"come, come," I hear it calling me

[headedforhope]

Characters: headedforhope, gentlecuteside, revolutionized, waha
Date: 2/14~ and onward, spanning the length of the event.
Summary: The magic of the Gardens draws Mami to each of these three girls in turn, and them to her, keeping the pair locked together until both reveal something to the other.
Warnings: Should be nothing, will edit if anything comes up.

[Mami is no stranger to the feeling of her heart fluttering in her chest, the sensation of being tugged by the fragile strings toward another. She's also no stranger to resisting it and making the lessening of distance a slow and cautious thing, if she allows it to happen at all. Gradual, like some intricate, orbiting dance of light footsteps and restrained movements.

The magic at play affords her that much, at least, but no amount of digging in her heels and shoving away the feeling of being pulled can stop the inevitable from happening.]

Comments

i am home!

[revolutionized]

We'd both have to change, huh...

[It's spoken distantly. Utena slows to halt and gazes at the ring on her finger. She has rarely shined or buffed it, and never removes it, but the silver still glitters; the Rose Seal is in perfect condition. Unchanging, as it had been the day

(night)

her prince had given it to her.

Her hand clenches into a fist.] Maybe you're right. You're right about it being hard too. You know, it's strange...sometimes I don't think anything changes at all, even though I fight for it. I'd like things to change for the better, but at the same time, I...

[It always seemed as if lately, that Anthy was on the verge of telling her something. But then the moment would pass, and she would close in on herself. Again, and again, and again. Every night, Akio-san would watch the stars, and every day there would be a Duel. On Saturday evenings, Anthy would leave, and return like clockwork. She never said what she was doing, and Utena never asked.

Another duel, and another day, just like the day before, just as it had been after her Prince had given her the ring. One day she would leave Ohtori, of course, but that...

That was impossible, wasn't it? She couldn't leave until...until...]

I don't know. [She admits this at last, and very quietly.] I don't know if it's good to change all the time.

[She shakes her head, and grins, helplessly.] Ah, that was a pretty heavy thing to say, huh? Nothing like me at all...geez, maybe it's this gloomy weather, you know?

no!

[headedforhope]

[It's but the work of a minute for Mami to cut a neat turn and skate up to Utena, to come to a slow and graceful halt in front of her. Near enough to touch, easily, a thing she does after a heavy moment of hesitation - one hand on Utena's shoulder.]

...I understand.

[Simple words stated in a quiet voice. Yet another truth, for Mami knows that feeling. It's more comfortable to stay the same, isn't it? To have the ease and familiarity of routine, to know what you have to do and how to do it and have it repeat over and over. Change is scary. Change is difficult. Change is not something most people gladly and readily accept. She doesn't know if she should be proud of Utena for this admittance, for this moment of insight and thinking outside of her bubble.....or disappointed that it's such a slow and small step considering the long and hard road it's but a piece of. So she settles for neither. Mami just smiles in a comforting way, removes her hand, and allows that thread of conversation to lay abandoned.]

Ah, yes....it'll be nice when it's sunny and warm here again. I'm looking forward to it.