Booyaka, baby~!

050//: Last one out's a rotten bite bug

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:29:17 GMT

[Selphie's perched on the kitchen counter of the Couronne Royale house, looking really bummed. Her feet swing idly, and she's holding a mug of black coffee between her knees. She doesn't seem to be paying attention to much of anything.]

Finished cataloging all the stuff that went missing this morning. Feels like everyone's leaving almost. Practically easier to say who hasn't left than who has. Dante's gone again, Vergil and Zell are gone... [Selphie looks particularly annoyed at this.] Man, now who's going to help me with my assassination toasters? Zell had half the design specs with him when he left!

[She bangs her heel against the cabinet door in a small fit of temper.] This place keeps stealing all my friends away just when things start getting fun again. Damn it! Couldn't steal the crazy people away, oh no~, had to go and yoink the people I have fun with. The jerks.

[She hops off the counter with a heavy thud, glaring at nothing as she downs the last of her coffee and sets the mug in the sink.]

Ollie ollie oxen free~! Who's still kicking around here? I don't want to be the last man standing again.

Rinoa~? You still here? I think I'm the only one left for guard duty, you don't mind, do you? Unless, you know, you've gone home too...

I suppose the good thing about it is that Zell managed to take his copy of the report with him. Glad we'd gotten them both updated the other night...

049//: Cry a river. Build a bridge. Get over it. Y/N?

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:33:15 GMT

Okay, now, don't mind me, but can I get a few things clarified here? Really quick?

We've all been sorta kidnapped, right? Left a ton of friends and family and potential boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever back home, right? Now, I'm not saying this place is exactly a bucket full of sunshine (that would be my job, thank you~), as I've been on the blunt end of all sorts of bad stuff. I think everybody here's been at the blunt end of some really twisted stuff at one point or another. Correct?

Let me know if I'm missing anything, okay?

Taking into account the fact that none of us have really figured out a way to get home, and even then managing to get dragged back here (sorry about that, Ianto, Dante), does any of this give somebody the right or privilege to be a complete jerkwad to somebody who is in the same situation but attempting to cheer them up? Not just once, but repeatedly?

Look, I'm not saying that the drama bombs we all arrived with aren't valid in any way, but really. I think there's a line between being reasonable, and really needing to get over yourself.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I am totally open to polite rebuttals.

048//: Black Jacks and Ace of Spades

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:16:28 GMT

[Selphie is perched on a counter, legs crossed and shuffling cards. Her little yellow dress has a slight shimmer to it.]

What does a girl have to do to get some fun around here? Anyone up for a game? What with all the life or death chances this place has, there's not enough fun for my tastes. (Although that song and dance routine was quite amusing while it lasted.)

047//: Interlude of Life

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:22:56 GMT

[Selphie is slumped at the dining room table, her head resting on her arm as she plays with a white coffee mug. Gloomy Selphie is gloomy. She sighs deeply, then sits up...and starts to sing, rocking to the music as she swings a foot to the beat.]

♬I know it's up for me
if you steal my sunshine
making sure I'm not in too deep
if you steal my sunshine
keeping versed and on my feet
if you steal my sunshine

I know it's done for me
if you steal my sunshine
not something hard to see
if you steal my sunshine
keeping dumb and built to beat
if you steal my sunshine

My sunshine
if you steal my sunshine...♬

....What the heck was that? [Suspicious Selphie is now suspicious! But seeing as there is no reason to mope, she gets up.] Okay, that was crazy.

Dante~! Vergil~! If you two are done beating on each other, I'm going to go grab the pizzas! Zell, Kazumi, you want anything~?

046//: Hoshi--

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:36:13 GMT

Oh. Oh--oh no.

Um, Howl? You're not...you're not mad at me, are you? ~~Not that I did it on purpose, I swear I didn't.~~

045//: Music by which to rock out by

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:51:33 GMT

[Selphie freezes, a shiver going up her spine as she stops watching the popcorn. The sudden sound of pipe organs fills her head.]

Zell. Do you hear that?

044//: The wheels begin to turn and the gears begin to grind

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:30:28 GMT

[Once again, Selphie's hair is slicked back and she seems to have collected even more sparkly hair clips, and she's hooking up a bass guitar to an amp. It's been a long, long time since she held one, the Washburn six-string is a welcome weight in her hands, the deep blue color sparkling a little in the light. Okay, so she had to get one that looked just like the one she had at home, she's allowed to have a little separation anxiety. She's been fiddling with it to get a feel for the strings again, but now...now it's time to give the baby a test run.

