♘ duel the eighth. ( voice. video. )

[ofnobility]

( voice. )

[There's no video feed at first, just a few plaintive meows and the muffled sound of a girl's voice:] Wait, can you tell me where--

--at least the basketball court? Hold on--fine, leave! I'll find them myself. Stupid cat.

( video. )

[The Vine blooms. It pans in to a sleeve of a dark blue jacket, and then a hand with a silver ring

Comments

lmao oops [video]

[headedforhope]

[Something flickers in Mami's memory, makes her stop and regard Utena. It was awhile ago, their first meeting, and much has happened since- terrible things, beautiful things, powerful things that forced much else out of Mami's head until her mind could calm itself and her heart begin to heal. But after a few heavy moments, the name of this girl comes back to her, and the brief history they shared (if you can even call it that).]

...ah, Tenjou-san. Yes, I remember you; the feeling might not be mutual though, since it's been [a pause the space of a breath as Mami thinks back] a little over three months since we last met. As for your questions....I'm sorry to say that I don't know. There's certainly been no word from a girl by that name on the Vine that I've seen, but something like that isn't always conclusive.

[video]

[ofnobility]

[It's been a while, and Utena's memories of the Garden are still vaguely hazy, hard to grasp. But she remembers Mami, and notably, the magic she'd used to destroy the robots.]

I remember you, Mami-san. It's nice to see you again. Have you been doing all right? [She nods, at the mention of the length of time, having already been told by a few others, and her smile loses some of its brilliance when Anthy is brought up.] Yeah. I guess she didn't make it here with me again. She would've said something by now if she had.

[video]

[headedforhope]

[her eyebrows raise a little in brief surprise before settling- she wasn't expecting to be remembered.] Thank you, the feeling's mutual. And I'm fine. [The response is smooth, yet vague; Mami doesn't want to talk about how she's been. She's tired of thinking about that, weary of the memories, and she brushes a pigtail back over her shoulder as if idly sweeping away the question.]

She might arrive later on, of course....not much has changed since you left, I'm afraid. The Queen's as capricious about whom she spirits away as ever. [her mouth quirks into a curving, tight little grin for just a moment before her expression smooths out again into careful blankness; old habits die hard.] I'm not sure if either of you would be better off here, but that's not my business. I'm just sorry I couldn't have been of more help.

[video]

[ofnobility]

[The answer is vague, but Utena isn't much for reading between the lines (and isn't good at it anyway), so she accepts the answer. The mention of the Queen however, makes her expression darken.] And she's still making the same excuses, I bet.

[She considers if she and Anthy would truly be better off here. Arguably, Anthy would have some greater measure of freedom, the dueling games would be gone...but a garden prison isn't much better.] I'm not sure if she'd like it here or not. She's a little strange, sometimes. [An understatement.] And it's fine. Thanks for letting me know.

[video]

[headedforhope]

Yes, or empty apologies. Like I said, you didn't miss much....besides her latest fit of temper, anyway. [Mami carefully curbs the bitterness in her voice to a subtle edge; it's a conscious step toward trying to accept this place as home.] Honestly, it was pretty nasty, so I'm glad you weren't around for it.

Mm, you're very welcome. If I hear anything new, I'll let you know. [Her expression is thoughtful, curiosity piqued by that comment about Anthy, but Mami doesn't pry further.]

[video]

[ofnobility]

[It's normally difficult for Utena to grasp more subtle nuances in conversation, and this one is no different. She doesn't catch any lingering resentment in Mami's voice -- but she is pinged by mention of the Queen losing her temper.] Really? ...What happened? Was anyone hurt?

[video]

[headedforhope]

[For just an instant, Mami's words catch in her throat, and she has to struggle against the urge to close her eyes and gather the strength to explain. Then the moment passes, and she replies smoothly:]

She wasn't happy that we weren't..."going along with her plans", so to speak, and caused apparitions to appear that resembled those we had left behind. They were warped and hateful. Cruel, distorted, fake versions of people from our memories. [a heavy pause before she continues, words carefully chosen and loaded with meaning-] They couldn't cause any physical harm, but they didn't need to. The things they said were more than enough, I'm sure.

[video]

[ofnobility]

[By nature, Utena is a cheerful girl. But the mistreatment of others is one thing that is always guaranteed to make her angry. She tenses, shoulders drawn tight, her fists clenched.]

That's terrible! All the people here...[She can't imagine how awful that must have been, and glances down.] And she just got away with it? I don't care if she's supposed to be a Queen; that's not right.

[video]

[headedforhope]

[The righteously angry reaction gets a small, tired smile out of Mami. It's strangely heartening to see that kind of spirit and sense of justice....cynicism and bitterness are the true mark of a magical girl, in her world, and Mami misses the days when those things didn't apply to her so easily.]

I agree, Tenjou-san, of course it's not right....although it is the way of things here. For now, anyway.

[video]

[ofnobility]

Then it's gotta change. [It's likely impossible, but Utena isn't one to give up easily, and certainly not one to stand by and wait for things to get better.] She's already keeping us here, but making people suffer...for what? It doesn't make sense, y'know. I thought she wanted everyone to be happy.

[video]

[headedforhope]

Maybe it will. We're certainly not the only two who feel this way. [she's not hopeful about any sudden change in their collective fortune, but doesn't let it show.] Mm....to me, at least, the Queen is what one gets if they put a lonely and deluded child in charge.

[video]

[ofnobility]

Yeah. I bet if enough people got together, we might be able to change something. Waiting it out doesn't seem to work. [And she nods at the description of the Queen.] I can understand being lonely, but that doesn't change anything. Hurting people isn't going to make it any better for her.

[video]

[headedforhope]

So....you propose rebellion. [The statement is spoken with faint, detached interest, the younger girl turning the idea over in her mind like a curious object.] And yes, that's where the "deluded" part comes in. In her mind, she's doing us a favor, and the only way she knows how to deal with complaints or resistance is to respectively ignore it...and crush it.

[video]

[ofnobility]

That's right. [A firm nod.] If she doesn't understand what makes this wrong, it's up to us to make her understand. That's the only way anyone'll be able to get home.

[video]

[headedforhope]

[Her expression is a cross between faintly amused and exasperated.] You sure have a simple way of looking at things, Tenjou-san. A full-frontal head-on assault to overthrow the tyrant, is it? [a quiet chuckle to herself, as if over some private joke.]

[video]

[ofnobility]

I guess I do. [She rubs the back of her head, suddenly sheepish. That's not the first time she's been told that.] But maybe simple's best. It's not like she listens to anything else. We don't even know where she is most of the time.