❚ ００１; ☯ video ☯

[gemmeus]

[ the video is clearly accidental - it first starts out with a simple view of the generic heropa bedroom. a bed and a door make for a cinematic masterpiece. it takes a whole two minutes, maybe even more, before the director finally realizes the camera has even been on at all.

she listened intently to the whole explanation of the phone, yet she still hardly understands it.

slowly but surely, a tiny girl with her hair styled in the shape of a pretzel (yes, a pretzel) garbed in traditional dress pops up in the bedroom scene. she looks like she's quite obviously struggling, and when she's satisfied with the camera angle, her expression only shifts to something like mousy, jumpy trepidation. ]

Umm... [ she makes a noise as if she's about to say something more, but her stage fright shines through and makes her hesitate. the camera is moved again for a brief moment but is soon back on her face. ]

I-I've been told that there's a neat-work to speak to other people on. [ she's assuming this is it. ] I've also been told that I'm a 'hero,' but that isn't right. This isn't my home, and I don't live in Flow-ridda. [ if there's one thing she's sure of, it's that she's being bad right now by speaking to all of these supposed people on the network. she shouldn't be speaking so familiarly to strangers. she shouldn't be speaking to strangers period. ]

Have I... been bad?

Comments

Video

[bindsthedead]

No. No, you haven't been bad at all! But we've all been brought here by then mistake, and we have to make the best of it. [Gabriel gives the girl her most reassuring smile.]

[gemmeus]

[ that smile does little to comfort pearl. she squirms and fidgets a bit, clearly uncomfortable. ] If it's a mistake, can't we ask them to let us leave...?

[ahappyending]

No, you haven't been bad. Don't worry about that, Pearl.

Are you lost?

[gemmeus]

Y-You know my name? [ pearl is shell-shocked and even more frightened for a moment before remembering finding people's names is not a thing that requires much effort here. ]

I'm not sure... Is there somewhere I'm supposed to be?

audio;

[orangehoodie]

[It's another kid. A little girl who looks even younger than him. He's a little happy about that, since he's always been surrounded by adults, but he's also a little worried. She's so little. A lot of kids back home thought that being a hero would be cool and exciting, but he knows from experience that it's not all that fun.]

It's not because you were bad. I think they just... bring people in, if they think they're useful, or maybe some other reason.

They just call it 'hero' but I don't think you had to be one before to get called it here.

audio;

[gemmeus]

[ she switches to audio to match him; she's not going to show her face if he isn't...! ]

Are you sure? T-There's nothing much I can do that would be very useful here...

video

[daintylegs]

We're just here because someone thought it'd be a blast to bring us here.

It's not so bad once you get used to it though.

[It doesn't occur to Tailgate to comfort this child. He's been here for months, but has yet to fully grasp what children are. As far as he's concerned, she's just a smaller adult.]

[gemmeus]

Who — Who thought such a thing?

[ she hesitates before asking the next question. ] 'Used to it'?

audio

[katastrophe]

Don't listen to all those people. They're just trying to soften the blow for you, because they think you're weak.

You've been really bad. They sent you here because this is the only place they could find for someone as bad as you.

audio

[gemmeus]

[ oh - she likes to think she's been open-minded about this whole situation, despite how terrifying and probably illegal this all is, so maybe she should heed this person's advice as well... plus, who is she not to believe them?

(but at the same time, who is she to believe them?) ]

... If I should not listen to them, should I listen to you instead? [ not a rhetorical question, please give her an answer. ]

If someone told me what I had done wrong, I would have apologized... What... What kind of bad thing did I do? [ genuine worry has been a motif in her tone of voice. ]

[resipiscent]

"Florida".

[gemmeus]

What about Flow-ridda?

[ it's... it's not getting through. ]

video

[glitterateur]

You haven't been bad at all! [Seriously, she looks cute and not evil in the least bit.] Where do you normally live?

[gemmeus]

[ pearl doesn't know many people around her age (actually, she doesn't know any), but it feels strangely comforting to see another girl and not an adult. ]

I live in Kurain Village. [ the whole 'california' part is an afterthought - ] I-I mean... California.

video;

[fistofthejoestar]

[oh no it's a little girl and she's super adorable. as if Jonathan didn't have enough soft spots as it was, here's another jab at his weakness for kids.]

