6th Inversion [Vine - Text/Accidental Video]

[ritsu_kouyou]

[The Vine unfurls to show the following letter:



A minute or so after the letter is sent, the mirror opens to show Akiha's bedroom. The fireplace is roaring and Akiha is sitting on the floor before it. Her knees are pulled up and she has her face buried in her arms, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. If one looks closely, her shoulder's shake every now and then.

Clearly, she's oblivious to the mirror's activation, but the Vine and Akiha never did get along...]


[Sent privately to Gal]

Comments

[drinkswithminors]

...

That's rough, buddy.

[ritsu_kouyou]

[Akiha glances up to see the mirror. Fucking Vine. She then looks away.]

Are you mocking me?

[drinkswithminors]

I'm a lawyer. I'm not allowed to mock anyone.

[action] if that's okay

[cobbledtogether]

[Not long after Akiha makes her apology over the Vine, there's a knock at her door. On the other side, Lambda patiently waits for Akiha to acknowledge her.]

[action] perfectly fine!

[ritsu_kouyou]

[There's a long moment before Akiha responds as she debated whether to ignore it or not.]

Who is it?

[Her voice is muffled as she hasn't bothered to look up, leaving her face in her arms.]

[cobbledtogether]

Lambda.

[The reply is also somewhat muffled, but that's because Lambda isn't sure how loudly she has to speak to be heard through the door.]

video;

[jemerite]

[Zinc reads this quietly and... considers for a little while before she asks the vine to give her a mirror.]

Hello, Tohno. Are you all right?

video;

[ritsu_kouyou]

[It's odd to hear someone actually use her family name. Everyone in this damn garden was so set on being familiar with everyone enough to use her given name whether they understood the significance or not.

She looks up, the firelight betraying the few tears on her cheeks.]

As well as I can be.

video;

[jemerite]

[It honestly hasn't occurred to Zinc that some of the women here give their name in a different order, whatever name is first is the one she picks up, although sometimes it is difficult for her. Her current disease and the manner of her death have stunted her thinking somewhat, and when she speaks it is slow and deliberate.]

I see. You... lost control?

video

[grandtheftmecha]

HEY! AKIHA!

[ She doesn't seem to notice how out-of-sorts Akiha seems to be. ]

video

[ritsu_kouyou]

[There was one voice she didn't want to hear right away... but she knew it was inevitably going to happen. And yet, she still flinched as Katina yelled, but she doesn't look up.]

What?

[ported]

[MUCH MUCH LATER Kris wakes up and searchs out Akiha! Where will she be, I wonder.]

[ritsu_kouyou]

[Possibly beaten up by Katina! But for now we'll say she's huddled under her blankets on the couch in her bedroom by the fireplace.

...with the window wide open.]

[video]

[tookupthesword]

[So all that commotion was over this one person, who is now in a rather pitiable state. The letter talks of things that sound a bit familiar to Sayaka, yet she shows no warmth. Even seeing Akiha in her current state brings nothing.]

... A letter? Are you really sorry, if all you can muster is that?

[video]

[ritsu_kouyou]

To the Garden as a whole? Yes. To those I specifically wronged? No.

You are not among those. If they wish an apology in person, I will provide one.

[There's a long pause.]


...the letter says more than I've ever been able to voice. If I was not sorry, I wouldn't have said anything, pretending nothing had happened in the first place. That's a much easier and more ingrained response for me.

[of_the_highest_caliber]

[ Wow, someone has certainly missed some things. Between the incident with Mach Caliber, apologizing to those she could catch up with, and getting herself back up to full strength, she didn't even notice anything was wrong.

Here comes the guilt. ] Akiha...? [ There's a small, concerned frown on her face, but she tries not to let it be too obvious that she's lost on all this. ] I saw the letter. Are you...

[ No, that was a stupid question. ] If you want someone to talk with, I'd be glad to listen.

[ritsu_kouyou]

I don't.

...but thank you for the offer anyways.

[text]

[hopelessdreamer]

[a written reply comes a few hours later.]

I need some more time to think.


-G

[text]

[ritsu_kouyou]

Please, take all the time you need.

Tohno

[a_good_daughter]

[Normally, Kadaj finds the vine boring to the point of idiocy, but this transmission has interest. She is aware of events referred to, having witnessed them in part-- and not without amusement. She appears in frame, alien eyes close to the screen, smiling slightly.]

By the laws of this place, you should be screaming out your pitiful apologies inside the Labyrinth with no one to hear or pity you.

It's strange you aren't there now-- could it be the Queen has lost her power? Or no-- perhaps you're favored by the Queen. Tell me, little animal, are you her pet?

[ritsu_kouyou]

I'm no one's pet, but I also had no intent to kill. Perhaps the Queen is more forgiving when she is partially responsible for the situation to begin with.

Or perhaps it's the fact that I regret my actions. Can you claim to have regretted yours?

video;

[histrionic]

[Kuja considers the letter carefully before replying.]

As a fellow resident, I accept your apology.

Yet apologies of ink and paper cannot compare to action. They undo nothing, and they do nothing.

What will you do, now?

video;

[ritsu_kouyou]

Wait for those who I directly wronged to either accept or demand more. They're the ones that really matter in the end.

[fionna_time]

...

Will this happen again?

[ritsu_kouyou]

Not if I have any say in the matter.