Putting together the pieces.

[Seven]

The sun sets on the horizon, casting shadows across the streets of Los Angeles. Amidst the shadows of skyscrapers and street lamps stands a man built like a [Mountain] who casts shadows of his own. He keeps himself isolated on a quiet street corner and rubs his face, as if trying to massage away a headache.



Mountain: ...Damn.

The large man takes off his beanie and starts to rub the back of his head, as if trying to stir up a forgotten memory.



Mountain: ...Still nothing.

The man stares intently out into the darkening sky, as of searching amongst the emerging stars for answers that eluded his memory. The answers had to be out there... he sighs and puts his beanie back on his head.



Mountain: ...

Disheartened, the man never finds his epiphany. He keeps looking out into the sky, waiting for some sort of enlightenment to find him... he has no leads right now. What else is a guy supposed to do?

[Julie Clementae]

Faey had been wandering Los Angeles, people watching as she did so often to amuse herself when she could afford to do something more entertaining. Now she was watching some guy- who was almost frighteningly large- just... Stand there. It was kinda weird.

She liked weird things!

"Hiya!" A young woman with short blonde hair and bare feet walked up to him, waving cheerfully. "I'm Faey! What're you doing over here?"

[Seven]

Up until this point, the man had been remaining still, as though he were merely a hill upon the horizon. Upon hearing a young woman's voice, however, he turns around, breaking his gaze away from the night sky and craning his head to see what was happening.



Mountain: ...

He sees a young woman with short blonde hair standing near him. She seems very vibrant and full of energy, and she also appears to be speaking to him. For a quick moment, the man starts to rummage through the fragments of his memory... had he seen this girl before? It does not take him long to decide that she does not feel familiar.



Mountain: Do I... know you?

The man touches his forehead and looks away from the girl for a moment. His expression suddenly becomes very focused, like he's trying very hard to remember something...

[Julie Clementae]

"Nope! I've never seen you before in my life!" She reported, grinning. She walked over to stand next to him. "I was just curious. Hope you don't mind the intrusion. What's your name?"

[Seven]

The man appears disappointed by the girl's response. For a fleeting moment, he had been hoping that someone might have recognized him.



Mountain: ...Really? Huh... well, that's too bad.

The man's response seems slightly unusual. He pauses for a moment, thinking about the girl's question, then quickly changes gears, passing over it entirely.



Mountain: So... you just go up to random strangers on the street and strike up a conversation? Isn't that a little dangerous?

The man looks down at himself, as if to indicate to his size. He isn't exactly what most people considered approachable.

[Julie Clementae]

"Well, maybe, but it's more fun than just sitting around! And I get to meet new people!" She continued grinning up at him, obviously not seeing him as a threat in any way. Hard to tell if it was from good instincts or sheer stupidity. "You didn't tell me your name yet."

[Miri, EarthGuard]

"I'd be interested to know that as well, actually," said someone else, walking up to the mountain of a man and Faeylinn. She smiled mysteriously; her presence came with a couple of black feathers floating on the wind.

[Julie Clementae]

"Oh, hi!" Faey turned to face the new arrival with just as friendly a greeting as she'd given the really big guy. "Who're you?"

[Miri, EarthGuard]

"My name's Miri," she introduced herself, holing out a hand to shake. "You?" The girl looked familiar; she had possibly seen her before, but she'd certainly never met her.

[Julie Clementae]

"I'm Faey, short for Faeylinn!" She paused and seemed to consider her name. "Miri... I remember that name.... You've been to Allorum!" She almost shouted the last words as she remembered- probably not the smartest idea. But hey, who said she was smart?

[Miri, EarthGuard]

SHe smiled. "So that's where I know you from!" She turned to the man. "YOu'll have to excuse us; a rather uniue experience that we have in common." Turning back to Faey, she continued, "We must not have met for very long... when was it, exactly..." She began to search her memory.

[Seven]

The mountain man's glance dances from one girl to the other; he looks puzzled, as though he is not quite sure what to make of their sudden appearance. His eyes seem somewhat hollow - part of him remains lost in thought.



Mountain: Uhhh... huh. So there's 2 of you now...

Though he is used to receiving attention from passers-by on account of his large stature, the mountain man is still caught off-guard by the girls' sudden gravitation towards him. He notes that both of them asked for his name, so they didn't seem to know him, at least not nominally. He begins to wonder... does he really stick out that much in a crowd? Or was there something more to it?



Mountain: You... you said your names were [Faeylinn] and [Miri], right? And you kind of know each other... but not really.

He repeats this information out loud, as if saying it to himself would help him remember better. With his memory failing him so severely, he does his best to try and hold everything in his head, taking no new memory for granted. The inquiries about his name brings a surge of pain and shame to the surface, as though someone had rubbed up against a scabbing wound and allowed it to bleed out again. Shaking off the discomfort, he decides not to regard the question for the time being; instead, he asserts a question of his own.



Mountain: ...[Allorum]. You... that's what you said, right? What's that all about?

Faeylinn's cheery words were fresh in his mind, echoing through his memory like the crackling of a fire in an otherwise silent room. Allorum - that sounds so familiar to him. It feels so significant... he knows he must follow up on it. This all must be more than coincidence...

[Miri, EarthGuard]

She looked at him with interest flashing in her eyes.

"Allorum... does that mean anything to you?" Her tone was curious, but cautious. She glanced at Faey, then back at the man.

[Julie Clementae]

Faey grinned. "He knows about Allorum, too? Awesome!" Then she turned thoughtful for a moment. "I dunno. Were you at the Black Rose Ball? Or maybe the battle in Crepusculum Kingdom? We could have met there, there were a lot of people..."

[Seven]

Faey's words seem to puzzle the mountain man for a moment. Aside from Allorum, none of the terms seem to register any sort of recognition. Everything else the girl talks about pretty much sounds like gibberish to him.



Mountain: A... rose ball? And... a crepes kingdom? What do crepes have to do with anything?

Closing his eyes for a moment, the mountain man takes a deep breath. His face scrunches slightly and he touches his hat. Focus fills his eyes and he stares off into the distance.



Mountain: But... Allorum. Damn, why does that feel so...

Suddenly, he remembers. It strikes him like lightning, a sudden bolt from the blue - epiphany.

He remembers the ship.



Memories flood his brain. The mountain man recalls searching the ship in confused desperation, seeking out people, answers, exits... anything he could find that could lead to some sort of clue. On his way out, he had passed a cargo hold, and some of the boxes had been marked with the word [Allorum]. The term had also shown up again in the navigations room, where it was written upon several strange-looking maps. He hadn't thought much of it at the time - he had been too busy trying to leave - but now...

What does it mean?



Mountain: ...That ship! It was that goddamn ship!

He cannot help himself from speaking out loud, but the mountain man quickly reclaims his composure after his small outburst. Now's not the time to blow it, he thinks to himself. If these girls knew what Allorum meant... then they could have some answers for him.



Mountain: You 2... what do you know about Allorum? I'm gonna need to hear it all.

His face is focused again. This line of conversation could prove to be important...