Aftermath, Pt. 5A: Apparitions
LOCATION: …Not sure… Some Kind of Village…
DATE: …I haven't known the date for a while now…
TIME: Time…? Don't ask me… I don't really know what time even is anymore…
Hm… Huh? Oh. Er, hello there. Um… I'm… not sure who you are, but it's nice to meet you! Welcome to… er… well, this place I call home… sort of. It's… more like, I've been here for a long enough time that I could technically call this place my 'home,' even though it really isn't. I only call this place 'home' because I can't remember where my actual home is… or my family aside from my brothers that I haven't seen in forever… or anything about myself, really. That, and I can never leave this place, no matter how much I want to. Oh, and in case you're wondering who I am… Er, it… might sound silly to you, but… I um… I can't even remember my own name. Weird, right? Hahahah! Hm…
W-well, anyway, um… Welcome to this… 'village,' I guess I'll call it. It may as well be a village, considering there are dilapidated stone buildings that look like houses everywhere… if the houses were either melting, were part of a mountainside, or were victimized by an earthquake or something. And everything was this depressing shade of either orange, red, or grayish-purple. Weird, I know. Even weirder, though, is that there's nothing actually in the buildings, to my knowledge. Sorry… I know just enough about what goes on around here to provide some help to others that are banished or otherwise summoned to this place, but that's about it. It's… kinda how I prefer to keep it until I figure out my own reason for being here. Buuuut it's a nice place!
Well, kind of. It's not exactly hospitable, if I'm gonna be totally honest. If anything, it looks a little scary, considering there are also ghosts and super aggressive monsters everywhere, and no one around seems very happy to be here… if anything, most of the people I've met since coming here have always been angry, confused, or angry and confused. That, or sad… and confused. But mostly confused. It's not that bad once you get used to all that, though… I suppose. Er, anyway… um… It's always nice to see a new face around here, and if you don't mind, I'd… Oh, wait! Hang on, someone else is coming! It… looks like another new person! Ooh! Let's go see him!
"Oogh… Where… Where am I…?" the person seemed to wonder, looking around to try and figure out his surroundings.
"Hey! Hey, mister! Over here!" I called to him, hoping he was willing to make friends.
"Hm…?" he grunted as he noticed me approaching. He's confused (as to be expected), but he's not running away or tensing up like he's ready to fight. That's a good sign… Though, as I got closer to him, I noticed a lot of different things about him right off the bat. He's… not wearing a shirt, first and foremost. Not that I'm complaining, of course, because he's a total HUNK! Hee-hee! Sorry, that's a little inappropriate. But anyway… this person… he's a tall, lean, muscly man with dark skin… like, chocolate dark, if I had to be specific. The irises of his eyes are this strange, glowing gold. He's got a massive, fluffy-looking cotton ball on his head that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be his actual hair and definitely not a hat. He's… also got a neat-looking beard, too. It's well-trimmed, though it looks like he's got mud smeared into it. That aside, he looks young… probably about my age, if not a bit older. I'm not sure. He's also wearing these really cool camouflage pants that are all red and black.
Only, the pants are all torn up like he'd been attacked by some of the rabid demon dogs around here. Aside from the pants, though, he's also got on a pair of well-worn, dented black metal boots that look like they belong to some sort of temple guard or a knight. There's also what looks like a broken watch on his wrist. I don't know how much use that's gonna be here, but there it was. But then… the next thing I see is that he's got all these massive scars all over his body. He's got a whole row of what look like three giant claw marks raked over his left eye, and another scar scraped across his left cheek. He's got a heaping ton of slash wounds and puncture marks all over his chest and his back… the most frightening of which was this giant gash in the right side of his six-pack abs… Jeez… I'm really wondering what happened to this guy to bring him here… He looks like he's been through the Oubliette of Suffering and back… But, before I can say anything to address it…
"Hey there," he said to me, waving in a way that I could tell meant that he wasn't sure of what to expect of me.
"Hi! Welcome home!" I greeted him back, even though I know I could've come up with something a LITTLE bit better than 'Welcome Home'. Ah, I never get my introductions right. Dang it…! So much for making a good first impression…
"'…Home?'" he asked, scanning the village with his eyes. I can tell by the bewildered look on his face, though, that he didn't believe what I'd just said. "…This place is no 'home' o' mine…" he warily stated. His voice is deep and buttery smooth despite how… uneasy he sounded. If I didn't know better, though, I could say I'm able to pick up… something of an accent.
"Sorry, sorry… I tend to say that when I see someone new here," I clarified, wanting to put him at ease. "So… what's cookin', good-lookin'? What brings you here?"
"I… can't remember…" he admitted, massaging his forehead with his hand as he turned that golden-eyed gaze toward me. And the second he looked at me… I was hit with… something… I'm not sure what it is, but… it makes me feel like I should know this guy already… Hmm… "I can't remember much of anything right now," he further admitted, not surprising me in the least. As I said, no one who shows up here remembers anything at first… if at all.
"Aw, that's okay. Everyone who comes here says that at first," I assured him, approaching him to get a closer look. He didn't flinch, surprisingly. I got in just a little closer and offered my hand for him to shake. "Believe it or not, I don't even remember my own name!"
"What? Really?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to believe me as he gave me a quizzical look.
"Absolutely!"
"…Are you sure?" he incredulously asked again, still seeming to wonder if I was pulling his leg.
"I promise you, I'm not kidding. I really don't have a clue what my name is, or how I got here. Not many people here remember their names or their old lives when they first get here," I tried my best to explain while leaving out some details to keep from overwhelming him. It… was pretty obvious by the bewildered look he was giving me that I wasn't making much progress, though. "It'll… make more sense when we get more acquainted with each other. Either way, it's a pleasure to meetcha!"
"Likewise," he gathered enough of his senses in the moment to reply as he grabbed my hand and shook it. And by 'grabbed,' I mean he crushed my hand in his grasp.
"Yeowch! Jeez, you could shatter diamonds with that kind of grip, mister!" I playfully complained, massaging my hand with the other after we were done exchanging pleasantries. Oh MAN, does he have a tight grip! I'm gonna be feeling that for a bit…
"Ooh. Sorry… I guess I should work on that, huh?" he rather shyly apologized, retreating a bit as he gave me this look like he was scared he hurt me. Huh… Not exactly what I was expecting… but I digress.
"Probably a good idea, friend," I agreed with him, watching him intently as he nervously scratched his head in… a way that again hits me with this… odd sense of nostalgia. Huh… What's up with this…? I'm not sure, but I don't want to get too hung up on it. Shaking it off, I continued to chat with him. "So, what's your name?"
"…So, this might sound kinda crazy t' you, an' it might sound like I'm trippin'…" he babbled a bit with another nervous chuckle after a short pause. This guy, for as intimidating as he looks at a glance… He's a total CUTIE behind that rough exterior! He's absolutely adorable with how shy he is… but then… his accent's starting to become more evident with the more he talks… and something he said…
"…T-trippin'?" I curiously asked him, resisting the urge to grin ear to ear at the mention of that funny-sounding word. I don't know why it's funny to me, but I accidentally giggled at it as I asked. But then, I'm hit with another wave of nostalgia, as though I'd heard this word before…
"Sorry… 'Trippin'' means I'm makin' a mistake or I'm confused about somethin'…" he explained, though he didn't need to. Oddly enough, I already knew what he meant. "Er… Anyway, it… sounds weird, but… I don't know my own name… or rather, I can't remember it…"
"Oh, don't worry about that, stud muffin! I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually!" I shared with him with such a sudden sense of joy that I'm almost overwhelmed with it. But then… Why did I just call him 'stud muffin'? Where in the heck did that name come from? I wasn't even thinking about giving him a name… And yet… the way he looked at me when I called him that name. He's got this adorably perturbed, squinty-eyed pout on his face like… almost like he was familiar with the name, too. Displeased by it, but familiar, nevertheless. And there it was… Stud muffin… It was a perfect name for him! Even for how much he appeared to dislike it, it stuck for me. I can't explain why, but it… it just does, y'know?
