[When the Vine opens up, there's no one to be seen on screen. Instead, it simply displays what has probably by now become a familiar landmark in the Gardens — Jessica's fortress. Just when you might think this is an accidental video of some kind, Nue speaks. Her voice seems to come from somewhere directly below the recording mirror. The truth of the matter is that she's sitting with her back against whatever the Vine happens to be perched on on her end. This is the first anyone will have heard from her in the days since her death at the hands of the woman in the well, Nue having been staying out of sight and sleeping in public places rather than returning to what had been her home.]

Hey. This place is empty, right? I looked around inside, and all I could find were robots. [Though said robots seem to have been doing a good job of keeping the place clean. Not a lot of dust to be found, which just makes staying there all the more appealing to her.] Because... I don't think I'm going to stay at the shrine anymore. So if no one is using in this place, I think I'll just live here from now on.

[She goes quiet for a few seconds, the image on screen unchanging. Then, eventually, she says,] That's all I have to say. I just— I wanted to make sure it was empty, and I thought I should say something in case anyone actually cares where I am.

( Voice - Private to Yuyuko )

( Text - Private to Kariya & Reimu )


[ ooc: The public portion is also open to action. ]

[ It's a familiar voice that greets the Gardens today. Familiar here to some of its older residents; recently known to the nosier visitors from Gensokyo; a voice long-since unheard from to captives from Makai. ] —n't you a clever little thing~? [ The low voice comes from out of nowhere. It isn't the typical accidental broadcast, though it might seem that way. The vine had unfurled upon an unspoken request for an audience, complying in the only manner it knows how.

The woman on the other end of the line, stroking the petals of the plant and cooing as if admiring a purring kitten's soft fur, continued on as if she had not noticed that she could be heard. ] What a delightful trick. Can you tell me how you've come to be able to do something such as this?

[ The vine is silent. ]

.... hmm. How disappointing. [ That voice took on a mote of annoyance. ] I'll just have to seek out your source and see for myself. It sounds like it could be... fun. [ There is quiet chuckle that accompanies that word, but it is one laced with sinister intent. She'll decipher the secret magic of this place if she has to tear it apart brick-and-branch to do it. The invitation said "to use the vine"; it didn't place any limits on how. ]

[The vine appears, but does not produce a mirror. That would be too much effort for this. It was just a simple thing on her part, so it shouldn't take much. It was just the normal thing for voices and audio. The voice belonging to one Sayaka Miki, is more than a little confused.]

So... that was it? It's been a few days and I haven't seen anything else happen. This isn't just me being ignorant right? There really hasn't been anything else going on since that all suddenly ended, right?

And I don't want to hear anyone say "don't complain"!

║Really awesome guitar playing is shredding it's way down the vines! The singing, well, it's could easily be called pretty bombastic! The pitch is perfect and the notes carry like woah, but the tone itself is heavy and pretty sad. It's a voice that hasn't been heard, belonging to a face that hasn't been seen in a while.║

❝With all the times that I've dissed you,
who would have thought that I would miss you?❞

❝Not me, not me!
I never thought that you being so gone would leave me feeling empty!❞

❝Oh, Princess why did you have to go and make a mess of me?!
I can't go back to pretending that I couldn't care less..because..because..❞

║Wait for it....║

"AUGH!"

║Yeah, suddenly the playing and singing both stop and are replaced with random notes and disgruntled grunts!║

[A - Audio]
[There's a moment where Vine makes a half-hearted attempt at unfurling into a mirror, but it gives up and shifts to audio not even a third of the way there instead. The person on the other end sighs and huffs out something like, 'Honestly, now,' before she simply resigns herself to dealing with an uncooperative plant. Though, thinking about it--]

Well, I shouldn't really complain! At least it's working at all, hm?

[It might take a good deal of thinking to place the voice, seeing as it's...a lot brighter and cheerier than normal. To a frightening degree, almost, when one realizes it's Sol. This is obviously not natural. Apparently, the trip she took the wild places earlier has had some...interesting effects. If she realizes she doesn't normally act this way, though, it doesn't show, Sol continuing on like nothing is amiss in the slightest.]

