I'm just a few thoughts, fragments of memory (open)

[puzzlingly]

Who: Atem and you (open, mostly)
What: Catch up log for all your needs!
Where: Places.
When: Backdated to the start of November to somewhere around the middle.
Warnings: Annoying card games references maybe! Will match format.


around | early November | open

People were gone, Gowther was gone and everything Atem used to remember of this place, gone as well. Not that Atem actually ever noticed that Gowther had never been in this place before the influx of people.

Now, that might an exaggeration, he remembers people, but not all of them, he's not sure who knows him or not anymore. It turns out it was probably not the so called gods messing with his head, but it probably didn't matter now, did it? It's like Kaiba would say, 'Just ignore it and crush it under the weight of your future', literally... He spent so much time trying to get his memories before coming here, it sure doesn't feel like something he wants to do here as well. He knows himself, he knows Kaiba, and others, and they know him. That should be enough.

He cannot help but wonder, who else did he forget? So far he hadn't found many who claimed to know him, maybe he shouldn't worry that much.

But as much as he wants to move on, he finds himself staring at people's faces, wondering if he's met them before or not. Either you may feel someone watching from where you're sitting down at the Speakeasy, and when you turn at the counter, there he is, this scrawny young man you might or not talked to before looking at your face as if it had something on it. Maybe you're just passing by as he's sitting down at the sidewalk or just as he passes by you, stealing glances from under his umbrella—were it a rainy day—or just as you're trying to find a new pair of pants at the stores, there is this pair of amaranthine bright eyes staring curiously, maybe a little worriedly even..

What do?

( ooc: A gentle reminder Atem was given a hard reset during the fourth wall event, which means he's forgotten most of the people he's met in Hadriel. Send me a PM if you wanna plot around that, otherwise please assume a clean start with your character. )

the orchard | open

「After how things went down with the first tree he grew, Atem has been taking things a little more calmly, after all, he doesn't want to pass out again from using too much energy to turn a little seed into a full grown tree, if anything he's trying to make them grow to his knee or so. And that's what he's doing at the moment, flattening the dirt around a recently planted seed, as much as he possibly can. Then he can be seen drawing some circles and markings around it, it's not that easy to make the glyphs as perfect as he wished he could, but he keeps on trying. 」

There must be an easier way...

「He mutters under his breath.」

carlisle's garden | idk the muffin man

「Just as Carlisle had cut the communication, Atem hurried down to the piers, jumped on a goddamned boat and hurried towards the North Island as fast as the winds allowed him to. It was amazing how good he had become at this sailing thing after a while, still, dreaded it—the sea was not his element, it was so wet—but not even this time he cared to get his shoes and pants wet if it meant to get to his mentor as soon as possible.

Finally, he knocks on that familiar door, perhaps a bit more obnoxiously than he should.」

Carlisle! It's me! Open up!

「He sounds really excited at least!」

butterflies also like living in pretty houses | sal

「Atem did promise he'd help beautify whatever little house Sal decided to build for his little new friend. He's been practicing in fact! Trying to build something more spacious and fireproof for his fiery salamander. Meanwhile, he waits for his friend to arrive as he writes some notes in his notebook, anything that comes to his mind that could potentially help with creating new things, or just transmuting them into something else.」

the sewing shop | margie

「Still a little unsure of what the future will bring them, Atem decides to act on it anyway, he could use a new jacket, the one he's got, even if it's from home, has seen better days. He remembers being at the sewing shop before, but everything aside of that comes as a blur to him, he pokes his head into it, expecting some kind of magic to happen and suddenly remembering everything.

He doesn't.」

Hello?

「Is anyone there?」

wildcard

( You know the drill! PM me if you want a starter for your character or just hit me up with anything you want. )

Comments

the sewing shop

[roseofthetyrells]

[Margaery is seated on a chair in the corner, back up against the wall as she stitches at the gown held in her lap. it's going to have detachable sleeves. if they end up on the jungle planet, that will make the dress cooler. if it's the ice planet, she'll be warmer. the chair is positions so that she can see everyone who walks into the shop. the position is strategic; after Caedra, she'll not be taken by surprise again.

she is mildly surprised to see Atem, at least with that confused expression on his face as though he's never been here before when she knows full well that he has. strange.

she calls out to him] Hello! I'm over here!

