Howl Your Appellations

Food for Thought

BOEN OPEOR

The first person I thought about asking was Reese, but I don't know if she knew much about other Weres, she probably does but something's telling me that Krolo isn't someone who allows himself to be known. But, nothing's wrong with asking Reese if she knows anything about him. I really wish I have my phone on me right now, but I guess writing things down will help make me remember later. I'll just wait until the sun is up in a bit and talk to whoever's left on The Train. After I got back from my walk yesterday, only a couple of the members were in: Mei, Nikki and Anda, there rest were out doing their respective tasks. I can never figure out what exactly they do outside, maybe the went to the inner market, a place I'm still itching to go to. Maybe it's still too soon for me, I can't even run yet but Mei told me that his prosthetics are more than just replacements, they're an upgrade. I feel my metallic leg right now as if the veins and muscles of my old leg are in there, recovering from being severed.

The cold wind feels so nice in the room but also a bit lonely. I don't really feel lonely in my apartments and the cabin but I'm in neither of those right now. It feels like I'm living in a luxurious dormitory, only it's not a dormitory, it's somebody's house. When I regain the memories I have left, I have no excuse to stay, not that I want to stay forever. I've dwelled here long enough, and Isa and Beanie might be looking for me, even though I prepared texts that I'll be gone for a bit. I miss them, I miss seeing the gondolas with Beanie and I miss Isa's company. It's been more than a month and I can finally say for sure that I miss them and that I really do want to go back. I even miss the city though I don't really bother going to the center. I'm only an advocate for the hole-in-the-wall cafes and the libraries there, and the museums, heck, I actually do like the city if I keep listing these good things. Maybe I should bring someone to a museum, Reese would definitely love an adventure. I'm sure she can hide her tail for even half a day. It's the least I can do for her, I'd take her anywhere she'd like. Like a little date hehehe~!

I leave the room all dressed up in white, I've completely incorporated the white dress as my default persona. Wearing Cain's dress for just a normal day like this doesn't sit well with me. I also upgraded from my crutch, to a gorgeous cane that perfectly fits my height. Its handle or handgrip is a beautiful amber orb with mysterious diamond-like shards inside it, and the cane itself is made from metal with an iridescent shine to it. The tip of the can or the ferrule is assumingly brass and steel, a probable indication that it is an old cane, but that may or may not always be the case. This is useless knowledge I've acquired from my father, he didn't tell me these things himself for whatever reason, he made me read books about them, then he'd show me his collection, and act impressed just to make him stay a bit longer. He never did. I always hated how everyone in the family was like that to me, I was told several times that I was an unwanted child, not by my family but by the maids and my guardians, so I shouldn't expect much from them but what the heck? Why would you tell a child that? The more they told me not to expect things, the more I did, until I finally got fed up one day and just started skipping classes with Moze and having a genuinely great time. That was the best decision of my life, (although it did cause me to get addicted to smoking, but I got fed up with the situation too). The best thing about me that I find is that I just get fed up from all these bad things that I eventually make a shift for the better. I managed to enjoy my junior and high school life to some extent, and I managed to stop myself from being an addict. I'm powered by sheer spite and spite alone when I finally realize it. Yeah! I've decided that I'll regain my memories today no matter what! No matter how horrible the memories are, I'll end just beating myself over and over for not remembering. The only way out is through in this situation. And this is the safest place I can get answers from. Yep, now it's settled, first stop: Reese.

"Oh, you're looking for Reese? She's on patrol right now." Nikki thwarts my enthusiasm with the truth, it damages my determination with a care. She sways her ladle back and forth, allowing the sauce to dance within its curves. "Why do you need to see her?" she asks but places her attention to the dish she's cooking. It looks delicious, it seems that she's getting ready to cook fried rice. "I was planning on regaining all my memories today, I thought I'd ask her for info." she flinches, but continues to focus on her dish, increasing the intensity of the flames under the pan. "It's true that she knows a lot of information about the forest, but she has a hard time gathering intel from the Wolf Weres. Are you concerned about a particular Were?"

Nikki, she's the main cook of the pack, she's beautiful with long dark hair tied to the side, she always wears clothes that emphasize her cleavage. That's my first impression of her, she can be a bit stern but not malicious. Now there's suddenly a different air to her, as if she's a commander of a fleet ship or an old detective, she's disregarding the position I'm in and is waiting for my information, something to gain. This reminded me of the time I thought I saw more than one appellation on Imus' head, Nikki emits that vibe but there's still one appellation crowning her head. I guess there's no use in hiding this from her, "Yesterday, I walked from here to the back-end border. The backyard's charming in its own way, the fence, the puddle, the wild flowers and weeds. But what I didn't find charming, was the woods. I thought I saw something staring at me. Its eyes were glowing white and sometimes blue but never blinking. I chalked it up to just my imagination, but this morning I remembered a Were named 'Krolo'. Someone you know?" I take a deep breath. I don't like acting like I'm interrogating her, but I was taught to never show weakness to a business competitor...even though she's not....

"Krolo, huh? He was a pain in the ass, but he won't bother you anymore. He's dead." she says in a couldn't-care-less tone. She began to flip the rice from the pan over and over, the rice sizzling in the air. Now I know that Krolo died. It's a shame but the memories I have of him are bad ones, still, I'd like to know why, "How did he die? I think there's something in my memories about him that crucial to me...". Nikki looks over to me, I've already sat down on a tiny stool, trying to think of an answer, "It's probably best if you don't remember how, but they told me that he was massacred in front of you without warning."

"...Eh? He was there that night? I..." and just then I finally remembered the events leading to the beginning of that night. After I left the cabin, which I still don't know why, I was ambushed by Krolo's pack. It was the end of me until something more monstrous and malicious came. "Gahh!" my head is throbbing too much, it hurts.

"Gag!!!" I feel like I'm about to throw up, I'm starting to remember the details of his murder. I need to find somewhere to---"BLARRGGGGhhHhHh!" I managed to reach the sink, good thing there was nothing there, "I-sorry, I'll clean this up. You were right...I..." I started to cry inconsolably. I hear Nikki mutter, "It's okay. It happens. Just cry." and I continued to cry until I managed to sit back down again. After a few minutes of wiping my cheeks dry, Nikki gives me a bowl of her delicious fried rice and a glass of cold orange juice, they don't mix that well together, but it was still extremely delicious, I would really like something like tea with it next time though.

"Calmed down now? We only had orange juice in the fridge for some reason, I don't know where Miller put the rest of the drinks." She places her hand on her hips like she's telling me the neighbor's gossip, "It's fine. I...I think I'm fine but, no wonder why my head's blank about that night, Krolo died so painfully and his subordinates were there too, I don't think most of them managed to run away. My backpack was destroyed and my ring is lost forever in the woods."

"Are your next memories the day you woke up here?" she crosses her arms and stares at me with those prying eyes again. My next memories are of the dreams I had or my little jumps from dimensions. But I can't tell her that, it's personal anyway. "My next memories after the m******e? I woke up and saw Imus. That day, I started to see appellations...How..did that happen?" I ask Nikki and she just stares at me with her gaze leaning more towards irritation than intrigued.