The Remembers Assemble!

[cannot_flinch]

WHO: Team With Memories & New Memories
WHERE: City Public Library
WHAT: Everyone gathering together to find Billy.
WHEN: After the He Row Announcement
WARNINGS: TBD



The City Public Library was an elegant old brick building on the edge of town. It was beautiful inside with large windows and plenty of soft places to sit and read. Right by the check out desk there was a tropical fish tank with a rainbow of fish.

Ikora actually quite liked this part of her identity quite a lot. All the pre-Golden Age technology was quaint and simple but she loved the feel of a book in her hands. She would miss this once they returned to Temba.

Which might be sooner than she thought. The intervention of the Agrii had finally given them a direction. None of them had a good idea for the source of this little world as the Agrii or the forces in control of the Agrii or many things. Now, they knew who to find.

Of course... how to find Billy was another question. She had one of the private study rooms in the library reserved for their little group and anyone else that might wander in with memories returned. Ezra was very helpful in spotting those.

Cayde was very exuberant when he spotted them which was not very welcome in a library.

"Here." Ikora put a few water bottles on the table. "Help yourselves. We have more in the back."

They would be talking for awhile so she imagined water would be needed.

Comments

[deal_me_in]

"Cozy!" Cayde piped as he slid into a seat at the end of the table. "Is this room sound proof? I dunno- is that a library thing?" He was sure someone would tell him to tone it down either way, multiple times, most likely.

He pulled one of the bottles over, just to have something to fiddle with, which was probably for the best. Ikora would have probably found googly eyes liberally slipped onto some of her desk items over the last few visits. One surely couldn't have expected him to simply by a spool of thread and a loom at the craft store for Lark after all.

"So. We have a confirmation on our suspected cause but given that my previous encounter with Billy showed no recognition of me, I am not sure how we want to approach this. Anyone run into Tommy? Or Tommy run into them? A little speed joke there- no? Okay, never mind."

[ezra_of_lothal]

Cayde is funny! And gives good hugs for a dude who's mostly metal. Why had no one of told him these things? These are things Ezra would have liked to have known!

"Thanks for letting us meet up here, Ikora," Ezra says dutifully, before turning his attention to the substance of the meeting.

"Yeah, I'm hoping the Agra have done whatever they can to confirm Billy's the catalyst for all this, and not just watching and taking my word for it. I remember Billy being in the class above me at school - we'd hang out and do nerd stuff sometimes - but I haven't run into him since uh, I remembered that this isn't reality. Which I assume lines up with when this place actually got made."

He shakes his head. "I haven't run into Tommy, either."

[demjiin]

Kaz dressed how he usually dressed in Temba. Maybe that was one of the reasons he'd kept his memories of Temba from the beginning; what this new reality was (thanks to Billy) was very similar to the life he'd had in Ketterdam.

"I've never met Billy, but Tommy is as deep into this new reality as it is possible to be. He's part of one of those 'super groups'."

Kaz was seated in one chair with his bad leg stretched out in another. Ordinarily, he wouldn't risk other people seeing his weakness on display like this, but it was aching badly today which meant he had been putting too much weight on it for too long.

[cannot_flinch]

"The school is a good place to start looking for him," Ikora said as she sat down at the head of the table. "Ezra has every reason to be there and can keep an eye on Billy. When he's alone, which I imagine would be difficult with his brother around, we could grab him. Or Lark could work some magic to track him."

The Hidden had kidnapped people before. She was comfortable with the idea of taking this young man. They didn't have much of a choice, after all.

"We could create a distraction for the heroes and keep them away while we grab him. Cayde, you love making a good distraction, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Uh. Small problem with that plan, sorry," Ezra says, shaking his head.

"I'm a senior. Billy's graduated. I'm...not quite sure what he's up to now?"

[deal_me_in]

At least someone thought he was funny! Cayde frowned thoughtfully, nodding as Kaz mentioned Tommy. "You try mentioning Temba stuff to him or did he give you the crazy-look?" He really came to loathe the crazy look himself.

Ikora's suggestion had him grinning again. He was about to respond when Ezra pointed out the slight problem with the proposed plan of action. "Well that makes things tricky. And the problem with Lark's magic mapping is that you need someone who really knows Billy well to...prime it? It was easier with you Ikora because we've known each other for so long."

[demjiin]

"It would have meant explaining why I 'caused a scene' so it didn't seem like a good idea to try just then. Tommy was sure the problem was caused by a supervillain anyway. If not anyone here, then who does know him and what would they have to do for this magic map?"

OTA

[no_applause]

Padme wasn't sure what she was doing there. No, that wasn't true. She knew why she was there, she just didn't like it. She needed answers and it seemed like this was the place to get them.

The metal man she'd saved had mentioned Temba. Then there was the strange broadcast through the whole city about He Rows and Temba and someone named Billy. She'd had a strange feeling for a couple of weeks that something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. This was her life. And yet, something felt... wrong. She was hoping this meeting would give her answers.

