Replacing What Was Lost

Erione was a little surprised that Jude had taken the cookies to another room without even looking inside the box. Maybe he didn't actually like sweets. Or he could have just been excited to get started on their experiment. Eri decided to just go with the latter. It was pretty exciting after all and he could tell they both were feeling that.

"Yeah, let me sit down here on the couch first just in case..." he agreed and then made himself comfortable as he listened to Jude. Well mostly listened anyway. The dude could get himself talking rapidly enough that it could be a little difficult to follow everything he was saying. The jist of it though was him explaining what he thought was going to happen.

"Tell you what Jude, why don't you sit down too and we can just... try it out for moment or two? I won't even try to start making anything until we see how it works," he said with a comforting tone as he patted the open seat next to him on the couch. If nothing else sitting should help calm Jude down a little bit. Erione was nervous too and having Jude acting the way he was didn't exactly help alleviate that.

Erione couldn't help but feel more nervous about the plan as he saw Jude being nervous. Fortunately he hadn't dragged it out too much longer and sat down next to Erione after being asked. Erione cringed a little at the thought of how badly it could go if Jude wasn't careful with that metal hand of his.

But of course Jude was well aware that he needed to be careful and as he touched the arm it felt just about as gentle and careful as it could be. There wasn't the sudden overwhelming mental impact of new information forcing it's way into Erione's head like he had sort of expected. Actually he started to think it wasn't going to work at all until something brushed it's way into his consciousness.

It was like a daydream but far more clear and he could make out all the details of... well a man he had never seen before. The closest thing he could compare it to was like when his consciousness drifted out to one of his shrines at night and could see who was there and what was happening. Except of course this was the opposite. Instead of his consciousness going to the other scene it was that scene coming to him. It might be difficult at first to focus on this memory and also keep track of how his sculpture was forming but he was pretty sure he could manage it.

"Yeah, this is amazing," Erione quietly started, "Calling it a clear image doesn't even do it justice." Aside from having the real person here sitting in front of him this was the absolute best reference for a sculpture he could hope for.

"I know I could just start sculpting now but we should see what happens if you break contact. See if he remains as clear in my mind." Although he didn't intend it to be that way, breaking contact would also be a test to make sure Erione was still fully in control of his own mind.

The memory image of the man at the desk had remained clearly in Erione's mind but before Jude had broken contact more and more memories had also started popping up. It wasn't too overwhelming but Erione did have some concerns about it. Namely how many memories Jude might accidentally share at once.

Then as Jude removed his hand the memories remained for a moment or two before losing definition. The original image remained clear for the longest, likely because it had been the one Jude was most focused on and had been transmitted for the most time.

"This is really cool but it looks like i'll need you to stay in contact to keep the image super clear. Like I can still remember mostly what he looks like but it's not quite the same." He could have still tried to sculpt using his own memory but he knew the sculpture would not have been as accurate that way. He was pretty sure that would really bug Jude. Sitting there staring at a sculpture that didn't match the memory he had in his head.

"Also... um... you were kinda giving me more than one image towards the end there. I don't want to pry, especially since they definitely weren't all happy, so you just focus on the image you want for the sculpture and i'll try to ignore the others," Erione said as kindly and gently as he could. He didn't want to bring up any bad memories, even if Jude seemed to have moved on, and he didn't want to discourage Jude but having too many different memories of how Jude's father looked would get distracting.

Meanwhile Erione began producing enough glass for the bust and shaping it into a very basic, rough figure in cerulean blue colored glass. It would be easiest to start with this blank figure and then adjust the glass to the exact shape when he was getting the image from Jude.

Erione could tell that Jude was embarrassed, though really there was very little to be embarrassed about. Jude was just learning how to use this ability of his and it had worked very well considering. Erione could remember the first time he used glass to transport himself. He had panicked and well... it was a good thing he healed in his shattered form.

"If it had been anyone else's memories but yours then I probably would need a couple references for the sculpture. Yours are so clear and accurate," he said cheerfully as he softy patted Jude's arm. "Though you do have a point. Maybe a second one just for another angle would be helpful." Whether he actually needed another angle or he was just saying that to make Jude feel better was irrelevant. Either way Jude would be able to feel more proud of himself and there really was no downside.

Erione finished preparing the blank version of the bust for their sculpture and had it float in the air a few feet in front of them so they could both watch as Erione shaped it. He took a moment to move some of his hair out of his face and moved one of his hair clips, which normally seemed to be arrayed randomly and without purpose, to better hold it out of the way and then looked over to Jude with a big smile. "Ok, ready when you are. You just focus as best you can and i'll let you know if we need to stop for a break. Let's make some art!"

Erione patiently waited while Jude sorted himself and prepared for the link again. He was glad that the pause was going to give Jude the chance to choose a different memory if he wanted to. The first on had been fine, but it hadn't seemed all that friendly. The memory Jude chose would be the one he would think of whenever he looked at the finished sculpture so the right choice was important.

When Jude finally put his hand on Eri's shoulder he immediately noticed that the image was different. It was less businesslike and more personal. Erione had Jude switch between the two images just a few times to make sure he was getting the sculpture just right but the image he was sculpting was the second one. The one from the restaurant. It felt like the right choice to Erione.

He had moved his hands and fingers as he shaped the glass but it was more of a habit than a necessity. The real work was all in his mind and his eyes. He had spent a significant amount of time working to get everything just right but finally the sculpture was done.

"Jude you can break contact now and have a close look at the sculpture. Tell me if anything is out of place or needs adjusting," Erione said quietly. He wasn't tired or anything, he just felt like this was sort of a bittersweet moment for Jude and wanted to be careful. Jude had lost a lot and even if he seemed to be handling it ok now Erione was pretty sure focusing on his memories of home was bound to be a little rough.

Erione held the completed bust in the air for Jude to push around and move as he wished and waited to be sure it was to his liking.