Urbanite Lost, day 1. [internal monologue & video communication]

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Together we will build. In this setting? Reeve hasn't ever really believed in any kind of afterlife, but she guesses this might come close for her. At least at first glance. Not that she believes she's really dead. There are miles of Midgar and scores of failsafes between her office and the Sector One reactor. Though the Shinra Times is almost eerily fast and thorough, there is no word yet on the extent of the damage to the residential blocks in closest to the reactor, or how many lives have been lost. Not that she knows of, anyhow. She sighs, thinking that if she were having some sort of hallucination, she might at least be able to enjoy it. Instead, she's standing with her bare feet in the grass of wherever she is mourning an unknown number of the people of her city. Terrorists, the Times had said. She doesn't understand the destruction. Isn't there a better way? There must be.

Not a hallucination then. Not the afterlife either. What, then? She checks the front pocket of her trousers and finds her mobile. Which is about as responsive as a brick. No signal. No recognizable power or communications structures. She looks down at her feet in the grass and wiggles her toes, which seems to gain the interest of one of the cats wandering close by. She smiles. She hasn't been anywhere like this since she was much younger. They'd lived in the country then. Just the three of them, mom and dad and Reeve makes three. The phone in her hand is useless, but her grip tightens on it anyhow. Even if she could call Ruvi now, what would she say? "Hello, Mom! It's me. I have no idea where I am. Except it's a sort of garden and I saw a real fox and there doesn't seem to be a way for me to get home. At least not yet." Maybe it's just as well she can't call.

Call. She was going to make some calls, reminding herself to keep calm. Cait had been somewhere in the building and she'd thought of calling him back to the office, for moral support, but she hadn't. Apparently, there hadn't been time.

Two things there seem to be plenty of here are time and cats. So for the moment, she resolves to carry on. It's easy for her to recall the written instructions regarding the use of the vine, and the technology does look interesting to say the least. If this is a hallucination, it's an extremely elaborate one. In preparation for her debut, she redoes her ponytail and finishes doing the buttons on her dress shirt, which she leaves untucked. She folds her necktie and slips it into her back pocket. What the hell, this is probably about as casual as Friday is ever likely to get. There.]


(video)
(A woman of something below middle-age appears in view. She has a olive complexion and wears a plain white dress shirt with the collar open. Her dark hair is held back in a simple, low ponytail. At first she sounds distracted, as though she's talking to herself, which she is.)

Haha, is this thing on? Well, even if it were, I wouldn't know how it came to be on. Looks about as likely as anything else, really-- and it's not as if I'm above taking instruction from a cat, after all. All right, here goes.
Ah, for anyone who might be listening, I'm Reeve Tuesti, of Shinra. I'm not sure what I'm doing here, or how I came to be here. Or why the communications set-up seems to be cat and plant based, but yes. Here I am, at least for the moment!

(She pauses, sounding a bit more serious.)

Is anyone there?

Comments

video;

[antiplasma.livejournal.com]

Hiya, Reeve! I'm Touko, I'm here, and I found my clothing in the grass when I woke up! Did you look around properly?

Re: video;

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

Oh, hello! Well, this is embarrassing. I seem to have misspoken, since I am already dressed! As you can see, and so can I. Ha ha, I'm afraid I'm a bit disoriented, but otherwise I'm fine.

Have you been here very long, Touko? Any idea precisely where "here" is? Apart from it being a garden of some sort?

video;

[antiplasma.livejournal.com]

Oh, not really. I arrived yesterday, actually, but everyone was super-helpful when I did turn up.

As far as I can tell, here is another world. Crazy, isn't it? Oh, oh, but it gets better! We're all from other worlds. Well, most of us. A couple of people I know from back home are here, but I guess the others are technically aliens.

Re: video;

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Reeve smiles at that. She likes theories, theories are good.]

Ah, I see! I suppose if no one in this place was born here, we're all aliens. In a way. I've always wondered if there might be aliens, but the idea of being an alien is a new one. Maybe even a "better" one-- but I think I'll stick with "crazy" for now, Touko.

There are other people here from your home? Did you all come here together?

video;

[antiplasma.livejournal.com]

Hm, that's a good point! You know, I caught an alien, one time, but it didn't exactly look like you or me.

But I turned up here alone—well, I had my Pokémon, but no other people came with me. They already knew what was going on!

video

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[Shinra. Reeve Tuesti. All at once, years of conditioning, somewhat battered by weeks spent in the Gardens, click back into place.

Sephiroth would have to be ignorant indeed not to recognize the name of the man--woman, now, she corrects herself--who had designed the Mako reactors and the City of Midgar. She does not know Reeve well, but she has seen him at Shinra HQ, has probably spoken to him in passing. Such a crucial Shinra employee. Her first responsibility now is to protect this woman.

And yet--

She doesn't hesitate, but she turns to the Vine with a sense of misgiving. She remembers the hatred she'd seen in Tifa's eyes. What if this Reeve is from a world like Tifa's? She does not want to see such loathing on the face of someone she knows, however vaguely, but her misgivings will not keep her from her duty.

Her face appears in the mirror.]

Reeve Tuesti. This is Sephiroth, of SOLDIER. How can I be of assistance?

Re: video

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Sephiroth. General Sephiroth. Impossible. But if it looks like the General and talks like the General then it might just be the General. Which would be very strange seeing as the nation's hero disappeared some 5 years ago on a mission.

And now, suddenly, he's here in this place. Unbelievable.
But she wants to believe. Her shock comes across quite clearly.]

General!? General Sephiroth, is it really you? Sir?

1/2; video

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[General Sephiroth. Although she is not yet a general, her promotion already seems inevitable, and she doesn't mind hearing her suspicions confirmed.

