[it had come back to that after all. His fingers toyed with the the cloth around his neck, but he didn't know how much actual good the old scars would do him. There were certainly no predators within the Holy barrier, but Eiki could pin it on a predator outside of it, or even once the queerats.]
What about Takamichi? He bullied you all the time.
[That name was familiar to both of them, and Haruna had mentioned it before, but it had slid past them, slippery. Hard to hold onto. Who was Takamichi? Had Eiki ever been bullied? (By anyone but Uzuki, of course). It felt... difficult to grasp.]
Who is that?
[Though she half feels like she knows the answer. But wants to make him say it.]
[patient, Haruna turned over what he remembered, haltingly as it came to him]
Our other group member. He made you carry his books. He tried to scare you... Uzuki and he hated each other; they both always wanted to be the leader. When she was away after her Cantus awakened he went after you and stole your books, then threw them outside the Holy Barrier. That's when I hit him.
They would have been... twelve, if he was telling the truth. But Eiki didn't remember it. Neither did Uzuki. It was hard in particular for her to remember much from before her cantus was awakened (because their connection was so much weaker then, an ever present insecurity reminded her).
He eyes him suspiciously, leaning back against a tree, not casual but guarded.]
Let... let me think.
[They needed a minute.
It was possible, Eiki pointed out. They were more familiar with the ability to change or erase memories than most. Eiki had done it to others and only learned how by exploring what was done to him. He was aware his memories weren't whole, but it wasn't that easy to recover what you didn't know had been lost.
He did remember her, most didn't. The loss of a child to queerats would have strained the community, that was the reason they'd sussed out. It had never made her any happier about it, and Eiki avoided pointing out the reasonableness of the act.
If, then, this person was telling the truth, he had known them as children, and hadn't been present to have his memories altered. Why...? And what had happened to this other person as well?
Uzuki chews on her lip while they consult and after a moment looks up at him, sharp and suspicious but listening.]
[Haruna left him to his thoughts, retreating to his own. He hadn't really considered what exactly Eiki meant to him as a token of his old life; the pang of nostalgia he felt was acute enough to make him uneasy. Eiki could still know his parents... Would they remember him? Would they have had another child?
At least if he could know they were doing well...
Eiki's voice shook him out of his thoughts. He paused a moment to collect himself before answering, squaring his gaze with the other man's]
I was selected to be killed once they found out I didn't have death feedback—Takamichi too, I'd guess. My parents told me to leave, but I didn't believe them until I saw the tainted cat stalking me.
[Eiki reclaimed control again, but stayed leaning up against the tree. They didn't usually switch this often but the situation was somewhat dramatic, still, it was habit to not be too obvious about it. His features, however, still smoothed out, cooler.
He paused, thinking alone while watching Haruna, lips pursed. It was true he had never heard of a human not having the deathfeed back. But how often was it possible to find out...? Would they really dispose of children who didn't have it.
...Uzuki was doubtful, Eiki was less so.]
If what you say is true I should be able to recover those memories.
[it caught him off guard a little. that, at least, was more promising than anything else Eiki had said. If he could be persuaded to believe Haruna...
... Probably nothing would change. regardless of the circumstances and imbalanced retribution the humans had taken afterwards, the queerats had killed his sister. The best he could hope for was Eiki promising to leave and not come back]
I don't know how; it's not something I have any experience with.
[Lifts off the ground, not fast enough to make an escape, just looking over the trees for their general location. And once he has an idea of it settles down and starts heading deliberately away from any nearby colonies.]
[He walks until he finds an area with thick flora on all sides and then with his cantus uses a firm roll of air to 'sweep' the area free of debrie and insects, and then begins to pull the branches of the trees over and toward them, weaving them together like a basket covering them.
He continues this for several minutes, putting obvious concentration into the construction, using the darkness to look for any obvious holes which are quickly filled by winding vines or woven branches.]
[Eiki says when the room they've created is dark, minus a few glimmering shreds of light filtering through the thick weave. He turns and sits down on the ground, a flame bursts to life in front of him, like a campfire, but floating just off the ground, feeding on nothing.]
Like any other aspect of cantus, you need to understand what you're working with to accurately manipulate it. It's the same with memories. If you want to help me recover my memories of you then you're going to need to allow me access to yours.
[That was... not entirely true. But Eiki has no interest in being honest and he doubted this fiend knew the first thing about memory manipulation. He was surprised he could use his cantus halfway decently at all.]
