first ❅ video;

[slightlyoblivious]

[It's been a while since Yukiko has been in the Tower at all - three months, give or take a bit. It shows in her face when she appears on the video feed; this isn't the face of a surprised newcomer. It's the face of someone who has explored enough to know that while she was gone, a lot of her friends have left. Her voice is just a bit shaky when she speaks.]

...hello, Tower. This is Yukiko Amagi. I was here, before, and now I'm back. I think it's been about three months. It's kind of hard to tell time when it passes on a dead world. One day blends into another after a while.

[She pauses, briefly, taking a deep breath.]

I know that there were people from the Japanese town of Inaba here before. They were my friends. I also tried sending them a message. I - I know that they're all gone. The message said 'user not found' for all of them, and so I went down to the graveyard to doublecheck. They're definitely gone.

I'll be okay, though. I know they're gone now, but I can be strong enough for all of them. I know I'm back here for a reason, and that reason must be to make sure they're saved, in the end. Really saved, not just 'saved' as in pulled here again.

...so. What did I miss while I was gone?

Comments

[video;]

[wegotlucky]

People got it in their heads to kill Jason.

Probably could have succeeded, too, if they would have had more time.

[video;]

[slightlyoblivious]

[...well, that sure is a major thing.]

They did what? That's pretty much the definition of a suicide mission, isn't it? Or, well, it was.

...do I want to know how close they got, or should I assume the worst?

[video;]

[wegotlucky]

I wasn't involved in the fray myself, but I heard he got badly hurt.

What that means for us, I don't know. I'm not looking forward to May though.

[video;]

[slightlyoblivious]

It can't mean anything good, at any rate. Everyone - well, no. Everyone but Ruana and Jason seems like you can reason with them. Those two are more likely to do horrible things.

...is it wrong that it seems like we're luckier taking our chances trying to reason with Ruana than try and do anything with Jason, at this point?

[video]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Yukiko isn't the only one who is surprised. Ryoji is in absolute shock, so much so that he turns on the feed immediately once he sees her face, just desperate to talk to her.

It's then that he realizes he doesn't even know what to say. He doesn't know how to explain everything that has happened in the Tower, and he's really not a wealth of information, so maybe he shouldn't talk about that... but the idea of talking to her about how much he missed her seems ridiculous. Not to mention it causes him to look a little teary-eyed. He tries to distract from that by finally speaking.]

I-I'll be in my room. 4-16. Can you... come see me, p-please?

[There. No need to be sappy in front of the whole network. Everything he wants to say is for her ears alone.]

video -> action;

[slightlyoblivious]

[Yukiko's quick to tear up herself. She had wanted to say something on the network, but that felt too impersonal, too weird, too many other things.

Instead, she just smiles, softly, and nods.]

I'll be right there. I - I missed you.

[She couldn't not say that much. She disconnects immediately and within a few minutes is knocking at the door.]

action;

[notsogrimreaper]

[He opens the door almost as soon as she knocks, and then seconds after is throwing his arms around her. One hand rests at the small of her back, pulling her closer. The other ends up tangled in her hair, hair that still smells like cinnamon, just as he remembers.

He chokes back a sob and kisses her forehead, muttering against it.]

God, I missed you, Yukiko... I missed you every second of the day. I wasn't sure I could go on without you and... I just love you so, so much.

[Video; Locked]

[oathshackledbird]

Yukiko! You're back!

[If it's not obvious from his tone, Diarmuid is extremely excited to see her face again. Especially, so soon after finally getting confirmation that she was gone.

It's...been a little crazy around here.]

I will be glad to fill you in on whatever you need to know, but first, find my son if you have not already. He...needs you.

[Video; Locked]

[slightlyoblivious]

[She nods.]

I'm - it's really good to see familiar faces again.

[She can't truthfully say 'I'm glad to be back', because that doesn't feel right, but she can definitely say that with a smile. That smile just brightens a second later.]

...he already asked. I'm on my way to see him. Is there anything I should know before I get there?

[Video; Locked]

[oathshackledbird]

I understand.

[His expression sobers slightly having caught that shift in her sentence. This isn't the kind of place you really want to welcome someone back to, yet the alternative...

At her question, his expression completely sobers.]

A great deal has happened, yes. It is hard to know where to start. However, if you are going to go and see Ryoji so quickly, you should probably know that we finally...faced Sephiroth for what he did. It...didn't go well.

