Gaston! [social/closed]

How did it go? ‘There are no strings on me’? Yes, she was fairly certain that this was it. Natalie found herself reminded of that song, when the vulgar man invited her over. It was true in many ways. The most important one right then, though, was the most obvious one. She was one of those people who truly would not feel the pull of any strings in that regard. Many would feel obliged to repay a kindness. She certainly would not. He was giving her a gift, but other than a thanks, he was not going to get anything for that. Well, not for that specifically. It was a trade, after all. Free drinks for company, however brief it might have been.

Not like either of them were spoiled for choice when it came to company, though. She’d arrived at the tail end of his performance/competition, finding it a bit stupid but otherwise uncaring. The people around him did not seem offended, either, but they were clearing out at this late hour. A normal occurrence, really. She liked coming in at the later hours after a long day, since it wasn’t as loud or annoying. This was home turf, so she did not want to stir trouble often.

Maybe this man was trouble. He certainly did not look it, though. Natalie reciprocated his smile with a slim, gentle one of her own. It was practiced well enough to be second nature by now. “My, thank you for the offer. I do love me some free drinks,” she would reply, making her way towards his seat with measured steps. Wearing the white dres she could often be spotted in, the healer took a measure of the person as she approached. There was no judgement in her eyes other than light appreciation. She was not in the business of putting people down openly, after all. Thus, she resigned first impressions about his character to the deepest corners of her mind, while outwardly, she appreciated a frame that suggested strength.
Looking and behaving like that, he did strike her as the mercenary type. Probably useful, for a supportive mage such as herself. In her experience, jobs went over much more easily if the one she supported had strength of their own.

“Hmm, you do not look like you are from around here. I know most of the regulars here and you ain’t one of them,” she added, as she took a seat, a light accent in her otherwise gentle speech. “In that case, looking like this, you must be a traveller.” A slight tilt of the head to take the edge out of the assertion a bit. She liked to try and read people. If he did not like that, he could always tell her off or leave. After all, there were no strings on either of them.

Orion Prima

He certainly was right in that assertion. Free drinks, like anything else that came without charge, were good no matter what. As long as they did remain free, that was. She had heard of cases where something was put into said drinks that ultimately made them a lot less free, but she doubted that it was the case here. And, if not, she could always burn the bad stuff out of her system. Probably. Certainly. It was not something she had tried before, so she filed the thought away as potentially useful later on. One day, she might be able to make a proper spell for that or find one somewhere.

In the here and now, she picked one of the leftover mugs and pulled them towards herself. She was not yet sure whether she would or should go for another one. But one was assured. “I guess, though I never did so myself. The free stuff tends to come from men, mostly, with the occasional woman,” she replied with a brief, subdued chuckle, her hand in front of her mouth as if to conceal it. Though if that had truly been her intention, it had failed miserably. Natalie briefly nipped on hers, preferring to take it slow and in small measures, making the most of it. A friend of her had called that miserly. She preferred to think of it as efficient, really.

Since this was a conversation, she had seated herself at a slight angle, one arm on the counter and her gaze lazily directed at the still un-named man. There was not really a need for introductions. Bar-quaintances were fleeting things. And most travellers went by false names anyway. “Mhmmm I like it. It is not the best there ever was, but that is what you get for a reasonable price. Practical, as things tend to be in this city.” Well, that was a diplomatic way to put it. And she was all about that diplomacy sometimes. Wouldn’t want to have the people who could spit into your drinks without you noticing resent you, after all.
This guy though, he did not really matter. A traveller, probably a mage given how steadfastly he carried himself, he would be out of her life before the sun went up again. She did not have to give her all to keep him in good graces. He was perceptive enough though, which made her smile once more. “As for myself, it is that reasonability that tends to draw me in. There may be fancier places, but I tend to feel like those lack a certain warmth and authenticity. This place can be a lot livelier, which makes it more interesting.” Or quieter, but she was not exactly drunk enough to reveal that. Nat would rather have others see her as a good soul cheering others up with her presence than someone who came here to secretly make fun of people in crisis.

Orion Prima

She just gave him a knowing smile, but did not elaborate at all on the comment he’d repeated. Instead, she elected to take another sip from the stuff. It was good enough for sure. Worth its money, even when it did not cost her a thing. She would listen to him speak first and follow his gesturing when he started to play a prank on the person trying to sit down. Her suggestion that he was a mage came true, for he did something that caused a spark. Probably a kind of elemental magic, utilized in a carefree manner. He was certainly no novice, no matter the somewhat juvenile attitude presented.

However, he challenged her to follow suit, something that could not too easily be done. Her magic was not meant to be subtle or to be used lightly. This place was too flammable in the first place, too. Instead, she decided that now was a good time to respond to his first comment. “I would disagree on that notion, actually,” she started, before tapping the side of her head, as if thinking. “I don’t think people come here to forget about themselves. Quite the opposite. The kind of forgetting happening here might be the most important kind.”
That, she left hanging for a bit, as she took another measured, slightly longer sip. A pause included deliberately. He likely understood, but she did so anyway. Sometimes, it was not about making the other wait, but making oneself wait.

Yet, instead of giving an answer, she would instead give him a question. “What is it that people forget here, dear? Is it truly who they are? And is that which they forget really that which defines them? I think that it is actually the other way around. Forgetting that thing can be helpful, since clinging onto it can prevent us from being who we truly can be, to make the most of it.”


