Memory Sharicus - Oh No, not again!

[heromedal]

About 8 am on July 15th, Rex does something stupid in his usual genius way. It was meant to be a small, simple test run of a method to scan a person and instantly gain all the data he needed to produce a Phantom.

The small field the spell was meant to spread just kept growing, until popping like a bubble with the most counterintuitive sound of all- two seconds of white noise, sounding as if it was coming from inches away. Not everyone heard it. But everyone who did...

It's a painless process, almost ticklish and instantaneous as numerous coloured orbs fly out from their chest, taking wild curving trajectories that launch them all over the academy and some of Soleil, coming to a sudden stop and hovering silently for just a few seconds.

That's when they start to slowly float towards the nearest possible recipient of the memory they contain, accelerating as they get closer as if thought and mind have a unique sort of magnetism.

It's sort of beautiful to see, really, not that Rex will notice because 60% of his mind is consumed with fear he will get into trouble and the Phantom project will be compromised. On the other hand, the Phantom project could provide the perfect scapegoat. So about six hours after the initial event, he released his latest creation- the Phantom mischief-maker, Waggery!

What a disaster.

(( ooc: The planning post is here! Be careful to warn for the nastier memories! If you already have memories planned to share, feel free to write them as a top level or just put up your character and link to the planning/make it a free for all. There'll be a post below for Waggery shenanigans and random NPC memories up for grabs. ))

Comments

[hippocarnival]

"That you're a zombie." A pause. "Oh! But, uh, specifically--!"

Yuya waves his hands in a vague, pointless gesture like he can deflect the awkwardness. "You were arguing with a hunter about breaking secrecy laws. It was happening a lot...?"

[unpocoloco]

It starts with a look of horror, then follows the yelp and quicking shushing sounds. He casts a frantic look around before leaning down and speaking in hush.

"Don't just say that all out loud," He hisses. "At least wait until we're somewhere private...! And I'm not a zombie. Those things don't have any consciousness or anything and they eat people and euch." He shudders.

[hippocarnival]

"Sorry!" Yuya's hands shoot straight up in surrender, and he looks back and forth down the hallways.

"... Is there a reason you're keeping it secret at the school?" It seems like the... safest place to admit that you're a dead magic not-zombie. "Don't they know?"

[unpocoloco]

"Have you seen how bad some of these kids are with secrets?" He asks. Toki, Peter... "The less people who know about me the less likely it is that someone who shouldn't know about me finds out." Less hunters and all of that. He puffs a breath.

"The higher up faculty know. They sent someone to bust me out of a morgue and made me a deal. I'm kind of part of an experiment. General faculty usually only find out if I tell them."

[hippocarnival]

Well, okay, that's fair. Though Yuya's pretty sure the school would protect Hector if they're keeping him here.

"What's the experiment?"

[unpocoloco]

He makes a scoffing sound.

"Cure blight. As if that'll happen," He says, eyes rolling. "Right now they're just seeing how I work, letting me go about my nights. But I assume some of the higher seers probably see something in the works. Who knows. I don't really care."

He's not gonna be around to deal with the results of that in his mind.

[hippocarnival]

What would curing blight do to someone already dead...? There's got to be a better line of thought for that.

"Maybe they can find a way to make it easier to live like this. It's hard?" At least, he assumes so if Hector's whole existence has been struggling with the whole secrecy thing.

[unpocoloco]

He's not a big fan of that line of thought either.

He waves a hand. "They're not that concerned about my problems. It's all about stopping Nightfall here." Which isn't a bad thing, it just doesn't help him much specifically. "It's fine. Things have been getting better. Way better. Hunters aren't allowed to work on school grounds for the most part either for that matter."

[hippocarnival]

"... What about seeing your daughter" Okay, he remembers their last conversation about that wasn't strictly magic problems. But it's like the Hunter said, his existence could almost be a breach and now Yuya won't doubt there are other factors besides martial issues preventing his travel.

But she's the most important thing, isn't she?

[unpocoloco]

He flinches. He can't help it. The wound is too deep. But, he stifles it down and manages to force a smile.

"You don't really think I'd give up on my girl just like that, do you? All the magic they teach? I'm going to learn it and I'm going to use it to get back to her. Besides, those stupid hunters missed one thing!" He grins. "Nobody knew I was dead! Turned out, my old amigo didn't tell a soul! I can walk around my old town and no one will know a thing!"