Well, either way! With the way the atmosphere has been lately, I thought everyone could use a bit of cheering up. I'm afraid I don't know as many people here as I probably should, so something more personalized wasn't exactly an option, but... Comfort food is always good for lifting your mood, even if just a little! I spent a bit of time earlier preparing something along those lines, so if you see me around today and you think you would like some, please feel free to ask.

[She doesn't even like comfort food.]


[B - Action]
[Having made her broadcast on the Vine, Sol heads out and about. She'll be just about everywhere today, getting lost and being uncharacteristically friendly all over the place. She also seems to be carrying a number of pies with her. Maybe one of them is for you, if you know her. Hell, maybe one of them is for you even if you don't. The only way to know is to ask!]

[ There's a very quiet 'uwah' followed by a moment of silence. This is followed by another sound of admiration, but since this is audio, it's hard to say who the voice might belong to, much less what it is that is so intriguing. Thankfully, the person responsible is about to provide some commentary. ]

How curious… [ Here she starts to fade in and out a little. ] Such a thing… it makes one feel like a princess. [ When she gets closer, the sound of fabric rustling can be heard. ] Is this being spirited away? I have never experienced such a thing! [ Now she sounds like she's getting more excited. ] Is it that I am the heroine now? [ Now she seems to be moving away, because the sound is getting more muffled again. She can still be heard talking to herself every so often though, and further 'uwah!'s and 'aaa's can be heard intermittently. ] ... so beautiful...

Aa! Am I addressing someone? Please excuse my rudeness. My name is Japan. [ More rustling can be heard, because it's just like her to bow even when she can't be seen. ] May I ask... to whom I am speaking...?

«Hello.»
[ Some may recognize that synthetic, female voice from somewhere; especially when coupled with her rather unique manner of speaking. Subaru is asleep, exhausted from her day's training, and Mach Caliber has commandeered part of the vine for herself at this hour in the late evening. ]
«I wish to forward my thanks to those who guided me after the accident. Subaru's safety remained because of your help.»
«There was resolution. Thank you.»

[ There is a long pause in which one might think she disconnected altogether, having completed the initial objective of this call. ]

«...I must know: what is the meaning of an individual?» [ Someone has been thinking about what happened during those days in Subaru's body, and the new things she has learned. ]

It is lately I find myself curious... I have heard many a strange and curious tale of your homes. But a question burns at my mind, one that cannot be settled so simply.

Where I come from, the Kingdom of Ivalice, we exist as a monarchy with a feudal system. Land and property are alotted to noble houses, and they in turn pledge their allegiance to the crown... no matter who holds it. This is the only system of governing I have ever known... And yet I have been told of other methods.

So, I may ask... to what powers are you beholden in your world? Governments? The Church? Who controls the masses? Who pacifies them, and cares for their needs... or fails to, in any extent?

[There's a sigh emanating from the other end of the vine.] ...I'm talking into a plant. Great. Wish I could say this was the weirdest thing that ever happened to me, but what the fuck ever.

May as well just make myself comfortable until I wake up or the cavalry gets here. Whichever comes first. You guys have fun with your whole hippie commune thing you got going here.

[There's one more annoyed grunt, and the distinct sound of a flower being crushed before cutting out. She's not in the most talkative mood, clearly.]

How can one enjoy this holiday? [She sniffs a rose, careful of the thorns.] My fiancee is nowhere to be seen, my butler is absent and I have no connection to the Queen of this place.

[Gathering her skirts delicately, Ciela sits down beside a fountain and dips the rose's petals into the water. Slowly, she draws a pattern. If one looks closely enough, they will see a heart in the ripples.]

I must make do, of course. But the situation is disappointing. [A sigh escapes her parted lips.] Her Majesty must have some reason for bringing us together. All females...hmmm.

[It hasn't occurred to her that females might delight in the holiday together.]

It is an emergency situation. [ For those who know, that voice belongs to Subaru's Intelligent Partner, Mach Caliber. She speaks in an even, artificial tone, and both her dialect and delivery are somewhat awkward. A subtle difference here is that it does not sound like it is being projected from the small teal gem that Subaru carries around with her. No, there is something different... something warmer about her voice.

