[Having returned to the Pagoda after the Doctor left, Kariya wasn't aware of anything strange at first. She was often alone at the Pagoda, except for the dogs. But days passed, and the once lively Vine was still and silent. There were no messages. Hour by hour, she began to feel more alone and more puzzled.

So she left the Pagoda and the dogs that followed her like attendants while she was there. Surely someone was still around? Her shuffling, limping gait was unhurried. She'd been healed somewhat by the snakes, but the worms continued their interior assault, and she was growing worse again, day by day. There was another way to assuage the pain and halt her deterioration, but that wasn't an option she'd chosen to take, so this was her lot. She could bear it. If she died again, she'd be revived again, and it would continue until she was able to find her way home, back to the War. It was odd, to have such a distant feeling about her own death, but things were different here. Death was different.

It was so quiet in the Gardens. Among the trees and flowers, she heard birds calling but no human voices. She felt like the last person in the world. It was an odd, lonely feeling. Kariya made her slow way to the orchard, to the silent arcade, to the lake of blood, and finally, found herself at the pale crumbled ruins at the center of everything. She rested a hand on the cool, white stone to hold herself up. Where was everyone?

And last, she reached out for a tendril of Vine and asked:]

Hello, is anyone there?

[A. Video]
[From the looks of things, Nue isn't dressed in her usual dark colors today. Instead, she's wearing the red and white uniform of a Hakurei shrine maiden, meaning she must have finally taken Reimu up on the punishment she had ordered a while back. The fact that the image's backdrop is the Hakurei shrine and she has a broom in hand makes this pretty obvious, too.]

[That isn't what she wants to talk about, though. She just got bored with sweeping, and there's been something else on her mind, too.]

So... Do you think that Pirate Queen is actually going to keep her word? [Her wings flick back and forth like tails behind her, the movement seeming somehow irritable. Apparently, she's incensed just thinking about it.] It's not like I gave her something I can't just make more of, but still. I'm going to be mad if she doesn't come back like she said she would.

[The truth is, Nue is just impatient. It's been a week and a half, maybe, and she's already getting antsy. But she asked for something she hopes will cheer Sanae up, so she's anxious to get her hands on it now.]


[B. Action]
[Alternately, you could come see her sweeping at the shrine in person. Or you could catch her around the fortress later in the day; she still isn't living at the shrine 24/7 now, so she has to go back there if she wants to change out of those stupid miko robes after she's done with her stupid chores.]

[In any case, people picking this option should BEWARE OF ATTACKING MISTLETOE!! Indicate whether or not you want youkai smooches in either an OOC note or a PM.]

[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.

[OH GOD OH GOD SCARY SKELETONS EVERYWHERE

[Alessa (in projection mode) has fled the terrifying and noisy dress-up corpse parade by hiding in the Concert Hall. Having calmed down slightly, she's been exploring and encountered one of the numerous pianos in a practice room.

[She plinks a note experimentally, then spends a moment trying to recall her (sadly brief) lessons.]

plink plinkety plink plink

[A very simple melody echoes faintly down the hall. It's inexpert, but the player has a little smile on her face.]

[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. ]

[Today, while roaming the Gardens, you might come across an unusual sight. Sure, there has been blonde maid in the Gardens for the past month and a half or so, but not one that is so...short. Or young. Upon closer examination, though, it seems that the clothes she is wearing are too big for her, and there's a bag of popcorn from the café cradled in her arms. Ah. Maybe that explains it.]

[The rabbits seem to be out in full force today, too, which isn't exactly helping matters. They harry Yumeko as they follow along at her heels, nipping at her socks and constantly getting underfoot in a way that offers just enough room to act like they aren't trying to trip her. Yumeko's scowl deepens more and more the longer this goes on, until finally she outright growls and throws the bag right at them in frustration. It's tossed with all the force she can muster, candy spilling everywhere as it hits the ground.]

[Whether or not that makes them scatter, Yumeko stomps past them without a backward glance at the mess she's made.]

Hmph...


[ ooc: JSYK, Yumeko has retained all her memories. The deaging isn't just physical, though — her mentality has also regressed, so despite her best efforts to do otherwise, she'll be behaving like a child. ]

Hello.

[Her voice is faint, whispering and hoarse, but it is usually that way, just not always quite so soft. Zinc, pale-skinned and dark-haired, is sitting on the front porch of her little house, one robot cat curled against her side, and a robot bug in her lap.

She's watching the birds in her courtyard wistfully.]

It has been... difficult again. I heard screaming. Sometimes, I wonder... why the Queen lets us be hurt, if she says she loves us. [Large brown eyes blink, the way someone would if they were pushing back tears, but Zinc can't cry.] She can't stop it. Love hurts. It will always hurt.