Funny how something initially gut wrenching could work in his favor.

[hippocarnival]

"There's no legal record?" There's no legal record he's dead.

And then Yuya suddenly grabs for Hector's arms, almost shaking him. "We can take you to your daughter over break! This month! This week!"

Daybreak knows how to get private travel if necessary. Yuya's confident strings can be pulled.

[unpocoloco]

"Nnnnnope! Not-a-one! Never even let anybody finish an autopsy." He's never been able to feel smug about that. It's refreshing.

He grins even wider as he's shaken. "Yes! That's right! My wife and I are talking about it. There are still some small hitches but we're really thinking I might be able to visit her! Isn't that great?"

[hippocarnival]

"Eh, really?!" Yuya grins, suddenly, wide and enthusiastic. "It's working out? Have you talked to her yet?! You have to call her!"

Ten years is longer than he's been without his dad. She deserves to at least hear from him that he didn't leave her behind.

[unpocoloco]

"Already done!" He exclaims, beaming. "Been talking to her every night." And singing and crying a lot.

He sighs happily, face going soft just to think of it.

"She's grown so much. I tell you, kid. Things have been going well for Héctor Rivera."

[hippocarnival]

"That's great!" How lucky, he almost wishes he was in Coco's shoes right now. "I'm really happy for you both."

[unpocoloco]

You don't want to be in Coco's shoes, kid. Well, maybe a little. Now. Not retroactively.

"Thank you," He says, meaning it truly. "It's been a long time coming, but she's worth it." Always, always worth it. No matter what he's been through to get to her.

He shakes himself of that. "Right, anyway, I am keeping this on the downlow. There's some who know, of course, but I'd appreciate if it didn't get out too much. The dead thing I mean."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya draws back to a more respectable space. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

[unpocoloco]

"Gracias, Yuya," He says.

And then he pauses.

"Hey, now that you know, the next time we bump into each other with your training, maybe I can show off some of the things I can actually do. You know, if you're cool with skeletons and all."

[hippocarnival]

"So you've been holding back?" He puts his hands on his hips. "Now you definitely have to show me!"

[unpocoloco]

He snorts. "In a way! It's nothing like I have amazing unstoppable strength or anything but..."

He glances around them. Then gestures over to an empty classroom nearby.

"Come on, I'll show you." He makes his way in, waiting for Yuya to follow before he shuts the door. The guitar is set down, and then he ditches the cane-- a grace of becoming bones. "Ready?"

[hippocarnival]

Yuya shuffles right in after him with an eager expression.

He sits on one of the desks, hands on his knees as he leans forward. "I'm ready! Show me what you got!"

[unpocoloco]

His eyes close and he breathes deep, letting it go as he lights. It's something Yuya's seen before but this time he doesn't let it stop. He glows brighter through each bone, markings shining on his face. And then in a glittering golden dust, his body lifts away. He dissolves until, where a man once stood, is only a skeleton. The light dies down and the markings prove themselves to be colored in a number of hues. He grins.

"Ta-da! Dead as doorknob!"

Of course just being a simple skeleton would be boring. He walks over and seats himself upon the desk. Then he reaches up and pops off his head to set upon his knees. "I can pretty much come apart any way I like. And I'm pretty good at moving each piece on its own."

He pops his head back on, giving it a spin to set it right, then lets a hand hop of his wrist. He walks it across the desk and back.

"Cool, huh?"

[hippocarnival]

He kind of anticipated the skeleton after that memory, although it's still a little unreal to see. The interesting part, though, is definitely that he's still mobile went detached.

"Whoa! Can you feel that?"

[unpocoloco]

"Eeeyup," He says, jamming his hand back onto his wrist. He wiggles his fingers a bit to test the connection. "Can feel things just as well as anything else, even in pieces. The separate control took some practice but it's super easy for me now. I even learned how to fire my arm like an arrow. That's why I thought I'd take up archery; already have the aim!"

[hippocarnival]

"Eh, but it's better to lose an arrow than your arm!" Yuya laughs. As tragic as it is that he died, at least his second chance is something he can work with. "What's it like? Do you have to eat and sleep? Are you using an illusion to not look like a skeleton or really transforming?"