  We numerically investigate the transfer of optical information from a
vector-vortex control beam to an unstructured probe beam, as mediated by an
atomic vapour. The right and left circular components of these beams drive the
atomic transitions of a double-$V$ system, with the atoms acting as a spatially
varying circular birefringent medium. Modelling the propagation of the light
fields, we find that, for short distances, the vectorial light structure is
transferred from the control field to the probe. However, for larger
propagation lengths, diffraction causes the circular components of the probe
field to spatially separate. We model this system for the D1 line of cold
rubidium atoms. Our investigation is a first step to investigating the coupled
dynamics of internal and external degrees of freedom of atoms in four wave
mixing.