[That's cheerful, Zinc. She's quiet for a long moment, watching birds peck peanut butter and seeds off the pine cones she prepared.]

I hope everyone is... doing better, today.

[She rests her cheek against the Cait's head sadly and doesn't say anything else.]

[With the singing, the woman in the well, and the nightmares, it's obvious that the Gardens are keying up for something to happen. But what? It's hard to say, but it can't be good. After all, it never is, is it?]

[Maybe you're on edge. Maybe you aren't. It doesn't matter, because either way, when you venture outside at night, there's a strange, otherworldly-sounding keening to be heard in the distance. It doesn't matter where you go; once it begins, it doesn't stop, no matter how hard you try to escape it. Did you think whatever is happening would be so easy to avoid?]

[Whether you expected it or not, the sound follows you, growing louder and louder as more time passes. Eerie wailing and unsettling moaning comes from one side, then another. Something crashes through the branches overhead, or maybe the foliage underfoot, and occasionally there's a whistling of air when that something swoops through the starry sky above. Gradually, the sounds begin to close in, cackling laughter occasionally heard among the other cries.]

[What do you do?]

( ooc notes )

[Kariya comes on the Vine. She's clearly at the Pagoda, where she's been staying for the past weeks. She doesn't look very well. That is, she looks worse than usual. Her condition doesn't allow her much sleep to begin with, and for the past days, she's been getting less.]

Hello. Has anyone else been having--dreams?

[She sees herself, over and over, killing--not only Tokiomi, the man she longs to kill, but other people, too. Some of them are people she's met in the Gardens. She sees herself expelling the worms from her body, turning them into monsters, sending them to attack. She could do that. It would be so easy. Just to lash out, to strike back, to have and show some power...

...but the people here are kind. She doesn't want to harm them. She won't.]

I can't seem to sleep very well. Doctor, or anyone, do you know of some medicine or magic that might help? Thank you. I hope no one else has had any trouble. I hope you've all been well.

[Fionna is doing her best, her BEST to encode this only to Amimiya, but it leaks out so...yep. Free reign to laugh or comment on her].

Amimiya. I've kinda been trying to make this special thing for you, but I suck at it. So I hope its not too dumb.

( Perfect Blue )

[It's Holiday! And she's walking around with two Halloween cupcakes in her hands. No, she wasn't going to eat both of them.]

Hey, everyone. I just wanted to let you ladies know that Alessa and me are moving into the clinic. And don't worry about it, I'm going to make half of it nice and homey, so it'll be fine. No one's going to go crazy staring at white walls all day.

[Her cupcake is moving.]

Sorry for such short notice to Jessica and Gal, though. I really appreciate you opening up your home to me, but I've been planning on moving into the clinic full-time anyway. Feel free to stop by and visit whenever. And that goes for all of-

OH MY GOD WHAT!

[She finally noticed the spider trying to crawl up her arm. Now cupcakes are flying everywhere and she's stomping around. The Vine seems to get tired of this and stops the video.]

[Nue appears to be sitting somewhere high up, because the only thing that can be seen in the background is sky. Behind her back, her six red and blue limbs swish back and forth, the movement uncertain and a little agitated.]

Um... I guess I should apologize for the way I acted when our bodies were mixed up. [She sounds a little awkward as she says it, like she isn't used apologizing and definitely not for something like being a little cranky. For whatever reason, though, she doesn't want her behavior to reflect badly on Kariya, so this seems like the thing to do. She scratches her cheek a little.] I was the one in Kariya's body. So if I was cranky or snapped at you, you should be mad at me and not her, okay?

[...That's all she has to say, she guesses, but she doesn't wave the Vine away just yet. Instead, she mulls something over for a few seconds longer, and then she speaks again.]

...Er. Kariya! Are you feeling well, by the way? If you see this, I mean.

I want to breathe. I am tired of being cold and empty. How much longer.

[She shouldn't be so disoriented by the leaves, but her head feels muddled the moment they clear from her vision. She can't find the path she was on moments before, no matter how hard she looks. And something feels wrong, though she can't figure out what it is...]

[It's something she should notice immediately, but she feels confused and unbalanced. It's only when she tries to make her way back to her home—where was that, again?—that she realizes just what has changed. Or, at least, part of what has changed. Maybe the most important part.]

...It hurts a lot. It isn't supposed to hurt like this...

[She's seated in the grass when she appears on the Vine, trying to give her sore and aching limbs a rest.]

It's...not right. [Her hand curls against the Vine beside the mirror, like that'll help anything.] My body isn't right. Is that how it is for anyone else?