"…How odd…" he remarked, rubbing his chin as he studied me up and down. "Of the few things I remember about my life before I got here, I… remember that I knew someone who called me by that nickname constantly… no matter how much I hated it," he revealed, causing me to perk all the way up as yet ANOTHER wave of nostalgia swept over me. He was already familiar with that exact name? No way! That did it for me, though. There's… something about this man that's clicking with me, but I still can't figure out what. Who is this guy?
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I call you that from now on, stud muffin," I asserted, involuntarily grinning as I anticipated his response.
"Hmph. I mean, I guess…" he reluctantly agreed, crossing his arms and cutting his eyes somewhere else. D'aww, he's so shy! I love it! I hardly know him, but I already wanna hug him till he pops! I'm… not sure why the feeling is so strong, though. Something about the energy surrounding him… it's… calming in a sense, even though he's struggling to find out who he is and what brought him here. "I'll… stick by that embarrassin' alias only until I remember my actual name. Speakin' o' which, you really don't remember yours either?"
"No, unfortunately…" I admitted with an uneasy shrug of my shoulders. "I… wish I could give you a better answer, but I don't have a clue what my name is. So, I guess we're on the same boat…"
"I guess so… yet… weirdly enough… I… I feel like I've seen you before…" he replied with a tinge of wonder in his voice as he scanned me up and down again. He raised an eyebrow and rubbed his hairy chin some more, tilting his head as he locked his eyes on me. Goodness, I'm starting to get a little embarrassed… I… I think he's checking me out… Gosh, how forward of him~! But then, he just said he might've seen me before. Weird… Is it possible we knew each other? I'm still not sure… but I didn't want to jump the gun in case we were mistaken.
"…Er… what makes you think we've met before?" I cautiously asked as I also did my own bit of visual research on the strange man in front of me.
"…Your eyes… They're a mesmerizin' shade o' crimson red that… that match a… a certain friend I had…"
"Oh! W-well, thank you, stud muffin… I uh… I-I appreciate that…" I stammered, trying not to blush because he caught me way off-guard with that compliment. So, he likes my eyes. That's uh… That's pretty cool… I'm totally blushing at this moment like I said I was TRYING not to do, but it's cool…
"Not a problem… and, my apologies, but the more I look at you, the more… familiar you seem. That yellow headband looks the same as the one that same friend o' mine wore, too… Only, your hair is black. Hers was a different color, but I can't remember which… It was the same length and volume as yours, no less. Er… hers might've been a bit… frizzier, too, but I digress."
"Uh-huh… Interesting…" I murmured, morbidly curious about what he saw in me that reminded him of this friend of his. I was dying to know… or, maybe not really, because I'm apparently already dead, but still. Figure of speech. Hah-hah!
"And… there's somethin' about you… I'm not sure if it's your voice, or your face, or… excuse me for sayin' this, but your shape… B-by which I mean you're a very shapely lady. I don't wanna come off as weird for sayin' that, but you get what I mean… r-right?" At that, I can't help but giggle at how cutely awkward he is with trying to compliment me. I'm actually quite flattered, even though he's doing a terrible job of hitting on me. Hahahah! Of course, I opted to keep playing it cool to milk this a little more…
"I read you loud and clear. I'm gonna presume you're trying to say you find me attractive, but that you're also reminded of this friend of yours because she and I are similar?" I guessed, though I knew what his answer was gonna be.
"Dah! W-Well… I guess you could put it that way," he oh-so smoothly admitted, which put the brightest grin on my face as I stared back at him, wondering what he'd say next. "Uh… I-it's more so that you an' this friend had the same body proportions. You seem just as tall as she was at a glance… an' your posture is strikingly similar t' her, too. I… guess I can admit that you uh… Th-that you look really nice, though…" he sheepishly blurted out as he blushed and scratched his head, causing me to almost erupt in a fit of giggling before I decided to give him a break… for the moment. As confusing as this is, I'm… kind of having fun with it! Does that make me bad…? Ah, don't answer that!
"Aww, you've got such a way with words~! You're gonna make me swoon, stud muffin…~" I teased with a playful, dramatic flair as I pressed one hand to my cheek, turning to the side as I flicked my other hand at him while striking the most innocent (by which, I mean the cutest) pose I could muster. Of course, I had the biggest blushing grin on my face as I found myself oh-so smitten with his latest compliment. To think a totally hot guy would just show up out of nowhere and hit on me like this… What an exciting rush! Or, maybe he wasn't hitting on me per se, but simply trying to draw comparisons to figure out some details about someone he remembered. Either way, I enjoyed it. Don't tell anyone I said that, though. Aaaaanywaaaaay… "I appreciate your kind words, sir."
"Uh… Not a problem…" he again sheepishly replied before clearing his throat. "I don't think this friend wore a button-up shirt or a green skirt, though… Nor did she wear stockings, though the brown shoes look the same… She didn't wear glasses like you are, either… Yet, something's clickin' with the more I look at you…" he studiously pointed out again, though I could've sworn he really was just flirting with me at this point. I mean, I feel like he could've done a slightly better job at trying to woo me, but I suppose it's nice that he's interested in me. I don't mind it, because I happen to think he's really cute behind all the scars littered across his face and that rockin' bod… which was also laden with scars. Huh… Never thought I'd find myself a boyfriend before I found out who I even am. Strange how that works, isn't it? Hahahah! But then… I also just instinctively called him 'stud muffin' while being hit with all these weird feelings… And eventually, as his eyes locked with mine… my heart started to race… and hard. On instinct, I brought my hand to clutch at my chest as I tried to catch a quick breather. I'm… not sure why I was reacting to him this way… but at that point, there was hardly any reason to deny it. This guy and me… We must've known each other at some point. That HAD to be it. But… where have we met before?
"…Is it weird of me to say that you look familiar to me, too, stud muffin?" I dared to ask just to see how he'd react. And without fail, he reeled back in surprise as he kept on sizing me up. I can tell by the wideness of his eyes that I struck some sort of chord. He was really, REALLY trying to figure it out. And for that matter, so was I…
"Do I? How?"
"I'm… not entirely sure, but… I also remember having a really close friend who I think looked like you… Tall, dark, and muscular with a super cute face, but with scars all over his body, and who almost never wore a shirt… and who had hair that looked and sorta felt like a giant ball of cotton candy… and, as far as I remember, he had a gentle personality that betrayed the intimidating look he gave off…" I rattled off the top of my head, though that's as far as I could get. It wasn't much, but… something… SOMETHING was there. Definitely…
"…Well, that can't be ignored. You an' me… We know each other already…" he theorized while trying not to blush, confirming my suspicions outright. I wanted to jump for joy that I potentially found an old friend… or possibly an old boyfriend? I mean, with the way this conversation's going, and with these weird feelings hitting me the way they were as I spoke to him, I'm starting to wonder if… if maybe this guy and me were a romantic couple at some point before we wound up here… and maybe this is a fated reunion of two star-crossed lovers after a tragic fate right out of a compelling stage play? Ah, n-not that I was hoping that was the case or anything, but… I'm just saying. Anything's possible! Don't give me that look! Gah, I'm getting distracted… Anyway, I was stumped by the fact that we still hadn't figured each other all the way out yet. "I don't have a clue how, because you don't look so familiar at a glance. I had t' get a good, long look at you t' figure it out for myself, but… there's no doubt about it. We know each other somehow."
"I guess so. Why… don't we take a walk together while we try to figure this out?" I innocently suggested, gesturing toward the deeper, darker reaches of the village we were standing in. Accordingly, he shifted his eyes over to the vermillion-hued buildings in the distance and scanned all around to see the cavernous landscape surrounding it. By all accounts, he still seemed wary of the place.
"…What choice do I have?" he asked himself before sighing in clear reluctance. Soon after, he looked back at me. "Sure. I'm not clear on where we'd be goin', but I… I trust you. Let's go," he eventually agreed.
