[001]

[unbending_spirit]

[a CAT activates to show a girl with her brown hair tied back in two ponytails under a red scarf, wearing a uniform. someone looking closely might also notice the white flower wrapped around her finger. she is standing in front of the vidscreen in the bedroom where she just woke up, her arms wrapped around herself to fight off the cold as snow, impossibly, falls around her inside the room. but for the moment she's focused on watching the Mayor's message--except, at first glance, she doesn't realize it's recorded]

Luministi? Again!? [she stares. but she swallows her worry and tries to be polite to the figure on the screen] Hey, um, Mr. Mayor? I'm sorry, but I can't be here right now. I can see there's some...trouble...going on. [she eyes the snow] But there's something really important that I have to go do first, so could you send me ba--

[but she cuts off as the mayor remarks that he's not there in person] What!? [surprised and annoyed, she steps up to tap the vidscreen] What is this? Some sort of...radio? With a picture?

[she steps back again, utterly bewildered, and listens to the rest of the Mayor's message, brushing snow out of her face and stamping her booted feet for warmth as she does so. and as it ends, she unwraps her arms and clenches her hands into fists in frustration] But how did I get here? Why am I here again!? I have to go back! Randgriz is about to be attacked!

[knowing that her words are falling on deaf ears, she sighs and whirls away from the screen to head out into the main room of the townhome] Hello? Is anyone here? [seeing the gift basket, she riffles through the contents, mumbling to herself] It's like I'm supposed to live here. But why? Half this stuff isn't even good for winter! [she quickly abandons her search, not noticing as the CAT attaches itself to her uniform. she goes to the door and steps outside, starting to shiver by now]

Fuu? [as she walks away from the townhome, she turns in a circle to look around. cupping her hands around her mouth, she calls:] Hey! I-is anybody here?

How do I get out of here?

[noticing all the footprints on the ground, she frowns at them, bending down to get a closer look] Wait...has everyb-body left already? [she straightens again, calling one more time:] H-hello! Anyone out there?

Comments

[tactilekonesis]

Really? Weird, I haven't heard of anyone busting out before. Were you here last year or the year before that?

[unbending_spirit]

Huh? Oh, no, this was recent. I was just...suddenly here for about a day. And then I was home again! [she pauses, thinking about how to be more specific] There were a lot of other people in the town square, and I think most of them had just arrived, too. Does that sound familiar?

[tactilekonesis]

Oh! Yeah, I remember that day. It was kinda weird... [Dad showed up, which was the strangest part for Kon.]

Most of us've been here for a few months, though, so I don't think we were part of that group that came in.

[unbending_spirit]

[she smiles] You're telling me!

You mean everyone else who came here that day is gone, too? But the rest of you aren't? [she frowns; what could cause that?]

[tactilekonesis]

As far as I know, yeah. I didn't think much about it because right after you left, the town messed with our memories and we thought we lived here all this time...

[He shrugs.] At this point, anything's possible.

[unbending_spirit]

[shocked] Wait, what do you mean it messed with your memories!?

[tactilekonesis]

Just that it did. [He doesn't sound like it bothers him, even if it kind of does.] I don't know how else to explain it, but for two weeks, we thought we lived here all our lives.

[unbending_spirit]

That's...wow. [she's not even sure what to say to that] But you stopped what they were doing?