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 Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:08 am
It was dark.
The fog may have been gone, but with the power at a low a minimum as possible and most of the housing kept still and silent without any of the lights or electricity, the shadows stretched further across the ground, disappearing into corners or beneath buildings.
Evening had fallen and Gale was sitting on the steps of his house, his chin in his hand.
After all the events of today, he felt rather restless. He supposed it was his own fault, but a part of him couldn't help but feel as though he were missing something somehow, as though one piece wasn't quite where it was supposed to be.
But maybe he was over thinking things, as he always did.
<< Or maybe you're just tired. >>
Jinhai's voice was soothing in the quiet darkness. Gale let out a long breath that resembled a sigh, rubbing his fingers against his temples. Tired is an understatement, he thought, and the dragon made a soft reassuring sound.Kaiyumi this is a terrible start i d e maybe just have Eva come see him or something weep
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Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 12:27 pm
She had gone through a number of possibilities in her head, most of which had sounded (really) improbable but that she clung to anyways in blind hope. Maybe he had just been...really, really tired. Maybe he had still been feeling some side effects from that whole fiasco...or maybe it was these weird mind blanks that everyone was apparently experiencing right now. Eva herself found that there were certain memories that were eluding her--she could recall things happening, but not the when or how--but those were just small incidences.
Forgetting everything about someone, on the other hand, was not "small" by any means.
Although she was usually quite comfortable visiting Gale, Eva found her stomach clenching uneasily as she made her way up the familiar path. As it was, it felt more like she was visiting a recent acquaintance rather than an old friend, and the silence of the darkness wasn't helping matters much. Just how was he going to react upon seeing her? She liked to think that he would smile at her, that between then and now, he would somehow have regained his memories of her, but...
He'll probably greet you with the same, formal politeness as coworkers usually greet one another with. Chara offered. She didn't mean to be harsh in any way, but the gorgon felt it felt to prep Eva for the worst--and most likely--scenario. It was better than seeing her have her hopes dashed.
When the house finally came into view, Eva was startled to notice that there was a figure perched on the stairs. Was that...? Yes, yes it was. Smiling wryly to herself--so much for turning around and leaving at the last minute--she took a deep breath and tried to compose herself as she approached the blond.
"Hey, Gale," She greeted with a smile, lifting her hand and weakly fluttering her fingers.
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:41 pm
Deus sounded very strange without the hum of electricity emanating from the buildings and it looked just as peculiar without the heavy covering of fog that usually prevented the evening sky from being seen. Every few seconds Gale looked skyward as though still unbelieving that there were actually stars in existence, as though he were making sure that he wasn't just imagining things.
He heard footsteps and looked up, his eyes falling on the young woman he'd seen before, her dark hair falling over her shoulder. Slightly surprised, he sat up a bit straighter, leaning back.
"Hey..." said Gale slowly, and tilted his head a little. "It's...Eva, right?" he asked hesitantly. "What brings you out here?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:17 pm
She tried not to let her uneasiness show on her face, but it was still rather evident judging by the way she kept fidgeting and brushing her hair behind her ears. "Uh, yeah. Yup, that's me!" She felt her heart sink at the hesitation in his voice, but she forced her lips to remain curved in a smile, even if it had grown fainter than how it was a moment ago.
Then it was her turn to hesitate, but upon feeling Chara gently prod her, the girl let out a sigh. She tried to speak with her usual chipper tone, but as she went on, it softly faded. "Uhh, nothing, really! I was just wondering if you'd be willing to talk? I mean, after everything that has happened, I kind of just need to...figure some things out."
There was a beat of silence, and then she shifted awkwardly, staring down at her hands. "If...you're not busy, that is! I don't want to bother you or anything if you're not up for it right now!"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:35 pm
She seemed nervous about something, though Gale couldn't quite imagine why. He wasn't that frightening (in fact, he was relatively certain that he was very definitely the opposite of frightening, bordering on the pathetic and lowly side of the scale), and he was pretty certain he hadn't met her before, which meant that he hadn't had time to offend her in any way.
At least, he hoped not. Gale looked slightly taken aback at the offer, but then he scooted over on the steps and patted the space beside him.
"No, you're perfectly willing to join me," he said, and gave her a little smile, slightly shy and hesitant. "I'm just sort of..."
