Separation of Memories
Log Info
- Title: Separation of Memories
- Place: The Fernwood Pub
- Summary: In which Harkashan speaks with Reithak on what has been ailing him, and a strange small witch is met.
There's something like a 'flow' to the red on Harkashan's body. The lava-like patterns that always make him stand out so much seem to seek a more constant path now. The blacks and reds seeming to almost flow over one-another as the man sits at the Fernwood Pub, at a table.
A claw around one of the mugs. One would expect there to be beer in there, but it's just populated with water. There's food in front of him, but it's clearly been ignored by him so far. Just sitting there, warm meat that has gotten cold.
A stare at the table. A scroll to be precise, with some Draconic writing on it. A pen next to it. The creature looking... almost uncomfortable with writing anything.
Similar to the Sith's eb and flow, the Pub has its own, the comings and goings of patrons and lodgers. Sit long enough and one can swear they can see the veneer on the floor being worn away.
From above comes the sound of a yawn, and slowly, a Gnome lowers down into the seat to Harkashan's left. Dangling from the ceiling by her hair, she drops the last inch or so, plopping into the chair. For a few moments, the mass of hair curls and twists about, much like a nest of bright green snakes.
Then all of a sudden, it just flops down to her back and sides.
She yawns then, quickly covering her mouth with a hand. Blinking, she peers at Harkashan, looking very surprised sat his presence there.
There's an instinctive reaction, when something comes dangling dwon. Hair, he notes at first. But then it quickly becomes clear that the hair isn't hair, but snakes.
Having only recently heard of a gun-toting 'Medusa' capable of turning beings into stone the same way a Basalisk does, he quickly puts his buckler before his eyes and scoots back, prepared to defend himself.
Probably making a bit of a scene - since he's not the regular here.
From the main doors of the fernwood pub, the steady stream of patrons coming and going does not cease. The doors open yet again, and in steps a rather tall egalrin, who wanders into the main hall. They stop to chat with one of the waitresses before continuing inside, the commotion caught their attention, and they stride over. "Hey there, what's all this about?" The egalrin wonders allowed. "I'd rather people don't go causing a fight in the middle of the pub, it's bad for people eating their lunch."
The Gnome peers at Harkashan's reaction curiously. "My apologies, people aren't normally sitting at this particular table at this particular time. I did not mean to startle you." She squints. "It's okay to look, I am fully dressed."
Xasany eyes Reithak for a moment and shrugs.. "There's no fight here."
"Apologies..." Harkashan looks around. Nobody turning to stone. So he slowly lowers the buckler from interupting eyesight. "The serpents. I was under the impression you may have been a Medusa." He explains to the Gnome.
The Sith-makar no doubt looks a bit... 'on edge'.
"Serpents? I don't see any serpents here." The egalrin shrugs. "Usuaully people don't hide behind shields if they aren't concerned about a fight, after all."
"I don't think there are any medusa here, so you're alright big guy. Don't think you need to worry about that now, but you look like you could use some time to relax. Everything alright?"
Xasany ohs, and smiles faintly. Her hair suddenly animates and lengthens, reaching out to wrap around Reithak's hat, lifting it minorly, and then setting it back down. "My hair sometimes has a mind of its own, and tends to take on snake-like movements. That explains his shield positioning. I was wondering if I'd been wandering around without pants again..."
Xasany's hair, curling and snaking... indeed are not actual snakes. Harkashan, clearly on edge, rubs his hands near his eyes. "Apologies."
Is he seeing things now?
"I'm..." He looks confused, but sits down. "Sorry." He doesn't go into the hows or why-s. An apology will have to do here. He's embarassed enough as it is.
"Let me buy you a drink." He offers to Xasany, before looking to the Egalrin and motioning for them to sit, if they wish to join. "Deathsinger Harkashan." He then introduces himself.
"Well, I've got good news and bad news." The large egalrin chuckles, taking the hat and sweeping it once in front of them. "The bad news is I'm pretty sure you aren't wearing pants. Good news, that dress looks nice on you and you probably shouldn't be wearing them to begin with."
"To be honest, you look like you're the one needing someone to be buying you a drink, Harkashan." They point out as they take a seat nearby. "Reithak, pleased to make both of your acquaintances. Is it alright if I ask what you're up to?"
"I am Xasany Froggroomer, at your service.", she says to Harkashan and Reithak, standing up to offer a curtsey. Xas giggles at Reithak, winking cheekily. "That's the joke.", she says with a grin, finger and thumb pinching at the stretchy fabric of her stockings, pulling it out and letting it snap back into place.
Looking to Hark, she shakes her head. "You need not buy my a drink, I am not insulted or upset. It is as our Egalrin friend says, you seem a little jumpy. Perhaps you'd like to talk, sip something cold or hot, and try to relax a little. Unwind."
