animus_network | 1st Message

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1st Message

I-Is this thing on?

[The screen shows Tara, looking more than a little confused and lost as she fiddles around with the settings on the terminal. Those of who you know her might be able to tell that she's different in appearance. Gone is most of the softness to her body. Now, muscles can be seen on her arms, as her shaking hands move over the terminal's settings. Her face is leaner, more angled, less round. Even so, she still looks healthy. She's lost weight, since being voted out and dropped back into the tower. But she hasn't starved. She's taken care of herself.

She also looks like she's been crying. Even now, Tara takes a swipe at her eyes as though chasing away the last few tears.]

It's...is it usual for people to be just...gone? To just...go away and, a-and not be here anymore?

...does anyone know what happens to them? I mean...our worlds, th-they're gone, right? So...if they're not here...w-where are they?

[But she knows. She knows in her heart what's happened. And so Tara plunges on, onto new concerns, onto new friends, onto new life and new problems that she might just be able to do something about. Tara wipes at her eyes, sniffles a bit more, and then forces herself to look back up at the camera.]

Well...it looks like the food's back, a-and the power, and...I've seen some people that, th-that I thought were in the pods with us. Guess that means it's over, right? That's...th-that's good. That's s-something.

Are you all okay? Everyone? Being back here, and all. I mean...I-I can't do a lot, with healing. But I can do some. I know a potion. Trust me. I-It helps. So, i-if you're still not feeling great...give me a call.

...I'm okay. [Some of you will know that this is directed very deliberately at you.] I mean, I'm tired, but...I-I'm okay.

[Tara turns to go, but stares down at her feet when she apparently bumps against something. Her eyes go wide in recollection.]

Oh! [Here Tara reaches down to her feet, and comes up holding a much battered library book. The title reveals it to be a book on edible plants. All in a rush, Tara forces out this last, sounding as though she's practiced it in front of the mirror] ...for later once, um, everyone's rested a-and gotten back on their feet a bit...I, I kind of think maybe we should prepare? In case something like this happens again.

I mean...it seems like they fight a lot. I, I wouldn't be surprised, if they all started fighting and left us here some time again. So, um, if anyone's interested...maybe we could all meet up? Swap tips? I only know about, um, plants from my world. Didn't know if, if there was anything else f-from somewhere else that I could have eaten.

...th-thank you.

((ooc: Holy frack, sorry for the TL;DR. But these were all the points weighing heavily on Tara's mind, and I thought it made sense for her to get them all out of the way at once. I'll be making a proper log post in a couple of days, in case anyone would prefer to catch her there.))

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Welcome back, Tara.

_{[Nothing is wrong at all here, nothing at all--]}

Somehow, I managed to take care of myself fairly well, so there's no need to worry on my part. I might be able to help you a little when it comes to the plants, though.

[Tara somehow figures out how to switch over to text, but not before Kohaku will see a look of absolute panic on her face.

She's actually been back for two weeks, you see, but had been making use of an invisibility spell whenever she'd returned to her room. Purely due to the risk of seeing Kohaku.

...but, well, this had to happen sometime. Tara laboriously types out a reply.]

I'm glad you're okay, Kohaku.

[...]

And I'd really appreciate the help.

[The screen shows Taro - physically looking all right, but his expression is tired. He does seem glad to see her, though.]

Tara! Where are you?

T-Taro?

[Tara smiles - beams, really - in relief at the sight of him.] I-I'm on the, the twenty-eighth floor. Th-The one with all the instruments. A-Are you okay?

_{[Kohaku, for her part, hadn't appeared in their room at all until the day before - she'd been hiding out herself, though it's just as likely they'd just kept missing each other.

Oh, she saw that look. But she won't mention it. Better for everyone to let Tara think she'd switched in time, right?]}

Heehee. Well, I'm sturdier than I look. No need to worry.

How about I come see you and we'll look over what all is in that book, and I'll see if I know anything from there, hm?

Yeah. I'd love to see you. [At which point she can fall on her knees and beg for forgiveness. Tara might have a new lease on life, but that only makes her actions before all the more awful to her.

...still.]

But can it be tomorrow? There are some people I'm looking for. From the pods. I just want to make sure they're all right, too.

That's fine! You know where to find me, so I'll wait.

[Tara's about to reply in the affirmative...when she realizes that, no, she doesn't.]

I haven't seen you in the room lately. Did you move somewhere else?

