Oopsy

Tad got a concussion, but not a bad one. :) It did impair him a bit when he woke up and sent his third text to Tessa within 24 hours. He was staring at her in his kitchen. He knew it wasn't really her, but it was enough to jog his memory.

What's happening there? Tad's brain is desperately trying to protect Tessa now that she's no longer a handler by making him forget. But it's having the opposite affect. It's that dang purple elephant. Don't think about the purple elephant. It's going to be the only thing you think about. And if you KNOW you can't remember something, you're going to try to even if you don't want to. Especially when you were already fixated. Is his obsession gone? No. It lessened a great deal once he found out she was his handler. When he had a reason he could use to explain away whatever connection he thought he felt. 

But now he's left with no connection whatsoever and hurt feelings. 

I can guarantee that Tad won't do anything with those hurt feelings other than feel them and be a little obsessed with both remembering and not remembering. He's not reactive in that way. He isn't going to hurt Tessa (with no provocation) no matter how much people think he's going to, including himself. Whether or not there is provocation is completely on Tessa and the other clowns.

Ken? Ken is starting to feel like a friend. A friend who is almost trying TOO hard to get Tad to trust him. Tad does not believe he's out of danger there. He's trying to closely watch what Ken is like with his other friends. Unfortunately, Tad needs to talk to process what he's feeling. It comes out with Ken. Which means if Ken wanted to force some sort of brainwashing on Tad, he could probably do it. He might already be testing how suggestible he might be a little. And Tad is noticing it. Both the testing and his own reaction. And he's finding it really hard to be his own person. It would be disingenuous to not admit he's been tempted enough a couple times to roll for it.

Saini is a familiar comfort for him. He's starting to take her for granted in the way he took Tommy for granted. She will be there. She will feel a little more for him than he feels for her. She is currently the only reason he hasn't asked Ken just to get it over with instead of dancing with the idea of brainwashing Tad. 

Jo is nearly an afterthought for Tad now. He saw her warrant when he went to the courthouse to see if there was anyone with "Thorn" in their profile. Later, she didn't answer his call and he eventually checked a newspaper and decided to go see her in prison (which didn't work out for more-than-one-clown-there reasons). He didn't expect to cry when she called and he admitted that he didn't have control. She doesn't know the extent that he doesn't have control yet. Will they actually get to talk in time for her to pull him back from the edge? We'll see. Maybe Ken won't wake up for a few days and she'll have a chance. 

Tad is fine. :)