tampered | closed;

Almost more than the fact his memories are jumbled, something about his attitude seems...off to her. She just can't put her finger on it.

As he starts his story, she could almost wish that she'd asked him for the whole history before, but there's no point regretting that now. "Yeah," she nods, arms crossed too. "I want to hear it anyway, curse or not."

"You're really interested?" He shouldn't be surprised, but he honestly is. She never wanted to know before, but now she wants to know everything...

Still, he continues, calmly as before. "The war lasted about three years. Odessa was the previous leader, and her brother, Mathiu, joined me as the army's strategist..." Even though he always wanted to get away from wars for good. He looks a little more grim as he thinks of that.

But he changes the subject quickly enough. "Flik and Viktor, those guys Riou and I dressed like, were also original members of the Liberation Army... Anyway, because the original hideout was compromised, we requisitioned a castle in the middle of the lake, Toran Castle. Our first objective was to expand our power so we could face the Imperial Army as equals. And As our army expanded, we were able to attack the Empire's strongholds.

"That was when we realised that that witch had been manipulating the Imperial generals by using a rune--she was controlling them and the Kobolds... We were able to save all of them, and they joined us when they realised what the Empire had become. That it had sunk to using Black Runes to control people..."

That wasn't nice to remember, either. If Tyr looked grim before, he looks dark now. His eyes stare down at his knees as he speaks almost flatly.

"I always wanted to know what you accomplished," she says in response before he continues. She really did. It's just that it seemed like he went through a lot of pain, too.

As he tells the story, she nods at the appropriate moments. She's no strategist, but the basics of their goals are easily understandable. When he gets to the Black Runes, she scowls along with him. "So they knew they couldn't keep their own generals loyal, is that it?" Focusing on the details of his story, it's almost like she can forget the reason they started talking about it. Almost.

She wanted to know what he did... He feels pretty good about that. Although he feels good about that, he can't express it. He can't joke around about something that's so important.

And he's glad she's listening to him so seriously. Even if she was irritating him, it's times like this, when they have to be serious, that reminds him why they're so close- why they even began their relationship.

"That's right. They knew what they were doing was wrong and no honourable person would ever agree to follow those orders."

Sometimes it feels like what they already know about each other is enough--they love each other, they make new memories every day. But other times, she wants to know more about him.

So even without the worries about his memories pressing in her mind, she's listening alertly.

And paying attention means she can't help but remember that Tyr's father was a general. Even Rita can't be too blunt when it comes to some questions, so she tries, "Were all the generals being controlled like that?"

They do know everything they need to know, Tyr thinks. The present is more important anyway, especially since they won't be going to either of their homes for a long time.

Her question seems entirely normal to him. It's where he would assume her mind would go. He shakes his head easily. "No. Some were just blindly loyal to the Emperor... My father and the other Great Generals fought directly under him during the War of Succession- before he changed. There were some who fought for the Emperor to their deaths... However, all the Great Generals saw what became of the Emperor and joined the Liberation Army."

Rita agrees with that--it's another reason she hasn't pried too much before now. But even so, she does want to hear what he's done.

She almost misses the detail. All the Great Generals... Just to be sure, Rita nods and clarifies, "So your father did, too?" But Rita's not very subtle, so there's an edge of uncertainty to her voice.

He killed a lot of people and could kill again. Tyr would never even think of it that way, though.

Tyr nods. "Of course. At first, he didn't want to turn on the Emperor, but when he admitted defeat, he joined our cause..." After saying that, his voice takes on a note of pride that only an idealist could have, "And he was loyal to creating a better country to the end."

Oh, Tyr... He thinks his father's still alive. He doesn't remember that they fought, and the Soul Eater...

She stares at Tyr and her expression is downcast and almost pitying. Finally, Rita's at a loss. She doesn't want to upset him again, but she can't just lie and carry on like nothing's wrong. Still, she should find out more... A long moment goes by before she swallows and simply says, "So...what about after that?"

He's not going to just drop it, though. His father is a great man, and she's acting like there's something wrong, like something is seriously wrong with history.

But he knows his dad. He'd always be a good person.

