There was a nagging in the back of his mind at the image that was being projected. Sitting on his bed, Gabriel stared at the hologram, head tilted to the side as he tried to figure out exactly where he'd seen her before. She was familiar, a person that he knew that he should know. Or at least, that whatever memories were stirring in the back of his head recognized. Allowing his eyes to slip closed momentarily, the memories washed over him. The freedom of the air, the cool night sky, clutching her close to make sure that she didn't fall as the bridge behind them faded into the distance....
Opening his eyes back up, Gabriel smiled lightly at the hologram before reaching out and lifting it from the nightstand. Familiar and safe, and...something else. There was still more that he was missing. He knew. But whatever that was, it could wait.
"It could be a lot worse," Gabriel said as he smiled at her, a very soft expectancy in his eyes. "And it's really not so bad once you get used to it."
Tracy eyed the man with the sort of contemplative look that she gave most everything at first glance. He didn't look familiar but she knew that didn't necessarily mean anything. People here, thus far, had been quite friendly. Knowing someone apparently wasn't the only reason they had for responding to the arrivals of others.
Still. There was... something, in either his voice or his glance, that made this conversation feel a bit different than the others thus far. Not that the feeling kept her from smiling slightly at him or replying. If anything, it all but secured the fact that she would do just that.
"It can always be worse, but that hardly makes this okay," she responded simply enough, head tilting slightly as she peered at the video fed image. "Personally, I'm hoping that I don't have to get used to it." Her grin widened a bit. "But it's good to know that it gets a little easier with time."
"I've been here about two months myself," Gabriel said, mirroring Tracy's grin as he sat up. "There doesn't seem to be anyway to really leave, but for a prison, it's certainly far more tolerable than one would expect," He said, reaching up and raking his hair back off of his face. He knew that that probably wasn't much of a comfort for most people. The fact that this place was pretty much a prison would be enough to worry most. But he was able to find a little comfort in the people that were around.
There was something in the back of his mind, however, that was prodding at him and telling him that it was likely that this being a prison wouldn't sit well with the woman that he was talking to. The woman whose name... It was just on the tip of his tongue. The name Niki filtered into his mind, but no...no, that wasn't right. Just like Gabriel, it didn't fit.
"Do you any need help?" It seemed the most logical question to ask.
"Help?" Tracy echoed. She gave a shake of her head. "Nope, I think I've been told just about all there is to know." At least, she hoped so. She briefly considered questioning him anyway but opted against it.
"And a gilded cage is still just a cage." The last statement was made with a touch of irony both in her tone and her smile. She tucked some hair behind her ear.
"Thank you for asking, by the way," she said. She smiled slightly, but far more sincerely. "I'm not used to people bothering, anymore."
A gilded cage is still just a cage. Staring at her for a moment, a twist of a smirk crossed Gabriel's face as a memory of his arrival flashed in his mind, a hint of amusement in his voice as the smirk fell away into a smile that was much more genuine and amused, "Funny. That's exactly what I said when I showed up," Gabriel said, raking a hand through his hair with a quirk of a smile at the situation.
"And it's nothing, really," Gabriel said, a slight embarrassment flashing over his features. "It's the least I can do, Tracy. Don't worry about it."
Tracy. Tracy! That was her name. But...where had that come from?
A shadow seemed to pass across Tracy's face as her name left his lips. She frowned slightly, lips turned downward and brow furrowed. "How did you know my name?" she questioned without hesitation. She hadn't said it. She knew she hadn't. So, how did he know what it was?
Tracy paused, then she tacked on a quick, "Who are you?"
Because really, that was the most important question. The rest could wait for a minute. His identity, who he was. Maybe she did know him and just didn't remember him. Stranger things had certainly happened.
"I..." Gabriel hesitated, a quiet dread flooding into him at a question that he didn't have a proper answer to. He'd been told a lot of different things, and he felt even more. But to be able to firmly state something one way or another was out of his hands. "I don't know," He finally managed to stammered. "I don't know who I am. And I... I just remember you," He said, frowning to himself. "They tell me that they're not my memories, though. They belong to someone else."
Which just made all of this that much more complicated.
"I hope... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"You don't know who you are?" Tracy's brow furrowed as she frowned at him. She tried to determine if he was telling the truth or not, finally deciding that either he was, or he was one of the best actors she'd ever seen. She peered a bit more closely as the video feed. He looked potentially familiar, but far more in a 'in passing' sort of way.
"Has anyone here told you what your name is?" she tried a different tactic. "Or whose memories you have?" And even better method. Anything, to figure out how he knew her name. That was going to bug her until she'd figured it out.
And if she were being honest, she'd admit that the thought of him being in clear distress at the lack of his own memories didn't sit well with her either. She had said she wanted to help people, she realized as she waited for his answer. Maybe this guy was a good place to start.
Opening his eyes back up, Gabriel smiled lightly at the hologram before reaching out and lifting it from the nightstand. Familiar and safe, and...something else. There was still more that he was missing. He knew. But whatever that was, it could wait.
"It could be a lot worse," Gabriel said as he smiled at her, a very soft expectancy in his eyes. "And it's really not so bad once you get used to it."
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Still. There was... something, in either his voice or his glance, that made this conversation feel a bit different than the others thus far. Not that the feeling kept her from smiling slightly at him or replying. If anything, it all but secured the fact that she would do just that.
"It can always be worse, but that hardly makes this okay," she responded simply enough, head tilting slightly as she peered at the video fed image. "Personally, I'm hoping that I don't have to get used to it." Her grin widened a bit. "But it's good to know that it gets a little easier with time."
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There was something in the back of his mind, however, that was prodding at him and telling him that it was likely that this being a prison wouldn't sit well with the woman that he was talking to. The woman whose name... It was just on the tip of his tongue. The name Niki filtered into his mind, but no...no, that wasn't right. Just like Gabriel, it didn't fit.
"Do you any need help?" It seemed the most logical question to ask.
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"And a gilded cage is still just a cage." The last statement was made with a touch of irony both in her tone and her smile. She tucked some hair behind her ear.
"Thank you for asking, by the way," she said. She smiled slightly, but far more sincerely. "I'm not used to people bothering, anymore."
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"And it's nothing, really," Gabriel said, a slight embarrassment flashing over his features. "It's the least I can do, Tracy. Don't worry about it."
Tracy. Tracy! That was her name. But...where had that come from?
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Tracy paused, then she tacked on a quick, "Who are you?"
Because really, that was the most important question. The rest could wait for a minute. His identity, who he was. Maybe she did know him and just didn't remember him. Stranger things had certainly happened.
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Which just made all of this that much more complicated.
"I hope... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
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"Has anyone here told you what your name is?" she tried a different tactic. "Or whose memories you have?" And even better method. Anything, to figure out how he knew her name. That was going to bug her until she'd figured it out.
And if she were being honest, she'd admit that the thought of him being in clear distress at the lack of his own memories didn't sit well with her either. She had said she wanted to help people, she realized as she waited for his answer. Maybe this guy was a good place to start.
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