1st roll, 3rd exposure [Video]

[strangeandunusual]

[it's good to be back in her apartment again, even if Mal is still out cold. Lydia knows her friend overdid it, but she's been assured that she'll wake when she's rested enough, and isn't overly worried. so today she's sitting out on the balcony of their apartment, with a sketchbook, and has it angled so that whatever she's drawing is hidden from the mirror. steam drifts invitingly up from a mug beside her]

Hey, how is everyone doing? I know it's been a really long month, but ... we also did really well. I think we deserve another party - and tomorrow is Halloween! We should do something!

So tomorrow, I'm going to open my gallery: The Graven Image. It's on Edison Street, next to the coffee shop gardens. Look for the mausoleum... that's the entrance. Some of you already know where it is - and if you do, thanks for helping me. It's a costume party, so be sure to come in something amazing! There's a contest with a prize for the winner: but it's a surprise.

[once she's finished that announcement, she opens up a filter and considers for a moment. there are so many things she could say, but maybe it's best to keep it simple]

[Locked to Atem]

Hey. How are you doing? I've been worried about you.

[Locked to Dreamfinder & Figment]

Are you okay? I didn't see you at the Infirmary, and I've been worried about you, and Merlin. And I have to tell you something important if Figment hasn't already.

Comments

Video

[woo_oo]

We totally deserve a celebration party, we kicked so much tail!

[strangeandunusual]

Webby!

[she beamed at the sight of her smallest birdfriend, glad that she'd made it through in one piece. of course she'd participated - Lydia had a feeling it would have taken more than a witches' army to keep Webby from fulfilling her Warrior's destiny]

What did you do? I want to hear everything.

[woo_oo]

Okay so! I went out to kick butt but then this song got in my head and I got all hypnotized until this woman named Missy - she's nice! and she's strong! - put earmuffs on me which blocked out the sound! It was coming from the arcade, but the song was hypnotizing all the other kids, so we had to fight them to get into the arcade!

[You best believe she's acting this all out.]

And then we decided I'd pretend to still be hypnotized in order to find the witch and lower her guard, so Missy could come behind for a sneak attack! Except when the beautiful witch got me a different weapon I got startled so she found out I wasn't hypnotized, and then she and Missy got all BLAM BLAM, CHAINS, GHOSTS, MELTING, EXPLOSIONS!

[Pause for breath.]

I had to fight off more kids but then we both saw she had a glowy necklace and of course if you fight an evil magic person and they're wearing glowy jewelry, 85% of the time it's their source of power, so I WHIPPED OUT MY GRAPPLING HOOK GUN and tied her up and then Missy choked her and broke the necklace and Mister Dreamfinder came out!

[...phew.]

[not_so_different]

[That's absolutely how that happened. 100%. No embellishments at all.]

• video •

[unladenswallow]

( she wasn't the best partier around but she was looking forward to the gallery! and had been ever since lydia had told her about it way back ( as though it were so, so far away ) when she had first arrived. ) I'll have to see what I can come up with for some sort of costume although apologies in advance as it isn't likely to be that spectacular. ( a chuckle. ) The gallery, I expect it'll be a grand turnout and just what the area needs after the ordeal everyone has gone through. I plan to take it all in so that I might brag to those from my home should I ever return there. Or if they turn up here so I can tell them I've seen it first.

( she paused and added after a moment: ) How are you feeling after all that happened? I can imagine how taxing all the magical usage must have been...

[strangeandunusual]

[Lydia smiles - how can she not, when she has so many friends excited for her? and her heroine, to boot. she's still not over how badass Ciri was on Main Street]

I'm okay, now. I slept for about a day and a half, though. I don't think I've ever been so tired. The nurses got mad at me because I kept walking around the Infirmary trying to help. What about you? Are you okay?

[unladenswallow]

( she stifled a chuckle at the bit about the nurses. ) Most medics I've ever known tend to be somewhat stuffy, it's amusing to make them irritated with a task as small as walking about. I'm glad you're feeling better though and that you were somewhere safe to be exhausted. ( she nodded. ) Bruises and the like, but, otherwise feeling fine in large part thanks to you. Your healing skills are amazing, Lydia.

[strangeandunusual]

[she blushed.]

I didn't do much. Not nearly as much as the people here are capable of. But I'm glad I was able to help you. You were amazing out there. I've never seen another woman fight like that!

[Sylvando might have competition for his training rights now. just saying]

Voice

[not_so_different]

[Missy is still healing and isn't about to show off her makeup-less face to the masses. But she still responds, her voice a little tired.]

A gallery in a mausoleum? You have my interest.

[strangeandunusual]

Missy! Webby told me how you helped her, and the two of you saved Dreamfinder. That's amazing. You're totally both the best. Absolutely the best. Was he hurt bad?

[oh right the gallery]

Yeah, it's just the right size to fit over the tent the Doctor made and let me use, and it fits the look I use inside.

[a pause]

The tent's a lot bigger on the inside. And it doesn't look like a tent at all once you're in it, either.

[not_so_different]

[The smirk is evident in Missy's voice.]

Oh he didn't seem harmed at all, actually. Went on and on thanking us and planning what to do next. I'll give that to him, at least, he's a hardy one.

[Tricky, tricky, Doctor. She laughs.]