[puzzlingly]

「Atem goes into the store and heads to the young woman, there is something about her that's kind of tranquilizing. Maybe... he knew her? They say the heart remembers what the mind forgets, even if that hasn't been always the case for him.」

Hey, you work here, right?

「Well, obviously! She's working on a thing after all, a dress, it seems.」

[toiletseat_girl]

[George frequents the Speakeasy when she's not at the Clinic or the Lab. she doesn't drink to get drunk, she drinks because she enjoys the flavor and it's something to do. that's why she works so much at the Clinic and the Lab, so she has something to do other than sit around and mull over the fact that she's been stuck here for nearly a year and a half.

she's sitting in a corner booth, minding her own business, when she feels eyes on her. at first, she tries to ignore it. but as the feeling continues, she looks up to see Atem staring at her.

so, she waves him over. she hasn't seen him in a while, might as well hang out a little. right?]

[puzzlingly]

「Now that's a face he remembers he's sure of it!

What was her name...

Damn.

He waves back at her and approaches to her seat.」

Hey, want a drink?

around.

[whip_poor_will]

It's been a few days since Ravine had returned; not very long. Time is a strange force of nature to her, not always linear in the way she perceives reality. Sometimes it moves forwards, backwards, sideways into alternate threads... It gets more difficult to parse what is which and where and when by the end of it all...

And then she's back to the beginning.

Somewhere along the way, she catches sight of a familiar face. Her vision of him ripples and warps, and something is off about him from the time she saw him before she went and wandered the world.

Following behind Atem like a shadow, Ravine's self materializes into her usual, freakishly tall self, having to stoop over to peek her head under the umbrella. From over his shoulder, she smiles faintly, and utters in a hushed voice.

"Why the long face, friend?"

Perhaps someday she will learn herself not to do that.

[puzzlingly]

It's a little strange, a familiar sensation is what follows him, maybe it is because he takes this road every day? No, it'd feel the same every day. The young man stops and looks back, only to find a freakingly tall woman right where there didn't use to be before, right under his umbrella.

He gives a little jump and utters a funny noise, of course he wasn't expecting that! He takes a couple of steps back, surprise and a bit of dismay on his features from the scare.

It's all gone when he gets a better look at her.

Whatever fear in Atem's face is replaced with a melancholic expression in his eyes. Something deep inside him aches for her, something Gowther could not remove because it wasn't in his memories, it was deep in his heart, imprinted into his very soul. He knows her, but at the same time, he doesn't.

"Yehudit...?" Is that you? It's been so long. So long. It feels like that at any rate, those well guarded memories of his younger self felt as if they had been lost in time.

[bythewaves]

[ He doesn't mind the rain, and seldom bothers with an umbrella, resorting instead to pulling his cloak's hood up. He notes the cute umbrella, but the stare from under it is unusual ]

Atem? [ He blinks ]

What's wrong, youngling? It's unlike you to look so uncertain

[puzzlingly]

「Meanwhile Atem might or not be stealing glances only because he's trying to recognize him or not. There is something about this man—elf...?—and his perfect features that has the teen staring in a bit of awe. He's kinda cute...

Until the other says his name and Atem has to hide his face for under the umbrella in the slightest moment of panic and embarrassment. How unlike him...」

Um... Hey.「He peers from under it, still a little ashamed and gives him a bit of a shaky smile, cannot lie to him. Here goes nothing.」

I'm sorry I... 「He sighs, straightens himself and adopts a more courageous demeanor.」

I've been having some issues with my memory lately. Could you please remind me your name?

wildcard; there's a Dog in your house

[standformyself]

[She comes and she goes as she always has, although more often than not the Dog finds her way back in the evenings, to curl up in that ball after conning treats and scratches. It is odd, being so far from anything and everything that she knew, not that many knew her. A piece of what she used to be, she had come only for that brief period in Lirael's life before returning to walk her own path.

