Even if nobody else understood

[myagic]

Who: You and memories of Rita (open & closed prompts + scenes available for handwaved viewing)
What: Try to explain the concept of death to a small child who doesn't understand why her mama isn't coming home, witness some terrible stand-in parenting, get mad at plagiarism, maybe dare to knock on preteen Rita's door, or just vibe in a pretty town under a giant tree.
When: Throughout March
Warnings: Mentions of parental death, neglect, betrayal.
Notes: Feel free to use prose or brackets, I'll match!



Events at Rita's childhood home
I. [For Jade, also open]
[It's dark and quiet. Unless you have good night vision, it probably takes some time for your eyes to adjust to the faint artificial light that leaks through a couple of small windows from outside, but once they do, you notice you're in the main room of a small home. There are doors leading to a washroom and bedroom, and you can see into a tiny kitchen with limited cooking implements, as if it's hardly used. The main room has an impressive collection of books, though: floor-to-ceiling shelves line the walls, each one completely filled.

In the dark, it might be easy to miss the child: little Rita is simply huddled on the floor with the lights off. Do you explore? Or try to talk to her? Or maybe just try to find a light switch first before you trip over something?]

II. [Open + available for handwaved viewing]
[Eventually, after Rita waits in the dark long enough, she gets a pair of visitors. They come every night, only to bring cold food and ask if she's heard from her father. The same every night...except tonight is a little different, and it's not just because you've ended up in the house, too, so far unnoticed—and it'll stay that way, if you simply stay quiet and watch the exchange unfold as the couple tries to explain that Rita's mother is gone. Or maybe you'll interrupt the discussion...?]

III. [Open]
[Perhaps you view the above exchange in its entirety, or only catch a few parts, or maybe you don't witness it at all, but instead enter the memory afterwards, when Rita is by herself again. After a moment of pondering, she abruptly dashes to the washroom, calling-]

"Mama?"

[She peers in the tub, opens cabinets, looks in the laundry closet—like she's playing a game of desperate hide-and-seek. No, this child doesn't truly understand what it means that her mama's never coming back. Do you try to explain the concept of death to her?]

IV. [CLOSED to Natsuno]
Ooh—again?!

[After their first memory experience, Rita has learned to at least keep her surprise to a low volume. As usual, though, it's a disorienting experience. One moment, she'd been leaning affectionately towards Natsuno—and the next, the two of them were plunged into blackness. Well, for Rita it's blackness. Natsuno can probably make out a sink, a tub, cabinets, and other fixtures—although they may look differently than the ones he's used to—that identify it as a washroom with no lights on.

He may also catch the clink of kitchenware from a short ways outside the door and an unfamiliar voice:]

Rita, can you pass me that?

Sure. [Maybe he'll recognize something about this voice, even if it's higher and younger than that of the Rita he knows. And there's an odd tension, too—like she's deliberately keeping her voice measured—as she continues.] So, the award ceremony's over?

[A fork clatters onto a plate, and the other woman hesitantly says Rita's name.]

What? You got an award, right? Congratulations. [It's difficult to say if it's sincere, as she's continuing in that carefully-measured tone. Meanwhile, Rita--the one right there with Natsuno--finds his arm in the darkness and whispers to him.]

What did we get into this time?

V. [Open + available for handwaved viewing]
[Rita had been lucky to run into one of her mother's more responsible colleagues. Marget became Rita's surrogate mother figure for four years, helping to cultivate the girl's interest in research...until she let resentment and jealousy take over.]

VI. Rita's hut. [Open]
[If you find yourself in Aspio, the Closed City of Scholars, you might mistake it for nighttime. That's because the lighting is all artificial: yellow glows from building windows, or the greenish pulsing from magic-powered streetlights. Sooner or later, though, you'll realize you can't actually tell what time it is, because the city is built inside a massive cavern where neither sunlight nor moonlight can reach. The place is damp and gloomy, and the few people who wander about are mostly wearing mage cloaks—though there are also fully-armoured knights stationed at the front gates.