"Awesome! I promise I won't lead you astray," I cheerfully assured him as I rushed over and grabbed his hand. And within seconds, I pulled him along. He didn't object, though he still seemed a little confused… but then, things started to go black out of nowhere… my vision's fading… and I can't remember what I'm doing… All I hear is…
"…Yo! What's happenin'? Why are you suddenly disa…?" a voice called to me, muffled and growing increasingly distant as I completely black out…
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..."I'm not maki... up! I swear I..."
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Gah! Huh…? Um… Whoa… I… I was hoping that wouldn't happen so soon. Sorry… I… tend to have these random blackouts sometimes, like I'm suddenly hit with a sleeping spell. Mmmph… Hah… I-I'm back, though. Hopefully, that doesn't happen again. So, as I try to figure out where I left off…
"Hey! You!" the voice of that strange man called to me, prompting me to turn around and face him. I'm back in the haunted village in more or less the exact same spot where we first met, from the looks of it.
"Oh! Hey, stud muffin!" I happily called out, beyond excited to see my new friend again as I smile and wave at him.
"Hello t' you too," he remarked, though he seemed sort of worried as he approached from a distance. "What the heck happened? We was about t' take a walk, but then you disappeared int' thin air for what felt like hours… if not days… I'm not sure, but it's been quite a while…"
"Sorry… That happens to me more often than I care to admit," I explained to him with as cheerful a smile I can muster. I felt bad, though, because he looked like he was a little upset. "I've got this weird condition where I'll blank out at random times. I didn't know it made me disappear, but yeah… It's… a little hard to make sense of…"
"I'm… not in much of a position t' question it," he admitted with a shrug, though he still found himself a little confused. "I hope you're alright, though…"
"Yeah, I'm good. I can't really help it, but I'll try not to leave you like that again. And even if I do, I'll always come back real soon, okay?"
"…Sure, I guess," he uncertainly acknowledged with a tilt of his head.
"I swear to you, I'll stick around as long as I can, so we can hang out as often as we can," I reiterated to make certain that he understood me. "Now, about that walk we were gonna take…"
"Lead the way, homie," he politely suggested, gesturing a hand toward me.
"Okie dokie!" I excitedly exclaimed, turning and trotting along… except, I suddenly turned to face him after a few steps, at which point he flinched and raised an eyebrow. "Hang on a sec."
"What? Why are you lookin' at me like that?" he asked, seeing as I was suddenly eyeing him up and down all suspicious-like.
"Don't you go getting any funny ideas about us spending time together, stud muffin," I was compelled to sternly warn as I pointed at him, though he scoffed in disbelief. "We may be stuck in this place for all eternity as far as I know, and we may find each other attractive, but that doesn't at all give you an invitation to try and get frisky with me or anything. Think whatever you want about me, but I'll make it abundantly clear that I am not that kind of girl. If you want to be my boyfriend, you're still gonna have to earn that privilege the old-fashioned way."
"…Really?" he hesitantly asked with a raised eyebrow, seeming flustered and a bit perplexed as he eyed me up and down for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, really. Whether we're truly familiar with each other or not, I've gotta make sure you're not just some creepy philanderer who gets his kicks off of trying to snatch up any beautiful lady he sees. Of course, if you play your cards right, then it won't be TOO long before you earn the ability to kiss me~! Just know that dating me is a full-time commitment, and I'd better be the ONLY girl you make googly eyes at from this point on… You've been warned, stud muffin~!" I playfully and sassily teased with a wink, involuntarily grinning and giggling with glee… and a little bit of… D'oh, okay, a LOT of anticipation at the prospect as my face grew a bit warm. Did I mention how much fun I was having with my new friend yet?
"Jeez… Thanks for that heads-up, but come on… Even in death, I can't catch a break from that?" he complained with a shake of his head, though he surprised me by acknowledging that he was dead, on top of him being put off enough by my comment to hint that he gained some insight into his situation here. "I was never that kind o' guy in life, I assure you. Besides, I have… or rather, I had a girlfriend before I wound up here…"
"Really? Oh…" I replied rather plainly, though my heart sank a little to find out he wasn't single. But then… I feel like I already knew that. In my time blanking out, I… remember some detail about him in this dream I had, where I was… I think I was telling someone about an adventure where my special friend and I had to save someone from an army of spider monsters. And… I think that 'someone' was stud muffin. Oh! Who's the special friend, you ask? It's… probably not important to mention, but she's this gorgeous genie chick with extremely long, lush amethyst-colored hair tied into a beautiful ponytail that she, weirdly enough, uses as a weapon to beat up bad guys. She's got rich caramel skin and these big, vibrant, innocent cobalt blue eyes, and she wears a most… dare I say, fetching two-piece scarlet-red belly dancer costume decked out with gold wristbands, a gold hair tie, and a gold tiara that has a sapphire embedded into the middle of it…
It's also worth note that she has a heart of gold, too… and one of the brightest, most adorable faces in the whole wide world, which is only made even more adorable by her infectious smile… and, if I do say so myself, she's VERY well-endowed in the curves department. Hourglass figure, I tell ya! Hourglass! I'm not kidding: She's absolutely GORGEOUS from head to toe! Makes sense, I suppose, since she IS a belly dancer and a hero by trade… That aside, she's also really sweet and kind in terms of personality, on top of her being brave and strong. She's a total blast to hang out with whenever she's not busy saving the world or figuring out her genie powers. She's about my age, too, believe it or not. And no matter what, she's always finding ways to make her friends happy, whether she knows it or not. I don't always get to tell her how much I appreciate her, but I'm positive she knows how I feel about her. If only I could introduce you to her. You'd look up to and love her just as much as I do! And trust me, I LOVE her! I promise you I'm not making this up. She's not imaginary, even though the way I'm talking about her makes it seem that way…
Ahh… and now that I'm thinking about her, my heart's starting to ache… I miss her… I haven't seen her face-to-face in a long while, but she occasionally appears in some of my dreams whenever I black out. It always feels like we're always together, though, frolicking and having a grand old time exploring the world and going on adventures together… Huh… I wonder how she's doing…? Uh, wow… I'm rambling WAY too much… A-anyway, I wanted to address a couple things stud muffin said.
"…So, who's the lucky lady?" I ask without even a HINT of awkwardness as I take in my disappointment in the fact that he was spoken for. Of course, a guy as cute as he is would be taken… So much for scoring some special company in this place… UGH!
"…Unfortunately, I can't remember much of anything about her… but… for some reason, when I try t' remember her, I keep gettin' these weird gut feelings that make me think something's about to attack me… even though any time I've been attacked by any monster here so far, it's been nothin' t' worry about… yet, these gut feelings… they've been happenin' whether monsters were nearby or not…"
"You've been attacked by the monsters here!?" I remarked in total surprise. I couldn't help but be worried because monsters RARELY bother the residents here unless they're provoked.
"Yeah, but only because I got too curious an' wandered too far," he clarified. "I managed t' fight them off, but I certainly learned my lesson about not just pokin' my nose around these parts…"
"I'm glad you're okay and that you handled yourself, but please be careful from here on," I warned, concerned he might get hurt. "This place can be totally unpredictable at times, so too much curiosity can be met with some very cruel surprises around here…"
"Duly noted. Thank you for the warnin'."
"Anytime, stud muffin. Also, what were you saying before about gut feelings?" I prodded, still feeling just a little inquisitive about his assertions. "You trailed off and went on a bit of a tangent when I asked you about your girlfriend. Do you feel like those gut feelings are related to her, since trying to remember her might be triggering them? Or were they just happening because of the incredibly hospitable creatures you got acquainted with in my absence?"
