[Open-ish]

[darkestbefore]

Who: The members of Áine's temple and affected castmates/CR.
When: July 31 and the days following
Where: Cnoc Áine
What: Between Ablution fallout and Memory Regains, there really never is a dull moment around here. Catch-all for various happenings revolving around both.


[ Yona had hoped that perhaps, after the ablution, things might calm down for a little while at her temple, give them all a chance to catch their breaths. Work out the tensions and problems that still lingered between them so they could get back to figuring out how to work as a team, a cohesive unit.

...Unfortunately, someone somewhere seemed to have a different idea... ]

Comments

open, and late. >.>

[leapinglizard]

[Much like Hak, Jae-Ha's memories came to him while he slept, far too bright and vivid to simply be a dream. The clash of steel, the flash of Yona's red hair in the crow's nest as she loosed the arrow that turned the tide of battle-- Hak and Kija and another warrior that Jae-Ha had yet to meet here on the Far Shore if he was present at all, all fighting alongside one another under a pirate captain whose name and face were both painfully familiar, though he could remember little else about her.

Captain Gi-Gan. She was important, and he wished for the life of him that he could remember why.

The entire scene stays with him upon waking, the thick smell of smoke from the flares that had been sent up, the tang of blood in the air from open wounds. He wastes little time in setting out to find both his goddess and his fellow shinki, eager to confirm what he'd seen-- if he remembered, then certainly so did they. Yona had known him even before he came to this place, and suddenly so many of their interactions make more sense to him than they did before, even if the details remain hazy or lost.

Later in the day, he can be found training out behind the temple itself, trying to imitate and recreate some of the techniques he'd used during that particular battle, letting muscle memory guide him. The method's not perfect, but it expands his repertoire, lets him build on what his body had already known to do upon his arrival here.]

[darkestbefore]

[ Yona had had a talk already this morning with Hak in the stables and even though that had gone... about as well as expected, she's feeling a little shaken by the sudden rush of his emotions and the understanding that he had memories now.

When Jae-Ha finds her, she's settled on the steps outside her room, hands curved around a steaming cup of tea as she tries to gather her thoughts into some sort of coherent order. ]

[leapinglizard]

[He stops short when he spots her, sensing her unease-- it's entirely possible that the partial return of his memory could have been timed a bit better, from the looks of things, but he clears his throat to get her attention all the same.]

Yona-chan.

[darkestbefore]

[ She jolts a little, abruptly drawn out of her thoughts as her head comes up, but at the sight of him, a smile brightens her face, genuinely happy to see him. She shifts to angle herself towards him, patting the step beside her in invitation, if he is so inclined. ]

Jae-Ha! Good morning! Did you sleep well?

[leapinglizard]

I'm not certain I would say 'well,' but... the night was certainly eventful.

[He smiles wearily; it's genuine and warm, but in the wake of what he'd regained, he felt exhausted. He accepts her invitation, helping himself to a seat beside her.]

I remember.

[darkestbefore]

[ Despite her earlier conversation with Hak, it still catches her off guard. Both of them? ]

You... what?

[ She's going to need clarification on what exactly, before she says anything else. ]

[leapinglizard]

Not as much as I would like, but--

[He shakes his head slightly before his smile blooms wider to become something singularly smug and so very Jae-Ha.]

You knew me, before this place. We fought alongside one another.

[darkestbefore]

Jae-Ha...

[ She stares at him, worry and hope struggling within her chest as she reaches out and lays her hand on his arm. ]

What is it you remember? I need you to tell me that, before I can say anything else.

[leapinglizard]

[He drops his chin slightly, looking pleased with himself.]

The night we freed Awa. Our victory over the slavers. You were there, and so was Hak, and Kija. There was another warrior I don't know, but his name came to me-- Shin-Ah.

[darkestbefore]

[ She stares at him a moment, because they've both remembered such vital moments in her time with either of them that she has to wonder at the coincidence. Or the lack of it, perhaps?

But the recognition in his gaze is something that has been lacking since she'd first found him here and she's so overcome by the relief of what that means - just a little more leniency in the strictness of how she has had to watch every word or implication she makes. Making a small sound, her teacup clatters against the saucer when she sets it abruptly down and then spontaneously flings her arms around his neck. ]

Oh, Jae-Ha! That... You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.

[leapinglizard]

[Her launching forward takes him by surprise, but his quick reflexes do him service here, and he leans back just enough to keep the both of them balanced as he catches her, wrapping both arms around her and clasping his hands together behind her back. His heart speeds in his chest, the way it has whenever she's been near him since he first arrived here, but it seems like there's something more to it than just the connection between shinki and god.

