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

[puzzlingly]

「Tyki, water u doing, dawg? Atem allows looks up at him with perplexed eyes and it takes him a moment to understand that he's examining his hair. It's not the first time someone had after all, the reactions he gets from people regarding his hair should make up for funny memories —memories that maybe he should write down, just in case— but he resumes his writing in the dirt afterwards.」

Ah... Yeah, I get what you mean.

「He's done the same a few times, but he'd rather keep his hands busy. But it's enough to assume that Tyki may be feeling unsettled. It's easy to feel so in this place.」

You have a shop?

「That takes his attention back to the man over what he's doing.」

[such_a_teez]

[Thank you for your patience with him, Atem.]

Not yet. It's in process, you might say. I'm collecting things to share, and making things to sell. Or more accurately, trade. What's money worth in this place? But information, items, things like that, they're all far more useful than anything gold or silver.

[He settles down onto the ground, not caring if he gets his suit dirty.] Honestly, I needed a project more than anything else.

[puzzlingly]

「Sounds interesting. Much more rewarding than owing the so called gods for goods sometimes.」

Sounds like a good project. Where is it? And what have you collected so far?

[such_a_teez]

[Tyki gets to have fun this way too, it gets him information and interactions. Both are things he thrives on.]

Just down in the shop district, it's near the middle with a large butterfly painted on a sign. I've got... [Tyki stops speaking for a moment, lost in thought. What doesn't he have is more like it and it's hard for him to remember it all.] I've gathered quite a bit, honestly. Some books, food and sweets, paper and coins, toys, clothes, building supplies, toiletries, monster parts and more. There's some art and taxidermy there too, it's starting to look more like a gallery than a shop. [Tyki is hard to read a lot of the time. He smiles more often than not, he doesn't like real emotion to be visible, and it's probably obvious to some at this point that they just don't get to see the real Tyki. That he's just not showing how he really feels about most issues.

But there is real and true pride on his face for a moment, this project is one that he genuinely enjoys and feels accomplishment towards.] Anything else you think I could offer? It's just what I've grabbed and scavenged for the most part, but I think it's easier than people having to go from place to place themselves.

[puzzlingly]

So, basically, you're a hoarder.

「Sorry to burst your bubble, friend. Atem, however, is exactly the opposite. Except for very flashy things he could wear... But he hasn't found anything up to his usual standards.」

Most of the things I have are just essentials, 「Or a few sentimental items.」 I don't think I could offer anything to you but trash. But I'll make sure to visit you there.

「Ouch. He's honest at least. He doesn't let the conversation make lose his focus however, and at last, he observes his work, making sure that every line is aligned, and that every symbol is perfectly written down. Any mistake could just make things blow up.」

Hey, Tyki, if I pass out can you take me somewhere safe?

「He cannot ask him to take him home, he probably doesn't know where he lives.」

[such_a_teez]

[If Tyki's supposed to be offended, he doesn't really respond appropriately. Instead he laughs lightly, amused at being called a hoarder and not really disagreeing. He's been a pack rat as of late, filling his shop with everything he can find. It's easier to fill his time wandering about looking for items than it is to fill his time in desperation longing for his family. It hurts too much when he's quiet, reflection and simplicity are his enemies in Hadriel.

Tyki raises an eyebrow at the whole passing out business.] Sure, but don't expect me to princess carry you anywhere. You'll be hauled off like a rotten sack of potatoes. Reluctantly and without too much grace to the ordeal. [Then he pauses for a moment, and sighs.] Are you likely to pass out from this? Must be hard work.

[puzzlingly]

You're such a gentleman, Tyki. 「Some good natured sarcasm, if such thing exists. As long as he doesn't leave him there if that happens!」

And, I don't know, last time that's what happened. 「He gestures at a full grown tree not so far from them.」 Helped that one grow from a seed. It knocked me out for a few days. This kind of magic uses the energy of the person to activate it. Turns out that when you're forcing a living thing grow it takes more energy than I anticipated.

I'm trying just to make it grow a little bit this time so, it should be safe, but I'm still learning.

[such_a_teez]

Of course. I aim to please, after all. [If such a thing doesn't exist, Tyki will have to relearn and find new ways to handle most of his interactions with people. Good natured ribbing and teasing is the name of the game for him. It's either that or genuine snark and irritation, and most people will take gentle teasing over a darker Tyki who's not so kind and playful.]

Sounds rough. I guess that's the sacrifice mages endure. Nurture anything with your own energy, and it's birth will exhaust you. [Tyki stretches, wondering if he's seen anything even nearly this pretty in his home world. Magic there is brutal and meant for war. Little else comes from their energies besides pain.

This is life. And he's fascinated.]