"Oh yeah, they're SUPER hospitable. Nothin' says 'welcome to our home' like a gooey woman lurin' you in with her charm, only for it t' turn out that 'she' is actually just the tongue o' some disgustin' pink gelatin monster that wants t' eat you whole. That, or some ghost puppies that look like they're lookin' for a friend, only for them t' suddenly transform int' these ravenous, toothy devil beasts with the roars o' lions an' claws that look like meat hooks," he flatly remarked with a smirk, picking up on my joke while enlightening me on what he ran into. "It's only a wonder I managed t' hold my own… As they say, looks can be deceivin'…"
"Yeah, no kidding," I agreed with a chuckle as he shuddered at the experience of dealing with some of the common monster types around these parts. "I've got a ton of questions on exactly how you managed to fight those sorts of monsters off, but I can stave off my curiosity for a bit as we delve into this gut feeling thing…"
"Glad you understand. An' believe me, you'll know all about what I went through," he promised. "Also, I was just sayin' that I've been gettin' the feelings whenever I tried t' figure out who my girlfriend was… an' that the feelings reminded me more an' more of her with the more they kept happenin'… An', now that I think a bit harder about it, I realize that these weird feelings never had anything t' do with the monsters… and EVERYTHING t' do with her… Matter fact, I'm still gettin' the feeling right now as we talk about her…" he further remarked, pressing a hand to his abdomen and rubbing it like he had some kind of stomachache…
"Hm," I hummed, still completely in the dark on what he was telling me in this regard. "What, do you just mean, like, you've got gas or something? You don't have to be shy about it around me. I won't judge…"
"Goodness, no!" he remarked, chuckling a bit as he waved his arms in front of himself to deny the assertion I made. Glad to have ruffled his feathers, I laughed along with him. "Not like that at all. I meant like… y'know, when you take a… a test in school, but you've gotta wait till the next day t' find out your score, or like… like if you was about t' make a public appearance, an' your stomach starts doin' acrobatic twists because you're dreadin' the possibility o' chokin' like you swallowed ten gumballs all at once an' tried t' down 'em all with a glass o' honey." At that ludicrous image he painted, I busted out laughing as I grabbed my sides and almost fell to the rocky floor beneath us. Jeez, what a comparison that was, all just to explain the concept of being nervous about something! Gosh, this guy's a trip…
"Hahahahah! Hah… Heh… Whew…" I kept cracking up as I took the moment to try and recompose myself.
"Heh. You like that, huh?"
"Oh, most definitely… That is by far, the weirdest comparison I've heard in a long time, and it was the best…" I offered my appreciation as I took one more breath to relax. Once I had myself under control, I cleared my throat and perked back up. "So anyway… what do these 'gumball-and-honey-in-the-throat-pop-quiz' gut feelings have to do with you having had a girlfriend? Did she make you that nervous to be around her? Were you under that much pressure to please her when you were with her?"
"Just the opposite," he calmly countered, catching me by just a LITTLE bit of surprise. "I always enjoyed her company, an' I always felt at ease around her. Yet, there would be these… kinda-sorta random times where I'd get these intense feelings o' dread… an' they could happen when we were together or when we were in different places. She would get those feelings sometimes, too, but neither of us could explain it outright…"
"Huh… Very interesting… You make it sound like you two were connected to each other on a level only you and she could understand. Is that maybe what you're getting at? Like, you were soulmates or something?"
"Yeah, which is ironic, because I don't understand it myself," he admitted with a sigh as he rubbed his stomach again in wonder. "Your guess… does ring a bell, though…"
"Does it?"
"Yes, but… I'm still drawin' complete blanks on any extra details aside from the mention o' 'Soulmates…' I can't even remember the girl's name, or anything that would help me even get a clue… yet, these feelings hit me on an' off like crazy…! This amnesia is torture…" he grumbled as he flinched, shaking his head as if it was going to do anything to jog his memory while also continuing to rub his aching abdomen. "Ah… Hopefully, I'll figure it out soon… I just hope she's okay…"
"Well… I can relate on the amnesia thing, no doubt," I shared to console him as I patted him on the back. He seemed receptive to it as he looked at me and smiled a bit. "Been walking that road a mighty long time now…"
"Right… I can only imagine what you must've been through…" he seemed to realize as he shook off his initial concerns. "Sorry. I shouldn't be so self-centered about that…"
"Nonsense, stud muffin! You're perfectly fine! It just sounds to me like you've started to make progress in recovering your memory, which is natural."
"I see. Well, thanks for that. Seriously, I appreciate that…"
"No need to thank me, dude. I'm just glad you're making progress," I happily assured him, though I remained eternally curious about how much he figured out since I blacked out. "So anyway, how'd you find out you were dead?"
"This place is teemin' with ghosts… some of whom, I remember encounterin' before they found themselves here. That, an' my memories started t' come back as I explored a little bit on my own…" he shared as we finally began walking nowhere in particular through the literal ghost town.
"Wow! That was fast… What'd you figure out from wandering around?"
"Not much… There ain't much info t' gather from the locals here. Nobody wants t' talk. They only moan an' wail in despair about the lives they can't remember havin'…" he explained. "Even among the few ghosts that I did recognize, none o' them even remember their own names, much less the last time I saw them. They all seem so… lost."
"…Yyyyyeeeeeaaah, that happens QUITE a lot around here. I probably should've warned you. You actually just reminded me of the name of this place, though. I tend to forget it sometimes because of how messy my own memory's been recently…"
"Oh, yeah? In that case, what is this place…? An' why is it so… ominous?"
"This… is the Village of Lost Souls," I plainly shared with him, causing him to widen his eyes in a mixture of wonder… and maybe just a bit of fright.
"…The Village o' Lost Souls, huh…? Shoot…"
"Yeah, it's a designated spot between the living world and the great beyond… or, so the rumor goes," I explained further to give him some clarification. "Granted, no one here knows if there even is a 'great beyond,' or if those who ascend from this place simply cease to exist or are sent back to the living world to possibly be reborn… or even to haunt the places where they initially died… or literally anything in between. Anyway, this place serves as a haven for those who died, but whose restless souls are still clinging to something in the living world that keeps them from moving on."
"S-Somethin' like what?"
"Could be anything, really. Worldly possessions, a coveted reputation, a lost love… or even… in my case, a desire to resume the life I had before I died…" I answered, though I was a little sad to share that last detail about myself. "This village basically serves as a great, big waiting area for souls to be judged and given direction on where to go once they recover all their memories… and if they don't recover their memories, they're doomed to roam this forsaken plane of eternal uncertainty for as long as it takes before they either figure themselves out… or wind up completely unable to be saved. Rumor has it that those who are truly lost or who were declared evil in life wind up getting banished to the Oubliette of Suffering to be punished for their past sins… That, or they might turn into one of the many mindless beasts and creatures lurking in the dark that prey on other unsuspecting souls…"
"My goodness… That's a lot o' terrible things that could happen here, just based on how your experience goes an' the type o' life you lived before you got here. So, we're basically in purgatory…?" he guessed, catching on right quick to my incredibly creepy explanation as he nervously scanned the bone-chilling ghost town with his eyes. I could tell right away that just the sight of all the saddened, agonized faces of the souls we walked by unnerved him. The dilapidated stone buildings and the eternally reddish hue of the craggy landscape did nothing to ease his discomfort.
"Purgatory, Limbo, The Waiting Room of Impending Doom, so on, so forth…" I rambled on for a bit, trying to sound as nonchalant as I could to help him relax. "No matter what you call it, lots of people wind up here, and those that do, usually wind up staying for the long haul…"
"I… I see…" stud muffin acknowledged, though he suddenly had his eyes locked on me as he wondered about what I was saying. "Well… If you don't mind my askin', do you remember anything at all about your old life? Or even, how you died?"
"Not much, unfortunately… I can only remember that I had two older brothers. I haven't seen them here at all, though, and I don't have a clue where they could be. And to answer your other question… I don't have a clue at all how I died. I know it sounds weird that I want to return to a life I can't even remember, but… I know it had to have been better than being stuck here…"
"Shoot…" he quietly remarked in shock. "I'm sorry about that…"
"No need to apologize, stud muffin," I assured him with a light pat on his arm. "I've… been here long enough to be able to deal with it… no matter how hopeless it seems. I just wonder if this'll really be a 'forever' thing for me, or if there's gonna be a point where I do remember my old life…"
"Well, I sure hope you get the chance t' figure it out at some point or another," he encouraged me as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "An'… I don't know if there's anything I could do t' help you, but I can always try."
