Since it was Raphael's last night as Valon's guest, Valon decided he'd allow himself a change of pace by enjoying a walk on the beach with his friend. His friend would be leaving early next morning, and Valon found himself feeling disheartened by this knowledge in more ways than one. Walking alongside his former co-worker, Valon tried not to dwell on the fact that his house was going to be empty again.
He wasn't sure why that bothered him so much.
"You don't have to leave now, you know," Valon said placidly, finally breaking the comfortable silence between them.
A gentle smile came upon Raphael's lips. "Is that so?" he asked, amused.
Valon nodded. "Yeah. I love having you around."
"I've stayed longer than I intended, you know," Raphael replied. "Thanks to your persuasion."
Valon grinned. "That so?"
"What was supposed to be a few day detour has stretched out to more than a week thanks to you," Raphael replied. "Not that I mind. But it's time for me to go."
Valon looked down at the ground and nodded, smiling faintly. "I get it," he said, softly. "Where will you go?"
"I don't know, truthfully."
"Hmm."
They walked the next few minutes in comfortable silence. They were getting closer to Valon's beach house.
"Valon?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me something."
"Sure."
"Do you remember much of the previous year?" Raphael asked, looking at Valon with all seriousness in his face.
Valon blinked. "What do you mean, Raphael?"
"Do you remember much of our last job, before Dartz's downfall?"
Valon stopped walking, concentrating. He remembered bits and pieces. Not too terribly much, now that he thought about it. Why was that?
"It seems as if you've forgotten most of what happened," Raphael said, noting Valon's discomfort. "Can you tell me much about what happened to you this past year?"
Valon could not answer. He hadn't thought about it much. He just figured everything had become mindnumbingly boring after his extended vacation. "Why do you ask, Raph?" he asked, uneasily.
Raphael allowed a couple of beats of silence. "No reason," he replied. "Just curious."
They continued their walk in silence.
Mai had not seen Joey since their fight. Five days had passed, and still her—boyfriend? Roomie?—had not returned. Mai went to sleep alone, woke up alone, and ate alone. It had been a long time since she'd done so, and as time wore on she wasn't sure if she missed Joey or if she was just taking time to adjust to her newfound solitude.
Mai considered calling him while she hand washed the dishes.
Maybe calling him would be a good idea. After all, the last time they'd talked had ended roughly, and Mai was starting to wonder where things stood with her and Joey. Joey hadn't been home in five days, and that could mean he wanted to break up, which made her want to call him so she could know for sure. Yet Mai knew that Joey wouldn't end things in such a manner. She knew he'd have the decency to end things with her in person, so she figured that there was no reason to call.
Mai sighed as she scrubbed a plate.
Yeah, there was no reason to call.
Mai suddenly paused, frowning.
Or maybe she should call him, she mused, continuing to scrub. How would it look on her part if she never did reach out to him during their time apart? Five days was already bad enough. Joey could take it as a sign of her not caring, and that wasn't true. Mai did care. So she supposed she'd have to reach him, play the part of the good girlfriend because that was what she wanted.
Right?
Mai bit the inside of her lip.
Let him sulk, she decided with a scowl, scrubbing the same plate with unnecessary force. If he wanted to pout and hide somewhere like a stubborn child, then she'd let him.
"Where do you plan on going?" Mai asked Valon as they ran away from the park to her car.
"Anywhere," Valon responded, breathlessly. "We just need to get out of here."
Mai and Valon jumped into Mai's convertible as the park started to disappear. Mai looked on with fear as she started her car and backed up out of her spot. "Damn, Valon!" Mai exclaimed, speeding out of the parking lot. "What made you think this was a good idea!"
Valon fell back against his seat and shook his head. "I dunno, Mai," he murmured as Mai tried to turn a corner but ended up on the street that led to her apartment. Why couldn't they go anywhere else? "I dunno. Chalk it up to loneliness, maybe."
Mai scowled and managed to take a u-turn, but ended up back on the same road. "What the hell?" she shrieked, slapping her steering wheel in frustration. "What's going on?"
Valon sat up in realization. "It's the memory," he said, thinking out loud. "We can't go anywhere because I have no memory of us going anywhere else but home."
The car disappeared around them and they were left standing in the middle of the street.
The next thing he knew, Valon was on his living room floor, watching TV with Mai. They both lay on their stomachs and were surrounded by pillows and blankets. "We've gotta figure something out, Mai," he said, sitting up. "Running isn't working."
"So we're inside your head, right?" Mai asked, sitting up as well.
Valon nodded. "I'm asleep right now," he replied. "Two guys are in my house right now. They're the ones who're erasing you."
"Have you tried waking up?" Mai asked.
Valon blinked. "Actually, no."
"Then try already!" Mai demanded.
Valon exhaled and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself so he could concentrate. He thought about waking up; he willed his eyes to open. Frowning in concentration, Valon forcefully opened his eyes in the hopes it would happen in reality. It took a few brief moments, but then Valon saw himself staring up at his ceiling in the real world. He heard the two voices from before talking.
"Okay, fuck, marry, and kill: Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Barbara Walters."
"Ah, gee... Fuck Martha Stewart because I'm sure she has something interesting for the bedroom, marry Paula for her cooking, and kill Barbara Walters. Okay, your turn. Fuck, marry, and kill: Stephen Colbert, John Stewart, and Glenn Beck."
"Fuck Stewart, marry Colbert, and kill Beck. Okay now—hold on a second. His eyes are open!"