i can't remember to forget you

[helpline]

WHO: all imPorts!
WHERE: a large expanse of land that is kind of a parking lot in Heropa
WHEN: March 12th, 4PM onwards
WHAT: Time for the March Swear-In! this is gonna be full of fun and games and nothing going wrong at all, right? Nope. More ooc details can be found here
WARNINGS: none!

After the harrowing experience of the Perestroika Seminar last month, the government's decided that a nice, easy fun swear-in would be the best for everybody. Time to relax and recover from the harrowing events of February with a fair! The temperature's a bit brisk but the grand thing about Florida weather is that a brisk Florida March is still a warmer than average March compared to the rest of the nation: perfect fairground weather.

4PM - 6:30PM: ALL THE RIDES
The carnival has stereotypical fairground rides: ferris wheels, carousels, the gravitron, fairground swings, a tilt a whirl, everything that you know and love. This isn't Six Flags so there aren't any large roller coasters or water rides, but if it can be assembled and moved around via a large truck, expect it to be here. In true carnival fashion, the rides are staffed by twenty-somethings who desperately don't want to be there. Also in true carnival fashion, the safety of some of the rides is....slightly dubious at best. Be careful of a few spots of vomit outside some of the faster rides: some of your fellow imPorts don't take motion sickness very well.

All rides do have height requirements. Sorry tiny imPorts, have you tried the kiddie train or the smaller ferris wheel?

4PM - 6:30PM: FAIRGROUND STALLS
Some booths have fairground food. There's the staples: corn dogs, candy apples, funnel cake, lemonade, and so on. There's a scary amount of deep fried food, ranging from the sensible (pickles and oreos) to the downright disturbing (how can someone deep fry pizza?!) Some of the vendors have gotten in on the imPort craze by naming their fair food after imPorts themselves: have a nice cool Jinseok Jin-ger Ale. What about a Cindy Moon Pie? A Kaiden Alenkronut? April Ludgateorade? If a bad pun can be made of the fair food name, then somebody's selling it.

Other booths have traditional fairground games: toss darts at balloons, test your strength, skee ball, and so on. The games are all a bit rigged and all a bit overpriced, but that's part of the fun! Win yourself or that special someone a goldfish, an inflatable sword, or an overly large stuffed animal. The barkers running the games are keeping a strict eye out for imPorts using their powers...but they're only human, after all. Try and use that super-strength when nobody's looking!

6:30 PM - END: MEMORY LOSS
After the sun's set and the fairground is lit up by lights, annoyance strikes. Off to the side of one of the food stalls, there's a small explosion, producing a lot of smoke that quickly travels throughout the fairground, but not much else. The problem is, as the smoke clears, imPorts may find that their memory isn't up to snuff. Some people don't remember how they got here. Some people don't remember that they have superpowers to begin with. Some people still have all their memories. There's no pattern as to why some people have all their memories while some have lost theirs,

The fairground only stays up for about half an hour more before officials start to close everything down and hurry everyone home. After all, some of the imPorts don't remember how to use their powers. Besides, they need to figure out what caused the memory loss in the first place: could it be another Soviet attack?!?

(spoilers, no, it's just an incompetent old man with broken technology. Whoops.)

Comments

Tetsuo | OTA

[iamtetsuo]

(Note just 'cause: Those who haven't seen Tetsuo lately may note that his hair's still dyed white, though due to Heropa's climate he's shifted his wardrobe down to Kaneda's jacket and a black hat that may look familiar to those who know Kururu.)

a; Sulking in a corner

[Just because he got talked into being here (something about Kaneda needing his help if stuff goes bad), there's no way in hell Tetsuo would voluntarily show his recalcitrant, angry face in Heropa; he'd much rather be back in Nonah 05 playing video games, or working on his secret project, or his bike.

So instead of enjoying the fact there's a carnival here like a normal teenager, at first all Tetsuo does is find a less populated area out to the side somewhere and spend it eating funnel cakes. He's got a few of them around, and seems pretty intent on finishing them off himself.

He'll never register, not even if you paid him or told him he could get rid of a parole officer doing so. If you're looking to make snippy comments about life, America, war and swear-ins, here you go.]

b; Cheating Cheaters Who Cheat

[Eventually, sulking gets boring. He put up a good fight; he spent probably half an hour to an hour being mad at the world, but eventually the whirlwind of activity gets his interest enough to see him poking curiously around the edges like a hungry wolf.