"Aw, you're sweet, stud muffin," I smilingly complimented him. I'm… honestly touched that he'd offer his assistance to me despite us not knowing each other… or at least, not knowing each other well. Or, like, knowing each other well, but at the same time NOT knowing… Bah, you get what I mean… "Buuuut, I need to figure out more for myself before I start asking for help. I'll let you know if that changes."
"Duly noted, friend."
"Indubitably, good sir!" I playfully remarked with a giggle, though I'm still curious about what he must've figured out about his own past life. "That's enough about me for now, though. You seem to be onto something, which makes me curious. Was there anything else that rung a bell in your head while I was gone?"
"Hmm… Not that much… I still can't even remember my name. At this point, I can only recall that I had a girlfriend… and that somethin' happened that caused us t' be separated… I… I can't remember her name either, like I said, but… the more we talk, the more… I can start t' draw up a mental image of her face. Yet, when her face comes up in my mind, I… I can't help but feel… sad…"
"Oh? Okay, then…" I acknowledged, though I'm not sure what to say to a guy that can't remember his girlfriend's name, but whose face caused his mood to sink. "Uh… That's… that's heavy…"
"I know…" he remarked, a noticeable tinge of sorrow in his voice. "I'm not sure why, though…"
"Well… What did she look like?"
"… Hmm…" he pondered, scratching his head as he tried to figure out the details for himself. It wasn't long, though, before he came up with something. "She had… long, purple hair… a rich mocha brown skin tone… pointy ears like an elf… an' the most magnificent, glitterin' blue eyes in the world… I… I can still remember her adorable smile…" he described, tipping me off yet again as he kept dropping these bombshells on me. He's… he's describing my special friend! But, there's no way SHE could've been his girlfriend… Right? I had no clue she'd been dating! But then, I had to be sure stud muffin was talking about the same person. That, and… well… curiosity got the best of me.
"…That girl didn't happen to wear a red dancer costume and lots of gold jewelry, did she? Or… possibly have her hair tied back into a ponytail that reached all the way down to her feet, if it wasn't just a bit longer than that?" And at that, he almost launched himself out of his skin.
"Y-yes! That's exactly right!" he practically shouted, seeming to just realize it for himself. Of course, I was also surprised as my eyes went wide like butterfly nets at his admission of who his girlfriend might've been. Well, I'll be… That special friend of mine got herself a boyfriend since last we met… I'm so happy for her! Or, I would be, if her boyfriend wasn't walking alongside me here of all places… Oh, no… I'm even more worried about her now… "How'd you know!?"
"I didn't until you revealed it!" I yelled back in equal astonishment, hiding the unbelievable concern I felt for him and his girlfriend. "I just took a wild guess, because it sounded like you were describing this one friend of mine! We both know her!?"
"Apparently so… How insane is that?" he confirmed, though his excitement soon turned into a deep depression as his ecstatic smile faded into a heartbroken frown. "…but… I… I'm… startin' t' remember how I lost her…"
"Lost her? As in, you and she broke up?"
"No… Lost her as in… as in, I got badly hurt while savin' her from some ruthless enemy we were dealin' with together… and… I… I died in her arms…!" he dropped yet another bombshell on me that absolutely tore me apart to hear. Dude… He DIED protecting her? In her ARMS!? What in the world could've caused THAT to happen!?
"How!?" I practically shouted, suddenly hit with this overwhelming tornado of sadness as we suddenly stopped walking. He didn't respond at first. I turned to him, wondering what was going through his mind. His face was wrought with distress as he shed a tear while balling his fists up at his sides… and his golden eyes were basically drilling holes into the ground as more tears rained from his face like a storm of soul-crushing devastation. Jeez… I… I wanted to hug him and tell him it's going to be okay… but… oh, no… it's happening again… No, wait! Don't make me pass out! He's about to tell me what happened! I… I need to be here for him!
"…stabbed… a…. finish… bat…" I barely heard him confess as I blacked out again… The last thing I saw was him looking at me, pure sadness in his eyes as I lost consciousness once more… No…!
...
...
...
...
...
...
..."...saw him again... He's..."
...
..."...I'll go check on her. She still hasn't wo... ouple of days now... getting worried..."
...
...
..."...natural that you're seeing Tay in..."
...
..."...he died..."
...
...
..."...Symbio... Chomp... I'm so STUPID for not saving i...!"
...
..."...visit your brothers in Genie's He...?"
...
..."What about Sha...?"
...
...
..."...I guess, but they feel so real..."
...
..."...Let's take some time to tal..."
...
Oooogh… Hah… Darn… Sorry about that. These blackouts keep happening, and I never could figure out why. I wish I could promise it wouldn't happen again, but I have absolutely no control over it. Again, I'm sorry…. Er, I-I guess I'd better get back into it, then. So, when I awoke this time, things were a little less peaceful than they were the last time. Rubbing my forehead with a hand as I picked myself up off the ground, I quickly committed myself to looking for my friend. I searched my surroundings to see that the Village of Lost Souls looked the same as it always had… creepy, desolate, and full to the brim with the fleeting hopes of the people that were stuck here. Only… I hear grunting and shouting in the distance, followed by monsters roaring. I also hear a lot of loud banging and thwacking noises that come accompanied with the wails of some of the monsters that lived in this place's more dangerous parts. The voice that's grunting and shouting, though… it sounds… a lot like…
"Stud muffin!" I shouted in a panic, recognizing the voice as my new friend's. He must've gotten into some sticky situation while I was out again. Darn it…! Dusting myself off, I went racing into the town without much of a plan on how to protect myself (I'm just a dainty, busty, irresistibly curvy teenage girl in a white button-up and a green miniskirt, after all), but with the full intent to save my friend in any way I could. After zipping and turning a few corners and heading into the winding, dark, dank, cavernous pathway toward a dungeon, however, I finally saw him. And oh boy, did things not look good… for the horde of goo monsters and goblins attacking him.
"Toryaah!" stud muffin shouted, bathed in sweat and… what looked like a flickering purple and blue light as he jumped over the head of a goblin and stuck the flame of a torch he'd been holding onto the goo monster. With a startling *SKKIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSH*, he set the monster on fire and caused it to dissolve into a cloud of toxic smoke. Just after finishing that, an armored goblin with an axe came charging toward him with the intent to cut his legs off in one strike. Seeing it coming, though, stud muffin jumped over the goblin's axe just as it swung and blasted it in the face with a *PWAAANG* of his boot against its face. The goblin went tumbling down the cave's pathway, smacking into a few of its friends and taking them with it. Just when it looked like he was about to get a break, though, a long-haired, golden-armored snake woman with machine gun turrets on her waist, another purple-skinned woman with short, windswept hair dressed in an outfit made of tree leaves, and some sort of scantily clad bird-woman hybrid with short, wild hair and a dragon tail came rushing at him. Only, they didn't attack him when they closed the distance. Instead, they stopped as soon as they reached him.
"We'll handle thisssssss messssssss from here, human," the snake lady assured him as she turned toward the incoming horde of bats, goo monsters, goblins, and armored scorpions and began firing beams of light from her turrets. The *RATATATATAT* of the blue fireballs coming out of her weapon both intrigued and frightened me as the horde of monsters were pushed back.
"You have secured the Tarnished Oil Lamp, as our spiritual guide requested of us to assist you with. It is yours now, and we thank you for your assistance once again," the leaf-dressed lady, wielding a bow and arrow, showed her gratitude as she took out an arrow, set it into her bow, pulled the string, and let 'er rip. With a decisive *THWICK*, her arrow struck a bat, knocking it out of the air.
