IC CONTACT | Mask or Menace

[animated]

"Hey, you've reached Charlie Maxwell. Leave me a message. Or just text me. I might get back to you faster that way."

Comments

[stealwithit]

[ Wait, hold on. What? Whoa. Where did this disrespect come from?

She purses her lips. ]

Is too.

[ Oh, look, an easy way out of having to explain any more. ]

[animated]

Come on, Kasumi. With the black and the hood? It screams "space thief".

[stealwithit]

I'm pretty sure it screams "super attractive and mysterious rogue from the future," which could loosely be interpreted to "space thief," so okay. I'll give you that.

[animated]

Thank you.

And thank you, for finally telling me what you've been up to.

[stealwithit]

Of course.

[ A beat, during which she finds a particularly interesting empty spot on Charlie's floor to fix her gaze upon. It is such an interesting spot on the floor. ]

Shep got me thinking about making new memories, or something, so I guess this is part of that.

[animated]

Making new memories?

[stealwithit]

I know it sounds totally lame, but... It's complicated?

[animated]

Try me.

[stealwithit]

... It's... Not really a fun story, just so you know.

[animated]

I'm no stranger to depressing stories. I'm the guy who always brings up something sad when we're at parties, remember?

[stealwithit]

[ a corner of her lips turn up in a half-hearted attempt at a smile. ]

Right.

[ there's a little pause, then, as Kasumi rests her hands on her lap, and suddenly they must be very interesting as she keeps her gaze fixed down on them. She hasn't had to explain or tell this story to anyone outside of the Normandy Crew. ]

I have this... Thing, a neural implant, called a graybox. It stores things like memories, for the most part, but it can store other data, too, if you're good enough at that sort of thing. But it lets me access my memories like I'm living through it again.

I also have someone else's graybox. My old partner-in-crime, Keiji.

[animated]

[ he remembers the name, slurred out at Shepard's birthday party. It seemed like a heavy topic, and it certainly wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with Kasumi while she was drink, so he steered her away from it at the time ]

... He was more than your partner-in-crime, wasn't he?

[stealwithit]

[ Her hands ball into fists on her lap. ]

Yeah, he was.

Was I being that obvious?

[ And that's her attempt at keeping things light. ]

[animated]

Just a bit.

... What happened to him?

[stealwithit]

He got into some intel that he should have just stayed away from, and he was killed for it.

It's all in his graybox. The man who killed him took it from Keiji by force.

[ She hopes that's enough to say his head was carved open. ]

[animated]

[ It's easy enough to figure out what it takes to remove a neural implant by force ]

Jesus. I'm so sorry.

I-- but you have his graybox now, right?

[stealwithit]

[ She nods solemnly. ]

Yeah, I do. Shep helped me get it back from the man who killed him.

[animated]

Can you access what's inside it?

[stealwithit]

[ Another nod. ]

I can. It has Keiji's memories--it's all that's left of him, Charlie.

[animated]

Kasumi... How much time do you spend in those memories?

t-that icon he looks so sad i'm sorry charlie

[stealwithit]

... Do I have to answer that question?

feel the full force of his puppydog eyes

[animated]

I think that's an answer enough.

Come here, I feel like I need to give you a hug.

it's over 9000

[stealwithit]

[ The sound she makes is pretty much a half-laugh, half-about to choke up with tears, and her voice shrinks. ]

You really don't need to--

[ Don't listen to her, Charlie. She really needs a hug. ]

[animated]

[ The tone of her voice damn near breaks his heart. ]

Oh no you don't. Get over here.

[ and he does pull her into a hug. He'd stroke her hair if he could, so he just sort of settles for running a hand along the back of her hood, careful not to dislodge it ]

[stealwithit]

[ This... is new.

Kasumi honestly isn't sure when the last time anyone's comforted her like this was. Possibly, never, at least not about Keiji's death, because she went into hiding afterwards to make sure she wouldn't be found, and she didn't have anyone to turn to.

To have that now, after all this time, all of a sudden--it pushes her over the edge she didn't even know she'd been on, and she feels her vision blurring from the tears that brim in her eyes, and her body shakes with a sob. ]

Oh, god--