Presence
Contacts
Primal Urge
The call to Rhodes is largely one-sided - after all, the Fairest does like the sound of his own voice.
"Fetches? They are dangerous, but they're most dangerous to their counterpart. No mask works, and if they believe they are human - which, from the sound of things this one does - suddenly seeing a changeling will cause unpredictable reactions, including manifestations of Fae powers. I have heard of them being like a... literal sleeper agent. Running wild once they sense their Changeling is nearby. Some don't stop from thinking they're human. They plead, they cry. But they aren't human. It's like turning off a realistic robot, except it runs on magic, not electricity. When they die, there isn't a corpse, just twigs and Hedgestuff that unravels. Just kill it and be done. No corpse, no weapon, no proof. Poof. Gone."
"Memories? What? Oh, I see." There's a long pause. "Trade in memories is an incredibly complex process, and it can be done, but it's usually with moments tied to pure emotions, or short gaps. Hobs love trade in them. But you're talking about decades. You can't just.... download that time. You could steal bits? They are a part of Fae-magic, so Oaths can work, but taking the bulk of it's life? You'd have to capture it and trade the memories for it with multiple pacts and so on... maybe there's a token of some kind, but it would be completely custom and not one I know of off-hand. It's just glimpses of key memories and playing the amnesia card, but it's a hell of a plan to fake and Ram had best have a hell of a poker face. But years? It would merge your memory, as if those things happened to you - you'd loose who you are. It's why memories are sold in snippets of seconds. Trying to do more? Permanently absorbing them? It changes one's history. Ram would not be Ram any more. It's walking into a prison of one's own making. This is why ninety-nine percent of changelings can't resume their old lives! The gulf is too great and they risk discovery. Ram doesn't know these people. He's trying to step into the gap to save them suffering. He won't. Trying to be a good man in this scenario just creates a huge lie. Sooner or later he will be discovered, whether the family doesn't accept him or his career unravels and it comes crashing down anyway. I can't stop him from trying. But what he's asking for? I doubt it could be be done in seven years, let alone seven days."
"Sometimes, a fetch weaves social armour around itself. It may or may not even realise what it's doing. And if it's doing something like that, creating a normal family life? You can leave it until it dies, but that is like leaving an unexploded bomb. A fae can trigger a Fetch it's made, and suddenly there's a new family of changelings all getting warped together. Or, you can detonate it. There's chaos and debris and crying, but no-one else will be hurt. You don't set up shop in the crater the bomb makes. Let the Winters know a fountain of sorrow is about to become fair game, lie low for a few weeks and let the death take it's course. What? Yes, of course it's harsh. Arcadia is worse. Do it right, you aren't hurting anyone - you're removing a thing, a blight. Needs of the many, and so on. Mmmm? My fetch? No, I haven't, but I have found him. And I have my own plans for dealing with the little bastard."
Pressing Rhodes on more depth only makes him keep returning to the same points. He has never heard of any way of recovering memories en masse, only select ideas or feelings. He thinks Ram should just destroy the fetch and bug out. He does wish them luck (admittedly with a wry tone) and ends the call saying "Don't get caught."
That's Rhodes' two cents - I'm happy for you to go either way.
Sounds like you have the makings of a plan!
I'll leave this open a few more days for your final reactions. Once that's done, I'll get up the next scene.
The focus is the fetch, so that's where it'll be - sounds like an evening assault on the Fire Station once the distraction is up and running. If I've missed something, just throw it at me in the OOC.
Draft this Post
Presence
Arcadian Body
