[There's a young girl trying to dodge one of the cats. She doesn't seem to have noticed the vine recording her.]

This is ridiculous. I need information, not a feline escort! Stay away from me, you stupid animal! Shoo! A-A-ACHOO!

[The cat takes the opportunity to move around and walk off, leaving the girl where she's fallen in the snow.]

[The audio on the Vine is...a little more distorted than usual for this message. But that's definitely the Queen's voice coming out of it. Singing.]

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days
Of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us
Once more.

Through the years,
We all will be together
If the Fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon
The highest bough,
And have yourself a merry little...

I forget...how does it go?

Oh, it's so dark out. Won't you help me in these dark days, my darlings?

[She sounds distraught. And the snow begins to pile up...]

[After some tinkering with the vine (which mostly resulted in scribbles and shouted swear words - feel free to have seen or heard them), Santana finally gets it right. Oh, look, a mirror. You're all treated to the image of her primping as she muses to herself.]

This is...insane. I am literally talking to cats. Like a crazy person. I feel homeless.

[Pause.]

Can anyone hear me? What kind of psycho dreamworld is this, anyway? This better not be some Alice In Wonderland shit, because if this Queen of Hearts starts getting axe-crazy, I will shank her.

I asked this cat where the nearest Breadstix was and it coughed up a freakin' hairball on me. Even after I took its damn scrolls. What are the scrolls even about, do these cats have any idea what century this is?

I never thought I'd say this, but I want to go back to Lima.

This is the strangest-- well one of the strangest things I've ever seen! I never thought I would see a megaphone sprout out of vine like this!

I wonder if... [she speaks softly to the vine, asking for some way to show herself to those who are listening]

[and then there's a bright smile of a young girl]

Oh! I guess everyone can see me now right? That's pretty amazing!

Ah! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Minako Arisato. [she lifts up her hand in a polite greeting]. I am a bit confused though... [she rubs the back of her head sheepishly] How did we get here? I remember going to sleep and having a pretty weird dream-- Though I guess it wasn't a dream after all, seeing as how I'm here. I am worried though, considering what's been going on back home.

Maybe someone out there knows something more? I'd really appreciate the help!

[Ramona appears in the mirror holding scissors and a flat iron. She has cut her hair shorter (into a bit of a bob) and straightened it, but it's still the same blue it was before. Several different boxes of hair dye sit on a table next to her - red, pink, mauve, magenta, purple, green, pine green, lime green, sky blue, navy blue, midnight blue, black, sable, orange, tangerine, blond, platinum, gold, silver, crystal, ruby, sapphire, emerald, and a few that might not even exist on the color spectrum. She pauses for a moment before starting to speak.]

Well, if I'm gonna be here a while, and from the looks of things, I am [glaring off to the side, presumably at the absent Queen] I figure I might as well try to keep things interesting for myself. Haven't touched my hair in a few months now other than to re-dye it, and by my standards, that's like decades.

So help me pick, people. Which color says "Help, I'm stuck in an alternate dimension and I can't get out" best?

[EDIT: Later in the day, Ramona eventually decides on a vivid reddish-pink, seen here.]

[ video ]

[The mirror opens on a young woman sitting cross-legged in a clearing. Her expression is blank.]

I have been instructed to use "the Vine." This appears to be a complex communications system disguised as a natural growth. I will follow instructions.

Stand by. Reaching conclusion...

Conclusion: trauma has caused me to form a vivid inner world wherein all military and political concerns are void. I was unaware I was capable of such elaborate human forms of denial.

[A pause.]

Shall I be comforted by the knowledge that I am? In accordance with most stories of such things, other people from my past will now manifest as representations of facets of my personality and discuss this matter with me. Please begin. Please begin. Please begin.

Diana?

[ Caprica has been avoiding Gaius's house ever since she accidentally conjured it from her memories. Once she considered trying to burn it down, but eventually decided she couldn't bear it. The original is already ash and splinters because of her; she doesn't want to repeat that.

