The Let's Play Archive

A Blurred Line

by Tobias Grant

Part 24


Seems like someone does live here...



Talan: Yes, we're real. To tell you the truth, we're also in real trouble...

Woman: That's nice.

The old woman walks up to her fire pit.

Talan: Excuse me?



Talan: We've got bigger problems than a lack of tea, um...



Memnosyne: I'm sorry about not having it ready, but then I didn't know you were coming, so you'll have to forgive me.

Talan: Uh... no problem...

Talan: We didn't mean to intrude, but we saw the smoke from your fire and thought we might -

Memnosyne walks up to Talan and hands him his teacup.





Memnosyne: I heard that, dearie. You'd best not be making judgements of people you've just met - you can get in a heap o' trouble.

Talan: I didn't mean -

Memnosyne: I'll give you shelter from whatever it is you're hiding from for the night. But in the morning you'll have to leave. This old woman has seen more than her share of troubles, dearie. I doubt yours would amount to much in comparison.

Talan: Memnosyne, I didn't -

Memnosyne: Here we are.



Memnosyne: So... now that you have your tea, let's see how you are at weaving a yarn.



some time later...





Talan: She's just... on the surface, she seems to be sort of... well, flaky. Bustling around making tea, not really listening to what we're saying. But then every once in a while, her tone of voice changes and you can almost, I don't know...

Lerle: "And finally he knew the truth he had been seeking: in the heart of Women lies a tiny frozen diamond, colder than the furthest reaches of space, sharper than the sharpest knives, and more dangerous than the fiery pits of Hell."



Lerle: I didn't think I'd remember all of that passage. It's from one of the first plays we did when I came to Paradise...

Lerle: ... ... ...

Talan: I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow. Memnosyne makes me nervous.

Memnosyne exits her house and approaches the two.





Memnosyne: Children these days. What a wonder. It's getting dark. Someone should keep watch - if this man you're hiding from should happen upon my home while everyone is sleeping... my goodness! And I'm sure we all need our beauty sleep, dearies.

Talan: Y-yes, Memnosyne. We'll have someone keep watch. I'm really sorry to bother you like this. We really are in a great deal of -

Memnosyne: Goodnight, then. I'll be up bright and early to fix you a hearty breakfast and you can be on your way.

Memnosyne goes back into her house.



Lerle: She's right, though: someone needs to keep watch in case the Agency finds us tonight.

Talan: So who should keep the first watch?

We're given a choice between Talan, Lerle, and Emily. I choose Talan for now, and if it's interesting I'll post what happens to the others later.



Later that night...



Memnosyne leaves her house.



Talan jumps down from the building

Memnosyne: Are you feeling well, dearie? You look a tad under the weather...

Talan: I'm fine... really!



Talan: Really, that's OK... you don't need to -

As soon as she touches Talan's forehead, something... happens.



Talan: Memnosyne!



Memnosyne: What's wrong with your memories?? The color information is all wrong!

Talan: ... ... ...







Talan: Get out of my head, Memnosyne!!





Memnosyne: What could have happened to you to damage your memories like this?

Talan: Stop it! Leave me alone!









Talan: It's no use. He's dead.





A picture of Talan in bed...

Memnosyne: The mindless tedium of returning night after night to the same run-down apartment... This is too much to take - I need to see much further back...





Memnosyne: What?! The color definition in your memory is back to normal! But what could have caused...?





Brown-haired girl: No peeking!



Young Talan: One... two... three...

The other kids split up and hide...

Talan: ...four... five...six...seven...eight...

...Talan takes a peek behind him...

Talan: ...forty-two... forty-three...

















Memnosyne: You haven't answered my question.





Talan: None of the doctors knew of any treatment that could save my sight. My mother learned of an experimental procedure that might help, but it was very risky and very expensive. The doctor implanted my eyes with special circuitry and modified an ordinary visor into... something more. It's hardly "normal" sight... but even the greens and yellows my brain can process is better than... nothing at all.



Memnosyne: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded... but you can't imagine what it's like to live with what I have to, every day...



Talan: Is that what lets you see my memories? you opened a "pathway?"

Memnosyne: I know I shouldn't have, but you need to realize that I so rarely have visitors...





Memnosyne: Talan, no! Don't -







Emily and Lerle wake up to the sound of the scream!

Emily: That was Talan! Something's wrong!



Lerle: What have you done to him!?

Talan: So many... voices... Why do they... suffer...?

Memnosyne: I'm sorry... I didn't think he would try to follow my Memory Pathway... this has never happened before!

Emily: Memory Pathway? What did you do?

Talan: ...don't want to be in the Army anymore...

Memnosyne: I managed to break the Pathway before he received the full force of the shock, so he should come around soon... I think.

Lerle: You need to tell us what's going on, Memnosyne.

Emily: Oh, Talan... please be all right...

Talan: ...fired by themselves... the missiles...

Some time later...



Talan: Yeah... yeah, I'm all right. Just a little dazed, I guess. Kind of dizzy...

Emily: What's going on? What did you do to Talan?!



Memnosyne: They were half-starved and close to death. They had struggled in the wilderness during the years following the destruction of Surl, but had descended almost to the level of beasts. They were terribly sick, from all sorts of diseases, and many had severe cases of radiation poisoning.



Memnosyne: Somehow, the Keeper had the power to take the memories of others for his own. He had wondered all throughout the ruins of Surl, finding the survivors and absorbing their memories. Within his mind, the Keeper stored all of the memories of Surl, so that when the final survivor died, the memory of the kingdom would live on within the keeper's mind.



Memnosyne: was slower than it was for most, he did not have long to live, and Surl would die with him.



Memnosyne: He placed his fingertips on my forehead, and I collapsed. I awoke sometime later, with the Keeper dead beside me. I had become the new Keeper of Memories, and by doing so, all memory of who I was before... vanished. I lost my own history but gained that of a doomed nation. The survivors brought me, still swooning, back to this place.

Emily: But what does this have to do with -

Memnosyne: It's so lonely here - I wanted to see the things you've all seen, experience your experiences. I wanted to feel Hope.



Memnosyne: I opened a Memory Pathway to Talan's mind, but he followed me BACK, to me... And in the split second before I was able to shut down the Pathway, he glimpsed the entirety of my memory... You're lucky, Talan - if the Pathway had remained open for any longer, your body might not have recovered as quickly.

Talan: It was... overwhelming - so many voices! Each one had it's story to tell, and each story was one of despair... it was horrible. I can't remember any specifics, though. Just horrible, terrible pain and anger. I don't know how you can live with it.



Talan: ... ... ...

Emily: But what do we do now? Where should we go?

Memnosyne: I know where you should not go: the ruins of Surl are not for the faint-hearted.

Emily: We can't just go north! The Agency is probably still at... well, still on our trail...

Talan: I think we should go west. The Agency probably expects us to try and escape through Surl to the south, and if we go east, we're heading straight for Prima City and the heart of the Agency's power structure.

Memnosyne: There is a set of tunnels nearby that may get you beyond the western mountains. I'll show you the way first thing in the morning. And Talan... I'm sorry for intruding on your own memories. It was good to share my story with you all, though. I'm glad you came.