This isn't a punishment at all - simply the result of a mistake that was made some time ago. It's a bit frightening at first, but there's really quite a lot to see here.

[gemmeus]

A-A mistake? [ she knows she probably shouldn't take her Feelings out on this random person, but her next lines have a little too much emotion in them. ] Why can't anybody fix the mistake? I don't want to see anything here very much...!

VIDEO;

[nooneexpects]

I sincerely doubt you've done anything bad.

But I know how you feel. This isn't my home either.

[gemmeus]

[ pearl is seeing lots of different people today. even some... who look like they've walked out of a fairy tale... ]

Where is your home... if I'm allowed to ask? [ maybe he lives nearby...! ]

video; sorry for all the edits!!!

[earnedmystripes]

[Oh hell, this might be the littlest kid he's seen yet. Porter why.]

Ignore that one jerk, okay? He thinks it's funny to be horrible to people. You haven't done anything wrong, this place just grabs us at random. But you're safe here. We imPorts look out for each other.

it's totally fine!!

[gemmeus]

[ she picks and chooses what she wants to respond to here. 'that one jerk' - the person who told her she's weak and has been bad, she's assuming. he may have been a jerk, but was it really a lie? and is it really true that she's safe in a place where it's normal for people to be kidnapped and forced to stay here? she'll just mull it over for a minute or two before replying. ]

An im-... Port? Is that... what I am? [ she wants to say she's not an imPort, she's pearl fey, and she doesn't belong here! but instead she just looks a bit too close to tears for comfort. ]

Video

[restingstitchface]

[That final word reminds Crane of some things. It doesn't show on his face, which looks quite concerned.]

I sincerely don't know...

You're not crying are you?

[gemmeus]

A-Are you... all right, mister? [ she's embarrassed asking it, but it's all she can do to not focus on his answer to his question. she wishes she never asked. ]

No, I am not crying. [ it sounds a bit pouty, buy of course it's masked with the shyness and everlasting nervousness. ]

voice

[lyingheart]

... It's not a matter of anything you've done. Have you been on your own far from home before?

voice

[gemmeus]

No. I have never left Kurain Village. [ she just had this conversation, it feels like. only a few days ago... at home. ]

I have always lived with Mother and Mystic Maya.

Video

[megabytes]

[Oh no, small lost human child. He's going to use video for this, no matter how much it hurts his eyes, so she can see he's not too much older than her.]

You haven't been bad, I promise. The machine that brought you here just likes to grab people at random. It's not very polite.

[gemmeus]

[ it does make her a bit more calm, and so does what he says. simple and to the point. ]

It's a machine? ... Not — Not a person?

video.

[flightsuit]

[Bad?? What's bad? Sniff sniff sniff hello tiny human!! Yes, that's definitely a dragon on the screen.]

[gemmeus]

[ it takes a minute for pearl to process who this is (or, what this is). when she does, she almost squeaks. almost. ]

Are you... a human?!

video;

[notyourfathersosborn]

[He had no idea this place would grab someone so young.]

No, not at all! You didn't do anything wrong. They appear to be taking people at random. [Not that he really knows anything, but he feels he has to say something.]

[gemmeus]

I — Umm... We... weren't taken here on purpose? [ she sounds surprised, but just a little happy. a little! ]

video;

[onhold]

No, no, no! ( Karina shakes her head. ) It's not anything you've done. People here are just brought here at random.

( She's so... young. That prompts Karina to ask: )

Is there anything I can do to help you?

[gemmeus]

[ karina, that was probably the one thing you should not have asked... ]

Are... Are you able to take me home?

[exchangesfor]

[A child! Toothiana's attention is immediately on the screen]

Oh, honey, of course you haven't. We've just been brought here to help, that's all.

[gemmeus]

[ oh dear god, is that a talking b—

no, no it's a woman. pearl's expression would not let on that she ever had this predicament, but she still mentally kicks herself for even thinking this nice woman was a...

bird. ]

What will we help with?

[video]

[yatagarasu]

[A little girl...in familiar clothing. Has Kay seen this before, on someone who's been here before getting ported out?

Kay shakes her head vigorously.]

No! [She lowers her voice, speaks more gently.] You haven't been bad. People don't get sent here for being bad...they just, uh, get sent here.

[gemmeus]

[ oh, what a nice head shake. pearl wonders if it made kay dizzy...

but her words aren't very comforting, in any case. ]

F-For... no reason?