forgethertoo | [[half interlude/half open post + entropy manipulation: a fatalistic warning]]

FOR EVERYONE

Aornis is mildly irritated. For all everyone in this place talks about fresh starts and second chances, she doles out some measly nightmares and eradicates a few non-essential memories and all of a sudden, everyone is acting as though they've discovered a grand villainous conspiracy. It's irritating because she should feel flattered that she's caused this much trouble with so little action. After all, she can sense it. Every mention, every ping.

The problem is, the current situation doesn't feel evil enough. Would her brother Acheron be proud of her for what she's done so far? No. It's not quite as bad as her brother Styx's "evil deeds" but it all feels rather pathetic. She's well aware that she's the villain of this place, in terms of the narrative. That particular narrative intent is so strong, it's nearly hitting her over the head with it. Although she can't tell who the hero is supposed to be, it is perhaps time to fully step into that role. She is a Hades, after all.

At the moment, she's debating her options. She could just wipe everyone's memory and start fresh. That would be the easiest way to handle this situation. It's a distinct possibility. There's a slight issue with that plan... but she's taking care of it. Aornis is currently rolling over these issues with a Moscow mule somewhere public, if anybody would like to speak with her...

FOR SOMEONE IN PARTICULAR

It's a small coincidence. Very small in the grand scheme of things. In a hallway off to the side of the main area of the mansion, a sheet of paper sits on the floor, undiscovered and unnoticed up until now. Perhaps it was dropped by Susan and Lancelot when they were moving the boxes of papers inside. It's an application for a library card; very nondescript in nature. Name (William Jones), DOB (January 13th), Sex (M), City and State (Boston, MA). The rest is blank as if whoever started filling it out had been interrupted.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"So is Shen Yuan, to an extent. Since you aren't a jurisfiction agent, I'll give that one for free. I used to think Shen Yuan came from a higher reality than ours ... but now I think Luo Binghe came from a reality a step down. A fiction within a fiction." It's a deeper hole to climb out of, but Claudius is out of the business of caring how deep. With a smile, he picks up a dropped thread, and continues, "But I asked what you'll do now. Is he getting in the way of your next steps?"

"Why would I have next steps when I don't even have a plan?" Aornis asks lightly, giving the ice at the bottom of her drink a swirl. It amuses her that everyone's out to find out what her next steps are, what her plan is, what she wants to accomplish... I'm not here to accomplish anything. I'm here to slowly make everyone's lives miserable. Those were her words to Shen Yuan.

“I can’t imagine what that’s like,” Claudius says, frankly. He can’t think of a moment in his life where he didn’t have some sort of plan. Perhaps one very far back. “Well, the unplanned life does seem to suit some people. If you need anything, do let me know. I’m sure we’ll have to revise our agreement.”

"We did have an agreement, didn't we?" Aornis asks, as though just remembering. "Since my part of the agreement is now null and void, I'm not sure what I can offer you."

"Be gentle with Tress and don't string her along," Claudius says, lightly. "I'm a protective uncle now. That's how far I've strayed from my narrative. And," with a self-effacing smirk, "perhaps I've become a bit avuncular to you, too, seeing you all dressed up for revenge with nowhere to go. I offer terrible advice and enablement."

"Everything that I suggested to Tress was a perfectly viable way of leaving here," Aornis says mildly. It's true. She then fixes him with a stare that's steady and almost predatory in nature. "And what would your advice to me be?"

Claudius gives it the appearance of reflection, gazing up for the answer. "The crowd here is more easily charmed by a villain with a sympathetic backstory than someone with -- forgive me -- cop energy. Especially someone like Shen Yuan. And if Shen Yuan likes you, then Luo Binghe can't touch you without facing Shen Yuan's disappointment. But obviously," he says, "you can't undo your earlier interactions. If you've met Shen Yuan already as a jurisfiction agent, you can't have him forget it and introduce yourself again. That's why it's bad advice."

"That is bad advice," she agrees dryly. "If only someone could control all of the interactions they have. That person would be fairly dangerous here, in a place that's built on social interactions and social currency."

"I would think it's a bit of a double-edged sword," Claudius muses, without elaborating. "Oh, but don't take me too seriously about Shen Yuan. His weakness for villains is mostly a weakness for brooding, lonely men he believes are misunderstood."

"Is Luo Binghe misunderstood?"

Claudius rolls his eyes. “What do you think?”

"I understand him well," she says dryly. "He manages to perfectly balance egotism and insecurity. It's almost impressive."

Claudius laughs. "You know, I wasn't sure before whether you'd try to exploit my displeasure with Luo Binghe. But now I think you sincerely don't care for him. You couldn't sum him up so perfectly, if you weren't also familiar the frustration of understanding him." Shaking his head, he says, "I'm freer now that I don't expect him to show any depths I haven't already seen. There's my other bit of bad advice, if you want to navigate around him. He's a fiction within a fiction, you understand. His world is shallower than the one above it, and rather than leaving it behind, he carries it around with him. It's a narrative where he has only ever been the victim, and even his villainy is something he's punished by. He'll ignore any truths that clutter the narrative, forget everything he needs to forget, remember only what he wishes to remember. So if you did have the power to rewrite your interactions with him, I wouldn't expect much to change. It's likely to become repetitive."

Aornis thinks about the multiple times Luo Binghe has interrupted her dreamscapes over the past few months, each time believing it was the first time. At first, it was somewhat thrilling, finally something new and unique to contend with -- but after a while, it became the same threats and insults. She's tired of it.

"Well, we can't all be written by Shakespeare," is all she says.

"Why, thank you," Claudius says, choosing to take the compliment without asking whether it was intended as one. “I hope to keep you entertained, at least. Boredom is a common affliction for mansion residents … though it’s one I never seem to suffer from. Too much of my own drama.”

"To me it is a prison," she says, with a small smile. "Don't worry. I'll find ways to keep myself occupied."

Claudius considers the likelihood that this woman's wiped his memory once before, and wonders what he'd have done if he arrived here with the same power. He would've redone every interaction he didn't like the outcome of, certainly. Undo his little tiff with SecUnit, after he got its name, or erase Janet's memory before a power struggle could emerge, or ... actually, he probably would end up resetting his relationship with Luo Binghe over and over again, despite advising Aornis it isn't worth it. They'd probably keep becoming enemies, and he'd probably keep getting tired of it.

But after six months, that would no doubt leave an uncanny impression on people. No one would be able to remember any recent conflict with Claudius, except for the lingering impression of adrenaline, following what sounded like an innocent remark. He'd still be the decent, upstanding, and virtuous man he presented himself as to Crowley during their first conversation -- but no one would know much about him. He'd leave the same empty gap that Aornis leaves in the rumors about her, everyone talking about him, no one able to report anything concrete or suspicious from him.

Trying to maintain that mild reputation would quickly get boring. At this point, Claudius is sure he would've started over, wiped everything clean and reintroduced himself to the mansion at large. But Claudius was an amoral liar -- that sort of thing was easy for him. "I look forward to seeing what you'll do," he says honestly. "Do keep in touch."

“We’ll talk soon,” Aornis assures him, with a small nod as she turns to peruse her options for another beverage.

"Until then," Claudius says, with a flickering wave of fingers, and then he takes his leave.

[[half interlude/half open post + entropy manipulation: a fatalistic warning]]

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