It Might As Well Be Spring [Open Video]

[vernal_miss]

Date: March 20th, 2019; after school
Characters: Network Number {235 13 892 33} ; Action open to family

[As the video begins, the sleeve of a lightweight knit sweater covers the view as the broadcast as Nel makes an adjustment to the angle of the phone. Gentle, she releases the device and withdraws her hands slowly before taking a few steps back to bring herself into the frame. The view is somewhat elevated and shows Nel standing in the family backyard. The grass looks a little more vibrant than those belonging to neighbors or elsewhere in Mossgate thanks to her time playing around outside this afternoon trying to burn off the excess energy that makes itself known as she addresses the Network.

As she talks, her words are hurried and there's a light bouncing on her heels as she attempts to stand in one place with modest success.]

Hallo everyone! I thought it'd be nice if I shared the gift Father Christmas gave me! I decided today is a nice day to wake the seeds up and so I have these here-

[She gestures to the few pots she has set up with dirt in them beside her, and in front of them rests an opened gift box.]

-to put them in. Then I started holding them trying to pick which one I want to grow and oh they look brilliant in my head and I knew I had to show them to everyone cause they're absolutely beyond anything else anywhere!

[A gleeful giggle breaks from her in anticipation, and she claps her hands together with excitement. Rather than take a simple step over, she springs in a hop to land in a crouch and reaches into the box to retrieve one seed out of the packets within. Leaping right back up to her feet she hurries over to the camera to hold the seed up close for a slightly blurry view of what looks more like a chunk of ice topped by a bit of lint than a plant seed.]

See? It's already so nice, but watch this!

[Scurrying back to one of the pots, Nel minds the camera enough to go to the opposite side and crouch there. She digs a hole down into the dirt with her finger, and drops the little seed down inside. A sweep of her hand covers the dirt, and then she lays her hand over that same spot in the pot as she closes her eyes to focus. Coming quite fast, the vibrant green coloration overtakes her hair nearly to her shoulders as she calls her magic to hasten the growth of the plant. What follows is the sight of her raising her hand upwards with the tip of the plant pushing up against it within the little sparkles falling from her hand. The stem of the plant twirls as it rises upwards, and as it gets taller, small buds shaped like diamonds form at the sides near the top, as sharp and crystalline as ice. Her second hand comes underneath the lowest bud, and the largest buds at the top open at the tip to spread out flat into thin sheets that rather resemble snowflakes without separate petals. By the time the last of the top three buds open, the plant itself is nearing a meter in height with Nel now standing. Her hands lower away as she stares wide eyed at the sight of what she had only pictured in her head previously, and with a squeal, she jumps away from the pot to start running about.]

IT'S SO PRETTY!!!!

[She goes out of frame, then a few seconds later, crosses in a cartwheel with her long red hair trailing behind.]

Comments

[Video]

[iamnotgod]

[Since the Network can't be accessed online, it takes a little wrangling with his notepad before Walter can really see Nel's video.

And what he can see then, well... His eyebrows are still on his head, but it feels like they shouldn't be.

This is certainly more than what Nel showed at the meeting in Tarwich - and Nel herself is also more lively here than she was then.]

It is, but now I suppose one of the questions is, how did he get them?

And, ah, how are you feeling, Nel?

[Briefly setting out a link-line to check the date, and - the Spring Equinox? Well then.]

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

[The sound of a friendly voice draws her back over to the phone in use for the broadcast, and Nel reappears in view right in front of the camera as she crouches an arm length away for a comfortable distance. Able to see her friend on the other end of the connection wearing a pair of sunglasses, she waves energetically with one hand.]

Hi Walter! I guess he got them with magic? I bet he could have found anything in his presents!

[Then the question about how she feels brings an oddly dichotomous response. Initially she titters with a beaming smile at the sheer energy bristling through her.] Like I ate a whole bag of sugar!

[But then that smile breaks for a second in recognition of her amped state as her shoulders sag slightly.] ...I didn't sleep at all last night. Or much the night before... I tried but I couldn't hold still. I don't feel even a little sleepy but my arms and legs are tired.

Re: [Video]

[iamnotgod]

... I can believe that.

[Aaaand that's about what he was expecting. The Spring Equinox means more energy in the same way the Winter Solstice meant less.

He wonders what that means for summer...]

Does making flowers help regulate that energy?

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

[As suddenly as she seized a moment of clarity, her grasp of it slips as the energy washes over her and spurs her back into motion. Nel simply sprawls back into the grass, landing on her hands and bottom with a light plunk and a light giggle. Alternately, she kicks her legs up and down from the ground into the air a few inches. The motion falls out of rhythm for all of a second before resuming as Walter asks about the flowers.]

Regulate? Reh-gue-late. That's a funny sounding word. What's that mean?

Re: [Video]

[iamnotgod]

[... Oh no. Walter's getting reminders of having to 'babysit' for some of his uni classmates who got high on a study break.

Not the worst thing that ever happened during a babysitting shtick, but still.]

It means to vent - in this case, putting energy out of the system so things can return to normal levels.

Or just lower ones.

[Because 'normal', as always, is relative.]

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

[Wiggling as she listens, Nel bends her knees to tuck them so her feet come by her hips and she leans forward to her hands instead.]

Oh! Making flowers to use the magic so I have less?

[The girl looks over her shoulder back to the icy flowers she made from the seed and the few other pots gathered. Even in her current state she knows she cannot transform the whole yard without drawing attention from neighbors.]

...I don't think I have enough pots.

Re: [Video]

[iamnotgod]

[Walter musters up a smile, trying to be reassuring.]

You might not feel the same way after, say, five pots.

[Though, on that thought.]

But, how many have you done so far? And was it growing them or just modifying those that already have bloomed?