However, she has no desire to accept a title that is not yet truly hers. She would correct Reeve, but there will be time for that later. She studies the landscape behind the woman, to determine where she is.]

Yes, I am Sephiroth. [Reeve's shock might mean anything in this setting.] I'll make my way to your location. Hold your current position until I arrive.

[The transmission ends.]

Re: 1/2; video

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

Wait--!

[She realizes her mouth is open and shuts it. General Sephiroth. Is this the place old soldiers fade away to? Not that the General was old when he vanished.

In spite of all the other things she should be thinking of, she's just glad to have seen a face she knows, and to be recognized. She twitches her ponytail back into shape. Apparently, she's decided to trust her senses. For now.

Unbelievable.]

2/2; action

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[She moves as quickly as possible, traveling with more speed than she usually does in the relatively tranquil environment of the Gardens. She is pleased to have a clear task to focus on, pleased also that Reeve, as startled as she might have been, was not angry. Did not hate her.

Reeve is easy enough to find, thanks to Sephiroth's tireless intelligence gathering. She is just where Sephiroth had expected her to be. Sephiroth comes to rest before the woman and nods a greeting.]

Hello. [She takes a moment to consider. This is an odd situation, in many ways. Reeve is most likely from a different time period, if she is calling her General, and who can say what slight differences there might be between their worlds? She decides to focus on that which she knows for now.] Unfortunately, Reeve, we have both been abducted by an unknown captor, but I will assure that no harm comes to you here.

Re: 2/2; action

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Her mouth is open again. There's a moment before any words come out of it, but it's not a very long one.]

You-- it really is you, isn't it? But I thought-- but you're alive, and you're a-- well, you're a woman, aren't you! I don't know how that happened, but it's certainly a change! Ah, you look well-- and I have no idea what to say other than it's good to see you, sir. In spite of the part about the unknown captor. And--

[She takes a step forward, realizing that she intends to shake Sephiroth's hand. Which she suddenly wants to do very badly, because that would mean that this is real.]

action

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[She considers Reeve's reaction and her words. You're alive. That sobers her at once. Then she realizes that Reeve is attempting to shake her hand, so she offers it to her.]

As I said, I am Sephiroth. [She nods again, taking little notice of Reeve's pleasantries.]

You're familiar with a male Sephiroth? [This does not surprise her. Tifa told her about her male self. She explains to Reeve.] Some of us come from alternate worlds that are very similar, but with slight differences. In my world, I have always been a woman, and you are a man.

I take it that I am also dead, in your world. [So is this Reeve from Tifa's world? Her reaction is so different, but then, she is from Shinra.]

[lovelikelight.livejournal.com]

Hello, Reeve. My name is Epsilon. It's nice to meet you. [She smiles.] It's a very interesting communications system, isn't it? We don't have anything like it where I'm from, either.

You're in the Gardens. [Epsilon sobers somewhat.] I'm afraid you've been taken away from your world. There doesn't seem to be any way to return or contact home.

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Epsilon's smile is easy to return.]
Hello, Epsilon. [She gives a brief wave.] The vine? Yes it is very interesting! In spite of the fact that I can't use it to call home.

So, you're not from around here, either. Do you have any idea how you got here? Because personally, I can't recall a single detail!

[lovelikelight.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how the Vine works. I'm more familiar with computers, myself, but once you're used to it, it's quite easy to access the Vine's data.

I was brought here suddenly, too. [Epsilon doesn't see how the details are relevant; they would be too upsetting.] One moment, I was in my world, and the next, I was here. It was disorienting. I believe the Queen has the power to instantaneously bring people here from any time or place.

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

I see. That's certainly an-- outrageous amount of power to have. To be honest this is all very difficult to beleive, but my body and mind keep telling me it's real enough, so I suppose I'll trust them until I learn differently. Your experience seems in line with mine, Epsilon. Are we the only people here?

[Oh, it's nice to talk calmly with someone close to her age. Even if the subject of the conversation is abduction. She brightens at the mention of computers.]

But yes, I'm more familiar with computers myself! I've never seen an interface like this. I'll have to spend more time examining it. Are you a scientist, by any chance? In your world?

[lovelikelight.livejournal.com]

It is a great deal of power, and I'm concerned by the fact that it was used to bring people here against their will. There are many of us, but it's hard to say how many. The residents are scattered. Some are open and easy to communicate with, but others seem to prefer to keep to themselves. I would estimate that there are between eighty and one hundred of us, all women.

[She smiles a little at the woman's enthusiasm, in spite of the serious matter they're discussing.] I'm not exactly a scientist, but I was created by one. I'm a robot.

[knowsfly.livejournal.com]

Hello there Reeve, my name is Skyla. It probably doesn't help much, but you're not alone when it comes to not knowing what you're doing here.

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

Actually Skyla, it's nice to know I'm not alone in my confusion. Have you been here very long?

[knowsfly.livejournal.com]

Well then, I'm glad I could help. No, I just found myself forced to put down here very recently myself.

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

I see! It seems I'm on my own in this part of the "garden". Are there any other people in your area, or are you alone here as well?

[knowsfly.livejournal.com]

I woke up alone, but I've since managed to locate some others. It helps when you're not confined to the ground. Speaking of which, if you need a lift, just give me a call.

[border-phantasm.livejournal.com]

Hello, and welcome.

You may want to get settled in.

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

Hello there! Yes, I'm beginning to get the idea I'm meant to get comfortable. I'm not having much luck so far.

I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name-- have you been here very long?

[border-phantasm.livejournal.com]

I am Yukari Yakumo. I've been here for several months.