[puzzlingly]

「Carlisle had warned him about it, that growing up a tree was a task for a at least three people, and even they would have problems with it, so it was a huge accomplishment for him, a test for his very own soul. Coming out alive from it has given him a boost to his pride and confidence that maybe he can actually make a difference.」

Sacrifice, huh? 「The word makes him chuckle, but it's not really funny. If he only knew...」 Yeah, I suppose you can call it that. Do you have magic in your world too?

「All he heard him talking was about those innocence weapons, but it doesn't quite imply magic... does it?」

[such_a_teez]

Kind of. [Tyki leans back a bit, trying to get comfortable physically to make up for his current mental discomfort. He looks at what Atem is doing, and then thinks to the Earl making the Akumas. How the twisted soul locked in a machine skeleton has to force itself into the body of it's loved one that called it back from the dead. It seems base and awful and twisted compared to this. And honestly, it is.

Akumas are terrible things. And Tyki isn't sure how he feels about them now. He really didn't care much back home, but having a break from family and his lifestyle helped to pave the path for a different and very much unwanted perspective.

It's a good thing, he thinks, that he won't remember any of this when he goes back. He's changed too much, he'd be in danger for what he feels. And further separated from the family he's already a bit of a black sheep in.] It's complicated. And probably closer to alchemy than traditional magic. Nothing like what you're doing at all.

[puzzlingly]

「Unaware of the troubles that hide that seemingly calm semblance, Atem gives him a little nod, expecting him to give a bit more explanation that that—when it comes he looks up at him. If Atem knew, however, he'd tell him that there are always two sides for things, just as he had told him before about a completely different matter. Magic itself isn't good or bad, it just is, it is people who use it and assume the consequences that it might bring.」

Alchemy...? You mean... Transfiguration? I can do that too, it's way easier, in fact. 「There barely is nothing that can't be done through glyphcrafting. But Atem will not deliver that out there senselessness, it could be dangerous.」

I'll show you later— Now, watch this. 「It seems that after all that effort the glyphs finally look good enough for him—Tyki may be able to see that not all of them are senseless symbols and that a couple of them might look familiar, if he's ever seen them before anyway.

Without further ado, he places his hands on the activation circles, he barely touches them and they already make the drawings in the dirt glow. The small sapling starts reacting to the magic and glows in a soothing golden aura, it starts growing at alarming rate, for a tree anyway, like a videotape in fast forward. Atem finally moves away his hands when it has reached a third of its original size.」

That... that's good enough, don't you think?

「He forces himself to say anything at all, and while he doesn't look like he's going to pass out any time soon, he sure looks like if he had gotten sick all sudden, a bit green as if he wouldn't be able to hold his lunch for long. He still gives Tyki the cheekiest smirk he can pull off at the moment.」

[such_a_teez]

[There's just no good end possible to the magic from Tyki's world. While it's neutral, it's purposeless unless linked to violence. So in the end, it's like a child who only knows cruelty. Without some love or good exposed to it, it will grow up with very little chance of being kind. Only death can really come from the magics of Tyki's home world.]

Somewhat. It doesn't fit what other people think of alchemy. It's similar though. Very specific I think. [Tyki pulls out a cigarette from a pack in a pocket and just plays with it. He's not entirely interested in smoking right now, but he needs something to fiddle with while he watches the glyphs.

He's not sure what any of those are, he's not seen much as far as Egypt's glorious past goes. But he watches with no small amount of respect as the tree grows quickly, finding itself stronger than possible without such interventions.] More than. [Tyki was ready to catch him if he did faint, but he's rather glad that he didn't. Atem is something of a friend to Tyki. They're not entirely close at this point, but he respects his dignity and having to be carried off to safety doesn't exactly help a man's ego.] I'll admit it, I'm impressed.

[puzzlingly]

Thanks...

「That's what he should say, right? It takes him a moment but he lets himself sit on he ground instead admiring his work.」

What does people think of alchemy then?

「He tries to follow the previous thread as he recovers.」

[such_a_teez]

Usually alchemy is seen as more scientific, at least from what I know. Something pre-science, proto-magic, but something that people think might actually happen. Or some nonsense like that. It's usually a bit more realistic sounding than magic. Formulas and methods, verses chants and spells and rituals. [Tyki laughs lightly, thinking of alchemy and how it really isn't any more realistic than magic if one is to be serious about things.] Really, it all sounds the same to me. It's just energy being shaped, isn't it? No matter how you fancy it up and go about it.

[puzzlingly]

「He listens and the more he does the more the thought reminds him of what Kaiba always says, it's good that Tyki doesn't quite think so himself.」

It's not just me snapping my fingers and it's done, and even so I guess there must be something else going in those cases. These are my formulas, 「He idly runs a finger over the glyphs, effectively erasing them from the ground.」 and it took me a while to figure out a method how to activate them. I've actually studied this for a long while...

「He looks up at him.」

I wish more people thought the way you do.