If you decide to explore, you may find yourself taking a rickety wooden path built over the rock to an odd two-storey hut tucked into a crevice in the rock. A massive block of crystal juts from the rock and runs straight through the hut, as if it either stabbed through the hut after it was built, or someone curiously decided to build around it—it's an odd sight, either way.

There's a sign on the wooden front door: KEEP OUT. SERIOUSLY. –MORDIO.

Do you dare knock?]

VII. Heliord, the Rising City. [CLOSED to Darcy]
[In this memory, it's late evening, the air heavy with humidity and mist from the massive waterfall that flows just beyond the city's clean new walls. It's a place under construction, all the masonry freshly installed and building windows gleaming. It's elegant, but also has the feel of a fortress, especially with the knights in plate armour—and yes, many of them are in lilac plate, at that—who stand guard at seemingly every turn. Despite the time, the sound of construction continues, too, hammers knocking and saws grinding...even as the workers look like they're barely keeping themselves upright, they continue with dogged—desperate—determination. And it's not just the workers on the walls, either; down below, the labourers' camp offers even worse conditions, as the people must toil away under the knights' watchful eye—or else.

At this time, there's nobody but the knights and labourers about. Oh, except...Darcy may spot a flash of bright red clothes, worn by someone with a familiar set of hair and goggles: Rita, half-hidden in an alcove, peering agitatedly at a group of people moving in some equipment down below. With a frown, she glances over at a stone staircase, and finding it unguarded, moves to creep down to the labour camp.]

VIII. Halure, the City of Blossoms. [For Fio, also open to others]
[Perhaps what draws her in are the flower petals seen through the rift. Once Fio enters this memory, she'll be on a grassy hill at the base of a massive, flowering tree, one that towers over the entire town spread out below. An ever-present gentle breeze carries petals non-stop towards the ground, almost like a gentle, reddish snowfall. Rings of light hang in the sky, though at this angle, it may be difficult to tell that there's a pillar of light emerging from the top of the tree at the rings' center.]

It's still amazing, every time I see it... [A girl nearby talks as she gazes up at the tree in wonderment. She carries herself with poise, and wears a dress of gold-trimmed pink and white—a match for her soft pink hair.

The reply comes in a voice familiar to Fio: it's Rita, of course.] I'm more amazed by you, Estelle.

[Welcome to Halure, the City of Blossoms.]

IX. WILDCARD
[Other options! Feel free to PM or hit me up at divinesaber.]

Comments

IV

[neverleave]

[Sometimes it takes him a while to get his bearings in the rifts due the sensory overload. This time, however, they're in a relatively quiet darkness, so Natsuno is much quicker to recover. They're in someone's house, in the washroom. There are people just outside and - is that Rita's voice? It's a bit different, but the unfamiliar woman keeps saying her name, and there's something off about her voice when she replies.

Natsuno's mouth twists like he tasted something bitter. He hopes he's wrong, but it doesn't sound like a particularly pleasant memory.]

I think it's one of yours, [He whispers back.] You're talking about an award ceremony.

[myagic]

Mine?

[She squints in confusion--towards the general direction of both him and the door--but "award ceremony" on its own doesn't conjure anything particularly memorable to her.]

Well, it sounds normal enough... [Even though she's not sure whose house they're in or who she'd be talking to about an award. Especially in Aspio...

But even Rita will hear her younger self's shouting as the girl finally loses any pretense at keeping calm.] What's wrong about it?!What, that the main findings weren't entirely from my notes?!

You're wrong. It's a coincidence...

Oh, really? It's that full of coincidences? So putting aside the formulae, even the analytical discussion just happened to be word-for-word by chance?

[Especially in Aspio, who else would it be besides... A cold pit forms in Rita's stomach, yet she also feels an angry buzzing in her ears. Her grip on Natsuno's arm subconsciously tightens as the argument continues, although unlike Natsuno, she can't catch everything that's said, as her younger self brings up the initials she writes on her notes, and there's low, derisive laughter in response.]

