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[Jon gives her a sidelong look.]

Does taking us there involve an excessive amount of fire?

No.

( it could but she didn't show off in her teleports that often. she will however teleport them before he can say anything more or complain, the two of them reappearing in her living room, a more shadowy arrival this time )

Don't move.

( she takes a step back and he'll note a spell from her, motions of her hands followed by a spell cast in a very old language. she has to deactivate some of her wards lest he be uncomfortable the entire stay. well, he might still feel a little uncomfortable )

[Jon does, in fact, freeze. Something is very off here. It feels like there's a grain of sand under each eyelid, and it rolls and scratches uncomfortably across it no matter how many times he blinks. The sensation lessens with the movements of Lilith's hand, but doesn't disappear.]

What... what sorts of wards are these supposed to be?

Protective.

( for her and her place, to keep it hidden from certain unwanted parties. he was certainly included in that list. there's more but she'll only give some information just as she only removes some wards, moving from him, leaving him uncomfortable as she goes to make their tea )

You may not remember where this is once you're gone.

[Speak of the devil on topics.]

I don't know where we are now, apart from your house. He's been magically transported here, after all. They could be halfway across Duplicity. [Jon assumes he's allowed to move, so he heads over to a nearby sofa and drops down, letting his eyes roam the room. But that makes him feel vaguely nauseous as some of the colors blur and she struggles to focus too closely on anything.

It does occur to him that he could just break her wards if he put his mind to it, clear them away with his own abilities. But he has the sense not to do that. They might be warding Elias, as well, which is always convenient.]

It's memory I wanted to ask about, actually. And the manipulation there of.

( she leaves him to sit, knowing he knows there'll be a consequence if he does anything out of line. lilith returns a few minutes later, teapot and cups on a tray that get placed on the coffee table between her couches, pouring herself one before sitting across from him )

Memory spells are simple... depending on how you want it manipulated.

( though it would still be simple to her )

[Jon takes a moment to pour his own tea and just hold it.]

I'm looking for the... opposite, actually. Have I told you about the Not-Them? They're creatures of the Stranger, able to manipulate memories and digital information. One of them... murdered one of my assistants and replaced her. We weren't aware of it for nearly a year. I still... can't remember what she really looks or sounds like. All I remember is that thing posing as her.

I think I can maybe sort out my memory, myself, but being able to transfer that to other people might be difficult. And... there's more.

[He sets down the tea and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a photograph. It shows a young woman wearing a Santa hat. She's grinning and has her arm wrapped around Jon. He's wearing a set of antlers and looking incredibly unhappy about this. It's clearly a much younger version of him, no scars on show.]

That's not Sasha. But that party happened. I want... I want to be able to change the photos back to what they should be. To the real Sasha, not just that creature imitating her. My assistant Tim received a photo album with photos of her. We want to honor her memory by actually remembering her and setting the album straight.

( she looks at the photo for a moment, thinking. surprisingly she'll do it, it's not about him which is what seals it. the how is trickier and gives her something to think on )

Your assistant-- had he met her before this impersonation began?

( the archivist's mind was very clearly off limits to one of her tactics but perhaps this man's wouldn't be )

Yes, they were close. Much closer than I was to either of them. What the Not-Them do is essentially paste themselves into every memory of a person they're replacing. I was thinking I could figure out a way just to get the photos fixed, but without fixing our memories... [Jon frowns.] It would just be a stranger in the photos.

Tim thought that might be worse.

Then I'll need to meet him to see what the memories are like.

( and what she has to work with to try and recover )

It'll... be kinder than when you visit someone's mind.

[Jon sips his tea, glancing off to the side and considering.]

I could... potentially fix my own memories. Would that be enough for you to be able to work with to fix him in a kinder way? I might be able to do the same to him, but it would be invasive, horrifying.

Using your memories to fix his would not be my first choice.

( she might have been in his head before but she's not jumping at it )

I may be able to unravel it myself, see what's been affected. If not-- then I'll use your memories.

[Jon realizes he's still probably going to need to fix himself. Which is going to be unpleasant. And possibly require--ugh--Elias' guidance.]

All right. And I assume once he have a picture of Sasha you might be able to fix the actual photos?

[A pause.]

I'm willing to pay for this assistance. As I said, my helping out with your business wasn't actually meant to be a trade for this.

I will allow a favour owed.

( she doesn't have a need for money, partly because she doesn't see much of a value in it. but favours... )

And yes. Once I have an image of her I can fix the photos. Perhaps even you.

( though she'll definitely charge extra there )

I'll sort myself out.

[The back-pedal on that is quick.]

It didn't go particularly well the last time you were in my head, as I recall. Let's not repeat past mistakes.

Then contact your friend. I assume you'll want to be present when I do what I need to. Should they agree.

[There's a long pause.]

I don't suppose you could... do it covertly? Tim has a bit of a problem with people who aren't human. Understandably so given his history with them in our world. He won't take it well, you being a witch.

( she smiles because oh, mr sims, look at what you're suggesting )

I can. Getting into his head will be a simple task. But I may need one thing first.

The blood of a virgin?

[His tone is very dry.]

( she's very tempted to ask if he's offering but instead just gives him a slightly predatory look to that effect before answering )

A memory to search for, a moment when that woman should have been there. It will give me somewhere to focus.

[Jon bristles slightly at that look. He is not a virgin anymore. Lilith had seen to that. He glares at her for a moment before looking off to the side.]

How much detail do you need? We all worked together for years. Tim knew her better than I did before we went to the Archives.

More is better but at least where you were, what you were doing. Something that I will know when I see it.

( she doesn't want to target the wrong person after all )

[That does make sense, but now that he's thinking about it...]

I can give you the details, but let me talk to him about it first before you go snooping. I think I have a way that might make him more... amenable to you. You both despise the Beholding with a particular passion. Your efforts toward dealing with it might be enough to sway him.

[And if not, then something more covert.]

He's not the sort of man to forgive easily, and I'd rather not... ruin things with him. Again.

[Pressing on.]

We had my birthday in the Archives once. Or close enough to it. It was the week before Christmas and everyone was gathered in our break room. Sasha was the only woman working in the Archives at the time. This would have been... about a year ago from Tim's perspective. Tim, Martin, and Elias were all there, as well.

That should get me there.

( it was enough of a visual to know what she was looking for, particularly when she knew the faces of the majority of those that would be present )

And... I wouldn't have done this without his knowing. Manipulating a memory and retrieving one leave very different impressions.

( one was noticeable )

Fair enough.

I'll have a talk with him and let you know. Am I allowed to walk out the door, or do you need to put a bag over my head now and spin me around three times before shoving me through a portal to leave?

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sathan - 2020-08-08 09:17 (UTC) - Expand