"I don't really... drink." Harkashan answers, as he folds up the paper he's been writing on and draws it into a little leather pouch. Pausing in the midst of doing so when Reithak asks him what he's up to.
"... Separating out memories." He answers Reithak, which probably sounds... well... either mad, or just like he's putting words together without rhyme or reason.
He then proceeds to take a drink of water, taking his time on every move he makes. Languid, in a way. "The water is good. Other than that, I need... time."
"Figured as much." The egalrin laughs. "Those stockings are something else though! You'll have to tell me how you got them or made them. Quite something to get that elasticity on them, you know?"
"Don't worry about it Harkashan, but I'm sure you still need to drink, even if there's no alcohol in it, right?" Reithak points out. "Could get you some tea or mulled cider. Or just leave you with water. Not gonna push you on that I think."
"Are you getting things confused?" The egalrin asks. "Actually, I'll leave it be. Did you hurt yourself though? If you need healing, well, I could probably help out there."
"Judging from his reaction, he seems to have had a rough fight? Perhaps we should just let it be for now?"
Chuckling, Xasany snaps them again. "Someone wove some rubber in while making the garment. Makes it stretchy. Not cheap, that's for certain."
The Sith-makar lets out a strange rumbling sound as the Egalrin inquires about things getting confused. Looking down at his fingers for a moment. "Hrrm." He then rumbles, acknowledging this, nodding his head. "I believe I know why. But it will take some time to adjust." He explains to the Egalrin. He doubts those who are not Sith-makar would truly understand what he's going through.
So, he takes another drink of water. Softskins, he suspects, would tend to believe he's perhaps just getting old. Like his memory is going. That is how things go for their own species sometimes.
He then touches his scales. "I was in a rough fight... but I did not get injured." He then adds. "I am not in need of healing."
"That is, well, I'm not sure how they managed it, but I can't argue with the results." The egalrin chuckles. "I should go see if I couldn't get some samples to try."
"Yeah, just letting it be seems to be the way to go before I say something real dumb." Reithak shrugs. "I'm honestly at a loss, but that's okay. sometimes people don't need strangers poking their beaks in their personal problems, I get it. Makari have plenty of time to sort things out, after all."
The Gnome shakes her head at Reithak, "It's alright, you are a caring person who just wanted to help out. I don't think Harkashan is upset with you, it looks like he's got something he's wrapped up in, inside his head."
The little witch grins then at the Egalrin. "These are the only one's I have. What sort of experiments are you thinking of doing that you need samples for?"
"It's is quite fine. This is not a matter so easily solved I fear." Harkashan answers to Reithak, showing a soft smile. "I appreciate the caring you are showing. I do not believe you have said anything dumb or untoward. The interest is appreciated."
He then looks at the little witch as she has to hop off and depart, before looking back to Reithak once more.
"It is not like I've come to a quick and fast solution myself." He pauses for a moment, before adding; "How often do you experience a sense of Deja Vu?"
"Upset with me? I didn't think that really, at least, not yet." The egalrin chuckles, shaking out their head and smoothing down a few feathers. "But well, I don't know? Who knows what you could do with such a fabric! But I guess that's for another day."
They wave off to the departing gnome. "Yeah, like I said, I don't think I'm stepping on myself just yet, that's all. But I should be mindful of that." Reithak shrugs again. "Deja vu? It doesn't happen to me too often, I'd say. Sometimes I might stop myself if a pattern seems too similar to one I did before, or if I'm treading too familiar of a path through a city, but, I can't think of anything that has repeated itself so out of the ordinary to be noteworthy."
"Hrrm." Again, one of those thoughtful sounds. "I am having them more often. That feeling. Deja Vu." He explains to the avian. "So, I write. Separating my memories. Being able to tell if it's just a memory I am having trouble recalling... or something else." The Sith-makar expresses to them.
He takes in a breath, and out again.
"Memories that are not my own."
The large egalrin clacks their beak once, and taps it with a claw. Reithak tilts their hat down, and to one side, to keep one eye on the shaman. "Well, I know one thing, and that's that Deja Vu isn't that common." They note. "Well, I suppose what you should be figuring out is, why do the memories feel wrong? If you've got someone who might share real memories, you could ask them for their perspective."
"Do you think they were put there, or you're receiving them somehow?"
"I can tell them apart so far." He expresses to the Egalrin. "But they are getting more vivid." He then adds, touching a clawed finger to the spot between his eyes.
"They do not feel 'wrong'. More like... impressions. Relevance. I will see a creature I do not recognize, yet get a feeling like I've seen them before." Harkashan continues to explain, before laying his elbows to the table, interlacing his fingers, and leaning forward onto the table a bit.
"I think... they come from within. From within my blood. I do not know if you are aware, but Sith-makar have a peculiar... relationship with Memories. With those who came before us."
"Ah, sorry, I should have worded that better." The egalrin sighs. "What I meant was, what makes them feel like they'd be something else."