Starting with White Stripe's Seven Nation Army and segueing into Metallica's Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth. And this? This is just Selphie's warm-up run.]

((OOC: Sorry to everyone in the Couronne Royale house, she's trying to keep it quiet~!))

043//: Life goes on and on and on

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:26:50 GMT

[Selphie wanders out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed, with her hair slicked back to look like Vergil's.]

Okay Zell! Still want to spar? I bet I can take you, Mr. McRustybutt! [She puts up her fists with a grin.]

042//: Battle stations!

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:25:04 GMT

[The radio crackles to life, Selphie's multitasking]

Zell! Squall! Junction for defense and speed! I don't know what the heck is going on, but I'm not getting tossed face-first in a prison again, although going along with it might be easier. Either way, this is crazy!

041//: A very merry unbirthday!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:08:47 GMT

Ver~gil~! I got a present for you! (\> ∀ </)

And wow, are those winds crazy or what? Smells like rain might be coming! (= ∀ =);;;

OOC: Twenty Things meme

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:12:37 GMT

After seeing other people post theirs, I figured I might write up one myself. Considering how I write my characters, I never really sit down and think about who they are. What they are. To me, they simply are, and their quirks are a second nature that comes to them like breathing. So, this exercise really helped me in nailing down some things that I always knew were there, but never put to words.

So, on that note, onward!

1. Selphie was almost snatched in a raid.

During the Sorceress War between Esthar and Galbadia, Esthar soldiers routinely went on raids to grab any little girls that the sorceress could use to potentially pass on her powers. Entire towns were burned to the ground, and many, many families were either slaughtered, or gave up their children to save the rest of the house from being murdered. Selphie's family refused to give her up, and after hiding their daughter with someone they knew they could trust, they fought the soldiers with everything they had in order to save both their daughter, and the other children whose families were threatened. Whether it was brave or foolish, Selphie knew what her parents had done even when she was first left with Matron, although it was a much more simplified version at the time. Since then she's learned the full story, and a part of this, even after losing her memories of her childhood, has always stayed with her. It's just a part of who she is.

2. She's a rebel and a leader...

While Squall was very dependent on others, and Quisty and Seifer were bossing and bullying the other children respectively, Selphie was the one that took the punches and tackled Seifer to the ground because he'd picked on Zell too many times. She was the one that picked the other kids up and dusted them off when they fell, and ran to tell Matron when the nightmares were really bad. She does not approve of bullies, and will often go out of her way to help people. Selphie is a leader of the pack, although she will usually defer to higher authority.

3. ...and she'll mess your stuff up.

While she's tiny and seems to be barely-bottled sunshine, there's a side of Selphie that can even scare the people she's teamed with. She has always, always had a fascination for the dangerous. Selphie's favorite game when she was little was not House or Tag (although tag was awesome too) or Dress-Up, or any of the half-dozen games that little girls play. No. When asked what game she was playing, Selphie usually would reply "WAR!" in such a determined voice that it sounded like a battle cry. This love followed her through childhood and into her teenage years where it could be honed, focused, and brought to a razor-sharp edge. Selphie is one of the first to volunteer for combat exercises, and though her skills aren't in battle, and she knows her own weaknesses, she has a fondness for explosions, and will often suggest solving problems that seem to have no resolution with blowing them to smithereens. Her enthusiasm makes her teammates nervous, and really, Selphie doesn't understand.

Who doesn't like to blow stuff up?

4. Selphie is something of a child prodigy.

While she's flighty and quite often easily distracted, Selphie could write code before her eleventh birthday. She's a genius with computers, being able to take them apart and put them back together, then write an operating system from scratch. The only reason she couldn't get the computers at Trabia up and running again after the assault was because the components were damaged beyond repair. She's the head of the communications division for a good reason. She can and will make any piece of equipment work, just give her five minutes.

5. The first time Selphie had a pair of nunchaku, she knocked herself out.

Quite literally. Whether her grip slipped, or she just wasn't used to working with a real set after being on the trainer 'chuks for so long, she beaned herself right between the eyes and woke up in the infirmary a day later with a splitting headache. She laughed about it when she realized what she'd done, but her instructor didn't let her hear the end of it for weeks. She still hears about it when she visits Trabia on occasion.

