Where's your sense of adventure?

Faye moved a few things as well - the desk was currently a hazard really - and instantly looked to the open pages of the book Fane set down. She nodded in agreement as most urban areas were ruled out as potential locations. The orchid wouldn’t thrive there. Not in a city. 

Fane continued, and it wasn’t hard to tell that he’d been doing this sort of thing for a very, very long time. The map was expertly gone over, notated, and marked. But what really got Faye’s attention were the three large, red circles, he pointed out. None of which were anywhere near Soapberry. 

She let out a slow breath, rubbing a hand thoughtfully over her mouth. The second book was one she’d seen it in Fane’s collection before, but couldn’t quite remember the title. Regardless, this was… it was nearly enough to make her cry. That in such a short amount of time, her husband had quiet possibly found the unfindable. Faye wrapped a hand around his arm, taking a moment to lean against him. “This is… unreal, Fane.” She shook her head, looking at all the research laid out in front of them. “You’re brilliant, you know that, right?” A small huff of a laugh followed. “Absolutely brilliant.” 

As for the tiny detail of location, Faye took another breath and gave his arm a squeeze. “Of course they are. This is us we’re talkin’ about.” There was a tiny hint of humor in her voice as she reached out her free hand to trace the three circles. “So… where to first? I’ve always wanted to take my vampire husband back to the Sahara.” 

Fane had plenty of experience dealing with cartography, especially the mapping of terrains and documenting the most likely position of things. He’d spent several years in Dubai and Cairo working for the British during both World Wars doing exactly that. Documenting a land he’d been living in for several decades before that time and doing his best to utilise the information to aid in the co-ordination of attacks. Some of which had been a success and others, well, they needn’t be thought on too closely.

Almost all other projects had been put on hold for this one, because this ultimately took far more precedence than any of the other jobs and issues presently in his life. This was his wife’s safety and sanity on the line, and nothing would ever come before that. So he gave her the time she needed to process, leaning steady on the desk as Faye pressed herself into him. “I told you, I’d do anything... Find anything for you.” This had nothing to do with being brilliant or amazing, he’d done it for the sole fact that he loved her too much to ever see her suffer again.

“Alright.” Faye would do what she could, but her research had reached a dead end. Fane had far more resources and contacts than she did, spread over the last four centuries, so she would let him take the lead on that end. On Faye’s end, she would continued to research the properties of the flower itself, or similar flora. They would fix this. They would. 

A week later and Faye was sitting in her office sending out one final email to the university to let them know she wouldn’t be teaching her Spring classes this year due to personal reasons. She hoped to be back in the Summer, all things going as planned. If they didn’t, well… they would just go from there, wouldn’t they. 

She looked up as Fane came in, his research efforts pushing the limits of obsession. Though Faye would’ve done the same had the situation been reversed. Faye sat up, expression brightening as he said he might have something. “Really? Where?” 

Fane made some space on Faye’s crammed desk, shifting some papers out of the way to set down his own book of research which was presently open on a global map. “Well, I’ve cross-referenced that map of ley-lines you got out of the university with recorded meteorite impact sites. It narrowed us down to some certain areas, some urbanised and likely not even worth considering -- others, a lot more remote.“

Looking to the map he reached out and tapped one area circled several times over in bold red pen then moved to two more, also circled “here in the Amazon, the summit of Annapurna and then supposedly here in the Sahara Desert.” He hefted another book onto the desk, this tome dusty and its cover rather battered from years if not decades of wear and tear. Several pages were bookmarked, “I’ve found the occasional mention of rare mythical flowers that also correspond with these three locations... Making them probably the most likely spots if this flower even does exist.”

“Yes.” The memories - so far - all took place after the blood moon from last year. “Except for one.” Faye looked at Fane, her distress plain. “I forgot Carrington. For just a moment, I couldn’t remember who he was. At all.” Faye had already tried to find a corresponding link between what she remembered happening and what had actually happened. So far she could only theorize. At least with the information she had. 

