a thing

[heroinhisowntime]

[In the tradition of Aather games, the setting is a stone room with no windows... or doors. There is a simple table with two chairs set with some basic food - meats, cheeses, fruit, etc. There is also a piece of paper on the table with instructions, but it just reads Take this chance how you will.

There is nothing else in the room except for its two inhabitants, who both appear in it suddenly.]

Comments

[verypointed]

[Oh god, is he using the puppy-dog eyes on me?]

Aather?

[heroinhisowntime]

Yeah, like I said! Everyone loses their memories when the personae pull them here, it's just how it works. We work to win them back, and fight the darkness and protect all the worlds in the process. So how... are you here...?

[verypointed]

I don't know! I was in bed just earlier.

... how much do you remember?

[heroinhisowntime]

Er, well... not a whole lot. Sometimes winning games isn't the most important thing!

[verypointed]

Winning means getting your memories back and if you have it all you can go home, right?

What's more important than that?

[heroinhisowntime]

[Not dying? Wait no not saying that]

Well, I'm a knight here, and that means it's my job to help everyone out. Sometimes the games are a little rough, and I'm not just going to take advantage of people so I can win.

[verypointed]

Always a hero, even when you're not in a suit.

[sighs]

But have you ever considered the fact that there are people waiting for you back home? You have a daughter, for crying out loud! What do you think is happening right now while you're here?

[heroinhisowntime]

...I have a daughter?!

[verypointed]

. . .

How do you remember me and not your own daughter?

[heroinhisowntime]

I don't know! Most of the memories I've gotten have been from a pretty brief period of time! It's not like I pick them!

[verypointed]

[Just. Going to grab a seat over there and stare at you.]

[heroinhisowntime]

[Shifts his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly, muttering.]

I don't know what's going on at home, obviously.

[verypointed]

I can't believe you don't remember Kaede and yet you still remember to call me Bunny. And it's Barnaby, by the way.

[He stops to look at the surroundings, eyeing the walls and the sparse decor to see if there is a way out.]

[heroinhisowntime]

I remember calling you Bunny, so obviously you're Bunny.

[There is no obvious way out. The walls, floor and ceiling all appear to be made of solid stone.]

[verypointed]

You're not allowed to call me that until you remember why you call me that.

What's outside these walls?

[heroinhisowntime]

Uh, the ring, maybe? Or if this is a game, this might be a persona's realm... er, either way, a pretty small area. The part of Aather we're in now is called Wonderland, I think.

...You called me Kotetsu.

[verypointed]

That IS your name, you know. Besides Wild Tiger. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi.

So if we use our powers and bust out of the room, what's the fastest way to get out?

[heroinhisowntime]

...I didn't know that. Not my full name, anyway... I did remember yours, though, for the record.

And our powers probably won't activate. Or they will, but they won't break it. That's how games go.

[verypointed]

Stop calling this a game, I'm being serious here! We need to get out of here, but more importantly, Wed need to get you your memories back!

[heroinhisowntime]

Playing games like this is seriously how I get my memories back! What else do you want me to do, it's not like we can just go get them!

[verypointed]

[practically screaming at you]

No one should be tampering with your memories!

[heroinhisowntime]

[just stares for a minute; that is substantially more feelings than expected]

Bunny...

[verypointed]

Don't 'Bunny' me. Just do something about it!

Dammit, you should be furious about this and I shouldn't be the one to have to explain to you why.

[heroinhisowntime]

...Look, it's not like I like it either, okay? But everyone else here's in the same boat. Yelling about it's not going to help anything.

[verypointed]

And doing nothing about it isn't going to do anything either!

[He suddenly gets up from the seat and marches to the wall, activating his power and winding up to kick the wall]