6. She dislikes fighting between friends.

Selphie can make friends with just about anyone, but the worst thing about this is she often makes friends with people who can't stand each other. Selphie has jumped into a mix and physically broken up fights, either out of instinct or not realizing that she could get herself hurt, so often she doesn't notice it. She's an excellent mediator, and has very simple rules: talk it out, or she'll beat the tar out of you.

Amazingly enough, it seems to work.

7. She's a little bit oblivious.

A social butterfly by nature, Selphie can make herself at home in any group. At Trabia she was one of those students that everyone knows, and that no one really had anything bad to say about. She was everyone's best friend, happy to listen to you and help you out of a scrape. Apparently she was also pretty popular among the boys (and a few girls, too), but Selphie never seemed to notice. It wasn't until Irvine practically pinned her to the wall of a train car and loomed over her as he explained his intentions in no small detail that Selphie Got The Hint. Honestly, if you want her to know you like her? Hit her with the proverbial two-by-four. She might catch on. Even geniuses have their moments, it seems.

8. Ragnarok is her baby, and if marriage to a machine was feasible, Selphie would do it.

When Squall was busy rescuing Rinoa in space, Selphie was worried that he Would Not Be Coming Home. The worry had gnawed on her until she nearly had a bleeding ulcer, combing the Esthar plains on a chocobo she'd managed to wrangle via bribery with gysahl greens. However, as soon as the Ragnarok touched down, all gleaming metal and vibrant red paint that even being lost in space for years couldn't blemish, things seemed to fade away. She'd slid off the chocobo like in a trance, although she had still run to Squall to make sure he was okay, but the Ragnarok had called to her, spoken in a voice like God and she'd walked up the loading dock ramp like a girl possessed.

It was love at first sight, and there are very few people who are allowed to sit in the pilot's seat. The Ragnarok was Selphie's as soon as it touched earth again, and after Squall came running into the cockpit to see her gripping the controls with a look on her face of sheer ecstasy, he has never questioned it. Selphie could hotwire a toaster to fly if she so pleased, and there are doubts that even Irvine could peel her away from the controls if she was hellbent on flying.

9. Selphie has a nervous habit.

Not so much nervous, but if you see her standing around for too long, more often than not, you'll catch her lifting one leg to tug on her boot, and then do it to the other side. This is partially because her shoes don't quite fit, and partially because she has to have something to do with her hands at all times. She's a ball of energy and it needs to go somewhere, so she'll tug on her boots or idly begin to swing her hips, her hands clasped behind her back. At least she doesn't start taking things apart, right?

10. Selphie is a huge reader.

While she seems too ADD to be able to sit in one place for long, that isn't quite true. At home, Selphie's room is lined with bookcases with subjects ranging from physics, computer sciences, to the latest action comic fresh off the press. While you might find one girly book title in her shelves neatly categorized by genre, author, and title, most of her entertainment is stuff that's generally geared towards guys between their late-teens, mid-twenties. It's more interesting than the froofy love stories for girls. Those get boring and predictable so quickly...

She also has a shelf devoted entirely to Timber Maniacs, but the only reason she has those is because of the travel articles written by Sir Laguna~ ♥

11. Older men are hotter.

Selphie seems to have the chronic ability to find the worst possible person to get interested in and then crush on them at first sight. It's inevitable. Sir Laguna is a prime example; he's tall, he's gorgeous, he's a bit of a doofus, and when she first saw him he was ten years older than her. Then she met him in person in Esthar, and found out he was old enough to be her dad. If she didn't know about the fact that he was Squall's father, she'd hit that. In fact, secretly she still would, but don't tell Squall that. She likes them tall, long hair is a bonus, and it's probably the fact that most guys her age are either annoying, too over-bearing, or too busy being angsty for no good reason that she gravitates towards men at least half again as old as she is. At least they have all their drama sorted out. But she does have standards! She only falls for them if they're really, really hot.

12. Selphie has nightmares.

Most of them are about the end of the world. Very literally. She fusses in her sleep, and she doesn't sleep very deeply much anymore, and after the fight with Ultimecia, she had to talk to Dr. Kadowaki about sleep therapy. While normally she's fine, there are nights where she'll bolt upright in bed and have to immediately check on her friends to make sure they're still safe. She will break into dorm rooms to do head counts, and make sure everyone's still in their beds, safe and sound. If she can't find someone she will begin to creep into the edges of an anxiety attack. Afterwards she's usually incredibly clingy, desperately trying to reassure herself that everyone's fine and that they won't disappear on her when she's not looking through physical touch.

