yyanu

B1-Caligula/c1-naked.md

@@ -97,5 +97,91 @@ must be facing me now, looking at me from behind the flame.
 
 At this point the flame was directly outside the bars of my cell. The vertical
 bars of the cage, silhouetted  against the light cast shadowy stripes sectioning
-my body and face as I stood up. [[47]]
+my body and face as I stood up [[47]] open mouthed and looking dumbfounded.
+Finally I could see a hint of the face of the first voice's high bronze brow and
+a finely sculpted nose. Her eyes were lost in shadow. 
 
+"No? Good." She seemed to take my stupefaction as compliance and quite frankly I
+was at a loss for any idea of what I might do to make things either hard or
+easy.  Escape if you can! I thought to myself. To go where? I asked myself in
+reply. I felt as though if only I could formulate some destination in mind I
+might be able to cobble together a plan. I think I had done so in the past. I
+felt as though I had in fact escaped from captivity more than once in the past,
+but now things were different. In the past I had places to go, people to see,
+and a purpose to follow. Now, I had nothing.
+
+Perhaps the situation was not that my memory had been wiped but the whole world
+as I knew it had been obliterated leaving only me, this cell and this stranger.
+And possibly the other one she spoke to out of my hearing. I felt this dreadful
+fear that if I were to kill or overpower her and her colleague and flea from
+this cell I would discover only emptiness. I would exchange this cold cell for
+the immaculate void, for an aimless, endless, suffocating abyss. Thinking this
+thought made me finally feel fear for the first time since waking, since memory
+started. I shuddered then, suddenly chilled and aware immediately of my exposed
+nakedness before this stranger. [[49]] I looked up into the flame with a
+plaintiff expression and covered myself, crossing my arms over my breasts. 
+
+"Please" I said. "the easy way."
+
+"Very good choice exile!" the woman boomed, a slight mocking tone in her praise
+but without any apparent malice. Her tone lacked the subtle or overt sneering
+sadism I expected from jailers. For what else could I call her but that? Her
+voice though held more of a sense of teasing anticipation, as though looking
+forward to bringing me into an inside joke that only she understood at the
+moment. 
+
+"So listen to me exile. If we're going to do this the easy way it means you will
+answer my questions quickly and truthfully. When you've answered what I ask, I
+shall tell you what you need to know to get out of here and begin a productive
+new life here in Exilium." She smiled. "Oh look, do you see what I did there? I
+actually gave you some fresh information already. I bet you didn't know that was
+the name of the world you were in did you? Of course you didn't it's wouldn't be
+possible for you to know. Not yet. But maybe you'll understand later. Now I've
+said enough and it's definitely your turn. Here's your first question: What is
+your name?"
+
+"My name?"
+
+"Yes my sweet, your name."
+
+This stumped me, obviously. Should I have been surprised. I mean isn't
+forgetting your own name the most typical part of the old 'amnesia' trope? I
+almost thought she must be mocking me still.
+
+"Why are you asking me?" I snapped. "Why would you be keeping me in this prison
+if you didn't even know who I was? Shouldn't you know everything you need to
+know about me already?" 
+
+"Oh no my precious. That is not at all how it works. Right now, you need to say
+your name. Until you say it, it cannot be known. Go ahead, just say your name.
+I'll let you know if you say something wrong."
+
+As odd as she sounded, I felt like something fell into place just then. I wasn't
+sure what, but I didn't feel so uncertain.
+
+"Yyanu!" I blurted out, surprised even at the strength of my own sudden
+certainty both that this was my name and also that I had never heard such a word
+before. 
+
+"Yyanu?"
+
+"Yyanu. Yyanu Nav" I expanded decisively.
+
+"Okay" the jailer finally accepted with equanimity. "That's fine. Now for your
+next question: Have you revi..."
+
+...
+
+The rest of her second as well as what must have been several more following it
+seem to have taken place outside of my mind. I know she asked me several more
+questions and I know that I answered but I do not remember. Upon reflection it
+feels as though the rest of my interrogation was something that happened to
+someone else. It is as if I stepped outside myself for a while and certain
+things were decided and an understanding was reached about me but without me.
+
+"Well that is just perfect, my child." was the next thing I recall her saying
+and she said it with unmitigated approval and almost, did I imagine it,
+affection. "I'm sure you'll fit right in. Let me give you something to wear.
+It's not much but better than nothing. Take this." [[53]] She reached between
+the bars, allowing me a glimpse of an exquisitely smooth golden-hued wrist and
+delicate fingers, and handed me a rough-spun, threadbare shift.