ps3pirate | 6th Treasure

6th Treasure - [Written]

[It'd happened again. Thanks to an experimental Shift, Patty had once again found herself missing most of her memories. Important memories. She'd forgotten who she was and, more importantly, she'd forgotten her friends. The ones who'd stood by her during her darkest hours. Now that the Shift's passed, she feels ashamed of herself and the house seems even emptier than it already did. Certain words keep drifting back to the surface.

"I was worried you would find yourself all alone without your memories, but you found good friends, Aifread."

Friends... Friends in whom she can confide. There's only one of those she can turn to right now.]

[Filtered to Little Loki]

Do you have time this afternoon? You could help me build a treehouse. I found the perfect tree. [She pauses her writing for a moment, thinking. Then she jots down one last sentence.] And I think we should talk.

[Public]

Treehouses exist in other worlds too, right? So tell me, what do you think makes the perfect treehouse? What does it need? What doesn't it need? What kind of wood makes the sturdiest boards? Rope swing, tire swing or normal swing?

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[When Loki arrives (a little too late) he carries a large bag of stuff. His Tree House Building Attire isn't that different from what he usually wears. Only this time jeans are involved. They seem more sturdy.]

Hello! I have arrived. Let the building of tree houses begin!

[Well, he is kind of excited about this. He figures a treehouse should be a complex of several seperated tiny houses connected by ladders made out of ropes and other contraptions.]

[A wide grin dawns on Patty's face the moment she spots Loki. She still hasn't decided if she's going to tell what she wants to tell him, but for now she can just focus on having a fun afternoon with him.]

Aye, our tree house will be grander than a whale's maw! Here, carry some of these for me, will you? [She waves a hand towards the wooden boards behind her.]

[Loki has to think about comparing the treehouse to a whale for a moment but chuckles afterwards. Her referrals to nautical themes were an amusing quirk.]

By Odin's beard, Patty. How do you expect me to carry that and this huge bag containing a variety of things at once?

You're a man, aren't you? You can make it work!

[She's just teasing for the most part. If push comes to shove, she'll carry some of the boards too. Still, right now she wants to see if she can actually get Loki to do it for her.]

[Loki drops the bag on the ground.]

You take this bag. I will take the wooden boards. I think carrying wooden boards is a most manly thing to do. Almost as manly as the deeds of my beloved brother.

Oh, aye. That sounds like a pl- [She breaks off abruptly, a look of realization dawning on her face. Then she holds up both hands.]

Hang on, just a minute! I've gotta get something, first!

[With that, she darts straight into the grocery store. She'll return half a minute later, holding a bag in one hand. If Loki peeks inside, he'll see it's filled with an assortment of candy and a few bottles of soda. She wanted to bring a box of sushi, but with no way to keep it cooled that wouldn't have been a very bright idea.]

[Oh, Loki does peek inside, eyebrows raised. After that he smiles broadly.]

An excellent selection of Midgardian snacks and bubbly fluids.

[Loki moves to pick up the wooden boards, lifting them up and carrying them above his head. It doesn't really seem to bother him that much.]

Let us go.

[He is looking forward to this!]

Aye, time to cast off!

[With that, she lifts Loki's bag up from the ground with her free hand and follows him towards the forest. She's decided she won't tell him anything important until they actually get to a secluded location, so now it's just a matter of biding time until they settle down near the treehouse tree.]

Ayeaye!

[Loki thinks about what she messaged him about needing to talk to him. Perhaps it is something important or more about that little moment they shared while not being themselves.

Still frustrating that he got his kisses at moments where he just wasn't himself...

He follows her to the designated spot, actually busy thinking about kissing and that Valentines day with Leah. He is actually a bit silent.]

[Patty's awfully silent as well. It isn't until they reach the tree that she pipes up again, pointing up into its branches. Which is a bit tricky, considering both hands are clutching bags, but she manages it anyway.]

There it is! Isn't it perfect? The branches are really thick, but not too close together, so you could fit a house in right there.

[Loki plops the wooden boards on the ground and looks up at the tree.]

It could fit a mansion.

[He nods and turns to her, the look on his face an enthusiastic one.]

I am most pleased with the outcome of this. You have a keen eye when it comes to trees and treehouses.

[Loki nudges her carefully.]

[She giggles and nudges him back with her elbow, though that was half a reflex in itself.]

I do, don't I? For now, I suggest we sit ourselves down and have a good meal, then get started on the real work! [In fact, she's already trying to fish a blanket out of Loki's bag. He did say he'd bring one.]

[Loki puts the bag on the ground so Patty has all the space she needed to get the blanket out.]