How ridiculous. Rita, don't you know my name? It's Marget Rowan. Your initials could very well be mine.

[neverleave]

[The technical details are still beyond him, but what happened is clear enough. This woman - Marget - stole Rita's research and got an award for it. Anger roils inside Natsuno, bubbling like soup in a cauldron as he listens to the woman first try to deny it, and then mock Rita's intent to expose her. Eeren't you the one who told me to use it as evidence?

He can feel Rita's heartbeat picking up, the intake of sharper breaths, and he hugs her close, squeezing her shoulder.]

Do you want to step in? Want me to do it?

[myagic]

You were thinking of me as a child!

Yes, that's right...you're still a child.

[With that long-suppressed combination of hurt and fury, Natsuno's touch is the only thing just barely keeping her grounded. Why this memory? Why Marget? She hasn't seen her in years, barely allowed herself to even think about her for a moment-]

...What's done is done. [Her voice sounds odd in her own ears. Part of her wants to go out there and explode at Marget, but the thought of just seeing her face again makes something painful twist in her chest.]

But just because I happened to run into you, walking unsteadily around the city, all unkempt...countless years and years...

[Marget goes on to talk about the promotion she'll get from using Rita's research, the words too quiet for Rita herself to hear, but she reluctantly remembers how it went, anyway. She presses her face into Natsuno's shirt.]

It was a long time ago. I trusted her--she used me- [It comes out haltingly. It's something she's never spoken of before, never felt the need to revisit.]

[neverleave]

[What's done IS done, but Natsuno still cherishes the new memories of friends who stood up for him and tried to pull him back from the abyss. He wants Rita to have that too, but it's her decision.

She's always wearing her heart on her sleeve, but he can't recall the last time he'd seen her like this. It's not like when the captain told them what happens to those who disappear, or when he died and came back. Now she's straining like she holds something back.]

...I'm sorry.

[He lets her bury her face in his shirt, stroking her back and hair gently.]

Did she take you in? [Walking unsteadily, all unkempt. What happened to her?] Years ago.

[myagic]

[Distantly, she still appreciates the offer, even if she's still too distracted to really think about it--but she lets herself focus on him, scent and touch and just Natsuno instead of the painful confrontation happening just outside.]

Not...exactly, but... She came over every day. [She doesn't remember exactly how or why it started. That hadn't been an important detail to keep. Just that, since she was little, Marget made sure she was eating properly, helped encourage her interest in studying blastia, looked after her when she was sick...] Except after this, of course. I never saw her again.

[She never thought about seeing her again. And now that she's right outside the door...Rita still doesn't know that she wants to.]

I pity you, Rita.

Stop it! [Her younger self shouts, unable to take it any longer. A couple more broken phrases slip out, but then they hear feet running past the washroom and a door slamming. A second pair of feet follows more slowly--it's Marget passing by the door this time, and Rita's face shifts, staring at the space where the door is.]

Rita. Rita...Rita?

[...How annoying, that Rita can just picture her face, right beyond... It makes her so--angry? Sad? Maybe it's both...]

[neverleave]

[Natsuno listens quietly, ready to hold Rita for as long as she needs. When she pauses for longer than usual, he kisses the top of her head gently and rests his chin against it. "Came over every day," huh? She makes it sound like there wasn't anyone else around. Did her parents die, then? And this woman took care of her, helped her study, even taught her how to conduct her research and then -

"I should receive the post of director or deputy director... The hard work of an ordinary person like me could never compensate for that. Since you were blessed from birth..."

Like it's something Rita owes her, like it's only fair. How DARE this woman do it and then act like Rita's justified anger is just the caprice of a child. No wonder she liked blastia better than most people.

He keeps his thoughts to himself, because this moment is about Rita's pain, but when she turns to the door listening to Marget trying to pacify her younger self, Natsuno speaks up.]

