RP:Memories, Magic, and Memory Magic

Summary: Pilar finally allows Valen to enter her mind and remove the mental block caused by the trauma of her kidnapping. Valen accomplishes his mission by removing the memory altogether, giving Pilar her magic back.

Academy of Magic, Larket

Valen would be leaning up against the wall of the outside of the academy, while the students had a bit of free time to play in the outdoors. It had been a pretty uneventful day, something that for once....Valen was thankful for. No drama, no rescuing witches in jails, no heartbreak, no fights with anyone, no giant bugs, no paladins almost getting killed, and most importantly ever, still no marriage issues. Life was good.

Pilar was wearing black, still, but at least had washed and combed her hair. She approached the Academy slowly, with little spring in her step. She spotted Valen and waved. "Good afternoon, Valen. How are you?"

Valen would spot the female Vampire at the greeting, as if jerked away from his thoughts and respond with a soft wave in return. "Miss Pilar! You certainly seem happy today, it makes me glad to see you smile again? How have you been?"

Pilar shrugged. "Better, I suppose. It's still tough to get out of bed every day... Sometimes I have thoughts of going back to the cliff... But I don't act on them. Because of you. Thank you." Pilar tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now, I have to ask another favor of you. I'm... I'm ready to get my magic back."

Valen's eyes would study her for a moment as she spoke, but not in a judging way. "Well I am very grateful to have played such an important role in that Miss Pilar, and I am also very glad that you are doing better, or that you at least feel a bit better. There is no need to thank me." With that he would hold her close in a warm hug, despite both of their cold skin. "You are one of the few that I almost actually feel like a sire towards, with no fledgling of my own. As she made her request, a smile would start to form. "You are? Well I can honestly say that is certainly a step in the right direction. You do know, that I will have to go inside your mind for this though....are you ready for that?"

Pilar smiled and returned the embrace. "I'm honored you feel that way. I... Well, my turning is a story for another day." Pilar took a deep breath and nodded. "I... I'm ready, yes. I trust you."

Valen would open the doors to the academy and usher her to go inside. "I think it best then that this be done in private, and in a calm setting. The Foyer will do quite nicely, by the fire...just have a seat in any of the chairs and we can begin. A few things to remember though. Do not be frightened by what you will see as I start to enter your mind. It is not something you will see in your thoughts, but rather how I perform this magic. It can be...unsettling to some, but rest assured you will not be hurt, and I will be fine."

Pilar followed Valen to the foyer and made herself comfortable in one of the seats. "Okay. I... I'm ready."

Valen would give a nod to her, following with the closing of the academy doors. There, he would stand in front of her for a moment. "Alright. When this happens, it is important that you try to not resist...very important. Once I'm in, it will just be a moment to find what I am looking for. I do not know what form your mind will take once inside, but once it does, I should be able to find it relatively easy to locate what I need." With that being said, he would take a step back and close his eyes with a soft sigh. For a few moments, even the fire seemed to die down, and with a sudden opening of them, they would have changed drastically. Gone was the piercing blue, and gone were the white's as well as the pupil's. In their place, was a solid Neon Crimson. As his hands outstrecthed at his sides, from the red, a crimson mist would start to seep from his eyes like a wwaterfall, cascading down to the floor and moving towards her. His mouth would open, and even more would fall from there. Once it reached her, the mist would swirl up and around her, before immediately rushing in through her ears, her eyes, her nose, her mouth. It would be painless, it would be swift. She would still be conscious, but Valen's body would remain...his eyes closed, as well as his mouth...as he simply looked to be asleep...but standing. Meanwhile, inside her mind, he would materialize...and look around to take in just what the inside of Pilar's mind would look like, as well as a hint at the least of where he should start looking for that memory of her magic.

Pilar's eyes widened as the mist came towards her. "Don't resist, don't resist," she reminded herself. And then he was in. Her mind looked like an old library, with shelves of books. Some shelves were more full than others. There was one shelf amongst them that was different, however. This one was iron, not wood, and had doors chained shut over it. The memories of Desparrow's actions guarded the lock.

Valen eyed that lock with hatred in his eyes. Oh how he wanted to simply wipe -everyones- memories of that Lycan away, to make Desparrow truly forgotten, as the male had told Valen so long ago that that had been his true fear....oh and he SO wanted to make sure that it came true. Therefore, it was with no small amount of personal satisfaction, that it seemed his work could start with Pilar. He was not going to unlock this lock, he was going to blast it into oblivion! Raising both his hands in front of him, a stream of literall darkness would shoot from his hands, forming a giant black key, with a red crimson wing as the tumbler end. Giving a gutteral and animalistic growl, he would point it at the lock, and a beam of red energy with black lighting surrounding the red, would strike true upon that lock and utterly blast it to pieces as the dark energies reacted, destroying that memory...forevor, leaving the shelf free to be opened. To make sure though that things were where they needed to be, he would open those doors...and look inside.

The lock and chain disintegrated and the doors opened. Inside was a partially filled bookshelf. The basics of spellcasting, how to make convincing illusions... All she knew was here, but there was so much more she could learn.

