[here is the quick rundown: we've been here before. it's best not to wander far.]

[majorlyugh]

WHO: Major Lilywhite
WHERE: Throughout the village
WHEN: Mid-August
OPEN TO: OTA, Specific starters for folks
WARNINGS: N/A

---

ota - arrival
It starts with the fountain: the rush of water, the stab of cold, the urgency of movement. There's a strange tingling in the back of his mind, like trying to grasp at smoke as muscles seem to tap into some kind of familiarity with his movements. It's like they've done this before, but don't remember how, or when, or why.

He knows to swim up, towards the light. He knows to break the surface of the water.

Instead of blindly panicking at the burst of oxygen in his lungs, he instead treads the fountain, head turning this way and that, like he's trying to make sense of it all. But not in the rabid way most people coming through the fountain seem to go about things; instead, the proverbial smoke wafting from his ears indicates that he's trying to complete a puzzle without all of the pieces. They're just out of his reach, just beyond his fingertips. But he knows that they're there.

He hoists himself up over the lip of the fountain, swinging his legs over to plant his feet on the ground. Even that carries a familiar sensation he doesn't quite understand. He lets his legs do the walking with a mind of their own, and he travels the pathways with confidence and assuredness.

He might be seen in various parts of the village, staring at the sky or the trees or a bush, wandering near the riverside, loitering by the inn, contemplating how all of this feels like a homecoming when the only home he can assuredly remember is Seattle.

for liv - a few days after arrival
The memory loss begins to fade with each change in angle from the sun overhead, and though he spends his first few nights outside (thanks, Boy Scouts!), he eventually finds himself wandering towards the house he and Ravi had shared when he'd last been in the village. He can't believe he's back here, but damn if he isn't excited to see his best friend. (There is the lingering thought that Ravi might be gone, but he won't allow himself to entertain this fear for too long. He has to cling to some kind of hope).

He's not too far off from the cabin when he's struck with a deep hunger pang that seems to reverberate in his rib cage and down to his toes. Crap. He's going to need to find food. But not the normal kind of food he knows he can get at the house or the Inn. He needs a ... different kind of sustenance, one he'd only been starting to worry about when he was last here and the food at the feast tasted like ash in his mouth.

Unwilling to be around another living human being while in his current state, he decides to do what he'd done before: going all Elmer Fudd on the local wildlife, namely squirrels and rabbits. He has a better chance with the former than the latter, so at the sight of one, he lurks in a nearby bush, taking slow and quiet steps towards the unsuspecting creature.

When he's close enough, he pounces, but instead of catching the thing by the torso the way he'd anticipated, he only gets a handful of yanked-out tail fur. With a groan, he lets his forehead hit the ground beneath him, prostrate on his belly in his defeat.

for ravi - once fed
"Luuuuucy! I'm hoooome!" Major announces as he bursts through the door of the cabin he'd called home for some time however many months (years?) ago. He has no idea how long it's been since he'd last set foot in the village, or since he'd last seen "Imposter Ravi," but he knows that he's been gone. If he hadn't been, he wouldn't have come gasping through the fountain the way he had. There's a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach for how awful it probably was for Ravi, but he hopes he can make it up to him somehow. Maybe he can .. whittle him a figurine. Or .. learn how to knit and make him a new sweater vest.

"Ravi?" he calls out, quietly closing the door behind him as he walks further inside. It almost feels like trespassing, like a B&E, even though this was his home once, too. Things feel .. different enough to make him feel more like a stranger and less like a resident. "Ravi? You here, man?"

Comments

[living_proof]

Apart from the occasional brain-induced blip, I really am not what I would call an outdoorsy person. I've been camping — Forced into camping — at least partially by virtue of having grown up in Seattle, where people are into that kind of thing way more than ever seemed normal to me for a big city. The point here, though, is that I've never been particularly good at the outdoors. I made do. I continue to make do now because I don't have any other choice, and even though my forays into the wilderness seem to be improving in ease and quality, I always kind of feel like an impostor out there.

I am, however, at least not so forlorn over this fact that I'm face down in the dirt about it.

Is it bad that I recognize Major by his ass? Because it takes me a tick, but that's what seals it for me, what grinds me to a halt, the rabbit I'd pulled out of a nearby snare sliding out of my hand to land on the ground with a muffled thump.