...she stopped coming? [What a disgusting coward. He pats Rita's pack gently, just to ground her back to the present - her present.] What happens after this?

VII.

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy has no idea where the hell this is at first- the architecture doesn't resemble anywhere on Earth, and she's never heard of medieval people wearing purple plate armour. The sight of Rita does, however, snap it all into place- neither Rita nor Jade are from earth, this must be... somewhere. Sorry Jade she's forgotten what he said about the geography of his world.

Still, knowing Rita and not wanting to immediately get into a fist fight, Darcy shimmers out of sight and starts to tail her, curious as to what she's up to. ]

[myagic]

[Some clues are offered by Rita herself as she carefully sneaks down the damp stones--trying to be stealthy can't entirely stop her from thinking aloud to herself.]

Those "disappearances"...so they're forced down here... And those...

[Her attention goes from the labourers to the equipment being transported in. They're covered in tarps, yet Rita seems to have her suspicions regarding them. She reaches the muddy ground at the bottom, attention still fixed towards the equipment, but now she needs to sneak closer--and there are a few knights around, down here. She creeps behind tents, pauses at a pair of voices nearby: one hoarse and pleading, the other smug and condescending.]

Please...my family...

Will remain in good health so long as you return to your work. Now move, or your children shall take your place!

No, please-

[Distaste covers Rita's features and her hands ball into fists as she peers out--an exhausted labourer is struggling to lift materials while one of the purple-plated knights looks on. Savages escapes her lips in a breathy hiss, and goes unheard by the knight. After a moment, though, Rita looks away and continues towards her original destination. Even she has some discretion, it seems...

She soon arrives at a set of equipment already loaded to one side of the encampment and crouches down, lifting up the tarp. If Darcy draws close enough, she'll see what looks like a large cannon, thick and squat.]

I knew it...hoplon blastia. And right after that treaty... How did they even get these-

Hey! You! [Her muttering to herself is cut short as a silver-plated knight spots her, brandishing a halberd.] Get away from there--wait, you're not one of the labourers-

Shut up, idiot-

[And with her cover blown, Rita immediately casts a fireball, blowing the knight back to lie sprawled in the mud--only for more to dash in.]

Intruder! Arrest her!

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Well, it's good to know that Rita is willing to call anyone an idiot irrespective of how much of an active threat they pose to her. Darcy considers stepping in to help, but the area is heavily guarded and Darcy doesn't like two people's chances of fending off an entire city (?) of guardsmen. It's probably due to the tensions aboard the ship, but Darcy genuinely wasn't expecting Rita to be doing big hero shit. Or maybe she should have, considering the vehemence she continues to oppose the Captain with. It's not the first time Darcy's questioned her sense of justice, and it won't be the last.

Still, nothing she can do for now but to see how this plays out, and wait for a better opportunity to help. ]

[myagic]

[A good dozen knights pile in, but after Rita's next volley of fireballs simultaneously sends another three guards flying, the others don't seem sure what to do--oh, they bristle their weapons and order her to stand down, certainly, but they're clearly not accustomed to dealing with a magic-caster, or else they wouldn't be staying at the perfect range for her to continue picking them off.

...Until the knight from earlier--the one in lilac plate who'd been sneering at the labourer--finally joins them.]

L-lieutenant! She won't stand down!

Can't you lot subdue a single mage? You there--shoot her!

[He points to one guard who's holding a notched bow, and the lackey obeys, aiming and releasing the arrow--it's deflected by a magic shield Rita erects just in time, but at the expense of abandoning the spell she was about to cast.

And that's all the time needed, as now that they have a superior officer egging them on, two lackeys rush in and grab her arms, proceeding to wrestle her to the ground as she screams at them all the while.]

Let--go--don't you know who I am?! I'm an imperial mage--idiots! I saw those hoplon blastia-!

[The officer approaches warily, clicking his tongue as Rita gives away any chance at playing oblivious in her temper.]

S-sir, what should we do with her...?

Well...we can't very well let her go after she's witnessed this, can we?

