Nephyr was completely lost.
Not having Patches around to guide him appeared to be more detrimental than he had once thought. Every step he made felt like he was walking further and further away from his destination, all until he finally decided to cut his losses.
With a quick pout, he slumped his way underneath the overhang of what appeared to be a form of restaurant, leaning against a wooden pole just outside its entrance. As the wafting smell found its way into his nose, he could feel his stomach growl in gluttonous expectation.
He shook off the thought, however.
In fact, he felt as though a moment alone would be exactly what he needs. After an entire morning with the family and walking around town, he has gathered more information than he ever thought he would.
He knew, just with a few passing glances at the town he walked in, that this wasn't his home. He doesn't need the memories of his life prior to understand that. After all, when somewhere completely foreign to even the memories you've forgotten, it still feels wrong. The taste of home is something that can never be forgotten.
The more he saw of this town, these people, and this world in general, it all struck out as odd. Unnatural.
He placed his head up against the back of the pole, peering up towards the endless sky above him. He counted every slight cloud, every subtle miscoloration from plumes of white, taking in the air and the scent of wind that reminded him of nothing yet everything at the same time.
Feeling the cold of the breeze, he let out a quick shiver before deciding to continue moving.
He may not have known where he was going, but he was set on learning.
* * *
Walking down the streets, he focused less on reaching his destination, but rather learning the layout of the town.
The location of every shop, every restaurant, every smithy, every home, every building he could bother laying his eyes on. He memorized the streets he walked past, the occasional landmarks he could use to guide himself, and the occasional scenic anomalies to take note of.
By pure chance, simply by walking and observing, he managed to find exactly what he needed.
Patches had only assisted Nephyr with three of the seven errands tied to him, that of course being roeland dust, redfin aloe, and willowtree cloth.
Reading down the list, he noted the other four being quite... random; One vial of hangslime, two slabs of cervine meat, a bundle of wooden utensils, and one small wicker basket.
Only a few moments prior, Nephyr naturally had no clue where to get any of these items, let alone whatever the 'hangslime' was. It was pure luck and chance that he managed to stumble across a rather bustling market area.
Simply by asking the right questions and talking to the right people, he managed to get everything he needed under Elior's expense.
It wasn't even difficult to carry thanks to the wicker basket, which he held nice and low to his waist as he walked.
after having completed the list, all he really needed to do was find out how to get back to the tavern. Until then, he just took in the pleasant scenery.
He let all his worries wash away.
And yet, in that peaceful state, his mind was clouded with unwanted theories and crafted fiction.
He tried desperately to empty his head, but it was all near impossible. Now, no longer being at the mercy of a distraction to take his mind away from the inevitable, he could feel his mind begin to split in two.
The false memories he's now lived, or his forgotten past screaming to be remembered.
Fortunately enough, it didn't take long for him to get the distraction he so desperately wanted.