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* Tyl is sitting in the garden out back, perched on the side of the elegant marble water fountain, her legs crossed under her. She is wearing work clothes, and, oddly enough, a pair of slightly faded red leather boots. * Glossaria knocks lightly on the door of the Quel'shu mansion, a brown leather bookbag nearly as large as her torso balanced on her shoulder. She looks around interestedly, and smooths down the grey skirt of her plain gown. <Jaques> Yes, Ma'am? ::the butler, impeccable as usual, answers the door:: <Glossaria> Glossaria duNache to see Lady Quel'shu, if she's at home? I have no appointment. <Jaques> ::bowing:: She's in the garden... may I escort you, or do you know the way? <Glossaria> ::tipping her head in thought:: I don't believe I've been to that portion of the grounds. ::nods:: You may escort me. <Jaques> Of course, m'lady. This way, please. ::he leads her through some of the more public, and therefore, more impressive, parts of the mansion before stopping before an ornate door.:: Here is the door, ma'am. I believe you'll find her brooding over by the fountain. <Glossaria> ::raises her eyebrows:: Brooding? She's incubating eggs? <Jaques> ::a very brief smile creases the lips of the old elf:: No ma'am. She's making up her mind to leave us. ::he rests a hand on Gloss's shoulder for a brief moment:: <Glossaria> Oh. ::blushes slightly at her mistake:: Wait-- leave you? She's going away? But-- she's barely had time to visit! I mean, the new her, that is. <Jaques> ::nodding:: Perhaps... <Glossaria> ::frowns:: Oh, dear. I didn't know. ::shifts the pack on her shoulder, glancing back at it uncertainly:: My selections may be inappropriate, then... <Jaques> ::bowing again:: If you'll excuse me, m'lady. Enjoy your visit. ::he turns and walks down the hall, a bit stiffly:: * Glossaria chews on her lower lip for a moment, watching the butler depart before turning to look at the door again. <Glossaria> ::murmuring to herself:: I suppose I could go home and come back again... but that would be awkward... well... ::takes a deep breath and pushes open the door. She blinks a little as she looks around the garden, for a moment distracted with mentally cataloging the plants she sees:: * Tyl pulls a late blooming flower off a vine and rather absent-mindedly shreds it, dropping the brightly colored petals on the water of the fountain:: * Glossaria takes a few steps closer. "It would be best if you washed your hands, too, Mistress Tyl. Climbing baneberry causes a contact rash in some individuals, elves particularly." <Tyl> ::looks up:: Oh, hullo duNache. ::absently she dips her hands into the fountain, then shakes them off:: <Glossaria> ::smiles a little:: Glossaria. Or Gloss, if you prefer. <Tyl> Gloss, then. ::brushes her hands against her sleeves for a moment:: <Glossaria> ::smiles a little wider, taking a few steps closer uncertainly:: I... I brought some things for you, but... they may be inappropriate. Master Jaques said you might be... leaving? <Tyl> ::finishes the nervous gesture, smoothing her vest:: It's crossed my mind. <Glossaria> ::cocking her head curiously:: Crossed, or dwelt? <Tyl> ::smiles a bit flatly:: It's been a reoccurring fancy... * Glossaria slips her pack off her shoulder, resting it on the top of her foot, not quite on the ground. "Why? Do you wish to travel?" <Tyl> ::removing a coin from her vest pocket, she begins a sleight-of-hand routine, dancing the coin across the back of her hand, dipping in and out of her fingers:: Perhaps... often a means to an end, it's sometimes the end itself, don't you think? <Glossaria> ::nods vigorously, watching the progress of the coin with interest:: Volo writes that the journey itself is the best destination of all. ::smiles a little:: A curious play on words, but apt. The concept of a journey is an often-used analogy for life, and after all, few are eager to reach their final destination in *that.* Although the Mulhorandi believe-- ::she breaks off with a blush:: I'm sorry. I'm rambling again, aren't I? * Tyl tosses her coin into the air, catches it, then opens her hand, revealing nothing. <Tyl> Ramble away... ::she reaches out, "pulling" the coin from behind Gloss's ear:: <Glossaria> ::smiles a little:: It was palmed between the second and third digits of your left hand. Well, the Mulhorandi believe that there is a life after this one for some, and so death is not so much an end as a... ::she pauses, frowning in thought:: ...an inn, to stay for the night! <Tyl> ::shrugs:: It used to amuse my playmates, when I was a child. ::she tucks the coin back in her vest pocket:: So, what's on your mind? ::she gestures