Er...are you saying...

[The lackeys glance at each other. Someone puts their hand on the hilt of their sword, but the officer waves him away.]

Put her in a cell to rot. We have other work to do.

[The guards haul her to her feet and proceed with the unenviable job of dragging her--kicking and screaming the entire way--across the labour camp, up a lift, and finally to the knights' building, through a barred door to a line of jail cells. They shove her into the nearest one--and then make a beeline for the exit, lest she blast them with fireballs through the bars.

Oh, and she's still screaming, kicking at the cell's bars now-]

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THE HELL YOU'RE MESSING WITH-

[Yes, she's tired from struggling against the knights the entire way, but no, that isn't going to make her shut up.]

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy watches with some interest how Rita repels the guards- maybe they could've made a decent stand with the two of them. But that quickly becomes academic as Rita's taken down and dragged unceremoniously into a cell. She must have lungs twice the size of a normal person for how much she screams on the way there, and Darcy quietly regrets not having brought her headphones for the purpose of blocking her out. Christ.

It's only when the guards have left her alone in the cell that Darcy finally reveals herself, shimmering back into sight. ]

Why, did you forget?

[myagic]

YOU'RE GONNA REG--yaaah!

[Rita's litany of indignant shrieking comes to an abrupt halt with a far more nervous scream at Darcy's sudden appearance, seemingly from thin air. For a few moments, silence finally reigns, before that spike of fear gives way to fuming anger all over again, and she points at Darcy.]

What the hell's up with you?!

I;

[fonomena]

[This particular crack in reality catches Jade unawares through the elevator door, a pale and flickering thing on the side evading notice until it's too late. Which makes the transition from the deceptively warm lights of the ship interior to the darkness in the middle of this house a particularly jarring sort of thing, to say the least...

Stumbling into the crowded little space in an unceremonious fashion, Jade stills immediately afterwards; taking one's bearings is a high priority on these memory ventures, he's finding, and the darkness here only amplifies the need considerably. Although...well, at the very least, it doesn't seem as if he's been dropped into something immediately hazardous. The high stacks of books grow identifiable first, as his eyes adjust to the thin light from the windows...but, as Jade realizes in turning slightly to further take in the surroundings, this doesn't actually seem to be any sort of library at all. Doorways leading into a few rooms including a kitchen--a small house, then?

Jade takes a step forward, but halts again. Frowns down at the small shape he only just notices huddled on the floor in the middle of the living room, startled to realize it isn't actually a pile of clothes in this cluttered space, but in fact...]

Oh, I must beg your pardon. [--It's probably, promising, that this small child(?) hasn't started screaming or otherwise acting alarmed just yet? But. Jade peers down at her, and doesn't opt to move just yet, trying to discern any sort of expression or general reaction down there. Lovely, just lovely, materializing right in the middle of somebody's home...] Seems I've gotten turned around...did I step through the wrong door, perhaps?

[myagic]

[It's his movement that causes the child to start with surprise--and she immediately grabs the blanket balled-up next to her, pulling it over her head and wrapping it around herself as if it can offer any real hiding spot.

When he speaks, she does loosen it just enough to scrutinize him, so he can at least see the dim light reflect off her eyes. Step through the wrong door...? She regards him silently for so long that it might seem like she's not going to answer, before finally-]

When...? Been here...the whole time.

[The words are mumbled, and probably a bit muffled through the blanket, which she doesn't remove. He's not Semyon, at least, but...is that better or worse?]

...Were you under the bed?

[It seems like a logical place for someone of adult size to have been hiding, at least.]

[fonomena]

[Well, those sure are some pretty decent blanket-grabbing reflexes. The child is swift enough in becoming a blanket ball that Jade doesn't quite get the chance to try picking out any particular distinguishing features...which means that he still has no idea whether this is a child iteration of a passenger on the ship, or someone's beloved relation, or--countless possibilities all around. None of them boding particularly well for a stranger appearing uninvited in a house alone with them, to say the least...

