Oh, no. You are DOOMED.

[mansionstaff]

Mother Nature had one hell of a temper, and if not that, then perhaps a sadistic sense of humor. The world was Her plaything, a marionette at best, and the people who lived on it, rather unfortunate victims to Her sometimes violent moodswings. For only She could start with an overcast, grey sky, and splatter across it heavy clouds, treacherous storms, and relentless armies of snowflakes that had lost all endearment only to become companions of inconvenience and burden. Someone or something had maddened her greatly - or so would have been the assumption if one gave reason to believe in Sprites of Nature who controlled an entire world's plethora of environments.

Yet Smash Academy had only been given a taste of what was to come. And since they were such diligent and well-behaved little pets, She had reason to reward them. With more entertaining obstacles that would, no doubt, impede their precious plans that somehow took precedence to pleasing and sating her. No, they had not appreciated their darling sunshine days, clear blue skies, and painful sunburns.

"Stop playing at your human-made technological machines and bask in the glorious sun I gave to you!" she wished she could have said. But somehow winter's torment, she knew, would be a far sweeter revenge upon ungrateful children.

And that was how it had begun.

By stand alone days of simple snowfall and ambitious winds, there would be no suspicion of greater minds and hands at work. Steadily through the week, each day became harsher than the last. And like a great many number of battles in a war, there came a pinnacle for Her success. She sent the most worthy blizzard down to the surface in its invincible path and rendered for them a weekend She was certain the town and academy's citizens would remember for some time to come.

One moment was mostly peaceful, and as calm as unruly weather would allow. In some places music played. In some places, lights were dimly lit to provide a pathway. In some places, there was the happy clicking and tapping at a computer. In some places, showers and baths were being taken, savored, and enjoyed. And in other places, unsuspecting people had taken to idle chitter and chatter with other friends who were likely down the hall.

But in the next...

All went black and silent, save for the whipping wind and strangling branches of trees, as if whispering threats of what people would find in the dark.

---

[OOC Notes:
The following is a reminder of how things are going down for the next few days.

♦ This will last from January 18 ~ 20.
♦ The following are affected by the blizzard: electricity, heaters, hot water, TVs, gadgets, gizmos, the network. Congratulations, you've been officially stripped of your luxuries. (No computers for you.)
♦ The school's backup generators will work for about one hour before mysteriously failing. What's causing it to fail? Maybe some of you should go check out the generators themselves...
♦ The blizzard causing this blackout is pretty powerful. You probably don't want to go skipping through it lest you get blown away (in a bad way) and never return.
♦ Power will be restored, and the generators repaired, by Monday morning, January 21.]

Comments

[paletteknife]

Ai, huh. ...Mary couldn't help but wonder what each had told the other.

"I know her a little! ...Is she okay? She didn't look so good last time I saw her..."

[vianca]

They were walking down the hall now. Mary's comment pricked at Vianca's thoughts, and she glanced over at the other girl.

"... When was the last time you saw her?"

[paletteknife]

"...I dunno. A few days ago, I guess!"

[vianca]

Vianca mulled on that for a moment.

"She will be fine."

[paletteknife]

"Oh, that's good! I hope we can play again when she's better..."

She dropped her pace a little, just so she could get a look at the back of Vianca's head. She'd thought she'd seen a flower tucked there once before, and she could vaguely make out the outline of one in the dark now. Sisters with matching petals, how lucky!

She kept Warren's words in mind... Taking something important from somebody who does something that effects you. She didn't see any need to take anything from Vianca yet, but it was a useful thing to keep in mind. How handy it was that flowers were also so important here!

FRICK

[vianca]

If there had been a way for Vianca to have given her sister her own petals, she would have done it in a heartbeat. She felt horrible that there was really nothing she could do for her.

"I hope so..." The purple pikmin could really do with the cheer, and Vianca was aware that cheer was not something she was good at giving herself.

The smaller girl paused in her steps to glance back at Mary. "Are you looking for anyone?"

[paletteknife]

"Hmm... not really. But I didn't wanna be alone either, so I'm glad you showed up!"

[vianca]

Vianca nodded. It was scary to be alone in the dark, wasn't it? The smaller girl held her hand out towards Mary.

"Then you won't have to be. Ai probably went to find a friend..." There was a very brief pause as Vianca considered the most likely candidates. "Caim or Garry, I would think."

[paletteknife]

Mary froze in her tracks.

And smiled.

"Oh... she's friends with Garry?"

Shoot, that meant Garry probably knew about the state her flower was in, too. She wouldn't have told him who did it, though. She and Seth made sure she wouldn't. Right?

But Ai was close with the two people who knew her secret... This was going to be troublesome, either way.

[vianca]

The paler girl tilted her head slightly, nodding again.

"I believe so."

