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[hopelessdreamer]

[this entire thing screams of the kind of prank the Emperor would pull, and she managed to find her clothes and sword, so she's not as worried as she could be. Still, the tall young woman keeps a careful hand near her belt as she crouches down to greet the cat that approaches her, not noticing the mirror at first.]

Where did you come from? One of His Majesty's...?

[she unrolls the scroll with gloved hands, frowning at it.]

Queen of--there aren't any Queens, so what--

[a metallic clanking sound interrupts her, and she turns, instantly on guard. She relaxes, however, when the source of the noise comes into view. The metal dog waves its tail creakily and sits down on its haunches, one of the few stray robots left over from Antikythera's unintentional invasion.]

[The woman's expression changes from suspicion to fascination in a matter of seconds, the scroll forgotten. The cat regards her with an offended flick of its ears and wanders off.]

Look at you. You are gorgeous. Could use some oil on those joints, and a good polish, but...what kind of motor are you running on? It must be tiny, and everything's fit together with such precision--

[she crouches by the automaton, reaching out to lift a paw, pat its head, tilting her own to study it from different angles. So much for being concerned about getting kidnapped.]

Comments

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

[Aigis approaches, noticing the new person. She is wearing her normal outfit, with her mechanical joints exposed. She looks from the new girl to the mechanical dog, looking confused but excited.]

Hello.

[hopelessdreamer]

[she really should be on guard around strangers, but what Gal sees when she looks up throws all caution to the winds.]

You're--...wait, you're...you're talking.

[she stands, practically radiating excitement.]

That's amazing! Can you understand what I'm saying?

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

Yes. I am fully capable of understanding and reproducing speech. I can understand you. [Aigis is a little confused, but doesn't think much of Gal's reactions. Most people don't know about machines that look like humans, after all.]

[hopelessdreamer]

Incredible...a fon machine that looks and talks like a human. I had no idea anyone could make something this advanced!

Ahh, but I guess that's a little rude, isn't it? If you can talk to me. [she holds out a hand in greeting.] You don't happen to belong to his Majesty, do you? I don't remember any place like this near the capital...

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

I do not know what a "fon machine" is, but I am a machine. I was made to look and act like a human so I could use a Persona.

[Aigis nods, taking her hand, and, after a moment, shaking it.] I do not belong to anyone, anymore. [Except maybe Minako, but that's a different sort of "belonging."] And the only monarch I know of is this 'Queen of Hearts' that brought us here.

[hopelessdreamer]

You can call me Gal. Gal Cecil. Do you have a name?

[she's got plenty of questions, but she's trying not to be overbearing. As it is, she can hardly contain her excitement.]

So you were made to imitate a human...what's a Persona? And "brought us" ...so you're not from here originally?

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[Taking a temporary break from guard duty, Sephiroth is walking through the Gardens, followed by her own robot companion: a spiderlike construct the size of a large dog. She pauses as she catches sight of Gal.]

They are fascinating, aren't they? No one knows who made them. They have sentience, of a sort, and it's difficult to say what powers them.

[hopelessdreamer]

[more robots. It's like a dream come true--well, her dreams don't usually involve only women, but close enough.]

[finally in the presence of another person, Gal is wary but not openly hostile. She needs to figure the situation out first. So for the time being, she's content with some small talk, in hopes it might get her some answers.]

I figured they were some sort of Dawn Age technology, but so little of it still works--I can't believe anything this intricate was able to survive. Unless they're reconstructions? But as far as I know, not many blueprints have been uncovered.

[still crouching, she rests an elbow on her knee, looking up. And up. This woman must be taller than Jade.]

So where did they come from?

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[Sephiroth is indeed very tall, and obviously armed, but she doesn't seem to be on her guard or have the least intention of drawing her large weapon, her posture relaxed as she regards the other woman.]

As a matter of fact, they have their own society, a city on an island that lies beneath the earth. It is quite unusual. Other than that, little is known about their origins.

[The woman's words tell her something, and she relates the necessary news, calm and straightforward.] Have you only recently arrived? I'm afraid I must inform you that you are no longer in your own world. That is why you find the technology so unfamiliar.

[hopelessdreamer]

[Gal notes the armed part and keeps her hands in sight, away from her own sword, so as not to make any movements that might be perceived as hostile.]

Beneath the earth....the Qliphoth? [all of this does make sense to her, but nothing quite fits together. She raises both eyebrows at the last statement. It seemed like there must have been others before here with the same questions.]

Recently arrived? Well, I did just wake up here. I'm not too keen on the idea of someone undressing me in my sleep. [there is a faint bit of humor in her eyes and the quirk of her lips, despite being out of her element.] And last time I checked, travel to other worlds was impossible. Even in Yulia's time, they couldn't achieve it.

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

I'm not familiar with that name. The robots' home is known as the Island of Antikythera. [The spiderlike robot is carrying a few odd-colored apples, partly purplish and partly white, and as Sephiroth talks, it hands one of the fruits to Gal in what might be a friendly gesture.]

It may not be possible yet in your world, and it is not possible in mine, but somehow, it has happened. You've been abducted from your home and brought here by an entity known as the Queen of Hearts. This place is known as the Gardens.