In Neo Tokyo, they didn't have stuff like this. He's never been to a fairground, or a carnival; the closest he came to was fighting off a rival gang that styled themselves as demented clowns. This is all new, and unfamiliar.. and fascinating, to be honest. The rides don't hold much interest to him. After all, he's got a motorcycle, and gravity itself at his command. Going around in a circle, whatever, he can do that anyway. But the games...

After one failure, Tetsuo's ball manages to arc up a little higher than they threw it at an odd angle, falling down a little too low right into the 100 center spot. The next one also seems to move a little oddly somehow, but it goes perfectly into a winning ring, too.

The attendants are less than pleased at this. It takes little time at all for the scene to devolve into arguing - phrases like 'cheating' and and 'give me a damn prize, you bastard' thrown around. All sorts of fun family-unfriendly terminology at your disservice.

Sure, it's cheating using his powers, but if someone else throws it and it just happens to perfectly win in games that involve physics... Go on, partner up, you might not even regret it. If you're lucky you might even end up with stuff, if he wins it and doesn't care what happens to it afterwards. Or stand and watch. Or just try to argue them down.

... or take a prize and run while the attendant's distracted. ]

c; New Phone Who This

[With some new, completely pointless things and a goldfish, because Nonah 05 just didn't have enough animals yet, Tetsuo's genuinely seemed to forget to be mad at the fact he's here. In fact, he seems dangerously close to looking like he's enjoying himself. He fought for this stuff, dammit, and he's gonna keep it until he at least leaves here with it. It's the principle of the thing.

Let's ruin that.

Confusion ripples around the grounds. Some explosion somewhere catches his attention, getting him to jerk his head up, just in time for a wave of smoke to cover the area. He has to drop one of the non-goldfish things to ineffectively try to wave it out of his face, ending up coughing for a while. He spies someone he thinks he knows, and calls out to them-]

HEY! uh-

[Who? For some reason, their name just isn't coming to mind... He can remember everything else. Just... not a name.]

You! Yeah, you! What the hell was that?

C.

[braceforimpact]

[Kaworu didn't fight for anything, and if he did, it probably wouldn't have been this. Which makes it all the sadder that he still wasn't even enjoying it so much as merely experiencing it because it was there.

And then, of course, it all goes to hell.

He notices immediately a change in the atmosphere; his awareness of those around him is so exceptionally sensitive that he can't not, but this time, he can't discern a cause.

Not until something explodes.

An Evangelion--!

Wait. No, it can't be. He's the last Angel. What--

Tetsuo's voice is a distraction, and he looks back, confused--

Wait, he knows that face. That voice.

Where's Shinji--?

Why can't he feel anything?]

You should run!

[iamtetsuo]

Like hell I will! Not until you tell me what's going on!

[You, with the face that he ... did he just not get a name earlier? He thought he did....]

I could really use an icon of that one face from Rebuild right now

[braceforimpact]

They're looking for me.

[He's so completely calm about it that the delivery is downright underwhelming. The smoke, the confusion, the thing he just said--none of it seems to bother him at all.

Maybe he should have expected this. Did they knew he was considering betrayal? Or had the plan simply changed?

What did they plan to do now?

They couldn't kill him like this. Not with the Evas.

His expression was pensive, but otherwise void of emotion--

Right up until he tried to deploy his AT Field and couldn't.]

[iamtetsuo]

What'd you do?

[... Tetsuo just believes this, because that's the kind of world he lives in. If they're not after him, it's nice to know a nebulous 'they' is after someone else for a damn change. Of course, standing here talking things out isn't helpful, but what's thinking things through?

That's still not an answer enough to satisfy Tetsuo. He wants to know what's going ON, not just who's targeted here. Go on, whatsyourface. Explain.]

[braceforimpact]

...so that's how it is.

[Once Kaworu realises he's powerless, a couple of things happen.

One, he finally emotes something that might even be called distress, if you're being extraordinarily generous. It's more like 'lost and vaguely betrayed looking,' with a side of 'fatalistically resigned.' Two, he stops listening to Tetsuo for just long enough to miss the part where he's supposed to answer, and only catches onto it several seconds later, when he turns to stare at him--was he still asking questions?]

I must have become obsolete.

[That's not cryptic or anything, right?]

I can't do anything about it. You should run now, if you don't want to get hurt.

c

[resipiscent]

[Riku's pretty easily spotted, honestly. He can hear somebody yelling and then he realizes it's Tetsuo, and so he moves toward the sound of his voice. It'll be okay to abandon his known location if he's with someone who knows at least somewhat where they're going, right?]

... Something blew up. Smells like -- circuitry, maybe. Electronics.

[iamtetsuo]

No shit something blew up...

