fashionably_strong | 4th shopping trip [Voice] Backdated to August 13th

4th shopping trip [Voice] Backdated to August 13th

[Though she typically prefers video communication, Bulla deliberately selects voice. It's difficult to tell whether she sounds a little off because she's tired, depressed, or sick, but she's definitely not her usual upbeat and sociable self.]

Hi, everyone. I could use some suggestions for a distraction or three. Preferably something where you don't have to move around much.

[Truthfully, she's tired, depressed, and not feeling well, though it's due to an injury rather than illness. Her mother has vanished from Luceti, and she's recovering from the worst injury she's ever had in her life courtesy of a cultist.]

...and if you're suggesting reading, please suggest a specific book, because I've already read everything I have here in the house.

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[Phew! Because even if she'd like to help Bulla, Quinn isn't good with medicine except for handing out Asprin or bandaids. Still, part of her just felt the need to offer]

I'll be right there, then.

[Bulla has a couple of snacks sitting out. Rather than preparing actual meals, she's been snacking on healthy and easily prepared things throughout the day as she recovers, and has been getting plenty of rest in between. Of course, that can get boring, hence her request for distractions. Especially since there's a lot she doesn't want to think about right now.]

[Quinn arrives as quick as she can, carrying a pile of magazines and romantic young-adult stories. She hopes Bulla will at least find them somewhat entertaining, she's still not good with books outside her own taste. At the sight of her friend, though, she nearly drops it.

She doesn't look as horribly beat up as Quinn had feared, but she still looks pretty worse for the wear. The havoc it wreaks on her appearance doesn't even register, the fact that those awful people hurt her is what really upsets Quinn.]

...hey. [She isn't even sure what to say. She remembers visiting Stacy when she hurt her ankle and Tiffany when she had a sore throat, but...well, this is different. Very different.]

Thanks for coming, Quinn.

[Bulla lets her friend in, and does her best to put on a brave face, smiling as much as she can manage.]

The Malnosso sent my mom home right around when this all happened and Dad's off by himself dealing with it. He was taking care of me when I couldn't move much at all, but now that I'm a little better...well, he needs his alone time.

Oh, that's terrible! [She sets the pile of literature down near Bulla and sits down on a nearby chair] Talk about bad timing on their part, huh?

Awful timing...especially since our memories were messed with, too. I'm glad we were still friends in those memories, though.

[In fact, she had plenty of good artificial memories . It was just that last bit with Neji where that fake reality got awkward.]

So am I. I'd hate to forget all about you...and we had a lot of fun as cheerleaders, didn't we? And shopping for homecoming accessories!

We did.

[She smiles at the memory. A lot had changed in that alternate reality, but she's glad that their friendship was more or less the same.]

I'm a little weirded out that I completely forgot my brother existed in those fake memories...but I did get kind of lucky. My parents were still my parents.

[Some people had gotten entirely fake families, and had those to deal with now that they knew it was all a lie.]

I'd...probably more than weirded out if I forgot about my sister. [Yeah, she just admitted she would not be dancing on air if she were an only child. Maturity does weird things to a person.]

Well, the creep responsible for that whole thing also made people think they were related to people that they're not, so it's probably a whole lot weirder having fake memories of a family that doesn't exist.

[It's all a matter of perspective. Bulla has a high threshold of weird. But when you come from a universe where you can collect seven magical balls to summon a god that will grant a wish, and where you're half-alien, it's only natural to have a high threshold of weird.]

I just don't get why they do things like this to us! It's so mean! [Quinn, on the other hand, has a lower threshold for weird. Yes, even after growing up with a sister like Daria.]

Edited 2013-09-06 20:51 (UTC)

Unfortunately, there are some people who really are just cruel because they can be. Or some people convince themselves that they have a good reason when they really don't. Like people who try to take over the world.

We had something like that in a war years before I was even born. I only know a little about what happened but the people who wanted to take over were creeps! Good thing they lost.

This horribly creepy guy tried to take over my world a little before the Malnosso brought me here, actually. He was called Baby but he was anything but cute.

[There's some pretty bad memories associated with it, but she'll probably gloss over those for the most part.]

Baby?! Ugh, that's just sick! Babies are supposed to be cute and helpless, not do things like that! I hope he didn't do too much damage.

He was pretty difficult to deal with. I don't know if I ever mentioned it before, but in my world, some people have powers. Baby's was that he could possess people. When he got stronger, he could possess many people at once.

Ohh, I see. No, I don't think you did...ugh, that sounds scary, though, knowing someone could take control of your body like that.

It's super creepy. He's got these gross red beady eyes, too...and when he possesses someone, they sound like they're on drugs or something.

[Bulla shudders a little at that. Not even the cultists who stabbed her scare her that much.]

Luckily, he was beaten and he isn't a problem anymore, but he came close to taking over the world. It didn't help that he targeted people with powers first.

[And Quinn shudders, too, this guy sounds like something out of Sick Sad World!]

Sorry you had to deal with him in the first place, though!

It's okay. It was creepy, but he's long gone. I'll only be worried if he shows up here...but at least I know what to look for so I can warn everyone.

[You don't know the half of it, Quinn.]

But enough about that creep. How have you been since that whole weird fake memories thing?

I've been all right. But I'll no longer take this day and age for granted, women back then worried too much about being seen as "good girls". I mean, yeah, tramping around with boys is a bad idea, but there's other things to worry about than your reputation! Diseases, pregnancy, the fact that too many of them can't be trusted for anything!

[Bulla looks worried about Quinn when she mentions that last part.]

You didn't have a fake reality boyfriend wind up cheating on you too, did you?

Oh, no, nothing like that! I was just thinking of the boys back home...I've never had that happen, of course, but my friend Stacy's gotten her heart stepped on more times than any of us can count!

Oh, I see. I'm so sorry for Stacy. The only time a boy broke my heart, it was in that fake reality anyway...but I can imagine how awful it must be for Stacy if it keeps happening.

[Usually her father just scares away any of her prospective boyfriends.]

Ooh, only one time...you're lucky, then. Sorry it happened, though, he must have been a jerk!

[She deliberately chose not to mention a certain tutor of hers. Knowing it happened is humiliating and painful enough, but she doesn't want her friend to feel bad for her, especially when she's in such a bad state.]

Yeah. At first we thought it was her fault because she doesn't always wear the right clothes and says embarrassing things...Sandi still does. But honestly, most guys do way worse than wearing the wrong shoes or mentioning their pruny hands! I once dated a boy who wore a nacho-stained t-shirt and wouldn't stop talking about his burping contests with his friends. [Ewww. And then he had the gall to wonder why she said no to a second date!]

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