His comment did draw a small laugh from her, and she couldn’t help but move a bit closer. Because she missed him. So much. And it wasn’t his fault that she’d been distant. It was hers. And that was something she’d have to make up for now that they were on the same path again, and not walking separately. A fact for which she was absolutely grateful. 

Fane was her touchstone. Her guiding light in so many things. And Faye had no trouble admitting that. Some might see it as dependency. A weakness. But Faye saw it as a strength. They were stronger together, after all. Which was made apparent as Fane spoke again. 

“I hadn’t thought of that…” Fane did this for a living, after all. Finding things that were lost. Or supposed to exist but had never been found. No, it made perfect sense. A meteorite that fell to earth in the middle of nowhere, with no magical influence, was highly unlikely to spawn something like the orchid. At least… more unlikely than one that was influenced by magic. 

“Maybe not, but maybe there’s someone there that knows somethin’?” With a flower so rare, Fane was right. It was unlikely to still be there. If it had ever been there at all. But information could go a long way. She tucked the thought into her mind for later, more focused on what Fane was saying. 

“I’ve got one somewhere…” Faye moved back around her desk to shuffle through some papers. She eventually found a spiraled notebook that contained a small list written in her handwriting. It corresponded to most of the red pins on the atlas. “Do you have any contacts in any of these places?” she asked, handing him the notebook.

“Then why not cross reference a map of all the ley lines across each continent with what your meteorite map shows?” Fane gave a nod to the map she’d referenced not long prior. If they needed to figure out where these orchid supposedly blossomed it was the best line of reference they had and might just narrow it down some more.

“Sure, a few,” he said with another glance at the map before moving to take the notebook and have a look at it in more detail. “Leave it with me and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

“It started…” Faye sighed. “It started about a month ago. But… the memories themselves… a year or so? Nothing before Carrington showed back up in town.” That much Faye knew for certain. Which was odd. She’d seen the memory of that night already. They’d gone into Fane’s mind, pushed there by a Night Wisp.  So Faye remembered what had happened. Didn’t she? 

Fane’s summary earned him a small laugh. “Basically, yeah. Though I hope without all the death and treachery and kidnapping.” Though it would be par for the course at this point. Neither of them would be surprised. She idly watched his fingers move through his beard, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke it herself. She had the habit of using her husband as a worry stone of sorts, needing to touch him or simply be next to him to ease whatever was on her mind. She missed him lately. 

But her thoughts were drawn back to the here and now as Fane started a line of questions. “Um… not really? All I could find out is that… it grows from stardust. Or… meteorite dust. Space dust. Whatever you wanna call it. But I’d assume it won’t grow in just any meteorite site? There has to be… some sort of magic involved, right? Even latent magic? To spur the initial growth process once the meteorite hits?” Faye scrubbed a hand through her hair. “Ask about nymphs too,” she said. “Nymphs that’ve come from meteorites. Or stardust. Anything that could possibly be related.” 

Because Fane was right. As rare and magical as this orchid was supposed to be, someone had to know about them. Someone, or something. “I marked the sites I could find that matched the description in the book.” Faye pointed to his atlas. “Age of the meteorite impact, location, etc. There aren’t many.” Maybe a dozen red pins marked the map. “Only one is in the US.” 

The recurrent mentions of the necromancer caused Fane to frown as he looked aside at Faye, leaning his hips back onto one of the many surfaces he folded his arms loosely. “So everything before then is intact?” He worried his lip in thought, was there any link to the things that had happened that night? But then why had it taken this long to come about?

“And the murderous witches.” There was humour in his tone despite the grim implications of the story he’d mentioned, though he couldn’t entirely help how the similarities struck him between both their situation and the fictional ones in said story. His fingers rested idly against his neck, rubbing in thought as he dwelt on the issue issue at hand. There were other things that had come as a consequence of Faye’s pet project, a degree of disconnect between the both of them emotionally and physically that had taken its toll. But there were more pressing matters than those.

