A Blank Slate

Roland could tell he had upset her somewhat, not in an angry kind of way but Arizona seemed rather distressed to say the least. He could only imagine what she was thinking now. She had woken up confused enough as it is and now everything he said was really just adding to the mix. Given what he had just told her the question she flung at him wasn't such a surprise: Who did this and how do I found them? Roland regretted to admit even to himself that a thing such as this was beyond him, even whilst having attempted to root out his own lost memories he had failed. Arizona's circumstances were better considering that there was a culprit which were most likely able to reverse the process.

Roland took a quick look around the meadow merely confirm his fears. What could there possibly be to go on from here? There was nothing in the meadow except Arizona herself, the clothes she wore and that rifle of hers. Honestly, it seemed pretty grim from where he was standing. He realised he in turn had kept her waiting as he had thought it over and spoke up, unsure how to tell her it might just be hopeless. "I...I-i don't know" While he could spare her in her already rampant confusion he wasn't comfortable with lying nor sugarcoating it for her. "I mean, where would we even start?"

As much as the redhead hated to admit it, Roland was right: she had no leads other than the rifle and clothes on her back. She would have to do some study on the gun, maybe taking it to a weapons specialist... Except, Arizona didn't know where to go to find one, maybe Clover Town had a library or smithing guild... "You're right; this could be impossible. I just... I can't give up on my past life, my past self, and whoever did this. I'll follow what clues I do have, and see where they lead." She was terrified and upset, no question, but she didn't want to make Roland comfort her any further, not when he was likely still suffering. She was stronger than that, she could shoulder her burdens, as well as everyone else's. Immediately, she started overriding the fear coursing through her, creating a false smile to coat the bruised parts of her lost soul. Her eyes brightened, heart renewed with a sense of purpose, and Arizona lifted her spirits in hopes of lifting Roland's. "What's Clover Town like? Have you been before?"

While he could tell her smile was a fake one he figured he wouldn't get any better for now. At least now she was trying to move on and make something out of this mess. It saddened him that he couldn't do more but let her bear it for now, for as much as he would like to comfort her she was better off trying to make sense of herself rather than him doing it for her. At least she seemed brighter than a moment ago, seeing her lighten up made him form a smile once more. "Never, but I hear it's a peaceful enough place, quite small" He realised her unusual gun was the best clue they've got so far. Even whilst serving the Fioeran Military he never saw anything quite like it. He doubted anyone in Clover Town could enlighten them on the subject but the train could take them to bigger and more central cities. He suddenly blushed just slightly as he realised he kept making it the two of them going places together. "At least you're not giving up" While Roland had given up on restoring his own memories a long time ago he still felt like he could help this girl.

Arizona noticed the man blush slightly and tilted her head, wondering what kind of thoughts had lead to the dusty pink hue that briefly appeared on the man's face, her own cheeks burn slightly as her imagination wandered for a bit. Pulling herself out of her imagination, she realized that Clover Town would probably be a difficult place to find answers. Then Roland complimented her ambition, and Arizona's face reddened once more. Could anyone blame her? The blond man was awfully attractive, and he certainly seemed nice. "Thank you." Arizona paused, hoping she had conveyed the sincerity and appreciation for the man that she felt. He had already done so much for her, and intended to continue to do so, as far as she could tell. "Well, what are we waiting for? Clover Town and the future awaits!" The redhead giggled, beaming at Roland. She wasnt sure how far they had to walk, but Arizona had the feeling that she could strike up better conversation with the man as they went on their way.

Roland couldn't help but notice that Arizona was seemingly blushing as well now, resulting in him blushing even more seeing how cute she looked whilst blushing, making for a blushing spiral of sorts. And then with cheeks still bright red she had suddenly thanked him. It took him a few moments to process what she was thanking him for until he realised she was referring to well... everything he supposed. He would often receive thanks in his line of work but there were those few truly hearfelt ones that really stood out, and this was definatley one of those. Somewhat embarassed now he smiled brightly at her. "Don't mention it!" With that Arizona seemed just raring to go, set on getting to town already. "I suppose the future's a good enough place to start as any" Roland gathered what little he had spread out and quickly shoved his things back into his backpack before he threw it over his shoulder and put it back on. "We're just about there anyway" Come to think of it Roland had lost the trail since he'd entered the meadow and started to turn his head for a bit only to find it just behind Arizona. "Just have to follow that trail" He pointed towards the trail just behind her to keep her in the loop of things.

Roland's smile had a brilliance of it's own, the man surprisingly warm in his interaction with the redhead. He made her feel so comfortable, which was much appreciated in her circumstances. Returning his bright smile with a wide grin of her own, Arizona reached for his arm, ignoring the fact that he was the one who knew where to go, and tugged him towards the path a little.
However bubbly outside she appeared, Arizona's mind was buzzing with questions. Who was Roland Gates before he met her? He had mentioned something about Cait Shelter being his only chance to join a guild, what was that about? Was Roland a criminal? Her instincts told her to trust him, but Arizona could tell that he didn't have the nicest past, and that could be an issue. If she was traveling with a criminal, then it could cause trouble and hinder her search for answers. "Roland, what did you do before you decided to join Cait Shelter?"

Arizona just kept surprising Roland as she had suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, tugging him along as if she was the one leading him. She seemed very cheerful now compared to just a few minutes ago and he was glad to see that she was feeling better. As they just had to follow the trail he let her pull him along for now.

Soon enough she was asking him about his past. Of course he had expected nothing less, she couldn't hope to stay with him unless she knew him well enough. Roland wanted to be honest with her but was honestly afraid how she'd react. While Roland had devoted his life to helping others there had been times he'd had to hurt others to protect others, that much was natural for the world they lived in. And in some cases people just won't see your way and brand you something you're not for the mere sake of it, regardless of whether even they believed it was the right thing to do so. "I'm a doctor actually" He realised he was cutting it short but believed it was for the best. He'd just have to sit down with her in private someday and tell her how things were, hoping she'd understand. Assuming she did he would still have to apologize afterwards for keeping her in the dark. He knew he was asking for much as it is by expecting her to trust him given how little he would tell her but hoped she'd bare it just a little longer. And so he followed the trail towards Clover Town, to Cait Shelter and another chance at things.