[A ripple rolls through the Gardens.

Warmth. Love. Togetherness. It spreads out from the ruins like a shockwave and passes through each and every person in its path in a flash.

Faint, unsteady snippets of song drift through the air, carried by some force other than the Vine, the voice behind them barely identifiable as the Queen's.]

Clusters of crocus...purple and gold...

Blankets of pansies...out from the cold...

Lilies and iris...safe from the chill...

Safe in my garden...snowdrops so still...

[Distant, choked laughter ends the song. For a few minutes after that, nothing happens.

Then a mirror slowly unfurls from the Vine to reveal the Queen herself, dirty, her hair tangled, her clothing frayed and tattered. But she's smiling.]

You came for me! So many of you came for me. I'm so happy. Do you understand, my darlings? It was so dark in there, and I was...

...alone.

[She stares at the ground for a few moments.]

I said I would send you all home, didn't I? I even...I did send some of you home, when you came to find me. Because I promised.

But if I sent everybody who wanted to go back to their homes, then...there would be so few of you left. I'd be alone again. I can't. I can't be alone again.

[She claps her hands and beams.]

So, you're all staying! And I'm bringing back the ones I sent home. But I'm going to make this the best world. You'll love it here. And I'll make my incarnae who threw me in that place do nice things for you to make up for it! I'm going to go punish them now!

[She whirls away, and the display dissolves.]

[OOC: Tag this post at your leisure; replies will start rolling in during the morning/afternoon and continue as necessary! EDIT: Replies are incoming!]

[The face of the woman that appears in the vine looks, for the most part, slightly confused, one hand on her gut.]

I… was not quite expecting to wake up again. [Her gaze moves around, investigating her surroundings before she looks back into the mirror, the look of confusion wiped from her face. She looks more serious now]

My name is Jean. Are there any others from the Organization here?

[Dot is sitting in the grass at the edge of one of the little ponds, legs crossed at the ankle, knees bent up close to her chest. Her hair is a mess and she is methodically ripping up the grass.

Her expression is already dark and she turns to sneer at the vine as it slithers towards her.]

Well, hello to all our very fucking special little snowflakes. Fuckin' pity you all made it out of the labyrinth with your lungs unpunctured.

[She pulls up another handful of grass, looking away from the mirror to rest her chin on her knee, grumbling,]

Didn't want to go back anyway.





[[ooc; action is invited. check out her permissions if you do.]]

[The video feed shows what would appear to be a woman in her late twenties. However, she is definitely not female considering her fox ears and nine tails.]

Mistress Yukari? I assume this is yet another one of your pranks? As much as I am willing to oblige your desires, I really should be getting back to the border. I was fairly certain I was close to figuring out where some of the youkai had been slipping through.