I12DT: You'd Better Mind Your Training

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 3:02 am

"Oh, that's easy," Astrid says. She concentrates for a moment and manages to conjure up a memory of a wedding taking place sometime in the '60's.

by **Michael Asters** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 3:07 am

"All right, good. Now... I'm going to show you how to slow it down, take it moment by moment, detail by detail. Put it on pause, so to speak, I guess. You're going to bring the memory up... and we're going to go in there and look around."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Sep 22, 2013 5:21 pm

"Sounds like fun," Astrid says, struggling a bit but managing to get the memory stable.

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Oct 12, 2013 7:01 pm

"All right. Let's start poking. What do you want to know first?"

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:09 pm

"Well, I mean, I would kind of like to know why I took this," Astrid says. "Was it just random? Is it serving a function?"

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:49 am

He considered that. "There are a lot of possibilities. It might help to see everything about the memory... then we can find any subconscious pulls you had to it, or any personal links to it. It could have been random, or maybe even you were latching onto certain kinds of memories without knowing it."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:59 am

Astrid sighs, "Yeah. I get that."

"It's just super awkward reliving this one."

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:04 am

"Why's that? It isn't your memory, we both know that." And like any good man, he sounded genuinely interested in what she said or felt.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:08 am

"That's sort of why," Astrid says, "I mean, I basically know that no matter what I remember, I was never been this happy before. I've never even been in love like this before."

"It's weird.'

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:11 am

He smiled wistfully at that. "You're young. You'll have time. The nice thing is that no matter what you remember here, if you do fall in love and are ever this happy, it still won't feel like this." On one hand, it sounded like an empty reassurance. On the other hand, damned if he didn't sound like he knew what he was talking about.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:13 am

Astrid smiles, "Thanks. That sort of helps."

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:21 am

"On the other hand, it'd probably be more comfortable for you once we build you a little separation from the memories that aren't yours." He walked over to that familiar table any wedding had and looked at the guest book.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 7:56 pm

The guest book read "Kyle and Maria Cranston" and was signed by quite a bit of people. Apparently the Cranstons were popular.

"Yeah, but if I completely separate myself then what do I have left?" Astrid asks.

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 7:58 pm

"You have your own feelings that you can keep separate from other people's. Also... if we can track down whose thoughts these are... Well, this is just a theory, but if you lost memories, I think they had to go somewhere."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 8:02 pm

"There's a depressing thought," Astrid says, "So, you think a couple woke up one day and couldn't remember getting married?"

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 9:06 pm

"Well, I only think you touched one of them. But probably not. The mind is a very redundant thing, I think that your problem was just the sheer volume of what you had coming in displacing your own memories. This is still just supposition, though."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 9:20 pm

"Displacing?" Astrid asks, "Not erasing?"

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:10 pm

"You're getting me to say a lot of things I don't want to commit to," he said. "But yes... you can change your memories, you can bury them, very rarely can you lose them completely. Your mind can forget where they are, though." He turned his attention on her rather than the memory for a moment. "Bottom line is we're not sure. But it isn't hopeless."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:12 pm

"Nice to know I'm not hopeless, I guess," Astrid says with an awkward smile.

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:16 pm

"Well, it isn't hopeless. Jury's still out on you," Cassiel joked. "Now come on. Let's get with the psychic archeology."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:39 pm

"You're the boss. Just tell me what you want me to do."

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:01 pm

"We're going to take this memory and track it back to the mind you got it from. We should be able to pick up traces of your contact with them then." He held out his hand to her. "I'll be a filter, keep you from taking more memories in once we make contact."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:03 pm

Astrid hesitantly takes a hold of his hand, "Alright. I think."

Her hand tightens around his. She's a little bit nervous.

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:08 pm

"It's going to be all right," he said. "You're not in the middle of a psychic meltdown this time. We're going in carefully and controlled, and I will not let anything happen."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:20 pm

Astrid takes a deep breath, "Right. Right."

"I'm ready."

by **Michael Asters** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:59 pm

"Just focus on the feel of the memory. Let it guide you through the astral. Let's see what your power's done." The memory seemed to freeze as he took their minds out of it, sending them off into the ether to home in on the person she'd taken the memory from.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:10 am

Astrid focuses on the memory, ribbons of psychic energy appearing all around her. She opens her eyes and they glow a soft gold. Astrid reaches out and grabs a hold of one of the ribbons.

"I've got it," Astrid says.

by **Michael Asters** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:47 am

"Follow it. I'm with you. Let's see what there is to see." He followed her along the path, keeping outside minds to themselves, making sure that they were observing and nothing more.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 2:23 pm

Astrid led Mike through the Astral slowly, almost hesitantly, until they finally arrived at the mind the memory belonged to. Astrid paused outside of the visual representation of the mind, a large glowing orb that floated above them.

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 6:56 pm

Cassiel peered up at the mind, gently probing it to see what sort of state it was in, and what the person's situation was in the real world. There wasn't any sense in doing something that might give her a brief wave of dizziness if she were, say, driving, after all.

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:03 pm

It was the mind of an older lady. At the moment, she appeared to be making dinner for her grandkids. She seemed pretty happy, all things considered.

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:11 pm

Cassiel couldn't help smiling, even as he made sure to keep shielding Astrid's mind from absorbing memories. "All right... let's look very carefully, see if the memory's still in there."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:14 pm

"Alright," Astrid says, hesitantly following after Mike. After awhile of poking around various memories (a divorce, another marriage, kids, grandkids, etc.) they finally came to the place where Astrid's memory had come from.

It was still there, but it was dull and lifeless. It felt like someone had pulled all the color out of it. The events were still recorded, but the emotional associations were completely gone.

"This isn't right, is it?" Astrid says, looking around.

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:26 pm

"No, it's not," he admitted. He frowned, looking at the memory, then isolated them within the woman's mind, so that they couldn't affect any further memories. "We could put things back, but... I'm really not sure that we should. She's happy, and this memory isn't a part of her happy life. If she were still with this husband, I'd be tempted, but... I think it's best to leave well enough alone now." As he answered her, he started searching the area around the memory to look for any memories that didn't belong, that seemed to gravitate more naturally to Astrid than to this woman. Probably would have been stored as dreams or daydreams or something like that...

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:33 pm

Unfortunately, there was nothing. Astrid had taken from this woman, but she hadn't left anything behind.

"I guess you're right," Astrid says. "It doesn't feel right though, you know?"

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:37 pm

"You're right. It would feel even more wrong to put it back, though," he said. "This is... a rather untried ground. If we put everything back, she starts feeling the old emotions, might even start questioning her life, which at this point? She doesn't need. She's happy, and I'm fairly sure that the memory's emotional connections being gone couldn't have impacted her life all on their own."

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:40 pm

Astrid smiles at MIke, "Thanks. That does help. A little."

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:49 pm

"Trust me. You can get past the loss of one memory. You didn't take her memories of the next day, or the day after, or their anniversary, or their first date... it's just one piece of the whole."

"I don't think there's anything else for us to see here. Shall we head back to your 'room'?"

by **Astrid Ambramovic** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:58 pm

"What?" Astrid asks, sounding surprised. "Oh, right. My room. Yeah, that sounds fine."

Astrid bites down on the psychic projection of her lower lip to keep from babbling more.

by **Michael Asters** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:03 pm

If Cassiel noticed, he was too much a gentleman to let on. "Now... all that's left is to get this memory isolated so it doesn't get mixed up into your own."

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