“So maybe cross reference meteorite impacts and ley line occurrences? If you hit a cross-sectional ley junction with a burning ball of space rock you’re bound to end up with something pretty hefty.” Maybe even a flower that could cure all things.

“They’re going in reverse order. Always in reverse.” She pointed at the small list she’d begun to make on the page Fane had turned to. “And in sets of three memories within a span of about 48 hours. It um… it doesn’t happen everyday. Sometimes only once or twice a week. But when it does, I know there’ll be three of them before that cycle is done.” 

She nodded that scratching out anything to do with her physical health was a plus. And honestly, other than a bit more tired than usual at times, Faye felt fine. As for the orchid itself, she didn’t know much. Only what she’d read. She was going to see Iann at some point, to see if he knew anything else. “It’s an orchid that grows in stardust. Or… something of the sort. Think along the lines of… a meteorite impact site. From what I can gather, this orchid can supposedly heal almost any type of magical ailment. The theory is based on the idea that we’re all made of stardust… and to dust we’ll all return. Add in a bit of magic and a whole lotta luck… plus some damn good timing and… potion making skills I’m not sure I even have… and well-” She gestured at the book. “- you’ve got yourself an elixir that’ll fix whatever’s wrong with my memories.” 

It was a long shot, especially since right now it was just a working theory. “I’ve found a few meteorite impact sites that might pan out into something.” She pointed to the atlas open on the dais. “You don’t happen to know anyone who might know anything, do you?” she asked him as she tried rubbing the stiffness from her neck. 

“Going back how long?” he asked as he scanned through the books his index finger gently dragging down the page as he read the list noted within its contents. Not that this really gave him much of anything, but perhaps they could try and pinpoint where they seemed to begin and end? It was a long shot but perhaps it would do... something.

The elaboration regarding the orchid and where it grew caused him to hum thoughtfully, but his brain unhelpfully provided a single thought when he heard meteorite and stardust in the same sentence together. “So basically we’re re-enacting that Take That stardust film, but instead of a stone for an engagement ring and finding some haphazardly dazed woman in a crater who is said star... We’re looking for a flower to well... stop you being that haphazardly confused woman?” Perhaps not the most helpful summary, but it fitted in his mind as the best analogy of what Faye was suggesting they do.

‘Well, I mean most of my things aren’t really sentimental to me. I salvaged things from the battlefield with the hope to give them back to the families they belong to.’ Collette hesitated a moment, ashamed that she’d been too distracted in the past. ‘But I never managed-’ She caught herself when she realised what Mr Savin had said. Did he really not think she owed them something? She’d ruined his reputation at the very least. 

‘Some of those stuffy old scholars can end careers,’ she said, a little quieter. ‘It’s not fair of me to ruin your’s.’ 

Her eyes brightened when Fane asked to see her collection anyway. ‘Bring a camera. You can document it, if you like. Even if you don’t want any of the real thing.’ 

“It’s still a part of your history, whether it’s yours or not it’s hardly something I’d ever claim to have ownership of.” Still, there was a small idea that brewed in his mind at the idea of returning some of the objects. “What if I could help you track the records of who those items do belong to? It might not be the true owners but most are bound to have descendents. I could probably do some digging and see if I could find any records following the battle.” 

“Some of them can,” he agreed but ultimately he tipped a shoulder and smiled good-naturedly. “But I’d point out it’s hardly your fault for any decision I ultimately ended up making. Plus, I think it’s high time I found something else to pass my days. I’m almost as old as some of those fossils I study anyhow.” 

Faye could make the excuse that she’d simply lost track of how much time had passed. Which was partly true. As was the fact that she’d thought it would be something that passed on it’s own, not something that was going to get worse. But there was no room for excuses. Not now. Not when Faye was so clearly ill at ease, and not when Fane was clearly so upset and worried, both for his wife and for not being told sooner. 

