hugtopia | [video]

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[video]

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?

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... Okay.

[She was happy, she said. Vianca ducked her head, just a tiny bit.]

Mmm. Thank you for coming?

Mm! I wanted to see you! Am I keeping you from--oh!! [ Shifting, Kyoko pulls her bag around in front of her to pull out a ribbon-wrapped package that's larger than her head. ]

--This is changing the subject, and it's kinda late, but I wanted to give you your birthday present.

...

...

... A birthday...

[Vianca stared at the package with wide eyes. Had her birthday happened? When was that? Kyoko doing this a second time was a thing all on its own, but how long had she kept it? Why had she kept it in the first place?

This packaged presented a whole lot of things that Vianca wasn't processing fast enough, so for a few more moments she just. Stared at it. While her hands gingerly curled themselves into the hem of her sweatervest.]

[ How could she possibly have thrown it away, or given it to someone else? Even if she'd never gotten the chance to give it to her, this was Vianca's. It could finally go to its proper home with her now, that was all.

... If Vianca wanted it, anyway. Tilting her head, Kyoko watched the girl with gentle concern. ]

You... don't have to take it right now, if you don't want. I can hold onto it for you a little longer.

[Oh no. She needed to say thank you properly! It was a very kind gesture, Vianca couldn't let Kyoko's efforts go to waste. She needed to tell her, with words, that she appreciated it.

The tears beat her to the punch though. They were already starting to well up, trembling on her eyelashes and threatening to fall at any moment.]

[ Oh no. Oh no. Was she being too much? Vianca had only just gotten here, and she seemed so fragile--Kyoko didn't know what had happened at home, but...! ]

Vianca-chan....

[ What should she do? Helpless, Kyoko tucked the package down onto her knees, and reached cautiously for those tiny hands clutching that sweatervest. ]

It's okay--I--you don't have to do anything.

[There was a big need to lift her hands to wipe her eyes and banish those tears before they fell. She didn't want to pull them away from Kyoko though, lest she give her the wrong idea. So the tears fell, and Vianca shook her head.]

I... um.

I didn't expect anything.

[ It was a very gentle hold Kyoko was keeping, but insistent, ignorant of any wishes Vianca might have to attend to her dignity. ]

Sorry--that was kinda sudden of me, wasn't it? It's already been this long since your birthday, of course you wouldn't be thinking about it! I should have held back a little!

[Vianca shook her head harder, trying to blink away more of those forbidden displays of emotion.]

You are very... very nice.

Vianca-chan...

[ It had probably been inevitable, but now it was finally time for tears to well up in Kyoko's eyes as well. ]

You're a good girl! Just a really, really good girl!!

[She still shook her head, but it was slowing now into just mild disbelief. Had she made it to good girl status? Was it true? She took a sniffly breath, carefully squeezing Kyoko's hands.]

Is that why I got to come back?

What are you saying??

[ Tears were just openly flowing down her cheeks now; Kyoko made no effort to change this, clinging to Vianca's hands. ]

Whether you're here or somewhere else, you're a good girl, and that's it!

[Fresh off the heels of what happened when she wasn't a good girl, Vianca felt a little wary accepting that. But things were different here, weren't they. That's why Kyoko was right here to begin with, not even counting the way she was holding Vianca's hands so tight or crying over... anything.

Vianca sniffled again and gently tugged her hands away, but it was only so she could teeter forward to hug her.]

[ Kyoko had released her hands without a fight, and there was only a small, soft gasp when Vianca lurched forward. Better open her arms to catch her, then, and then hold her, gently but close. There could be no fighting this. ]

[Vianca held on tight, just in case she was about to flutter away into nothing. She wasn’t sure. Who knew.]

Thank you for thinking of me.

[ And Kyoko's arms stayed right there, snug and warm. No fluttering anywhere for anybody. ]

There's no way I'd forget.

[ Whether it was birthdays or the girl in question. ]

[Vianca took in a shivery breath, shaking her head.]

That’s not true. People forget alll the time, even when they don’t want to.

[She’d seen it happen, over and over. Friends that no longer knew each other. People that had forgotten important things. Strangers that were achingly familiar.]

This is very lucky.

[ Her arms constricted tighter around the girl, because what could she say to that? Kyoko knew better than to make rosy promises when there was so much she couldn't control, even if Vianca wasn't too smart to believe them. ]

... Then don't say thank you. If it's only luck, then all you have to do is cherish it.

No.

[Vianca squeezed her a little more.]

It may be luck but... You still wanted to. You did not have to. Thank you.

[ There's a pause, and then a fond little sigh. ]

Jeez... At least open your present before you thank me so much.

[Oh right. The present.]

.... Mm.

[Vianca gingerly pulled away, taking a moment to rub her eyes on her sleeve before she looked back down at the present in question. It sure was a present. Settling her hands on it, Vianca glanced back up at Kyoko as if to ask if Right Now was okay.]

[ Releasing the girl but not moving away any further, Kyoko met her eyes with an encouraging little smile, and pressed the package into those questioning hands. Go ahead, presents are meant to be opened.

The package is kind of soft and flimsy, and not particularly heavy for its size. What can you expect from blankets. ]

[She'd admittedly been a bit intimidated by the size, and finding how light it was didn't actually help. Her eyes went round as she carefully revealed the soft secrets. Oh, how cozy. Where did Kyoko get this...?

Part of her already knew that wasn't the right question to ask, especially as she ran her fingers over those knit pink flowers.]

... They're the same ones.

[ Whenever Vianca got around to unfolding it, she would discover that it wasn't all that big, actually. Just large enough for a small girl to get cozy in, that was all.

Though she was getting a bit sheepish about all this now, Kyoko beamed. ]

Ohh, you recognize them? The design didn't end up exactly the same, but I tried to keep them pretty similar!

[It was the perfect size for the littlest secret hobo.]

I made sure to use it whenever I could...

[Even if she didn't use it, she had still kept it tucked in whatever book she had been reading. Where it was now, though, she didn't know. The thought made Vianca hold the blanket a little tighter, along with the realization that Ah. This, too, had been made just for her.

Please don't mind this fierce barrage of blinking.]

You... thank you.

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