[PRP] Things I Almost Remember [Forgetfulness x Thunder]

[So Long Gay Bowser]

As soon as they had reached the place Raiden referred to as the Haven, Mneme had shifted back to her true form. Gliding about the snow and the structures, she was completely in awe of this new land. It was like nothing she’d ever seen. Something white and fluffy- snow, some place in her mind told her- covered the ground, and Mneme hovered above it for a moment. Surely, if it was everywhere, it had to be safe…

But quite honestly, Mneme had no idea what to make of it.

Tentatively, when she had given herself a moment of peace, Mneme placed her paws on the ground. What she contacted with was absolutely nothing like she had expected, and she gave a slight shriek, pulling herself back into the air as quickly as possible. Paws curled tightly to her body, the little goddess stared in disbelief at the snow, a horrified expression taking her features.

“R-raiden? She asked, voice no more than a terrified squeak. Looking about, and flipping like an idiot in the process, Mneme made certain to keep herself off of the ground as she sought out the other God.

How did anyone tolerate this place?! It was cold, and felt so strange under her paws!

“Raiden, what is this place? This is so incredibly strange! A-are we really going to talk here?”  

[wooga Paes]

"Well, yeah." Raiden's voice came from seemingly nowhere, and then suddenly he was there. He was still in his bird form as he landed in the snow, unperturbed, but within moments it was as if he had been in his true form all along. "Now that you know it you should be able to just come here whenever." It was a little annoying to have to reach the haven the long way, instead of just popping on over whenever he felt like it.

He didn't stop to admire the scenery as much as she, since it wasn't really his first time here. Yes, Raiden would admit the haven had its beauty, but ti could be a little dull. He didn't even care about the temperature! "Mortals can't get here. It's impossible." He shrugged. "Not while they're alive, anyways." Sometimes would could see strange things, the closer you got to the gates. Shapes, like half forgotten memories...

It was a bit sad to him, and he was not at all curious about what was beyond the gates, what happened after true death. "Some things are just best not overheard." Even if it wasn't by Stormborn, mortals just didn't understand.

He sniffed, the haven was usually so still, and weird. The god sighed, and thumped his tail once in the snow. "So you really forgot just about everything, didn't you? Well, doesn't matter now. Anyways, we should talk about how you can tag along with me!"  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“Just pop over here...? On a whim?” She asked, completely astounded by the concept. They could do that? Just teleport from place to place? How incredible! Oh, that would make visiting Awemu so astoundingly easy! There wouldn’t be long days of travel, or diving into trees to avoid mortal’s gazes.

The things she was learning were astounding!

At the mention that mortals couldn’t reach this place, Mneme nodded in understanding. It had been a terribly high trek to this place; it would be too much for their bodies, she was sure. But… if they passed through here, when they died… it was a bit of a scary thought. Glancing about, Mneme made certain there weren’t any mortal spirits in the area. Would she even be able to see them?

Raiden asked if she’d forgotten everything, and Mneme responded with a despondent nod. There were empty holes where things were meant to be, she could tell, and it upset her. Her powers didn’t simply suppress memories… they destroyed them. It felt as if this place might be familiar, but Mneme would never be able to confirm.

“Would I be taking just a normal mortal form, as you do? Or should I do something else?” She asked, still flitting above the ground near Raiden. If he asked, she supposed she would land, but…

Not unless he asked nicely!

“I can give it my best effort, but I can’t promise I’ll be too good with these matters. Especially if you want me to know your…” Mneme ‘hm’ed’ a moment, and giggled.

“Your code! The I’m going to kill you someday business.”
 

[wooga Paes]

Raiden hadn't realized she didn't know the power as a whole. He just assumed she wouldn't have been able to come her because she didn't know where it was, and that made getting anywhere quite difficult. Sure, he could get to places he had never been before, but sometimes that ended up leaving him no where good, and really you always needed at least some idea of where you wanted to go!

"Um... yeah. Like this." Somewhere between the 'like' and the 'this', Raiden had simply stopped occupying one space and appeared in another space. It was rather instantaneous, and pretty simple. Not much drama to it! One moment he was here, next he was there. "It's easy. I guess it gets tiring if you do it too much, too fast, though. Or go too far all at once."

Even though it was very amusing and distracting that he was in the presence of a goddess who seemed to know very little about her own ability, he was also happy to continue on to other matters. The Stormborn were an interesting project to him! "Um, well. You'd be a mortal, yeah." He tapped his chin. Raiden wasn't so sure about a few other things, though. Could she really handle taking on a fake identity and becoming a pride member, like him?

"Code? Oh! Yeah. That's how the stormborn say hi, I guess. I thought it was weird at first too." But also very cool. "They say 'Someday I will kill you', or something along those lines, and you reply 'not today'. It's okay, don't worry about it too much. You'll have time to learn." He furrowed his brows, and thought.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

Raiden popped from one place to the next, and Mneme couldn’t help but giggle with delight. That was incredible! Hopefully someday, she’d be as proficient in her powers as he was. Perhaps she wouldn’t use them as regularly, but having them available was a wonderful thought. She could see the world, in a matter of moments! And no one would be able to catch her!