She doesn't need a doggy door and has learned how to work the knobs, extending her paws in to little fingerish nubs and turning the knob. She is fairly dry today, only having a faint smell of a dog that has been having fun in the waters. The door clicks shut softly behind her as she pads in, stretching, before her nose twitches, and she clacks softly forward in search of Atem. No one is quite as good as Lirael when it comes to scratches, but he is pretty close.]

:D let's backdate this a bit (or a lot, idk)

[puzzlingly]

「It's not strange to listen to the door opening and closing from the kitchen, he doesn't live alone after all. What is strange is not listening to Yukari say his usual "I'm home" from afar. Should he be worried? He turns from the stove just to find a Dog staring at him from the kitchen's entrance.

What in the world?」

... Hey...

「Never mind he doesn't remember her, while he does stare at her in confusion, he still approaches, kneeling down before her and reaching for that fluffy face, running his stew smelly hands all along her muzzle and reaching for her ears. All he can think is that maybe Yukari brought her with him. But the other man is nowhere to be seen.」

Got lost? How did you get in?

「Huh, stupid questions, she wouldn't be able to tell him, right? Might as well find out as he stands and attempts to leave the kitchen—」

around

[uptightness]

An umbrella likely would have been a good idea, but Carolina hadn't cared to bring one when she had set out for her morning jog. She might regret it later, but at the moment she barely even notices the dampness that is seeping in to her clothing or that is making her hair plastered to her face. She's pushed herself, harder, faster, driven by those inner demons until she has to stop, short on breath, pace racing. Her sleep has gone back to erratic, and while she knows the root of it, she doesn't want to talk about it.

Not yet, if ever.

Cutting through the shop district, Carolina had been intent on returning back to her residence. Later, she might go out to see what the shops have to offer, stocking up their supplies some more. Paranoid, but she would rather be prepared. She is more or less lost in her own thoughts, or trying to keep certain thoughts out of her mind. It is why her eyes skip over him without really paying attention, before those green spheres dance back and she pauses. Her gaze drops to Atem, seated on the sidewalk. "Hey. Enjoying the weather?"

[puzzlingly]

Some people pass by, some of them greet him with a little wave, while others simply move into their day without even looking his way. He cannot help but wonder what is it that they have to do in here, truly. If anything this place is effective only in one thing, thinking. It leaves too much time to think about things that most wouldn't want to think about. Even Atem, despite of wanting not to delve into his mind cannot help to do so when he's finished his daily chores, just stuff he's imposed to himself to do, some training, some helping here and there at the bar, his studies with glyphcrafting and practicing as much as he can, trying new things with said magic, everything just so he doesn't go back into thinking—about home, about his partner, about his friends...

It's near impossible to shut one's thoughts. Which is why the distraction is more than welcome when he sees an actual familiar face approaching. He cannot hide a honest smile when she approaches, he's just happy he remembers her.

Because, he does... right?

"Kind of, what else is there to do about it?" It's useless to get mad at the things one cannot change, besides, it could be worse, it always could be worse.

"You're... Carolina, right?" What an odd question, but he simply wants to make sure.

Orchard-After they meet again?

[such_a_teez]

[Tyki is wandering. He does it often, honestly. His mind is always a mess now, it's harder to keep the sides separate, and it's just a bother to deal with. It would have been far easier for him here if he didn't start making friends. It's a massive failure on his part, but it's so much more fun with people he actually likes.

He just wishes he didn't like them quite so much.

The orchard is a good play to stay in quiet and clear his mind lately. There are volunteers on and off to work here, but usually the place stays still and quiet. Like a graveyard for the trees that once stood here, in their verdant glory.

