Clearing in the Preserves, Saturday Morning

[not_every_mage]

It was likely not a good sign that the young man's first thought when he woke up damp with dew and speckled with mud was Maker, not again.

It was an even worse sign that, as he looked around the clearing in the early morning light, he realized he had absolutely no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. Solving that insoluble riddle seemed to be the first order of business. He buried his head in his hands for a moment to think, then spotted someone else crumpled on the nearby grass and went to prod the person's jacket with his boot.

"Are you awake? What is this?"

It was possibly not the gentlest wake-up call of all time. Amnesia did not breed calm.

[OOC:Establishy and preplayed with the beautiful doesnotkneel!]

Somebody	"Jus' one more minute, like," the other young man mumbled, rolling over until his cheek was planted firmly in the mud. That did also not feel particularly unusual, though he did miss a tell-tale prickling of hay poking into his cheek somehow.
Somebody else	"Fine, I'll just stand here and twiddle my thumbs while you rest," the first boy snapped. "Maybe sing a lullaby, would you like that?" He prodded the mumbler with his boot again.
Somebody	The second boy rolled over onto his back and squinted at him. "I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "Will it be a soft one?"
Somebody else	"A soft one --?" the other repeated incredulously, then laughed and sat down hard on the grass. "I don't know. If that's what you like. Why not? I'm stuck here until you get up either way. No chance I'd find my way home alone."
Somebody	The boy sat up and squinted against the sunlight. "I'd think I'd have more of a headache, for some reason," he mused thoughtfully. Then his attention turned towards the other. "Who're you, then, terribly blond person?"
Somebody else	"My head's fine too," the terribly blond person said, after he'd pulled a bit of ponytail into sight range to verify its color. "And you know you're another blond. I'm --" His name wasn't coming to him. He paused, frustrated. "You should know who I am," he finished petulantly. "I'm sure it's your fault I'm here."
Somebody	"Don't blame me," the boy returned irritably, "I'm sure you had something to do with it, even if it was just following my lead."
Somebody else	"Probably," the first agreed airily. "You don't look strong enough to have dragged me out here against my will." He scrutinized his new ... friend, or whatever he was. "Who are you, anyhow?"
Somebody	"I don't know," the boy replied, feeling oddly petulant and a bit defiant in the face of that question for reasons he didn't understand. "How about you say who first."
Somebody else	"How about if I don't want to?" his companion answered, resting back on his heels. " -- I don't remember the first thing about last night, do you?" He was holding back on the fact he didn't remember the first thing about anything. It seemed like a weak spot.
Somebody	The boy's face scrunched up in confusion and a terrifyingly fruitless attempt to remember anything. "...No," he said, after a moment. He caught the other's eye. "Reckon we're related, though. Blond and all that."
Somebody	"Brothers?" the young man asked tentatively. "All right, but your accent's nothing like mine. Unless -- maybe we were separated at birth. I expect it was quite a shock to find out, and that might explain why we can't remember." He was warming to the idea. It was better to be with a brother than to be with some stranger, after all.
Somebody	"Aye," the other boy said. He squinted up at the sky. "...Or perhaps we had a couple of drinks too many. My head hurts." That last one was a bit of a whine.
Somebody else	"Is it getting worse? You just said it wasn't too bad," his companion clucked, and glanced around the clearing. "Well, if we were drinking it wasn't here. Not unless the squirrels served our drinks."
Somebody	"I'm allowed to change my mind," the other one muttered mulishly, clambering to his feet with slight difficulty. "Brothers, then, I suppose, or cousins from very blonde mothers." He frowned. "My mind is blank about most of it," he said.
Somebody else	"Mine too," the first admitted, frowning. "In fact, it's silly, but -- I don't think I remember much. At all."
Somebody	"Must've been quite something we had to drink last night," the boy said, staggering towards him. "Think we were drownin' our sorrows?"
Somebody else	"Or celebrating," the other boy speculated, reaching out an arm in case the staggering turned into falling over. "Whatever it was, it must have been quite an event to drive us to this."
Somebody	The boy squinted, grabbing hold of the other's arm quite firmly. "Wonder what it was," he mused. "Don't think we did any fighting."
Somebody else	"Maybe we did something else," the first boy said, cutting his eyes to his companion. "There are only so many reasons people run into the woods, and you aren't half bad-looking."
Somebody	"Thank you?" the second boy ventured. After a moment, he lost the dubious look, let go of the other, shrugged, and threw him a smirk.
Somebody else	"Any time," the first said, smirking back. "... though that is a bit disgusting if we're brothers or cousins."
Somebody	The second squinted up at the sky. "It's a lovely day," he decided. "I say we stop thinking about this too hard and enjoy it."
Somebody else	"Probably you tell me that a lot," his companion groused. "I'm just saying, it would be easier to enjoy the weather if I knew the way home. I'm hungry." And hungry he would remain for a while. Getting out of the woods, especially woods as dense as Fandom's wasn't easy when one had only the foggiest idea where one was. At least his friend (Brother? Lover?) was right: The weather was pleasant.