010: [visual] & [location: Hyperion Hotel] Don't mean to sound all movie-of-the-week or anything

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

"Guys, let's have a chat, shall we? I'll go to the hotel. You better be there when I come in." These words were spoken in a sweet tone, but the intent behind them was far from sweet. Finally, finally after several weeks of wondering - should I, shouldn't I ask? - Cordelia had come to a decision. And it wasn't pretty.

She went to a hatch and took out a bottle of vodka - something she deemed was necessary for her chat with Angel and Wesley. She'd get one man drunk or bash the other over the head with it - whatever's necessary to get some answers. She's tired of playing the ignorant role that they've unwittingly assigned to her, and damnit, Cordelia was going to listen to how the hell her friends ended up working for the enemy. She knew she wouldn't like it - but at least she would know.

"Angel?" she called, stepping into the hotel. She deposited her tablet on the counter. "Wesley! Where are you? I need to--"

BAM.

The room spun, and somewhere in her head there was an incessant buzzing. The bottle she held crashed to the floor, breaking into pieces and spraying liquid everywhere. Cordelia took several steps back, her mind numb and aching and geez, was it a vision? Impossible! Visions weren't supposed to hurt anymore since she was--

--lost?

When she opened her eyes, she found herself alone in a lobby of some sort. There was a broken bottle in front of her; where did it come from? Frowning, she avoided the mess and looked around. No. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't!

"Hello?" she called timidly, heading towards the counter. "Anyone here?" She picked up a phone-like thing and peered at it curiously. "What... where the hell am I?"

[Cordelia's amnesia glitch. Hello salty confusion!]

Comments

[ location: hyperion hotel] oh god angel hates you.

[undoing.livejournal.com]

Angel's got a book in hand on dimensional portals open as he comes down the stairs, lifting his eyes up from the words to acknowledge Cordelia as she came into the hotel. He's not even to the change of direction in the staircase when she dropped her bottle and lurched in a way that sent off alarms in Angel's head he didn't think would ever be set off again. He knew those jerky movements and the book was dropped on the staircase where he once stood, the vampire dashing down the steps with inhuman speed to grasp one of Cordelia's shoulders and spin her around to face him.

"Cordy? Are you okay? What did you see?"

[ location: hyperion hotel] It had to be done!

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

The tablet she held fell to the floor as she was spun to face a--

She frowned at him, brows drawn together. See? What was he talking about?

"W-what do you mean?" she asked, hand coming up to free herself from his grasp. "See?"

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[undoing.livejournal.com]

[ occ: pretend the tag above wasn't in a funky tense. tis what i get for doing bracket-style action!tags for the past hour. >.o; ]

He caught the tablet in his free hand before it could hit the ground, setting it wordlessly on the counter it had been deposited onto before she'd picked it back up after her vision -- or, what Angel believed to be a vision. Why it was hurting her, he didn't know. The demon part of her was supposed to prevent that. If this place was doing something to her to make the vision cause her pain again...

"The vision." Angel didn't question her moving out of his grasp, assuming she was still angry with him over withholding information from her. "What did you see in your vision?"

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

[ pffft ♥ ]

Okay. Weirdness, thy name was... well, whatever this man's name was.

She blinked at him repeatedly. Vision? Huh?

"I think-- I mean, sorry, but... do I know you?"

There! That should be clear enough.

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[undoing.livejournal.com]

Did she know him? Of course she knew--

There was sudden sinking feeling in the pit of Angel's stomach as realization washed over him. She didn't remember. Her memory was gone like it was after she... No. This couldn't be happening again. This was exactly what he was trying to prevent her from knowing about. He refused to let Jasmine take control and wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting inhabitants of Taxon, let alone force Cordelia into a corner of her mind where she was unable to break free and reach him or anyone else. He'd been so blind back then as to think that thing in her body was her. He should've seen. Why hadn't he seen?

"Cordelia. You...don't know me? I'm me. Angel."

[location: Hyperion]

[an-ex-watcher.livejournal.com]

See Wesley. See Wesley sulking in his room after the Halloween party for choosing a silly costume. See Wesley see Cordelia on the tablet. See Wesley run.

He's out on the landing and down the stairs as fast as is humanly possible. "Cordelia?" he calls worriedly. "What's wrong?"

[location: Hyperion]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

She looks up, seeing a man coming downstairs to... talk to her. Right? He must have heard her call out. Oh thank god.

"Are--are you the manager?" she ventures, looking around her. "Of-- the hotel? I mean, this is a hotel, right?"

