after all, everyone seemed to be without memories. and something was better than nothing. working with remnants of one's own past was akin to piecing together a puzzle, after all. unfortunately for her, there were thousands of photos littering the floors of the tower she had found herself in, but nothing with her name.

she would find her way toward the door, the photos being pushed through as she walked. perhaps she would have better luck outside of this place?

and once she steps outside door, she can't help but notice for a second, from the corner of her eye that there had been a familiar device resembling a Blackberry. that was different. picking it up and looking at what was on the screen, she couldn't help but widen her eyes, stumbling back in the slightest once she realizes just what was being displayed.

was that her body? was that her... in pieces, bleeding every which way, a victim of a cruel slaughter? her free hand covered her mouth as she gasped, the memory at hand... slowly changing, shifting to that of her in a place shrouded in darkness, the feeling of confusion moving over each of her features. where was she? what was going on?

it was then, in her looking deeper into the memory, her attention was caught by a light. it was bright, almost as though someone had put a spotlight on her. she turned. it was intense, glistening brighter than anything she had seen before, though all she could make out was something vaguely representing a human form. she moved back against the door, stifling a shriek as it reached out toward her.

the last thing she remembered seeing were the faces of several people. eighteen people, in fact. they were still, they were staring, they looked nearly alive. the faces were vivid, almost piercing, though despite this, she could never see anything resembling a face of the one consumed by the light. when the "hand" made contact with her forehead, she could feel her body trembling as she released her grip on the phone, sinking along with it on the ground.

...what was that?]

I... I don't think anyone else saw... a bright light recently, did they?

<sub>(ooc. directly related to this if you want in on that fun train. thano tested; mod approved.

OPEN LIEK WHOA. AND OMG I TL;DRED SO HARD. I APOLOGIZE! GAH. ;;)</sub>

Comments

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan is wandering the halls looking for more pictures. He's found one already with his name on it: an image of himself exchanging rings with a young, green-haired woman. A quick check of his finger has indicated that he's still wearing his own ring, which prompts several important questions, such as 'Am I married? Or possibly engaged?' and 'If I'm married or engaged, why did I wake up naked in bed next to another man, whose room is linked with mine?'

He's hoping more pictures will answer these questions, and so as he continues walking, he nearly bumps into Sophie.]

Excuse me, miss, I didn't see you.

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[it takes her an extra moment after having seen all that, so forgive her if she looks at you with something... a bit off about her. she'll close her eyes, sigh, and shake her head, still sitting amongst the photos.]

I-it's quite alright. Really. What else should I expect, sitting on the floor and all?

[cloakand_danger]

[He assumes it's an effect of the memory loss - everyone's feeling a bit disoriented at the moment, and it makes sense that some aren't adapting as well as others.]

I should have been watching better, though. [He glances down at the photos, then kneels beside her to examine them.]

I've been looking for more pictures with me in them...

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

No need to apologize, regardless. I suppose this... event has really hit me hard. I ever would have expected such from amnesia.

[and she'll listlessly sort through a few photos, not recognizing anyone whatsoever, of course] You're saying you found some already? If only I could be as fortunate.

[cloakand_danger]

It's probably normal or something. [Yuan thinks most people would be more distraught than he is, and wonders a bit why he's adapted so quickly. What does that say about his past?]

Two pictures so far, both of them raising more questions than answers. [Having five thousand years of memories, plus two other canons, means that Yuan has more to find than most people.] Which would be why I'm seeking others.

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

I would dare say so myself. And to go through this in such an expansive castle... [and there's a slight shudder at that one. who knows how long it will take her to recall her memories?]

If I might ask, where did you find yours? I'd really appreciate being able to find something that isn't completely traumatic. [and she has a giant mess of pictures on her hands, slipping through them a bit more...]

[cloakand_danger]

It does like playing with us. I remember that, I just wish I knew why.

