RP:Crushcrushcrush

Part of the Dissonance Theory Arc

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: After both Meri and Lionel try to get Khitti to see that Brand -is- real, Khitti starts to remember. Viera is always watching, however, and re-wipes Khitti's mind--and removes Lionel's memories of Brand as well.

The Tranquility, Cenril Wharf

Khitti || Ever since the fight with Meri, Khitti’s dreams had been nothing but nightmares. A deep, biting loneliness washed over her each time, no matter what it was she dreamt about. Sometimes, it didn’t even seem like she dreamt about anything at all until she realized that the darkness she was engulfed by was really the ocean, and that it was suffocating her. She hadn’t even cared, in these dreams, that she was dying. Maybe it’d get rid of that loneliness. Meri would take care of Dominic. Khitti wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore. Those pictures that Khitti had originally drawn of Brand, that now looked like Viera to her, had since gone back to looking like the latter. The only time she could picture that face was from the memory of Viera and Khitti’s trip to the Shadow Plane, where Viera had literally turned Khitti into Brand, to help with the bit of chaos they created.

Khitti || When morning came and the dreams dissipated, Khitti had determined that she needed to talk to Viera. Who the heck was Brand? And why didn’t she remember him, if he was really real? Would Lionel really have played some sort of trick on her? And gotten Meri in on it? Khitti had decided that it was better that Dominic wasn’t with her when she went to the ship, and when she sought out her sister, she’d had him over, with the warning that she was going to be taking him back soon. Once Khitti finally headed towards the Tranquility, she was intercepted by Lionel. That felt… too coincidental. And when she saw him, the irrational anger from the other day resurfaced and Khitti couldn’t help but lash out. Did you put her up to it? Dominic was easy to convince, but Meri? Her brother would likely be incredibly confused and perhaps would even protest against all of her questions. She’d eventually lead him to the Tranquility and asked every person she could find if they knew who Brand was. Was he the captain? Was he just another crewmember on the ship? Not a single one of them knew and Khitti could only give Lionel the occasional pointed stare that clearly said ‘See? I told you, just like I told her. There is no Brand.’

Khitti || “I don’t know what’s going on, with you. With Meri. With some of the people in the Warrior’s Guild, but I’m tired of it. I don’t know who Brand is. There’s not a single person on this ship that does.” That wasn’t true, of course, but Khitti wasn’t aware of that. “I have never been in love or married to anyone named Brand. I have no wedding ring,” she said, showing him her hand. “I’ve never been married. I -am-, however, in a relationship with the Tranquility’s captain, -Viera-. And that’s not going to change.”

Lionel crossed his arms and shook his head. What manner of magic was this? The timing of it seemed all too suspicious. Was this somehow Khitti's boon from the Demon Archipelago? To forget Brand existed? Few thoughts felt so morbid. They couldn't have been -that- bad a couple. But wait -- no -- Khitti's boon involved her hands. She was free now to do things she could not do before. What, then? Either this had no relation to the Demon Archipelago, which given Lithrydel's chaotic nature did not seem entirely outlandish, or… this had happened to Brand and affected the others by proxy. Affected? Or infected? Lionel had met a Viera once. She was a bonny lass, and bunny, too. But he had also seen her intestines ripped out and used to choke her to death courtesy of Khasad. The odds of a connection here were nil. "Alright," Lionel faux-conceded. "Let's say you're right. Let's say Meri and I are delusional. But what about everybody else? I guarantee you, right now, if you and I went anywhere Brand frequents there's a sterling chance the locals would know his name. And if I prove that to you, what, then? Has all of Lithrydel contracted a mental illness that does literally nothing whatsoever except trick us into believing you're married to a dude who doesn't exist? And the Tranquility, that's this last bastion of sanity? Please, Khitti. Think a little harder here. It's got to be in your mind somewhere. At least let me prove that to you."

Brand || There -was- one person on the ship who knew who Brand was, but Viera wasn’t about to let that information slip. She’d been watching Lionel ever since he’d boarded the ship, and waited until she could catch him and Khitti alone before making her entrance. She needed to fix this. She couldn’t let Khitti remember, not now. That meant this meddlesome Lionel would need to forget, too. She entered the library where the two were conversing, shut the doors behind her, and smiled as she felt both sets of eyes upon her. “Hi. What’s going on here?” Totally not sus. Viera is not An Impostor.