[He drops the sarcasm the next second, craning his head to try to see anything. Tetsuo's generally short stature does nothing for this; all he gets is swarms of people. It's all too jumbled to easily make out anything from their minds, too.]

Electronics...?

[resipiscent]

[Well, Riku can't see anything either, and he's significantly taller than Tetsuo. So it's not just that he's too short to see.]

Yeah. Like -- if you burned something with static electricity.

[iamtetsuo]

[So, some kind of device. What little he remembers from the last swear-in comes to mind. A lot of fog, horrors concealed inside.]

I don't like it. Cmon-

[Tetsuo cuts off, face scrunching in confusion. He knows who this is, right? But no name comes to mind. Did he never get that?]

-whatever your name is.

[resipiscent]

[wat

He squints hard for a moment -- he doesn't know --? But then he realizes that he can't remember how to go anywhere and he nods slowly.]

Mm. Okay.

[His reply is little, but he's trying not to point out the name thing. And he'd rather follow Tetsuo around than be completely lost. It's interesting to him that he actually did try to address him, though -- he's not sure he's ever heard this kid say his name out loud in previous conversations. But there's no way he doesn't know it, considering they've spoken over the network before, and all that. So it has to be... something like what happened to himself. But had he not said anything just now, Riku wouldn't have even noticed. He's not sure how to feel.]

c

[deadtective]

[Hazel, meanwhile, seems to be pulling double duty for the both of them on irritation once the explosion goes off. she'd seen the Doctor and his bullshit in passing when she'd shown up here, she knows exactly who to stick the blame on this time. the Soviets weren't nearly dumb enough for this kind of bullshit.

when she hears Tetsuo yelling at her like that, she assumes what she always does when people stoop to calling her a "you" - someone was blaming her for something and she was in trouble. considering the current situation, she can only figure that he's aware of her connection to the Doctor and expected better of her chaperoning abilities. why, Hazel has no fucking idea.]

I'm fucking working on it, alright!? I can't be on his ass 24/7!

[iamtetsuo]

[All of his growing concern and frustration latches onto good ol' whatserface, making her a lightningrod for more yelling. She knows what's going on. She has something to do with this, that's all he can figure. It's annoying - the second he'd tried to call her by name...

He should know that. They've only known each other for eight damn months. There'd even been some frustration over it.

Was that it? Was it really that he just never knew what it was??]

You're working on it...? So, you DO know something about this!

[Well, NOW he's gonna blame her.]

What happened?!

[deadtective]

[WOW THANKS A FUCKING LOT see if she doesn't take you for a ride when it comes to light that you don't remember her name.]

How the fuck should I know? I still haven't hauled my ass over there.

[she crosses her arms over her chest, shoulders hiking up defensively. you want to keep yelling, she'll yell right back.]

He probably tried to rip apart a goddamn toaster or tap into the rides' power line or some bullshit.

this could put the 'who?' in Dr. Who...

[iamtetsuo]

[Squaring his shoulders and pulling himself up to the best (lack of) height he can reach, Tetsuo scowls at ... whoever this is.]

I want to meet this guy. Right now.

[And tear into him for yet ANOTHER explosion with smoke at a swear in. Because the LAST time something like this happened.. he doesn't remember that too well, but it's the reason Tetsuo has never been back to a swear-in since. There's less monsters out there, lurking in this smoke, and he can see through it just fine unlike last time. It's different enough that he can distinguish.

But he's going to get to the bottom of this damn thing.]

[TARDIS noises intensify]

[deadtective]

Punching him's not gonna work. Trust me, I do it every fucking day.

[she doesn't think he'll try and hurt the Doctor, but Hazel doesn't want to instigate a fight against two of her favorite people if she can help it. especially not since she's fairly certain Grandpa's the only person who can reverse whatever the fuck he did if it turns out there's some kind of lasting damage.]

b;

[amadaman]

[Because surprising Tetsuo with a gigantic teddy bear would be a terrible idea, by the time Ken finds him arguing with a stall owner he's put down the ones he'd received at Dipper or Jaime's house. Wherever the gifts were least likely to meet a horrible death. He's empty-handed but for a second cup of lemonade, and he stands there for a minute or so listening to their argument before he decides to butt in.]

Aren't you the one being stubborn? [he starts, and at first it's hard to tell which person he's yelling at before he turns to the stall owner and points to the signs he has up.] It doesn't say anywhere that using powers is cheating.

[iamtetsuo]

[Tetsuo whirls on Ken the second he opens his mouth, eyes widening as he gears up to tear into him right then and there. What the hell??

