Shoals of Memory
This is the place in your mind where your memory pools. After a day's events, you'll often find yourself here, gazing into those glistening shallows. Sometimes you'll retrace that path to figure out why things went how they did. In time, everything either dissolves into the rest of your mind, or sinks beneath the shoals as it's replaced with newer memories.
A glimpse of some recent events is present in one of the pools. It probably isn't anything relevant. You don't plan to think about it any more than you have to.
This is the place in your mind where your memory pools. After a day's events, you'll often find yourself here, gazing into those glistening shallows. Sometimes you'll retr-Wait, hold on.
Who is that?
You've never seen that person before in your life.
Approach her?
The oddity is leaning over your memory, intently examining it. She hasn't noticed your arrival.
You take the opportunity to rush forward and bump into her side, jostling her out of her study.
hey, knock it off. just give me a few minutes, i'm not going to mess with anything over here.
Question her?
I don't recognize you. State your name and your business here, or I'll have no choice but to assume you're here on hostile terms!
cool it, i'm not disrupting any of your functions. go get the guy whose mind this is if you're that worried, okay?
Bite her!
If you're not going to elaborate, then GET OUT OF MY MIND!!
ggrrghk- you're not making this easy for either of us.
The intruder squeezes its eyes shut for a second, tracing a box in the space around itself.
Planes and angles skid into place along those hypothetical lines. Where once there was vacant mind-sea, a solid cell of psychic energy now surrounds the strange figure. A sturdy-looking hatch cements itself on one of its faces.
like i said, if you're really that worried, get your head honcho over here. he'll be able to open this thing up.
She doesn't seem to believe you're yourself. Frustrating! You suppose you'll have to show her you're the real deal, somehow.
The intruder continues to gaze into your memories, frustratingly out of biting range. Her vault of energy stands stalwart, gleaming as if to taunt you.
Attempt to open the vault?
With your opposable thumbs, you easily wheel open the hatch of the cell. The intruder barely turns around.
it's almost impressive that you brute-forced this instead of just... following my very simple instructions.
Why are you so insistent that I'm not who I know myself to be?! You don't even know me! Or- Or at least, I don't even know you!!
i'll know gareth when i see him. i don't doubt you're an element of him - maybe some sort of coping mechanism or thought pattern, i'm not sure. but you're not who i need, and i really don't want to damage a natural element of this guy's mental environment.
so fuck off, and i won't have to.
You're frustrated at getting one wall out of the way just to be greeted by another. How much effort is it going to take to get this obstinate obstacle to open up! Are you going to have to develop legs, too? Eyelids? A pair of nipples, maybe? If only you knew exactly how to crack this lock...
But you do know.
And you can do it right now.
Take control of the situation.
You try to nudge the hatch wheel around, but it's too solid to budge with just your body or your jaw. Maybe if you could put multiple points of leverage on it...
i see what i missed perfectly clearly now. my bad. i shouldn't have dragged my feet.
The words echo in your head as you're kicked back to your own mind. Spinach is nowhere to be seen.
Your intuition says that doesn't mean you're home free. Not quite yet.
The shoals lap calmly against their banks. Too calmly, for your taste.
You could just lie here, you know. You could dip yourself in your memories and stew. You could try to recount every single thing that led you to this point and rot here.
...You don't think that's a particularly wise idea, upon consideration.
Go back to the hub?