She hesitated a moment, since Mary had stopped, and her hand hung awkwardly in the air. Hrm. Vianca glanced down at it, then slowly pulled it back as she turned to keep walking. Standing there wouldn't help them find anyone.

[paletteknife]

"What about you? You know him too, right?"

She hurried to catch up, not wanting to lose sight of her now.

[vianca]

Vianca was at least making the conscious effort not to walk at her normal pace, which was really quite fast. She slowed a touch more at the inquiry. She had never said more than a few words to Garry, so she couldn't call him a friend. Though honestly there was hardly anyone she could call that. Still, she did know him.

"Yes."

[paletteknife]

"You and him and Ai talk a lot, huh..."

Yeah. Vianca definitely seemed like the talkative types. Mary's suspicions were very well founded.

"You know, I think he's really fishy."

[vianca]

Well. She assumed he and Ai spoke a lot to each other, and she certainly spoke to Ai more than anyone else. Vianca inclined her head.

"How so?"

[paletteknife]

"I dunno. Just that you prooobably can't believe anything he says. It's a weird feeling..."

Except Vianca herself had seen the evidence of whatever Garry might have to say about Mary. What could she possibly do?

"A really... really weird feeling..."

[vianca]

The really weird feeling, as far as Vianca was concerned, was the unsettling atmosphere that was crawling through the hall. She did not like what Mary was saying, and she did not like the way she was saying it.

"... How do you know Garry?"

[paletteknife]

"I know him because he wrecked everything!!"

She whirled on Vianca all of the sudden, shoving her at the wall. Her blue eyes shone brightly even in the dark, a tinge of madness in them.

"Just like you! You're going to wreck it all too! Both of you...!"

[vianca]

The usually stoic girl let out a gasp of surprise, her own red eyes widening slightly. The unsettling atmosphere did not seem so farfetched anymore. She had seen Mary similar to this before.

In the library with a page clutched in her hand.

Because of who she was.

So Garry knew too.

"Mary..."

[paletteknife]

"That's right... That's right! I'm Mary! Not matter what, I'm Mary! Mary can't be anybody else!"

It wasn't fair. She never asked to be born the way she was, or cast into solitude for years because of it. Even now that she was free to live her life as freely as she wanted with all the friends in the world, her true nature was still a risk. People would find out and reject her, just as Garry and Ib had back in the gallery.

When Garry ruined everything, she took his rose.

When Ai ruined things for Seth, she got to take her flower.

Vianca was so close to ruining things for her too, now that she knew too much. This time she had to be sure to nip it in the bud HA HA BECAUSE... nevermind. Mary was too far gone to be reasoned or bargained with now.

"But I can... pretend... I'm really good at playing pretend, right? You, too..." She reached behind Vianca's head and clutched at a clump of hair in the general vicinity of her flower, pulling hard. "When you lose at playing pretend, know what happens? I can show you..."

[vianca]

Mary's hand hadn't quite met its mark, but it didn't matter. The sharp yank had been enough for someone that had already lost her petals once. She knew very well what happened when you lost at playing pretend, because she already had. She was not a person and she was not a Pikmin and she was not a good sister.

She was not a friend either.

Vianca shook through the dulling pain. She needed to run, but Mary already had her... Taking a chance in her panic then, Vianca let go of the mask that she held on to so tightly. In one moment there was a girl, but in the next there was a small white creature slipping through Mary's fingers and tumbling to the ground.

[paletteknife]

"Huh?!"

What just happened? Did Vianca just disappear? Mary didn't mean to do that... While her permanent disappearance might solve that problem, it would also leave her all alone in the dark-

Something small and white stood out in the darkness by her feet, boasting a flower just like Vianca's.

"Hey, how'd you do that?" She lunged to scoop Vianca up again.

[vianca]

The tumble to the ground had not been to Vianca's benefit. She stumbled, and only had just enough time to back away from Mary's lunging hands with a nervous squeak. Nonono, she had to get away.

Escape take two: Vianca backed up another tiny step and started to dart off to the side, potentially away from large hands.

[paletteknife]

How could something so tiny be so fast?! Mary's grasping hands missed Vianca by mere inches, but that didn't deter her. She just chased after her, movement hindered from being hunched over, and swiped at her again. This time she just barely grabbed the very edges of two of the little Pikmin's petals and she yanked back in desperation.

[vianca]

There... was a rip. There was a rip. She squeaked loudly, and Vianca stopped moving instantly to try and minimize the damage. She kept moving though, pulled along by Mary's fingers from the bits of petal that clung to her stem.

[paletteknife]

"Ha..."

She hoisted Vianca up to eye-level by the mangled petals, her shoulders heaving with each breath.

"Ha ha... ha ha! I caught you, I win!! I can't let you go now..."