[Action/Video]

[vianca]

SUPER BACKDATED HOSPITAL ACTION:
Back in ye olden days of late September, Vianca got completely wrecked. The pikmin was carted off to the hospital to have her checklist of injuries taken care of. Concussion, bone fractures, internal bleeding, some unexpected respiratory problems, an alarming amount of black and blue. THE WORKS. WHAT A GOOD TIME.

If you would like to backdate a hospital visit you are more than welcome to do so. She was there for an indeterminate amount of time before hobbling back to the Academy to try and fix the library.

---



[MEANWHILE IN THE MORE OR LESS PRESENT she was actually making a video post, which happened practically never. It was, however, still too cumbersome to type very well, and she had a number of things to bring up. None of which were her extended absence, which she didn't expect anyone to actually notice.]

Hello... I'd like to apologize for the disarray in the library. We are working to put it back in order as quickly as we can.

[Because it got wrecked. Wheatley has been doing the best he can, but he was Wheatley. Things were going about as well as anyone could expect.]

In order to speed this process, I would like to ask if there is anyone currently present that is skilled with robotics? My assistant's robotic chassis was... unfortunately incapacitated. It would be greatly appreciated if we could ask for your assistance in repairing it.

[She looks about as uncomfortable as someone who only linefaces could. The little girl looked down at her desk for a few moments and then she picked up a piece of paper with a crude drawing of a flower on it, holding it up to fill the whole frame.]

... I am also... searching for this flower, if anyone has seen one. There used to be a small patch of them in the forest, but that part of the forest no longer exists. I do not know where else to look... They are somewhat large, and come in different colors. I would be very grateful if anyone could point me to where they have seen one. It is... very important.

Thank you.

Comments

[vianca]

[Vianca followed as instructed, keenly looking over the things he had been working on from what she could see at her vantage point.]

Today is kinder than others.

[insanecharisma]

[On the one end of his desk he left the flowers in question, in a gaggle of other potted flowers. All were well cared for, properly watered, and for a man who seemed as if he cared little for much, impeccably good condition.

Soryk motioned to them and pulled up a chair for Vianca to sit if she so chose to.]

Some days are kinder than other. Surely whatever responsible for your plight has seen consequences and a less than kind aftermath.

[vianca]

I don't see why they would.

[A more nonchalant answer than it warranted. If something happened to her, it was inevitably something she deserved. Probably. She had stepped out of line somewhere or done too much of that hoping thing. Something like that.

She noticed him motioning to the flowers after a moment of looking elsewhere, searching for blossoms that were just... a bit larger. Instead of taking a seat, she approached closer, peering at the plants with a more pronounced intensity than usual.]

[insanecharisma]

[He didn't know what to make of that, though he understood the implication of what she wasn't saying plainly enough. Perhaps that was because he was certain more than once he'd said something of the same.

So he didn't bother to reply immediately and instead simply watched her with a rapt fascination that he tried not to be too obvious about. In fact, he remained clear on the opposite side of her, in the event that she wanted her space.

Because he sure liked having his.]

Yes, well... Some can underestimate their own value. What do you think? Of the flowers.

[vianca]

[It was not a statement she felt any need to reply to, as she was entirely certain of her own worth or lack thereof, if that was what he was addressing. The flowers were much more captivating anyway.

They certainly looked more or less correct. The petals bore the same accents, and there was the faint, gently pulling desire to climb into its sweet center. That alone was enough to assure her that it was what she was looking for. And yet...

Vianca reached out to touch the soft blue petals of the flower that was closest to her. It was slow, tentative, and it was a full moment before she allowed herself to actually come in contact with it.

Nothing happened.]

... They are close.

[insanecharisma]

[He watched her with intent, undoubtedly curious, but not enough so to vocalise it just yet. He still didn't understand entirely what she wanted with them. They would be of some use to a 'Pikmin.' He knew, at the very least, that she was a Pikmin, though if he tried to claim he knew what that was, it'd be a plain and outright falsehood.

So instead...

He still felt back at Square One. Whatever that really meant.]

Close, but not what you need. [He shook his head.] You said you needed flowers from the end of the forest. Where the woods were destroyed, I take it. Have you gone to see it since the explosion?

[vianca]

No... But if they have regrown there now, they would probably be like these.

[Vianca drew her hand back, holding it close to her chest.]

They are the correct flower, but immature. Maybe a new generation of growth.

[insanecharisma]

Correct, but immature.

[Parroting Vianca didn't let him understand too much more. Not on a personal note, but in a general one, he got the idea. In the same way that a flower or other plant could be young enough to use in ground up poisons and powders, a plant could be too mature to have the same potency. In that respect he understood it just fine.]