[after he had sat down as well, about a quarter turn around the fire from him. Though his tone was simply questioning, his expression was more obviously dubious]
[Eiki doesn't appear to be looking at Haruna's expression, focusing instead on the flame, which is slowly moving to the left, then the right, just barely flicking in a breeze only it can feel.]
Watch the fire. Tell me what you remember from back then.
[As he speaks, Eiki's voice becomes... warmer. Not losing it's calm evenness but dulling the previously sharpened edges of words. He has a very pleasant voice when he wants to. The shift is gradual. It sounds like he's relaxing as well.]
[there was a long pause before he spoke as he turned the situation over. Worst case scenario, Eiki would erase those memories and flee. He'd be no worse off than before, maybe even better...
And it was—nice. Listening to Eiki's voice like this. Most of the queerats could not manage human language very well, more suited to the sharp, jerky noises of their own tongue; even Soremaru had the faint, growling undertone. He had not known he missed the sound of a human voice until now, and the warmth of it seeped into him]
There weren't many of us left. Uzuki had just graduated, so there was you, me, Takamichi, and two others.
[he stopped, watching the memories play out in his mind. he could recite the facts all day, but it didn't feel like it would be enough]
[Eiki supplied, his voice faintly encouraging. He could remember those details fine. And there was this faintest flicker, this sense that there were more, there had to have been more. He hadn't been among the last three, had he? His cantus had awakened not long after his sister's...
But his mind wasn't really focused on that, he would recover those memories later, for now he wanted Haruna to lower his guard. This wasn't the only way to hypnotize someone, but it was perhaps the best. A more blunt approach, particularly on an adult, particularly on such a strange adult, came with more risks, more difficulties.
He continued to make the flame sway evenly, it required almost no focus on his part.]
I remember going to the orchards. It seemed unbelievable, how much fruit could come from one tree. Were you there..?
The keeper pulled all the fruit off of one tree in a second flat—every last piece, enough to fill three barrels. We weren't allowed to climb the trees but Uzuki and Yamato argued about who could climb higher the entire time.
[It was still strangely jarring to hear someone say Uzumi's name so easily, which such casual certainty.
It takes him another moment of staring at the flame to regain his train of thought. Putting aside details he couldn't dwell on for now.]
We at there that day, any fruit you could want. I think we all got sick on it.
[Just keep Haruna calm, distracted. And Eiki began to nudge gently at his mind, not aiming for memories but will. Most people didn't understand that manipulating the mind was no different than manipulating anything else. And Eiki could easily envision people letting go around him, trusting his face, his voice. He wasn't a violent or intimidating person. He had been bullied in school. Overlooked in classes. He was quiet and nonthreatening. There was no reason not to trust him, to not answer his questions, to not listen to his suggestions.]
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[An automatic response.
It had been years since they had feared tainted cats but...
She shakes her head.]
You can't just say whatever you want. I don't even know you.
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What about Takamichi? He bullied you all the time.
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[That name was familiar to both of them, and Haruna had mentioned it before, but it had slid past them, slippery. Hard to hold onto. Who was Takamichi? Had Eiki ever been bullied? (By anyone but Uzuki, of course). It felt... difficult to grasp.]
Who is that?
[Though she half feels like she knows the answer. But wants to make him say it.]
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Our other group member. He made you carry his books. He tried to scare you... Uzuki and he hated each other; they both always wanted to be the leader. When she was away after her Cantus awakened he went after you and stole your books, then threw them outside the Holy Barrier. That's when I hit him.
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They would have been... twelve, if he was telling the truth. But Eiki didn't remember it. Neither did Uzuki. It was hard in particular for her to remember much from before her cantus was awakened (because their connection was so much weaker then, an ever present insecurity reminded her).
He eyes him suspiciously, leaning back against a tree, not casual but guarded.]
Let... let me think.
[They needed a minute.
It was possible, Eiki pointed out. They were more familiar with the ability to change or erase memories than most. Eiki had done it to others and only learned how by exploring what was done to him. He was aware his memories weren't whole, but it wasn't that easy to recover what you didn't know had been lost.
He did remember her, most didn't. The loss of a child to queerats would have strained the community, that was the reason they'd sussed out. It had never made her any happier about it, and Eiki avoided pointing out the reasonableness of the act.
If, then, this person was telling the truth, he had known them as children, and hadn't been present to have his memories altered. Why...? And what had happened to this other person as well?
Uzuki chews on her lip while they consult and after a moment looks up at him, sharp and suspicious but listening.]
