[ And Tatara picks up on that immediately, considering he knows Day well enough at this point to know most of their conversations happen when they happen, out and about. It's why they get along... So for him to seek his sage out deliberately is unusual.
He steps back to let him in—besides his usual red décor, there's an unusual splash of blue here and there. Clothes, hair products, some trinkets. He was all red when they first came here, but things are changing.
Tatara gestures to the couch, which is also free from any sort of bedding, and he takes a seat on the desk chair. ]
[ Day's taken to observing the rooms he's ended up visiting, how they're little snapshots of the people staying on them. He's glad that Tatara's accumulated Stuff, though he never assumed Tatara would be the type to do otherwise (Yamato formerly and Syr, on the other hand...)
The blue things though. Hmmm.
He takes a seat on the couch. ]
It's 'bout uh... an issue I have. [ Always a great way to open a conversation. ] You remember what I said 'bout workin' for Heaven?
[ Oh, now that gets a chuckle out of him. It's not wrong, but it's strangely sweet to hear someone describe his job like that in all seriousness. ]
So, it's like...all the agents in the bureau, we're, how do I put it... Destined to get the job, I guess that's the best way of gettin' it. [ It's a bit of a simplification too, but that's the gist of it for this explanation. ] Our top bosses are a group of sister-goddesses called the Maidens, and they're in charge of the stars, fate and destiny. They Choose [ and he says this in a way that implies it's a little more than simply "choosing" ] whoever's gonna get their blessin' one day, and the right to take a position in the bureau when that happens. But until it happens, we're just a regular mortal livin' down in the mortal realm.
Usually, it takes years for the blessin' to come. Most of us only get it when we've grown up. And when it happens... [ Day takes a deep breath. ] Everyone in our mortal lives forgets 'bout us, and we can't be remembered by any mortals, period. They'll acknowledge us if we're right there talkin' with 'em, but once we're not in their presence they'll forget. Hell, even spirits and gods have problems tryin' to remember us, if they ain't a part of the bureau.
So far it ain't been a problem here, but—I think whenever this is all over, and especially if people are gonna go back home, pretty sure everyone's gonna forget me. [ And Day's already told this to a few people, or otherwise found out about it, but saying this to Tatara hits differently. ]
Or it could be 'cause the stars here are different. Either-and. [ He'll explain the "how" later, whenever they get to try figuring out how to tackle this. ]
...I've gotta go back, at least until my assignment back home's done. [ Heaven knows how long it'll take because it's contingent on an investigation that has been held up for two years and counting now. ] And...to be honest, at first, I kinda figured it'd just be business as usual when I showed up here. I'd be a part of you guys' lives for a while, then I'd be out and that'd be it. Even if I ended up changin' someone's life a little, it wouldn't really matter.
[ That's no longer the case, or he wouldn't be here. ]
But then I ended up gettin' to know a bunch of people here, and...I guess I'm finally tired of always givin' up. [ Which feels kind of surreal to say, because he's having to describe and properly label some of the thoughts he's had. ]
The thing is, I ain't even sure where to start. We've had this problem for like, millennium back home, and we still haven't figured out a real fix. I ain't expectin' to find a way to fix the underlyin' problem 'cause it's kinda... [ He makes a gesture with his hands as if to emphasize the size of it. ] big. But some way to stick in everyone's memories somehow, maybe.
[ A small, sympathetic smile crosses Tatara's face, because he was much the same. He felt like he was just waiting for his end to come. And once he'd ushered everyone home, he'd return to oblivion, like he was meant to do.
Things are a little different now. ]
Hmm. [ After a moment of thought, he turns to grab his camera from his desk and flips it on. The film whirs as he turns to face it to Day.
Not sure if this'll work, but may as well try. ]
Have you thought about giving trinkets to people who you want to remember you? Or maybe...a little note?
[ Day is reminded of the first impression he had of Tatara and still sort of does, for some reason: that Tatara was like the breeze, in the way Day is like the morning mist. However, things are a little different now.
He watches Tatara take out the camera, confused because he has no idea what a camera is. ]
I have, but it ain't so simple as that. The way the forgettin' works is like...people forget who I am, but they still remember the stuff I did, yeah? So there's just a bunch of gaps and wrinkles where they remember things that matter to them, but they can't remember who it came from. [ A pause. ] And people are real good at tryin' to make things make sense to themselves. They try and fill in the gaps with answers that seem reasonable, and most of the time that means assignin' some other cause. Fate helps iron stuff out. [ He has to wonder how many people understand "fate" the same way he does, though. To him, it's the law of causality, not necessarily predestination. ] So I'd worry that just givin' trinkets means...well, the meanin' will change after I've gone.
