"Don't tell me you walked all the way from Central Station to get here?" The woman who welcomes us at the door asks incredulously as she grabs a cloth to hold the tea pot spot for support while pouring the tea for Ms. Atoa. She, for her part, sits there quietly - honestly odd for her character - and watches me and our host intently.

I will say, Ms. Atoa impresses me with her ability to follow our lead without letting our host know how unprepared she is for this situation.

Little does she know, I am just as inept as well.

Stepping through the Egress earlier seems to have awaken something dormant within me; like opening the window and letting fresh air into a stifling stagnant old house. My self awareness comes back to me, sweeping in a new self-confidence I have not had since finding Ms. Atoa. Unfortunately, it is a fleeting rush of awareness that inhabits my being only for a moment. 

One thing is certain: I know this place, this realm.

It is the first recognition I had since meeting Ms. Atoa that feels familiar and not forced upon. All those weeks trying to learn things from the girl made me doubt who I am as a person and my existence. Now I know for a fact that I am not crazy in feeling that I absolutely do not belong in Ms. Atoa's world in any shape or form. Not to sound ungrateful, but there is something inherently wrong with her world, maybe even simplistic on many levels. The realm is extremely hard to cope with such a raw and unpolished way of life and it serves as a great means for creating characters that are hard as nails - I'm not pointing fingers but... There are moments where I feel like the most refined individual in such a rough-hewn and course world.

Then again, the things that I consider to be chaotic and crude has its charm and can be interesting. I cannot help but think every interaction in Ms. Atoa's world has been not only eye-opening to a different lifestyle but challenging to ideals that I feel are very much a part of who I am as a person. Even if I cannot remember myself, there are some...feelings that you know without being told.

"So, Ms. Amber?" Our host, who's name is Larah, sets a plate of sweet treats before Ms. Atoa bringing both our attention back to her. "Tell me, what made you decide to take the old toll pass through the ancient caverns? It's such a hard trail to traverse and many get lost along the way if they don't know where they are going."

For Ms. Atoa's part, she does a good job of restraining herself from eating the delectable sweets before her and clears her throat. When she looks down at her cup, perhaps the shadows of being within this grotto is playing tricks on my tired eyes, but something...minute changes about her demeaner. As she gracefully takes hold of her traditional chai cup - bowl more like - her shoulders straightens ever so slightly when she looks at the girl in question.

"My companion and I are explorers, adventurers even, at heart." Ms. Atoa's diction and behavior mirrors my own and all I can do is stare. Flabbergast is a bit of an understatement of how I feel watching the scene unfold before me. "Had it not been for Lu, here, I would never have known such a marvel exists.  Yes, the pass was a bit arduous at times but it helps that we are both very tenacious."

"I must admit, I was shocked and delighted to see you both come around the pass with no guide, much less arrive here for the first time." The Larah woman seems very impressed with our journey but had she known where we really came from, who knows what sort of reception we would receive. At the moment, she just thinks we are tourists from this very realm. In my case, I am but I shall not hint towards anything else. "It truly is remarkable what you two accomplished in a day because this pass is known for being dangerous. Granted, these days, there are hardly any bandits and thugs that lay wait for unsuspecting tourist to come this way - far too few for them to justify the wait, honestly - but there are so numerous twists and turns that a person could get lost, trapped, and even hurt along the way."

"Why word..." Ms. Atoa feigns shock and brushes off the emotion like a speck of dust. "Well, we have met many with our same...penchant for exploration and were lucky to get the information we did. They gave us very direct instruction on where to go so that we may arrive safely, but honestly Lu, we really should vet our trips and advisors with more care."

Ms. Atoa lifts her chai bowl in her left hand and takes hold of the rim at 'noon' position with her other hand and slowly rotates the ware in a quarter turn. I keep my eyes on her as she does so again, grabbing the side after she finish rotating and gives a slight raise toward our host, then to me. The Larah woman acknowledges her action with a slight nod and as do I before Ms. Atoa takes a silent sip of the bitter, yet spicy concoction as naturally as a native!

