[video]

[pinkmin]

The last several jolts of Vianca's consciousness had not been what anyone could call pleasant. The last thing she had remembered about Havenwell was the warmth of morning sunshine. Then that sunshine had lost its warmth, its departure bringing weak stutters of breath and the crumbled remains of a place that had once been her whole world. The sunlight was still there, filtering in through the broken ceilings and crushed walls. Oh, she had thought as she laid there, a dream. A very nice one. It was a shame she couldn't hold on to it in the end.

Then there was nothing.

So when she opened her eyes in a sunlit temple a second time, she was not sure what to do. She stayed right there for a very long time, until one of the kind priests helped her to her feet so she could find her way. It... had been cold, the last time she had been outside? She thought so anyway, but the more she thought about it, the more she wasn't sure. Maybe it had been warm the whole time?

She had only gotten so far through the temple before she had to crouch down in a corner, because things were a little too overwhelming. Thinking about what the season meant was too much. Starting over was too much. What if it was just her all over again? That, more than anything, was far too much.

It took a very long time, but eventually Vianca slowly picked up the tablet that had been handed to her. Whether it was the same one she'd had or a new one, she didn't have the courage to check. The focus was simply on opening the network and keeping her breath steady.

---


[It was a little bit dark there in the corner of Ohma's temple, but it was still possible to see the pink little girl on the screen. Her mouth was pressed in a thin, worried line, and for a moment it might have seemed like the video frame was actually frozen.

Then she took a breath, and spoke in a spectacularly tiny voice into the screen.]


... Hello?

Comments

[pinkmin]

[She was getting a little more used to this existing thing again. Enough so that now all the overwhelming factors were just that she was being acknowledged. As much as she was afraid she wouldn't be, Vianca hadn't actually expected to be remembered. She knew how it could go the other way around. It was a lot.

She did remember this soft-spoken woman though.]

... Are you and Lup well?

[shroudedsecrets]

... We are well. You were missed.

[ It's always such an odd question to answer, but she can't be certain of what her state had been since the last time she'd had a chance to properly see Vianca. Better to be reassuring, in that case. More importantly, she was more concerned with Vianca's situation, right now. ]

You aren't alone, are you? To get your bearings in this place again.

[pinkmin]

[There was a small dip of her head at the idea of being missed. What a truly foreign concept. It was a nice feeling. A sad one? Something bittersweet.]

I missed you too. [For however brief a time she was allowed to miss anything.]

Mm... A few friends have stopped by.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She gets it, as much as it is strange to hear in return, no matter how cautious she might be about it, to not overstep. Sentiment had value though, especially when memories were concerned, and what might be lost at any time. ]

Did you have a place to stay that is not on your own? I know that your shop was looked after.

[pinkmin]

[There was a good long moment where it might have seemed like the feed had frozen again. There was a pertinent question being asked, but she was trying to process the latter.]

... It... was looked after?

[shroudedsecrets]

It has been, yes.

[ She's well noticed that the question that she had placed more importance on hasn't been answered, but perhaps that was a lot for her to say at once. She'll wait. ]

[pinkmin]

[But... why. Vianca considered this a little bit longer, but the only scenario she could think of was that someone had adopted it much like she had taken over the librarian duties when they had all left.

Ah. It was her library key that locked the door though. She wondered if she would be able to ask for that back.]

Mm. That is good.

[shroudedsecrets]

Noctis should know all who were involved. He is still present, if you have not yet seen him.

[ Again she was careful, not wanting to overstep. But if it helped Vianca to know that a place she had cared about was still there for her, then hopefully it was some comfort. ]

[pinkmin]

I will ask him, thank you.

[It was a comfort, certainly, even if she was taking the completely wrong idea from it. Had Noctis already talked to her about it? who knows timelines are a mystery It would be nice to visit, once she’d gotten a better idea of whether or not she was going to vanish if she crossed past the threshold of Ohma’s domain.]

How are all of the cats?

[shroudedsecrets]

They are faring well, if you would like to visit with them.

[ Look, here's a Kova to poke his nose into the screen. ]

[pinkmin]

[Cat! Hello Cat. Vianca leaned forward a tiny bit, lifting tiny finges to wave from the bottom of her screen.]

Hello, Kova.

That would be nice, I think.

[shroudedsecrets]

Would you like us to come meet you? It is not likely to be too out of the way. If we are not imposing upon you, of course.

[ Sure, she can't teleport anymore, but not many seemed to recall that she could do so anyway. Mostly she just doesn't want to overstep, if someone is already attending to Vianca's needs, but it's such a familiar passivity. ]

[pinkmin]

[She nodded.]