He waved a noncommittal hand. "Thinking about things, I guess. Trying to take it all in, you know?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 5:30 pm
She seemed relieved when he was willing to talk, moving forward and sitting by him with an uncharacteristic timidness. Folding her hands in her lap, she let out a quiet laugh. "Right? So much has happened that it's been a bit of a struggle to take everything in, but..."
She trailed off, fidgeting with her hands before she finally turned to look at the familiar blond. Eyes suddenly becoming intent, she cleared her throat.
"Gale, I know that this is super abrupt but...do you know who Marcus is? Otto? Candace and Bix?" Eva knew that it was a lot of names to throw out at once, but she was hoping that the more names she threw out, the more likely it was for her to discover this was a general memory loss or specific.
She might have been holding her breath.
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:53 pm
He gave a soft snort, feeling the steps shudder a little as she sat down beside him. Gale leaned forward, his forearms on his knees, his fingers linked together. "So much," he murmured, and absently twisted the ring on his left index finger. "Sometimes I feel like so much always happens around here," he said ruefully.
Turning his head to look at her, his gaze widened with slight surprise, and Gale let out a little laugh.
"Of course I know Marcus," he said lightly, a smile touching his lips. "Marcus is a big git, and so is Bix, though Bix is my best mate. Candace...well, we had a bit of a rocky beginning, but she considers herself my older sister, so I suppose that's a good thing. As for Otto..."
Gale let out another snort. "He's a piece of work, but I think we've finally managed to work out a truce of sorts."
He glanced back at Eva. "Why do you ask? Do you know them?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:26 pm
"I don't think things ever stop happening around here," She answered, her tone wry as she absentmindedly played with the sleeve of her coat, "Just comes with being a hunter, I guess. Never getting a decent moment's rest until..." She trailed off then, deciding that it was a little too morbid to say aloud.
It was probably a good thing that Chara had prepared her to expect the worst, because with each thing that Gale had to say about the people she had listed off, she felt herself grow increasingly more forlorn. She knew it was kind of dumb--it wasn't as if she had really been abandoned, and this clearly wasn't his fault--but...
She didn't look at him, her eyes downcast and her voice faint as she answered. "I was just wondering if I was the only person who you've suddenly forgotten."
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 2:57 pm
He let out his breath in a small sigh. "I don't think I've gotten a decent amount of sleep in the past several years - I don't think I've gotten a decent amount of sleep ever while being here. It's too easy to go to sleep and wake up and have everything different than it was the night before."
Gale brushed a few strands of hair away from his face, about to say more, but what Eva said next stopped him dead. He turned his head slowly, his mouth slightly open, his eyes wide with shock, and suddenly he felt as though there wasn't enough air in his lungs.
...forgotten?
Jinhai was quiet, listening. Gale closed his mouth.
"...I forgot you?" he repeated quietly, his expression still frozen in stunned horror. He already knew that his memories with Stormy were all askew, but he'd actually forgotten about someone entirely?
"Are you sure?" he asked, a note of desperation in his voice. "Are you sure that it's me, that it's not just...someone you're mistaking me for? We've never met, right?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:14 pm
When she managed to force herself into looking at him, she was genuinely surprised to see the horror that had spread over his features. Although she felt a faint reluctance to go on, she found herself nodding anyways, a tiny, almost imperceptible bob of her head. Despite herself, she found her lips curling upwards in a dry smile at his questions.
"In a month and a half, it'll be my two year anniversary since I woke up and since I first met you." Eva answered softly, before emitting a short laugh, "And unless there's another blond named Gale Gentry in the Death division..."
She trailed off, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Chara murmured something then--a name. Perking up slightly, Eva's gaze flickered back to the blond.
"And Jinhai? Can he recall anything about me, or maybe even Chara...?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:20 pm
He tried to keep himself steady, because maybe this was all just a joke. There was nothing in his mind, not even a wisp of a vague familiarity, not like he'd had with Stormy. There was just...nothing at all. This girl was an entirely blank page to him.
But apparently he wasn't a blank page to her.
With every word Eva said, Gale could feel his stomach dropping a little further, his chest feeling tight.
Two years. Two years she says we've known each other.
I don't remember anything at all.
He took a sharp, startled breath hearing Jinhai's name, and could hear the dragon do the same, Jinhai making a soft, surprised sound in his head. Gale swallowed the lump in his throat and said hoarsely, "He says...