[action]

[fairfeste]

[Nel has... a lot of energy at the best of times, and this is a bit much. They are at least self-aware enough to notice they've been a little more temperamental recently (though not enough to attribute it to anything other than getting 'old and cranky'), so they've been trying to avoid this but they also still care about Nel and want to know what the hell is going on.

So they're sitting on the grass, watching her cartwheel around and something about that is even making them kind of tired. They're glad she's happy, but--] Nel, did you wind up sleeping at all last night?

[Action]

[vernal_miss]

[Her continuous cartwheels carrying her across the yard come to a sudden halt when Feste calls her name for attention with the question. Although she makes her best attempt to halt in a handstand position, her momentum tips her over to flop down on the ground. It smarts a little, but not enough to keep her from bursting into light giggles. Rolling over, she pushes up on her elbows with her hair draped to one side as she focuses on her eldest sibling.]

Nope! Not a wink! I saw the clock turn over every hour and every half hour and almost every ten minutes!

But I slept a little the night before!

[fairfeste]

[Yeah that's what they thought but it doesn't make this make more sense. How does she have so much energy???]

Only a little? Why aren't you tired?

[vernal_miss]

[The questions that follow have her looking upwards as thought she might find the answer over the house. It is something she has been wondering herself, but she has been eating less lately thanks to not being able to sit long enough to finish a full meal and the tendency for nausea to follow while so constantly active. Lack of sleep sometimes follows a lot of it... After a brief moment, she extends in her back to shrug with her hands and elbows out to the sides.]

Dunno! Maybe because I slept so much when it was super cold! [Months ago in December.]

[Hands put down, she climbs up to her feet.]

[fairfeste]

I don't think that's how that works...

[But then again, who knows? It's not like most of this makes any kind of sense, why would this? At least she seems mostly ok???]

*though

[vernal_miss]

Then it’s a mystery~!

[She sing songs her response playfully back on her feet. Focus still on Feste, she hurries over to where they sit and swoops behind to drop down on her knees and wrap her arms over their shoulders for an affectionate hug.]

[Video]

[lovedramamoron]

[It was one thing to know that some of the others had been developing abilities. It was another thing altogether to actually see it. And Jimmy wasn't entirely certain what to think.]

...Is that normal for you?

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

[Coming back in front of the phone a little out if breath, Nel smiles with a small wave as she greets the teenager she recognizes from the Numbered meeting but has not spoken with at any real length.]

Hi hi!

Is what normal for me? Making the flower grow or making those special flowers?

Re: [Video]

[lovedramamoron]

That, and all the running around. [Was it normal for kids to run around that much?]

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

Yes, no, and nope! I have been able to grow flowers for a while, I have never grown any special flowers before, AND I have never run around this much for so long before!

[Breathing normalizing, she fidgets with her hair as a means of distracting herself and stand still to talk.]

Sorry, I forgot your name, but I saw you in Tarwich!

Re: [Video]

[lovedramamoron]

I don't think we ever got around to meeting each other then. I'm Jimmy Dupin. What's your name?

Do you think its connected?

[Video]

[vernal_miss]

It’s nice to meet you Jimmy! My name’s Nel. Well it’s Ornella Tilly, but I like being called Nel instead.

Uh…maybe not? I’ve been hyper for the last few days, and today is the most hyper I’ve ever been in my whole life! But I got the seeds from Father Christmas in December when he was at the mall. [She squees happily and twists back and forth a few times, hair swinging in the motion except where she holds it.] He was so super duper nice!!! And I wanted to make sure the seeds would be healthy after they grew so I waited until today since it’s getting warmer now and the other plants are starting to wake up.

[Action]

[scarsolderthanyou]

A little less acrobatics, there, Nel. You're going to hit something.

[Sam had been off screen during the video, sitting on one of the lawn chairs, but he has to pipe up for that.]

[Action]

[vernal_miss]

[Warning processed during her next cartwheel, she comes upright and stalls with one stagger step as she heeds it. Instead of spinning feet over head, she turns around to look over to where her grandfather is seated as she sweeps her hair back from her face and front.]

Okay!!

[Bunny hopping a few times, her feet separate to instead canter her way over to where her grandfather is seated. Nel reaches one hand to touch his arm to ask, managing to hold still long enough to do so.]

Grandpa, do you like the new flowers?

[Action]

[scarsolderthanyou]

They're pretty.

[He doesn't sound nearly as enthused as she does, which isn't hard to manage, but still. He pats her hand, then admits,]

Little bit concerned about what they might do. They ain't from around here.

[Action]

[vernal_miss]

[The compliment to their appearance gets a delighted smile, quite glad he agrees with her prior declaration. Then, he broaches the possibility that their presence could be bad in some way. Curious, she tilts her head halfway towards a shoulder as her hand stays put.]

How come? People bring plants from other places sometimes, don’t they?

[Action forevers]

[scarsolderthanyou]

And that's not always a good thing, either. But if these aren't even from our planet, they might act differently than normal plants. Remember that vision I had, a few weeks ago? With the seed that grew suddenly into a tree?

[He shrugs.]

I don't know if it'll do anything bad. But I'd like to keep an eye on it, just the same.

[vernal_miss]

[Although Nel does not manage to keep her body still, alternately lifting one heel with a small wiggle at her hips, she does attend to what he tells her. Nodding her head to confirm that she remembers, perhaps a few too many times, she comes to understand his concern.]

A tree is harder to grow... But I can ask!

[Hand taken from his arm she pivots and skips her way back over to the icy flowers. Reaching out to touch the plant, she visibly shivers with a small giggle, then quiets as she focuses for a few seconds, eyes half closing. Focus ending in a blink, she withdraws her hand and skips directly back to her grandfather.]

Other than being chilly, it’s trying to bring something.