He didn't expect to see Atem here, much less what he's up to.] So this is what you're up to when you're not dueling?

[puzzlingly]

「Atem is taken a bit by surprise when addressed, looking up to find Tyki's face looking down at him. He lets out a little chuckle, that's something he can hear Kaiba say.」

Contrary to popular belief, I don't duel all day long, Tyki.

「He says as he, for the tenth time that day, swipes the glyphs he had written on the dirt. This will not do, he should have asked Carlisle about it, but the truth is that he doesn't want to give his mentor a hard time bothering him for every little thing.」

What brought you here?

Orchard

[fogsong]

[ The orchard used to be a location she'd haunt. She had a handful of good, pure memories wrapped into the location but now it was just a shell of its former self, just like her.

Sharon slows her walk when she spots Atem working the ground. He must be attempting that magic he used in the Speakeasy, though to what end, she can't be too sure. ]

What are you doing? [ She asks from a distance. Their last encounter ended on a somewhat sour note for her and that's evident in the way she holds herself, arms crossed. ]

[puzzlingly]

「Their last encounter, fortunately or not, hasn't been forgotten, but Atem does not show any kind of sign of resenment to her, in fact he's surprised that she's talking to him at all, to which he gives her a little smile. She should know by now he's that type.」

I'm trying to make them grow.

「He uses the distraction to take a break—not that he's working too hard anyway—and stands from his crouching position, stretching his legs a little bit.」

It's a work in progress.

Around and about

[stealyoursoul]

Leo's lost in his own world. Ever since he was attacked by Michael and the monster within him, he's been off-kilter. When things get bad, he retreats into one of the few refuges he has left: music. So he's been walking around in the rain, listening to some remixes on his iPod to clear his head.

He's wearing a leather jacket that allows most of the rain to bounce right off, listening to a tune that seems to fit right in with the weather. When he spots Atem watching him, his eyes, a darker shade of blue than any human has ever possessed, narrow a little in caution. "Come to give me one of those holier-than-thou speeches again?" He asks. Leo hasn't forgotten the last time Atem spoke to him.

[puzzlingly]

Whether if Atem knows this guy or not he's drawn by curiosity of this musical device. Not often he sees those around and can't help but feel a slight bit of envy that people can get distracted with something so simple as music than their own thoughts. It'd be nice to have one of those.

What he's not expecting is the terse comment, however, it does seem to take him aback. He knows him, there is no mistake about it.

"Not really, no." So that's what he did before? Sounds like something he'd do either way. He holds that stare with his own oddly colored eyes effortlessly, there is no real recognition in them and thus, no judgement either.

"What are you listening?" He's not going to worry too much about what was said, there is no point to it anymore.

[sallyfaced]

[Aside from the intentions Sal had when he made that network post he was also glad to have something to work on. Something to keep his mind off of other things...to keep it busy being creative. If there's anything he learned from Larry and Ash is that he actually really enjoyed little creative endeavors. They opened his eyes to one world just as Todd opened his to physics.

People were good at that. If you just listened to them your perspective could shift in interesting ways.

When Sal arrives to meet up with Atem his demeanor is perfectly chipper.]

Hey, Atem!

[puzzlingly]

「The perfectly chipper demeanor is mirrored with a smile. However now that he's meeting Sal for the first time in person (for him, only) he gets to give a quick glance at him. At the mask, specifically. Atem idly wonders what's up with it but he will not ask. It's peculiar. It is also not the strangest thing he's seen in his life.」

Hey. So, are you familiar with Egypt at all?

「There is a point to his question, he promises.」

[tongueamok]

[There's half a second where Carlisle almost regrets inviting Atem over, if only because the lad's exuberance is enough to last him a *lifetime* -- or two now, considering his renewed form. He pushes that near-regret out of mind, swallows his nerves for his sudden change in appearance, and unlocks the door to the cottage, opening it so that his student may enter.]

I can hear you just fine, you know.

