1;; (briefly) video, voice, action

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

[Blank is not a morning person. She isn't even a daylight person, really. More used to being shut up in a dark room for days hours on end with the only light coming from her computer screens, the glare of the Gardens' sun had made her squint, whine pathetically from the brightness, and roll over in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Which worked....for maybe five minutes before nature itself conspired to drag her back into consciousness. (Like twigs sharply poking places that should never be poked.) So now, sitting upright with her brain running on sleepy autopilot, Blank reads the various scrolls provided by the cats with an distracted and uncomprehending sort of amusement. Oh, had she been kidnapped? Ha ha ha, silly terrorists, don't you know that interrogation doesn't really work when you surround your target with pretty flowers and woodland animals?

If she had been properly awake and not so convinced that this was another some crazy dream brought on by all those chemicals in her energy drinks, Blank might actually be scared about this situation! Or at least doing something more sensible than repeatedly poking and prodding the Vine out of curiosity. Eventually, the besieged plant offers the telltale mirror.]

-guess it couldn't hurt...oh! [Awkward staring into the glassy surface, then a sheepish grin.] Wow, I didn't expect that to actually work. I guess this is gonna be really lucid... [Prods the mirror.] So, uh, is this how I talk to my captors? I'm pretty sure I have those, being kidnapped or whatever, even if I'm dreaming about it all at the same time- [Blank gives it another poke, and the video portion of the feed suddenly ends as the Vine interprets the gesture as a desire for the voice option. Blank's voice continues on, surprised now.] -what the hell was that? Hey!

[Rustling sounds as she pokes the thing again, but the Vine is getting annoyed by this point and grows stubborn, refusing to bring back the mirror for more than a few taunting moments. Each glimpse of Blank shows her quickly growing more exasperated until she's outright flailing at the plant like an idiot.]

Ugh, if this was a computer, there'd at least be a manual! Why isn't there one, anyway? Or like a hundred? It's supposed to be my dream, not some gardener's.

[Our freshly arrived, often sleep deprived hacker, ladies and ladies.]

Comments

action; 1/3

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[Gabrielle's about to head over to Seventh Heaven to check on Em if knows any whereabouts of Jules. As she crosses into the Garden, she spots someone who seems to be getting frustrated with the vine. Not recognizing the person, she heads over to see if they're new―]

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[―until she catches the glimpse of who it is. A tall, lanky, familiar-looking person talking about computers. This isn't someone new to Gabrielle... in fact, she knows this person. For a moment, she stands there shocked. She didn't really expect anyone else from her world to show up after Aya left.]

Blank? [She asks with a hint of relief in her voice.] You're―

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[The realization hits her immediately. The Blank in her world is a man―one who's always been joked around about looking like a woman upon first glance―but there are no men here. Which means...]

―a woman.

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

[She responds automatically at the sound of her name, not really thinking about it- this weird plant was more interesting, a stranger element of this "dream" she really couldn't account for.]

Uh huh, I'll be right with you....in a minute...

[And Blank goes back to jabbing at the Vine like Bart Simpson with a shiny red button. It's extremely reminiscent of any other time, back home, when she was neck-deep in codes and one of the others tried to bother her.]

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[She watches Blank struggle with the vine, not really processing exactly who is calling her. It's strange, to see Blank here, looking as she had looked back in her world. Even when she knows that she is a woman.]

[It hits her... the mere thought of it all! At first, her lips curl into a smirk, but then she begins laughing as she watches her previous co-worker picking on flora in the middle of the Garden.]

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

[Blank puts up with this for a few minutes before shooting an exasperated- but not angry -look over her shoulder at Gabrielle.] Look, do you mind? I'm kinda in the middle of-

[And then she stops in mid-sentence, mouth hanging open for a long moment....before slooowly turning back around and speaking to the empty air, as if alone:]

....I guess this is the part where the dream takes a really kinky turn and proves those big-name psychologists right. I gotta cut down on the caffeine at this rate.

[She actually sounds more worried about this than interested. Scandalous!!]

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[Gabrielle muses a bit more, pleased with someone she knows being here once more. Even though she and Blank are not particularly close as she was with Aya, it's still a comfort to see someone here who always makes her laugh.]

[The comment about the dream though makes her wonder what she, herself, in this Blank's world is like. It seems as if she does not fully recognize her, which must mean she's not a woman in Blank's world, but rather... a man. Trying to hold back the amused tone in her voice, Gabrielle decides to play along with it for now.]

Don't you think I make a beautiful woman?

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

...Oh god, she's talking again. [Blank clears her throat awkwardly, and then ponders her awkwardness because....hey, isn't this all in her head? It's not like anyone else will ever know, right?

Right! And yet that thought doesn't really make her feel better. Gabriel is her friend, but not that kind of friend.] I, uh, swear this doesn't happen often. Or ever, really. Not that you aren't a good looking dude! Our bitch of a boss lady probably fantasi- wait, gross! Nevermind! Um... Er, that is, I didn't really expect to have a dream with you in it, Gabriel, and especially not with...yeah.

[Rubs the back of her neck.....being Blank is suffering.]

The handsomeness did transfer over well, though, since you asked.

