[open] This Fire is outta control; gotta burn this city!

[npc_kun]

Characters: Open
Date/Time: Oct 24-26, anytime
Location: Park & elsewhere (please specify location in comments)
Rating: Varied
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here to memorize a great tragedy that befell our sphere one year ago today. With HOT DOGS! A-BOOYA! Who's gonna cut the Fugue cake?! Second Annual Edensphere BBQ is ON!

[ooc

Comments

[live_ringer]

Genius and Derrick's shared looks of disgust went ignored. Somehow, it was easier to switch into a mode of flippancy than to continue to let himself dwell on the implications of this little stunt.

"I don't really remember the moment when I died. I know someone else who died in the fire had big gaps in their memory. I think it's a common side effect, so it would make sense that Simon has gaps."

The emphasis on the journal confused Gene a bit. He could gather that it belonged to a 'she', and it was obviously a sore point. ...An elevator abductee? Did something happen to Promise? Then again, Derrick seemed buddy-buddy with Nikki, and he Gene had noticed the reaction to her elevator entry that was cut off. Still, he didn't know for sure. Judging by Derrick's expression Gene figured now wasn't the best time to ask for exposition on the subject. So he just looked awkwardly sympathetic in Derrick's general direction before turning his attention to Genius's theories.

"Break our wills through breaking logic? ...Makes about as much sense as anything else." His expression turned sour at the idea that a higher power was actively trying to implement Stockholm Syndrome on them, even if it was meant jokingly. "The rainbow-writers are good candidates. No clue what their angle is, though. Forced dream moments, morbid memorials... they have a thread of being informative, but never pleasant. But it's only two instances, so I don't know if you would call that a pattern."

And if it was a pattern, it wasn't one he wanted to risk unearthing here. After all, the place was open and there were people milling all about that could overhear them.

[man_genius]

"Simon forgets a traumatizing disaster, Gene can't remember the moment he died." Genius' face fell into a thoughtful frown. "How convenient. Remove the most traumatic memories from a person, the type that could possibly cripple said individual." His voice lowered, although that was mostly because he was thinking out loud than any fear of being heard. "Remove that which would prevent the subject from continuing in the experiment."

It was times like this, when Genius went still and spoke without thinking, that his mad scientist side crept out and he almost seemed to be another person.

But he seemed to snap out of it when Derrick spoke again. "Woah woah, man-bro-twin. Nobody is staring anybody in the eye or attracting any more attention. It's bad enough you're a Greeter, lets not borrow any more trouble. Just have faith in Nikki ok?"

Thank God for Derrick. Without him Genius would be lost to the darkness in himself.

He gave Derrick the most encouraging smile he could before he glanced back at Gene. "What two instances? I don't see how anyone's birth dream could be useful honestly. It's just a dream."

Case in point, his own dream was disturbing, painful and still made no sense whatsoever a year later. What use would it have to someone else?

[bloody_pens]

"VERY convenient," Derrick agreed, his expression turning dark. "Maybe it's not so much about traumatizing people as it is making them complacent. Slowly, one by one, they forget everything bad that happens to them. Or they're threatened with bodily harm, or with losing their loves ones. Makes them want to fight that little bit less, so we're kept here. Why? Who the fuck knows? Same goes for why people get each others' dreams. It doesn't make sense, but there you go."

He took a deep breath, then glanced at Gene.

"As long as we're being open and honest here, Nikki and I are from the same place. We were close. Don't know exactly HOW close, but we were."

He held himself back from mentioning the I think she's my wife bit. He still wasn't sure, and he didn't feel right mentioning it to anyone aside from his brother until he WAS.

[live_ringer]

Gene's frown was slowly morphing into a scowl of contempt. It was obvious that they were constantly at the mercy of something else. But having a specific instance pointed out where an outside force was trying to manipulate him into complacency really drove the point home. He liked to think he wasn't getting soft and letting the place take control, but the lack of successful or overt action against these unseen forces clearly showed otherwise. Damn it.

"Almost like one big forcible game of playing House, and we're the dolls being played with." His voice dripped with disgust as he said it.

