queenofheartsrp | # video / action

The Queen?

[Surely there was never a queen, only princes and princesses. And witches.]

Do you think maybe it's time we went back?

[Utena's expression immediately sobers. She frowns, shifts her weight from one leg to the other.]

Ah...yeah, the Queen. I've only seen her a few times. She's really odd. She says - Himemiya, we can't go back right now. No one's found a way out yet.

[For a few moments, Anthy is silent. Then:]

I see.

[Utena is (somewhat) accustomed to Anthy's unnerving calm, but this placid response throws her off considerably. She stares for a moment, uncomprehending, and then asks:]

That's all? [A pause.] Don't you have any questions?

[She blinks uncertainly at Utena, distracted from her reverie.]

What questions should I ask?

Well...[She sighs.] Anything. You're not curious at all?

[She may look different -- older -- but she's definitely Utena. Anthy obligingly asks,]

Who takes care of the flowers?

The animals do, I think. Or they take care of themselves. I never see anyone tending them.

[She slumps her shoulders, clearly disappointed. But she won't ask if Anthy has any questions again, for now. Instead she rubs at her arms, and asks:] Are you ready to go? I've got a place to stay.

[Anthy's gaze lingers on the flowers for a moment longer. They're beautifully kempt; no minor infestations, no rashes of dying leaves. Like a memory of a garden.]

Yes, I'm ready to go.

[And with that, Utena begins to walk.] Okay. Just follow me.

[She's cold, and dimly uncomfortable - restless is the word that comes to mind. There's no way Anthy's not worried or frightened, she decides, and so begins to explain things without being asked.]

There are all sorts of people here. They say they're from different worlds. The only one from Ohtori that's been here besides me was Juri-senpai...um, but she's gone now. I guess she got to go home.

[She glances over her shoulder and smiles.] So we might get home too, one day. And there are a lot of nice people here. I've made a lot of friends.

Yes.

[Said in absent agreement: you've made friends. From different worlds. Of course Utena wouldn't realize, wouldn't know that there are places in Ohtori ... Utena wouldn't remember Nemuro Memorial Hall ...

But it's strange that she couldn't place the girls, not any of them.

Anthy smiles back.]

It must have been confusing, at first.

[The smile seems to placate Utena, for the moment. She nods her head.] Yeah. Sometimes it still is.

[And here she looks away, stretches her arms out in front of her in a nervous gesture.] Things get kinda weird here. But don't worry. I'll make sure you'll be okay.

[She can't really bring herself to talk about the romantic aspects to the Gardens. Not yet.]

[In contrast, Anthy's hands are clasped demurely. She's paying very little attention to her surroundings as she walks; not as though she knows where she's going -- she's still following Utena, a half-step behind -- but as though she doesn't expect it to matter whether she remembers the way they came.]

Really?

[It's a significant walk back to civilization. Utena had forgotten this - it'd been a long while since she'd greeted a new arrival.]

Mm, it... [How to explain.] The Queen only brings girls here for a certain reason.

[Her shoulders hunch, and the line of tension down her spine is clearly evident.] So a lot of odd things happen because of that.

[Anthy blinks at her, attention caught by Utena's discomfort more than her words.]

A certain reason ... ?

[Again, Utena stretches an arm over her head, but the gesture seems to be more of an attempt to buy time than anything else.] Yeah. It's...hard to explain, but the Queen likes romantic stuff. [She is grateful to be turned away, so that Anthy won't see her blush.] She acts like a matchmaker, but since there are only girls here, well...

[Anthy listens with her usual vacant smile; they could be discussing whether to have shaved ice for lunch. When Utena pauses, she echoes,]

Well?

[Another long patch of embarrassed silence, and finally, Utena coughs into her fist.] Well, she wants to set all the girls up.

[A beat.]

Oh, I see.

[Placidly.]

... [That makes her look over her shoulder, to study Anthy. Her shoulders slump again, and she puts a hand to her head.] It's not strange to you at all?

[Their destination is in sight - alongside a large and elaborate outdoor gymnasium is a building that bears an uncanny resemblance to their first dormitory.]

[Anthy blinks innocently at her.] Should it be strange to me?

[It's not a rhetorical question.

But a moment later the building catches her attention.]

Ah, are we here?

[Again, her eyebrows knit together.] Nevermind.

[And she nods her head.] Mm. I built it with the magic dirt. [It's said with no sense of misplaced pride or wonder, just as a statement of fact...which is unusual as is.] It's really something else. I should show you how it works sometime.

[She hops up the outside stairs two at a time in her usual, exuberant fashion, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to see if Anthy is following, if she's still there.] There's tea inside, and oh - er, cookies, if you're hungry.

Magic dirt?

[That at least gets a look of mild confusion, as she trails after Utena, taking the stairs at her usual sedate pace.]

But if I'm hungry, maybe I should cook something...

[Because shaved ice is so much more nutritious than cookies.]

Mm! [Utena seems to instantly brighten up at the question, pleased that she didn't have to prod Anthy to get it.] I don't understand it too well, but there's certain places around here where the dirt does strange things, and you can build stuff with it just by thinking about the thing you want to build. [Her eyebrows knit together.] Everyone calls it magic. And oh, you don't have to cook, Himemiya. [She perhaps says this a bit quickly than she intended, and amends:] I can do it. I've been learning...I'm not as good at it as Akio-san, but...

[The back of Utena's neck comes under a brief but intense -- and expressionless -- scrutinity.]

I'm sure Utena-sama is excellent at cooking.

[Up another step. It's a pity there isn't a gondola.] Build things out of dirt...I see. Like gardening. [She seems pleased with this conclusion.]

# video / action

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