He smiles, shaking his head faintly.]

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, kiddo. It's not in my nature to leave a lady hanging.

[darkestbefore]

You've been here, Jae-Ha. Even if you didn't remember anything else. I have ever been grateful for your presence and strength.

[ But she tips her head back to smile up at him brightly, tears in her eyes. ]

But I'm so happy you remember me - that you remember the others. It's been so very difficult being careful of my every word to never hint too much.

[leapinglizard]

You've had to keep a lot to yourself, haven't you?

[He knows exactly what would have happened if she hadn't been so tight-lipped.]

What about the others? Hak, Kija? Do they know who you are at all?

[darkestbefore]

Kija has known from the start - he remembers more than I do, in fact. Apparently, he has experienced more back home than even I have.

[ She doesn't understand how that works, only that it apparently does. ]

Hak... he woke up with a memory this morning. It was different than yours, however.

[leapinglizard]

Interesting. I wonder what he'll have to say about my sudden recollection.

[That, however, makes his eyes go wide, if only for a brief moment.]

Does he remember us, then? He knows who we are?

[darkestbefore]

[ She pauses before shaking her head. ]

No. No, his memory came from before. He... [ She hesitates, ducking her head. ] He remembers the incident that happened the night I left this palace.

[leapinglizard]

[His face falls momentarily, before he manages to summon up his usual casual demeanor, masking disappointment.]

So he won't remember me.

[He supposes he can deal with that, but he hopes it's temporary-- tip-toeing around the truth is going to be difficult, but Yona and Kija have been doing it much longer. If they can do it, so can he.]

And you can't tell me about that night, because I don't remember? Or was I even there?

[Does it count, if it was from his world but he had never been there in the first place?]

[darkestbefore]

[ She hesitates, because what is okay to say here and what is not? This is unexplored territory. Still, she hedges a risk, hoping she won't regret it. ]

You have never before stepped foot in this place before you became my shinki.

[ Did that answer his question without saying too much? ]

[leapinglizard]

[It did, and it's satisfactory-- for now.]

I wasn't there.

[That much is clear.]

Hard to say whether it's safe to tell me what happened or not, isn't it.

[darkestbefore]

[ She grimaces in frustration. ]

It is hard to say if anything is safe to say, some days. I am sorry if it has come across that I do not entrust you with such confidences - I assure you, that isn't the case. But when It's been so unclear what could pose a problem and what might not that I've held my tongue rather than risk it.

walks in here late as well >.>

[thethunderbeast]

[After his talk with Yona early that morning, Hak has been wandering around the temple grounds, mostly keeping to himself in an effort to clear his head. How well that's working? Well, that's still up in the air. It at least gives him some more time to mull over his new, or not so new, memory and what all of it means for him and for Yona.

It's certainly going to be shaking things up a lot around here. Hopefully that's the last thing that will.

...

When Jae-Ha discovers him, he's napping in the sun in the middle of the orchards, surrounded by the sweet smell of growing fruit and fresh air. He is't really sleeping, more like lounging with the sun beating down on his face, hands pillowing his head.]

<.<

[leapinglizard]

[With Hak looking so comfortable, sprawled out in the grass like that, naturally there's only one thing to do.

Jae-Ha approaches him without ceremony and begins to toe at his shoulder, hard enough to nudge but not quite a full-blown kick.]

Hey. You. Hak.

[Hi. :D]

♥

[thethunderbeast]

[He hears someone coming but doesn't open his eyes, but the nudge with his feet and the voice that follows answers those questions for him. He groans and his hand snaps up to swat the stupid foot away, his face wrinkling into a deep frown.]

You're interrupting my beauty sleep.

[He shifts and rolls over onto his side, waving a dismissive hand back up at Jae-Ha.

Bye. :D]

[leapinglizard]

Beauty sleep is a myth. Beauty is something you either have or you don't.

[And you do, Hak, so don't even try to pull that one on him. Untroubled by the swatting, he gives Hak another nudge with the toe of his boot, harder this time.]

I remember something from before.

[Wake up, Hak, this is important.]

[thethunderbeast]

[Well, that certainly catches his attention. He rolls over onto his back again and blinks a single eye open, pretending to be completely uninterested because what do you know, he remembered something this morning, too!

Too bad it wasn't you, Jae-Ha. :(]

That's a first. Was it remembering to brush your hair? It looks the same to me.

[If you thought he was going to make this easy, kindly think again.]