Do you suppose it will be of any use to you? It is yours if you should want it. Although I do find myself disappointed that it was not precisely what you had meant to hold.

[And disappointment was something he felt often. Disappointment in other people, but not so much in a situation.]

[vianca]

No.

[Which was putting it far too simply. A twinge of a frown settled on her features, and Vianca turned away from the flowers to look at Soryk instead.]

Not presently. Perhaps in another season with another generation, or if these ones grow larger themselves. I cannot use them, but... It is... comforting. To know they exist.

[insanecharisma]

[It was almost a little nerve-racking to have her attention the way he did. But he got the impression that it was akin to him. He didn't like making eye contact with anyone or even speaking directly unless he had some particularly valid point that he felt was necessary to make.

Not that she was doing that, because truth be told, Soryk never knew what was going through Vianca's head, and that was probably for the best.]

If you cannot use them now, I shall keep them in my care until you can.

[vianca]

[Her lips pressed together slightly, momentarily conflicted in how to respond.]

...Thank you.

[Even if she would never see there use, it was good to know that there were still some that were growing. She glanced over at them again thoughtfully.]

They're called candypop buds. At least, that is what Olimar penned for them when he found them.

[insanecharisma]

[She was conflicted. He was conflicted. Soryk didn't even know how he was managing this. Being friendly had never particularly been his cup of tea, but he had no reason to hold anything against Vianca. He never had, actually. If anything, he could only appreciate her studious nature.

If he was ever going to have a daughter, he hoped she would be akin to Vianca.]

Candypop buds. [Sounded bright and cheerful. Nothing like him. How oddly fitting.] Then I will keep them here and anytime you wish to see them, you are welcome to. We can care for them together, if it pleases you.

[vianca]

That would be ill-advised.

[She had said it in an uncharacteristic rush. Vianca paused, realizing that the true meaning was unclear.]

I am... not suited for caring for them.

[insanecharisma]

[To question her required no hesitance on his part, because to him the follow up inquiry was common sense.]

What makes you think so?

[vianca]

If I cannot properly care for my own flower, I have no business trying to care for another's.

[insanecharisma]

While a golden rule for certain, Lady Vianca...

[It was difficult to listen to her say such things. Not because she was wrong; he'd said the very same thing to himself several times. In fact, it was very much that reason that he'd put off his engagement to Atê for years, and even more so that he'd put off the concept of children.]

The same works in the terms of forgiveness. Learn to forgive yourself for the moments when you fail to meet your own expectations. The world can be a cruel place. It is hardly necessary for you to be cruel to yourself.

[vianca]

[Her brows drew together slightly as she listened. His words only served to confuse her, as she personally could not fathom what it was about what she had said that had prompted the lecture.]

The truth is only cruel when you believe in something false. There is nothing to forgive.

[insanecharisma]

I meant that I think you are being too hard on yourself. You say you cannot care for other flowers because you could not care for yours. That is so black and white that it does not take into account circumstance.

[He motioned to her.]

Tell me. When you lost your flower was it because of outside interference? Was it at the hands of someone else, indirectly or directly? Are you trying to take responsibility for something that you ultimately could not control?

[vianca]

[She looked at him again, blank as ever. She was being too hard on herself? What an odd thought. Her feelings were no different than they ever were... Or, no, she had been slacking a bit, considering the circumstances. The only thing out of the ordinary was that normally her thoughts were not a conversation topic.]

I am not. I am not to blame for that occurrence. I am only accountable for my actions thereafter.

[insanecharisma]

[Her response made him pause and he eyed her with a good deal of thought. Folding his arms over his chest, he contemplated his word choice before he spoke up.]

If it is not too out of place for me to inquire, what... precisely happened? Before and after. To result in this.

[vianca]

[There was a slight shrug of her shoulders.]

My petals were torn. It was unwise to remove them again. Nectar would not restore them like my sister's. I chose to disregard them.

[insanecharisma]

For your own safety. Is that right? I am afraid I do not quite know how these things work for you and your sister. Was it safer for you to be without or to leave your petals damaged?

[vianca]

[Vianca was silent for a few moments, giving her answer some consideration.]

If a flowered pikmin undergoes enough trauma or force, their flower will shed and their cycle can renew. Leaf, bud, flower. That much has been observed.

[insanecharisma]

If that is the case, then does it not mean that your flower will return, my lady?

[Because that was how it sounded, but he was actually trying to take care in not sounding insensitive.]

[vianca]

I was not damaged enough to shed it that time.