You would not be. I am just at Dr. Ohma's temple.

[It was not a visible thing, but Vianca was relieved for the offer. Being afraid of straying too far from the temple was probably a bit silly, but she didn't know what to expect. She'd heard of people coming back, but they weren't the same ones they were before. What if she was supposed to be different too? Surely it made sense to remember things while she was in the safety of the god of knowledge's home.

These were, of course, mostly the worries of someone who had a while to sit around and W o r r y before she even talked to anyone.]

[shroudedsecrets]

If that is the case, then we can be there soon.

[ Without hesitation, then. Ohma's temple was not so far away from where they were situated, southwest in the city for convenience. A bit of a walk, but that was expected. ]

[pinkmin]

[While the concept of time and how much of it Vianca actually had was a Big Mystery at the moment, she at least confidently had an infinite amount of patience. She felt alright enough about journeying through different parts of Ohma's domain though.

So this time Vianca had made herself very easy to find, perched right there at the top of the temple steps.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ As promised, it isn't too long after their conversation that Honerva makes her way toward the temple, Kova in tow. She has her communicator at the ready, but that doesn't seem necessary, as Vianca seems to already be there, waiting.

She sets the cat down, letting him cross the rest of the distance quicker, to navigate up those stairs to the little pink waiting. Hello. ]

[pinkmin]

[Oh hello there. Vianca gave them both a tiny wave. She held that little hand out for Kova to sniff, and if he deemed her worthy of permission, she would have reached to gently pet his head.]

Hello.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ It takes a moment, for him to sniff and then nuzzle closer to Grant The Permission, while Honerva finishes her approach. ]

Here you are. Are you hungry at all?

[ All of these questions, Vianca. ]

[pinkmin]

[Good. Succumb to pets, Kova. Vianca glanced higher up at Honerva and the continuation of The Questions, giving a little shake of her head. Now that she was out on the steps, she was starting to get some sunshine. And besides that:]

Tamaki brought a snack when he visited. I am okay.

[But if Honerva had also brought a snack, there would be no way for Vianca to say no.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Honerva had indeed brought a snack. It might be a familiar one; cookies that just happened to be ready to go when she'd prepared to go meet Vianca in the first place.

But this was news. She'd been visited and was still hanging around this place? ]

Then you might consider it something for later... as long as you don't wait too long, of course. Has... no one come to take you to your house yet?

[ Sorry, she's feeling a little peak Motherly here and doesn't know what to do about it. ]

[pinkmin]

[Cookies. It seemed a little strange to her to miss something like them, when for her there had barely been enough time to miss anything at all. And yet this was just one of many things she was feeling that familiar ache for anyway. Perhaps it was just the possibility of a forever without people she loved or things as simple as a cookie.]

Thank you.

[But also: hm. Housing. Yes. Vianca tilt her head slightly as she pet Kova, considering.]

No one has to do that?

[shroudedsecrets]

Then... had you been on your own?

[ If that's the case, it might make sense as to why she's hanging around the temple. Her shop was cared for, certainly, but if no one knew where else her residence was, anything there might be lost or gathered up by the citizens for safekeeping. ]

My apologies if I am pressing you too much, of course. It just seemed strange to me that you would linger in this area otherwise, unless you were waiting to meet with someone you were already settled with.

[pinkmin]

[Nod nod.

Being on her own was just the normal thing to be. Even when she was actively in a situation with room mates.... her room mates usually were not around. The transition to being on her own was simple and had simply just been the way of it. Her first trek through Havenwell hadn't changed that either.

But that really wasn't why she was lingering at the temple. Admitting the fear that she would simply disappear once she strode past the temple threshold was too much of one to admit to Honerva comfortably. There was a similar one though that was really just as valid.]

I... am waiting. I want to be sure I remember things.

[She paused.]

... I do not know if the other people that came back did not remember in the first place, or forgot somewhere along the way.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She inclines her head in understanding at that, though quiet in contemplation at the weight of it as it is something that does hit her rather too close; memory itself can be such a sensitive thing. When it came to people, or the ties, or memories of others... and knowing those who'd already forgotten such things. ]

Memory... is complicated. But the fact is that you remember now... and you have interacted with others who can verify that. It further means that you aren't going to lose it again so soon. You're not being told of another Vianca's experience or history, you aren't rejecting outright anyone you see or hear from.

[pinkmin]

[This was all valid, but still.]

I am just not sure if it is me, or if it is Dr. Ohma.

[The only way to be sure would be to leave, but. Well. She wasn't comfy with that thought yet.]