The mirror turns on and pans up from a shot of Subaru standing in the orchards. She is wearing her full barrier jacket, skates, gauntlets and all of the pieces have some sort of light scorch marks on them. Her face also looks a little marred, and her expression is flat. Perhaps she is in a bad mood? It's hard to tell because she sounds awfully calm for someone making a call about an "emergency". ]

[ It isn't until she opens her eyes — eyes that are a bright, shining teal instead of her usual dark forest green — that most will be tipped off that something is wrong. Then, "Subaru" stared right into the mirror and though her mouth opened as she spoke those words, it was not her voice. ] I require your help.

((ooc: Bodyswap shenanigans! They will be like this for 3 days; if anyone wants to be around when she changes back, let me know~ Also, tell me if the font color is difficult to read and I'll knock it off.))

 [The video is choppy, so much so in fact that those watching should probably ignore the picture at first-- it is that difficult to make out. What can be made out is only audible-- a shrill scream, it's both ear bleed and blood curdling at the same time. There is a lot of movement, like someone is being followed at break neck speed.]

Why would..
you..?
why would..
you..?
why!?

[Those words are repeated over and over and over again, between gasps and stifled cries. Each time the words are said the voice breaks a little more, until the anguish is obvious. The chanting eventually dissolves into quiet sobs, the image finally clearing up. At the foot of one of the Orchard's largest trees there is a rather ornate parasol, frankly its beautiful. The parasol is shaking, someone is clutching onto it with a white knuckle grip. The picture adjusts again, finally it shows who it is:  it's Marceline. She is curled up beneath the parasol on the ground, trembling and sobbing in the shadows. She's hiding, so maybe she's sad about something? That is probably anyone's best guess at first. She turns, proving that theory wrong. The left side of her face is bubbling, the skin peeled back and blackened. While her right eye is fine (although very red and puffy from crying), her left eye twitches and vacantly looks in the opposite direction of her right. The Vampire is hurt and badly.]

[The video fails here, giving in to static as Marceline starts sobbing even louder. Eventually all sound and movement stop altogether, the video rerouting.]

( Audio to Bonnibel ) (This follows after the events of THIS thread.)

How utterly embarrassing. Why must I traipse around in these rags?! [Ciela mutters, irritated. There is the sound of clothes being smoothed out and hair being brushed.] Surely there is more appropriate clothing somewhere? I don't believe I am asking for too much.

Sebastian, would you - [She pauses and sighs under her breath.] It would be just like you to follow me in the shadows. [Raising her voice, she lightens her tone.] I was wondering if you could help me? It is such a chore to tie back my hair.

[Pausing for a moment, she listens for any sign of her butler hurrying to her aide. Unfortunately, she is doomed to be disappointed.]

Must I come and find you? And here I thought you were mature. [Getting to her feet, her heels clicking against the floor, Ciela ventures away from her mirror and her communication's device. It's clear that she didn't even realize she was being recorded.] Sebastian? Really, this is getting tiresome. If you remain absent, I will punish you.

[And, that, is a promise.

The feed ends with the sound of doors being rapped on sharply.]

[For a moment, the recording seems completely silent. Maybe someone accidentally activated the Vine before walking away?

But no. Anyone paying close attention might pick up on the sound of panicked breathing.]

W... Wh... Wh... [The owner of the voice is obviously having a hard time, and stutters a few more times before she's able to actually spit anything out.] W-W-Where... am I...? This place... I don't...

[A dream. It has to be a dream. But no... she pinched herself, and it definitely hurt. So it was real? But how did she get here? A million questions were running through her mind - already reeling - and just kept adding to her panic.]

L... Lilly...?

[please answer please answer please answer]

 I can't believe I haven't thought of this before! I feel so dumb!

[Since parting ways with Sora, Konoka's actually been doing a bit of research. What Yukari said about her pactio during the wishing session had her thinking--mainly, why she hadn't put two and two together yet. She's at the computers. It appears that in such a while, she's found the wonders of the Romance page. She seems slightly edgy and annoyed by this fact, though.]