At one point it got so bad that she started camping out and sleeping in other people's rooms. While Squall and Quistis openly protested, it was more out of show and habit than anything else. The truth is, Selphie's fears of waking up to find everyone she loved gone weren't entirely unfounded, so when they woke up in the middle of the night to find her tucked against their side and holding on like it was the only thing keeping them there, they don't reprimand her. It wasn't until over a month after the fight with Ultimecia and sleeping tucked tightly against Zell's side for a week that the nightmares started going away. Besides, it was easier to keep Zell from hurting himself while he sleepwalked that way.

13. The first time Selphie learned the Slots, she passed out.

Selphie is a Gambler type, it's a special class of magic user that allows her to access any spell without physically having it. Her Slots can be accessed even without the aid of a Guardian Force, and thus she's incredibly handy in combat. She can even access spells that are rare before ever coming to contact with the magic type through a draw point. However, it wasn't until she arrived at Balamb Garden that the true nature of her Slots began to manifest. No one's really sure about how the Slots work, but Selphie says it's like having a three-tiered roulette wheel in her mind. Each wheel spins independently of the others, and she can feel the spin when it begins, as well as when the wheels slam to a stop. What she wasn't aware of, was what happens when the Slots develop on their own. The sensation of the wheels expanding to include a new spell is indescribable, and normally it's hardly noticeable. Until Selphie learned one of her Limit Breaks. She passed out from the pain, and slept like the dead for a week, forcing Squall to rearrange his squad to compensate for the loss of one of his magic specialists.

She would like to say it got easier the more she learned, but that would be a lie. The more powerful a spell or ability was, the more it hurt to learn. She just learned how not to be incapacitated every time she learned something new. It was rough going, but she did it.

14. Bugs are so not her thing.

While she's fearless in combat, and has the confidence and skill to take down things over twice her size, Selphie is scared of insects. Ladybugs and butterflies and moths aren't so bad, but get her anywhere near a spider and she'll scream if it startles her. Being surprised by gross creepy crawlies has ended with Selphie blowing up half a field with an instinctive casting of Meltdown. She won't admit it, but every time she had to go into a dungeon or sewer with Squall and the others, she was internally quailing at the thought of running into so much as a cockroach. Selphie likes to think of it as her only really girly weakness.

15. Music is love.

While she's not amazing, Selphie loves playing instruments. She's picked up bits and pieces from here and there, and fiddles around with different instruments she manages to get her hands on. She can sing, decently if not well, but where she really took off was the guitar. Namely, an electric guitar. She's practiced a little with Zell since coming to Balamb, and they make a really good duo. Zell plays a fantastic acoustic, while Selphie? She plays a mean bass.

16. Selphie is a geek for languages.

She was born in Galbadia, lived there for a few years, was shipped to Matron's orphanage on the southernmost continent, then raised in Trabia Garden before coming to Balamb. She knows the common language, four different dialects of it, a mish-mash of languages and dialects from living in the equivalent of two different orphanages, the local language of Galbadia, as well as the main language of Trabia. She studied the old Centra languages out of curiosity, and when really frustrated, she will slip into Galbadia's language or Trabia's when she starts swearing. The closest analogues to Galbadia's language is something between French and German depending on the region (the main language is what sounds like French, but isn't entirely compatible), while Trabia's language sounds similar to Russian. Selphie's repertoire of insults and slurs is rather impressive, and she and Zell will slip into Galbadian when they don't want anyone to know what they're saying.

17. Selphie has a tiny crush on Zell.

It's not something she dwells on, but there are some secrets that you just never want anyone to know. Especially when it involves crushing on your almost-a-brother. Which is sorta gross. But when you're out in the middle of nowhere and you suddenly realize that your best friend has one of the hottest sets of abs and the most amazing butt in the academy, you keep this information to yourself. Selphie doesn't want to ruin her BFF status with Zell, because there isn't anyone else she's closer to, but Hyne help whoever messes with Zell. Because if anyone hurts him emotionally, they will be answering to Selphie. And Selphie? Doesn't play nice when you mess with her Zell.