Why would we forget you? And Takamichi?
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At least if he could know they were doing well...
Eiki's voice shook him out of his thoughts. He paused a moment to collect himself before answering, squaring his gaze with the other man's]
I was selected to be killed once they found out I didn't have death feedback—Takamichi too, I'd guess. My parents told me to leave, but I didn't believe them until I saw the tainted cat stalking me.
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He paused, thinking alone while watching Haruna, lips pursed. It was true he had never heard of a human not having the deathfeed back. But how often was it possible to find out...? Would they really dispose of children who didn't have it.
...Uzuki was doubtful, Eiki was less so.]
If what you say is true I should be able to recover those memories.
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[it caught him off guard a little. that, at least, was more promising than anything else Eiki had said. If he could be persuaded to believe Haruna...
... Probably nothing would change. regardless of the circumstances and imbalanced retribution the humans had taken afterwards, the queerats had killed his sister. The best he could hope for was Eiki promising to leave and not come back]
I don't know how; it's not something I have any experience with.
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[He looks around, accessing their location. Dealing with memories was not a short process.]
But not here. It takes a while.
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It only matters if you'll actually co-operate. How much do you care if I remember at all?
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[His tone isn't the faintest bit wry. Other than the hint of a question, there's really no inflection at all.]
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[firm, but not gloating]
We can see what happens. I'll follow you.
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He continues this for several minutes, putting obvious concentration into the construction, using the darkness to look for any obvious holes which are quickly filled by winding vines or woven branches.]
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[Eiki says when the room they've created is dark, minus a few glimmering shreds of light filtering through the thick weave. He turns and sits down on the ground, a flame bursts to life in front of him, like a campfire, but floating just off the ground, feeding on nothing.]
Like any other aspect of cantus, you need to understand what you're working with to accurately manipulate it. It's the same with memories. If you want to help me recover my memories of you then you're going to need to allow me access to yours.
[That was... not entirely true. But Eiki has no interest in being honest and he doubted this fiend knew the first thing about memory manipulation. He was surprised he could use his cantus halfway decently at all.]
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[after he had sat down as well, about a quarter turn around the fire from him. Though his tone was simply questioning, his expression was more obviously dubious]
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Watch the fire. Tell me what you remember from back then.
[As he speaks, Eiki's voice becomes... warmer. Not losing it's calm evenness but dulling the previously sharpened edges of words. He has a very pleasant voice when he wants to. The shift is gradual. It sounds like he's relaxing as well.]
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And it was—nice. Listening to Eiki's voice like this. Most of the queerats could not manage human language very well, more suited to the sharp, jerky noises of their own tongue; even Soremaru had the faint, growling undertone. He had not known he missed the sound of a human voice until now, and the warmth of it seeped into him]
There weren't many of us left. Uzuki had just graduated, so there was you, me, Takamichi, and two others.
[he stopped, watching the memories play out in his mind. he could recite the facts all day, but it didn't feel like it would be enough]
I'm... not very good at stories.
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[Eiki supplied, his voice faintly encouraging. He could remember those details fine. And there was this faintest flicker, this sense that there were more, there had to have been more. He hadn't been among the last three, had he? His cantus had awakened not long after his sister's...
But his mind wasn't really focused on that, he would recover those memories later, for now he wanted Haruna to lower his guard. This wasn't the only way to hypnotize someone, but it was perhaps the best. A more blunt approach, particularly on an adult, particularly on such a strange adult, came with more risks, more difficulties.
He continued to make the flame sway evenly, it required almost no focus on his part.]
I remember going to the orchards. It seemed unbelievable, how much fruit could come from one tree. Were you there..?
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The keeper pulled all the fruit off of one tree in a second flat—every last piece, enough to fill three barrels. We weren't allowed to climb the trees but Uzuki and Yamato argued about who could climb higher the entire time.
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It takes him another moment of staring at the flame to regain his train of thought. Putting aside details he couldn't dwell on for now.]
We at there that day, any fruit you could want. I think we all got sick on it.
[Just keep Haruna calm, distracted. And Eiki began to nudge gently at his mind, not aiming for memories but will. Most people didn't understand that manipulating the mind was no different than manipulating anything else. And Eiki could easily envision people letting go around him, trusting his face, his voice. He wasn't a violent or intimidating person. He had been bullied in school. Overlooked in classes. He was quiet and nonthreatening. There was no reason not to trust him, to not answer his questions, to not listen to his suggestions.]
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