[aureation.livejournal.com]

[Gabrielle knows that even as a man, she would be quite handsome (because really who doesn't think of themselves as the opposite sex?), but it's still quite an amusement to her to see Blank acting like this. She believes in Blank's many-world interpretation, especially since she's arrived here... but encountering one that's her world, but a simple difference of a men and women, is probably the most interesting thing she's run into yet.]

[She takes a look at herself.]

You really did capture me pretty well, I have to say! You don't normally fantasize about me this way?

video;

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Reeve has found this mis(use) of the vine entertaining, so there is laughter in her tone when she answers the question Blank hasn't yet asked as well as those she has.]

If you really were dreaming, I'm sure you'd have an easier time with the technology-- as it is, it's some sort of organic mechanical intelligence. Which usually behaves intuitively, but does have its uncooperative moments.

You aren't dreaming, though, you're in a place called the Gardens-- and you do have captors! Though I'm not one of them. Just a fellow inmate.

video;

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

[The video feed continues to flicker on and off for Blank; she appears in minute-long flashes, the only thing continuous being her voice and how she still looks exasperated, if not yet prodded into real anger- even after hearing the amusement in Reeve's voice.]

"Uncooperative" is right. Not that I ever had a green thumb, but geez!

[She rubs her eyes, blinking hard, trying to catch a strong glimpse of Reeve through the temporary mirror.] ....not dreaming, you're telling me. Sorry if that's kinda hard to believe, miss. I mean, we're talking through a plant, like you said.

Re: video;

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

Please, call me Reeve.
[Watching the feed flicker in and out, Reeve draws a quick (hopefully correct) conclusion.]

Let's see if we can stabilize this-- all right, instead of press and then release, press, hold for 10 seconds, then release.

Then press once more. The problem might be that the Vine can't distinguish all of what it thinks are your instructions from one another-- this should act a kind of reset. I'll wait!

video;

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

Cool, Reeve it is. I'm Dr. Blank- and all right! Hang on-

[Blank can roll with this; these are technical instructions, something her brain is much more gifted in dealing with than sentient plants. The video feed cuts out again and stays out instead of immediately flickering back. A minute passes as, unseen, Blank does what Reeve suggests. Then it returns, Blank looks cautiously hopeful....and grins when the feed proves stable.]

...wow, it worked! This is way better.

Re: video;

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Reeve can't help but grin in return. Enthusiasm over technological matters is something she finds hard to resist.]

I can see that! Well done-- [Reeve chuckles wryly.] and welcome to the Gardens, it'll only get more odd from here on out.

Fixing the resolution on a plant that carries audio and video signals is a fairly good indicator of what you're in for.

I'm curious, what do you do normally-- in your own world?

video; super backtag to the max

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

[She just nods and smiles, taking that in without really listening, to be processed later.

AWKWARD QUESTION....hrm, how to lie and still technically tell the truth?]

Oh, just crunching numbers for the government.

video; super backtag to the max to the power of TWO

[urbanwonderland.livejournal.com]

[Reeve nods in understanding, chuckling in reply.]

Ah, I see-- you're either an accountant, or a scientist of some sort.
We have that much in common, I'm a government employee myself-- urban development.

Not that my particular skill set is in much demand here.

video;

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

"Scientist" works pretty well. I wonder....does your department have to worry about budgets and douchebags of superiors too?

[That gets a snort out of her.] It's a hard life for us, huh? I'm more used to codes, not wildlife.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

No real manual yet. (Actually, I should probably write that out...)

Um, and the kidnappers here aren't big on actually talking to us unless they feel like it. You checked out the, uh, cat-delivered info, right?

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

Huh? [Squinty-eyes.] I...uh, yeah, I did. Might as well check out everything in this freaky dream, I figured.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Jury's out on the dream part. Though it kind of fulfills a few criteria there. But, uh, if you want some more info, I have a stock of kinda intro brochures and stuff at the library. Or I can try to, um, Vine-fax you one. That's apparently a thing.

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

There's a library, too....? [Her voice trails off, and she rubs her eyes. Come on, Blank, wake up already...] Why don't you try for the, um, Vine-fax thing? I think I might just get lost wandering around. Gardens aren't really my thing, heh.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Well, a sort of library. It's only really good if you're into romance poetry and stuff.

[She rummages through something offscreen] It's pretty easy to get lost, but- I'm not even joking here- the cats and birds can show you around, if you ask. It's that kind of place.

OK, it should be giving you the brochure (http://notvitiligo.livejournal.com/2099.html) now...

shhhh this isn't super late at all

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

Uh....huh. [She waits for a few moments, and then- ] Oh, here it is! What a neat set-up.

[FOR A DREAM, THAT IS!!! And so Blank immediately begins to read, her expression doing a slow shift from curiosity to concentration to outright incredulity.

She gives a weak little laugh.] Geez, and here I thought I couldn't be weirded out anymore....

Late? MADNESS!

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It can get pretty, uh, crazy. Especially with the lack of consistency and all.

THIS. IS. QOOOOOOOOH

[nondisclosed.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it! It's like this, uh- "Queen"? Can't make up her mind.

[An awkward pause.] To be honest, a lot of this sounds like something straight out of a dating sim video game.