"I appreciate y'all for helpin' me out as well, but I'm still not sure what makes this lamp so important that we had t' dig all the way through the Oubliette o' Sufferin' t' get it," stud muffin curiously stated as he got set to take on a goo monster on the ceiling that landed in front of him with a *SPLAGLOOP*, forcing him to jump back.
"We aren't sure either, but whatever it is, you mustn't take it for granted," the busty bird/dragon lady advised him while in midair before shooting a fireball from her mouth that roasted the goo monster to cinders with another sizzling *SKISSSSSSSSSHHHH*. "Now go! If you don't, this pathway will collapse with you stuck in here with us! As Sana and Priyanka said, we have you covered from here!"
"Roger that, Melody… An'… before I go, I gotta say thank y'all for helpin' me out again. I… I wish we could've worked together like this when we were alive," stud muffin somberly bade, hinting that he knew these girls at some point before they all died…
"Likewise, though I harbor no regretssssssss about finally getting the chanccccccce to sssssssee your ssssssskillsssssss up clossssssse," the snake woman shared as she kept her focus on fighting off the monsters trying to break out of the Oubliette of Suffering to get them.
"I agree. Perhaps in another time, that could have worked out," the archer further agreed as she continued firing arrow after arrow. "We must appreciate the time we have spent together here, nevertheless. It has been an honor."
"Same here. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime, as long as we're all here anyway… From the seems of it, we are all going to be here for a while," the dragon/bird lady, apparently named Melody, remarked in acknowledgement, shooting him one last, heart-wrenching glance before she also turned her attention toward the monsters and continued shooting fireballs at them from her mouth.
"I certainly hope we do… On that note, I wish y'all luck. Thanks again, an' make sure you give them monsters a fight they won't forget!" stud muffin bade one more time before turning and sprinting toward the cave entrance as it began to rumble like an earthquake suddenly struck. The ground was shaking, but I hardly had any idea what was happening. Yet, before I could process it, stud muffin saw me, dropped his torch, picked me up, and whisked me out of the cave entrance just before it collapsed behind us, leaving those monster girls and the other monsters they were fighting stuck inside. I didn't get the chance to say anything right away as stud muffin pressed me close to his chest and carried me as far away from the cave as his legs would allow him before we wound up at our usual meeting spot in the middle of the ghost-inhabited village. Breathlessly, he set me down on my feet and took a moment to recuperate.
"Stud muffin…? Are… are you okay?" I had to ask. I… I don't know what I missed, but the way he looked… all tired and coated in a mixture of sweat and monster goo splotched all over him… and with that strange, yet familiar glow of light that suddenly faded out of view as he shook off his fatigue and pocketed this really old, rusty oil lamp… something about that weird light, though… it made me… sad… I don't know why, but I felt really, REALLY sad… almost like I was scared he'd gotten hurt while I was away…
"I'll be alright…" he assured me as he stretched and shook off some of his weariness from whatever adventure he was just on. "Good t' see you again."
"Oh, thank goodness…!" I uttered in an almost tearful whisper as I ran over to hug him. Yet, the second I did so, I was hit with another rush of emotion… but this time, it's much more intense… I… I started to envision something… like, a dream I had… where… where I'm on a beach… and it's nighttime… and stud muffin… he's lying down in front of me, telling me something… I can't decipher what it is, but… for some reason… a knot started to form up in my throat… And my eyes start to water up… And before I know it, I'm… I'm…
"Hey… What's wrong?" stud muffin asked, suddenly super worried about me as he took a knee in front of me and laid his hands on my shoulders. I almost asked him what he was talking about before I realized it for myself that I'd started crying… and as I took in the worried look on his scar-riddled face, I… My heart started to beat harder in my chest… I'm overwhelmed with the urge to save him… but I don't have a clue what I need to save him from. I didn't even know why I was crying. "Is… Is there somethin' I can do t' make you feel better?" he asked as I failed to stop the tears from raining out of my eyes. Yet, for some reason, I feel bad for him. Or rather, I… I feel guilty… or, like, I still need to save him… and… the only way I could think to do it was… was…
"…Stud muffin, don't die on me…! Please…!" I instinctively whispered to him while our eyes were locked with one another. My heart was pumping like I was about to fight an army of monsters, but it ached like someone was squeezing it in a vise, no matter how much I begged them to stop… My hands were trembling as I brought them up to cup his cheeks, which were warm to the touch. I… I feel so… so distraught, and I couldn't at all explain why. But… I needed to save him. That became the only thought in my mind as I tightened my grip on his cheeks, closed my eyes, pushed myself forward to rescue him, and… and…
"Hey, what are you…?" he tried to question, almost freezing in place as I pressed my lips against his cheek while I was holding his face… I was aiming for his lips, but he turned away at the last second. I… I had no idea what I was doing, but… something inside me compelled me to do this…! I HAD to do it…! I needed to save him… I… I needed to save him… I pressed harder, hoping to the high heavens that I wasn't too late… Come on…! You need to survive… You can't die…! You… "Hey, hey, what's goin' on?" I heard him ask me as he pulled a hand off my shoulder to lightly tap my cheek while using his other hand to nudge me. It was at that exact point that I realized just what I was doing… Oh… my… gosh! I just… Oh, jeez, I… I just…!
"Pwah!" I hurriedly separated from him, the pop of my lips detaching from his cheek waking me all the way up as I took a few steps back, covering my mouth. Frightened nearly stiff, I worriedly glanced at him to see that he was more confused than ever as he pulled himself back to his feet. "Oh, no…! Oh, man…! I'm so sorry about that, Tay! I-I didn't mean to do that! I got caught up in this weird moment, and I… I was overwhelmed with this weird urge, and I didn't know what I was doing, and I-!"
"…Tay?" he asked, brushing his thumb across his scarred cheek (the one I wound up kissing) as he processed what I just did. "…How did… how did you know my name before I could tell you myself?"
"Oh! Um… Huh… Y'know, I'm… not really sure," I answered, my train of thought derailed as I took the moment to clean my face off. "For some reason, when I saw you again, it just… sort of popped up in my mind. Did you figure out your name beforehand?"
"I did," he answered with a nod. "Granted, it was only after I had t' do some more diggin' after you disappeared again. While you were gone, I ran int' some old friends who gave me a task t' complete. One of 'em addressed me by my name when they saw me. I didn't get t' ask how they knew me, since they immediately told me that I needed t' help them with some sort o' quest."
"Ohh, okay. Wow, I can't believe I missed that," I shared as I grabbed an arm with my opposing hand and batted my eyes away for a moment. I… was still trying to calm myself down, but I was still surprised to see he made more progress while I was gone. "Were your old friends those monster girls who were helping you? And what sort of quest did you embark on?" I gathered up the courage to ask after sighing and turning my gaze back at him.
"Yeah, they were the ones," he openly admitted. "An' the quest was for us t' infiltrate the Oubliette o' Sufferin' t' get this dusty old oil lamp, then get out o' there before the entrance collapsed," he further shared, pulling out the object in question and examining it a bit before putting it away.
"That's interesting… Do you know what that's for, in that case? I mean, for you to have to travel through the most dangerous dungeon in the Village of Lost Souls to get it, that lamp must be special, right?"
"I have no idea," he plainly answered with a shrug. "I was only told that it was necessary t' fetch it out o' there, an' those friends o' mine were apparently given the task by an unknown 'spirit guide' o' some sort. Ironically enough, that experience was more than enough t' jog some o' my most distant memories… about my childhood… an' even a little bit about the outside world… or at least, the place I was from before I eventually found myself in Sequin Land… an' some o' the people I used t' know…"
"Huh… Wow…" I uncertainly remarked, not at all sure of what circumstances must've been in place for him to have to go through so much trouble for some rusty, dusty, rickety old lamp. His statements about some of his most significant memories coming back to him, though… "What do you remember about your childhood and the place you came from?"
"Not too much, but… what I do remember about my childhood, I'd… rather not say right now…" he declined to share with a melancholy look on his face.
"…I take that to mean your childhood wasn't great…?"