[majorlyugh]

Major doesn't move right away, even at the sound of something landing on the ground nearby. Part of him wonders whether it's that squirrel, who's maybe now brought all his buddies back or an even bigger animal, to come and laugh at the pathetic and stupid human who tried to catch it with his bare hands. Do squirrels make friends with the other local wildlife? Raccoons? Rabbits? Birds? It's something straight out of a Disney movie.

In the event that it isn't his escaped prey come back to taunt him, then he figures it must be one of the villagers. It could be Ravi, silently judging him. But given that he's been gone for however long, he hopes Ravi would've at least said something by now. Even gone so far as to hug him, as adverse as Ravi is to that sort of thing.

Since the thing or person isn't saying anything, Major turns his head with a huff and a pout, ready to defend himself in his Looney Tunes antics. But he catches a glimpse of the hair first, then those big blue eyes. He blinks his own, abruptly shifting his weight up to a seated position, using his hand as a visor to block the sunlight not caught by the canopy.

He can't manage to say anything right away, but once she comes into focus, there's no mistaking her.

"Liv?" he asks, gathering himself to his feet. He doesn't even bother trying to brush the dirt off of his obnoxiously colored scrubs before rushing over, throwing his arms around her, and holding on for dear life. "I can't believe it's you. I can't believe you're here." He pauses. "That or I hit my head going after that squirrel and am now having one intense concussion dream."

[living_proof]

His arms are around me before I can really register what's happening, what I'm seeing, but it has the convenient benefit of making it crystal clear that I'm not dreaming or hallucinating or high on magic bunny fur. I've been hugged by Major Lilywhite probably more than anyone in my entire life, with the possible depressing exception of my brother, who got a head start; I know what it feels like to be embraced by this man.

Which doesn't make it any less stupefying, or my reaction any more comfortable — This is not what a person expects when they venture into the woods to pick up a couple of bunny corpses. At least, not when they're me.

"Major," I huff out in disbelief as my shock-stiffened body is pressed against washboard abs, and then immediately sputter out the leaves and dirt I got in my mouth from his shirt. Eyes wide, I crane my head to look up at him. "Have you been out here the whole time?"

[majorlyugh]

Maybe it's cocky to have thought so, but Major .. sort of expected Liv to .. return the hug. Even just a little bit. Even in that weird way that people often feel the need to "hug" each other, the kind that is mostly pats on the back to make sure everyone in the surrounding area knows there's nothing too intimate going on. But all that's going on now is Liv giving the Venus de Milo a run for her money (she might as well have lost her arms at this point) and Major feeling .. awkward. As bizarre and crazy and ridiculous at it seems to be awkward around the woman he was going to marry not too long ago .. that's how he feels.

Awkward.

He pulls his arms and himself back, taking a step away from her to give her some breathing room. He ducks his head apologetically, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his pants. He gives her a non-invasive once-over, mostly to see if she's in good health - and it seems like she is. He lingers on the dead rabbits, wondering if the brains are still intact and edible inside of their tiny skulls for a brief moment before looking back at her.

He glances around as though surveying some new digs, like he hasn't been friggin' camped out in the middle of the woods for the last few days.

"Uh, I've been back for like, three days now? I .. didn't really remember anything when I came back, but the memories keep flooding back the more time I'm here. I think .. part of it is maybe leaving and coming back? But part of it is also that the last thing I remember from Seattle is Ravi giving me the cure and me starting to lose my memories there, so .. I think there was some .. carry-over." He tilts his head slightly. "I'm selfishly glad that you're here."

[living_proof]

"Oh my god," I say, my muscles seeming to unlock all at once, shoulders slumping forward as I lift a hand to my mouth. "We thought—" I pull in a shuddering breath. If I imagined this happening — And okay yes, I did imagine it, shut up — crying wasn't involved. But here I am, blinking back tears, all sniffly and stupid.

"I got here right when you left, when everyone got beamed out all over the place, and I guess there were these magical foxes..." I falter, mostly because I can hear how insane I sound, but if he's been here before, he knows. "Ravi and I, we— We didn't know. You were just gone, but we didn't know if you were still out there alone, and—"

Halting, I blink my focus back to Major where he's standing in front of me. Major, who wasn't really talking to me last time I saw him, and who just admitted he wants me around.