Basic Time Lord technology. It's bigger on the inside. I'm not surprised he found a way to make it work with magic.

[strangeandunusual]

[she's too relieved to really think about what that smirk means]

Oh, good. I'm glad he's okay. ... And yeah, the Doctor told me about his ship. Are they all really alive? It sounds amazing. I'd love to see one someday.

[Video]

[bigbadrose]

Will it be more like a grand opening, or a party?

[strangeandunusual]

[she thinks about this for a minute]

... Yes.

[bigbadrose]

[Snorts.] Okay, okay... I'll see what I can scrounge up. But I might not be much of a party person.

I'm only coming because it's you.

[strangeandunusual]

Are you sure you're not a closet goth, Rose?

[Video]

[originaldragoon]

[Rose looks a bit better after the battles but she does look tired.]

Why a mausoleum? [Sounds quite morbid if you ask her.]

[strangeandunusual]

Because I've always loved strange, unusual, dark things. Not all of the photos are creepy, though: actually, most of them aren't. It's just ... my style.

[she surprises herself with how unapologetic she sounds about it]

I am the Princess of Nightmares, after all.

[Voice Only][Locked to Lydia]

[king_of_egypt]

[There was a considerable delay after her message was sent and it was responded to. Atem purposely avoided projecting an image, and his voice betrayed how rundown he was feeling.]

Evening, Lydia. [Some wounds could be healed with a combination of medical and magical aide. Others needed something more- like time and reflection.]

I'm as well as can be expected. [Having found no manner in which to answer that sufficiently enough for his liking] Sorry to have worried you. What about you, and the others? [Of which he placed more importance on.] I.... haven't had a chance to fully assess the damages.

[strangeandunusual]

Oh, Atem. [there was no pity in her voice, only sympathy, which had a friendlier pitch, and more patience in it. usually he had no issue with video, so to be hiding his face, he must be feeling just as terrible as she imagined he would. ]

We're all getting better. The fight was hard on everyone, but we did it. And we got everyone back. [she realizes she might need to clarify] I heard a couple of the nurses saying you weren't the only one who got manipulated, but I didn't hear who. ... I don't think anyone's really had a chance to see how bad things are outside. When I came back from the infirmary, I kind of had ... what do they call it? Blinds? All I could see was the apartments because all I wanted to do was come back here and relax in my own space. Mal's still there, though: she wore herself out really hard.

[king_of_egypt]

[She'd imagined correctly and he wasn't doing much to dissuade her assumptions. Part of him wondered if guilt was gnawing at her and Fenton like it was him. If there was anyone he might be able to relate to it would be one of them.] [Mercifully she left it at "Oh Atem" and let the conversation take a different direction] That is a great relief. [All of the information he'd received so far seemed to confirm what she was attesting to] I...... wasn't? [So he wasn't the only weak-willed, over-confident, arrogan- The insults would just keep mounting up if he allowed it. What had he been thinking when he had first spoken to the witches? He'd opened himself up to being used as an instrument of destruction. In reality, he had been trying to convince the witches with a little reverse psychology that perhaps they would need the apprentices alive to keep from falling prey to the corruption themselves but it had woefully backfired on him] Blinders, you mean? [Did they even use horses with any level of frequency in Lydia's time? It had sounded fairly modern to him...] The material damage is not as important so long as everyone is alright. [That last part about Mal ... didn't surprise him in the least. She did try to push herself normally] I'm glad to hear that your injuries were not as severe, and I hope that Mal will soon be able to rejoin you at the apartments.

[strangeandunusual]

That's it, blinders. Thanks. [she'd read it in a book once or twice, and knew the Doctor used them sometimes when he drove the carriage, but really, she was still so very tired that sometimes it snuck up on her in odd ways.]

I feel the same way: we can all help rebuild things easily enough. I know some of those missions were to rebuild the temple, so anyone who went on those can use the same magic to rebuild Main Street.

As for Mal ... I hope she's not out for too long, but the nurses said she might be out for a while. I think I put her to sleep just in time. She wanted to make copies of herself and take all three of the witches on.

[the look on her face makes it perfectly clear what she thinks of that plan]

[Video]

[dream_is_a_wish]

[He looks, tired- but the sort of tired one has from working hard on something they love.]

Lydia! I'm sorry, one, *sigh* one of the witches was messing with the mirror and I'm not sure what she did.

[Dreamfinder shakes his head a bit.]

Are you alright? I hear the Infirmary was a bit full. And what hasn't he told me?

[He glances over where the little dragon is sleeping, having warn himself out a bit.]

[strangeandunusual]

[she had thought she'd recovered, but the last of her missing spark returns at the sight of his face]

It's so good to see you safe.

[but even as she says it, she's starting to cry, her smile morphing at the edges into the grimace of someone trying hard not to completely fall apart]

I'm so, so sorry. Fenton and Atem and I never should have agreed to help Hades... you and Merlin - we almost - we almost ruined everything.

[dream_is_a_wish]

Oh, Lydia!

[Okay, crying people he...he really has no idea what to do but.]

It wasn't your fault, Lydia and...well...it actually isn't entirely Hades' fault either.

[He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.]

We are all fine, for the most part, and all of you- you did so well and all of Main Street owes you. There's no need for tears, nothing was ruined save for the Sanderson's plans.