you've been acting awful tough lately

[reassures]

Date & Time: The 8th, from 12pm - 3pm
Location: Outside town
Characters: Nill and YOU
Summary: Nill promised to meet an anonymous person on the network, and has decided to send smoke signals with cigarettes to find them. Also action spam.
Warnings: None! Will be updated if needed.

[It's a strange day that finds Nill smoking during daylight hours, but one way or another she's found herself doing exactly that. Small promises made and easy modes of identification, she supposes - she'll end up going through half a pack by the end of this, but it's worth it if she can actually manage to help the person she promised to help.

Even so, it's not difficult to tell that it's a strange sight, a blond girl bundled up, sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree beside one of the better-known ways to town, just... smoking. She doesn't appear to be going anywhere, apparently comfortable where she is, though she smiles at anyone that spares her a glance while they're on their way. She'll be there for most of the early afternoon, from noon to about three, and will welcome anyone that feels like sitting with her.

Hopefully it won't decide to snow while she's sitting there. It's cold enough out as it is, and a new layer isn't going to make her stay terribly pleasant.]

((ooc: Telepathy permissions!))

Comments

[debtor]

[He seems unbothered by the smoke, at least. He's quite used to it. And he blinks at her tablet, momentarily confused by the text. Why is she—

was it that she couldn't talk...?]

Ah - yes. You've a good memory.

[He pauses, glancing at their surroundings.]

Did you want to speak somewhere private?

[Indoors might be preferable, he thinks, for a variety of reasons.]

[reassures]

[It's not too unreasonable for him to think that. Even if she didn't know him multiple times, he had sort of a memorable face. She's glad he doesn't seem to mind the smoke though, and brings the cigarette up to her lips as she glances around. This... definitely wasn't very private, she supposed.

Her expression falls a little, only half on purpose. The confirmation was concerning. She hoped he had a better plan than just... her.

Nill exhales smoke away from him, and waves it away quickly.]

We could go to where I live if you would like, but it's a big place with lots of people. It's not very private.

[debtor]

[Memorable freaky facial scar, at any rate.

He has a few plans, of the vague, half-formed variety. Nothing concrete.

He needs to keep his options open, pick the safest path. Someone who specializes in the mind might have insight he could get from, say, somebody who hunts ghosts. Only one way to find out.]

Would you mind a tavern? I know a place that would be nearly empty this time of day. [ he gestures behind him. ]

[reassures]

[Her eyes follow his gesture, before a small smile tugs at her features, and she nods. With the hand holding the cigarette she gives him a clumsy thumbs up. She's pretty sure she knows that tavern, at least in passing, and it was definitely quiet this time of day.]

[debtor]

[To the tavern they go! It's a few minutes away, down a flight of stairs, tucked between a couple shops. He greets the tired barkeep, and finds a table in a dark corner of the establishment - which is, indeed, just about deserted.

He grabs a seat, opposite hers.

Well, then.]

Thank you, for meeting with me like this.

[reassures]

[By the time they get there Nill's finished her cigarette, which is helpful, in case this world ever starts to follow the "no smoking in public buildings" rule. It hasn't happened yet, but you never know about these things.

Nill takes her seat, and pulls her gloves off, rubbing her hands together briefly before the tablet is pulled out once more.]

It's no trouble. I know meeting like this must not have been easy for you. I just hope I can help.

[debtor]

Mm. I appreciate it. [ he offers her a small, brief smile. no, it's not easy. but dealing with the Fourteenth never was, and it's never going to be. ]

Could you tell me more about - what you had in mind?

[reassures]

[It's pretty rare that Nill finds a good opportunity to actually tell people about what she can do. Most of the time, it's easy to show instead of to tell directly.

however, in Allen's case, she suspects that would backfire. So she sticks to her tablet for now.]

I'm a telepath. Do you know what that is?

[debtor]

[He has to think about this for a second.]

...Does that mean you can hear thoughts?

[LIKE THAT TURBAN NOAH...?

Oh dear.]

[reassures]

Yes, it does. I can "speak" that way, too.

[...Whatever happened with the Turban Noah, Nill doesn't remember seeing images of him before. What a funny looking guy.]