to the pack:: <Glossaria> ::nods:: It's a classic trick, according to Egglebrock's "Coin Tricks: 100 Palms, Plants, and Fades." <Glossaria> ::glances down at her pack:: Well, more on my foot, than my mind, but... may I? ::she gestures to the garden bench beside Tyl:: <Tyl> ::nodding:: * Tyl trails a hand in the fountain, her fingers making ripples in the water. * Glossaria hefts her pack with a soft grunt and places it on the bench next to Tyl, unlacing the stays and flipping it open with a somewhat nervous glance at Tyl's trailing hand. "Um... not to be rude, but... would you please dry your hands before you open these? Water damages books." * Tyl wipes her hands off on her trousers, rocking forward onto her heels. "Whatcha got?" * Glossaria pulls, one by one, a stack of about fifteen volumes out of her pack and sets them on the bench next to Tyl. "Well, it occurred to me that, while others may have been trying to, um, restore your memory, no one would be attempting to "fill you in" as it were on the bits you'd missed. So, I brought you a few things that might help." <Glossaria> ::sounding hesitant:: Though... if you're going away, maybe travelogues would have been better...? <Tyl> ::eyes the bag:: That's a lot of books to put in one pack. <Glossaria> Well... they're small. ::eyes the large blue-bound tome with "A Historie of Cormyr" stamped in gold on the spine:: Well, mostly. * Tyl smiles grimly, then speaks in fluid elvish. {Lesson time, teacher?} <Glossaria> ::blinks, and responds in the same language:: {Only if you like. I had in mind more of self-study.} ::sounding meek:: {I know that if *my* memory were thirty years out of date, I'd want to rectify it as soon as possible.} ::looks down at her shoes:: {Of course... that's sort of what I'm doing with everything, I suppose... } <Tyl> ::sighs and returns to the common tongue:: I don't know, really... seems silly to care what other people are up to when I'm not even sure who I am. <Glossaria> Well... but you still have a past. Don't you want to find out what you missed? ::slipping what looks like a bound volume of journals from the stack and displaying it on the top more invitingly. The title, in graceful elvish script, reads merely, "A Digest of Days":: <Tyl> ::raises one eyebrow:: Wars, death, famine, kings... has it changed any? <Glossaria> ::glances down at the volume, running a finger down the spine affectionately:: Well... the names change. ::brightening:: The clothing fashions have changed rather a lot. <Tyl> ::sighs in an exaggerated fashion, making the blossoms on one vine dance:: You're a librarian, right? * Glossaria nods. <Tyl> Do much research on this? ::she gestures at her head:: Any idea how long it might last? I... ::she looks up at the garden wall towards a balcony, which probably leads to the master bedroom:: <Glossaria> :looking troubled:: Well... I... *have* looked into a book or two... or more... on the subject of amnesia and general memory loss. Unfortunately, there's no clear answer. Your case is an unusual one, true, but... in some cases, the loss is rectified after a few days or weeks. Sometimes... years. ::sounding reluctant:: Depending on the... method of damage, the loss is sometimes permanent, because there's nothing to recover. When magically induced, the memory may at times be *physically* recovered, as from a crystal or somesuch, but... ::looks doubtful:: <Glossaria> ::she moves the empty pack aside and sits, frowning at the ground:: Familiar surroundings, sights, smells particularly, can jog the memory... and often, patients seem to reach a point that... breaks the dam, one could say, and causes a flood of memory to return. One fact triggers several related memories, and so on. A cascade, it's called. <Tyl> ::nods a little reluctantly:: I want to care about him... certainly staying here beats sleeping in the streets, after all. <Glossaria> ::looking offended:: You wouldn't have to sleep in the streets, Mistress Tyl! Any number of people would be honored to offer you shelter, but with your skills, you could certainly earn a living of your own! Why, the School is *your* property, after all! <Tyl> ::laughs bitterly:: So is this house, I've been told. The triumphs of a woman that doesn't exist anymore. ::she looks around:: This doesn't feel like my home. I don't belong here. <Glossaria> ::blinks several times:: But... you *do* exist. ::frowns, and pokes Tyl experimentally before nodding firmly:: See? You exist. And the properties, as I understand, are a matter of inheritance-- surely you remember your family? Your grandfather? <Tyl> ::shudders a bit:: Yes, I remember my family. My grandfather... I haven't seen him since I was very young. ::she