Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Well then," he trailed off, with a tip of his head to his newfound allies, "We'd best be off. I'm afraid we might have napped a little too long, and we wouldn't want to get left behind."

He smiled, swinging his leg up into Penelope's saddle.

"See you all soon, I hope!"

[exit]

[ entering ]


He had made it.

Well, not particularly far, but at least a quarter of the way through the journal. Mengyao made his way through the throngs of people milling about and gathered up some supplies, turning towards the nearest person - a vaguely familiar girl with dark hair (at least he thought it was dark).

"Good morning; my apologies for bumping into you."

Imryn had taken to watching two of the others fight from a safe distance, so her attention was focused on other things and not so much the people around her when suddenly finding that someone had bumped into her. Or her into them, she honestly wasn't sure with how engrossed she was on just people watching. Seemed to be a thing with her.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just fine and it is a little crowded in here. I take it you're here for a break from the journey as well?" Imryn asked after turning to face the newcomer, trying to make some conversation at least, though there was a feeling about this person that she couldn't quite place. Which may or may not have come off as staring a little too intently at their face.

He gave a small nod. "I was merely filling up my supplies and getting ready to be off again, though I was taking a small look around."

His gaze slid towards the one speaking to him, and Mengyao arched a brow, tilting his head slightly. "That I am," he said calmly. "They're very comfortable, I do admit - and you..." his eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing and observing. "Well, I'm certain you're comfortable in that as well."

So he was going to ignore her then? Fine. Her hand, which was still half raised, fell down to her side. Her wings, which were practically bristling moments before, flattened down behind her. She didn't know what he remembered of her, but it was obviously not the same as what she remembered of him.

She was already taking a step back and turning away from him when he finally spoke to her, but at that point she had already made her decision to leave, as a couple of the others had already done. After all, she had replenished her supplies, her legs had a chance to stretch, and her alpaca a moment to rest. What reason did she have to stay?

But then his stupid words had her stiffening, had her wings twitching, had a hand balling into a fist at her side.

This was not the same kind of banter they'd had before, in the world previous to this one. His words were not meant in a joking way, but meant to hurt.

She had no intention of showing how very much it did hurt, so she relaxed, her hand loosening again.

She turned back around, strode towards him, and this time she did reach up to try and turn him, though it was with a rough shove more then anything else.

"I don't know what you think you know about me, Shikoba, but let me assure you that it is, quite obviously, very little." She hissed in low tones, not at all shy about getting right up in his face if necessary.

"So let me assure you of one thing; I am not a b***h, but if you insist on calling me such, I will in turn have to insist on giving you a reason for it to be true, and believe me when I say that you will not like it."

And then, after glaring at him for a moment longer, she pushed herself away from him, muttering, quite possibly more then audibly while shaking her head. "I can not believe that I actually remember being in love with you. What a joke. What a total waste."

Three thousand years later Ami departed. She would protect the people she'd talked to. She only hoped they'd do the same.

[ exiting cause i had to pack >_

She was upset. She was upset and she was letting it show in front of all of these people. What would her parents have said to her for all of this? From what she remembered, her mother would have probably had a lot to say, her father...less, but in his own way, he was much, much worse than Mardea.

She tore herself away from those memories with a grimace, and already felt a swift pang of regret for saying anything, under her breath or otherwise. It was obvious that whatever feelings she remembered having for him were...well, less than mutual, from the way he was treating her now. But having him stare at her like that, with that expression on his face, and then telling her to say it again as he approached her.

s**t.

Wait, someone else? She squinted at him. True he didn't look quite the same as the man in her memories, the finer features still not distinguishable, his shape not as detailed, more just...simple really. But she would know him...she would know that voice, and the name was the same, and that feeling she got when he approached, the one that sent a sharp tingle along her spine...that was familiar as well.

Taking one long and deep breath to try and quell the rage she had allowed to build up inside of her, she replied, though not nearly as calmly as she might have liked, her words clipped. "No, I do not think so. If what I remember can be believed....if it is indeed a true memory and not just some complete fabrication, I love you. Or I did, once, maybe." Ugh, it was just so confusing! She absolutely hated this.

"You saved me from something." She frowned. "You made me feel...safe. And wanted. I don't think I ever felt wanted before that." There was no softness in her tone when she tried to explain, and in fact, her tone suggested that she was feeling more defensive now then anything.

"You know what? Just forget about it. I wish I could." She mumbled out that last part with her lip pulled back in a bit of a sneer. At some point, she had let her alpaca go, and it had taken off to do some grazing.

Different things. Right, she had pretty much come to that same conclusion herself the moment he had insulted her not once, but twice in the course of minutes. She tried desperately to remember that this man wasn't very nice and she probably should just keep her distance from him. It would be for the best, really. This version of herself, this one that only remembered bits and pieces of a life that might not even exist...it didn't need him, did it?

She stared at that hand for a long time, before grudgingly sliding her own into it, her smaller, not clawed hand, slipping into one that felt warm, familiar. Clawed hands that had held her, once. Clawed hands that had tilted her head up for a kiss, once. At least once.....

Clawed hands that belonged to a man that didn't remember any of it.

She was surprised to feel that her eyes were burning slightly, and quickly blinked the sensation away. It was nothing, just that they were getting quite dry from staring for too long, that was all.

"A race." She agreed. "But I will tell you one other thing before we go." She looked up into his face again, her lips turning up into a smirk.

"I also remember being a lot better then you at everything, so this should not be any different."

Hey, it wasn't a lie. She did remember it that way.