...so what is it like, for  a girl to fall in love with  a girl? Really, I wish there was more to draw from than a simple internet page and a bunch of poems! I wanna see romance! I want to make it happen! Maybe it's the key to making this world grow! Maybe the power of love could be a literal power! Wouldn't that be romantic?

[She dropped to a whisper.]

Is this what Secchan wanted... for me?

[At some point, she will be distracted by the glory that is Robot Unicorn Attack. Better move fast.]

[ Action ; Ever since the snow melted, Vita has set herself on the task of exploring. Everywhere. She's trying to do it on foot right now, in order to not raise suspicion by flying around, and is dressed in her civilian clothes. Though, that just means Graf Eisen and her are extra careful and aware of their surroundings.

You may find her in a number of places as she tries to understand this new location. Namely, she's going to be walking around the Ruins and the Necessities. If you're in the area, she'll probably approach you. ]

[ voice ]

This place is pretty big. The taste in decoration for those kitchen and clothing places is sorta dumb right now, but the change was pretty impressive. I can't see much trace of the way it looked before. All of the buildings have different types of stuff too, like old fashion or modern. It feels like a stupid museum.  But whatever.

Hey, Hayate. Signum, Nanoha, Fate, Vivio. You heard what that little girl said, right? About the dumb dirt? Whatcha think? 

[ The sound that comes through the vine is almost like a little sad wail - it is not human, but it's not eerie. It is an odd noise, yes, but strangely as if it has a soul. The wail dims until there's a little hiccup and a muffled voice comes whining. Oh, yes, the little bird is complaining because, boy, this cold does not sit well with a bird of fire. ]

It's so cold, too cold, I don't like this, no. [ Whine, whine, whine, almost like a petulant little child. ] I want to go hooommeee. But I can't, can't even fly away, no, no.

[ Another tiny wail. ]

Let me goooo.


(( All replies will be voice! ))

Really? Ooh, that would be wonderful, but are you certain --?

[ Giselle's voice sounds somewhat distant, as though she's not speaking to the Vine, but to someone else beside her. Someone very short. Muffled squeaking can be heard. ]

Well, all right then!

[ Her voice is clearer now, speaking directly into the Vine. ]

The bunnies, little darlings that they are, told me that we can...make things? They're not terribly clear on it, they say that it's outside the Garden, and...I didn't think we were supposed to go out there? I tried once and a wolf showed up and growled -- then he apologized for startling me and turned out to be very nice actually, and he had a lovely baritone as we sang a duet about traffic safety, but it was a bit frightening at the time!

I did mention it to the cats, but they just asked me if I wouldn't rather go play a few rounds of that unicorn game with the rainbows and the beautiful music. Which would be such fun, but first I must be certain that there are enough cups for -- er, I mean, I find this subject fascinating in a purely hypothetical sense, and would like to know more about it in case I should ever have need of it!

So if, say, someone -- a hypothetical someone -- might hypothetically happen to be interested in creating something, would any of you kind souls have some advice that might, hypothetically, help them to do so? Hypothetically, of course!

[There's some hesitation to see if the Vine is working as its supposed to, and then Japan clears her throat a little before speaking.]

I've been rather quiet since I've arrived here, haven't I? Ah... for those of you I haven't met yet, allow me to introduce myself. I am Japan. I came here quite some time ago, but I've been busy...

Ah, you see..! I'm quite skilled with creating things. I have been trying my very best to see what sorts of things I could put together in order to return us home, but I am not sure if a place like this really has anything. ...I have also been attempting methods like clutching a very important item and chanting while waiting for a transformation sequence, and spinning to see if I have gained any powers--!

However, nothing seems to work. So while I continue to ponder this... I'd be very happy to meet you.

[ooc: WOO went on an unofficial slowatus thing of sorts. I haven't been tagging around, but I hope to now!]

...this isn't so bad.

[Have a rare moment where Santana doesn't sound royally pissed off. You can find her gazing at the sky from the orchard, if you want.]