Matteo is so obviously trying to be inconspicuous, he's hard to miss.
No one wears a coat like the one he's wearing unless they're trying to hide something. The same goes for the hat, and his slouched posture. It's all so overdone that it looks fake. Nervous people don't really hurry along like that, avoiding others' eyes, do they?
...
Well, if they don't, someone had better tell Matteo, because that's exactly what the faun is doing.

Alexander is on one of his walks.

And he is not trying to be inconspicuous, because that would never work. He is too tall, too striking, has too much presence to be inconspicuous.

... and hello, that's...

"Well, well, well."

He closes his eyes to better get a taste of the magic.

Douglas.

How interesting.

"Young man."

Matteo's head jerks upwards. His eyes, now a bit wider than they were before, dart frantically around before settling on Alexander. He points to himself, after making sure there's no one else he could be referring to.
You're talking to me?

Then he recognizes Alexander as the driver of the car he was hit by, and experiences a strong urge to bolt,... but doesn't act on it. The man doesn't appear angry - maybe he just stopped him to say hello?

"Come here."

He's not angry.

Intrigued, yes. Curious, yes. Vindictive, yes, but that's not going to directly affect Matteo. Sort of.

Besides, if Douglas cast a spell on the creature, probably it would be better for him if Alexander took it off.

Right? Of course right.

"Uh - m-me? ...Okay..."

Matteo draws a few paces nearer, his hooves clicking with each step.
He gives a tentative smile. See? Friendly! Nothing wrong here, nothing at all. Nothing to be frightened of.

Alexander smiles. It isn't exactly a nice smile; it's actually rather creepy.

He murmurs a few words, waves a hand... and whatever spell Douglas cast should be dissipating about...

Now.

'Teo stares at him, bewildered.
"W-what are you d--"
Oh. Oh dear.

All the memories of his encounter with Douglas - which, until now, he hadn't known had happened - come rushing back as they're released from wherever they'd been hidden.

At first, it's like watching the event rewind, then it starts falling together like puzzle pieces. Matteo blinks rapidly, his gaze unfocused. He wraps his arms around himself as he starts to shiver, and stumbles back from Alexander until he bumps into a wall.
"Oh gods..." the faun whimpers, sinking to the ground and covering his eyes, hoping to make the images in his head go away. "...Stop it..."

"... ah. One of those."

He really should have a talk with Douglas about hs hobby. It's hardly a decent occupation for a mage, and really, can't the man find something better to do with his time?

Honestly.

"The man who hurt you is Douglas Kael, if you're wondering."

Matteo doesn't reply. He's rather lost in his own little world at the moment, and isn't paying any attention to Alexander.

"Gods... make it stop... please make him stop..." he moans, his pleas addressed to no one in particular. Then any intelligible words dissolve into soft, helpless sobbing, interspersed with odd, shrill sounds like weak screams. He's starting to draw attention, but for once, doesn't notice or care.

Ack.

Alexander murmurs another few words and makes a sharp gesture. he isn't erasing the memories. Just snapping Matteo back into the present.

He finds whimpering puddles of sad goo annoying.

"It's over, you idiot."

He remains curled up against the wall, holding his head in his hands and breathing raggedly. He's still shaking like a leaf - it's not that easy to just let go of something like that.
It is comforting to know those were only memories, but that means it actually happened, which isn't very comforting at all.

"As I said, his name is Douglas Kael, if you have any big strong friends you could send to beat him to a pulp."

Smile.

He doubts that Matteo could do it himself.

... no kidding.

"I d-d-don't care..."

It doesn't matter what the man's name is, so long as 'Teo never has to meet him again.
(Gods, again? It makes him feel ill to even think about the first time.)

"...Don't care," he repeats, shaking his head and shuddering.
Congrats, Alex, you can add another name to the list of people you've traumatized.

Hey, Douglas traumatized this one. And the first rule of dealing with trauma is admitting it happened.

So, really, Alexander did Matteo a favor.

"Ah, well, I thought you might be interested."

Newsflash, Alex. Not everyone in the world is as obsessive about revenge as you are.

"Don't care," he says again, shaking his head a bit over-enthusiastically, but not taking his hands from his face. His breathing is only just beginning to even out. He looks like he's going to be staying where he is for a little while yet.

"Why'd you do that?" Matteo quavers pitifully, his voice cracking, "I didn't n-need to see that,..I didn't need that... I'm s-sorry I ran in f-.. in front of your car b-but you didn't need to do that to me..."

"How was I to know it would be that bad?" He shrugs.

"I make it a point to undo Douglas's spells where I can, if they aren't things he is doing with me."

It's just his petty way of letting Douglas know just how much he dislikes the other mage.

"Put it b-back the way it was."

He peeks at Alexander between his fingers, his green eyes gleaming with tears.

"Please? Please change it back... I don't want to remember that..."

"Why?"

He folds his arms.

"Have you never heard that it is best to face your fears?"

... nice, Alex. Really, that's so nice. It just makes it all better, doesn't it.

Matteo doesn't answer the question. Instead:

"Please."

And he gives Alex a - well, it can't truly be described as a puppy look, because at no point in history has a puppy ever been able to put that amount of desperation and pleading into a facial expression.

"That is not an answer."

... Alex.

Just let the kid have his oblivion back again.

You're acting like Douglas.

"I don't care, justchangeitbackplease..."

Matteo bites his lip, hard, to stop it from trembling, and accidentally draws blood.

"...please?..." he implores once again, this time slightly less frantic. "...You w-wouldn't like it if it were y-you..."

Alexander gives Matteo a very long look.

"I have not had the luxury of forgetting the things I would like to forget. I see no reason to grant it to you."

There are nasty stories about the time before he made it into college and after the time he was turned into a boy.

He didn't know how to cast forgetfulness spells on himself then, and he wouldn't do that now. Now, they fuel his determination for revenge. It's not just the one thing that he's angry with Az for. It's the entire messy process.

"I'll do anything if you'll just make me forget..."

His voice comes out muffled from behind his hands. He knows he has nothing to offer, but it doesn't stop him from trying.

"I promise. Anything..."

"You have nothing I want. If you want to forget, go back to Douglas and ask him to redo his spell."

... hah, like the faun will be stupid enough to do that.

No one's that insane.

... right?

Desperation can make people do crazy things...

"Please? I can't - isn't there anything I can do...?"
Shudder.
"...Anything at all?"

"You have nothing I want, boy."

He waves a hand. Shoo.

"Now, go along. Excuse me for lifting what could have been a curse."

Hmph. Ungrateful creature.

Matteo does not 'shoo'.
He just sits there, curled in on himself and shivering almost imperceptibly.

...Yeah, he's not going to be moving for a few minutes at the very least.

Alexander throws up his hands and stalks away.

Well, that was pointless.

Stupid faun didn't know a good thing when he had it.