blinks a few times:: He didn't get on well with my mother. <Glossaria> ::smiling a little:: Which is probably why he left his properties to you. ::hesitantly:: Have you... that is, did you speak with Val? Vallel duNache, my husband? Your former pupil? He... I know this is supposed to be a secret, but... he holds your memories, you know. <Tyl> ::blinks:: He does? <Glossaria> ::nods:: It was... something of an accident. You were... ::she thinks for a moment, torn between etiquette and honesty, and finally takes a deep breath:: There's an herb known as esperweed, for its ability to enhance psionics' powers. You were taking it, at one time, and... well, it's highly addictive. * Tyl sits back down on the edge of the fountain, listening... almost despite herself, she seems interested. <Glossaria> ::taking another breath:: A... number of people assisted you in breaking your addiction. Withdrawal from esperweed is... ugly. You became quite ill for a time, raving, and Vallel stayed by you to nurse you in private. He... you... you're both telepaths, and you were... he couldn't help it, he couldn't shut you out. <Tyl> ::shakes her head slightly:: Nice of him... <Glossaria> He owed you a great deal. Many of us do. ::looking up, looking Tyl in the eye:: Whether you remember the occasion or not, *we* do. The... debt is not forgotten, simply because *you* have forgotten. Vallel carries... everything. All of your memories. When you got better, you didn't remember, and he didn't tell you because he didn't want to... shame you. * Tyl considers that for a while, frowning slightly and biting her lip. <Glossaria> ::thoughtfully:: That was... Flamerule, I think? of last year, so it will be a bit out of date, I imagine. Still... <Glossaria> If you... if you *want* to remember, he can help. <Tyl> Hmmm... ::she stands up, stretching a bit. Taking a few steps forward, she makes no sound, circling around Glossaria, she picks up one of the books and flips through it:: I'll give it some thought. <Glossaria> ::biting a lip that trembles a little, not turning:: But if you decide... not... please, won't you tell us, before you leave? I know, you'd probably rather just... go, but... the worst, when you disappeared before, was not *knowing*... I know, you must think the person we care for isn't *you* anymore, but... but... it *is*... Oh... I'm s-sorry... ::dips her head, putting a hand over her eyes, her shoulders shaking:: <Tyl> ::laughing, she puts a hand on Gloss's shoulder:: I'm not so inattentive... nor fool enough to think *he* wouldn't come after me. * Glossaria sniffles softly, her voice very small. "He did the first time." <Tyl> ::squeezes the girl's shoulder:: If I'm to be left alone, I'll probably have to check in once in a while... <Glossaria> ::lifts her head, wiping her eyes:: Not if you asked. It would... hurt him, I think, but Jelarthna would do what you asked. <Tyl> ::raises an eyebrow:: And the rest? ::snorts:: No, I don't think so... they'd do it "for my own good." <Glossaria> ::smiles a somewhat watery smile:: Mistress Lisl can be very persistant, true. Mistress Zoya and I would probably restrain ourselves to scrying from time to time. <Tyl> ::takes a deep breath:: Maybe I should go talk to your husband... know what all my options are before I make a decision. <Glossaria> ::nods:: That is generally agreed to be the wisest course in any case. Do you... want to hold on to these a little while? ::gestures to the books:: <Tyl> ::nodding:: Why not? I probably won't read them, but I might flip through them. ::she grins slightly:: Don't worry, I won't get mustard all over your books. <Glossaria> ::breathes a small sigh:: Thank you. ::pulls out a plain, somewhat ink-stained handkerchief and dips it in the fountain, wiping her eyes:: I apologize for becoming emotional. I didn't intend to. ::sighing a little:: But then, I never intend to... <Tyl> ::nodding:: That's all right... anyway, let your husband know I'd like to see him, whenever it's convenient. I... I'll be here, for a while. <Glossaria> ::nods:: I will. ::smiles:: Thank you, Mistress Tyl. <Tyl> ::snorts:: Thanks for the books... and your concern. I do... ::makes a face:: appreciate it. Even if I am being obstinate about it. <Glossaria> ::smiles wider, shouldering her pack:: You helped me get my life back, once, too, in a way. ::she touches her temple, and drops her hand after a moment:: It's the least I can do to try to help you do the same. * Tyl waves at Gloss as she leaves, turning, with a pensive expression, back to the fountain. * Glossaria turns and walks back through the house, waving gaily at the butler as she exits. |
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