Random 93

"Dad'd be miserable if you didn't. Me, too. For what it's worth," and this is where she looked at both of them, "thanks for the advice. I might follow it. I never wanted to be stuck running this shop, anyway, and with Mael and Loga... well, better for them."

Sebastian was still trying to figure out this 'Yameh' thing. For once, his mind wasn't on overdrive. He settled for nodding.

"Right," said Riya, eyeing the half-elf. "Be right back." With that, she went on, inside and disappeared.

"You're Yameh?" Sebastian asked after a moment of silence. "No. Sorry."

"Yes. Well, was, maybe. My mother named me Yameh, but someone else nicknamed me Sylvie because I was curious about the wood. It stuck. It's not so unusual where I'm from." There was a larger story attached, but this really wasn't the time or place. She watched Sebastian. "This... reverie of yours is disturbing." Probably wasn't the time or place for that, either, but it burned on her mind. It looked like the state made him an easy target for an attack, for one.

"Well, I prefer Sylvie, if you don't mind. I'm not sure I understand the connection to the woods, but you'll have to tell me later." Then a moment of contemplation. "You know, it is disturbing. It has happened to me before I met you, but never twice during... well, yes. That first time? I was worried you'd..."

How hard could it be to say? Very hard. Soldiering through what might have been another fit, Sebastian managed: "I was afraid you hate me and leave me. And just now, I'm not sure what happened. I don't know my name, and I think I don't care about that. I'm called what I am, but it still stings sometimes. It's like not knowing who you are." He turned a little, finding a little pebble in the mud to kick off into the distance. It hit the gate. "But I have an inkling as to who I am -- it's not complete, but I'm getting there, I hope. I know where I am, and where I want to be."

He pondered a moment. "I wonder. What would you name me, in your language?"

"Me, too" was what she had to say to her name. She listened intently to his explanation, watching his face. There were things she wanted to say, but Riya could be back any moment.

The question took her by surprise. "Um. I'd have to think about that." Anything that came to her mind - lost, confusion, my love - did not work well as a name. "I do rather like Sebastian."

"Hah, sibillants all the way. I'm partial to it myself. It's just that sometimes it feels like it has a life of its own, that name," he said drily, "concepts being what they are. Say 'cheese cake' and invariably someone's mouth will start to water."

"Ah? And what does it do on its own?" She suspected it might be too connected with his acts.

"My name you mean?"

"Yes."

"I can never be too sure, even once people make connections. You've seen how--"

And at that point, Riya emerged, squinting a little in the glare of the sun. She walked up to Sylvie and, before handing over the personal effects, bit her lip and gave Sylvie a shy hug.

Sebastian looked away.

Sylvie returned the gesture.

"Thank you. For everything. And please pass that on to the rest of the family."

She frowned a little, avoiding even the temptation to glance at the man. "I will. Good luck," was all Riya had left to say as she handed over Sylvie's belongings. That said, she turned back toward the door in a mood she couldn't quite well narrow down into one specific emotion.

Sebastian had taken a few slow steps toward the gate already, contemplating similar things about emotions as Riya.

Sylvie got her backpack into a comfortable position and followed Sebastian. She would have preferred parting now on better terms, and hoped there could be a proper goodbye later, but something about things moving lifted her spirit. Walking next to Sebastian, she gave him a smile and waited if he wanted to pick up the thread again.

He trudged along for a while, hands in his pockets and satchel beating rhythmically against his hip. By sheer force of will he forced himself into finding something good about the world around him -- Sylvie of course, but the surroundings as well. Sebastian managed to smile back at her and gravitated closer to her, eyes narrowed in thought. "I'm sorry about that lapse," he finally said.

"All right. You're not doing it on purpose, after all. It seems dangerous." Quite apart from unnerving.

The best way to answer that was with a shrug. "I don't honestly know. Why and how. Or. Maybe." He sniffed out, shaking his head and quite without even noticing, dodged a puddle.

"Maybe?"

He pressed the base of his palm against his forehead, walking on in silence for a while. "I'll figure it out sooner or later, I suppose. What does it take to get me off one of those spells?"

Sylvie gave him a startled look. She had thought he would know that better. "Just now, grabbing your arm and saying your name didn't, so I repeated it more loudly and touched your face. The first time, I took the cup from your hands and said your name." More quietly she added, "Sebastian, that is."

Something to think about at least. "All right. As long as it works." He chewed on his lip for a moment. "Could you at some point... check me over?"

"I can try, when we have some time, or maybe if it happens again, but if it's a mind thing I doubt I can find anything. I work on the body. And the brain is just about the worst part to try to work on. Difficult and risky. That's why I didn't, or couldn't, do anything against your concussion back when we first met."