[One would have to be utterly blind to miss his sudden shift in appearance. His skin, though ever pale, has a far warmer quality to it than it has in years; his eyes continue to glow a faint blue behind his glasses, but their pervasive light isn't so strong that it consumes his own eyes, hiding even his pupils from sight. Perhaps most notable of all is that his hair has shifted back from a dull grey toward the faded brown it was before the incident with the cliff, and then further still: the strands atop his head are now a vibrant cinnamon, the shorn section closer to mahogany as it forms his sideburns.

He tries to be fairly benign about it, but needless to say, he's feeling better.]

[puzzlingly]

「Carlisle opens up the door and Atem can only stare. It is true that his mentor's deterioration had been obvious, but it had been gradual, the more time he spent with him it was less evident, or maybe he had chosen to overlook it or even, had become accustomed to it. The man before him looks younger than before, healthier, more human.

The surprise transforms into a gentle smile.」

You look good.

around

[murderpotato]

[Gren's a stable fixture at the speakeasy-- it's the only bar in town, really, so where else is a barfly like him going to hang out?]

[And barfly that he is, he's learned over the many, many years what it feels like when somebody's got eyes on him. Usually he's not the object of anybody's particular attention-- his ass sits in the same spot at the same corner of the bar, a regular who just blends into the background-- so when somebody is eyeballing him, it's not a good thing.]

[He turns his head to scan the room, see where that feeling of being watched is coming from, and--]

[Jesus Christ that kid's right there]

Jesus!

[It's just that card game weird hair kid, though. The one that Gren keeps having these like, weird existential discussions with about like grief and mortality and shit. Still startled the fuck out of him, though, and he nearly spilled his drink.]

Fuck, kid, you're gonna give me a fuckin' heart attack.

[puzzlingly]

「As regular as Gren might be to the Speakeasy, unfortunately Atem cannot really remember him, and it has nothing to do related to the fact that he's been forgetting things, it probably has something to do with the fact that it might be the first time they are at the bar at the same time.

Now, that's a reaction said kid wasn't expecting. He goes around the counter and approaches to that gloomy corner.」

You okay?

around !!

[jocoeur]

"Mm?" Akira had felt that pair of eyes on him, even without the assistance from his third eye abilities. It's not as though Atem was trying to hide the fact that he was staring, and more than that, he had been a close friend, so what did it matter if he was staring at him?

But, after awhile of just standing there, a sort of blank expression about him, turning so that the light caught his lenses— he points at his own face. "Did I miss something from lunch?"

[puzzlingly]

There is something about this guy that Atem cannot put his finger on, maybe he did know him before, or maybe he just reminds him of an old, old friend from his childhood. It is so confusing it makes him a little nostalgic too.

It's all in the glasses...

The stranger asks him a question but Atem seems a tad lost in thought even when he approaches.

Again. It's the glasses.

"I don't know, did you, glasses-kun?"

the orchard

[theladyofhighever]

[Mariane has just returned to Hadriel after her long, strange week here. she hopes that it will merely be another week again--there's so much left to do back in Ferelden--but as the days pass, it becomes increasingly obvious that this time, she's meant to stay.

she's somewhat reassured by the fact that when she returned the last time, no time had passed between going and coming. she's less reassured that when she did go back, her memories of Hadriel were gone until she returned. she doesn't appreciate having her head mucked about with.

so she was searching for somewhere with a little peace and quiet and the map indicated that an orchard was on another island. that sounded perfect.

until she came there and found nearly all of the trees cut down, saplings in their places.

she does spot a familiar face from her time here, so she approaches a little nervously. he had told her to look him up should she return and there he is. but what is he doing and what is it that he speaks of?]

...there must be an easier way to do what?

[puzzlingly]

「Atem looks up at her and his eyes widen in surprise.」

Hey, it's you.

「Darn, he's actually not sure if be happy to see her or not. It's always going to be confusing. But he chooses to give her a warm smile anyway, she might be in need of that.」 

And, um, I'm trying to write some glyphs in the dirt, it's not easy without messing up.