I stumble forward, throwing my arms around him — Which is honestly a little awkward because his hands are in his pockets like he's standing on a freaking street corner, and I'm sputtering dirt out of my mouth again, but you know, while it may sometimes take me a minute to deliver, at least I finally get there.

[majorlyugh]

Major's not sure what's going to come out of her mouth after the initial exclamation. He's learned (from experience) to always expect the unexpected with her, and though her explanation isn't overly ridiculous, it's up there. He opens his mouth as though he's going to ask a question or maybe even argue, but then .. mention of the magical foxes is like the flick of a lighter in the back of his mind, and he suddenly remembers the expedition. He remembers not getting very far, and then .. Seattle. More and more of the missing pieces are starting to reappear, and Major's doing his best to keep up and find their places in the larger puzzle.

He snaps his fingers and gives her a loose point as more comes back to him.

"I remember that now. I remember being out with a few others. We were going to find some .. shrine? Temple? Something like that, but --" He stops himself at hearing her quivering voice, seeing her rapid blinks, knowing she's fighting back tears. He's about to offer some consoling words when she flings her arms around him and, with a quiet laugh, he does his best to return it, though he feels a little like a T-Rex trying to give a hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothes softly. "I'm here now. I'm sorry you had to spend all this time worrying about me and whether I was doing a really terrible Bear Grylls impression out in the wilderness." He says "all this time," but he doesn't really know what that means in exact terms. "I'm back. I'm here. I'm still a little forgetful, and I'm still trying to remember everything, but .. I'm here."

[living_proof]

"Well, if anybody could do a convincing Bear Grylls..." I begin with a huff of a laugh that gets mostly muffled against Major's chest. My hand lifts to grind away the tears from my eyes, and I halt, mid-sniffle, and lean back.

"Hold on. When are you from now?" I ask, because... Okay, here's the situation: Major has been a zombie and then not a zombie and then a zombie again so many times that even I have a hard time keeping up. "Was that supposed to be a 'I'm going to crack your tiny skull for your brains' squirrel or an 'old timey drifter roasting a rodent on a spit' squirrel?"

[zomboligist]

He's had this dream before, only usually he wakes up to Minor slobbering in his face and then he has to get disappointed all over again about the fact that his best friend is gone. When he hears Major's voice, he's on the cusp of waking from a nap, so he thinks it's just more of the same, but as he rights himself, he keeps hearing Major calling his name.

So either he's really gone around the bend or...

Staggering towards the front door, his eyes widen slightly as he gapes at Major, not sure what to do other than stare. "Major?" he asks, like he's just not sure, because it's been months and he's gone home so he's seen him, but now he's back. He's back here, with them. Them, oh god, Liv. Has Liv seen him? No, it doesn't matter, first he needs to take his own sweet time.

Hurrying forward, he doesn't give Major a chance, barrelling at him to hug him as tightly as he can.

[majorlyugh]

Major realizes that not even Minor's come out to see him. Crap, is he still here? Did something happen to him? .. Has Major been gone that long? Oh god, what if it's been a decade and Minor's already kicked the bucket? It takes only a second for Major's mind to start spiraling, which is interrupted only by the sound of movement coming from one of the bedrooms. He recognizes the shuffle and drag of Ravi's post-sleep cadence immediately, and for some reason, he feels ...

Nervous.

What he's nervous about, he doesn't know, but there's an anxious anticipation settling over his stomach at the thought of being reunited with his best friend.

All of that disappears almost immediately as he Ravi comes into view, and Major offers a signature sheepish but soft smile.

"It's me." Yes, thank you, Major. How insightful. He's about to go on making some kind of excuse for his absence (like he has any?) when he's practically tackled into a hug. He lets out a laugh, feeling stupid for having worried about anything, and returns it with equal gusto and strength. "I guess I should disappear more often if you break all your 'personal bubble' rules to hug me when I get back."

[zomboligist]

"You can have all the personal space breaking hugs you want when you come back to hell so you can be with your best friend," Ravi announces, knowing that he's being overly dramatic, but he half means it. He finally extricates himself, stepping back but still holding on to Major's shoulders as he studies him, trying to see on sight if he's in the...undead way.

