fourth bullet :: video

[headedforhope]

[The feed clicks on. Mami's sitting against a tree on the outskirts of the Gardens, knees tucked against her chest and arms loosely wrapped around them. The camera angle is awkward, showing as it does only her back and a partial view of her side; still, it's enough to see the corners of those gold eyes and how red they are from crying

Comments

video;

[aureation]

[Gabrielle doesn't remember her mother; she was far too young to even remember her death. All she remembers of her is songs that come back to her when she least expects it and in photos on the walls of her father's house.]

[And yet, watching the girl on the vine-she can't help but feel something familiar. A sense of loss; someone she loves haunting her. The smallest hint of fear like tendrils in her fingers, rising to her throat.]

[ a lost little girl who was left behind. ]

Mami- [She tries to gather her words, before she forgets them completely.]

video;

[headedforhope]

[It takes awhile for even that single word to reach her; Mami is trying to retreat into herself, hide away from this nightmare made real. How often has she imagined what her mother would say, or her father, if they could meet her again?

Obviously they'd despise her. Blame her. Wonder where they went wrong. What sort of daughter would sell out her own parents? It doesn't matter that she was dying, going cold, couldn't tell up from down. She had failed them, and thus completely earned their hatred.

It's just like the Labyrinth all over again; maybe this was just a charade, another cruel trick of the Gardens, and yet it was one so very easy to believe that Mami can't help but fall for it. All Gabrielle will get in response, for now, is a miserable sniffle.]

video;

[aureation]

[She doesn't know all the details, but she's understanding about how Mami feels. The crippling loneliness, the dreaded dark feeling consuming, haunting of your past-she knows exactly how it feels. She swallows away the sadness and gives the girl a compassionate smile; now is not the time to let the mask fall.]

Mami... [Her voice is gentle, warm. The monsters have not come for her yet.] You're not useless.

video;

[headedforhope]

[After a few dozen, painful heartbeats, Mami slowly raises her head and turns toward the voice. Her gold eyes are watery and vulnerable as they have been only once before, here, and never so public.

Damn the Vine. Damn it to hell. That's what she'll think later, for exposing her like this. A shaky swallow, and all she can manage is:]

...Miss Monsigny.

[First there's only recognition, the realization that the world isn't made up of just her and the spectre that probably isn't her mother but might just be. Nothing else has sunk in.]

video;

[recalls]

[Vanille watches the feed as it goes, heart twisting a little in her chest. She doesn't recognize this girl, but she does recognize pain, and she's more than familiar enough with guilt to see that Mami's bleeding with it. Whether deserved or no, Vanille hurts for her, wants to reach out and make things better. It's her first impulse when confronted with the aching of others, a testament to the inherent kindness of her character, that she wishes fervently that she could take the pain of this girl she does not know, and carry it herself.

Her own existence now is dedicated to atonement, to doing whatever she can to make things right again, and so the scene before her hits so close to home she's nearly knocked breathless. Anyone who regrets what they've done, whatever it is, well, to her they deserve a chance. After all, hasn't she been given so many, in spite of everything?

The feed cuts off, and Vanille holds the blank mirror in her hands, grip so tight her knuckles turn white.] Wait!

video;

[headedforhope]

[Unseen, now, Mami glances across the way at her mother. What might be her mother. Could easily be her mother. It's not strange for dead people to show up in the Gardens; Mami's one of them, after all. And to her, it's not strange that the woman coldly watching from afar would treat her this way- that a once loving relationship was now full of one-sided hate and disgust.

It was all Mami's fault. She hadn't caused the car crash, but by saving herself....well. It doesn't matter how blind or desperate or ignorant the action was. Mami's just not surprised by this, although that doesn't dull the hurt in the slightest. A small, selfish part of her had even been hoping for forgiveness, when she first saw the apparition and worked through the shock that had struck her core.

Vanille's mirror will be granted access to the scene again in a few minutes, although whether it's a result of her pleading or the capricious whims of the Vine is uncertain. Nothing has changed.]

video;

[recalls]

[The mirror is blank for several long moments, and Vanille's shoulders slump. She puts the mirror down gently, turns away to think of what to do, how to help, when she hears sound begin again.

The scene is the same, and Vanille aches to reach out and help, to do whatever she can to alleviate the pain so clearly written across the other girl's face.]

Um... are you okay? [Her voice is hesitant, soft at first, and then injected with the false cheer she's grown so good at using.] I'm Vanille! Tell me where you are, I'll come get you!

video;

[headedforhope]

[She listens dully, tastes her response. Her mouth is dry and her words are as defeated as ever:]

Why bother? Just forget you saw this. It'll be easier for you that way, right?

[video]

[orderlybento]

[... Hikari can't respond to this, other than with horror. She barely remembers anything about her mother, but this guilt and fear is contagious. Reminding her that's she dead, she's dead, everyone that she cares about is dead back home and it's been half-a-year and it still really hurts and-]

Mami-san...

[video]

[headedforhope]

[She looks up, reluctantly roused from her spiral of despair, and could curse.

The shadow, interestingly enough, has moved out of sight for the moment. Not that it helps, not that it dulls the sting of scars laid open once more.]

Horaki-san....? Ah, I'm sorry- you shouldn't have to see this.

video]

[orderlybento]

[Hikari tries to look Mami in the eye, even though it's really hard.]

No...n-no, it's alright! What- Why did that happen? [She's talking about the specters appearing.]

[video]

[headedforhope]

[And she, in turn, does her best to avoid that contact.]

A question like that.....I don't know what answers you're looking for, Horaki-san, but I don't have them.

[Video]

[uberlikehermama]

[What, what the heck was this? What was she seeing? This... oh god, what Mami was saying about her parents dying... was that supposed to be her mom?]

Mami-san...?

[Video]

[headedforhope]

[It stings to hear Vivio's voice. In fact, it hurts to hear anything. Mami just wants to drown in silence, wrap herself up in cold emptiness, as if that might extinguish the deep, deep burn of the things her dead mother said.

And with a jolt, Mami finds herself wanting to be near Vivio's mother instead of her own. The thought is a horrifying and desperate temptation and it makes her want to be sick: hadn't she been trying so very, very hard to not replace her real parents?]

It's- it's fine, Vivio. It's okay. I'll be- [a shaky, swallowing sound; god, why do you have to do this, Vine? why now?] -all right.

Re: [Video]

[uberlikehermama]

... You... you don't sound like it's okay? Where are you?

[headedforhope]

I'm fine. There's...there's nothing to worry about....

[but it's obvious that even she knows how pathetic her attempt to hide this is]

[da_ze_kid]

[ Marisa watches.

It's not like she should care. She barely knows this girl. But as Mami converses with the shadows, an anger lights up in her heart and makes her chest tight. ]

OI!

[headedforhope]

[She jolts, and the shadow seems to shrink at the noise. Mami turns lost, wondering eyes upon Marisa, and notes dully:]

...Miss Margatroid's friend.

[da_ze_kid]

It's Marisa.

I'll be straight. I don't know what's up with your family or what happened in the past. But don't let anyone talk you down like that!

[headedforhope]

Miss Marisa, then. My apologies.

[her voice is defeated, her head heavy as she shakes it once]

Tell me, are you the type to hide from the truth?