Reithak tilts their hat again as they focus and listen. Their eyes had a certain intensity to them.
"No, I don't know much of anything about that, but I'm definitely curious about it." She admits, sounding curious as well. "If I'm getting this right, your memories are from someone who came before you, and you're noticing them more now? Can you think of anything that changed recently, or some connection between what is being remembered?"
"Instinct." He answers the Egalrin. "Awareness. It's a memory outside of reach, rather than one that comes to the forefront." The Sith-makar rumbles.
"It echoes the same way they did once before. But more intense. More... more of them."
A sway of his head, shifting his posture up a bit further. "But yes, something akin to that." He doesn't go into details of the way Sith-makar Awakened back then. What it did to their relationship to memories. The Keepers...
"Changes lately? Well, I left Am'shere. My bond with the Death-Singing Dragon has increased... I've been more proactive and dealt with different kinds of enemies... it would be hard to pinpoint a factor."
"Sounds real useful, all things considered. Any egalrin is going to pick up how to fly eventually, but it's not like they're remembering how to from someone else, they just sort of know." Reithak notes, sitting up a bit straighter to keep an eye on the makari. "So, they did before, but not to this degree, or intensity. And you have had a lot of changes."
"But there are things you can maybe rule out in some way. For example, you aren't going to have memories of Alexandria, are you? Your people haven't had contact with people outside of Am'shere for very long. So it might be more vague in what causes it, on some degree of relevance, maybe."
"And you're also real well spoken for a makari, so I doubt this is your first time in the city, either. Getting more in touch with the spirits though, that might be a promising lead."
The egalrin doesn't grin, but their eyes take a somewhat happy look to them.
Harkashan touches a hand to the bottom-front of his muzzle, considering the words offered.
"That's just the thing." He then remarks to Reithak. "I am getting memories of things beyond Am'shere. Not of specific people in Alexandria. But beings from beyond Am'shere. Things I am uncertain my people have ever encountered."
It seems the Egalrin is giving him more to think of. He sinks in thought for a moment until Reithak mentions being really well spoken.
"Ah. Thank you. I am a Speaker." He remarks. "I worked with a lot of the merchants that came into Am'shere when the portal opened up, and I worked closely with a friend to improve my language skills." He expresses to him. "Spirits hmm..."
"So, it's not just normal memories from the past, there's still more to it?" The egalrin considers after a moment. "Ah! So it's still your first time in a city like this maybe, but you already had an idea of what to expect. Right, there was a cute makari who told me a bit about that one time. They've always existed like the other castes, but now speakers deal with outside people in addition to inter group issues."
The egalrin taps their beak again, and waves to one of the waiters to request some water. "It doesn't sound malicious, at least, more like something trying to guide you. Still, something to keep an eye on."
"Hrrrm. Yes. Like that." Harkashan answers Reithak. "Though sometimes it doesn't match up quite right." He adds. Showing that it's imperfect.
There's a tilt of his head when Reithak proceeds to talk about cute Makaris. Feeling it must be someone local, he can't help but be amused and note; "Aelwyn? About this tall?" Indicating something small with a Sith-makar.
"But yes. That is correct." On the matter of speakers.
"And I indeed believe it is not malicious. But... yes. Something to keep an eye on. So... thus, the writing."
"Well, it's not going to match up perfectly, is it? Especially if well, if it's trying to equate prior knowledge and experience to a new situation." Reithak muses, before breaking out into a bit more laughter. "Oh, you know Aelwyn too? Well, hard to miss his dancing, so that makes sense, but you're also kin, so that makes it even more likely. I know him, and he is cute, but not him. She was was travelling out to Khazad-duin believe it or not, talking to some of the local stonemason guilds. She was a lot of fun to talk to, I hope she's doing alright. Must have been something else to see the stonework in Am'shere first hand since well, it was her job to have a way with words, after all."
"Hmmm." It is rare for another species to refer to a Sith-makar as a she. After all, so many of them have no idea about their sexes and genders. Or at least make some kind of off-brand comment about 'I thought it was a he' or the like.
He knows a few female Sith-makar, but they're a bit harder to just point at and go 'cute!' by Softskin standards.
He quiets nods instead, and then taps his empty cup on the table, before rising and offering a hand to the avian. "Thank you, Skysister, for listening and speaking to me." He bids. "But I should continue my travels to seek out the source of these memories."
"Happy to listen and talk to someone new, and it was interesting to meet you, Deathsinger Harkashan." The egalrin offers in return, holding out one hand. "Sounds like you've got a lot to think about, and there's only so much I can offer as an outside source at the moment. "Just keep at it, and I'm sure you'll find what you need. Just have to find the right inspiration."
"Maybe I'll see you around, and I hope to hear about what you've figured out next time. And maybe you'll let me buy you a drink? Even if there's no alcohol in it." Reithak adds with another laugh.