"What do you remember? What's the last thing? Where have you been?" he demands, feeling like a jilted ex-girlfriend whose man is stepping out on the town with someone new. "God, we missed you." We, he says, because now he has to tell Major about Liv.

[majorlyugh]

Ravi might notice the prominent Vanilla Ice-esque streak of white hair Major is currently sporting above his forehead. He has no idea it’s there, not having seen himself in a reflective surface since he’s come back. Having satiated himself on some squirrel brains (side effects pending and looming), he’s feeling pretty good otherwise. He’s beaming, grinning from ear to ear, lightly tapping Ravi on the side at being inspected and welcomed back with his friend’s version of fanfare.

“I didn’t remember much until .. not that long ago. I’ve been here a few days, actually. But i couldn’t .. totally make sense of anything. Over time, stuff came back. The last thing I remember is being on that expedition. And then ... Seattle. You working on a cure but there being a memory loss side effect, which I think is why I had a weird transition back.” His head tilts at the use of “we,” and he opens his mouth to address it but instead holds up a finger as if asking Ravi to wait. “Is ... Minor still here?” he asks as he glances around, voice quiet like a kid asking his parents for permission to go to a party where there will most certainly be alcohol and how dare you, young man. “Also, who is this “we” you’re taljing about?”

[zomboligist]

Ravi doesn't need long once he stops being emotional about the fact that Major had vanished on him to see the white. If Major had only waited a few more days, they could've been hair twins, but as it stands, Ravi's still about a week away from his monthly problem. "At least you remember me this time," he points out, fairly cheerfully.

After all, that had been a rough go of it. "Minor!" he calls, grinning when he hears that tongue-lolling, trot-happy little four-legged animal come wandering out. "The memory thing, it was only temporary we found out," he supplies. "Surprise, unsurprise, but Blaine lied to us."

"The we," he says, nudging Minor towards Major. "Me and Liv, who turned up almost as soon as you left me, like some weird Seattle rotating door."

[majorlyugh]

"I was going to joke around and call you Imposter Ravi, but .. I figured you wouldn't appreciate that so much after my absence," Major teases good-naturedly, pulling his friend in for one more hug, just for good measure.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're still alive, buddy!" Major exclaims as he immediately plops himself on the ground to engage in some playful rough-housing with Minor. Aside from worrying that he'd been gone so long that Minor had gone to doggy heaven (All Dogs Go to Heaven has scarred him, okay?), he'd also been subconsciously worrying that the dog wouldn't remember him at all. He's relieved that that's not the case, and he allows the slobbery, floppy mess of a dog lick his face all over. "So gross. You're still so gross," he baby talks, scratching and rubbing and patting Minor. "Who's a good boy?" Minor gives a happy bark, and Major can't help but laugh as he uses his shoulder to wipe off the drool.

Major's brain has now caught up to everything else Ravi has said.

"Oh. What a surprise. Blaine is a liar." He flatlines this previous statements, sharing in the lack of shock about this revelation. "Man, what a dick. And I don't use that term lightly." He stands himself up from the ground, dusting himself off a bit. He stops, however, at the mention of Liv. "Liv? ... She's ... she's here? Is she .. still here?" The last thing he wants to think about is whether or not his presence here means that hers has left.

[spoileralert]

There happens to be a girl in one those trees. She’s napping, or maybe just resting, in denim overalls and a long sleeved black shirt with a hood covering her hair and the sleeves rolled up. After a moment she realizes there’s a strange man staring in her general direction and, determining him not to be an immediate threat, falls backwards to hang upside down from the branch with her hands in her pockets.

“‘Sup?”

[majorlyugh]

It's true that Major's not really a threat on most occasions, but especially now, as he's trying to gather up the shards of his memory and scotch tape them back into something understandable. The sudden movement startles him, making him gasp quietly as he jumps back half a step. He .. hadn't even realized he'd been staring at the tree, quite honestly. He was spacing out completely.

He takes a second to regather his composure - and his dignity - before letting out a soft, good-natured laugh.