[location: Hyperion]

[an-ex-watcher.livejournal.com]

See Wesley freeze.

Oh lord.

"Cordelia?" Wesley asks softly, slowly and carefully walking toward her. "We're in the Hyperion. My name is Wesley; we've worked together for two and a half years. Does any of this ring a bell?"

No no no, not here, he pleads in his mind. Not Jasmine. Not here.

[location: Hyperion]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

Despite his soft tone, she still took several steps back.

"Wesley?" she repeats. No, it doesn't ring a bell. Should it?

Re: [location: Hyperion]

[an-ex-watcher.livejournal.com]

When she steps back, Wesley stops advancing, clearly concerned. "What do you remember?" he asks, still softly.

[visual]

[dexmcduff.livejournal.com]

Now, Dexter can't account for anyone else, but when his friends go all weird, woozy and confused, he gets pretty concerned. He flicks on his tablet quickly, pausing only briefly to wonder whether somebody else should be left to handle this.

"Cor...delia...? Hey, you okay?"

[visual]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

Oh god, the phone-like thing is a phone. She yelps and nearly drops it in her surprise.

"I'm fine," she says. "I think."

She pauses. Cordelia. That's her name, right? If people kept calling her that then that should be her name.

"Thanks for asking, um...?"

[dexmcduff.livejournal.com]

Dexter visibly wilts a little when it's apparent that she doesn't remember his name. It takes him a moment to realise that hey, wait -- she doesn't seem to remember anything else, either.

"Dexter? You know, with the gecko, and the suit thing, and... yeah," he replies uneasily. "Are you sure you're okay?"

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

Dexter. Suit thing. Gecko?

She shakes her head. None of this makes any sense.

"I'm not in pain, if that's what you're asking." Well, that British guy before said she was ill, or something. But how can she be ill if--

"I'm just... I don't know." Softly she adds, "Lost."

[dexmcduff.livejournal.com]

He's concerned. Dexter has seen this happen before. ... In movies. He looks quite thoughtful.

"Do you not remember anything?" Well duh, Dexter, why else would she be acting like this? "Is anyone coming to help?"

[ visual ]

[gating-across.livejournal.com]

"Calm down, Chase."

Sheppard was going to throw the tablet to the side when he got home from visiting Cheyenne Mountain. Good thing he didn't.

[ visual ]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

She stared at him for some time, trying to see if his face was familiar to her, somehow.

"I am calm," she replied. Chase. Oh, right, that big guy said that was her last name. So why was this man calling her that instead of using either Cordelia or Cordy?

"Although, um... if you don't mind... who are you?"

[ visual ]

[gating-across.livejournal.com]

Sheppard raised an eyebrow slowly. He blinked once, and frowned.

"Too much to drink?" He asked. "John Sheppard. We're... friends." Well, more like buddies, but still.

[ visual ]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

"Drink?"

Then her eyes strayed towards the broken vodka bottle in the hotel lobby. "Oh, no. That was already there when I..." Woke up? "...arrived."

John Sheppard. "We are?" she questioned. "Wesley... didn't mention you."

[ visual ]

[gating-across.livejournal.com]

"I'm... not a friend from home." He explained. Oh boy. "Taxon sort of grabs people from everywhere and puts them here. We met here, bug each other occasionally. I don't know a guy named Wesley, but if he's someone from your home? Even better for you."

[visual]

[likeajoan.livejournal.com]

Buffy was in the middle of something boring and probably housework-related, when Cordy's transmission came rattling out of the tablet she'd left lying benignly on the kitchen counter. The smashing sound was what made Buffy hurry over to it, to see what had happened.

"Cordelia? You okay?"

[visual]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

A woman. Wesley mentioned they had a woman friend in this place, too. So this person must be...

"I'm fine, Fred! Thanks for asking."

...at least she hoped she got that name right.

[visual]

[likeajoan.livejournal.com]

Okay, Buffy was now wondering if she was crazy or just going deaf. Both of which sounded possible, if not necessarily desirable.

"Did you just call me Fred?"

[visual]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

Ah, crap. The following words were said more tentatively now:

"Uh. Yeah? I mean, unless I call you Wini. Or... Nifre?"

[visual]

[likeajoan.livejournal.com]

"Cordelia, I'm not Fred." This with an expression of profound confusion. For all she knew, Taxon had decided to change her into Fred for giggles, after all.

"Fred is brunette and Texan-- at least I think, we haven't really talked about it, but with the accent-- I'm tangenting. I'm Buffy. Are you all right? Did you hit your head?"