At any rate, it's a high little voice that eventually comes out of the ball, and very wide eyes that stare out at him from it. Terribly small bundle overall. Must be a very young child indeed, perhaps even younger than Fio--unfortunate. Jade has always had difficulty enough interacting productively with tiny children even when the circumstances are more normal than this...

Still, he can't very well just not say anything either. He's already being asked a couple questions, anyway--the first one rather surprisingly salient, at least, even if the second one is more expectedly ridiculous.]

Goodness no, I'm pretty sure it wasn't from under the bed. Could you imagine how much dust I'd get on myself if I had? [A bit of a lilt of humor there. Jade settles his weight back on his heels, sinking into a familiar habit of appearing as at ease as possible...which might hopefully be a bit more reassuring than acting tense. Hopefully.] It's happened just now, at any rate. I think perhaps that wasn't a normal door I went through after all--very mysterious! But now I think I'm quite lost...do you know where we are right now, by any chance?

[myagic]

...Mm-hm.

[She can imagine the dust, actually. (In fact, if the lights weren't off, Jade would find that the place is terribly dusty all around, like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks.) She's not exactly in a joking mood, but the good humour does get her to loosen the blanket a little more...

All the better to give him the full force of a five-year-old's dubious look.]

It's my house. [Obviously! Oh, but after a moment, she adds-] And Mama's.

[It is still Mama's house. She is coming back eventually, isn't she?]

[fonomena]

[......Alright, fair, the dubious look is a justified one in retrospect. Here Jade was hoping her answer might perhaps contain the name of a locale or city or something, to give him just a bit more of an inkling as to whose memory this could possibly be...but this sure is still technically correct too, now isn't it?]

Right, I suppose this would be your house, seeing as you're currently inside it. And your mother's as well, certainly. [Jade's tone takes on a conceding bent, as if a very good argument has just been made. With a slight sigh, he takes a longer look around this time, and then--moving slowly, so as not to incite alarm--steps around and a bit away, to weave past stacks of books and a bit closer to the walls, searching for any fixture that might resemble a switch.] I take it she isn't home right now, in any case. ...My, it's no good having a conversation in the dark like this. We ought to turn on the lights, don't you think?

[Actually. It's only just now starting to occur to him how odd it is that there would be a child sitting in the middle of the floor in a dark house like this. Hmm...?]

[myagic]

[She nods, because yeah, he understands how it works! She's here because it's her house. Although she's still confused why he's here, and it's a question she ponders to herself in the back of her mind, turning over a couple of different possibilities.]

No...she went to work. [By itself, that was normal enough. Rita knows how important her mama's work is, so she doesn't complain, even if she doesn't like being alone for so long. So...her voice is small and quiet, but even though she's been alone much longer than ever before, she doesn't say that it's lonely.

Instead, she watches him search for the light switch, and helpfully adds-] It's near the door. That's why you come in through the front.

[She wanted to pretend she was asleep when Semyon and Ellen got here, because they don't help the loneliness at all, but now she's curious about this new person who seems so different from them.

And, in fact, Jade will find something on the wall near the front door, although it's almost more akin to a valve than a switch. If he turns it, it will open the aer conduit to the lux blastia in the ceiling, illuminating a dusty room: aside from the bookshelves and bundle of tiny child, there's a wooden table and chairs for dining, and an armchair for more comfortable reading. There are also blastia models, parts, and tools here and there.]

viii

[sabigoe]

[ This time, Fio makes an attempt to take care not to get carried away exploring every single crack in reality that she finds. So she tries to go about her day at the Bellona Theater, practicing simple ballet moves in one of her newer dresses (minus all the little accessories hanging off of it, for easier movement) from the sundries shop. Until she does a piqué turn right into a rift...

On this venture, she arrives alone without a single stuffed animal companion. Judith's been left behind in the audience seating of the theater. Fortunately, after Fio takes in her surroundings, she doesn't look to be anywhere dangerous. (And should she need to defend herself, she should hopefully be able to summon her lanterns...) ]

Ohhh... so pretty...!