"You, apparently. You're like a chameleon, master of camouflage. I had no idea you were up there." He glances up at the other surrounding trees before looking back to her. "Granted, I wasn't exactly on my A-game when it comes to being alert."

[spoileralert]

She grins, since she can’t pull off a proper shrug from this angle.

“I’m sneaky like that. The trick is forgetting you’re up here in the first place.” She pulls her hands out of her pockets to pull herself easily back upright on the branch, then spins so that she’s facing him.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around town, are you new?”

[majorlyugh]

"I don't remember the last time I climbed a tree," Major says, silently chuckling to himself at the irony of it all. He doesn't remember much these days, it would seem. Why would he remember the last time he went full-on squirrel and scurried up to sit in the canopy?

He's drawn out of his haze at her movements, and he watches, tilting his head, impressed at her agility.

"You've done this before, with some regularity." A gentle smile spreads across his face before wilting back into confusion. "I'm ... not sure. I feel ... like I've .. been here? But .. I can't really put my finger on it. Like, I know the path that follows the river, but .. I also feel like I don't, if that makes sense."

[spoileralert]

"I was a gymnast in school," she explains, but his explanation is more interesting to her. She considers him for a moment, then hops down to a lower branch and finally to the ground. Getting out of a tree is always easier than getting into one. That's what makes them so comfortable- they're their own kind of fortress.

"How's your head feel? Are you sure you're not concussed? Feeling dizzy at all?" She closes the distance between them to give him a proper looking over.

[majorlyugh]

"Were you a doctor, too?" Major asks with a playful smirk. He reaches up to touch his head, as though he'll magically discover some kind of previously undiscovered injury. There's nothing of the sort that he can find. The only noticeable thing - which he hasn't noticed himself yet due to his inability to grow lobster eye stalks - is that he's got a Vanilla Ice thing going on, with a very predominant streak of white hair above his forehead. Very Rogue a la X-Men, but with shorter hair.

"Hmm, no, I think I'm fine there. I just got through the fountain maybe, uh .." He glances up at the sky, trying to rely on the techniques buried somewhere in his brain from his last stint in the village. "Four or five hours ago? I'm not really sure. I tried to learn how to tell time via the sun, but I was honestly never very good at it."

[littledhampir]

[Up to you how soon after his re-arrival this one is set!]

There weren’t many people Rose was disappointed to discover had gone in her absence. There just hadn’t been enough time for her to know anyone enough to give a damn one way or another. Elena had been among them but she’d come back so soon after Rose had, that it barely felt like she’d barely had a chance to miss her at all. A fleeting moment of disappointment, quickly followed by the relief of seeing her again.

When she’d learned that Major had disappeared only days before she’d returned, Rose had figured that was the last she’d see of him and while she wasn’t sure that threatening him with a pillow was the basis of a strong friendship, she had to admit that there were moments when she’d found herself hoping to she was wrong about lightning not striking twice. Sure, mostly he just confused her by making references to things that went flying over her head, but his mortification over her lack of comprehension, and his general easy-going manner. He was probably the only person she’d ever met, who could make a kidnapping seem not so bad.

Given how bleak things had seemed since the Wendigo attack, she honestly thought she was seeing things when she came down from her room to discover him standing in the middle of the inn, Rose halting her footsteps just to stare at him until it became creepy, even by her standards.

“Major?”

hmm how about he's still a little fuzzy but sorta remembering things

[majorlyugh]

Little things have come back to Major through his exploration of his maybe-home. He found himself remembering little pathways in the woods that he couldn't have known about if he hadn't already explored them, knowing the locations of and purposes of various buildings around the village, and even started recognizing some faces (though, being the creep that he can be sometimes (it's out of self-preservation, he swears!), he mostly observed from the outskirts rather than immersing himself in the throes of humanity).

His memory expedition eventually led him to the Inn. It's strange, standing in it, listening to the murmurs of voices, the creaks of footsteps, the crackling of cooking flames. It's all so far removed from his life in Seattle and yet, it feels like a warm, fuzzy sweater - the kind that becomes one's favorite, though it's frayed and worn, and maybe even a bit smelly. It's comforting in some strange way, even if he doesn't remember everything about everything just yet.