[He shrugs a bit at the question.] One was in the kitchen under a plate of meat and cheese - the other was stuck to the wall of a hallway, I think on the ninth floor. They seem pretty random. [He tilts his head.] Did you find something traumatic?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

It's a bit cruel to have that as one of the only things you know for certain, the fact that the castle is inherently treacherous.

[and she'll grasp at the stack of photos she's looking through, her fingers clenching around them tightly. if she outright lied, that movement would have definitely been a tell. luckily, Sophie knows not who she is, so why should she lie? she'll nod, for now.] I... I think I saw an image of me murdered.

[cloakand_danger]

A part of the game, more than likely. [Why would he be so certain of that? Why does he feel like he knows how a cruel game is played?]

...That would be upsetting. Are you all right?

[warcraftandcash.livejournal.com]

[Hearing a voice, Hardison sticks his head out his door]

What?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[this... would be fun. once Sophie catches the face of the person looking down at her, she can't help but completely blanche, flinching slightly as she simply stares at him.]

You. I-I saw you. In the memory!

[warcraftandcash.livejournal.com]

[And Hardison frowns and is generally totally confused]

What memory? What are you talking about, woman?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[oh man, confusion all around. it really sucks.]

There was a memory I had seen. [she's skipping over the lovely details of her decapitated corpse and the darkness, and just skips on over to...] I saw you with seventeen other people. You were all standing behind this bright light.

[warcraftandcash.livejournal.com]

Uh, you mean like... [points vaguely at the scattered "memories"] One of those things? Otherwise, I gotta tell you, going into the light is probably a bad idea.

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

It was more like... like a phone. You know, an advanced picture phone? I had seen a video, but then... it was like it was running through my mind. Like it was all happening in front of me. I-I just vaguely remember spotting you in the crowd.

[warcraftandcash.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what you're talking about. Of course, I can't even remember where the hell the bathroom is, so it's not like that's real surprising. Where's this picture phone now?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

It came as quite the shock, believe me. [she'll sigh, lifting a hand to her forehead in an attempt to calm herself down, eyes moving over to where she had dropped the phone] There it is. I'm not sure what that was all about, though.

_{(ooc. I apologize for the late tag. I was seriously busy all weekend and like, NOT HOME AT ALL. finally getting some time to get my tag on. D:)}

Sophieeee D:

[thirdturk.livejournal.com]

[He...knows her, apparently. Rude had been covering the castle for the last few hours, picking up his own memories as he found them. This one had stood out as one of the happier ones - both of them looking rather happy over a dinner table - and as such, he feels a small stab of worry when he sees her kneeling on the floor like that. So, he'll approach, sunglasses sliding down to get a better look.]

...you alright?

worst week ever! :(

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[sadly, she hadn't found any other pictures or images of her, otherwise she would be absolutely thrilled to have seen a familiar face. all she knew was that she lived next to three other people she never remembered seeing before. alas.]

I... I think so.

Poor girl needs a hug.

[thirdturk.livejournal.com]

[Well, that's what he's here for; fixing things. He offers a hand to help her up.]

dude, seriously.

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[there had been only a second of hesitance, Sophie swallowing a lump in her throat as she slowly lifts her hand, feeling... well, certainly a bit more better once the initial shock had left her. was this someone who knew her? either way, she was grateful.]

Thank you. Really. It's been a... [sigh] Well, I'm sure you understand how it's been.

[thirdturk.livejournal.com]

I do. [Finding out you're an accomplished criminal does that. He pulls her up to her feet, pausing a second before letting go of her hand...very pretty, at the least.] What'd you see?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[she'll lean on him for support for a moment, collecting herself before biting her lip, looking down. it takes her a few moments, but she eventually tells him, her voice low.]

I... I was murdered.

[thirdturk.livejournal.com]

Murdered? [There's surprise in his tone as he looks down at her. That's...but you're alive now? That shouldn't be possible.] How?

[spoken-uniquely.livejournal.com]

[she isn't sure what to think! was it just a hallucination? but it looked so... real.]

I just... I just remember seeing my body sliced into pieces. And I felt myself standing in the darkness...