It had been a mistake to keep things from him, Faye knew in hindsight. But she wasn’t immune to mistakes. Neither of them were. Working through them was what mattered. Working through them and learning from them. So when Fane wrapped his arms around her, Faye wrapped her around him just as tightly. Even when she faltered, he was there. Even when she did something that hurt him, he was there. Just as she was for him. 

“I don’t know...” Faye sniffed wetly. “But every memory is either related to you or him in some way.” Faye didn’t know what the true connection was yet, but there had to be one. A root memory that all the other memories sprang from. The problem with that was that there were things Faye didn’t know. Things she hadn’t been told. A missing memory from a night when for the briefest of moments, Faye’s spark had gone out. It had been rekindled, but at a cost that was only now taking affect. 

But that was still a great unknown. 

She wiped her eyes as Fane stepped towards the journal Miguel had helped her start to create. Clearing her throat, she tried to shake some of the fog from her head and put her thoughts in some sort of order. Stepping towards her husband, she put a hand on his back to let him know she’d heard his acknowledgement of her fear, and that she would try her best to be straightforwards from now on. 

“It’s not… physiological.” She tapped the medical texts. “Miguel made sure I had a CT-scan and an MRI. There’s nothin’ wrong with my head. Despite how many times I’ve nearly gotten my skull cracked.” Faye pushed the mostly useless books aside. The journal Fane was looking through started about two weeks prior, and contained a list of times, dates, and the associated memory, all neatly written by the magic of the journal. “The only other thing I’ve found that might be useful in fixing things is this.” She pointed to another book on rare magical flora and fauna. 

“Have you ever heard of a Black Star Orchid?” 

“Strange,” he sounded a frown downturning his features into a worried look of concern. Because he didn’t understand why or how this would have come to pass. There being aspects to some events that he didn’t know himself. Such as Faye’s meeting with Persephone during that horrible time last year, a time he’d much much rather forget than ever dwell on again. 

He lightly brushed his fingers over the binding of the journal, cautiously pulling the cover open to inspect the contents curiously. Feeling the brush of her her hand he glanced back at her waiting for some clarification on what it was she’d been working on. And anything that he might be able to help with.

“Well... That’s good isn’t it?” Fane said to it not being physiological, it meant that it was something else, something that had to have some sort of fix or something of the sort. There was always something to counter leeching magic, or there almost always was. 

Though both stubborn in their own way, it wasn’t often that Faye butted heads with her husband. It was even more rare that they outright argued. But even less common than that was Faye keeping things from Fane. Or vice versa. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d not been fully open about something. But she also couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this scared, other than when she’d lost her magic that first time. But Fane hadn’t been around for that, had he? Or so a bitter, irrational little voice inside Faye’s head whispered. She shut it down, because that wasn’t fair to him. 

And neither was this. Because Fane was right: it was his decision. And Faye had been making them for him for nearly a month now. Even though she knew better than anyone how he felt about having his choices taken away. And Fane knew that too. So it was well past time for her to stop. She never should have begun in the first place. Even if Faye was telling the truth when she said it had never been her intention to keep anything from him. Things had simply… spiraled. Not an excuse, of course, but a reason nonetheless. 

So Faye confessed. She confessed, and then waited on him to process it. Like Faye, Fane’s posture initially grew more tense, and Faye recognized the signs of how conflicted he must feel. She knew he was angry with her, and didn’t blame him. If the situation had been reversed… gods, but she would’ve been livid. But then he was stepping towards her and wrapping her up and Faye virtually sagged in relief that he was here and he was holding her again and she never wanted it to end. A choked sob found it’s way past the tightness in her throat, and Faye let herself cry for a moment, her arms wrapped tight around her husband’s waist. 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” she murmured. Eventually, she regained control of herself, but didn’t pull away from Fane’s hold. She’d been distant recently - which was very unlike her, and no fault of Fane’s - and didn’t want to let him go just yet. So she told him everything that had been happening, starting from when she’d first started noticing things about a month prior. She forced herself to tell him everything, about what she’d been briefly forgetting, about the patterns she’d potentially found (how the gaps in her memory seemed to be moving in reverse chronological order, and seemed to involve Fane and Carrington in particular), how she’d been researching human disorders along with magical ones, and how she felt that she was running in circles. 