18. She has a stuffed animal that she sleeps with.

Choco-plush has been with Selphie since forever. Choco-plush was with her when she arrived in Matron's orphanage, and already had seen much signs of wear. Nowadays Choco is more than a tad threadbare in a few places, and has seen some pretty hard times. It's been with Selphie when she was sick, through several stressful exams, a few attacks, and goes with her on trips when she's not on the job. Choco-plush is the only thing Selphie really has left of her parents, save for the necklace she wears (which was her mother's).

19. She's always up for an adventure.

Whether it's cruising downtown or urban exploration, Selphie's on it. She has a bit of wanderlust that strikes on days when the sky's exceptionally blue or the sun's particularly bright, and her boots hit the ground running. These are the days that she and Zell can often be found piling food in as fast as they can so they can get out as early as possible. Selphie never knows where she's going, as long as she has fun getting there.

20. She's a Type-A obsessive compulsive.

You wouldn't think it to look at her, but she is. Everything is just so in her workspace. Her books are alphabetized by author or title, separated into genre. Her notes are color-coded for easy access, and are meticulous down to the finest detail. Her reports are wells of information even after she's revised it three times to cut down on length, and she always keeps copies of the previous versions just in case. She makes diagrams and keeps photos of important things with her notes. Her journals at home are cataloged by date, and each entry has notes on what time of day she wrote it, and have several photos interspersed in the entries. Selphie turns her life into a picture book, taking hundreds of photos and keeping each of them dated with timestamps.

The reason for this is she never knows when she's going to lose an important memory, or an entire chunk of time. This is her way of preventing losing something important to the memory loss that GF use creates. It's time consuming, but worth it in the end.

040//: Anxiety attacks are never good for you

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:24:51 GMT

[The entire Couronne Royale house smells of freshly baked cookies, and Selphie's sitting crosslegged on the floor of her bedroom, pouring water from a bottle into another container. There's strange scrawling marks on a notebook on her desk, which is stacked high with dusty books she's borrowed from Sam. When the second container is filled to her satisfaction, she sets the bottle aside and caps it with one hand before reaching for a spray bottle top, which she screws onto the second container. It's unlabeled, but she makes sure the sprayer nozzle is twisted shut, then sets it beside her computer tower. She stands, dusting herself off and setting the bottle of water in a safe spot on her book shelf. She pokes her head out of her door.]

Zell~! I think the fifth batch is done~! You want to check it or should I?

[Filtered to Vergil]

I think we need to have a talk about your brother. Zell and I had a run in with him shortly after he arrived. Payment for any information in food sound okay? Because seriously, that was the most uncomfortable situation I've been in this side of a sorceress attack. Now that we're all stuck in this place with him, I hope you don't mind me doing an information press, because I'm not sure you can handle him on your own (no offense meant to your skills, which I'm sure are pretty awesome considering). Please, Vergil? I didn't like the way he looked at us, and I've got no idea how to handle dealing with him.

I'll bake you cookies, do your laundry, whatever. Anything. Just...please? I have a nasty feeling that Zell and I caught his interest. In a bad way.

[/Filtered]

039//: Distrust of Authority

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:04:58 GMT

[She's sitting on her bed cross-legged, cleaning Strange Visions and wiping the blades down with a cloth. For once she looks focused, inspecting the nunchaku for damage.]

So why don't the city police forces do anything again? You'd think they'd be wanting to catch someone who killed that many people. I've seen some pretty sloppy jobs, but the cops here are something else entirely. Are they expecting us to do the dirty work, or are they hoping it'll magically go away.

[Filtered to Tyki Mikk]

Hey, you okay?

[/Filtered]

038//: You can try to drag me down, but you can't break my spirit

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:49:06 GMT

[Selphie is collapsed on her bed, looking like she's been beaten down pretty hard, and she's panting heavily. But while she looks pretty bad off, she'd say that the other girl came off a little worse. Three Holy spells to the face in rapid succession? Yeah. She'd like to see anyone take that and still be sparkly fresh. Strange Visions is clutched tightly in one hand, and she lifts the other as if berating some unseen foe.]

And if I ever find out you've been picking on my friends again, I will come over there and end your tattooed blue butt once and for all.

....but right now I'm just going to lie here for awhile. ...at least until the ceiling stops doing that spinny thing...

