cautionarytale | 120 [voice]

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120 [voice]

[Elle sounds ever-so-slightly awkward, like she's confused about something.] Howie? I think... I think I remember some stuff. I mean, it's coming back. Can... can I talk to you?

[There's a big awkward pause here because she wants to say something to Peter but isn't sure what.]

That's it.

[ooc: THIS IS FAKE. She's only got a few of her memories back by this point.]

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[Elle looked up at him.] "A lot, I think. It's confusing."

[He paused and leant against the bars a little, clearly more comfortable talking with her already,] "Well, what sticks out the most to you right now? Event, person, conversation?

"We, um, had a fight. Right before I left, or whatever." [She'd read that much in his journal. She just had to hope nothing significant had happened after that.]

[He nodded, as that was true enough,] "Do you remember what about? Do you remember if we resolved it or not?" [They hadn't, but he wanted to know how thoroughly she actually remembered things. Then he'd ask her some of the other important questions.]

[Elle tucked her legs up onto her cot and hunched her shoulders slightly.] "It's kind of hazy. I was mad 'cause you said it was like, cheap for me to sleep with Peter. I wish we hadn't had a fight," [she added softly.]

[Howie kept leaning against the bars, as he didn't want this conversation to be confrontational.] "So... you're not still angry with me? Because I was pretty rude."

[Elle shook her head.] "I dunno, it's been like three weeks."

"Point. I shouldn't have said it, anyway." [He accepted that as it was.]

"Do you remember why you had power enough to kill me? Do you remember how you were getting some of your power back?"

[Elle had to think about that for a moment. There had been lots of conversations in both his journal and her journal on the subject of her ability, but she wasn't entirely sure what he was asking for. She swiped her bangs out of her eyes and bit her lip, buying herself a second before she looked back at him.]

"I was playing by the rules," [she said, recalling something he'd said in a journal conversation.] "And... being honest with you." [She knew that was a big thing with him.] "Look, can we stop with the interrogation?" [She looked down at the floor.]

[He nodded and took that for an answer,] "I didn't mean for it to come across as an interrogation. I just was trying to work out the limits of what you remembered. So I could help you remember the rest." [And he really, really was, because it didn't occur to him she was making it up. It was possible, but he didn't really think about it. He wanted to believe her.]

"Are there still any... blank bits?"

[Elle stood up and went over to the bars, still biting her lip. She felt a little bad for lying to him, but that wasn't going to stop her.] "A few, here and there. Some stuff I'm not so sure about. But I think most of it's back."

[He nodded and contemplated asking a difficult question.] "Alright then... so what do you think of what you did in port now?"

[He wasn't going to let her out, but he might stop sending her pictures now. She still had to serve the time for murder, but there were probably some points he didn't need to press.]

[From what she'd read, and the few bits and pieces she was beginning to remember, she had to be honest with him. So... what would honest be if she really did care about him the way she thought she might've before she'd lost her memories of him?]

"I don't really feel bad, except that it made you upset," [she said quietly.] "But I know it wasn't right." [That felt really weird to say.]

[He nodded. That was about... what he expected of Elle right now. There were other questions he wanted to ask about that response, but they'd wait. This was a little more important.]

"And what do you think about your decision to kill me?"

"I'm really sorry," [she said quickly. That should feel really weird to say too, but for some reason it didn't much.]

"That's alright, Elle. I accept your apology and... Don't think it means I hate or resent you for it. It was wrong, yes, but... even if you hadn't remembered, and it had taken a long time to get you to that point... I'm not going to resent you for it." [He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck,] "Do you feel bad about that one, or... is it because you upset me?"

"I kinda feel bad about that one," [she said, realizing as it came out of her mouth that it was kinda true.]

[He nodded slowly, as that answer made sense to him,] "Good. So... what do you think has changed? Between who you were last week and who you are now?"

[He knew it was a massive question and wasn't expecting an immediate answer, because he didn't know all of it.]

"I don't know. I dunno. I'm not gonna... do stuff like that. Like, hurting people. I'll be good." [Hopefully that was what she was supposed to say.]

"I accept that. But I want you to think about what's changed, what's different, because it's... quite important."

[Long pause,] "Do you understand why I've got to leave you here until Sunday still? And you've still got to do the rest of the punishment I had planned?"

[Elle grabbed onto the bars.] "What? No, I promise I'll be good! I'm not like that anymore!" [Getting left here for two more days? That was going to suck. And whatever he had planned next was probably going to suck more. What was the point of doing all that reading if it wasn't even going to get her out of this?]

[He took a step back from the bars,] "Elle, you still chose to kill someone. I'll moderate the punishment next week, but a man is dead. I have to take that seriously, no matter of how much memory you have back or not. I know you won't do anything like that again, I trust it, but I want to be consistent in punishment. And this is the punishment for murder."

[Elle leaned towards him as much as the bars would allow and shifted her gaze to the floor.] "I don't like it in here," [she mumbled softly.]

[He did actually feel bad,] I know, Elle, it's not supposed to... I know this is a lot like places you've been in the past. But I can't let up on murder, especially when it's not even of someone on board. That man's permanently dead, you have to do some kind of penance for that.

[He pauses] Tomorrow morning. You'll be on cleaning duty for an extra day, but tomorrow morning.

[She clenched her jaw. A day early was better than on time, she supposed. It still sucked.] "I've been here almost two weeks out of the month already. Please?"

"Because you killed two people, Elle, that's why." [He sighed,] "I will come early, but I can't let you out now. It's unfair to the person you've killed."

[It would be different if it was a murder on the Barge, but Howie was taking this more personally than his own murder.]

[Elle sagged against the bars.] "Okay. Fine. Whatever."

"Alright, Elle." [He paused and had a look around the cell,] "Did you pick it up by reading back or... talking to someone, or what? Just curious for future reference."

"I dunno, it just started coming back." [She shrugged.]

"Out of nowhere? Did you at least try reading some things, like I suggested?" [At least, he thought he'd suggested this.]

"Like, one or two things. I didn't read all that much."

"Then try reading a little more. It might seriously help, in terms of remembering things." [He gave her a slight smile,] "I...I'll be back tomorrow morning, and will want to talk first thing Monday."

"Fine." [She didn't return the smile.]

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120 [voice]

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