[Her nameplate is still there but, hell, Tara's found out today that all that means is that the person is still present in the tower.]

Hmm. Maybe you just missed me yesterday. Everyone who was in these 'pods' just got back then, right? You don't have to worry after me for being gone just a day. I appreciate it, though!

_{[Lay on the guilt, Kohaku.]}

Either way, I'll be there this time.

Hi, Tara! I'm here, I'm okay. Good to see ya.

[Zidane looks worried about her, but he's smiling a little, too.]

Anything I can do? If you need something, you can ask me.

[ She clicks the feed on to response quickly, eagerly.. but once she does, Urotsuki actually isn't sure what exactly to say - the memory of Tara just.. well, dying like that is still fresh, along with everything else. So it just leaves an awkward lingering silence for a few moments before she speaks up, her soft and slightly blank tone not having changed at all over time. ]

.. Yes. We're.. back.

Urotsuki?

[Tara's clearly trying not to smile like a dork when she sees the girl on the other end of the feed, but...it's obvious enough that she is so very happy and relieved to see the girl again. She gives a little wave.] It's, um, r-really good to see you again. Hi.

I...I missed you.

I know. [She does. She trusts Zidane for that, because just by meaning that he's helped her through a lot. But, Tara shakes her head.] Um, I'm okay. I'd...I'd kind of like to see you face to face but, um, it can wait, until you get s-settled in again. I, I know you're probably tired.

[Yeah, Kohaku. You just do that. Tara feels like she's just been punched in the gut. Especially since she's actually been here in the tower for two weeks.] Great. So I'll see you in the room tomorrow? Or maybe tonight. I'll be there this time, too.

[...]

I'mreallysorry.

((ooc: Want to time skip ahead to the meeting?))

... I'm in one piece, yeah. Mind if I come up and visit you?

[Of course, alone time is okay too. But yeah.]

[Oh. Oh dear. Anyone who's reply to the question "are you okay" is that specific is not actually okay.

No alone time for you, Taro.

But, Tara manages to keep her smile from faltering. If she can be okay while Taro isn't okay, then so much the better.] Y-Yeah. I-I mean, no, I don't mind. I...I'd love to see you. [She's missed you. Honestly, she's almost forgotten what you looked like as a human.]

And, um, I have something for you.

[He was more worried about your alone time but okay.]

You... do? Um. Okay. I'll be up there soon. Stay right there, I'll only be a little bit~.

[He'll take the way through the stupid power nullifying levels since it's faster. :| Bah. Anyway, he manages to make it through, and stops at the music room, hands tucked into his pockets. He looks a little nervous, but otherwise okay.]

Tara?

_{[[OOC: Sure!]]}

It had become a matter of waiting, and that was easy enough. Kohaku made sure to nick a book from one of the libraries to read while she waited in their room, rather than get too bored.

She wasn't progressing far in the text, though. Mind abuzz at the coming confron.. meeting, more like.

*Enoch again happens to pass by a terminal on the dorm floors when this message plays. He approaches and sits at it to reply.*

Are you certain it isn't...as it was with the pods?

[Tara is seeing people she hasn't seen since they saw her die while dealing with the fact that her team lost and her ex is dead.

No alone time for Tara, either. She's spent two weeks alone. It gets lonely.

Tara is standing and examining a guitar when Taro comes in, but she looks up at the sound of his voice. She smiles with tentative happiness, and waves to him with one hand. Her other is clenched tight around something.] Taro! H-Hi! It's, um, it's really good to see you.

[He walks over, smiling slightly. He looks okay physically, at least.]

It's good to see you, too. Are you... holding up okay?

Me, I'm okay. [It's true that there's a lot to deal with here, but he's resilient. And also, helping other people is more important!] Whenever you want! Like I said, just let me know.

[A pause.]

And I still don't believe what they say about our worlds.

[He won't believe that people who go back die.]

Yeah. I mean...I feel different. But, um..."better"-different. I, um...I-I think I did a lot for myself while I was waiting for you guys.

...I promised I would.

And it's, um, it's just...really nice to have everyone back and, and having things back to normal.

[Tara gives him a tiny wave and an attempt at a smile, remembering him from the incident with the hellhounds.]

...I-I don't know. That's, um, kind of why I was asking. I didn't know if, um, anyone else had been taken, when they put us back.

Yeah... for whatever 'normal' is here.

... Did you uh... get something from home, too?

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