[ 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

Comments

[swordsandfans]

[Having heard the message earlier, Sokka was going to reply. But... the message ended. So later, when heading north to the village, he does notice someone by the bridge. Someone who looks like Shirley. But... not Shirley, right?

Standing higher on the slope, he speaks up:]

Hey.

[blessingone]

[She looks up. Oh, it's Su--no, wait. Sokka.

--Drat. Someone who knows Shirley. She should tell him that she's not Shirley, but...awkward.] ...Hey.

[swordsandfans]

[Coming down there to sit down.]

... Fenimore, right?

[blessingone]

--Huh? [She knows that she doesn't act much -- or anything -- like Shirley, but how did he so quickly...?]

Oh. You heard, didn't you?

[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?

[Action]

[raizanshou]

[Asbel hadn't seen the journals yet today, so as he approaches the bridge, he spots the familiar girl. Or so he thinks, at least.]

Ah, it's you. ...You're wearing the hat after all?

[Action]

[blessingone]

[Ugh, another case of mistaken identity. She doesn't look up right away.]

I'm not wearing the hat because I like it. I only took it because I didn't have anything else to wear. [Wait, she probably should have started with saying that she's not Shirley rather than with blatant lies.]

[Action]

[raizanshou]

Oh. You seemed like you were pretty taken with it before. I must've been mistaken...

[Action]

[blessingone]

...No, you weren't mistaken. But I'm not Shirley.

[antiexpression]

[Minato catches that entry, but he didn't know the person who went home and it looks like whoever is actually making the entry has more problems now. So it isn't until later in the day when he comes back home by the longer path that he runs across 'Shirley' standing by the water. He recognizes the face from the journal earlier. That expression makes it difficult to just keep walking past.

There's a random girl stopping and leaning against the bridge railing a few feet from you, Fenfen.]

[blessingone]

[...There is a girl watching her. She looks up, a little irritable.]

What do you want?

[antiexpression]

[he wasn't staring... okay he was a little but it wasn't that creepy honest]

They changed you into the friend that left, didn't they?

[blessingone]

[At first, she's startled.]

Huh? How did--? [Oh, right. The journal.] ...Yeah. The timing couldn't have been better. [Except, by her tone, she means "worse."]

[voice]

[adashofblue]

[ "Shirley" .... that's a vaguely familiar name. Hasn't Fenimore--?

Oh, no.

She knows this is a long shot, but she has to try. If only she could be certain it was Fenimore.... ]

Hey, are ... are you okay?

[voice]

[blessingone]

[ It takes a while before there's a reply -- it's only after she's had some time to sulk down by the river that she even opens her journal again. But she replies almost immediately after she finds it -- Xion had replied quickly to her in the same kind of situation, hadn't she? ]

...I'm fine. [ Though she doesn't really sound it -- she just still feels that she should be happy for Shirley getting out, not upset. ] Don't worry about it, Xion.

[voice]

[adashofblue]

[ it is her. oh, Fenimore. ]

... you know I'm going to. [ said with some fondness. ] Would you ... like some company?

[voice]

[blessingone]

[ there's a pause. ]

It's not like I can really stop you. [ this translates from tsundere into English as "yes, I would appreciate company from someone who doesn't know Shirley and won't be made uncomfortable by how I look right now." ] I'm by the southern bridge.