"From what I remember, that's an accurate statement t' make. VERY accurate," he confirmed, which only caused me to worry more about him more. Huh… "In general, I just… remember there bein' a lot o' loss… a lot o' sufferin'… a lot o' bad deeds bein' committed, an' a lot o' time spent tryin' t' find a purpose in life… That, and an eventual change in perspective for me that… led me t' joinin' the military… but then, before I really got started on my work as a soldier, I… well, I can't remember exactly what happened, but all I know right now is that someone launched an invasion… an' that invasion led me t' Sequin Land… where I met her… My girlfriend…"
"Wow… That's a LOT of stuff to be hit with, Tay. I won't lie to you," I remarked in astonishment as I placed my full attention on him. I mean, I couldn't even begin to fathom much of what he was telling me, but… it resonated with me as though I already knew at least some of this about him already. Hearing it come directly from him, though… it was… touching in that it made me feel for him more so than I had a moment ago. He… must've recovered quite a lot, from the sound of it. I was only slightly relieved when he looked back at me and offered a friendly smirk.
"Yeah, but… weirdly enough, I don't feel TOO bad about what I figured out," he assured me. "I'm… oddly filled with some sense of accomplishment, however laced it is in uncertainty about some o' the things I remember happenin' before I died. It's strange to say that, I know, but… goin' on that quest with those ladies reminded me about a lot o' different things… an' even some o' the people in my life who died before they did who helped me rediscover an'… in a sense, reinvent myself…"
"Really? Jeez, stud muffin, what sort of experience did you have while I was gone!?" I accidentally bellowed out, more flabbergasted than ever that he figured out so much in such a short amount of time! Or rather, I'm not sure exactly how much time was involved, because I lost track of it so long ago… For all I know, a whole YEAR could've passed between my last encounter with Tay and this one… or even a century! I haven't the slightest clue… It still seemed… really quick, regardless.
"I had a few experiences that, thanks t' the friends I met for that quest, enlightened me a bit on the kind o' time I had in Sequin Land before I came here… I mean, I'm still wrought with sadness about dyin' in my girlfriend's arms, but… oddly enough, I don't regret it…"
"You don't regret it!? What? Why not?" I demanded to know, wondering how he could say such a thing about a situation so… so… traumatic! Wasn't he even thinking about his girlfriend and how she felt? I wondered about that for just a bit before he offered his reply.
"Because, like I was sayin' before you vanished last time, I… I died protectin' her. I mean… I absolutely hate that she had t' see me go like that, but I'm just glad she's alive t' enjoy peace in the world… She deserves t' be happy, with or without me. I just hope she's gettin' the support she needs in the meantime. These nauseatin' gut feelings I'm still gettin' tell me that… that she's still in a lot o' pain right now, but… I can only hope she gets better without me… I've been thinkin' about her t' this very moment since you helped me remember her, but… I know that deep down, what was done t' keep her alive, had t' be done…"
"Tay…!" I called to him, heartbroken that he could still be so worried about his girlfriend despite the fact that he's dead… Jeez… I can tell just from what he's saying that he REALLY loved her… which hurts me SO much more that he's HERE instead of with her like he should be…
"Of course, I don't remember many other details about the event… at least, other than the evil person I protected her from an' how that person killed me…" he shared, a look of contemplative contempt forming on his face as he momentarily looked away and furrowed his brow. I couldn't help but feel bad, though… I understood where he was coming from, and it seemed very much like he was dedicated to protecting my—or rather, OUR special friend from harm… even at the cost of his life. Gosh… This rabbit hole of sadness keeps getting deeper… but I'm learning so much that I can't help but keep digging. I really, REALLY hope our mutual friend is doing well… She must be in complete distress because Tay's no longer with her… It makes me… it makes me cry just thinking about it… "…Pirate Demon…!" he murmured after a moment of silence, seeming to recall just enough about this MISERABLE, AWFUL, EVIL, INCONSDERATE, PATHETIC EXCUSE for a person that KILLED my friend…! Whoever they are… I HATE them! I hate them…! THEY need to be here, not Tay! I… I…
"…I see… I… I had a feeling those scars all over your body weren't just for show," I admitted with a sense of total dejection after a brief pause. He didn't know, but… he actually reminded me of something I kinda wish he hadn't reminded me of as I looked him right in the eye, trying not to lose my composure.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his interest in my statement piqued.
"…Well… I had a feeling that you were murdered, simply put…" I further admitted, though I felt a sharp sting in my heart as though someone shot an arrow through it. To say he looked like a chill ran up his spine, I have to tell you was a severe understatement. He was completely surprised, though he at least managed to temper his reaction. "…Am I right?"
"…Sort of," he hesitantly shared with a nod and sigh. "But, it wasn't so much o' me bein' murdered, as it was me sacrificin' my life t' save my girlfriend's. I died with a purpose, which is just about the only reason I'm not so completely shaken up by it that I'm tearin' myself apart," he clarified, however shaky his voice was when he shared his reply.
"Oh. I… I see… So, you mean like, you knew you were gonna die protecting her, but like… well, like she'd have gotten hurt if you didn't?"
"Exactly," he confirmed, which actually caused my heart to sink even more… and at that point, I couldn't even think to hold back my tears…
"Oh, Tay…!" I called to him, sniffling as I tried my hardest to keep my composure. But, the more I hear from him… the more that haunting dream of mine comes up… and the more vivid it is… I… I don't even know why it's so vivid, but… it's as if I was right there with him when he died… and the mere thought completely DEVASTATES me as I…
"Maybe we should talk about somethin' else," he suddenly suggested, laying a hand on my shoulder as he seemed to sense my internal distress. Perking up, I wiped my eyes without taking off my glasses as I shot him a curious look. "I can tell that this is… a little bit too heavy for us t' be talkin' about right now, an' I'd rather not make you upset."
"Oh, n-no, I'm fine! I promise!" I tried to assure him, sniffling again as I took a shaky breath and scrubbed my face clean with my hands. "I-I can handle it," I also tried to tell him despite the fact that my heart still hurt like someone took it out and stomped on it before putting it back.
"It's alright, homie," he calmly assured, that stoic golden-eyed look on his face never faltering as he released my shoulder. "We'll revisit it another time. Besides, I haven't even finished tellin' you about my excitin' adventure through the Oubliette o' Sufferin' for this raggedy lamp!" he joked with a reassuring grin, which I was honestly glad to see as I smiled back at him. And… much as I didn't want to change topics, uh… M-maybe it was for the best… at least, for now.
"I suppose you're right," I agreed with another sigh. "I… do hope we get the chance to talk some more about your memories, though. So anyway, how do you know those monster girls?"
"I… I'm still pretty fuzzy on that, t' be honest," he admitted with a bashful grin and scratch of his head. "They recognized me when they approached me and told me that they'd met me at different points while we were all alive. I spent as much time as I could trying to figure it out while we were on that quest, but they didn't remember that much, either. All I really learned directly from them was my name an' that I met them before. I… also ran into a giant spider at some point, but someone came and collected his soul right after I got done helpin' him cope with his regrets over an unfulfilled dream he had about openin' a candy business. Speakin' o' which, I hope you like sweets… This is apparently coffee-flavored," he shared, reaching into his pocket and handing me what looked like a chocolate bar wrapped in foil.
"Aw, thanks! I LOVE coffee! And chocolate!" I exclaimed, happy to have gotten my hands on something to eat for the first time in what felt like EONS! Eagerly, I unwrapped the foil from it and, just as I guessed… Chocolate! I took a bite and was immediately blown away by the soothing, refreshing tart, sweet taste of a caramel latte that made my tongue HOWL in sugary ecstasy. "Mmmm~! This is great! Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you like it. The spider that gave it to me said he perfected his recipe in his time here…"
"Oh, yeah? What'd he make it out of?" I prodded, wondering how a SPIDER of all things could make chocolate… and if it had any weird ingredients in it like spider webbing or dead flies or something gross like that… I don't know why, though. It was… a hunch of sorts I conjured up in that moment. Hee-hee!