He hadn't really been expecting Derrick to open up about the journal, but it was sobering. He hadn't heard any updates on Nikki's absence, but he figured it was possible she'd come back quietly. No such luck. He knew how hard it was to lose someone from home, another connection to your past, and it was even tougher when you actually got along with them. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Sorry to hear she's not gotten back yet." The sentiment was sincere. Nikki good company and one hell of a shot.

His attention was pulled back to their conspiracy theories by Genius's questions. "Instance one: the hourglasses. They admitted to that much. Instance two: the barbecue." He ticked the two instances off on his fingers, then gestured at the scenery around them. "It may not be useful information, but it's information. Maybe they're trying to connect people by distributing dreams. Maybe they're trying to stir things up by telling those who weren't there about the Fire... I don't know."

Gene pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. The more he talked about the incidents, the less there seemed to be any sort of cohesive picture.

[man_genius]

Genius shivered at his brother's words. "That or we cling to the familiar. Better to live in a predictably unpredictable world than to start a war against a force we have no real comprehension...this isn't rebels vs the Empire. This is a fight against the force that creates our entire world."

Before Genius could continue on that cheery notion, Gene's comment completely derailed his train of thought.

"House. And dolls. ...Dollhouse?" Genius' face went pale, his eyes suddenly wide and unfocused. Dollhouse! The Dollhouse. The word screamed at him and filled him with conflicting emotions--excitement, joy, a hint of pride and dread...and the tone that Gene spoke with didn't help the dreadful association one bit.

"Dollhouse--that word--that place, I know it! It's like Echo! Like...Priya?" No that didn't feel right, the very thought of those two words together made him nauseous. He was already sitting on the bench, so he slummed down so he could rest his arms on the table and his head in his hands.

He had the vaguest notion that he looked rather crazy at the moment and was making no sense whatsoever. "Have you ever had one of those moments," he said slowly, "where you remember something so important it makes you feel sick?" Not even his name made him feel this...conflicted.

It took him a minute to pull himself together to address Gene's theory. "You think the dreams are trying to help us somehow? Like share ideas? But why make the whole process so terrifying? There's got to be an easier way to share memories..."

Ugh. He really didn't feel so good.

I am sorry if something like this posts twice, LJ ate my first one -_-

[bloody_pens]

"That's quite a colorful way to put it, but yes, it's exactly like that," Derrick said to Gene. "We're being played with by someone who likes it just fine when we play house all nicey-nice and never do something they don't expect us to. In a way, it feels like that's the easier and more appealing thing to do, too."

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"Not that it makes it right. But when I have my daughter's safety to consider, makes me think twice about sticking my neck out. I'm sure whoever runs this place banks on feelings like that sometimes." He blew a breath out, thinking about Nikki and his possible connection to her, too. "... I'm sorry she's not back yet, too. This is making me think about her and... well."

Derrick really hated the direction this conversation had gone in. He squirmed in his seat, then tilted his head at Genius.

"You gonna be alright?" He resisted prying further about Dollhouse and why that had seemed so familiar to Genius. Because not talking about it made it easier for Derrick to pretend that Genius' past didn't exist, and so he didn't have to consider the hard question of why he still loved and believed in his brother in spite of the unquestionably horrible things he'd done in his past.

[live_ringer]

"There's no doubt the odds are hardly in our favour." Gene muttered as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Sensibly, they should just throw in the towel. They were obviously outclassed. But that just made him feel so damned defeated. His insides churned at the thought of just lying down. "I know you've got a family, Derrick. I wouldn't expect you to put that at risk."

Then Genius started babbling about things that didn't seem to make any sense. Wait, one of those words (names?) was familiar. Priya. After a moment of thought, Gene realized that it was a name he had seen in the mural Topher had shown him. Judging by Genius's words, it was a part of his past. But what the hell did it mean?

Gene didn't particularly have issues thinking about Genius's past. Not only was it behind Genius, it could potentially be useful. But the fact that he was feeling sick... "Yeah, I have felt nauseous when talking about my past before. In Adstringendum." There was a pregnant pause where Gene let the weight of that settle. He figured the first thing that would come to either of their minds was Youth's death.

"We should stop," he said with a sigh as he pushed away from the picnic table. The last thing they needed today was a casualty.