037//: There's so many things I still have to say

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:37:39 GMT

[She's lying on the floor, a file gripped tightly in one hand. The mark's spreading down her right arm, her whole torso's covered. She's mumbling while half-asleep.] N-no, I...the missiles, we were so far away... I couldn't get to the base in time to stop the launch. Trabia, I'm sorry. Everyone....but...I hacked the computers, delayed the launch long enough....Squall... he found Balamb's mobile defense center, got it moving...saved Balamb.

There..there's nothing I could do for Trabia Garden. Everyone, I'm so sorry. I-I've been trying so hard....Came to see you soon as I could...all the fields were graveyards...

[She's starting to force herself awake, shifting onto her stomach so she can push herself up.] I promised...I'd be the best SeeD I could, so you all could be proud of me. So I could live for everyone. I can't join you yet, I have to...have to protect the others. I have to get home. Have to get the others out of that place...I won't let her take them away...

[Her arms are shaking as she pushes herself up, staggering to her feet. She's clutching the file so tightly her knuckles are going white.] Tyki...Ryu...Riku...everybody... I'll get you out of there. Trabia...we were all raised to protect, to defend. You...you'll forgive me, won't you? I can't come join you yet. They need me here. I still have people...to save.

[She drops the file on her desk with the rest of the papers, then collapses into her chair.] I...I can't go with you...not yet...

036//: When in doubt, work it off.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:59:56 GMT

The mark is bigger. A lot bigger. If it didn't hurt so much I'd say my left arm was trying to go numb. Made a note on the spread of the bruising, and managed to trace a bit of it. Couldn't reach the back of my shoulder. Having a hard time staying awake all day.

Also, found several pieces of writing when I wasn't getting attacked. A girl left a blue diary behind, and I've read it over. I tried following her to see if I could learn anything from her, but I had a run-in with a really unfriendly lady. Not the blue lady, although this one seemed to have the marks too. Don't remember, was busy trying not to let her throttle me. Also found some notes which seem to have something to do with the lullaby I kept hearing as I was moving through that place.

Don't understand most of it, but if anyone has any other information they think might be useful, I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Need to stop the marks from spreading.

Need to stay awake for now. Tried lots of things, but it's not working. I'm not afraid of what's in the mansion, I'm afraid to find out what'll happen if the marks keep spreading. What happens when the marks cover everything? The file on that one lady said she slept all the time...and it's been getting harder to stay awake longer...

Need to get to the bottom of this.

035//: Nightmare Continues

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:16:35 GMT

[Despite Kazumi's best efforts, Selphie eventually collapsed, once again she finds herself in the mansion, but this time she brought her Guardian Forces, and a golden light sparks along Strange Visions' blades. Taking a look around the old hallways, she catches sight of a girl in clothing she doesn't recognize]

Hey, miss? Excuse me...ah!

[At her approach, the girl looked at her and fled, but left a diary behind. Selphie picks it up and flips through it. She doesn't recognize the writing, but she tucks it in the pocket of her pants before following after the girl. Maybe this girl could answer some of the questions about the bruises? Either way, Selphie's going to try to find out.]

034//: I think I lost a piece of me along the way

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:04:08 GMT

[Selphie's sitting on her bed, medical supplies scattered all around her as she hugs her arm to her chest. She's looking a little feverish.]

I don't know what this mark is, but it's so cold it burns. It's like a bruise, but I've never seen anything like it, and I've had all sorts of weird injuries. I tried everything. Curative magic, restorative potions, remedies, first aid, Siren's treatments, hot packs, ice packs, cold compresses--the works--and nothing helped. I tried everything I knew, even some herbal salves, nothing. No change, and it aches, and I'm so tired, but I...there's something about sleeping that scares me. I don't want to. It's like...

[She shakes her head, rubbing her left bicep as she rocks back and forth.]

[Private]

...I wish Zell were here.

[/Private]

033//: Nightmare Begins

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:29:15 GMT

[Lines of salt neatly drawn at doorways and windowsills, Selphie also managed to acquire a spray bottle of sage earlier in the day to keep out the bad spirits that she's put to good use on the windows and doors. She's gone to bed early, Strange Visions resting gently against the wall by the head of her bed, but Selphie's tangled in the sheets, her hands fisting in the coverlet, the knuckles bone-white against her feverish skin. Tossing her head, she rolls onto her side, curling into a fetal position.