At the sound of his name, he turns his head, his body staying stationary before eventually following suit. His brows dip in concentration, eyes slightly squinted, as he studies the woman's face. He makes a mental note of her physical attractiveness, but even more than that, he knows he's seen her face before.

Well, duh, Major. That much is obvious; she knows his name without him having to say anything.

"We've ... met before," he states, more for himself than for her. He chews his lip before taking a cautious step towards her. His magenta scrubs have all but dried, but they aren't any more comfortable than they were soaking wet. He fiddles with the hem of the shirt. "I .. think I've been here. At some point. Stuff seems ... familiar? But it almost feels like .. I dreamt it. Or like this is all one intense case of deja vu." He lets out a quiet laugh to himself. "I'm Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates, except significantly less pretty."

I don't know whether to say I'm Sorry or You're Welcome

[littledhampir]

That… was not the response she’d been expecting or hoping for, not that she could suppose she left a lasting impression, but she liked to think that with her winning personality and him more or less saving her life, she might have warranted more than the uncertainty that came with his words. It wasn’t that, though, she knew it instinctively and for a moment she actually believed that one of the few people she’d managed to make an almost good impression on despite the throwing of things - the latter being something that occurred more often than you might think, in Rose’s case - hadn’t the first real idea who she was. She knew it happened. Had gleaned that much from her conversation with Owen. Rose’s return to this place with memories in tact? It was more the exception than the rule.

Disappointment threatened to etch across her features, a slump in her shoulders as the little flourish of happiness at seeing him started to eek away and it was only when he continued to speak that she thought maybe she had it wrong.

“An intense case of deja vu where people know your name?” Her eyebrows slowly creeping up her forehead, the hint of a wry grin threatening to tug the corner of her mouth. Even if he never fully remembered who she was, he sounded so like the Major in her memories that maybe it wasn’t all bad. If he’d liked her well enough even with all the throwing and general threats she’d made the first time around, maybe he’d actually like her more now. Though… she wasn’t ruling out a repetition of the former because… Rose.

“We’ve met.” She confirmed, hastily pulling together the CliffsNotes to see if they’d jolt his memory. “I thought you kidnapped me? Turns out you just wanted to feed me roadkill.” Her memory of things sounded much better than the words coming out of her mouth.

“You said a lot of stuff that went right over my head that time too…” Which leads her to the thing that’s been stuck in her head ever since he said it out loud. “I have to ask… when did Drew Barrymore become a Pornstar and do I want to know how you’re in any way… that, right now?”

never have to say i'm sorry for these two XD

[majorlyugh]

Major knows psychology, he studied social work, he knows how to read people fairly well. It doesn't take much, even in this hazy state, for him to realize that he's borderline offended her by failing to know her. But, even more so, she looks .. hurt. Major can deal with people being pissed at him for this reason or that, but feeling as though he's done something to disappoint to upset another person? That's a harder pill for him to swallow.

The corners of his lips tug towards the floor, his expression softening to one of apology and remorse. His voice is softer, more patient, more cautious in a way.

"I know, it doesn't .. really make sense, does it? How could everyone know my name unless I've been here before." He starts humming the Cheers theme song underneath his breath, almost subconsciously, as he sweeps the room to take it in again, like he'll suddenly see The Thing to bring his memory back completely. He doesn't find any such thing, of course, but his attention is quickly drawn back to the woman as she confirms their prior meeting. "Feed you roadkill?" he asks, nose scrunching in slight disgust (Major, you are in no place to judge; you were trying to catch squirrels for their brains, remember?). "Wait. Did you throw things at me? Did you think I drugged you or something?" His mind's working quickly to try to catch up, but it sounds familiar.

"Porn star?!" he blurts out with a laugh. "What?! Who said anything about Drew Barrymore being a porn star?!" Put it together, Major. His eyes widen with understanding as he laughs again. "No! No, no, no, no! 50 First Dates is a movie. The regular kind. The .. safe-for-kids kind. Actually, I think it might've been PG-13? I don't know. But she has a memory problem in it, so Adam Sandler keeps taking her out on dates to try and get her to remember and whatever. That's what I feel like, but not as .. severe."