[debtor]

[He was a pain in the asssss. But Allen has stopped thinking about him. He's trying not to think about much at all.

Save for the matter at hand. "Speak" that way...] So I could - "hear" you, in my mind?

[That must be very handy for her, he's sure. It's just that he's never been overly fond of... other people in his head.]

[reassures]

[Well. She's certainly used to people doing that. Nill nods, though she tries to seem as reassuring about the whole thing as she can. She keeps her posture easy and open.]

You could. I won't do that unless you want me to, though.

[debtor]

Ah, thank you. [ but, wait. ]

But I'm not certain I understand how hearing my thoughts will... [ help? after all, he can hear his thoughts, and they haven't done him much good on this front. ]

[reassures]

I can do more than just hear thoughts. I can tamper.

[Though, she looks a little uncertain on that word. She's just not sure how else to put it. She never really spoke at great length with anyone else who could do the things she can.]

I once had a very dear friend who had his memories changed. He became paranoid of everyone around him, and he wouldn't listen to any of the people he loved anymore-- or the people that loved him. The only way to fix it was to try to restore the memories and undo what had been done to him, and I was able to do that.

[debtor]

[He leans closer to the tablet, reading over it a couple times. She could restore memories...?

He swallows, sitting back. His posture's tense, hesitance clearly written on his features.

No, it's really quite difficult, discussing this with anyone, let alone a near-stranger. He'd almost rather not, he'd almost rather go now and spare her having to deal with this at all.

But he came here for a reason, didn't he? (And perhaps she already knows what he'll say.)]

I've been implanted with memories, that's what the "demon" I spoke of is.

You believe you could remove them?

[reassures]

[Nill is patient, and she keeps her tablet where it is while he thinks it over, in case he needs to reread anything.

She'd never realized the details of Allen's "possession" until now though. She'd known the thing he was struggling with was in his mind, but that it was put there on purpose...?]

I don't know. If your "demon" is sentient, it may try to fight if I do anything. But I believe I could try.

[debtor]

It's called a Noah. [ he's called Nea; for an instant, the name flits across his mind.

But, 'it might try to fight' - he doesn't know a fraction as much as he'd like about the Noah, but he'd fight back. No question.]

That would put you in danger, wouldn't it? [ however it works, if she's waging a battle between minds, it can't be safe ] You can't try something like that if it might hurt you.

[reassures]

[Nea. It's nice to put a name to a concept that she's known of for as long as she has, even if there was very little she'd really known about it up until this point. There's only so much you can do with bits of pieces of information that don't always connect.

Allen knows it much better than she does, obviously. And he thinks it, Nea, would fight back. That should worry her, but it doesn't. She's wanted to be able to do something for Allen for as long as she's known him, three different versions in two different worlds. She could do this.]

I don't think it's right to not even try if it's something that could really help you.

[debtor]

I don't know what he would do. [It may not worry her, but it sure as heck worries him.

Hurting people, anyone at all, is precisely what he's trying to avoid. She doesn't even know him! Why should she want to do this? If the Fourteenth fights back against her - what would happen to her?

Or to him?

He shakes his head.] It's not right to ask you to take that risk.

[reassures]

[Maybe it's not right of him to ask that of her. Even if it wasn't, she was offering. It wasn't as if it was something she was unwilling to do.

The idea that it might backfire on him though... that worries her a little more. Even if she could take care of herself in a situation like that, there was no telling just what would happen to him. Even given that, she looks genuinely concerned when she shows him her tablet this time.]

Do you have any alternatives right now?

[debtor]

[He glances away.]

I'm still looking. I heard from a lot of people... [ but whether any of them actually could help him, well. he doesn't know yet. ]

[reassures]

Will you let me know if you find someone to help you?

[It's not the best way of doing things, but she's fairly certain that if she said "let me know if no one else can help", he would never tell her. This way, she might be able to tell.]

[debtor]

[He takes a breath.]

I'll let you know.



[He'll let her know after he's been helped.]

I'm sorry...

[reassures]

[She wishes she could be surprised by that. As it is, she just shakes her head.]

You don't need to apologize, Allen. Thank you.