"It's not really one or the other," Effy remarks quietly, gently pushing her hair away from her face, hooking it over an ear. "But I would rather remember everything that nothing at all. It's tempting to think that erasing the memories prevents hurt — you can't miss what you don't know. But not remembering is..."

She closes her eyes, thinking back to that brief period of peace, when she'd been able to walk the streets of Bristol without thought or hesitation. When she made time to observe how beautiful the parks were, with the water flowing under the bridges, people milling through streets and glancing around corners. Being a blank slate had made her more observant, but at the cost of losing Effy.

"...like a loss of self," she determines, swinging her feet gently through the air, feeling its coolness against her skin. "I guess there were two Effys for a while. One in London, one who didn't remember anything from here and had only those experiences to drive her. But I like the one here more. Not to mention that there's something nice about a place with as many surprises as this one. I like a bit of risk."

She leans against the tree, gaze tracing along the contour of Hild's face.

"Mind if I ask what your world was like?"