Orion Prima

She chuckled at his answer. He did not really answer her question, but that was kind of expected. Natalie had to admit that her thinking in this regard was pretty out there. Most people would likely not agree a all, but she found solace in the explanation. Hence, she would give it to him. Later. For now, there was something else that she fixated on. “Hmm, I think I don’t like that word for it. ‘Beast’ that is,” she started before inserting another pause by sipping. Once done, she briefly narrowed her eyes, almost mischievously, though she swiftly returned to her usual behaviour, as if that had just been a little joke.
“The ‘beast’ you speak of…that is us. Lust, anger, pride, those are all traits we possess. In moderation, they are good. A craftsman taking pride in his finished project. A man getting angry about an injustice and doing something about it. A man and a woman engaging int…well, you know what.” A brief chuckled followed. Wouldn’t be prudent to speak of such things too openly, after all. “They are part of us. We just do not let them out often. This ‘stuff’ just makes us bring them out. But is that really part of forgetting, or is it just part of drinking, which helps us forget?”

That was at the core of her philosophy, really. Nataly liked things in their proper order. She liked outcomes being attributed to proper causes. It was not forgetting itself that turned people into beasts. It was that which caused the loss of memory in the first place. Taking another sip, she noticed that he finished number one already. Would he claim the second free one for himself, or buy another? He did not seem finished yet. “To answer your question, it is simple. I consider the past worth forgetting when it keeps us from moving forward. Many people are bound by it, shackled by it. They try to preserve memories at the cost of making new ones. That is when I believe there to be a case to forget. The past informs us. But who we are in the present, that defines us.”



Orion Prima

“Hmm,” she made, thinking for a bit. She did get what he was going for here and part of her did want to agree. Or rather, she already agreed with it. However, that did not mean that her opinion had been changed, her stance on the subject swayed. It was not easy to explain, even for herself, so she mulled it over briefly, brushing a stray hair out of her field of vision. No real reason, just a bit of a tick sometimes displayed by the healer.
Eventually, it dawns upon her why that was. “You know, I think we don’t think the same way about these things. Repression is bad. But to me, it is not forgetting. Someone like that is exactly the kind of person that should forget, to me. They are still swayed by the past, cannot let it go. It is not forgotten, just pushed back.”

Yes, that was it. They differed in definition. To him, forgetting had the negative connotation of someone just trying to get rid of the past but failing. But to her, it was much more akin to what he spoke of. Though not fully, really. After taking another sip, half emptying the mug by now, she would continue: “I agree about acceptance. In a way, that is the kind of forgetting that I mean. Not pushing the past away, but rather making peace with it. Coming to the conclusion that it has no more true bearing on the present and that what is done is done. If you can truly and utterly forget, it is not temporary.”
She’d turn towards him, trying to make eye-contact, if possible. The next part was her making a very educated guess, but it still could be wrong. Then again, he was a drinker that talked about this as if he knew his stuff. Chances were he had some dark things hiding in his past. “Tell me, honestly. If I could snap my fingers right now to take away your most painful memories. Not just push aside. Not a distraction. But fully taking it away so that you would not even know you’d had it. Would that truly be wrong?”



Orion Prima

“Must one?” It was a simple question, but in her mind, it was an important one nonetheless. Still looking at the man, she would watch his reaction, even though his opinion on the matter seemed pretty clear-cut already. He probably was one of those men. The ones that were defined by their past. The way he spoke about his demons, he probably had not fully beaten them. If he had, there would be no danger at all of them returning, no matter what he did.
Still, she should explain what she meant. It was probably best to not get misunderstood again. She’d nudge her head towards the victim from earlier, a man now solemnly and quietly drinking by himself. “I agree it would be better. It is just a matter of preference to me. Not everyone can come to terms with their past. They would be better for it. But they also would be better for it if they were not dragged down anymore.” A light shrug followed. Natalie was a realist. She knew that not anyone could fight their demons. Letting them wallow like this was a worse fate for the weak, in her opinion.

Returning towards the other, she would take to his question next. “It depends. I would not jump at it, but I am not in a situation like that. If I was, I would. If my past was dictating my present and I could not fix that, I would gladly choose a future over it.” There was a conviction in her voice that did not match her usual, light-hearted demeanour too much. Yet, she meant every word of it. No reservations. Some might call her a coward, but she really did not see much of an issue with it.



Orion Prima

Natalie chuckled gently at his admission. It was not one of defeat. That had not been the point to begin with. He simply accepted her reasoning. Sometimes, it was not necessary to convince someone that the own way was better in any way. It was just as good to be acknowledged. She’d briefly raise her mug in compliance, then took another sip. It would be empty in the next few minutes. Nat was not stressing it. She did not drink to forget, either. It was just nice sometimes.

However, part of that mutual understanding reached had seemingly gotten to the man. He elevated this from ‘two strangers talking in a tavern’ to ‘two strangers that knew one another’s names talking in a tavern’. She was not sure what to think of that. That made this all a bit more real. If he had lead with a name, she would have considered it to be fake. But after a deeply philosophical discussion like this? He probably meant it.
Still, being rude would certainly not be the answer here. “Nat,” she simply noted, while accepting his hand for a shake. Likely, his was both bigger and rougher, as one might expect. “It is not rude at all. Sometimes, acquaintances made at the bar are best left nameless. Especially when chances are to not see one another again.”


Orion Prima