bibliophile_annex | The First Page: [V i d e o]

Entry tags:

The First Page: [V i d e o]

I haven't the slightest clue why I was brought to...? [What does she even call this place? A forest? A paradise? She doesn't feel entirely settled with calling her new surroundings the latter. Something is definitely off. After all, hadn't she been in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts a moment ago?

Crossing her arms over her chest, she presses her lips together, a determined glint in her eyes.]

My name is Hermione Granger and I know for a fact that I did not choose to come here. Nor did I choose to have wings fastened onto my back.

[That part is quite curious. Bringing her somewhere against her will is one thing, but attaching wings to her back without her realizing it is another. She wonders if she had been rendered unconscious for awhile.]

Is there any way to rid myself of them? They are...cumbersome. [Not to mention they make her feel like a walking target.

She lowers her voice and adds in an undertone:] It's a shame Luna didn't come with me. This seems like something out of The Quibbler.

[Rolling her shoulders to relieve some tension, she exhales.]

I have a number of questions for anyone who has the time. I've tried to speak to the villagers, but they're not terribly... [animate] ...helpful. I wonder if they're under some spell?

[Hermione shakes her head and shifts from foot to foot.]

I would sincerely appreciate any aid. Thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That would have been a waste of time. [Now she sounds a little annoyed.] This isn't the proper time to be making jokes.

Time won't pass back in your world, so time's not an issue. If you don't make jokes and have fun every once in a while, you're going to screw up from being too stressed out. Besides, you would've gone around asking, met a bunch of people, and gotten a mini-tour of Luceti too while you were at it.

... [Hearing it put like that makes her feel a little guilty. She shifts from foot to foot before murmuring:]

I'm still tense. [In battle-mode.] I haven't had a chance to joke or even smile for months. It's difficult to just...

[She trails off, clenching her teeth together.]

I'm sorry for being terse.

Don't apologize for it. I can guarantee that I will mess with you to my hearts content if I'm in the mood for it, just like anyone else. Consider it a friendly gesture. But...

[ No chance to joke or smile for a long time. Yuri knows how that is. ]

Don't let yourself forget how to smile no matter what, okay? It's important. Even if it's hard, that's the one way that you know you've still got something to fight for because your smile is the one thing that no one can take from you.

[ Unless they're like.. a dentist or something, but she doesn't think there are any dentists here. ]

Plus it's a hell of a way to shove it down someone's throat when they think they're winning.

[She laughs softly, shaking her head.] Believe me, I'm used to that. I just wasn't expecting it.

[Everything has been too serious for that sort of thing lately.]

I've honestly been afraid to hope for too much. [And that's all she has left. There's not much else to smile about.] It would be easier if Ron and Harry were here. But I guess that's pretty selfish of me to wish for that.

[Or you can just punch them in the face.]

I can take care of myself. [She'll be even better at it once she has had some rest.]

Edited 2012-07-21 10:14 (UTC)

Hey, if dead people can find something to smile about then I expect you to be able to at least try.

[ Yuri pauses for a moment. With this girl's attitude and interest in trying to get to the Malnosso, she'd thought about trying to recruit her, but there was something new she was trying and Hermione didn't quite meet the bill just yet. ]

Anyway, I'm not telling you anything else about this place until you get more settled in.

[But that's just it. After losing so many people, Hermione almost feels guilty about being calm or happy. She's still in mourning, but she won't stay there. She knows there's a future waiting for her and she's ready to see it.]

I hadn't known the dead could smile, though I had hoped they would. [In the after-life, of course.]

I think that would be best. I'm...exhausted. [There, she admitted it.]

Edited 2012-07-21 10:47 (UTC)

You know now. There are probably plenty of apartments open even if you don't know anyone.

I'll find a place and clean myself up. I also need to find some food, but I assume that's free as well? [Having a place to stay for free is wonderful, but letting new residents starve...

Well, that would be counter-productive.]

Everything's free. If you stop by the clothing store you can find some of your actual clothes from back home there too.

[She makes an amused sound.] So that's what he meant.

I'd rather find some jeans. Not that there's anything wrong with a dress - it's just...

Not practical.

Edited 2012-07-21 11:17 (UTC)

There are so many things completely wrong with being in those dresses that I prefer not to list them if you haven't already thought of them.

[ For example, creepy probably-male scientist assistants changing their clothes, being experimented on to change their bodies, then being dumped somewhere where anyone could find them. ]

Oh I've thought of them. I was disturbed by the wings. That alone proves that we were nude while these scientists fixed them onto our backs.

[In comparison, the dresses seem a little less worrisome.]

I know of spells that can change one's clothing in the blink of an eye. I would like to assume they used something of that sort, but I know better.

Well, I wouldn't say it proves it, but it's the most likely thing that happened. Considering all the weird stuff that happens I could just as easily say that they planted a seed into our skin, it crawled out and blossomed into wings that are secretly a plant that's connected to our central nervous system now and the dress is actually very oddly shaped flower petals. [ The briefest of pauses. ] That's somehow more creepy than the seeing-me-naked idea though.

...yes, that is more disturbing. [Either way, they would be sore.] Doing those things to us while we were unaware is the perfect way to demonstrate their power over us. [Now she sounds disgusted instead of disturbed.] I suppose it is a small taste of what they could do to us in their "experiments".

Edited 2012-07-21 11:39 (UTC)

Most people don't freak out about the experiments every time they happen but so far they've forced me to forget an entire weekend, fall in love with someone I only barely get along with, actually care about romance for a couple of days, turn into a little kid, and randomly teleport into peoples' bedrooms. The wings are just a constant reminder in case we forget in between.

Their actions aren't random in the least. [Something she will be sure to share with Pascal.] Did they experiment on you as a punishment? Do you think they knew about your plans to send them a message?

[She grimaces and sighs.] It's almost like they're trying to be purposefully childish. I can't imagine what they learned from those so-called experiments.

No, they just do it to everyone on occasion. Different things happen and you don't even realize it's happening until it's over most of the time. Personally I hope they know they're going to get a message soon. There's no way that they're learning anything useful from those types of experiments, even if they say that they're trying to help us. Those experiments don't have to do with anything.

I wonder if the experiments are a cover-up? You said you don't know what's happening most of the time until it's over, so what if they are using that time to do something else? Something that isn't immediately visible or noticeable?

[This is becoming scarier by the moment.]

I don't like these Malnosso one bit.

Another big possibility. It's kind of hard to tell and so far the only way we know of into their area is to get kidnapped. [ Officially anyway. Yuri's working on something but she needs the technology for it first and she's definitely not going to mention that to someone she's just met. Or over the journals. ]

And, if you're kidnapped, you will likely lose your memories or become so engrossed in what is being done to you that you don't remember.

[There's a silent "ugh" at the end of that sentence.]

Now you're getting it.

I almost wish I didn't.

It's better than finding out on accident, right?

Barely, though I honestly don't relish surprises.

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;