Khitti || Even if Lionel (and previously Meri) -had- been making even the slightest bit of sense, Khitti wasn’t going to listen to it. Sorry, guys. She’s far too wrapped around Viera’s finger. “I don’t know, Lionel. Maybe something changed after that frakking mission to go save your ass. We literally created an alternate timeline. But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t know who the hell Brand is.” Viera made her entrance and Khitti could only sigh exasperatedly. “Viera… do -you- know someone named Brand? Supposedly my husband and father of my child?” Much like before, the more that it was talked about and things started making sense, the more that pain in Khitti’s head came back. She winced in pain, a hand going to her head, while the other grabbed a chair to help steady her. A flash of memory hit her, as it had before with Meri, and just like it had in her dreams. A wedding by the beach. Someone standing across from her whose face she couldn’t quite make out. Things were happy. Things were finally the way they should’ve been. Things were--. “Brand… Y-you took him from me.” Remembering these things hurt -a lot-. Clearly no one remembered from the last time that Khitti had a sort of amnesia that you probably should not force that amnesiac to remember. The magic that Viera had used on Khitti fought against the Khitti’s own memories and brought her to her knees, tears making themselves known. “Please make it stop… Please.” It felt like her head was going to split in two.

Lionel eyed Viera upon her entrance, motionlessly surveying this stranger. Controlled breathing aided him in maintaining a neutral stance. In essence, he was mimicking Krice to a tee here. Caught off-guard and outnumbered, Lionel knew that every word, every action, had to mean something from hereon out. Without looking at his sister, he listened to her further protests. So long as this presumed spell held, he was not going to look at anything other than this impostor. If only Lionel had accounted for the possibility that this spell would begin to break. He couldn't help but seek to steady Khitti when she began to remember; couldn't resist attempting to lift her up from her knees when she fell. His back was not quite turned against Viera so much as parallel to her; that might be enough for some sort of strike if the wicked woman intended to attack him in any way.

Brand || “I didn’t take anyone from you.” Viera had closed the gap between them all too quickly, and now stood mere inches from them both. Her magic emanated from her in full force, so thick in the air it could almost be seen. “There is no Brand. There has never been a Brand. You will never bring this up again.” There was a hint of desperation in her tone, but it enhanced rather than diminished the strength of her spell. She -needed- this to work. She couldn’t lose this new life she had made for herself, not now.

Khitti || If Khitti had been at all aware of the way Lionel was acting (or who he was mimicking, rather), she’d probably smack him. But, that’s not on her mind right now as Lionel helped her up and Viera moved towards them. “Viera, what are you--” And just like that, the pain was gone. There was no Brand in Ba Sing Se. I mean Cenril. Or anywhere at all. Nope. “Sorry. What were we talking about again? That archipelago did wonders for my magic, but it would’ve been nice if it had gotten rid of my clumsiness.” Khitti stopped and thought about it as she brushed a bit of dust and dirt off her clothes and shook her head. “Ohhh right. Lionel. Uhhh. So this is really awkward, but Viera’s my girlfriend now.” There were even more awkward jazz hands presented, complete with a bit of Khitti’s light magic acting as glitter around them. She even said ‘tada!’ like it was some sort of magic trick. Yes, Khitti’s actually dating someone. Somebody tell the local newspaper!

Lionel felt horrible about it. How could he not? It was a terrible thing to realize. And it came at such a disastrous time. It was just like life to give Lionel bitter hope only to blast it into the stars. But he never should have hoped this, to begin with; never dared to dream. There was already someone waiting for him, after all. Someone whom he had danced around emotionally for years. Someone who felt like home, no matter how often he believed otherwise. Penelope. Lionel had to focus on Penelope. That was the only way to awkwardly smile for his sister's happiness. The only way to congratulate her, as he could hear himself doing. He congratulated them both, even though it was all Lionel had ever wanted to throw caution to the wind and make out with Viera like it was the end to the first act in a bad romance movie, which is to say all romance movies; this was where Lionel and Viera would have made The Mistake, and act two would have been all about them going their separate ways until that inevitable, glorious, third act, wherein they realized they couldn't live without one another. All of that was dashed now. The intense, intimate feelings that Lionel O'Connor was convinced had been swirling in the pit of his stomach for weeks would need to be subdued. If Khitti's joy was no brief interlude, those feelings would need to be exorcised forever. How best to wipe his own memory of something he was so certain could have been his bliss? Penelope. He had to leave. He had to see Penelope. That was the only way he could remind himself of home. Being here? In this library? It sent shivers down his back and made his throat feel numb. He wanted to show Viera all of the ways in which he pined for her. A lesser man would not have resisted. "I should go," Lionel said, his voice ringing with the precision of a seasoned space commander. And so he went.

Brand || Viera blinked as she watched her fellow Catalian depart. It had been easy, so easy to trick both of them (again, in Khitti’s case). But something new had shifted in the blonde, something she hadn’t intended, and she couldn’t quite tell what it was. Oh well, that was a problem for future Viera. Maybe. For now, it seemed that everything was the way she wanted it to be. And Khitti was hers, all hers. She turned to her new lover and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. All hers.