4th Course - Salt [Video]

[starofpleiades]

[In the late evening, the video suddenly turns on as there's a loud thump and a splatter, like something wet just hit the ground next to the vine. At the first, the picture is dark and its hard to make out the shape there. A trembling silhouette, hunched over as it rises unsteadily off the ground - the form seems small and thin, but draped in lengthy darkness - hair? - but also the limbs seems somehow... too long. Claws?

What little light there is reflects off the eyes of the cats coming to greet the new arrival, but as they draw closer, they hiss and their hair stands on end before they turn and run. The figure in the dark collapses back onto the ground again, curling up, shrinking in on itself.

For a moment, all is still. Then there's a soft, muffled noise as that huddled figure trembles. Sobbing. The vine finally sheds some light on the situation, illuminating the curled, dripping wet form of Kazumi, curled up in a glen on the grassy floor, clutching herself and sobbing quietly. It's a few moments before she opens her eyes, looking around, noticing the vine for the first time. She looks helpless, lost, but her first question isn't "Where am I?"]

Who am I? What am I?

Comments

[swarmoflies]

An idiot.

[She's not paying enough attention to notice anything...out of the ordinary. Actually she's not even looking at Kazumi beyond a quick glance to confirm that the voice belongs to who she thought it did. Then it's back to her drawing.]

[starofpleiades]

[Kazumi's back to looking like normal again, but she is, well, dripping wet with rainwater. Which only marginally covers the fact she's been - no, is crying.]

Maybe... I am...

[swarmoflies]

Eh?

[Well that didn't go as she'd intended. She looks over for real now.]

The hell's the matter with you?

[starofpleiades]

I don't know... maybe everything. It's all... wrong...

[Trembling, breathing unsteadily... she's definitely in a state of shock]

I might not be me.

[tookupthesword]

... Umm... what?

[WHATS GOING ON, SAYAKA IS LOST]

[starofpleiades]

[Kazumi sniffles as she looks at the vine helplessly, dripping wet and shivering.]

Saya..ka...? This is... the Gardens?

[tookupthesword]

... [On better look, wow. Sayaka is having some bad memories flash back up.]

Yeah... do you... need something?

[starofpleiades]

I... I don't know....

[She curls in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face.]

I don't know anything anymore...

[golden_gaytime]

Kazumi-chan...? [ Not that it really answers the girl's question, but Mugi is rather surprised by, well, everything. Either she's missing the mood of the post or she just needs to first confirm she isn't making this up. ]

[starofpleiades]

[Kazumi sniffles, and sobs, but she nods.]

Mm! I'm Kazumi... I am...

[She sounds like she's trying to convince someone]

[golden_gaytime]

[ Mugi is utterly confused. ] Kazumi-chan, what happened? You're back! But... [ It's hard to look excited about someone's return when they're like this. ]

[starofpleiades]

I... Satomi... everyone... [She breaks off into more sobbing, unable to hold it back as she remembers. They... everyone had... and she'd...]

[fionna_time]

[It takes her a moment to recognize the face, but once she saw the figure of her friend, the person who she had hung out with only a few months ago, she jumped].

Kazumi! What's wrong? Are you ok?!

[starofpleiades]

I'm... no... nothing's okay...

[Crying, she clutches her head as she remembers the past few hours... her friends... her memories... her very identity...]

[fionna_time]

Dude, NO. I am going to see you! You sound real bad!

[Runs over, aggravated that there were more things causing her friends stress. First Kanako, then Jessica and now Kazumi?]

Kazumi? It's me, Fionna, remember?

[starofpleiades]

Fionna...

[Hope you're waterproof, because as soon as Fionna's close, Kazumi throws herself at the girl and clings desperately as she starts crying again]

[notvitiligo]

I'd assume you would know that better than anyone else here.

Do you need any help?

[starofpleiades]

I don't... I don't know at all any more...!

[notvitiligo]

Why not? The amnesia, or just... whatever weird stuff just happened?

I mean, if it's just that things got weird... that doesn't change who you are. It just means you're who you are plus... whatever that was.

[Jessica you are entirely too calm about this.]

[cleaningstop]

Huh? Aren't you Kazumi?

[Meiling. Always asking the tough questions.]

[starofpleiades]

Mm. I am... I'm Kazumi, aren't I? I'm not... a fake... am I?

[cleaningstop]

Huh?! W-Why would you ever think something like that?

[loveswaffles]

Shouldn't you already know that?

[starofpleiades]

I thought I did... I thought... [She breaks off sobbing]

[loveswaffles]

[crud.]

Uh, there... there.

[She's not a child, Raven.]

It can't be all that terrible.

[She's really bad at this.]