[text/action/videro] An Invitation x2/MARIGOLD MADNESS!

[notvitiligo]

[text]
Since the Powers That Be have decided that they want to give us all cavities and diabetes, I am keeping a big pot of stew going at Beaumont for anyone who needs emergency food that is not candy. If I am not there, Bulbasaur or one of the robots will be in charge of it. Do not worry, they are all sanitary. It is free to use so do not avoid it if you do not have food. There are severe health consequences to eating only sugar, which I guess the people in charge do not care about.

-----

Also if there is anybody that needs a place to stay, Beaumont has a lot of rooms open. It is by the lake on the northwest side, and is pretty convenient as far as being close to places. There are some robots here that do the housekeeping stuff. Also you will get a lot of free snacks because I bake a lot. I guess that is not much of a benefit right now but there you go. Pets are OK.

[action/video]

[Hi, Ladygarden residents. Do you like your reality TV to have normally linefaced girls curled up on the ground and crying in the middle of nowhere? Because the Vine has decided that is the hot new thing in entertainment. (The more perceptive viewers might notice she seems less opaque around the edges than usual.)

[After a moment, she notices the mirror broadcasting her. She makes a few awkward attempts to turn it off, then lets her arm flop to the ground.]

Fine. I give up.

Comments

[fionna_time]

I can't see that being easy, not with how this place makes everything all wonky and strange. But if it'll make sense to you, you can try. It's just like, doing that MIGHT make you crazy, if you think about it too much. That's what I kinda think anyway.

Nah, back home.

[notvitiligo]

So what's the solution? How am I supposed to deal with somewhere with no real rules?

[fionna_time]

[Thinks about this. It is a hard question, and one that she had to deal with herself when her friends were taken away. Granted, she'd still had other friends, not to mention Amamiya to help her when these kinds of things got bad, and she knew she was not the best speaker].

I'd say try taking it one day at a time. No one can just magically find all the answers, and finding reason with someone who brought us here is just kinda difficult. The queen never makes sense, and she's like a kid, but she has a whole lot of power, more than a lot of people. I had friends help me through this stuff, and the longer I stay here, the more I see how them being around helps me cope.

[notvitiligo]

And when they get taken away, too?

[fionna_time]

...

Do you think they'll all be taken, and leave you alone?

[notvitiligo]

That's the pattern so far.

[fionna_time]

But even the queen can't take them all away.

Right?

[notvitiligo]

I don't really think she's in charge of that. If she were, we wouldn't lose couples like that.

You know, I was pretty alone before I came here. I didn't really realize it. But now that I've had friends like this... going back to the way it was is hard.

[fionna_time]

Yeah, I could see how that is. I didn't like losing my friends either. It hurt pretty bad.

...

I never thought of that. How often does that happen?

[notvitiligo]

Often enough. You see it on the Vine.

The worst part is... I don't want to forget them. I don't want to go back and have it all be a dream.

[fionna_time]

I'm not on the vine as much I should be, probably my own fault.

Did you try writing it down, so you don't forget? I'm sure they mean a lot to you. Besides, who says you'll leave anytime soon?

[notvitiligo]

We can't all play Big Brother...

Can't take anything with you if you're going back.

[fionna_time]

Huh? Brother?

Why not?

[notvitiligo]

...I guess you never had that in Lit class. It just means someone that spies on people all the time.

I wish I knew... it'd be a way to understand something about what's going on. But that's just how it is when you go back: it's right when you left, like nothing changed.

[She frowns] Like none of this happened.

[fionna_time]

[Oh yeah, class. School. That...place Fionna only heard about].

I can't imagine going back and not remembering this place. It taught me so much, and made me meet someone I wanna always protect and be with.

Do you think that will happen to you?

[notvitiligo]

It happens to everyone. You can't help it.

[fionna_time]

Sometimes people come back though.

Makes me wonder why we go through all this in the first place, if the queen will just make us forget everything when we leave.

[notvitiligo]

That's assuming she has any control over it. Maybe she just took over the place.

[fionna_time]

Well why would you make anyone forget about this place to begin? That's just stupid.

[notvitiligo]

Maybe it's just another law of the place. Like gravity. Nobody made it, that's just how it works.

[Her body slowly grows more opaque]

[fionna_time]

Maybe its better we don't think about it, not right now.

[Looks, startled] Whoa. Does that just happen randomly, or when you just feel depressed?

[notvitiligo]

Why not?

[She glances down.]

It's... not totally random. I don't have complete control, obviously, but... yeah. Happens more when I'm upset or really distracted or afraid.

[fionna_time]

Because it won't really do you any good until you find a way to fight back. Why depress yourself? It'll only make you feel cruddy in the end, and you never know. Some of your friends could come back. Mine did once.

Huh. [stares] Cool, I can see right through you.

[notvitiligo]

Hah. They've already proved there's no way to fight back. I just want to understand things. Though I guess that's a pipe dream here.

You also can't touch me like this. Hence the, um, nudity.

[fionna_time]

Probably have to research tons and tons to find out.

Oh! [Covers her eyes] Sorry dude, does that bother you?