queenofheartsrp | ⌛ 003 ⌛ [action; video]

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[Kariya Matou is a woman on a mission. Sort of. She's interested in finding out all she can about the Gardens, in exploring as much as she can. It's slow going. She's hampered by her poor health and often has to sit down and rest when she's tired or out of breath. She lies down in the grass or leans back against a tree, the veins in her face pulsing.

The worms have been quieter, but they're still active, and they still hurt. She was only supposed to live a few more weeks, at best, but her progression toward death seems to have been halted, or at least slowed, and she's heard that she can't really die here. She's gotten better at meditating and working her way through the pain, and some days are better than others. So she keeps going. She sleeps in a structure if she happens to wind up near one, but she doesn't mind sleeping under the stars. She thinks of playing outside, in the park. It's like that. If she listens, she imagines she can hear the creaking of swings, the laughter of children. Sometimes the birds come to pull at her hair and sing, or the rabbits nibble on the sleeves of her hoodie. She doesn't mind.

She doesn't exactly know what she's looking for as she wanders, but she's looking for something. Answers, maybe. When she meets someone along her way (and she might show up anywhere), she doesn't hesitate to nod and smile crookedly, only the right side of her mouth rising.]

[vine; video]

[Kariya addresses the Vine quietly, but not nervously. It's simply hard for her to marshal her thoughts at times.]

I was wondering if--it's possible to speak to the Queen. Or anyone who knows her, anyone who has some power here, who's from this place. Or even someone who knows a lot about it. I'd like to... [She trails off for a moment, then smiles hopefully.] Ask some questions.

Thank you. I'd appreciate it very much.

Oh! [She almost forgot.] And can anyone tell me if there was ever anyone here named Aoi-- [A pause.] Tohsaka, or Sakura, or Rin?

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That's--good--that you're happy. [And in spite of her current state, Kariya flashes a brief smile, eyes shining, and she does seem to be genuinely happy for Xion. Young people should be happy. They should be free.] I'm glad.

[She nods, trying to get the coughing under control before it gets too bad, wiping the blood away with the back of her hand. Her mouth tastes of it. She can feel the worms moving. They feed off her desire as well as her body. If she wants something too much...]

Yes. I'm sick. But I'll be fine.

[Things have been better here, without the constant drain on her energy. But it's still difficult.]

[she shakes her head a little. She's seen fighting, she's seen some frightening things, but nothing like this.]

I--I don't know if it'll work, but I can heal a little. [the worst sickness she's seen was a cold, so:] I mean, you're bleeding...!

I don't know if I can be healed. [She tries to explain it in a way that's less alarming than it is.] I--I have familiars that live inside me. I have to keep them there.

[She looks down at the blood on her hand, sadly. She hasn't spent much time around people since she became like this. She knows it isn't pretty.]

It should stop soon. I think.

Fa...miliars? I don't understand...and--and they hurt you? But why?

[she fidgets nervously.] Maybe a potion, or something--there has to be a way.

They--familiars are animals that help with magecraft. There are different kinds. They feed on me. My energy. That's what they eat.

I don't know... [It's not that she doesn't want help with the pain, but she's dubious. Zouken wouldn't have wanted the pain they cause to be dealt with easily. What if there were a backlash? It could kill her, even if she knows she won't stay dead here.] They're magic. In some ways they're stronger than I am.

[she's not so much disgusted as horrified. It sounds a lot like Heartless to her, except...]

And--and then what? Does it do any good for you? There--there are other ways to use magic, you don't have to do that...

[She shakes her head. It doesn't do her any good.] They made me strong enough. That's all.

Other ways? No. I never learned magic as a child. I didn't have the ability. I wasn't strong enough.

I had to. To do what I needed to.

Strong enough...

Wasn't...wasn't there anyone that could help you? Friends...?

No, it was my friends, the people I cared about most, who were the ones who needed my help.

I don't know a lot of people. I didn't know anyone who could help me.

[Since she left her family, she's been traveling, trying to make a life for herself, but it's hard. She's always restless. There are few people she can tell about the Matou family and their magic. Non-magi who learn about magic often end up dead.]

...you're really brave.

[her soft voice is even softer now. This hits very close to home.]

But--there are lots of people here--people from all kinds of places, who know about things I've never heard of before. There's got to be one of them that can help.

I--I don't know if I'm brave. I did what I had to do for them.

Maybe. I was hoping that the Queen might, somehow, help me win the war. If I win, then Sakura--my friends, will be all right.

I don't know if anyone can help with the sickness. The worms don't stop.

[she doesn't know much about war; what happened with the pirates was as close as she's gotten. But...]

I don't know if...the Queen can do things outside of this place. But, if you could be cured, then maybe you could do it on your own? It's...worth a try, right?

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