[action&video]

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[When Sol went to sleep the night before, the last thing she expected was to wake up in the middle of this flowery shithole again.]

[Normally, her first order of business would be to change into something more suitable than the girly shift she's been left in. After all, that's how it was the first time she woke up in this place. Not this time, though. This time, she's still dressed in the white gown all newcomers awake in when she hauls back and punches the nearest available target—the trunk of a tree, as the case happens to be. (Which is probably for the best thing for her to take her anger out on, anyway, since that's something that will neither fight back nor get her in trouble for slamming her firsts into it until her knuckles are raw.)]

[She only half-realizes that she's speaking when she spits out,] Son of a bitch.

[It's not until a while later that she actually appears on the Vine. She's certainly not about to broadcast how angry and upset she is for everyone to see, so she waits until she's absolutely sure she can project a calm and indifferent expression before doing so. When she finally does, she merely cocks her head and thinks for a moment before speaking, not bothering with any sort of introduction, as is typical for her.]

...Who's still here?

[There's other things she wants to ask, like "How long have I been gone?" and "This place still an utter piece of shit?", but that can wait until she sees what kind of response she gets.]

Comments

[video]

[mnementovixi.livejournal.com]

[look, it's...well, Xion seems to have aged a bit, and she's not wearing a hood, so it might not be easy to make the connection without some squinting. But--]

...Sol? You're back!

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[Sol's not stupid, but she's pretty sure she hasn't been gone a matter of years. And, well, let's be honest here, the lack of a hood makes a pretty big difference. Still, the voice is familiar, and the girl on the other end of the Vine sure seems to know her. It's a little weird.]

...Do I know you?

[It's not said in a hostile or dismissive manner, but rather with some curiosity and confusion.]

[mnementovixi.livejournal.com]

[seeing someone she hasn't in a while excited her enough that she forgot about the changes until now.]

Ah, it's me--Xion. Even though I look like this...I should be going back to normal soon.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[...Wait, what? She looks at her a little more attentively, and, sure enough, now that she's had it pointed out to her she can see the resemblance. Still, it's pretty weird. It wouldn't surprise her if time worked differently in this place, but Xion's response seems to indicate that's not what's going on, so what...?]

"Back to normal"?

[mnementovixi.livejournal.com]

This is just an effect of the wild places...I really haven't grown at all. It made me and Sora older for a little while.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

Hm.

[Well, that's...relieving, in its own way. The idea of being stuck in this place for what looks to be close to a decade is more than a little upsetting, even if time doesn't seem to pass back home, or at least not at the same rate. Xion is treated to the tiniest ghost of a smile.]

Had me worried.

[mnementovixi.livejournal.com]

[she blinks, glad that Sol is in a slightly better mood.]

I didn't mean to. I hope you didn't get taken from something important this time. Did you?

[there's a pause, and then she ventures--]

Did you see Dizzy? Do you know if she's all right?

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[That little half-smile of hers takes on a bitter edge at Xion's first question.] If only I could be so lucky. [As things stand, she's always got something important to take care of. Being here isn't so distressing now that she knows she's not truly losing any time, though, even if that doesn't make the delay any less aggravating.]

She's fine. [She hasn't seen her herself, but she has heard a few things through others. While she can throw Johnny substantial farther than she trusts him, he's taken good care of Dizzy so far, and Ky— Well, for as aggravating as he can be, there's far worse people for her to be involved with.]

[mnementovixi.livejournal.com]

Sorry...but...at least you'll be able to go back to it. Sometime. [her attempt at reassurance feels a little hollow, but she tries to smile.]

I'm glad.

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Ah, so you've been here before?

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

That's right.

[That said, she leans back against the nearest tree—not the same one she took her frustration out on earlier, of course—and folds her arms over her chest. She's not exactly inviting further conversation, but... It's not like she has anything else to do while hanging around waiting for responses, either.]

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Do you happen to remember how you leave?

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

Same way I got here.

[That is to say, through no effort of her own.]

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Ah, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Still, I appreciate that you took the time to answer. Thank you.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

Hn.

[Normally, she'd be grouchy about Suruga wasting her time, but there's no real time to waste here. And, besides...]

Can't blame you for asking.

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Ah, of course, I almost forgot!

My name is Suruga Kanbaru, it's a pleasure.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[A nod.] Sol Badguy.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Welcome back. I'm still stuck around. Not sure who all you remember from last time you were here. It's been a while.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[Well, she remembers Jessica, at least. The skin condition is hard to forget, even if she has enough tact not to say as much. So, she just offers a nod in greeting, before taking a moment to think over who in particular she would actually like to see.]

...Rose still around? [...] Or Epsilon?

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

...sorry. We, uh, lost a bunch of people. Got a bunch, of course, but... It's pretty different now.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

...Hm.

[She's disappointed, of course—more than, really—but Sol obviously isn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve, so the sound isn't anything more than a simple acknowledgment of Jessica's reply.]

Looks like the same fairy tale shit to me.

[She knows the "different" comment probably refers to the people who are stuck in this place, but it's easier not to focus on that. And if that means being purposefully obtuse, then so be it.]

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, that's one thing you can rely on here. You missed some monsters and stuff, though. That was annoying.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

[Monsters? She raises an eyebrow at that. Well, it's probably for the best that she wasn't around for that, all things considered. She's not sorry she missed it.]

Sounds like a pain in the ass.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Pretty much. The Healer quit- apparently, they can do that- and went somewhere else, left the door open, monsters came through, they got herded back somehow, we brought her back, and for some reason they decided to keep the door open just for us.

It's actually a nice-looking place, if you've got camouflage.

[dragoninstalled.livejournal.com]

Huh. [She pauses for a moment, then reaches up and rubs the back of her neck.] ...That all I missed?

[She doubts it, given the coloring of the leaves, but...]