[ Unable to contain her excitement, Fio voices her amazement out loud. Giggling, she holds her arms out in the air and twirls in place underneath the falling petals. She stops, attempting to catch a few pink specks in the palm of her hand. So far, this is one of the most gorgeous places that the fractures have taken her to. She could be anywhere. It doesn't immediately sink in that this is the city that Rita once described to her. Not until she hears Rita's voice nearby. The other sounds somewhat familiar, from one of her dreams which feels like a long while ago now. ]

Miss Goggles? And that's... that's Princess Estellise.

[ In the flesh. Sorry, she's not even trying to be discreet. The two might notice a little girl in a frilly white dress gawking nearby. ]

[myagic]

[Rita notices Fio out of the corner of her eye and half-turns to her as she speaks to her friend.]

Looks like you've got another fan, Estelle.

[After all, ever since Estelle brought the tree and its barrier back to life, she's garnered plenty of attention whenever they step foot in Halure. It's only natural that this little girl is the same--there'd be no reason for her to be looking at Rita, after all. Meanwhile, Estelle herself gracefully turns to Fio and offers a polite little bow and friendly smile.]

Oh, hello there. Are you one of the townspeople?

[Rita tilts her head slightly in an appraising look, though, because Fio's definitely not dressed like a regular Halure citizen.]

[sabigoe]

[ The princess is as kind and beautiful as the ones that she would read in her picture books with happy endings! Except this one's for real. She's stunned to silence, completely star struck. Learning from Rita, the version that she knows, that Estelle was rescued gave her some relief after watching the kidnapping in a nightmare. Perhaps it's an even bigger relief seeing Estelle standing right before her. ]

Um... I... hello! [ This is royalty, so she figures she should bow in return, which she does rather clumsily. ] Oh, no. I'm... uh... I'm a traveler. From very far away! [ Finally, she turns her head slightly. Oh, right. Rita's here too! Sorry, she was so distracted by a real princess... ]

And you must be... um... [ Stammering. In every memory so far, she's done a terrible job trying to blend in. ] The genius researcher!

[myagic]

[Estelle, bless her, finds absolutely nothing suspect or unbelievable about Fio's answer in the slightest. In fact, she practically beams a smile between the little girl and her friend.]

Heehee... That's right! Wow, Rita, you're famous!

Well...y-yeah... [Rita, for her part, is a little too flustered over Estelle's smile to mention that she should only be famous among blastia researchers.]

My name is Estellise, and this is Rita. What's your name?

[sabigoe]

It- it is... an honor to make your acquaintance, your highness. Princess Estellise.

[ Wow. She stifles a delighted giggle. Saying those words feels great and she's impressed with herself! It might have sounded better if she said it while bowing. Oh well, surely they won't mind. ] And you too... [ She desperately wants to call her by a nickname. Don't say Miss Goggles, don't say Miss Goggles. ] Miss Rita. Your magic is amazing!

[ Shockingly the first time she's said Rita's name properly. ]

My name's Fio. [ The Girl of Light. If only she had some sort of fancy title to tack on there. ] It's my first time visiting a beautiful town like this one.

[myagic]

[While Rita crosses her arms with a frown, finding something just a bit off about all this...Estelle curiously tilts her head.]

Oh, you know I'm the princess?

Everyone knows you're a princess, Estelle.

Oh, really?

[Estelle looks mildly surprised by this revelation as she glances back to Rita. She hasn't been using her title when she introduces herself--it just wouldn't do when there's the matter of the imperial succession going on!--but, well...in any case, she happily extends a hand towards Fio.]

Well...nice to meet you, Fio! Please, call me Estelle. [She looks out over the town, at the petals blanketing the paths and thatched rooves.] Isn't it a wonderful place? It was only a short time ago that I visited for the first time, too. I'd read about it in books, but it really is nothing like seeing it in person!