"What's that look for?"

Of course he'd notice. Rita tries not to be too blunt about it, running a hand through her hair as she simply says, "That's not how you told me it went before."

"Maybe you're not remembering it correctly," he responds, a hard edge to his voice. This is one thing he's not going to be wrong about. Just thinking something about his father was changed makes him tense.

She knows this conversation isn't going anywhere good, but she isn't wrong. There's something messed up in Tyr's mind. "No, you told me what happened. He never joined your side, Tyr. The Soul Eater, it--you know," she finishes lamely. Ugh.

His cheeks burn red, and he's close to simply standing up and leaving. No-one needs to die to make him want to run away.

Still, he just looks at her in a hard way. "Why are you telling me this?"

What's all this going to accomplish? His father- The Soul Eater never killed him. He's on missions again so it couldn't take him.

He can't stay mad at Rita and beneath his anger...this really hurts.

"Because it's reality!" She almost feels like the bad guy here, but while she wants Tyr to be happy, she doesn't want him stuck with memories of false happiness.

In a softer tone, she adds, "It's not like I want it to be that way, either. But your memory of that's changed, too."

It's not reality. He shakes his head stubbornly; he feels so heavy right now. "That's not right..."

Maybe she's cursed. Maybe the City has messed with her. Maybe it's not even really Rita. These are all possibilities, but none of them seem right. No-one else is having this problem. She's not saying this to anyone else.

But he really doesn't want her to be right. He never got to see his father much back home, but he was always there. She can't take that away from him...

"Sorry. But it is." She doesn't like it, but she needs Tyr to understand that it's the truth--that something's wrong with him.

After a moment, an idea comes to her. She has to admit it's pretty morbid, and she doesn't like asking it, but if it's the connectiong... So she ventures, "What do you remember about Gremio and Ted?" For once, there's no distate in her voice when she says their names. This isn't about how annoying or weird she thinks either of them are.

A little shock runs through his body when she says their names. By now, he knows where this is going. Murdered, tortured, abandoned. He doesn't want to know the specifics. These are the people he cares about most back home. They're his family.

He doesn't even answer her before pushing himself off the bed to leave. There's something wrong with her if she's telling him this. He knows they're okay.

"Hey!" She starts when he moves, and scrambles off the bed after him. "Tyr! There's something wrong with you, and you know we need to figure out what it is before it gets worse!" If he's going to try running away, then she won't hold back from being blunt anymore.

He could yell at her, tell her that there's nothing wrong with him and everything wrong with her, but he doesn't. This conversation is over. The fact she's being blunt already is the reason why he doesn't want to be around her.

If she's not fast enough, he will literally slam the bedroom door in her face.

No way, no way is he just running away from her. She calls his name again and dashes after him, reaching out to grab him--his arm, the back of his shirt, whatever he reaches. There's something horribly wrong with his memory, and she isn't letting it carry on.

"Leave me alone!"

Tyr spins around quickly and yanks himself away from her. She's not herself. The Rita he knows wouldn't try to do this to him. In an instant, his eyes are as distant as they are cold and hurt.

"Tyr-!" The idea of putting him to sleep flits through her mind and is immediately dismissed. As annoyed as she is, she isn't forcing him into restraints (an idea that almost makes her sick) unless he's dangerous.

Instead, she balls her fists and insists, "I want to help you! You know something's not right, so stop running away!" And she raises a hand now to jab a finger at his chest, just to emphasize her point.

There's no hesitation in him when he grabs her hand too-tightly and shoves it away. She's wrong. She's not really Rita, she can't be. He's beyond being argued with, though, and he can't stop himself even if he tried.

His mind goes blank, and a shadow appears behind him. It's not anything like the Soul Eater, but Rita can't really get a good look before it lashes out and severs her head from her neck.

Rita only has time to register something and open her mouth--either to yell at Tyr before realizing it's there, or maybe in surprise--before it happens.

The only thing she's conscious of is a strange, sickening sensation she can't make sense of and the room becoming a blur. She's dead almost immediately: the body simply crumpling the floor in front of Tyr, and the head fully several feet away.

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