And I can try leavin' some sorta written record, but fate also has a bad habit of findin' ways to make sure those don't last. [ Said in the weary tone of someone who has tried before and got thwarted at every turn. ] Wouldn't know if that still holds up here, though.
...I can think of a few people who might be able to remember better too, wizard or not. But they can still end up forgettin' with enough time and distance.
[ The camera doesn't pick up on the way Tatara's frown grows the more he hears. Day's not the only one who wants to be remembered, somehow, after this.
This is a little bit beyond him, but he's already mentally tucking it away for when he looks more into returning them home. ]
A lot of things and memories fade with time. A lot of really old wizards can't remember the faces from their pasts anymore, either. I think, after a point...that's just how things are.
[ ... ]
But I know that's not what you're asking. You said...it's because of your job that people forget, right?
[ siri how do you get a heavenly bureaucrat fired— ]
[ Spitballing, thinking, because he really doesn't know how any of this works, but— ]
I guess you'd keep that blessing, regardless of what you are, right? [ hmm, hmm ] I dunno if it's possible, but maybe you could maintain a connection to this world, and stay a wizard...
[ Since wizards are fundamentally different beings? ]
I mean...I guess? [ Like, wizards are still mortals, as far as Day's concerned, just kind of unusual ones? ] I ain't sure how it works, either, this is uncharted territory.
It's sorta like...the blessin' means I'm tied to the stars, and one of the constellations back home is more or less shattered porcelain now? So that constellations hides my fate from the rest of the world, which is why everyone forgets. But I guess it wouldn't matter if I still had some kinda tie to this world, sorta like an anchor...
[ Hmmm... ]
...There's another thing too, but, uh...keep it between just me and you?
[ Hmm, find an anchor, then. Tatara has almost no idea where to start looking for something like that, but he makes a mental note to write that down as soon as he can.
The "other thing" draws his attention back, and he nods. He's listening (and recording) and he won't tell a soul. ]
Alright. I'm prob'ly gonna ask around some of the more, uh, scholarly types too. At least try and get some ideas. [ Because frankly, Day has been winging it with magic since the very start. He suspects that any solution to this will, similarly, also have to be bullshitted to some degree. ]
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Before North mission
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Tatara's in, luckily. He flings open the door and eyes Day curiously before he lights up. ]
Oh! Day! What's up?
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[ He says this so casually, but the fact he's going over to talk is maybe a bit unusual even for someone as sociable as him. ]
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[ And Tatara picks up on that immediately, considering he knows Day well enough at this point to know most of their conversations happen when they happen, out and about. It's why they get along... So for him to seek his sage out deliberately is unusual.
He steps back to let him in—besides his usual red décor, there's an unusual splash of blue here and there. Clothes, hair products, some trinkets. He was all red when they first came here, but things are changing.
Tatara gestures to the couch, which is also free from any sort of bedding, and he takes a seat on the desk chair. ]
What is it?
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The blue things though. Hmmm.
He takes a seat on the couch. ]
It's 'bout uh... an issue I have. [ Always a great way to open a conversation. ] You remember what I said 'bout workin' for Heaven?
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Opening with an issue means this is serious, though. He turns a bit, ready to grab his tome if need be, but his eyes still rest on Day. ]
I do. You give people joyous days. [ He says this, 100% serious. ] What about it?
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So, it's like...all the agents in the bureau, we're, how do I put it... Destined to get the job, I guess that's the best way of gettin' it. [ It's a bit of a simplification too, but that's the gist of it for this explanation. ] Our top bosses are a group of sister-goddesses called the Maidens, and they're in charge of the stars, fate and destiny. They Choose [ and he says this in a way that implies it's a little more than simply "choosing" ] whoever's gonna get their blessin' one day, and the right to take a position in the bureau when that happens. But until it happens, we're just a regular mortal livin' down in the mortal realm.
Usually, it takes years for the blessin' to come. Most of us only get it when we've grown up. And when it happens... [ Day takes a deep breath. ] Everyone in our mortal lives forgets 'bout us, and we can't be remembered by any mortals, period. They'll acknowledge us if we're right there talkin' with 'em, but once we're not in their presence they'll forget. Hell, even spirits and gods have problems tryin' to remember us, if they ain't a part of the bureau.
So far it ain't been a problem here, but—I think whenever this is all over, and especially if people are gonna go back home, pretty sure everyone's gonna forget me. [ And Day's already told this to a few people, or otherwise found out about it, but saying this to Tatara hits differently. ]
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When he gets to the crux of the issue, though...his expression visibly falls. ]
...Oh.