"Cocoa powder, salt, butter, egg yolks, coffee grounds, caramel, nougat, brown sugar, toasted sugar rice for a crunchy texture, regular sugar, an' a dash o' milk to… as he said, give it a most powerful lasting savory flavor," Tay most matter-of-factly informed me.
"Neat! What a perfect blend that turned out to be!" I remarked in a swirling mixture of childlike excitement and monumental relief, wolfing down the chocolate bar like it was the last meal I'd ever have. I… must not have looked the most ladylike, considering my friend was chuckling at me as I wiped the residue off my face with a hand. "S-sorry about that… I should probably have taken it a little slower, huh?"
"Nah, you all good. I mean, you looked like a rabid, bloodthirsty lion eatin' that thing as viciously as you did, but you're fine," he joked with a slight chuckle.
"Hey!" I yelled at him in offense and just a TINY bit of embarrassment, though I couldn't do much of anything to hide the humor I'm sure was plastered all over my face. "How dare you? Don't you know it's rude to make fun of a lady for how she chooses to enjoy her sweet, sugary delicacies?"
"Sure, but in cases like this, I calls it as I sees it," he shot back with a grinning shrug, clearly getting a kick out of bearing witness to my incredibly sophisticated eating habits. "And I tell ya what, homegirl; I done saw a woman with the appetite of an entire piranha horde murderin' a chocolate bar with her teeth. Any more graphic, an' I'd have had t' snitch t' the authorities about a crime bein' committed…"
"Yeah, well you're gonna need those authorities for yourself if you keep making these wisecracks, mister!" I jokingly warned, 'angrily' shaking a fist at him. "I might be half your size with maybe like, five percent of the muscle you have, but I'm a scrapper! I can throw down with the best of 'em, so you better check yourself before you wreck yourself, buddy! I'll beat you up!"
"Whoa! Okay, I got it! I got it! Don't hurt me, please!" he playfully begged, trying to shield himself behind his hands. "I had no idea I was messin' with such a fearsome warrior!"
"That's what I thought," I oh-so dominantly declared, flexing my SUPER muscular arms as I showed him who ran things around here. "You've been warned, Tay, so make sure it sticks… Or else!"
"Read loud an' clear, boss," he smilingly acknowledged, letting it sink in that I was a LOT tougher than I looked. And he'd better not forget it… Hee-hee! "Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chocolate bar," he assured with a quick thumbs-up after we shared a nice, refreshing laugh at the banter sesh we just had. "If the maker of it was still here, he'd have probably loved t' see you devour that thing like that."
"Yeah, I'd bet… He didn't happen to give you more, did he?" I dared to question, though I know I sounded a bit greedy for asking. But can you knock me? When a girl's gotta eat, a girl's gotta eat… no matter if she's a ghost or not!
"Unfortunately, no. He only had enough ingredients for two bars. An' after I taste-tested the first one an' enjoyed it, he said that he could rest easy, knowin' that the last thing he did was put a smile on the face of an old friend… which was strange, because I felt like I knew him from somewhere, too…"
"Hmm… Y'know, that… sounds awfully familiar to me, too…"
"What? Really?" Tay remarked in surprise yet again.
"Yeah… almost like… like we both may have had an experience involving a spider and some chocolate once upon a time. D'ohh, if only I could remember more…!" I growled in frustration, lightly pounding my head with the palm of my head to jar my memories. It didn't work, in case you were wondering, but I tried.
"An' yet, the mystery continues t' deepen," he remarked with a sigh, scratching his head as he looked at me. "It sounds like you an' I have got a deeper history than we might be aware of, as far as I can see. Speakin' o' which, are you sure you don't have a clue how you figured out my name?" he asked, changing the subject back.
"Hmm… I… I think I do have an idea," I shared, prompting him to almost jump to the ceiling and back as he tuned all the way in. "And… I think I might know something about how you got here."
"Do you now? How so?"
"Well… Don't quote me on this, but… It may have to do with this really scary vision or dream I had where… where you were dying in front of me, and I was trying to use… some sort of technique on you to try and save you."
"You had a vision about when I died…?" he asked, understandably spooked by my revelation as he kept his full attention locked on me.
"Yeah, but… I can't remember much of what I saw, unfortunately," I shared, though I tried my hardest to make sense of what I did see. "All I remember is… is that I was with a few people… one of which included our purple-haired mutual friend, who was cradling your head and crying while you were bleeding from your stomach… I remember desperately looking for something to heal you with before you lost consciousness… I remember calling out to you over and over again to keep you awake while I searched for what I needed. I… remember that it had something to do with kissing you while using the thing I was looking for before it was too late. But then, I remember not being able to find what I was looking for… and the next thing I know, I'm back here again…"
"Huh… Wow, those are some visions you're havin' there," he remarked, still totally astonished about what I've been telling him. To be honest, I'm a bit shocked, too. I have no clue what's happening here… but… the more this keeps happening, the worse I keep feeling for him… "An'… somethin' about that rings a bell t' me. I… vaguely recall havin' a friend who had the power o' healin' kisses. That… might explain what happened earlier with you an' me, if the hunch I have now is right."
"R-right… Sorry about that…" I nervously apologized, though I'm entirely blown away that he mentioned having a friend who could heal people by kissing them… because… that's exactly the same power I had in my dream! Only, I needed to eat something and then kiss someone to make it work… but I couldn't remember anything else…
"Not an issue, homie," he dismissed, thankfully not seeming angry at me. What a relief… "Still, your visions… they're really vivid, if nothin' else… an' the details you're sharin' with me… they're spot-on with some o' the experiences I had…"
"Yeah… Yet, even now, I can't explain why they're happening the way they are," I confessed, though I'm still fighting the urge to cry again as I look him in the eyes. "I do know one thing, though…"
"What's that?"
"…I… I'm sorry for not being able to save you, Tay…" I apologized as I bowed my head, my heart pounding like a stampeding elephant's hooves while my throat almost completely closed up on me. "If… If I could've just found what I was looking for and used it before you…"
"What?" he asked, most likely out of confusion. "Why are you apologizin' for such a thing? You… you didn't happen t' actually be there when I died… did you? Or, is that the clue you're gettin'?"
"I'm not a hundred percent sure… Sometimes, I can't tell the difference between my dreams, my actual memories, and reality… but, to answer your question, I… I think I was there," I said, wiping another stream of tears from my eyes as I try to make sense of the overwhelming grief hitting me at my very core… Something about this guy… I-I don't know what it is, but I feel… connected to him… but I'm so sad to see him here… I can't figure out why, and the longer the reason eludes me, the more my eyes keep watering up until they were overflowing with sorrow…
"I see… I only hope that what you're seein' is more than just your mind playin' tricks on you. But just in case your visions are true… Does that mean you finally began t' figure out who you are?" he questioned with a most perplexed look on his face. "An' if you did, then have you figured out how we know each other? Also… are you sure you're okay? You seem really upset…"
"I haven't come close to figuring either of those things out," I sadly informed him, doing my best to wipe my eyes dry again. "And… I'm fine for now. Sorry, I just need to bring myself back into line. Anyway, all I know from this latest dream is that your name is apparently 'Tay,' and that, like you said, you… you died in our friend's arms, most likely from blood loss with how badly you were bleeding from your stomach… and… you and our friend seemed so worn out, like you'd just wrapped up some really grueling battle… which makes sense, considering what you said before…"
"…Hmm…" he murmured, appearing to become more worried as he momentarily cast his eyes toward the ground. "…I… I'm startin' t' remember more about that, too…" he surprisingly shared, bringing a hand to the massive scar on his stomach. As if it still hurt him immensely, he grimaced as he clenched his fingers into it. After a moment of silence (save for the nonstop wails and moans of the other ghosts around us), he sighed in worry and shook his head to bring himself back into focus.
"Huh… I… I had a h…. bu… you… resp…"
"…You… vanis… ag…"
Oh, no… I… I'm blacking out again… I'm sorry this keeps happe…