Re: Woods: Holly and Rafe
Holly's timeline had literally no strange shit. It was a place where magic was reserved for books and movies, and where cryptids existed firmly in legend, and where no one lived in the Matrix. So, yeah, coming here? Had been really fucked up for him. He coped the way Holly always coped, you know, which was to take it all in, and to just not let it mess with him. And these days? He just expected fucked up shit. Back home? He would've absolutely assumed Audrey had been taken by some sex trafficker. Here? No way, and he wasn't actually sure which was a better fate, but, right, anyway. They were talking about Audrey, and they were talking about why someone would take someone like Audrey. Holly had no idea, but he got that the possibilities were vast. Because, see, that was the thing about a timeline like this one? Anything was possible, which made narrowing shit down really challenging.
As for being open about things? Holly got that he had a safety net most people didn't have; the military already knew about him. They knew he was alive, and they knew he'd died here, so they knew something was up. They also knew he'd survived the Upside-Down, and he was perfectly aware they were keeping an eye on him. But, whatever, because he'd outmaneuvered them, and he was proud of that.
"Right," Holly said once Rafe spoke. "So, why bring her back? There has to be a reason, right? I mean, a reason to take her and return her. Why bother taking her in the first place? Look, call it military thinking, right? But usually plants are there for a reason. To collect information? To report back? To see something through? There has to be some reason she's here, and, yeah, it's a good idea to keep an eye on her. Everyone she knows trusts her. She's harmless, and people like her, and now? People are worried about her and feel pity. It's a perfect choice for infiltration." Which, okay, sounded totally conspiracy theory, but Holly was just working through his thoughts aloud.
But he shook his head about the memory loss. "Nah. If she's lying about the memory loss? Then she's been replaced or something, because Audrey wouldn't know shit about lying. Also, she wouldn't knowingly lie to people she cared about. I might not get along with her, but I know she's not that person. So either the memory loss is real, or she's not Audrey." Which, yeah.