[ That's. That's sad, actually. Tatara blinks, forgetting his tome for a bit, and turns himself to give Day his full attention. ]
I'm guessing the only reason we remember you now is because you're technically a wizard, right? So if you go back and stop being a wizard...
[ Hmm. That's a toughie. ]
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...I've gotta go back, at least until my assignment back home's done. [ Heaven knows how long it'll take because it's contingent on an investigation that has been held up for two years and counting now. ] And...to be honest, at first, I kinda figured it'd just be business as usual when I showed up here. I'd be a part of you guys' lives for a while, then I'd be out and that'd be it. Even if I ended up changin' someone's life a little, it wouldn't really matter.
[ That's no longer the case, or he wouldn't be here. ]
But then I ended up gettin' to know a bunch of people here, and...I guess I'm finally tired of always givin' up. [ Which feels kind of surreal to say, because he's having to describe and properly label some of the thoughts he's had. ]
The thing is, I ain't even sure where to start. We've had this problem for like, millennium back home, and we still haven't figured out a real fix. I ain't expectin' to find a way to fix the underlyin' problem 'cause it's kinda... [ He makes a gesture with his hands as if to emphasize the size of it. ] big. But some way to stick in everyone's memories somehow, maybe.
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Things are a little different now. ]
Hmm. [ After a moment of thought, he turns to grab his camera from his desk and flips it on. The film whirs as he turns to face it to Day.
Not sure if this'll work, but may as well try. ]
Have you thought about giving trinkets to people who you want to remember you? Or maybe...a little note?
no subject
He watches Tatara take out the camera, confused because he has no idea what a camera is. ]
I have, but it ain't so simple as that. The way the forgettin' works is like...people forget who I am, but they still remember the stuff I did, yeah? So there's just a bunch of gaps and wrinkles where they remember things that matter to them, but they can't remember who it came from. [ A pause. ] And people are real good at tryin' to make things make sense to themselves. They try and fill in the gaps with answers that seem reasonable, and most of the time that means assignin' some other cause. Fate helps iron stuff out. [ He has to wonder how many people understand "fate" the same way he does, though. To him, it's the law of causality, not necessarily predestination. ] So I'd worry that just givin' trinkets means...well, the meanin' will change after I've gone.
And I can try leavin' some sorta written record, but fate also has a bad habit of findin' ways to make sure those don't last. [ Said in the weary tone of someone who has tried before and got thwarted at every turn. ] Wouldn't know if that still holds up here, though.
...I can think of a few people who might be able to remember better too, wizard or not. But they can still end up forgettin' with enough time and distance.
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This is a little bit beyond him, but he's already mentally tucking it away for when he looks more into returning them home. ]
A lot of things and memories fade with time. A lot of really old wizards can't remember the faces from their pasts anymore, either. I think, after a point...that's just how things are.
[ ... ]
But I know that's not what you're asking. You said...it's because of your job that people forget, right?
[ siri how do you get a heavenly bureaucrat fired— ]
What if...you stayed a wizard?
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Well, more like it's the blessin' I got. The job's just part of the package.
[ ...But then Tatara suggests that, and Day has to pause. ]
What do you mean?
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I guess you'd keep that blessing, regardless of what you are, right? [ hmm, hmm ] I dunno if it's possible, but maybe you could maintain a connection to this world, and stay a wizard...
[ Since wizards are fundamentally different beings? ]
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It's sorta like...the blessin' means I'm tied to the stars, and one of the constellations back home is more or less shattered porcelain now? So that constellations hides my fate from the rest of the world, which is why everyone forgets. But I guess it wouldn't matter if I still had some kinda tie to this world, sorta like an anchor...
[ Hmmm... ]
...There's another thing too, but, uh...keep it between just me and you?
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The "other thing" draws his attention back, and he nods. He's listening (and recording) and he won't tell a soul. ]
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[ With the unstated follow-up of "So I definitely have to figure out something before this is all over." ]
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For a long moment, all he does is stare at Day. Hm. This. Is a big problem. ]
That makes this a little more complicated, doesn't it?
[ Eventually, his expression breaks into a sheepish smile, but it's also a bit sad. ]
It's okay. We'll figure something out.
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...Yeah. Sorry, I kinda had to...drop all that on you.
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[ It's a lot, but he's glad Day isn't shouldering it alone. ]
Thank you for telling me. I'll keep looking stuff up, and I'll let you know if I find anything, okay?
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And if you find anything, let me know. Two heads are better than one, right?