[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

[Look everyone, Nakama's back to normal! And she's beaming into the video feed, something that anyone who's talked to her lately might not expect. Unlike the last time this happened, there are no tears, there's no shock - she's just genuinely gleeful.]

It's just like last time!

[After that, she holds up a large picture to the screen for everyone to see: fifteen children standing in a semicircle on the beach, with one very familiar girl tucked in near the middle-left. Those who have been here a long time may even recognise the boy on the far left, but that's another matter.]

This showed up in my room out of nowhere, right beside my picture of my mom. It's all of my friends from home, from the Nature School. I remember when this picture was taken... we'd barely even met, and everyone was so nervous...

[Then she realizes what she's said - just like last time - and her face falls.]

No one's being hurt out there, are they?

Comments

video;

[satisfiedyet]

Those are your classmates?

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh, not from the school in my hometown... it was an extra-curricular summer school. Fifteen of us were picked from all over the country to do it.

[Video]

[spaghettiokay]

No one but the scenery...

[Pause.]

Nice picture. Must've done something right, eh?

[Video]

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh... you mean those plants? Yeah, I noticed the animals were eating it all.

I guess so. [A shy smile, but it's fleeting.] It's just that... last time we were given gifts like this, the people who did something wrong were badly hurt. I wanted to make sure that wasn't happening again.

video;

[integrous]

... Wow, that's a cute picture!

[ don't mind Asahi, she's leaning closer to the screen to peer at it.. ]

You mean you really just suddenly got it? Nobody even gave it to you?

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

I was worried that I'd start to lose their faces after awhile. Now I never will. [She smiles warmly.]

Yeah, it was just in my room, like the picture of my mom months ago. But... are you sure everyone's okay? No one's made any posts about being injured or anything?

( VIDEO )

[accesses]

The Nature school?

That's certainly quite the picture.

( VIDEO )

[whatagoodgirl]

It was a sort of extra-curricular summer class. Fifteen kids from all over Japan went out to the coast and learned all about nature. It was cut off early, but I still really... cherish the friends I made there.

[That's the gentle version of what happened.]

[Audio]

[burntviolet]

I'm really happy for you, Nakama-san.

[ After all the sadness, seeing Nakama like this brings some smile on Hanako's face too. Ah, though that last line... ]

I wasn't hurt- and as far as I know, nobody else was... I received a gift, too.

[Audio]

[whatagoodgirl]

You have to come over sometime, and I can show you in person and tell you about each one. I didn't know all of them very well, but we all talked or worked together at least once. I'm so happy... I'd almost forgotten what some of them looked like.

[She sighs in relief at the news that no one appears to be getting stabbed yet, then blinks in surprise.] You did? What did you get?

video

[ironclad]

I'm glad you got something you wanted, Nakama. It's...lovely. [ Indeed it was. Jasmine's newly-reunited Magnemite, floating by her shoulder, seems to agree, emitting a few cheerful buzzes. ]

I don't think anyone's been hurt; I can confirm the clinic's back to normal. And, erm...this happened before? [ She knows that some travellers have items from home, so clearly it has, but she's not totally sure on the details. ]

1/2

[whatagoodgirl]

I was just starting to lose some of their faces. I thought maybe I'd forget them completely... but now I never have to. [She looks almost tearful in her joy. Her pilots - !

But then...]

Is that another Pokemon? [She leans into the feed, eyes wide and curious.]

2/2

[whatagoodgirl]

[At news of the clinic, though, she looks more like her usual serious self.]

Please, Jasmine... if big groups of people start coming in with anything, anything at all, let the network know right away. This did happen before, and the flipside of the gifts was horrible.

[Action] - because I can wanna fight about it

[burningcreator]

[Shou had the day off, so he'd slept in a bit later than usual. Therefore, it would be into the afternoon by the time he was up and cooking breakfast, tipping the pan to distribute a pile of scrambled eggs onto two plates when he noticed that message.]

[He gave a little grin, grabbing a couple forks and heading for the table... Where Karu was dancing around.]

Hey darlin', git down. I made breakfast.

[Audio]
Oi, Nakama. I made eggs, y' wan' some?

action;

[hushedpenance]

[But Shou, he's cleaning the hanging lights. Let him dance around and do it.]

Why? The work is almost done! [He tilts his head and leans over, dangerously close to tipping.]

Nakama is addressing the network, I think.