But then the fight pauses in his eyes as the kid takes a side, confusion replacing some of his instant anger.

The stall owner takes NO time whatsoever, snapping back that it should be common sense that using powers is! Not everyone can do them, and it's unfair to the rest of the fairgoers!

..and with that, Tetsuo rounds back on the stall owner, leaving Ken alone. Take his side? Good. It better stay that way.]

It's common sense to win!! Who cares how?! I stood where you told me to, so there's no problem, right?!

[He.. may really need a little help actually getting anywhere beyond internet-tier argument.]

[amadaman]

I don't see how it was causing any problems, anyhow.

[What Ken's arguing for is a pretty impossible push, too. Technically it is cheating to use powers nobody else has. But still, does that apply when he's not exactly competing against anyone?]

He's not cheating you out of any actual money -- he paid you for his tries, and he won. Didn't he?

[iamtetsuo]

[Tetsuo resorts to glaring at the attendant. He doesn't need to say more; he's said more than he should have had to already.

The stall owner, determined to be stubborn, puts both hands on hips and tries to make the unwise move of ignoring Tetsuo to . And the even more unwise move saying prizes have to be earned. He can get a partial refund and then get lost.

From the look on Tetsuo's face, it's probably a good idea to not let him answer that.]

[amadaman]

[Ken doesn't answer that either. Not immediately, no.

But he rounds on Tetsuo with his back turned to the stall owner completely and says, loudly enough that he can hear,]

Is any of his stuff worth getting if he's gonna be a stinker about it, or do you want to go get something else?

c.

[rassera]

[The explosion had rocked everything, including Kaneda, who was only standing maybe a few feet from Tetsuo when it had happened. His plate drops in surprise, food clattering to the floor as he looks up and sent into a fit of coughing as the smoke swirled around them.

So much for that 'every other' theory. The Russians were at it again, huh?

At least...that's what he thought. The smoke clears after a few moments of fighting his way through it, lungs filled with too much of it to really speak properly until it's dissipated. And...aside from the populace being a little worked up over the explosion, that's all there is. No storming soldiers, no hitmen attacking. Just...a 'boom' and a bunch of confused onlookers. No one was hurt, from the looks of it...

Kaneda dusts off his jacket as he looks around, first at his food (shit, he was planning on eating that, too...) and then up to the boy standing only a few feet from him.]

...

Hey--

[His tongue stops there, freezing in place as he tries to finish that sentence. Not because of anything bad--he really did want to talk to this boy. He just...he just forgot his name.

Shit.]

You.

[iamtetsuo]

[Tetsuo's focus shifts away from the explosion completely, settling all of his anticipation and energy onto the most convenient lightningrod around. His brother did NOT just do that!]

'You'?! IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL ME, ---?

[He cuts off mid-yell, with a startled expression, then growing alarm. This is the most important person to his life, the one person that's always been a constant, no matter what. Once was... he didn't want to think about once. But forgetting the teen's name more than once was unsettling beyond belief.

Why didn't he know?! WHY?

Suddenly wide, bewildered eyes meet his brother's. What the hell?]

[rassera]

[It's just as horrifying to Kaneda, to be honest. He'd fought for this guy for half a year. A full year maybe if you include what he did back home. The single most important person in his life, every memory crisp and clear as day in his mind right down to the way the air smelled. But the name…

He couldn't even remember his own BROTHER'S name…

But the thought is shot down as he notices...that the boy isn't saying his name. Kaneda was POSITIVE that this guy knew it, too! It was all he would shout to him when he was angry, dragging out the last part…

Shouting--


Wait...what was HIS name? His eyes turn up to meet Tetsuo's in alarm.]

I...Who are you? I KNOW who you are just...what's your name?

Tell me!

[It’s a lot more frantic and desperate than he expected.]

[iamtetsuo]

[When he was dying it was in his last thought. It's what he calls during nightmares sometimes, something he held onto in the hospital and the streets. Sometimes he'd forget things, but he could never forget... It's like he's forgotten a part of himself! How could he forget that name??

Then his brother begs him to know something else, and a stab of fear cuts deep into his heart. It wasn't like he had forgotten part of himself. He had. Maybe the most important part of all, the bit that put himself under any definition.

It was the only thing left to him, part of it stripped away a long time ago. He'd clung with almost frantic determination to the part that was his alone.

But surname or given name, it didn't matter anymore. Both were gone.]

I...

[Tetsuo's voice is very small, lost in the chaos around them. It remains that small until it rises into a shrill shriek.]

I don't know! I have one, but I don't know what it is...? Why don't I know?!