In the life and eye of Mr. Gale McCenry, there is one thing that one didn't need very much of. And that thing was Memory. This was probably because of several factors that have played a key role in his life, but a couple of them were prominent.
He didn't really have a schedule of any sort. Besides school, Gale never really had any reason to remember time commitments or anything of the such. He grew up as an artist his whole life, and artists generally had their own work hours, besides deciding when and for how long they were going to sit and wait for people to pay attention to them. So he wasn't entirely good with time or of planning thereof.
He also hadn't had any need to be around others for an extended period of time. He grew up as an only child, wasn't married long enough to live with his wife or have a family, and he never really had a room mate. The closest thing that Gale had to sharing a space or a place with anyone besides his mother was when Ricky took
him home with him like a stray and gave him a room. But even then, the room was declared his for that time and Ricky and Telion generally left it alone. This meant that Gale didn't really need to worry about things being out of place, or necisserily even organized. He could place things where he wanted and find it later so he didn't need to necisserily remember where things were or remember where people typically put things. Because it was all just right there where he left it and right out in the open.
Gale also didn't do a whole lot of memory induced tasks. He never needed to really memorize any bit of text, a message, a technique, or anything of the sort until he got his job as a courier, which actually has been a real work out for him. Both physically and mentally. But having been an artist and generally self employed for a good amount of time, he didn't need to remember prices (since most of what he did was just off the top of his head), who people were (since he usually would only see a person once or twice besides a select few), or anything. Quite literally, Gale didn't actually
have to remember anything at all. Except for one thing.
Where his room key was.
"
Dammit." Gale sighed. Looking down into the bag at his side, Gale saw nothing resembling anything like a key. All that was there were papers, books, a flute, and a bag of chestnuts he still hadn't managed to eat yet. But no key. Leaning forward slightly and letting his forehead hit the wood door with a soft thud.
The only reason why Gale had to remember where his room key was was because it was literally the key to his survival. His room had everything Gale ever had, made, or needed in it, including food and water, painting and drawing supplies, a bed, light, the whole shebang. If Gale was locked in his room, one could be assured he could possibly live in there for up to a dozen or so days. Maybe more depending on exactly how much food he had. But if Gale wanted to survive and not sleep on the streets starving to death, he would need to remember where his room key was.
But everyone makes mistakes. It's not like he focused on where his room key was twenty four hours a day. He sometimes forgot, but he was very good about remembering where it was. Again, it's generally the only thing Gale had to remember. Although he didn't have his key with him at this particular time, he knew exactly where it was.
On his desk inside his room.
With eye closed and only one thought piercing his mind, Gale could feel the stupidity of his actions in his being. He knew he had a horrible memory, but as usual, it managed to surprise him yet again.
On any other day, Gale would have just gone to the front desk to ask for the spare so he can just get in his room for his key. But it just so happens that Ms. Serra Danalle was out today, along with 2 of her other trusted employees. Probably from being sick, which was no surprise given the circumstance of the city at this point. The other 4 employees were either out at the moment getting something or working like bees to get things done. The Grotto was especially busy today, and Gale already asked several times if he could get the spare, but each time they simply said "One chime" and then forget he was even there.
So Gale was stuck, in short. His bad memory has caused him to be stuck. Great.
Standing in front of his door and starring at the knob, Gale spent a good 10 chimes thinking of what he should do. He didn't want to stand there waiting all day but he didn't know hot to get in since his room was on the second floor. And Breaking the door down would probably hurt him more than he would hurt it.
Hey, Gale knew he was small. He knew that very well.
Gale smirked at the memory of Ricky flinging himself over his shoulder. He was pretty much a flailing rug rather than a man to Ricky. If Ricky where here he could obviously help, but he was not.
It took another 5 chimes to make up his mind. It appeared, unless he wanted to wait several bells for the employees, he'd need to break into his own room. "
Perfect."
Kneeling down in front of the door and pulling out his eating knife, the man attempted to pull every memory he could of how to do this. He didn't know the first thing about picking locks, and he's only seen it done...once. Only once. And it was done incorrectly. So, Gale knew absolutely nothing. But it wasn't a complicated lock, at least not that he knew of. All he'd have to do was put the thingamabob into the dohickey and push the whatchamacallits aside and it'd open. Simple.
Taking the knife his his full hand, he hesitated to insert it. It didn't go very far but Gale assumed that was because the lock... thing... inside. Whatever you called it. Not know what to do next, the blonde simply moved the knife around with a false hope that it would open. It clicked and tanked inside in a vague manner, and in a manner of a few ticks, Gale knew he wasn't doing anything at all. With his lips scrunching to one side, he left hand grabbed the knob, as if to stabilize himself.
He played with it for a few more ticks, his hands slowly turning the knob subconsciously. But when his grip started to become uncomfortable, he let go of the knob, it snapping back into place. With eyes wide, Gale blinked at the knob.Grabbing the knob once more, he turned it. It turned with ease and with a soft click, the latch opened.
"
Augh!" Gale groaned, hitting his forehead on the door again.
Now that he tried to break into his own room, he remembered that he didn't even lock it in the first place. He left it open because he was just going to get something to eat from the front. He was an idiot. Pure bred.
Standing up and putting the knife away, he sighed loudly to himself before entering the dark room. The candle that was inside he had put out when leaving, so after shutting the door, he started for the candle. He quickly lite the stick with a few sparks from the flint and steel, and it caught a small flame. Several seasons ago Gale would have had to wait for it to become a full flame, or light several to keep the room decently lite. But he didn't have to now, seeing as he simply amplified the light himself until it was bright enough on it's own.
With nothing but a thought, the light grew until it lit the room well enough for Gale's approval. His room wasn't anything fancy, as one could assume. It didn't have much furniture, only containing a bed and a desk, but felt semi-full. It wasn't a big room, but with several blank and dried canvases in the corner and under his bed, and the closet full of his clothes and such, it was a well used space. It was almost always cold, but Gale didn't mind too much. But today it seemed especially so. Turning away from his desk to look into what he thought was an empty room, his eyes fell upon the spirit sitting on the floor beside his bed.
Jumping from the desk, one could say Gale jumped about 2 or 3 feet, explaining a loud curse as he did so. His blue eyes wide and fixed onto Kendhl, his heart raced, even as he realized who it was. "
Kendhl?" He certainly didn't expect her here. "
W-w-uh-Hey. Um... What are you doing?" He questioned, setting his bag down on the chair in front of the desk.
Setting aside the fact that Kendhl was a ghost now and the fact that this was her first time in his room, it was really weird to come into his room and have someone be there already. Especially when he never got a whole lot of company.