One warning. My dog has applied the cocked leg to it once. It is a smell Midgardian washings have not been able to nullify entirely.

[He looks up at the tree again, his hands on his hips. Yes, he is truly excited about this!]

Do you need my help with anything?

[Oh nooo, dog whiz! ...Well, at least it's just the smell. Patty can't spot any icky stains on there. She spreads the blanket out over the ground and plops herself down on top of it.]

No no, I've got it covered, ya know. [With that, she starts unpacking the food in her bag and laying it out.]

[Loki plops down on the blanket and watches how Patty unpacks an interesting variety of food. It makes his stomach growl impatiently.]

I know and I see.

Do you wish to talk while eating?

Aye, let's! Then you can listen while eating.

[Maybe the food will distract from how heavy her story will be. She's never gotten around to sharing it with anyone in Luceti. Not even the friends from home who didn't remember her. Heck, even back in Terca Lumireis, she never had to explain this by herself. The others just sort of... found out.

Once she's finished unpacking all the food, she sits back on the blanket, a stick of oden in her hand. She knew she had to tell Loki, but she still hasn't quite figured out where to start.]

See, what you should know... What I should've probably told you sooner... [She trails off for a few seconds, a rather painful expression on her face.] ... My name wasn't always Patty.

[Loki nods and pulls his knees up, his hands picking at some food next to him. He knows he is in for a very serious conversation. One that requires mutual trust. And Loki is very keen on becoming a trustworthy person. And well, Patty is the girl he has kissed with, so that makes trust even twice as important.

When he talks the tone of his voice is a more serious one because he has seen that painful expression.]

Go on. Tell me what has happened. Maybe we can find somekind of a solution...together.

As friends.

[Despite that serious tone, for just a split second, she wonders if Loki's teasing her. Yet, then she casts a quick glance up at him to see that he looks just as serious as he sounds. He means it. She swallows harshly, before continuing.]

Before... I was called Aifread. I was the Captain of a guild called Siren's Fang. We were pirates, sailing by the rules of the Union of Guilds. We spent our time taking on odd jobs in exchange for pay and searching for treasure. [She pauses for a moment, realizing how odd this might sound coming from a sixteen year old girl.]

Aifread... was over fifty years old when she ceased to be.

[Loki would never tease her when the situation seems to have changed so much. From pleasantries about tree houses to something that is weighing heavy on her heart.

Loki takes things very, very seriously when a person showed that they put trust in him. That they deem him important enough to share such secrets with. He wonders if he is selfish for appreciating such a thing that much.]

And that is where your existence started?

[Except from exciting stories about treasure and pirate-business this is a familiar concept. His life started because his evil self sacrificed himself.]

Are you one and the same person? Or are you a new version of an old person?

It's... a little hard to explain. [Is she Aifread, deep down? She has Aifread's memories, but the way she views the world is different now. Everything's different. She remembers everything Aifread did, but the time she spent being solely Patty changed her.]

There was an incident. A Commandant from the Imperial Knights tricked me and my crew, using us for some twisted experiment of his. It... turned everyone into monsters. The only reason I avoided it is because my First Mate saved me. [She stops talking for a moment, her hands folding together in her lap. Seifer... Talking about him is especially painful.]

He gave me an ancient drug called Amrita. It warded off the effects of the experiment, but it changed my body. ...I became a young girl and I lost all my memories. I lost everything. [She draws a deep breath through her nose before ploughing on with her story. She needs to keep talking now.] The only names I could remember after that were Patty, which was given to me by my First Mate after the drug took effect, and Aifread. And I remembered my First Mate's face. I didn't know what it meant, so I assumed that he was Aifread- my grandfather. Nobody aside from my crew and a few close friends had ever seen the real Aifread, so nobody corrected me on that. I spent years searching for Aifread and 'his' greatest treasure, hoping it'd get me my memories back.

[This is not what he expected to hear. This is also not what he expected to have happened to her. Loki is completely silent, trying to process her words. It is such an awful story.

In a way it is similar to his, only without the monsters and the de-aging thing. So when she is done talking he remains silent and looks at her.]

I see.

[Loki scratches his head briefly, eyes still on her.]

I take it your first mate is no more. Do you need my shoulder for support? Or a great embrace?

[These probably aren't the right things he should say...]

[And once again, Patty's first assumption is that Loki's making fun of her. She knows he's not, his words just sound so odd. She doesn't need support. She doesn't want support. When he going gets tough, the tough don't cry.

She shakes her head, her gaze still locked on the blanket she's sitting on.]

No. The time for mourning's passed. One needs to honor the memory of the dead, not pity them.

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6th Treasure - [Written]

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