31st Memory [Video/Action]

[memoryboxes]

[Sayo couldn't remember a lot concerning her kidnapping and how long she'd been gone (she never does), but it actually hadn't been long. Felt like a long time, but it wasn't. All she could think opening her eyes was that she had to go to work soon. She tries to drag herself to her feet using a fallen tree, reaching for the journal that had just fallen from numbed hands. The feed starts up staring up at the trees, where sun was streaming through.

And then the sounds of rustling stops. Off-screen, Sayo is reaching behind her ear shakily, under her hair, where a thumping jagged wound—newly stitched—ran from the back of her ear toward the back of her head. About three inches, but enough to scare her. It hurt to the touch, and maybe it was causing this pain thrumming in her head. Was this always there? This painful mark? And then it hits her.

Something's wrong.

Who's this person in her memories? Why is she thinking of these things? She doesn't remember—

"Mom, why didn't you say anything?!"

I just want to forget...

"Mom!!"

She tries to control her breathing, but the flood of images hit her from all sides, and she wraps her arms around herself. These things—she'd forgotten these things, she wanted to forget them.]

No...



[She jars the journal over with her leg, and clutches her head in her hands before she doubles over. She doesn't even remember his name. It's not fair that she remembers the rest of it: Kaji's hand clutched in hers, she fell, and then that was it. She'd forgotten. She'd forgotten what he'd done to her. She'd loved him so much—]

No!!

[Muffled by her kimono she screams at first, and then the tears start, raw and throaty sounds escaping her. Why did they give these back to her? She didn't want them. She was happy just having Kaji and never remembering the rest. She breathlessly reaches over and hits the journal away, and it lands upside down. Black screen.]

Why—why—

I thought I was... I thought you...

[She hadn't forgotten him the same way she'd played out in her mind.

He forgot her.]



[She'll get up and start wearily toward the village eventually. She just wants to get home--Mithos needs her, and she needs to get ready for the day, and... she's not sure what time it is, but she needs to go.]

[Through the first few days, she goes right back to work at the tea shop and the restaurant. She's found working to be... some sort of distraction. Anything is a welcomed distraction. She's not her usual best, but she'll try hard. She might be forgetting things that she wouldn't usually forget; lately, she's had a hard time focusing, so her notes are blurring together for her. She'll serve as usual, though. She'll be a good worker. Or at least a decent one, all things considered.]

Comments

[corrinesbell]

Wanna know the truth? Sometimes I don't either. I bet you could find out how long you've been here though, if you go backwards and look at what you've written in the journal before.

[memoryboxes]

Oh...! You're right about that, aren't you? I have been trying to look back on some older conversations... [Lately she's been scared to, since realizing how many people she's forgotten she's ever met... It comes with the territory, with her, but it still hurts.]

[corrinesbell]

...But it's not working out the way you thought?

[Something about that trailing-off was so telling. Sheena's also waiting to see if she starts to look less...troubled, as the tea kicks in. It really does work, but Sayo's still making the headache face.]

[memoryboxes]

[Her small smile falters a bit as she lifts her tea to her lips.]

I've noticed that... I've forgotten some people, mostly those I see only in passing. Those aren't so bad, but... I'm also forgetting people who've left long ago, as well.

Sometimes I fear... that maybe I'll forget someone important who's left. Like Ginko-san...

[corrinesbell]

Well, I dunno if you do this already, but you could write everybody down. Maybe say what kinda stuff they like, and what you did together - so you know them later when you need to.

And y'know...I didn't know him very well, but he seemed like the kinda guy who wouldn't mind being forgotten if it meant you were doing okay without him.

[memoryboxes]

I do try... It's just always so much to remember every day, I suppose. My mind has a hard time keeping track.

[A pause.]

I know... he'd understand, if I did. But I—he meant so much to me, forgetting him would be just too awful to imagine.

[corrinesbell]

How about asking the people you know to write down what they want to remember? Any friend of yours would wanna do that for you.

[memoryboxes]

... Actually, I think that's a wonderful idea.

I would love to remember the things that matter most to people.

[corrinesbell]

Uh, I sorta meant, to write down the stuff...the memories you share together. Even if you wrote it all down too, then you'd have it twice and there'd be more detail and stuff.

[memoryboxes]

... Oh!

Um. That's... a little more difficult. It's not so much that it's difficult to write those notes, it's just--my mind only has so much space, you could say.

[corrinesbell]

[There is a communication gap here and Sheena's pretty sure it's her.]

You're doing everything you can to keep your memories though. So it'll be okay.

[memoryboxes]

Yes... [She rubs her forehead, frowning.] I'll do my best. I'm sure it'll be alright, as long as I focus.

[corrinesbell]

D'you still have a headache? [You should finish that tea!]

[memoryboxes]

Ah! No, it's much better— [She quickly shuts herself up by chugging more of her tea, because goodness, she's focusing so much on focusing (and on NOT focusing) that she's forgotten she's even holding a cup.] I—thank you so much, Sheena-san! I'm feeling better already!

[Which wasn't entirely dishonest. Her head wasn't in as much pain... but this was particularly matters of the heart, wasn't it?]

[corrinesbell]

[She would never peg Sayo as an intentionally dishonest person but she gets a weird thread of that now. That the bright attitude may be covering something exceptionally dark. ...Something that really isn't her business if Sayo doesn't want to share.]

Sure. It's gotta be rough to have to focus on so much all the time.