[There is shame in his eyes. Shame and regret. He had wanted to make this place safer for Ryoji--safer for everyone--and he had most likely done the opposite.]

[Video]

[heavenscorpse]

Welcome back. I'm glad you're here.

[She misses Yosuke a lot, and she and Yukiko may not have talked much before she disappeared, but...]

Yosuke's lucky to have a friend like you.

[Video]

[slightlyoblivious]

Thank you, V/V-san. Are you holding up all right? I - I wish I could have brought everyone else back with me. Not that I want them back here, but I know people miss them...if that makes sense at all.

[Video]

[heavenscorpse]

I'm okay. Since I can't control who comes here or who leaves, I've just got to be as strong as I can, right? It's hard, but I can do it.

[Video]

[roses_remembered]

[No, this girl is not Nanako. Still adorable though.]

You were here before?

[Video]

[slightlyoblivious]

[She is.]

That's right - I was here until around last October. I got sent back to my own world after that, though it really wasn't pleasant.

Has someone explained this place to you? If not, I can try.

[Video]

[roses_remembered]

[She shakes her head.]

It's okay; I've had it explained.

[Granted, half of it she doesn't get, but that's beside the point.]

... Did you get a rose?

[Video]

[evokingfool]

[Minato blinks in surprised, before he smiles and respond. Ryoji will be happy to see her again, if he didn't see this already.]

Welcome back, Yukiko-san. I can fill you in on what you missed.

[Video]

[slightlyoblivious]

Thank you, Minato-kun.

[She smiles. It's really good to see so many familiar faces.]

I heard about what happened with Jason, at least. Is there anything else huge that happened?

[Video]

[evokingfool]

Nothing much.

[Ah, is it safe to mention the teleporter on the network? Or is it pointless, since the admins would already know?]

There's one thing, it might be better to say it in person. Otherwise, I was in the fight against Jason.

[Aw yeah, he's in that crazy mission.]

[no_longer_a_king]

A number of things, really.

Are you enjoying the lack of quiet? [That had been the main thing that had gotten to Arturia on her world: the quiet. The complete and utter quiet with only the wind or the flowing of water for noise. Nothing else. Not even the sound of insects or the rustling of plantlife as creatures scurried through the brush. Sometimes it even felt as if the winds themselves were slowly getting quieter.]

[slightlyoblivious]

I've heard about a few of them. Sounds like it's been a wild couple of months.

[She nods.]

I am really, really enjoying the lack of quiet. That was driving me crazy. At first, it seemed okay, but the longer I spent, the worse it got.

[no_longer_a_king]

No more wild than usual for the Tower, if you think about our history as a whole.

If you need quiet at all here, I recommend going to one of the forest floors. They're quiet, but not worryingly so. I also recommend taking your meals in the cafeteria. Sometimes just the sight of people helps even if you do not wish to be social.

[Video]

[sarcasmancer]

[Jade himself wouldn't be someone Yukiko would know, having arrived while she was away. However, he does note her own expressions and consider what she has to say, and wears an appropriately concerned expression for her benefit.]

I'm afraid I can't fill you in on much, having just recently arrived myself; anything I might be able to tell you, you've already heard. One thing of note is that there is someone who intends to attempt to recreate a world for the captives of the Tower to migrate to should it become evident that we cannot restore everyone's worlds as-is.

[[OOC: Can I just say that a) that snowflake is so cute b) you have excellent taste in characters.]]

[Video]

[slightlyoblivious]

That's all right. I think I've gotten the gist of things from most everyone else. The person trying to create a new world is something I haven't heard yet, though. Do you mind filling me in?

[OOC: Thank you! ♥ I missed playing Yukiko here so much I had to come back before endgame.]

[Video]

[sarcasmancer]

Not at all. His name is Lorelei, and he is... hm, how to explain it simply. He looks human but is in truth an entity with a power that allows him to break down and recreate matter. Theoretically, he should be able to do this on a global scale and thus build an entire world, but unfortunately, only the world from which he originally hails due to certain unique qualities it possesses. He's a friendly enough sort, so almost anyone is welcome. He made a video post about it earlier this month, so if you scroll back enough, you should be able to find it easily enough.

[[OOC: Not that I was here when you were last, but welcome back, then! Also, for your convenience, the video post in question is here.]]