[PP-F1] Picking up the Pieces[Arthonnen & Lessa][Pm for Invite]

[Kazuya 0]

((I thought, Why not give Kazuya a little bit of a memory problem. He did just have two friends die because of this game. Maybe he can have a fresh start, or maybe he will become a horrible killer. I guess it will all depend on who he interacts with. We can thank his acceptance of his darker part for this by the way.))

 

Kazuya had been suffering for a loss of memory. He didn't know who he really was. All he knew was that his name was Kazuya, his friend had died, along with another just recently, he was smart, tactical even, and he had a pain in the back of his head. He walked to the alley in the beginning city where he felt something had happened. He still couldn't remember a thing before two weeks ago when Arga had died. He walked out of alley and just stood there, confused as to where he should go or who he was.

[Arthonnen 0]

Arthonnen had been walking by. He had come a long way since the last couple of days, spending his time grinding out mobs and gathering gear. His starter armor already thrown to the side for some more favorable dark brown leather armor, a new sword at his hip as well. He suddenly stopped turning around to take in the sight of the starter city once more. He was ready to start climbing the castle and he was sure it would be a long time before he visited this city again. His ultimate goal was to catch up with the assault team push his way through and beat this game. His mind raced with all the opportunists he had in this world. So far since this death game began he stayed mostly a solo-player. Sure he had met some people, talked them and what not, but as he gave one last gaze around the town he came to realize the only person he knew was a man named Crusher, and he hardly knew the guy. Amazing he thought to himself, just how alone you can be in such a expansive MMO, still he started to move on his gaze catching Kazuya as he stumbled from the alleyway. 

[Lessa 1]

It is true that many prefer isolation when they are feeling emotional. Lessa, however, sought human contact when she was hurting. That was what brought her to the first floor that morning. Her head was bowed, her blonde hair hiding her face like a veil. Though she wanted to be near people, she was not yet ready to interact with those that she knew. After Alkor, interaction with those who were familiar with her just did not seem right. Not yet, anyway. It was much easier to remain anonymous, occasionally brushing up along another individual as he or she rushed past. It was enough, for now.

 

Of course, it seemed that Lessa could not stay undetected forever. Or, perhaps she could have, had she not yelled out to the first acquaintance she spotted. "Ryuu!" Lessa gasped, blue eyes coming to rest on the player. He was clearly in bad shape, and she knew that he had every reason to be. Argumail's death, and the events that followed, had taken a toll on him. Though she did not agree with many of his methods, and she quite disliked his guild, she was sympathetic toward the man. "Ryuu," she repeated, drawing closer to him. "Are you alright?"

[Arthonnen 0]

Arthonnen pulls his gaze away from Kazuya, leaving it up to him to deal with his own problems. He was ready to head up to the higher floors already and strolled pasted to make it to the teleporter. Still his gaze spotted Lessa giving the girl a soft smile that likely went unnoticed with the girls head hanging so low. Though she did manage to stop him dead in his tracks as the two passed feeling her brush up against him, perking an eyebrow he turned almost expecting her to say something, but nothing seemed to come from it as her gaze found Kazuya. Standing in the middle of the street Arthonnen paused suddenly curious to see how this was going to go.  

[Kazuya 0]

Kazuya looked at the woman. It was obvious that she knew him. She didn't seem to have a doubt in her eyes as to who he was, but still she had his name wrong. Or was his name Ryuu? Had he gone by that name previously? He couldn't remember and it frustrated him. He wanted so badly to know who he was, and why he is like this.

 

"Umm, who is Ryuu? Was that me?" he asked the woman, hoping she knew more about him than he did. "Who are you?" He started shaking his head as he tried to remember the answers to all these question that he just couldn't reach. "I don't know. I don't know anymore!" He let his frustration slip out for a second. "I can't remember a thing! Was I a great hero? I couldn't have been. I know I'm responsible for someone's death recently." He stopped talking as he felt like he was only talking to himself. He looked at the woman again. "I'm sorry. I keep plaguing you with questions when you may not even hold the answers." He sighed trying to release some of the tension in his body.

[Lessa 1]

"What?" She whispered softly, clearly as confused as the man in front of her was. Lessa frowned, trying to figure out if this was some sort of trick. Was someone going to jump her? Was she walking into an ambush? Were there Crimson Inquisition members lining the alley that she had run into so willingly? But all of those thoughts were lost when she finally stopped in front of Ryuu. Her hands went to his shoulders, and she held him at arms length. "Ryuu," she repeated, her blue eyes finding his and locking on. "What do you mean, your memory is gone?"