“It’s all short-term memory at the moment. And it always comes back. I’ve been… Miguel helped me make a journal… for recording the things I know I’ve… blipped out on… so to speak.” Faye tipped her chin to a particular grimoire that sat by itself on her desk. “I just… I know it’s somethin’ with my magic. A price for… all the times it’s been snatched back and forth. I just…” Faye sighed, the breath that came with it trembling audibly. “I’m scared, Fane.” 

It would take some time for him to truly work through the details, that this had been going on for over a month. That she hadn’t thought of sharing this for over a month. That in itself was rather disconcerting, of course, he had noticed something was up but this? The thought alone had him tightening his hands and releasing them fractionally.

But ultimately, that didn’t matter, because at the end of the day Faye was suffering. Had been suffering alone. Whether deliberately by choice or not she had been, and that was on him. Which meant either stepping up to the plate and helping as much as he could or trying to figure out an alternative route. So, he did the only thing that seemed right in a moment like that. Wrapping his arms around her tight and pulling her in until he felt her own arms lock around him and he felt the first tumultuous sob escape her. 

“Don’t be, don’t be...” he hushed her apologies softly from where his mouth was pressed against the wild curl of her hair. And when she began there was no stopping the torrent of information that came from her regarding the recent episodes of memory loss. Though her mention of Carrington and himself did earn a slight frown, “us? Why us?” Not a question he expected Faye to answer, or one he could understand a link for any apparent reason. 

Faye started to arrange the fallen papers, but her hand stilled as Fane told her to leave them. She watched as he cycled through some of the books on her desk, naming off the slightly eclectic mix of subjects. “Personal research,” she told him, though she doubted it made the situation any better. It might’ve even made it worse. Faye’s tightened her crossed arms, looking down at the floor, for once unable to meet Fane’s gaze. 

“I know. I know exactly who you are. How could I ever-” But the words cut off right there. Because she had forgotten. Two days go. For over an hour, Faye had forgotten her husband, her marriage. And that scared the hell out of her. “I know that the moment I say anything you’ll drop everything to help me. No matter what.” She looked up, her face flushed as if she was trying not to cry. And she was, a little bit. 

Eventually, Faye spoke, though the words had to be forced past the tightness in her throat. “I never intended for it to go this far. I thought-” She swallowed, frowning slightly. “I thought it would just… pass on it’s own. So why worry anybody needlessly, right? Then there’s the fact that you’re still getting over what happened with Lucien, and…” Her hands squeezed her arms as she hugged herself. “The truth is… I-” Faye hesitated, wondering where in the hell to start. 

Perhaps it was best just to say it as simply  as possibly, and go from there. So Faye took a breath. “I’m… forgetting. And I don’t know why…”  

Some things could be helped, others not so much. “No, no” he said firmly giving her a stern look “no you don’t with this whole... personal research... No more vagueries regardless of whether you’re doing it intentionally or not. I’ve had it Faye, you tell me what’s going on right now.”

The way she cut herself off was more telling than anything else that happened in the space of those moments, confusion coloured his expression as he tried to understand what it was she meant. “Yes, of course I bloody will because you’re my wife and even if I do that’s my decision to make.” And if there was one thing Fane took quite seriously it was making his own decisions. So this was... it was worrying, combined with the static tension in her posture and avoidance of her gaze it all amounted into telling him something was very, very wrong.