[ ooc: Nue is in Kariya's body! I'm pretty much too lazy to add icons in the comments, so you'll just have to make do with imagining Kariya's face making Nue's expressions. ]

[Kariya is a little more willing to show her face on the mirror now, but her hood is pulled up, and she turns so the right side of her face is facing the mirror, the slack, ravaged left side only slightly visible.

She's sitting outside, near the Pagoda, with a red Chow Chow sitting beside her. The dog tries to climb onto her lap, but Kariya gently holds her back, smiling.]

Hello, Hiro. Down, girl. It's all right, we can play later. [The dog is much stronger than she is, and she exhausts rather easily, but she does like playing.]

I'm Kariya, and this is my friend Hiro. She's a good dog. [The Chow Chow pants happily, standing by. She seems to have assigned herself Kariya-helping duty.]

I already know some of you here, but not all of you. I've been living at the Pagoda. I think that's what it's called. [She gestures toward the building in the background.] So if you need me, this is where I am. I like it here. It's quiet.

[She pauses for a moment or two to breathe deeply.]

I don't want to bother anyone, but... It's hard for me to walk sometimes. Is there something that could carry me around? The ground here isn't even, and I'm not sure how well the wheelchairs I know would work. I don't have any soil, and I don't know how to make something new. I don't mind if it's magic or technology. If you could help me, I'd be thankful.

[Someone has been playing around in the mud, it seems. Behind Holiday sits a brand new building pretty close to the Necessities and the residential part of the Gardens.]

Hi, everyone. I know this is pretty soon after I offered my doctoring services, but after hearing about that... magic dirt stuff, I decided to try it out on something that I think is well needed for now.

I guess you can say that I've opened a clinic. It's near the Necessities and it's easy to find with these little red cross symbols decorating the outside. [She wanted to make sure it screamed "DOCTOR" and "HEALING" place, just in case.]

To start things off with it, I was thinking that I might have a blood drive. If you don't know what that is, it's a time when people can donate their blood to a hospital or doctor's office. If someone is hurt, proper medical attention and an extra pint of blood can mean the difference between life and death. I have heard that death isn't permanent here, but... well, I wouldn't think it's a favorite past time, either.

Also, the procedure is completely voluntary and I'm accepting anyone who is willing. Even if you're the only one of species here, you might need blood some day, too.

Thanks for hearing me out.

[Locked to Gal and Jessica]

I just wanted to let you know that I'll probably be staying over here a good bit, so please don't get worried if I don't make it back on some nights.

[Locked to Akiha Tohno]

Alright. If this goes well, we should be getting some blood in. Hopefully, it'll be a good bit. I wasn't lying when I said what blood is used for, but we'll make sure that you'll be okay.

[Locked to Kariya]

I'm still working on equipment and medicines, but I think I have some stuff that could help you out now.

The Queen's power has to be less than God's... So why do you think He lets us be brought here? This goes a little beyond giving us free will, don't you think?

[Ky's unsure herself, but there's no way to gain certainty. She can only find out what other people are thinking, and that for some reason feels particularly important.]

What purpose are we serving here?

-Here we have Akira, sitting at her piano, playing a little tune as she speaks, addressing the gardens.-

Heh.

It's a good thing I decided to stay in a few days ago, I guess. Wouldn't want to catch anyone in compromising positions, and whatnot. Besides, I'm just not that kind of gal.

Though I suppose I owe some apologies. Having that many dates in one night got me into a pretty big heap of trouble. And beyond that, I let myself go all to hell during the Pirate Queen's little escapade. I've been a damned fool lately... and for that, I am truly sorry. To my friends, my loved ones, and anyone else that gives a care.

Speaking of... I believe I owe one Miss Akiha Tohno a date. I think it would do my karma well to make good on that. So, if she's willing to have me for the evening, I'd love to take her out. Whenever's convenient for her, of course.

Summer's just about over... makes me wonder just who out there in the gardens took advantage of the heat of love, eh? Ha ha...

-She continues playing to the end of the song, turning the Vine away with a wink once she was finished.-

I should have done this a while ago...

[Oh, look. There's Holiday again, this time with her normal clothes (orange shirt, black skirt, knee high boots, and a lab coat because why not) on and walking around the garden.]

Well, first off, I should introduce myself more properly, I guess. My name is Doctor Rebecca Holiday and I thought I should offer my services to the Garden. I am a doctor of theory, but I also practice medicine, so if there's something that the snakes can't or won't help you with, I'll be happy to help you out in any way I can.

Also... while the cat's were accommodating, I think... I should start looking for a more permanent place to stay. Trying to find a way out was, as everyone's told me, useless.

Anyone have any selections of places to live?