Suddenly, there were eyes on her. She could feel a gaze from somewhere behind her, but she did not bother to turn around. Instead, she tried to reach the man again. "What happened to you? Do you remember anything at all?" Then, "its Lessa. Do you remember me?" When he apologized for asking her questions, she shook her head. "Don't be sorry," she told him. "Its fine. Just try to remember."

[Kazuya 0]

Kazuya tried again to remember who she was, but nothing came, just a pain in the back of his head. He almost immediately stopped. "Lessa...I don't think I've ever heard that name, but I don't know. I can't remember! I'm trying but just can't." She seemed genuinely concerned about him. "I don't know anything. I don't know what happened. I don't know who you are. I don't even know who I am."

 

Her eyes seemed almost piercing as they were trained on him. "Did you know me before? I don't remember a thing since maybe a few weeks ago. Did something happen? I don't know." He looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she could tell him something, maybe add a piece to this puzzle that seemed to have fallen apart.

[Lessa 1]

As his eyes searched hers for answers, the female player heaved a sigh. He was either suffering from some sort of amnesia, or an excellent actor. Though she had spoken on his behalf the day Argumail died, she truly did not know him well enough to say either way for sure. But the ever-trusting Lessa could not bring herself to leave him there in the alley. She snaked one arm around his shoulders, and held him close to her body as they turned toward the alley's opening. "Alice?" The woman asked suddenly, the name of the man's fiance returning to her. "Do you remember Alice?" It was a longshot, but the name of a loved one might be enough to give the man something to grab onto. Until then, she would take him somewhere safe where he could think quietly.

 

As she steered him back into the street, she met the eye of another player. He was staring intently at the scene before him, and it was a bit unsettling. "Can I help you with something?" She called out. She had enough on her plate with Ryuu, and she did not need the added stress of an audience.

[Arthonnen 0]

Arthonnen perked an eyebrow and softly shook his head. "No, my apologies. You just happened to [censored] my attention, but I can see this is a....private matter, but it sounds like it could be related to PTSD." He shrugged for a moment and started to head his own way not wanting to intrude.

 

If no one cared to stop them Arthonnen would indeed leave, taking the telaporter up to the second floor to continue his work grinding in the game up above.

 

If Lessa or Kazuya however cared to question the man at all on why he might think it was PTSD he turn around shrugging at them again, but taking a moment to elaborate. "This game can not damage you physically....well other than the kill switch, but you get what I mean. Taking a blow to the back of the head can't cause any type of memory loss. So if your friend does indeed suffer from memory loss it would have to be something mental. Most likely PTSD, some kind of traumatic event that he could not cope with so his brain wiped his memory. Odd though typically it will only take out a section of your memory....not all of it" 

[Kazuya 0]

Kazuya walked with Lessa out of the alley. "I don't remember any Alice... It's obvious that I should, but I don't. Why? Do you have any idea what made me like this, Lessa? I-I just can't seem to figure anything out. It's so frustrating. It's obvious that I have a great mind, yet I don't have a single memory of anything before two weeks ago when I woke up near a man's grave. All I knew is that this man and some woman long ago died, my name was Kazuya, and I'm not the best person." He noticed the person. 

 

"You really think it is PTSD? I guess that would make sense, but..." A scowl appeared on his face. "It should never had taken everything! I want to remember it all, the good and the bad! I know something horrible must have happen, but I would trade whatever sanity I have because of this amnesia just to be able to remember my family!" His voice must have slowly been rising as he spoke because by the end of it, he was almost yelling. He had his fists clenched and his violet eyes showed his present anger.

[Lessa 1]

"Kazuya?" Lessa repeated, the word feeling wrong as it rolled off her tongue. "You told me that your name was Ryuu." This was enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck, her body instinctively drawing away from the man. Was he simply confused, and unable to remember his true identity? Or had the Ryuu she had met before lied to her? Though it all mattered very little now, the blonde found that her actions were slightly more hesitant from that moment onward.

When the newcomer apologized for intruding, Lessa heaved a great sigh. "No, its alright," she told him, her voice strained. "You're fine. I - Well, I don't rightly know what is going on here. But PTSD is probably the best explanation that we have so far." Offering the man a tired smile, she asked hopefully, "you wouldn't happen to have any experience with this particular condition?"