This Feels Familiar Somehow

Desi enters the white house with black curtains.

It is full of younger people, and Desi wonders if there has been a mistake. The droptop was good, Desi thought. So something should turn up.

One woman looked older than the rest. It is not the Connie, Desi thought, but she might know her, which is almost as good.

Seeing her feels familiar to Desi, like a dream or a memory. The deconstruction leaves these trace—slime trails, some call them—little hints to past experiences, some contractual, others incidental to the time period. The trouble is, Desi thought, which is this? It would certainly be nice to know.

The woman responds to Desi’s flirtations right away. Again, this feels familiar.

She kisses Desi on the mouth.

Desi likes her style. She seems like someone Desi would like to spend some time with. But the Connie is out there, in the breeze, waiting. And the clock is ticking. It is always ticking, like a heartbeat in the head.

“It won’t take us that long, love,” she says, reaching down and grabbing Desi between the legs.

Desi smiles.

She leads the way to a dark and empty room, goes inside.

Once Desi is in, her hands are quick, ripping off the clothes, tossing them away.

She brings a ferocity to her tender touch that makes sense to the body. Desi knows it well. It lives—or lived—in the hands.

The tongues and the lips go together. The fingers find the openings and feel there. The soft parts give way to the sturdy ones, and the electricity generated by it causes explosions throughout the nervous system.

They lie there, on the bed of whoever, heaving and sweating.

Desi stands, moves to the torn off clothes, and starts to dress.

“You have to go?” she asks.

“Yes,” Desi says. “I do. I have work, unfortunately.”

“Oh?” she asks.

Desi loves her accent and wonders where it comes from.

“Yes,” Desi says.

“Why is that unfortunate?” she asks. “So many wish for work these days, with the economy and all that bullshit.”

Desi likes the sounds of curses from her lips and realizes then that she could hold the body in place with only her voice, if she wanted.

“I do not like my work,” Desi says.

“So quit, then, yeah?”

“I wish that I could. In fact, I have sought help to do just that.”

She furrows her brow.

Desi sees that she does not get it. They never do.

“You might say I am addicted to my work,” Desi adds.

“Ah … that I’ve seen before, love,” she says. “Gotta just quit. It’s the only way, I’m afraid.”

“Yes. I know. Easy does it, but do it, and all that.”

Her furrow deepens then she shrugs it all away. “If you say so, love.”

She stands up, showing her long body bare and tall.

Desi cannot make the eyes turn away. She has them in her hand.

“But I’ll tell you this,” she says. “If you don’t, that job’s gonna be your grave, mate.”

Desi nods. “Yes. I have heard that one before.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She smiles and then goes down on her knees in front of Desi.

Desi nearly starts, but stops, smiles, awkwardly. With a deep breath and exhale, Desi thinks, This feels familiar somehow. All of it, and none of it.

Play procedures

• Desi is working and so is on high alert. As with all Desi chapters, you need to make a stealth check or a similar kind of roll to determine if Desi is aware of your presence. Because Desi is working, you roll at disadvantage—meaning roll twice and take the worse result of the two. Failure means Desi may have spotted you, although you won’t know for sure. If you have unlocked the ghosting secret, then you would normally roll with advantage; but here you make a normal roll instead.
• If you recognize this woman, you can try to get her a message. Two options would be to try to leave it in the bedroom before she and Desi arrive there; or, if you have telepathy, try to send it mentally.
• Write about a time that you used someone to get what you wanted, even though you really liked them. You may also find that they were using you, too.