Rising Sun [text/action]

[mother_of_god]

[Her last memory is heat and rust and darkness. Now there is light and life and comfort- at least, more comfort than she's felt in seven years. (Or less comfort for part of her that has lived a life free of constant pain.) She sits up with difficulty, blinking in the bright. The air is clean, carrying a fresh smell she'd forgotten after half a life in a basement room. The world is green and dazzling and living. Birds twitter, leaves rustle, a breeze rolls past her ears; no beeps or rumbles or electric hums.

[Dread creeps up her insides.

[A cat meows. She peers at it in surprise, then notices the scroll. A few moments' fumbling with bandaged fingers and it's open. She reads, silently, then turns her attention to the Vine, which unfurls its parchment and stylus helpfully, apparently aware that speaking isn't high on her list of strengths. She reaches for the stylus automatically, before realising that her fingers are too restrained to operate it. But there's another way.

[The Vine offers a new text to the residents. Unusually, the words aren't hand written, but singed into the parchment.]

Is this Paradise?

Comments

[mother_of_god]

[Holy shit this is the most amazing thi-




[this is the most amazing thing she's seen that doesn't involve horrific gods! Yeah, she's visibly impressed.]

[fionna_time]

Glad you like it! Me and Cake lived here...well, on Ooo anyway, now its me and Marceline. Come on in, let's get you comfortable.

[and please don't mind all the treasure. It's just decoration!]

[mother_of_god]

[Oh, she's minding the treasure a lot.]

do you sell them?

[fionna_time]

What these? No way man, its sentimental stuff me and Cake found! I don't think I could ever do that!

[mother_of_god]

[She withers a little, worrying that she's offended her new saviour.]

Mama sold them... [she murmurs in explanation.]

[fionna_time]

[Sheesh, someone's mom seemed like kind of a jerk].

Sorry about that Alessa. Hey, you can pick one treasure her if ya wanna. I won't mind!

[mother_of_god]

[Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit she is being presented with a Test. She freezes up, eyes darting around for a moment. What's the right answer? They're all supposed to be sentimental, right?

[And now she's taking too long to decide and Fionna's probably going to get angry...

[She shakes her head, hunching up into herself and hoping there's a right answer.]

[fionna_time]

[Fionna cocked her head to the side. That was...kinda weird, that Alessa couldn't just grab something. How important was stuff on her world anyways?]

Well ok, if you wanna make that decision later, you can! First things first, we gotta get you rebandaged. Just lemme go get my first aid kit. Make yourself at home!

[mother_of_god]

["Make yourself at home" seems to translate to "kind of crumple up in a chair and make yourself as small as you can." She takes surreptitious glances around the room, but carefully keeps track of Fionna's movements. Despite the wariness, though, she doesn't resist at all, though she does flinch a bit from the pressure of bandage against her wounds.]

[fionna_time]

[Fionna was back in the room moments later, a little startled at Alessa's posture].

No man, you don't have to be all guarded, relax! This place is nice, and its a good day to spend with a bud! Here, let me take care of those bandages...they look kinda gross now.

[Looks at her for permission, of course].

[mother_of_god]

[Lack of resistance counts as permission, right?]

i'm sorry. lisa hated it, too.

[fionna_time]

I mean its kinda bad, you'll get all infected and junk. Let me make it so you can get better soon and not be so, you know, gross with blood.

[Starts to get rid of some of the dirtied bandages, putting on gloves since that was what Cake always did]

How'd you get the bandages anyway?

[mother_of_god]

[She avoids Fionna's face.] they don't get better.

[Though... the pain is significantly lessened. Ever since she woke up again in the Gardens, she's felt better than she had in years. (Barring foreign memories too happy to bear.)]

it's been a long time.

[fionna_time]

Huh? How come?

[Alessa must have had a pretty messed up story, but Fionna wasn't one to judge quickly].

They look kinda...bad, actually.

[mother_of_god]

i disobeyed.

[This is, technically, an accurate explanation. It does ignore other factors, such as "Mama was a profoundly evil person," and "Magic," but the whole ordeal can be traced to not doing what her mother wanted.]

(last thread for the night but I'll be back again!)

[fionna_time]

Oh.

[That explanation bothered her, more than she expected.]

Well, its not like that here. I mean, there's a queen, but she's never around, and all she really wants is girls liking other girls.

[mother_of_god]

[She nods.] no God.

i like girls sometimes.

[She may be using a different "like."]

[fionna_time]

Nah, I don't think so. Just a Queen.

[Fionna would take the standard meaning of "like," and not let her mind wander farther than that].

Yeah, me too, they're ok. I think you'll like some of the ones here.

[mother_of_god]

[It's probably not easy or appetizing to imagine this kid involved in anything farther, anyhow.]

are they nice like you?

[fionna_time]

Most of them, yeah. Some of them can be jerks, like any person around, but even they aren't so bad. I'm sure they'll be nice to you.

[If they weren't, Fionna would be sure to make them pay for it].

[mother_of_god]

a lot of people don't like me.

[fionna_time]

Give them a try, you never know!

[She was still wrapping and rewrapping bandages].

Hey, when's the last time you had a bath anyway?

[mother_of_god]

[This is given thought. The passage of time is a nebulous thing for her at the best of times, and currently there's a double timeline for the last seven years.]

last night? i think... no, that was...

when did lisa...?

[Her face scrunches in confusion.]

[fionna_time]

Hey, its ok if you don't remember, but you might wanna get one now, just so, you know, those cuts and junk don't get worse.

[That was how these things worked, right?]

[mother_of_god]

they're not cuts.

lisa would wash them.