Revelations upon revelations! Now I am, as Ms. Atoa would say, 'very much out of sorts' at this moment. Who is this stranger sitting before me, primly following social decorum and protocols as though she were born and bred into it? It's as though her personality is swapped out with this doppelganger in her place. What happened to that brash, immature, trouble-starter, and left a seemingly cultured, and mature adult in her place. 

Ms. Atoa must have made a joke because our host is laughing and shockingly enough, the young amnesiac is not guffawing aloud as is her normal behavior.  No, she is chuckling demurely hiding her mirth behind a dainty hand. This is very odd and I fear her luck will run out soon if we do not excuse ourselves.

"Amber," I bid to get her attention. Her eyes are momentarily shocked before they land on me with a fading chuckle.

"Yes, Lu?" 

"I would hate to impose on our host any longer but I do believe we have an engagement later this evening."

"Oh, how silly of me to forget. What was it we need to look for to return?"

Cleaver girl.  I cannot fault her for casting a line out for our benefit.

"I believe George said we needed to find a boundless Egress but those are hard to come by. If we leave now, we may be able to make it back to Central in time to be fashionably late."

Just as anticipated, Ms. Larah takes the bait.

"Oh, you need not bother. We do have one near here."

"Oh, we would not want to trouble you..." Ms. Atoa starts only to be hushed by our host.

"Nonsense. It is but a short walk from here." Larah offers and stands waiting for us to follow suit.

I come around to the other side of the table where Ms. Atoa is and offer my hand to her to assist her up.

She flashes a smile and bows her head in acceptance and I stand firm as she gracefully takes my proffered hand.  I then extend my left elbow which she, thankfully, takes as we walk behind our host, Larah.

Larah takes us to yet another area within the hallowed out mountain that turns into a narrow hall. After a few minutes of walking, we head into another wide cavern surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites from floor to ceiling. A low glow fills the chamber with no particular source in sight but keeps most surfaces lit as we descend into the belly of the cave. 

Once at the bottom, our host stops next to a towering structure that looks as though something really hot melted the pillar, leaving a heaping wax look all around it.

I can tell by the way Ms. Atoa is tightening her grip around my arm that she is unsure of what we should be looking for. Our host stands directly in front of the ancient calcified structure and gently knocks a tune upon its hallowed tubes. We are both amazed at the clear ringing that resonates from the calcified pipes and stare at one another in shock.  I, for one, have never seen or heard the like. 

Remarkable.

Our host continued to play upon the vibe like structure until we could practically feel it vibrating within our being. At the corner of my eye, something starts to blur and obscure looking every bit a mirage.  The more the sound resonates, the more the one spot condenses and solidifies around the edge.

I feel Ms. Atoa gently tug at my arm and notice her transfixed gaze at the Egress that appears.

"You need only think of the location of your next engagement and it will take you there."

Ms. Atoa, once again, snaps into action and smiles genteelly at the woman and replicated the earlier greeting with her palms up and out before her at chest level, pinky to pinky as though offer a gift or plater to our host. Our host then replies with her own parting gesture, myself following in suit, before she makes a sweeping gesture towards the Egress. 

"We are grateful to share our light with you." Ms. Atoa initiates the leaving protocol and our host answers in kind. 

"As I am grateful to receive the gift of your presence and friendship."

We all bow to one another before I offer my arm to Ms. Atoa one last time, walking into the Egress as though this mode of transportation is a normal occurrence. A cool sensation washes over us for a moment before we step foot on familiar wooden floors and an empty living room. Not a second before the portal closes, Ms. Atoa snaps back to her usual energetic self.

"Wooo!" She hoots in glee and propels herself onto my person. Not expecting this sudden outburst, I stumble a bit and grab a hold of her to steady us both before we both fall down. Ms. Atoa's elation is still firing within her system because she starts to pace around excitedly as though she would burst through the walls. "That was amazing!"

"Well, that was definitely not how I foresaw this day." I comment offhandedly.

"Wow, Central, and people and their abilities! That world is just unbelievable." Ms. Atoa says to no one in particular before she turns to me and grabs my hand.

"Lucy, we need to do this again!"

"I agree. We had a major breakthrough." 

"I know we've only scratched the surface but even you are remembering more."

"Speaking of remembering, what exactly happened during our chai meet?

"What do you mean?" Ms. Atoa cocks her head to the side, truly unaware of what I am referring to.

