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Kaname was putting her hair up in the mirror when there was a knock at her door.
“Yes?” she responded as she started moving towards the door.
“Miss Kaname,” the voice came from the other side of the door; almost seeming to echo in the room - no just in her head. It stopped her in her tracks; her heart fell into her stomach. She thought she’d never hear that voice again. But there was no way--
“Miss Kaname, the Commander requested that I come retrieve you,” Ingo’s voice came from the other side of the door again. He spoke with the Hisuian dialect, but there was no mistaking that voice.
Kaname’s knees trembled; nausea swept over her, she wanted to fall over, but she straightened herself up.
“Y-yes!” she responded again, continuing her trek to the door. Was that really Ingo? He didn’t speak Japanese, and was speaking the local dialect, if it was him...he would’ve had to have been here long enough to learn it....
She took a deep breath and opened her door.
It was indeed Ingo on the other side of the door. Kaname inhaled deeply again. He stood with a slight slouch in his shoulders though he was still taller than her. His iconic hat and jacket were ripped and battered; underneath his jacket she noticed he was wearing Pearl Clan attire. The hair on his face looked like he hadn’t shaved in at least a year. But he was still, completely, unmistakably, Ingo.
What was going on...
“My dear, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” he commented, tipping his hat, “are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” she smiled, though she felt her voice quaver slightly. “And perhaps I have...” she added quietly.
She could see his eyes light up in interest for a second at her comment. It was fleeting but she had always made sure to pay attention whenever he got that look.
"The Commander asked me to tell you on my way out that he requests your presence.”
“S-sure, I’ll head right over there,” she told him.
“I must depart but I’m sure we’ll meet again, lovely lady who fell from the sky,” he tipped his hat at her. The Ingo she knew often called her lovely.
“Have a safe journey!” she habitually brought her hand up and saluted him. As he turned to leave, she saw it again for a second, the look in his eyes.
Kaname’s knees finally buckled as she eased her salute, and she fell to the ground.
“Kaname!” Tuli came running over from her post at the Gingko Guild cart. “Are you alright?” she knelt down to help poor Kaname back up.
“Y-yeah,” she answered, as she stood back up with Tuli’s help. “Tuli, do you know who that man is?”
“Hmm? That’s Warden Ingo, of the Pearl Clan.” The merchant told Kaname. “Well, they say he just showed up there one day so I suppose he’s not really of the Clan.”
Kaname pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Ingo as he was talking to the guard at the gate.
“Did he come from the rift?” Kaname asked. He had to have, right..?
“No one really knows,” Tuli explained, “he doesn’t remember anything. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again, cautiously letting go of her.
He doesn’t remember anything...
“I may need to sit down for a moment,” Kaname admitted.
Tuli lead her over to her stool in front of the Gingko Guild cart. Kaname sat, leaned forward and put her face in her hand. Ginter glanced over at her.
“You know him, don’t you?” he asked.
“Ginter,” Tuli said.
Kaname lifted her head to look at him. Ginter pulled something out of his pack next to him. It looked like a magazine; he flipped through the pages.
“This is you, isn’t it?” he asked, holding the magazine out to her. On the page he had open was indeed almost a full page photograph of Kaname, in her Battle Subway Judge uniform. She stared back at her own photo staring up at her. There was English printed on the page. She remembered this photoshoot...the final magazine hadn’t come out yet...
“And that’s that hat he wears, isn’t it?” Ginter continued. He shook the magazine at her again. The Judge hat was the same color as Ingo’s, yes.
“Where did you get that?” Kaname asked. She wasn’t quite sure what feeling she was getting, sitting here in 1800s Sinnoh having a 2020 Unova magazine photograph of herself waved in her face. Spooked, maybe. She was afraid to take it from him. Though she wasn’t supposed to be here either. Neither was Ingo...
“Why didn’t you say something to him?” Ginter asked.
“Ginter, leave her alone,” Tuli told him.
“It’s a fair question,” he insisted.
“He’s right, Tuli,” Kaname said. The threat of tears poked at her eyes. Why didn’t she say anything? Was it because he didn’t recognize her...?
“I mean, I was totally shocked first of all,” Kaname continued, “and I think...I was waiting for him to say something...”
If I was so important he’d remember me
“...which is a giant problem I have apparently...waiting for those boys to tell me something,” she noticed.
Does he....does he remember Emmet..?
Tears ran down her face and fell into her lap. A massive weight pulled her chest down; though at the same time she felt so stupid for not saying something. She should have said something...his coat and hat were so beat up and yet he was still wearing them...was he hoping someone would recognize him..?
Though...Tuli said he was a Warden, so he had something of a new life here. Who was she to disturb that? Well...both their established lives had been disturbed already. Wouldn’t it be...gentler...to let the memories come back on their own? Or were they haunting him..? Should she just let the train keep rolling on this new track..?
“Kaname?” Tuli asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder and kneeling down next to her.
“I’m sorry,” she answered quietly, wiping her face with her hands. “I’m supposed to go see the Commander,” she said, standing up, “excuse me.”
“I told you not to say anything,” Tuli told Ginter as she watched Kaname walk away towards the Galaxy Building.
“She knows what all this weird stuff is,” he told her, waving around the magazine, “you expect me not to ask questions? You know she won’t tell those Galaxy people anything, and she buys from us, not them. I’m just asking a loyal customer about potential wares.”
Tuli sighed.
“What do you think she’ll pay for this?” Ginter added, as he put the magazine back in his pack.
“I don’t think she’d pay for it,” Tuli answered.