[video]

[blossomgale]

I'm not hurt...

Nakama, what's Nature School?

[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

That's really good, Sophie. I'm glad to hear it. [A fond smile.]

Well... do you know what regular school is?

voice

[intenses]

Oh, that's a nice picture! I haven't gotten anything back yet, though. [ and hmm ] And I don't think anybody's gotten hurt but that I know.

voice

[whatagoodgirl]

It's too bad so many people didn't smile, but like I said, we were all kind of nervous that day. I'm not even looking at the camera... [She shakes her head and laughs.]

I hope you do get something. It's a good feeling, having a piece of home. I have a picture of my mom, too, from the first time. [Her voice becoming a bit more grave.] I'm glad to hear this time might be better than that one.

[Video]

[comeonthensexy]

[ That moment of realisation is a visible one, and it's definitely not what you would normally expect. So.

Best check on that. ]

Did someone get hurt the last time it happened?

[Video]

[whatagoodgirl]

Yeah... [She frowns deeply.] An old man was brought in to give us a warning, and if we listened to him, we got gifts from home... but the people who didn't had copies of people they cared about from home stab them. The hospital was overrun, it was terrible.

[Video]

[foodshortage]

[ Hang on.

Something in there is a little out of place. ]

Why would anyone get hurt?

[ He knew there was a reason to be a bit suspicious. ]

[Video]

[whatagoodgirl]

Last time the gods gave us gifts for behaving the right way, they punished the people who behaved the wrong way. They were stabbed by copies of people they cared about from home.

I just wanted to make sure this wasn't another one of those "tests."

video;

[onlyacurse]

[Receiving a video feed of such a cheerful Nakama will get a positive expression out of Souko, she was joyful for the other girl in receiving such a valuable gift from the rulers. However, it will not be long until she hears the final inquiry which will weaken the smile on Souko's lips. Oh! The other girl did experience the nightmare of the Idles of March, it would seem.

Turning on the video feed, there will be a female!Soushi on the screen with a letter in her own hands.]

There is no need to be alarmed, Nakama-san. No one has gotten hurt in receiving their gifts. [Pause.] ...Ririchiyo-sama has not gotten severely injured unlike the last time, so it might be safe to assume...maybe the last gift giving occurance will not be repeated. [At the memory of the Idles of March, her own expression will dampened.] ...I have faith it won't. Not so soon.

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

Um... I'm sorry, who...?

[She checks the name on the post and blinks, then calmly returns to the conversation. The old genderswap trick isn't shocking once you've been through it.]

Sorry, I mean - that's good to hear. It's hard to have faith here sometimes, but I'll do the same. Just... I think we should keep an eye out at the same time, too.

video;

[takebow]

I don't think it's anything really bad this time, Nakama-chan.

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

I'll never trust a gift from the gods. Not completely. [She relaxes a little.] But Jasmine's said that the clinic is fine, and we haven't heard anything from the hospital, so... I guess maybe this is like the Spring Party. A real nice gesture with nothing behind it.

[Her voice is so unsure, though.]

[ ᴠıᴅᴇᴏ ]

[corona]

Everyone's okay. I think the animals are just doing their natural business. Are those really the classmates you told me about, Nakama?

[ ᴠıᴅᴇᴏ ]

[whatagoodgirl]

That's good to know. [She'll still be keeping a close eye on the network, though. Just in case.]

Yeah! I can't remember, did I tell you any of them by name? I can show you what they look like now.

LATE BUT whatev [video]

[revivepartner]

No, they aren't.

[Oh, it's that girl he met in Utgard.]

Why're you asking?

[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh - hello again. [She smiles fleetingly.] It's just that last time gifts were given out, there were punishments too. I wanted to make sure that wasn't happening again.

video;

[biifurcatiion]

Here'th a thought. Maybe thtop worrying about everyone for once in your life. Jutht once. Think of it ath a dare.

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

[She's not used to him responding by video, so she blinks in surprise for a moment, before settling into an irritated expression.]

Sollux. How can I not worry after what happened last time? Everything about my gift was exactly the same... it's not out of line to think that everything else would be the same, too.

[Video | Filtered ] /latest ever sob :(

[imhome]

I think everyone's fine. [ A peaceful and harmless curse, for once. ]

That's a nice picture. [ She's glad to see Nakama so cheerful, but she understands that the photograph may also be a painful reminder of what happens in her world. ]