But inevitably, she's back there again, sitting on the balcony, where a tendril of the Vine has crept its way up the side of the house — it's becoming part of this place. She has a cocktail glass of something a dull green color — ambrosia and rum, almost unbearably sweet, but she likes it that way — and she's staring off past the mirror, watching the lake as the sun begins to set over it.

When she speaks, her tone is idly curious, or seems that way. She still doesn't look at the mirror. ]

What do all of you miss? From home.

Well, well, well, what have I found here... [France leans in close and peers at the vine.] It seems I have been abducted by some truly horrible people, non? How should I deal with such a thing?

[Taps on the mirror.] Le chaton a-t-il indiqué la vérité? Can you lovely mademoiselles hear me? Ah, someone as wonderful as moi really cannot be held for too long, I am a busy woman.

... Angleterre? This seems like something you would enjoy but if you wanted my company so badly you could have just called. Honestly.

[The mirror opens to a sunny morning, and a girl sitting on the ground. Her wings would probably be reflecting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight if it weren't for the fact that she's sitting under a good-sized parasol - her one actual wish from the stars. It's pink.]

I don't get it.

[She looks around suspiciously at the trees and flowers and other such foresty things.]

Nobody's attacking me. Nothing's that confusing. Even the sun isn't bad as long as I have a parasol.

Living outside is really easy.

So why did sister say I was only safe inside the mansion?

[Private thoughts, hackable if you can read her mood]

For all the holes I could point out in the Warrior Princess's reasoning...why didn't I keep investigating on my own? At the first remotely plausible suggestion from one of the kidnappers, I just sat back and followed orders. Used the meager tools I was given for tiny, insignificant comforts instead of continuing to look at the big picture.

That's not happening again.

[/Private]

[Public, Audio, intended to be filtered from NPCs]

I understand a few people have traveled to the boundaries of the Garden and returned. I'd appreciate any information you have to give, as well as volunteers for some reconnaissance-in-force. I'll be leading an expedition to determine details of the border areas and try to find any unguarded and traversible paths that may exist, as well as bringing back more samples of the strange matter there should we fail to find an exit.



Even if I have to go alone, it's time we forced some detailed answers out of this place.

[Two mis-matched feet appear on the mirror: one encased in concrete, the other seemingly orbited by electrons, not quite to scale.]

Is it like this? Ah, no... I'm supposed to do... this? Cat, are you sure your vine mirror is supposed to do this? Wait, don't--

[After some awkward shifting around of the "camera", the newcomer's face is finally revealed. She's changed back into her normal clothes by now -- though "normal" is a subjective term here.]

Oh... I see. Thanks. Um, bye? --Wait, you never told me your name!

[Utsuho frowns at the cat that's seemed to have lost its patience with her and left. She looks back at the mirror a little awkwardly, unused to this kind of... technology. She shifts in place, stretches out her raven wings, looks a little closer to see what's on the other side...]

...Hello? Hm, I feel like I'm talking to myself. Can someone really see this?

Can the, uh... [She holds up a scroll to quickly re-read and remind herself of the name.] Queen of Hearts see this? Am I supposed to be building something? I think I've forgotten somehow. I don't remember this place at all.

[ Apparently, Revan has just finished changing out of the white shift she arrived in; she's found her Jedi robes, and the video feed catches her fastening her belt and checking the various attached pouches, then pinning her hair up out of her face. The flash of the mirror seems to catch her eye, though, and she looks up, blinking at it. ]

Well, this is— [ She walks over to it, studies it. ] Different. A communications device of some kind? Can anyone see me, or hear me?

[ Her lips part as if she's about to say more, but her attention is abruptly arrested away from the mirror — one of the rabbits is gnawing on the hem of her cloak. ]

Hey, that's— [ She laughs. ] You'll get indigestion, bunny. Go on. [ Shooing it away, she picks up her cloak from the grass, shrugs it on. ]

I should take a look around, see what's here. Maybe find another of those cats; the first one was helpful at least. Though I can't say I've ever heard of using cats to carry information.

[ She looks around again, thoughtfully. ]

Huh. This place reminds me of Dantooine in the spring — only with more flowers.