I'm not sure why our clothing is removed. That remains a mystery. [She smiles faintly, in sympathy.] I can't say I'm fond of the idea either.

[prominence-fire.livejournal.com]

[The polite thing to do when spotting a new person on the Vine is probably to contact them. Say hello. Help them out.

Axel instead votes for the method of using a corridor of Darkness to appear right behind the poor blonde woman without warning.]

You're taking this surprisingly well.

[hopelessdreamer]

[she is not used to being snuck up on, but it's a little hard to hear footsteps when there aren't any. Her hand goes to the hilt of her sword instantly as she turns toward the voice, still half-crouched. The metal dog doesn't seem to notice anything wrong at all.]

"This" being...? I'd appreciate an explanation.

[red hair, green eyes....strange. This woman couldn't possibly be a Fabre, but those were very defining traits...]

[prominence-fire.livejournal.com]

_{[If the sight of the weapon almost being readied at her bothers Axel, it doesn't show. She just continues to smile in a relaxed way.]}

Waking up in a strange new place, with robot dogs and intelligent cats. You seem to be taking this all in stride, really.

[hopelessdreamer]

Honestly, I'm pretty sure this is either some elaborate prank, or I'm still dreaming. Either works.

[prominence-fire.livejournal.com]

_{[Axel just reaches over and flicks her nose.]}

Well, a dream this is not, but I suppose you could call it a prank. It's not like anyone else knows what's going on with the Queen's head, from what I can tell.

[videro]

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

There's more of them under the Gardens. Uh, which is what this place is called.

[videro]

[hopelessdreamer]

[woah okay disembodied voice. She jumps a little, looking around, and spots--]

A...mirror?

[a mirror with a face in it. A young girl's face that looks...unlike any young girl she's ever seen, really. Sorry, Jessica, you're going to get a familiar-looking stare.]

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

...yeah. Um, this is how we communicate. It's sort of like a videophone, only with magic. You can do sound only or text if you want to.

[What stare there is absolutely nothing to stare at so therefore there is no staring going on. Jessica: Powers to bend reality!]

Uh, I'm Jessica Boyette, by the way.

[hopelessdreamer]

Wait, communicate? [she hopes the dog won't leave while she investigates, she wants to examine it more...but she'll tear herself away to crouch in front of the mirror.]

So you're saying you're--another person, somewhere else. [long-distance communication...she's impressed. They haven't managed that yet where she's from. She taps the mirror curiously, finding it solid. She wants to ask about this girl's strange coloration, too, but she's too polite for that, so she'll stick to discussion of plant-based communication for now.] Magic? That's the same thing as fonons, really, so I don't see what the difference is...it doesn't look like any kind of machine at all, though. How does this vine carry your voice and image?

Sorry, Jessica--you can call me Gal. Gal Cecil. [she sees no point in giving her full, real name unless it's absolutely necessary, and rank means nothing in the middle of the wilderness. Besides, this is the name she's gone by for years now.] As you can see, I'm...a little out of my element here. What exactly is going on?

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

In the fortress right now, yeah. It's near the center of the area.

...fonons? I've never heard that before. It's a magic plant. You'll find out pretty quickly that that's the best answer you're gonna get here. It's a pain in the butt.

Gal, huh? Good to meet you. Sort of.

We're... not totally sure what's going on. The basic gist is, we've all been kidnapped from different worlds and thrown together in this ridiculous place and we're supposed to fall in love and hook up with people. And it's only girls here. I'll give you a minute to get over how totally ridiculous the whole thing is.

[action]

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Reeve manages to see quite a lot on her daily walks-- and here's another tall blonde with a sword. Not quite as tall or as terrifically "blonde" as Reeve's-- roommate, but still.
Though maybe she ought to be, Reeve isn't shy, and she does like to meet fellow appreciators of robotics.]

Amazing, aren't they? I haven't been able to find a power source, but the mechanisms themselves are lovely.
[Realizing she hasn't introduced herself, Reeve chuckles.]
I'm Reeve. Reeve Tuesti. I don't believe we've met.

[action]

[hopelessdreamer]

I was looking for one, but it wouldn't really be fair to take such a lovely thing apart--

[halfway through her sentence, Gal realizes she's actually speaking to another person, and looks up a bit sheepishly. She gets to her feet and holds out a hand.]

Neither do I. It's Gal Cecil. For what it's worth...nice to meet you. I'm afraid I have no idea what's going on, though.

Re: [action]

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Having completed the handshake successfully, Reeve crouches beside the dog, runs hand over its head. She looks up at Gal with a smile of commiseration.]

Well, that takes some explaining! It's nice to meet you too, though other circumstances might have been preferable. I see you've been doing some reading [She nods towards the cat, who is still lingering.]-- I suppose it all seems rather fantastic, to say the least!

But these are the Gardens, and here we are-- though for choice most of us would rather be somewhere else. What's your home world like, Gal?

Re: [action]

[hopelessdreamer]

Fantastic isn't the word I would have picked, but...it fits. I like "ridiculous" and "unbelievable", but those aren't very polite.

Sorry? Home world? [that gets a bit of surprise out of her.] Here I was used to there only being one world...