[ voice/action ] please not now

[xelhes]

[It takes Fenimore some time to reach for her journal after they find Shirley missing. But, eventually, she drags herself over and opens it. It's no small matter for Shirley to have made friends in Luceti -- the girl had spent her first fifteen years friendless. She can't just leave that alone. But, even once she opens it, there's silence for a

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[girliepunches]

[Stella might have left as herself with Sophie holding her hand - just a walk, she had said, she'd be back later, but it definitely isn't Stella who's coming across the bridge and holding a very excited Sophie's hand.

Upon seeing what appears to be Shirley on the bridge, though, "Senel"'s expression changes from pensive to surprised, and "he" takes a few steps forward. But... Stella knows not to hope for anything during these experiments, and no one's returned home only to reappear the very next day.]

... Shirley?

[blessingone]

[Her expression tightens, in both displeasure and a little irritation, as the call. The last thing she wants is to do in this form is meet people who knew Shirley. She looks up with that expression so foreign to Shirley's face, but both it and her intended explanation die when she sees who is calling. It seems that, in her shock, she's briefly forgotten the most likely reason that she would see Senel standing there.]

Senel?!

[girliepunches]

No, I'm...

[And it occurs to her just why she's seeing Shirley. She sighs and tugs Sophie's hand, who follows along obediently as she steps closer still, until she stands a few feet away.]

Fenimore?

[blessingone]

[She's not quite sure what to think at first -- is it a good or a bad thing that Senel hasn't come back? -- but, after a moment, she looks down. Even if it wasn't for Sophie, there aren't too many people who would know herself and Shirley as well as probably knowing Senel -- she doesn't have much to work on so far about why people turned into others, but they all at least seemed to know who they were turned into. Stella was the last person she wanted to run into -- as bad as it was for her, it must be downright cruel for Stella.]

Yeah, it's me. ...It's Stella, isn't it?

[girliepunches]

Unfortunately.

[She offers a little smile, even if it seems hollow. After that, though, Stella sits down beside her, drawing her legs up and... well, she's not really used to hugging her knees like this, so she just rests her arms on her knees and stares down at the bank. It's... painful, to sit beside the person she was missing the most right now, but Fenimore must be going through much more right now. Sophie, seeming to be aware of the fact that her "father" and pseudo-aunt aren't in the best of moods right now, so she sits down near Stella and picks at the grass and bugs.]

How cruel of them... to give us forms like this.

[blessingone]

[She doesn't feel like smiling, but she tries to return the smile as best she can. But it doesn't last long.]

They must have done it on purpose. This kind of timing.... I don't like thinking that they're paying so close of attention to us.

[girliepunches]

Or we're simply unlucky. Everyone seems to be changing into people or things... I still don't understand the meaning behind it all, though.

[Actually, Stella has a feeling. Why else would she turn into Senel, of all people? But she doesn't want to admit it to herself. Not when she already misses him.]

[blessingone]

[Stella's probably right. As much as it seems that who they were turned into is too much of a coincidence, she had seen other people changed into people, even if she hasn't seen enough to notice a pattern beyond that they recognized those they turned into.

Wait.] ...Or things?

[girliepunches]

... I could've sworn I saw a giant spoon floating on its own.

[Sophie can vouch for it, as she springs to her feet and holds her arms out.] Spoon fying in tee ay-uh!

[blessingone]

[Okay, that's weird enough to make "bzuh" temporarily overtake "bawww."]

A flying spoon? Ugh, and I thought I was starting to understand what was going on this time.

[girliepunches]

Maybe someone really likes spoons...? [Yeah, Stella doesn't really get it either.]

[blessingone]

Really likes...?

Oh. So that's what it is, is it?