Her dreams are of hot sand and ashes. The Galbadian desert with its blinding heat and skin-splitting sun filled her with memories of pain, flashes of panic at the sight of the missile launch. Shouting at Squall to let her lead a team to the missile base. The Gardens, the missiles were aimed at the Gardens. Her Gardens. Trabia, nearly smashed to little more than its foundations. Faces, names, profiles, dozens of students gone missing, so many casualties, all gone. All dead either immediately or in the hours after, waiting to be pulled out of the wreckage. Where green grass had been was torn earth and fresh rubble converted to grave markers.]

No! [She jerks upright, sweat dripping into her eyes as she feels her heart pounding in her chest. But she isn't in her room. Something is strange about this, she knows that, but she stands on shaking legs and stares at the woods around her. Movement catches her eye, and she stiffens. Garden Academy uniforms?]

Wha--hey! Wait! [Chasing after the flash of color in the gloom, she catches sight of the mansion, and the person going inside. Something about that place...]

Toby, wait! It's not safe, you shouldn't go in there! TOBY~! Stop! [She takes off after him, despite being one of the fastest runners in Garden, she's always just far enough behind to get herself lost]

032//: asdflkja

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:31:47 GMT

[Selphie looks up at the nearest calendar and drops the book she was holding] Oh, oh no!

Oh what day's today? It can't be! Ohhhhh nooooo~~~

I can't believe it, I forgot my eighteenth birthday... [goes to curl up on her bed and sulk, reading her book. ;; ^ ;;]

031//: A New Challenger Appears!

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:24:08 GMT

[Selphie bolts upright in her bed, nearly throwing poor Carbuncle into the wall. Carbuncle is fast on its feet and lands lightly on the floor, looking up at Selphie like she's lost it]

WHAT THE--?!

OHMYGOSH. Zell! Tyki! Dante! Are you guys okay? What was that? Yoruichi? Ohhhh maaaaannn...

[Filtered]

Zell, I think we totally raided like, half the houses in Template. What are we going to do?

And oh Hyne, Zell. There's a new lady in Template. I think she's the lady Godot was always talking about. [DDDDDD: SELPHIE IS NOT HAVING A BREAKDOWN. NO SHE'S NOT.]

[/Filtered]

Sam? Thank you so much for taking care of me and Zell, you're a lifesaver! I'll make you cookies?

030//: Kids say interesting things

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:07:10 GMT

[Selphie is sitting on a curb, with a large, rabbit-like creature curled up against her side. Looks like she managed to accidentally summon Carbuncle, not that Carbuncle seems to mind. She's blowing on the palms of her hands, which are scuffed up pretty badly, and trying to pick out bits of dirt and gravel. Her elbows and knees are scraped, but Selphie's not crying. She shows her hand to Carbuncle, whose ears perk and it chirps]

What do you think? Is it gonna get infected? [Carbuncle makes a whistling sound and appears to shrug, its ears drooping. It rubs its head against her chin, the ruby in its forehead glittering, and Selphie giggles]

Okay, I'll get somebody to check it. That weird light last night was strange, huh? Think it was aliens?

[Carbuncle chirps uncertainly, and she wraps an arm around the GF] That's okay, I'll protect you if it was. [Carbuncle just gives her an incredulous look, but doesn't make a noise]

029//: ???

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:57:24 GMT

[rubs eyes, has clearly just woken up from her nap]

I had a dream about a pretty lady~! It was nice, I hope I'm that pretty when I get bigger.

028//: Sunflowers!

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:20:43 GMT

[Selphie slept like a rock last night, and this morning she wakes up and looks around, rather confused. This isn't the orphanage!]

Matron?

[cocking her head, she listens for an answer. Getting none she hops out of bed and rummages in the dresser. Thankfully Template provided her with clothing, and she picks out dark green overalls and a bright yellow blouse. She snatches a jump rope out of the back of a drawer and races out of the room.]

ZEE~EEEEELL~! Wake up, wake up! Matron's gone out, wake UP! We have to go get the others~! ZEE~EELL~!

((OOC: Sorry Template, the hyper counter's just gone over 9000))

027//: ...owait.

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:25:35 GMT

Uh....Zell?

Where are all my clothes? I can't seem to find them. Aside from my underwear, I mean. Those are kinda everywhere.