1;; (briefly) video, voice, action

[nondisclosed]

[Blank is not a morning person. She isn't even a daylight person, really. More used to being shut up in a dark room for days hours on end with the only light coming from her computer screens, the glare of the Gardens' sun had made her squint, whine pathetically from the brightness, and roll over in an attempt to go back to sleep

Comments

action; 1/3

[aureation]

[Gabrielle's about to head over to Seventh Heaven to check on Em if knows any whereabouts of Jules. As she crosses into the Garden, she spots someone who seems to be getting frustrated with the vine. Not recognizing the person, she heads over to see if they're new―]

[aureation]

[―until she catches the glimpse of who it is. A tall, lanky, familiar-looking person talking about computers. This isn't someone new to Gabrielle... in fact, she knows this person. For a moment, she stands there shocked. She didn't really expect anyone else from her world to show up after Aya left.]

Blank? [She asks with a hint of relief in her voice.] You're―

[aureation]

[The realization hits her immediately. The Blank in her world is a man―one who's always been joked around about looking like a woman upon first glance―but there are no men here. Which means...]

―a woman.

[nondisclosed]

[She responds automatically at the sound of her name, not really thinking about it- this weird plant was more interesting, a stranger element of this "dream" she really couldn't account for.]

Uh huh, I'll be right with you....in a minute...

[And Blank goes back to jabbing at the Vine like Bart Simpson with a shiny red button. It's extremely reminiscent of any other time, back home, when she was neck-deep in codes and one of the others tried to bother her.]

video;

[urbanwonderland]

[Reeve has found this mis(use) of the vine entertaining, so there is laughter in her tone when she answers the question Blank hasn't yet asked as well as those she has.]

If you really were dreaming, I'm sure you'd have an easier time with the technology-- as it is, it's some sort of organic mechanical intelligence. Which usually behaves intuitively, but does have its uncooperative moments.

You aren't dreaming, though, you're in a place called the Gardens-- and you do have captors! Though I'm not one of them. Just a fellow inmate.

video;

[nondisclosed]

[The video feed continues to flicker on and off for Blank; she appears in minute-long flashes, the only thing continuous being her voice and how she still looks exasperated, if not yet prodded into real anger- even after hearing the amusement in Reeve's voice.]

"Uncooperative" is right. Not that I ever had a green thumb, but geez!

[She rubs her eyes, blinking hard, trying to catch a strong glimpse of Reeve through the temporary mirror.] ....not dreaming, you're telling me. Sorry if that's kinda hard to believe, miss. I mean, we're talking through a plant, like you said.

Re: video;

[urbanwonderland]

Please, call me Reeve.
[Watching the feed flicker in and out, Reeve draws a quick (hopefully correct) conclusion.]

Let's see if we can stabilize this-- all right, instead of press and then release, press, hold for 10 seconds, then release.

Then press once more. The problem might be that the Vine can't distinguish all of what it thinks are your instructions from one another-- this should act a kind of reset. I'll wait!

video;

[nondisclosed]

Cool, Reeve it is. I'm Dr. Blank- and all right! Hang on-

[Blank can roll with this; these are technical instructions, something her brain is much more gifted in dealing with than sentient plants. The video feed cuts out again and stays out instead of immediately flickering back. A minute passes as, unseen, Blank does what Reeve suggests. Then it returns, Blank looks cautiously hopeful....and grins when the feed proves stable.]

...wow, it worked! This is way better.

[notvitiligo]

No real manual yet. (Actually, I should probably write that out...)

Um, and the kidnappers here aren't big on actually talking to us unless they feel like it. You checked out the, uh, cat-delivered info, right?

[nondisclosed]

Huh? [Squinty-eyes.] I...uh, yeah, I did. Might as well check out everything in this freaky dream, I figured.

[notvitiligo]

Jury's out on the dream part. Though it kind of fulfills a few criteria there. But, uh, if you want some more info, I have a stock of kinda intro brochures and stuff at the library. Or I can try to, um, Vine-fax you one. That's apparently a thing.

[nondisclosed]

There's a library, too....? [Her voice trails off, and she rubs her eyes. Come on, Blank, wake up already...] Why don't you try for the, um, Vine-fax thing? I think I might just get lost wandering around. Gardens aren't really my thing, heh.