Hoping that no emergencies would arise, she brought her children along. She pushed the carriage ahead of her, looking around. She'd asked at the front desk about a meeting, and was pointed in the right direction. Curious, she stepped into the room and looked around. "I'm looking information about Temba... have I found the right place?"

Re: OTA

[ezra_of_lothal]

Erza jumps to his feet out of his seat on one of tables and takes a step towards the carriage, before he stops.

"Luke and Leia are here, too? They're ok?" he asks, in a rush, instead.

Because yes, wondering had crossed his mind, more than once, and it had been hard to put that worry away.

[no_applause]

Padme resists the instinct to take a step back. She can see the recognition in his face and he knows her children. Something... something feels familiar.

"You know us?" Realizing that might be a little rude, she adds, "Yes, they're fine."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Uh. Yes. In that other life in Temba, we know each other. I was in the waiting room while they were born," he tries to explain. "Although that was actually at the Jedi Temple. Centuries before you or I were born."

He grimaces. "It's complicated. Sorry."

[no_applause]

She narrows her eyes, tilting her head at him. "You were in the waiting room... centuries before either of us were born? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever." The word Jedi sticks out to her. It sounds so familiar, even though she feels like she's never heard it before in her life.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra hesitates. "Do you want me to try to explain or should I just go with less is more?"

Those last few words being a nearly direct quote from his former master, during other times Ezra has verbally stumbled around blindly.

[no_applause]

That gets a chuckle. He's being so kind, and she can't help but feel a sort of kinship with him.

"Please, I'd appreciate an explanation."

[deal_me_in]

"Oh hey, you made it!" Cayde greeted, waving enthusiastically from where he sat. He was glad that people were taking him seriously, although he suspected the latest intervention from the Agrii had helped. It made him wonder if anyone else he'd managed to bother would get their memories jogged.

[no_applause]

Padme smiled a little and gave the metal man a nod. Cayde... that's what he'd said his name was. She was still hesitant to come too far into the room. "Yes... you got my interest. I'm just looking for answers."

[deal_me_in]

"Aren't we all?" It was why she looked so hesitant that the Exo hadn't bounded over to say hello. Instead he gestured to the seats closer to her, and reached over to hold up one of the unclaimed water bottles in offering.

"Don't worry, you're in good company. I'm assuming you saw that weird message? It ring any bells?"

[no_applause]

She took that seat and accepted the water bottle with a smile. "Yes... Not all of it, but enough to bring me here. It's all very strange."

[deal_me_in]

Cayde laughed a little at that. "Oh, I can hardly blame you in that. It's been a very strange few weeks for me as it is." Being on the opposite end thinking things have gone swimmingly only to get more of a prod that things might actually not be as you thought would be just as disorienting.

"Glad you came."

OTA

[on_repeat]

The Library. Echo liked The Library. He made some deliveries there before, so his latest errand shouldn't have been too different from the others.

Yet Echo walked in where he could have strode, the visor of his helmet pushed up, carrying a huge tray of sandwiches in one arm as the other bore a large paper bag.

"Order for 'Zavala,'" he said at an appropriate Library volume as he held onto the other side of the tray with his free hand, his gaze flattening out as it slid over in Cayde's direction.

[deal_me_in]

The Exo pretended not to notice immediately before glancing over towards the door, brows lifting. "Oh right, that's uh-" He looked over at Ikora before clearing his throat and getting to his feet to go grab the sandwich tray.

"Nice of you to join us, hope your schedule's clear- take a seat," he said, grinning at Echo.

[on_repeat]

"And your spicy ramen," Echo added as he shifted the bag, going through the motions before blinking rapidly. "What? Now wait just a minute– "

The grin made him frown, but he really didn't have anything else on the GrubDash app at the moment. Slow day? "...Fine," he finally replied, resigned to sticking around a little longer.

[deal_me_in]

Having transferred the sandwich platter to the table, Cayde sprung back over to relieve Echo of the ramen burden. He slid back into his seat, popping off the lids of containers to pour that spicy goodness over the noodles.

"It'll be enlightening," he promised as he broke apart his chopsticks, giving the soup a swirl after emptying an extra packet of hot oil into it. Wait, could they eat in here? Did he care? Not really.

[on_repeat]

"So you say," Echo said as he sat down in the chair next to the Exo, removing his helmet and clamping the visor shut.

Although he did pause for a moment. "...As enlightening as those messages that came out of nowhere?"

[deal_me_in]

Busy with trying to get noodles into his mouth, Cayde could only nod, a finger tapping the air in emphasis on that note. He mopped off his lower jaw with a napkin. Eating ramen with no lips? Tri-cky business!

"You saw that too? Further proof that you're one of us," he pointed out.