video ♚ oo1.

[bunnivore]

[ it had been a just one night since oz's departure and alice had more or less kept quiet. after spending a night searching fruitlessly, she spent the rest of the dark hours sulking with (1) gilbert nightray until they eventually fall asleep, buried in the sheets like sad children who have lost the dearest thing they held at night.

in the morning alice wakes up and her first instinct is to cry, but the second is something more violent... and of course she goes with that instead.

THERE'S A LOUD BANG. something appears to have fallen and shattered, although it's hard to say when things are happening off-screen. and before anyone can attempt to understand what just happened, they get an earful from one angry looking young girl shouting into the tablet. she never did care for this thing, but at least she knows now that someone will be able to hear her. ]

THEY TOOK OZ AWAY! I WON'T FORGIVE THEM. [ her head's clear but it's hard to stop yelling when you're so upset. if someone could hear her, feel threatened by her,

help her

then she might actually have time to think and calm down. ] How dare they take him away without my permission? Don't they know its the master's job to take care of their servant? How am I suppose to do that when he's not here? Huh? SOMEONE GIVE HIM BACK! NOW! I'm waiting!

[ don't be fooled by her tough exterior, she's gonna burst into tears any minute now.

oh. there you go. the tears roll down. ]

This is all your fault, idiot! [ blames the ne..twork... ] Bring him back... useless! Useless....

Comments

video;

[braavado]

Oz...? [Can it be the same one she's thinking about?]

Young looking kid, bright hair, obnoxiously cheerful?

[Except that one time she caught him on the moon base deck, but that doesn't count. Who doesn't get depressed watching their home (even a temporary one) get blown up?]

video;

[bunnivore]

[ she can't hold back the tears.

it would be natural for a lot of people to know oz, huh? that's a perfect description right there. ]

Bring him back...

[ she wipes away at her face. ]

text

[overclocking]

[ O h . . . ]

Alice, where are you right now?

video

[bunnivore]

[ it takes her a bit longer to see the text but she's never been good at texting in the first place. the last time oz sent her a text, she yelled at him after making a sad attempt to answer back. she almost wanted to throw the tablet then so she never did learn.

this time she doesn't even try and instead, with some frustration, switches the function to video. ]

I DON'T KNOW! [ no, she's sorry. she'll just keep crying now. ] I'm in the castle... there were these dumb round things and some pictures.

video

[cradlerobbed]

[ He's only lost one person from his world who he was sad to see go, but man... things like this are rough, and this girl seems especially distraught over the loss. ]

I don't think it works that way. I'm sorry.

video

[bunnivore]

Tch, shut up! Shut up! You're just as useless and that's why you can't bring him back!

[ while she understands his words ring true, how can she just accept it like that? ]

voice;

[resolve]

[The BANG and the shouting loud enough to wake the dead are what get her attention, but the words are enough to sustain it. Oz is gone. Oz, whose safety, somewhere along the way, had become a personal responsibility. He'd been too much of an idiot for his own good, but she'd found herself dragging his dead weight out the hospital. Repeatedly dragging his hand away when he reached for creatures that could kill him. Feeling relief, on some level, when the Transporter had brought her back and she'd found him alive.

She stares at the tablet in silence for a time. When she finally speaks up, in a quiet voice, it's with something that's far from words of comfort.

She wouldn't be good at them anyway.]

It's better.

voice;

[bunnivore]

[ it's better.

those two simple words didn't make any sense for alice, but they're spoken so softly that she couldn't bring herself to yell. tears still rolling down her face, she's firmly gripping on the idea that nothing could be better with oz gone.

she will probably never let go of that idea.

she needed him... and gilbert needed him too. ]

What's better?

[Video]

[soul_sister]

[Though they were working in different areas, the video from Rosette comes at almost the same time as Chrono.]

Where...

Alice, where are you?

[She needs to bury her in hugs. For both of them.]

[Video]

[bunnivore]

[ she responds to rosette first. with the tears blurring her vision, she could barely make out much past the blonde hair... but she knew that voice. she's happy to hear that voice. it was the voice of someone she could share her sorrows with over oz being gone.

dumb chrono used text. ]

I don't know... I found these round things in the castle.