Valen would give a nod to himself in satisfaction. One less person to remember Desparrow, one less person with trouble in their life. With a sigh, a book would be conjured in his hand, and he would place it within the shelf amidst the other magic books....the title being: "The importance of, and how to love yourself.". With that done, he would simply will himself to leave after his job was done, the mist rolling out seemingly in a reverse fashion, back the way it came. Valen would blink open his eyes for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh, a hand coming to hold his head. "Goodness...Next time, I need to not do that on an empty stomach. No worries Miss Pilar, just -slightly dizzy only." Looking up, he would tilt his head "How do you feel?"

Pilar held her head as the fog cleared. "I... I feel alright." She looked down at her leg. Her eyes widened for a moment. "My... my leg... I remember getting this new one, but why... why don't I remember losing it?" Her memories of Desparrow outside her kidnapping were intact, but the moments after he knocked her unconscious and before Xzavior's rescue were gone.

Valen would take a seat for a moment before looking at the leg, and to her again. "Well that was to be expected. You hit your head, I doubted you would remember. Xzavior rescued you, but you had a nasty tumble and ended up badly injuring your leg. It had to be amputated as there were no healers nearby while you were unconscious." Sometimes the memory retrieval I do, like in the case of your magic, it can mess with that at times...in rare cases. But it will come back to you, the more that time passes."

Pilar furrowed her brows. "It... it must have been... I remember Desparrow killing Harold and cutting of Mikau's wings... then nothing... Then Xzavior's cabin. Why would he take me to his cabin when the fort was there?"

Valen was a bit out of his depth at that, but he could easily hold his own. "I am certain he was worried that Desparrow had agents o rdealings with the fort and figured the best place for you was his cabin, a place he knew was untouched? I must confess that I do not know much about what happened, as this all happened before I met you or Xzav..." A hand would go to rub the neck where the Naga's mark still was. "I apologize that I could not be of more help?"

Pilar hummed, then shrugged. "I... I suppose so. I do know I was scared of Desparrow or his people finding me after I... fell." She had a gut feeling that something more had happened, but Valen was trying to protect her. Still, she didn't like being lied to. She sighed. "I... I guess I should try casting." She did nothing.

Valen was not about to recount what he had seen in the memory, otherwise what would have been the point of erasing it in the first place? that was what she had come to him for, as it stood in the way between getting her magic back. He hated telling a lie, but seeing as he lacked the ability to plant false memories, there really wasnt another option. As she did nothing after declaring she should try casting, Valen would say "Whenever you are ready Miss Pilar. Let's see, if getting those memories back was successful."

Pilar nodded and looked down at her hands. She was afraid. What if it hadn't worked? What if she was doomed to be magic-less forever. She gulped and held out her hand, palm up. Did she even remember how to do this? She concentrated hard, trying to feel out the magic within her and pouring it int her hand. Moments later, a small orb of light appeared, floating above her fingers. Her face broke out into a wide grin.

Valen could see the worry on her face and was about to say something until she conjured that little ball of light. He was so ecstatic for her, and it showed on his own visage. "Well Miss Pilar....It looks like you have your magic back after all. As always, for those that come to see me for these things, this is of course...on the house. I never charge for helping others....But congratulations!" He knew this would make her day, and he was genuinly happy for his friend.

Pilar allowed the illusion to dissipate, and tried a more complex one. This time, she conjured Cassy's face, all luscious lips and amber eyes and brown curls. Tears came to her eyes. "Thank you, Valen... Thank you... At least now, I can... I can look at her again."

Valen's joy would turn into an expression of sadness. He truly felt deeply for her, and anted nothing more than for her to be happy but dwelling on the past...Baby steps Valen, baby steps. Who knows, maybe this would help her to come to terms with things. He saw the image, and felt a pang in his own heart. Though he barely had known the woman, he couldnot help but think about how sweet she had seemed. It was a shame for somone so beautiful in both spirit and appearance to be lost to the world, but ever more cruel was the feeling of losing a lover....and a best friend. "You will always have her in your heart Miss Pilar, you are never alone so long as you carry her there."

Pilar nodded and ended the illusion. "Thank you, Valen. I just... miss her so much. Her and my family..." She looked to the side, and the room was filled with people. Transparent, as making them solid was too much for her, but they were all there. Her parents, her siblings, her cousins... She wiped her eyes and they, too, vanished.

Valen would dismiss the thank you with a wave. "No thanks Necessary Miss Pilar. I know what it is to miss someone...all too well." He would have seen the others, and bowed his head out of respect for the dead. "I miss my parents too." he would have said finally. Deciding though that there was more than enough time been spent on sadness, he would simply bring her into a hug, and kiss the top of her forehead. "If it helps...I view you...as the sister I never had, but always wanted."

Pilar hugged Valen back, touched by his words. "I... I'm honored." She managed a small smile for him. "If you ever need my help with anything, don't hesitate to ask." She stepped back out of the hug, but held Valen's hands for a few moments longer. "I... I suppose I ought to go. You must be busy, with your students."

Valen would give Pilar's hands a squeeze, before looking into her eyes for a moment. "The feeling is mutual, Pilar...and I will. You certainly have not given me a reason not to trust you, and I know you never would. There may be something I need your help with here soon, and I will fill you in later. I am not worried that you will tell the person it involves, but you are right....Today was and stll continues to be a very busy day. I have one last session with my students after their free time, but feel free to make yourself at home, if you ever wish to stay."

Pilar nodded, and released his hands. "Okay. I'm at Frostmaw fort most days, so send word there. I'll leave you to your work, then. See you later, Valen."