“I’ll be certain to be careful with it!” She promised, nodding enthusiastically. In her excitement, her paws drifted towards the ground, avoiding the plush snow just barely. But still, she seemed to be adjusting quickly to the Haven, with the promise of understanding herself more.

It was promising to know that Raiden had also found it strange- and hey, if he could adjust, she had that possibility, too! She was smiling brightly as he explained more detail to her, taking in everything she was being told.

“…Not today,” Mneme parroted, pleased with how it sounded rolling off her tongue. He assured her that she would catch on, and while the comment pacified her, she still had doubts about the situation.

“Won’t they catch on, though? That I’m not completely… adjusted, I suppose?” She asked, flicking her ears. She then sighed, despite her attempts to stay optimistic.

“I mean- I can keep up a conversation, but… I won’t know all of their codes and rules and thingies. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

 

[wooga Paes]

Her delight made him smile somewhat, because, as much as Raiden enjoyed irritating mortals, it was a very nice change that he seemed to actually be causing some more good for once. It just wasn't really the kind of interaction he typically engaged in, and that meant this was a nice change.

"Well, not really. I mean, you'd be posing as someone who just joined. But..." He furrowed his brows. "Then you'd have to win a challenge, to join. Or you'd have to become a thrall." And Raiden had a suspicion that Mneme wasn't really suited for being a thrall. She seemed somewhat more delicate than that!

"Maybe... maybe you don't even have to be a lion." He suggested. "I mean, no one would really notice if there were a bird hanging around with me." He thought.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“Ooh, that’s an excellent point” Mneme agreed, frowning a bit at the thought of a fight. She was small by nature, and had no interest in taking larger forms for the sake of battling someone. Honestly, she wouldn’t even know what to do! It was a bit of a funny thought, in theory- a grand and powerful lioness, striding into battle, only to turn tail from it shrieking in fear.

It would probably reflect terribly on Raiden, bringing such a skittish little girl to a pride of warriors.

“A bird! That sounds wonderful!” She added, brightening once more at the thought. Oh, and she’d been able to fly whenever she wanted! No one would think twice at her gliding across the skies! Learning about mortals and being able to flutter to and fro… what could be better?

“Yes, yes, yes!” It was a squealed comment, and Mneme oozed with utter delight at the prospect. Poor Raiden probably wasn’t aware of what he was getting himself into; while she was nervous and fearful on the surface, but still had her cublike wonder and giddy just waiting to come out.

Keeping that reigned in so that she could impress Raiden’s pride… well. She was going to do her best to make sure not to misbehave.

“Thank you so much for this opportunity, Raiden! You’re absolutely wonderful, and I swear I won’t disappoint you! Oh, I’m going to learn so much, and it’s going to be incredible! I’ll know what thralls are, and what to say…!”

Rambling again, Mneme had seemingly not noticed her landing in the snow. As she went on about the possibilities, her paws kneaded excitedly at the material, the goddess blissfully unaware of what she was doing.

 

[wooga Paes]

He wasn't so sure what to think about her excitement. Maybe she was too excited! but still, Raiden laughed. It was better to have an excited companion in the place of a disheartened one! "Yes, a bird! you like it?" Though he guessed he didn't need a reply.

The god Thunder couldn't help but grin a bit sheepishly at the mention fo thralls, because he wasn't so sure she'd like them. So he felt maybe it best change the subject! "So, okay. We'll do it like this, you're going to be my... uh, avian companion." He paused. "I guess it's not really that complicated. But! Just don't use any magic, or..." What else should she not do?

"Oh yeah. Don't tell people you're a goddess. Unless... Well, we can tlak about that when it comes!" He grinned. It could be quite useufl for her to make some divine appearances, though perhaps not looking quite like herself. Maybe something more ominous looking. She was too cute to really impress stormborn!  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“Like it? Of course I do! I’ll be able to fly when I please, and nobody will think twice of me if I accidentally say the wrong thing! Nobody will expect a bird to know all of their rules and traditions! It’s an absolutely wonderful idea- you’re brilliant, Raiden!” Mneme fluttered her wings in excitement, absolutely enthralled with the idea. Raiden, the poor boy, was going to have one giddy parrot on his paws from now on.

No magic, and keeping her identity a secret, were easy enough. If anyone asked, she was going to have to make up a bird backstory, but… as long as she kept her facts straight, that could be fun! An entirely new existence, of how she came to befriend a stodgy old lion. Not that Raiden was stodgy! But his character was. And Mneme respected that!

“What do you think my name should be? I obviously can’t go by Mneme! I mean, I could, but- then everyone would realize something was wrong if there was also a Goddess named Mneme! I mean, I can come up with something on my own, but if you have any ideas that are intimidating, I’d love to hear them!”

The little goddess paused a moment in her rambling, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

“And… when we head back. Should I go as a bird, from now on?”


 

[wooga Paes]

She had the right idea! So long as she didn't have squealing fits when they were actually back at the pride, things would be fine. A parrot having a squealing fit would be weird. And noisy.

"Oh, a name? Um, you can have whatever name you want." He hadn't really thought about it, or found it necessary. But hey, if it amused Mneme, that was fine. "You could be, uhm. Kibibi?" He suggested, lamely. It was repetitive, and easy to remember, at least.

