sirenspull | Entries tagged with !: aqua

[The feed kicks on, and .... here's Aqua, dressed for bed, but she's well-covered by a more tasteful night robe. The camera's set up to face her wall desk, and there's a pause as she adjusts the lens before sitting back, settling into the rolling chair and folding her hands neatly in her lap.]

Seems like things are finally getting back to normal ...

[She hasn't heard any other reports or fallout of bodyswapping. Needless to say, it's been ... quite an adventure in self-appreciation to be back to her old self. Dr. Orpheus -- bless that man -- was probably feeling the same way.

Even so, it's taken a while for things to renormalize.]

I hope everyone is alright. I've been thinking, though ...

[Her even gaze lowers somewhat for a moment before she looks back up at the NV.]

This is ... kind of a question for the whole city. Anybody is welcome to answer.

[Clearing her throat.]

If you could find out what happens after you die ... would you want to know? Without having to die first, I mean. ... To know everything. Not just what happens to yourself, but what your friends and family go through, the changes that come about in the world, if there are any.

[Kind of a somber subject, and she wrings her hands once or twice.]

It's only a question, so ... take it with a grain of salt, as they say.

[[ ooc : replies are coming tonight 8/18! sorry for the delay! ]]

rainprism

[Dust. Lots and lots of dust. Several minutes of silence fill the feed. There has been an accidental activation of the video function, and for those first crucial moments, all that can be seen is billowing curtains of dust falling and settling around the NV, which is stationary on the ground.

Gradually, a close silhouette appears -- a long, shapeless lump on the ground to begin with ... until the last bits of dust clear away. The details come into focus. It's probably a white sleeve, but it's ripped, snagged, and slightly stained by the dark orange dust. And there's more -- a hand at the end of that sleeve, partially covered by fingerless gloves, palm down in that dust.

Labored breathing crescendos into range of the NV's microphone soon thereafter, and it isn't long before movement rocks the arm in an unstable to-and-fro motion. The person this arm belongs to ... is coming around.]

Nnnh ... !

[... Albeit painfully. When Aqua plowed into the baseball diamond the first time, there'd been the buffer of her armor to soften the blow. This time, she's taken the full brunt of the impact. But not unlike her first collision into Siren's Port, her recovery curve is rising sharply -- not long after the groan, a green light sets the recording NV out of focus for a moment and a musical trill sounds the casting of a Curaga spell. That arm is bathed in curative magic, and her hand closes around a fistful of dirt before the process of pushing herself into an upright position begins. The move is riddled with pauses and small gasps as sore spots are identified, but she somehow manages to maneuver herself into side-sitting, knees together and bent at an angle, the metallic accents of her boots clicking together as her ankles cross.

At first, the lens of the NV only captures this much; Her neatly folded legs. But her elbows soon find her knees and her face is promptly buried in her hands. The high noon sun has effectively stunned her, and she remains steadfastly in this position ... presumably, to get her bearings.]

Home ...

[The feed continues in this manner. A blue-haired young woman none the wiser to her in-progress broadcast, hiding her eyes like a child, coping with lingering aches, and whispering something with each carefully measured exhalation ... over and over, rhythmically.]

... Home ...

[The light of day is dizzying after a decade of nothing but darkness.]

Home.

mirroredmemory

[The NV is in motion! Or sort of, it's wielder is brandishing it in a busy little cafe, and after a little motion photography, the camera picks up on Aqua, sitting on the other side of a table. The voice that speaks, belonging to the owner of the NV, is Xion's.]

Come on Aqua, show them! It's such a pretty blue.

Xion!

[And there is Aqua, wiggling the fingers of her free hand at the camera. They are sporting a pretty pale blue polish with a delicate design in a darker shade.]

It's not blue, you know. It's Cerulean Cream.

[... because in her mind, there is a huge difference. That's what the label of the color had said, after all!

This response is enough to get Xion to giggle, and the camera wobbles a little as a result.]

But it's still blue! And they still look really, really pretty, I'm glad you picked that one and not Mauve Mirage or whatever that purple one was.

[Aqua's grin widens sheepishly as she curls her fingers, examining the swirl of color ... for the five-thousandth time.]

I guess so ...

[Scrunches up one side of her face, as if coming to grips with the concept.]

... Blue is blue.

[Raises her eyebrows at the NV's lens in some mock seriousness.]

Mauve Mirage would have been a huge disaster.

[Oh no, Xion's having a complete giggle breakdown over this and the NV is now on the table. You can just about see the edge of Xion's hand, her own nails painted with bright, bold flowers. Finally she manages to compose herself long enough to pick up her NV again and manages to point the camera at them both.]

So um, just in case anybody was wondering, there's a new nail salon that's opened and they're giving people free samples. Some of the styles are really cute! Me and Aqua just got pulled in to get our nails painted, it was really fun!

Right! I recommend it to anyone who hasn't had one yet.

[Should she say that this is her first manicure? ... Probably not over the NV. It seems like most girls her age do this a lot. It seems like ... this is normal.]

... Um. Recently, I mean.

[Yep, nice save. Smooth.]

It was very fun.

[And kind of painful.]

...just don't let the nail ladies hear you call Cerulean Cream just plain old blue or they'll give you the stink eye!

[They catch each other's eye and for a moment their straight faces quiver before they both burst out laughing as a waitress comes over to take their order and Xion closes off the feed.]

rainprism

[The click of a blow drier shutting off heralds the beginning of the voice transmission, followed shortly by the roll of a drawer being opened and closed. Aqua begins speaking right away after that.]

Everyone, I'm home.

[She sounds rushed, tired. ... A little different, perhaps, in some implacable way. The drawer opens and shuts again.]

Sorry to've run off like that, I just ...

[Rustling. There's a faint reverberation when next she speaks; She sounds a bit more distant. It's likely the NV is stationary while she moves about, and rustling muffles her voice periodically.]

There were things that I needed to take care of, that's all. I'm back now. I'm here.

( FILTER ➞ SOLSTICE ACADEMY STUDENTS & INSTRUCTORS )