/chinhands forever

[littledhampir]

She shrugs noncommittally because frankly, if Rose were to talk about her version of normal to people, it would sail past making no sense and wander straight into crazy town. She likes to think that knowing this means she isn’t as insane as some people would think, but she’s also painfully aware that there’s no sane way to tell people that you see dead people. Not unless you’re that kid from the Sixth Sense and even then, it was still creepy.

“Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing I’ve heard?” Offering up that much by way of trying to make him feel better. This wasn’t about her, she wasn’t so self-absorbed as to think otherwise.

Her face says it all as she cringes at him, because of course that had to be the one memory he couldn’t keep lost.

“Yeah…” About that - her fingers sheepishly pushing back through her long dark hair. At least she had the good sense to keep her other thoughts to herself; Like if she’d really been trying to hurt him, he’d remember. Wait -

“Yes!” Rose allowing the momentum of her enthusiasm to push her forward a couple of steps. Generally speaking, her first arrival wasn’t something she liked to remember. Showing up with a busted ankle and bloody bite marks on her neck that she outright refused to explain to anyone, but the fact that he remembered that much meant he was still the Major she’d met.

“Though, in my defense? I had just escaped a kidnapping to land in another, so…” The words delivered as flippantly this time as they had the first time she’d told him as much. Apparently, if you make it sound casual then you don’t have to fully examine the horror of that statement. Rose!logic.

“So… Not a pornstar.” Looking somewhat relieved at that. Rose didn’t care enough about celebrities to have too many opinions on what they did or didn’t do, but that confirmation at least meant that she wasn’t completely out of touch with the human world. Just, mostly, as they case may be. “Also… I think that’s considered stalking.” The fifty first dates.

“You have amnesia.” Wondering why he couldn’t just say that in the first place. Nothing made Rose feel quite so out of place as the endless stream of pop-culture references that always resulted in a blank stare, but at least Major didn’t mock her mercilessly for it. Appeared horrified? Plenty, but that she could deal with. “The temporary kind, though? Maybe?”

really though. i love them.

[majorlyugh]

"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I heard, either. Or .. experienced." Major has a feeling he's told some of the other people here - if he has indeed been here before, as he suspects - about his life back in Seattle: the zombie outbreak, Liv's whole transformation, his own transformation, Ravi's attempts at a cure. But, for as much as he likes this woman (he hates that he can't totally remember her name, but he thinks it was a plant. Heather? Juniper? Lily?), he isn't about to start blurting all of those well-kept secrets. For a while, no one outside of his immediate circle knew anything. But obviously that sort of thing was like Pandora's Box; it was opened the second Liv went to that boat party that got her turned.

He doesn't back away or move towards her at her sudden drift towards him. It's kind of endearing that she's so excited about the fact that he seems to be tugging on bits of string in his mind, reeling them in to find his forgotten memories tied to the end. He can't help but smile a bit at that.

"A kidnapping? Okay, tucking that one away for later, given that I don't .. just .. forget everything again," he teases, tapping his finger to his temple. "But in the case that I don't forget anything, we'll circle back to that at some future date, because that's something that deserves an explanation. Or at least story time, with cookies. You can even make it up if you want."

He scoffs at the implication of stalking.

"No! .. It wasn't stalking! He tried to make her fall in love with him every day .. and .. Well. Wait. Crap. Now that you've said that, I'm realizing .. it's .. kind of a creepy concept, isn't it?" He rubs at his chin in thought. "Geez, they even had a kid. How did he explain her pregnancy for nine months? Could a woman whose brain resets during sleep ever really consent to -- You've ruined the movie for me!" he jokingly shouts, feigning insult and upset. Even with some of his marbles loose, he's still Good Ol' Major.

"Hopefully? I mean, the fact that I'm kind of remembering you being ... very mean to me, even though I was trying to be gallant and noble by saving you from freezing near the fountain, and brought you to the Inn so you could sleep and get better, and stayed a very respectable distance away from you so you wouldn't think this was To Catch a Predator, and brought you hot rabbit stew ..." He counts each event on a finger until they're all splayed open, his words spilling out of him with more and more speed as more bits of string are yanked into his brain. He's not upset about any of what he's relaying, either. He has to make a good show of it, though. "Aside from all of that, it .. seems pretty good, right? That I'm remembering that? Even if I feel like I should be more and more offended with each thing I'm remembering."