"Where did you learn those customs?"

"I don't know." Ms. Atoa just grimaces and shrugs nonchalantly, so I press on.

"If I'm not mistaken, those customs are not well known and to be as proficient as you were, you had to have been immersed into it completely because it really is a lifestyle."

"Again, I don't know." She replies looking up, as though trying to recall something but found nothing in her search. "I must have just...picked it up.  What about you? You not only remembered where we were when we first landed but you also knew what people were doing and how they would act."

"Well, I would venture a guess and say it was part of my old lifestyle."

"Huh." A single utterance is all she said before seeing her facial features and expression switch gears. "So it's 'Amber,' now is it?" She jibes at my familiarity now that we are far from earshot. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were getting a bit fresh." She said slurred and through the side of her mouth before she nudges me with her elbow.

"I was only doing as we implied for the benefit of our host." I explain since the location seems more traditional and I was not sure how they would react with two strange travelers that didn't know right from left. Apparently that was a needless worry because Ms. Atoa did a marvelous job of keeping our cover as we talked and gathered information.

"Oh! And what exactly did we imply back there, older sir that can pass as my father."

"or his dashing younger brother or even your uncle! And nothing indecent was ever implied during that conversation." Now, I have this sudden need to defend myself. "We are lone travelers traversing a very dangerous area. Unless I am working for you, one would assume that I would refer to you by your first name after such a long journey."

"Quite the journey, indeed."

"Oh, would you stop talking in that manner!"

"Why, my dear friend Lucretius, whatever do you mean?"

"That-!" I hiss at her but as soon as the word left my mouth, I straightened myself upright and repeated what I was going to say in a calmer manner. "That right there is exactly what I am talking about."

"I'm just reflecting behavior I witness around me."

"Did we not have an agreement about - now, what was the phrase you used...? Oh, right! 'being dickish.'" 

The chit had the gall to look shock and affronted by her own words thrown back at her in an overly dramatic way, resting her delicate fingers on her collar bones.

"My word, you can be so crude." Ms. Atoa practically purrs the phrase before she relaxes and in her usual peppy, upbeat tone.  "Yadda, yadda, yadda. My imitation of you is what kept our cover during that whole ruse."

I hate to admit it, but it really did.

"Well, seeing as it is just the two of us, we can drop the act and start acting normal." I say.

Again, Ms. Atoa trapes around me as she throw her shoulder back once again and takes on her annoying tone.

"And what 'act' would that be?" she asks, feigning ignorance. Just as I was about to answer she interrupts me. "it wouldn't happen to be us living under the same roof, not as family but as strangers, nay, acquaintances at this point. Oh! The scandal! What would ol' aunt and uncle say of my debauched repute? But they needn't find out since I do put on a good show. I did-"

"Ms. Atoa!" I blow up finally, knowing that her dramatics would go one for a long time were I to allow her to continue. "Are you quite finished?" 

"...No." Her answer is clipped and she purses her lips.  "Getting back to the topic at hand-"

"Whatever is the topic at hand-"

"Your continual use of my last name as though we are merely neighbors. We've slept together in the past."

"Only in the literal sense!"

"Yeah, yeah, only you are worried about the semantics of it." 

"Friends or no, where I come from we still use family names as a sign of respect and an extra curtesy to others that may not know your name or status."

"Yet in this case, you chose to use my given name."

"Yes, because I did not want you to slip and use my last name."

"When was the last time I called you, 'Fahgren?!" She looks at me incredulously as though I suddenly have a twin growing out of my side. "Never! I don't even know how I know your last name! If anything, I have gone above and beyond for a complete stranger whom, let's not forget, is really a mutt."

Once again, I watch as the young woman before me straightens her back and turns away from me. Not even turning to address me, she says, "I assure you, sir, I will not forget myself, especially around you. Good night, Mr. Fahgren."

A sudden flash a shared dream comes to mind and a flourish of red magic plays before my eyes.

No, not a stranger after all.

With that, she walks towards her room and shuts the door loudly behind her. I sigh heavily and sit on the couch ungracefully, draping my arm over my face. The fire is lit in the room, yet it somehow feels colder than the mistral-like winds howling outside.