Case File 2018.07.07
Alex had spent the past few days since the incident outside of Mac's with Monty away from the Castle. He'd left without any word, but figured it was best for everyone at the moment. Plus, he'd needed some time to clear his head from the current situation. He'd take some time getting settled back into his room after returning from his wanderings outside those four walls.
Elsewhere in the Castle, the potions had finished brewing and Nedd had bottled them up with care. She'd saved the memory potion for last to pour in a coffee mug as she intended to make use of it immediately. Rhea watched as the young woman worked and inquired if she'd been an anchor before for someone. Perhaps not specifically in the manner that Nedd plans, the closest time recently that Rhea could recall was during the stop in New Orleans. Which might not be close enough but she was familiar with the concept in practice.
It took a bit, but once Nedd had the circle in place and was ready, she turned back to Rhea to explain the idea of how she intended to proceed. She had a theory that sharing a Soulgaze would create a bond, a strong enough connection between the two, so that Rhea could help pull her back should anything get out of hand. Not that sharing a Soulgaze with Nedd bothered her much in regards to what she might witness-- Liam, or rather the hitchhiker taking his body for a spin at the time when she'd first experienced one, set the bar of how to deal with near insanity burned into one's mind permanently pretty high. The unease she felt was more from concern about what others saw about herself.
Regardless of feeling like the shared moment would leave her being judged with whatever was seen by the young woman, this was perhaps the quickest way to create a strong bond between Nedd and herself in order to do this safely. Rhea agreed with the plan and let Nedd complete the set up and close the circle around them before they begin this trip down memory lane. Drinking the potion, Nedd gave it a moment before meeting Rhea's gaze. Within that moment of connection, Rhea saw the strength in the young woman that Nedd didn't seem to recognize in herself. She wanted to be brave, but it was overshadowed by all the other warriors and world class talents around her. Truely a student of magic in many ways from the impression she picked up from the connection of the Soulgaze. Though there was also something else...Nedd seated in a field of gravestones. Something to perhaps ponder on later.
It was probably only moments after the Soulgaze faded away that the memory potion started to take effect. Given their current bond with one another, Rhea was able to pick up on semi-transparent images of what Nedd witnessed under the effects of the potion. Most was a blur of images racing by fast. Nedd started to relive moments when she was much younger in her childhood as Rhea gently nudged verbally to focus on Liam. That drew up a whole other chain of memories involving the two of them when they were younger. Nedd, Liam and Elissa DeLune... Elissa's funeral... She caught herself and refocused her thoughts more to the recent kidnapping, the one she'd experienced and hoped to find clues to finding Liam. She wasn't trying to relive days past about Liam.
As she refocused her attention to the other chain of memories, Nedd started to recall the events clearly once more. How she'd been walking down the street when a bag was dropped over her head and at some point had been drugged to wake up somewhere unknown later. It was there she'd see The Heretic... or as she recalled in the memory, he'd once been called Crane. The bits that Rhea could catch and hear through their connection had her recalling Lamont Crane... but that had been a long time ago and it didn't seem possible. It would be something to address later. While the memories continued to play back for Nedd, she re-lived her time with the Reds... the pain returning as if it were fresh. Rhea kept hold of Nedd, reassuring the young woman that all those events were in the past and it wasn't happening now. That she was safe and there with Rhea right now.
Eventually the potion faded and Nedd felt mentally exhausted without getting much more than a name and a location well behind enemy lines that the Red King was not likely at anymore. She'd hoped for more... and it didn't leave them any closer to finding Liam. Rhea assured Nedd that a name was still something, and that would be something she'd look into later. Right now, her concern was keeping Nedd focused on the present and keeping her calm. The two would head to the kitchen for some tea and to chat over a more amusing first introduction of Rhea to Liam's brand of chaos before the young woman was able to retire for the evening. In the few bits of other information gained, it led to even more questions.