"Yes, you should be a bird! ... maybe not all the time, but we'll talk about that when we get there!" He grinned. She should probably just get used to the stormborn before she started making her do some divine appearances.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“Kibibi!” Oh, what a fun thing to say! It was certainly a fun-sounding name, and it took Mneme a great deal of mental willpower not to repeat it several times. Certainly, when she was on her own, she would have the opportunity to parrot (oh! That was a funny joke, parrot. When she was a parrot,) the name a few times back to herself.

“When you say not all of the time… I’ll be myself?” She asked, still light-hearted and giddy at the thought. For the moment, however, turning into a bird seemed the appropriate action. Taking a few seconds to focus her thoughts, Mneme thought of her parrot shape once more, and was feathery over furry in a matter of seconds. Giggling to herself, the little goddess-turned-parrot flittered over to Raiden and landed on his head.

“I shouldn’t squawk obnoxiously all the time, right? That’d just… get me eaten. I’d really rather avoid being eaten,” Mneme chirped, ruffling her feathers testingly.

“You won’t let me get eaten, right?”

 

[wooga Paes]

He was very glad she had taken to the name, because that saved him having to think of more. It was good to get things out of the way, even if they were nearly insignificant things! As for her next question, that he had to be a bit more careful about. "Um... no." He frowned, not wanting to step on any toes. Mneme was a nice girl, but also looked sort of sensitive! Since she was an immortal like him, he automatically cared more about what she thought.

"See, I have a few ideas. Thorgnyr is a messenger of the gods, right? So at some point, maybe you could show up as a god. But... Well, not necessarily Meneme, the goddess of forgetfulness." This was what he was worried about her taking the wrong way. But come to think of it, Meneme could probably handle it just fine. She understood it was all a game! "The stormborn worship... scary, powerful, fearsome gods. The 'I will smite you if you wrong me!' sort. Do you think you could look scary sometimes?"

He watched her flit around as a parrot, happy she was getting familiar with the form quickly enough. As an avian she even had more liberty to fly off and be herself more often than he could, as Thorgnyr had to be around more often than otherwise! Which also meant he should probably be getting back sometime soon. "Of course not! You'll be my little companion. No one will want to wrong me and eat you." Thorgnyr could beat people up.

...theoretically. Raiden found fighting fair (as in, not using his godly powers) rather difficult.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“I understand,” Mneme nodded, her little bird head bobbing with a smile. While she was unusual looking, she was beginning to understand that she was not a terrifying little creature- at all. She had more of a penchant for sweet things, and being herself. Scary was something she was going to have to put an active effort into.

“I’ll give it my best. When I take time to… go visit Awemu, and see things outside of the pride, I’ll do my best to be terrifying! You’ll be amazed how scary I look!” She giggled, though it sounded more akin to chirps than it did her normal laugh.

“In fact, you might even end up being scared by me! Isn’t that a thought?” If she worked hard enough at it, she really could scare Raiden! Yes, yes, that would be her new goal! Still perched lazily, Mneme wondered what she could do to be the sort of fear-inducing goddess Raiden would need. It would take a good amount of thought, probably. Some imagination, and maybe looking back on some of her nightmares…

“Thank you!” She chirped, pulled once more from her thoughts. Pleased that she wouldn’t be eaten on the whim of some brute, Mneme-the-bird nuzzled against Raiden. If he wasn’t the sort for little bits of affection, well…

…Well, that was just his problem! Because she was so excited she couldn’t help it!
 

[wooga Paes]

Phew! He was worried she might be upset, but perhaps Raiden had Mneme pegged the wrong way. "Oh yeah! I bet." He still couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of her being terrifying, however. But it was hard to scare a god. Mortals were much easier, she could probably freak one out just by blinking at them too rapidly.

"Sure you'll scare me, sure." He smiled, keeping in mind someday he might have to feign fear to please her. "Alright! so we should get going." He said, standing up in the snow and pawing at it idly. "You know how to get back to where we met?" Just to make sure. "Or would you rather... er... fly." Oh geez, that long trip again.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

“You don’t seem too happy about flying,” Mneme laughed softly, shaking her head at the thought. Even she could admit the trip had been exhausting- making it twice in one day was utterly ridiculous. Raiden was bigger than her, certainly, but making her new friend do that… ugh. She couldn’t handle the thought of being so presumptuous and rude.

“I think I’ll be just fine, teleporting myself back there. I do have a question, though!” She chirped suddenly, letting Raiden go and fluttering in front of him. Staring at the larger lion, the little parrot tried to both gesture and flap her wings- an action which resulted in her flying every-which-way.

“I was wonder— Oh goodness!” She squawked, very nearly crashing into Raiden once more. Laughing in nervousness, she decided *not* to gesture while flying. It just seemed like the smarter idea.

“Okay!” Mneme started again, once she’d righted herself.

“What I was wondering was- is, I suppose, is is the word that makes sense there… what I was wondering is, is it easier to teleport when you’re in a smaller form? Like, being a parrot, would I have an easier time popping in and out of places?”