"...he says he doesn't remember either," he finished, hating the look of sadness on her face, sadness that he had caused, even if he couldn't remember it.
What have I done?
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:50 pm
She tried to hide her disappointment, but honestly, she had seen that coming. After all, had Jinhai remembered her, she was certain that the weapon would have said something already. She clenched her hands, balling them into fists in her lap as she tried to collect her feelings. It wasn't as if they couldn't become friends again, but the fact that two years of their friendship had been erased was hard for her to grasp. From their very first meeting, to all the missions they had been on together, and then when they finally reconciled after she had started dating...
She looked away again, struggling to compose herself as she felt her eyes burn and a lump form in her throat. Calm down, she urged herself, IJust keep smiling, and it'll be fine. Sure enough, when she turned back again, her lips were lightly curved upwards in a soft smile. Without any warning, she reached out to warmly clasp one of Gale's hands between both of hers.
"Look, it's not your fault, okay? I don't know what happened, but..." She faltered a little, feeling her chest tighten, "But it's okay, because even if you've forgotten me--even if I'm just a stranger--we can...we can be friends again...right?"
Her voice was cracking, and she abruptly drew away, laughing bitterly at the telltale blurring of her vision. She lifted her hands to rub at her eyes, but found that her wall was finally beginning to crumble, one piece at a time.
"No. Sorry, I--haha, geez, I really need to get a hold of myself..."
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 9:00 pm
She may have tried to hide the disappointment, but Gale saw it anyway, the way her hands balled into fists, the way she looked downward, avoiding his eyes...it was all evidence of the fact that he had done this to her, that he had forgotten her, somehow, in some way.
He felt her hands against his and glanced down at them briefly before he heard her speak, glancing up and he was both startled and stricken to see tears in her eyes, her voice beginning to tremble. Guilt and frustration and horror sank into Gale's stomach like a stone and he took a sharp breath, trying desperately to sort through everything in his mind, searching for something, anything that would tell him who she was.
There was nothing. Nothing at all.
Gale's fingers closed around Eva's.
"I'm sorry," he said, and his voice was pained, Gale squeezing her hand tightly. "I'm sorry," he said again, and his eyes searched hers, desperate for some sort of reassurance even though it was he who had forgotten, even if it was he who had hurt her.
"Please, I just..." Gale floundered for the right words, hating how scattered his thoughts were.
"We can be friends again," he said. "We'll be friends again, we can do it."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, holding it out towards Eva. "We'll be friends again," he said decisively, though he felt that awful sinking sensation again because it was his fault in the first place.
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:56 pm
The minute she felt him squeeze her hand, she felt the last of her resolve being torn down. Hand clasped over tightly over her mouth, she could only shake her head at his apologies. It wasn't his fault. She wasn't sure how he had forgotten her, or why, or even if he would ever regain those memories...but it wasn't something that she could blame him for.
If anything, she was upset at the way she was breaking down. She could hear it in his voice--the panic, the guilt. Although she had been desperate to talk to him, in the end, it felt like she had only succeeded in burdening him. Would it have been better if she hadn't approached him at all...?
It was too late for that, though. Her shoulders were quivering as she continued to stifle any noise that threatened to escape her, but at the very least, she was nodding at his reassurance. They could be friends again. A new beginning. That much she could be grateful for, right? She finally removed her hand only so that she could take the offered handkerchief, swiping roughly at her damp cheeks before lowering her head and pressing it against her eyes.
It took her a good minute or two before she finally managed to compose herself, or at least enough so for her to speak. Breathing out a shuddering sigh, she muttered an apology, which was followed by yet another, almost inaudible laugh. "W...wow. That was...embarrassing. Not how...you probably wanted to spend this day..."
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 1:05 pm
And then she was crying and Gale could feel the anguish welling in his stomach. His fingers were warm around Eva's, whose own were trembling as she sobbed, her shoulders hunched over, and Gale felt, for the most part, entirely helpless as he watched this young woman cry over him.
A young woman he couldn't even remember.
Why did I forget?
What have I done?
"No," said Gale softly, and squeezed her hand again. "No, please, don't apologize. I should be the one to say I'm sorry. Sorry for not remembering you, sorry for forgetting, for putting you through this in the first place.
"But," he added, the note of desperation still in his voice. "We can be friends again. I'll be your friend again."
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