[ it might explain the shatter. ]

I broke a lot of it.

text;

[thorny]

[...ah. it actually stings a little when she hears the angry words, knows from the tears and desperate tone that Oz has departed them for good. she'd been fond of him, foolishly. it was almost despite herself - he'd reminded Rose of John in so many ways, and people like that had always had a talent for worming their way into her better graces.

but this place was, and seemed determined to remain, pointlessly cruel. Rose keeps herself confined to text, unwilling to show anything but stoicism here.]

I think we all know at this point that nothings functions the way it ought to here.

permavideo!

[bunnivore]

[ alice was never one to hide her feelings. if she's angry, she kicks something and if she's sad, she cries. everything currently being broadcasted over the network is the perfect example of this. when the lavender text pops up, she blinks, rubbing her eyes in order to see the text better. everything looked like a blur.

there's a pause and all alice could bring herself to mumble is: ]

I hate this place.

[ it might be the first time she truly cared enough to feel that way. ]

[duplicitoussight]

[Ah...]

It'll be all right.

[bunnivore]

NO, IT WON'T BE! Oz is gone and they won't bring him back!

[ gripping tightly on her tablet she says her next words softly. ]

We should have left together...

voice

[anklets]

[This outburst is, for Lenalee, in stereo, heard over the network and through the walls, to which every word hits her solidly in the chest. She thinks there may be a bruise there before long.

A minute passes. Then another. It's necessary.]

...Alice.

voice

[bunnivore]

[ it may only be one word, her name, but lenalee's voice rings in her ears and she remembers back to when they were only just in vegas talking about oz and shoes.

the pair still packed somewhere safe, as it can be dangerous to walk around the castle and snow in tall heels, she never had a chance to wear them and tower over oz in triumph as she wanted. she had forgotten people could be taken away so easily due to never having experienced such a loss here before. she just never thought of it, or wanted to think of it. ]

... They took him.

[ she just wants him back... or to stop being here. ]

video.

[debtor]

[Oz is—?

Ah.

There's a sharp pang in his chest, as the tears build in Alice's eyes. Oz is (was-?) important to a lot of people, he knows that much. If he really has gone, if he's returned home for good now...

(Lenalee. He needs to find her, as well.)]

Miss Alice... [ his voice is soft. ]

When did you notice he'd gone?

video.

[bunnivore]

Buffet boy!

[ yes, that's his nickname now. she shouts it, fighting back the tears because it's so hard to yell when you're all choked up.

she tries to remember when she noticed it, but it was more of a feeling than having him missing in the room for much too long. connected by a contract, fate, or whatever it may be... she just knew. ]

I... I don't know, I just couldn't feel that he was here anymore so Seaweed Head and I went to find him...

audio;

[concealingeyes]

[She doesn't know who this person is and she doesn't need to. The feelings she's showing are enough.

Oz... She just gave him candy not long ago. He was so happy. People really can just vanish without a trace, can't they? Kido's been lucky but only now does she understand.]

...They might bring him back someday. But it doesn't seem to happen a lot. ...Oz is a really good person. He was my friend...

audio;

[bunnivore]

Who are you?

[ it's not said defensively, because she knows oz has made many friends during his time here. however, it's an important question to her right now. ]

I just... I want to go home.

[ she didn't care for this place. she didn't care whether it's oz who comes back or if she's the one sent back home. home is where... oz is. ]

1/2 I should be sorry but I'm not.

[tergiversant]

[There's a moment, where he considered asking. This really did change some of the political landscape of their little group, didn't it? And made his own position more secure, for as much as it destroyed some opportunities.

For a moment, he considers, again, a simple text. Perhaps some formal condolences. Maybe a reminder that it is not death, but separation.]

I really, really should be.

[tergiversant]

[Instead, he sends off a text to Gilbert about a relative location of the mess she just made.]

[reassures]

Oz Vessalius? He's gone?

[ . . . ]

Are you okay?

[bunnivore]

[ it takes her approximately 40 minutes to respond. distracted by the company of rosette and chrono, it's probably a blessing since it means nill wouldn't have to hear her shout

no. ]

I... I'm going to wait for him. He... Oz! Oz wouldn't leave me like that.

[ this is what she's decided, with the people around her to keep her grounded when she feels like she's going to fall. ]

He'll come back.

[video]

[therealrisette]

[If there's one thing Rise understands, it's losing a friend. When she answers, overdressed and underage-looking as usual, she looks as if she's about to burst into tears herself.]

... He was someone really important to you, wasn't he?

This stupid place does that...

[video]

[bunnivore]

[ she peers at her tablet angrily, but none of that is directed toward rise. ]

I won't forgive them.