[video]

[wearefriends]

[Viola has tried to sound sweet, charming, and maybe a little eerie when she's been on the networks before, apart from that one time she cried. Now, however, there's a very strong impression that she's breathing hard to bite down fury, and a fury laced with incredible fear at that.

The camera is taken up by an image of a doll, but one painted as to be badly mutilated. The long purple hair is streaked with red blood. The face is gaunt and hollow, with two bloody holes where the eyes should be. Red-black blood tracks down the withered cheeks and down the dress, and there's no legs peeking out from under the skirt.]

Who gave me it?

Take it back! I don't want it!

[She shakes it at the camera.]

I'll wreck it if you do, I promise you! What a terrible trick to play on someone!

[And for her,the worst part is that she's only half faking it.]

Comments

video;

[overwinters]

.. That's a pretty strange doll.

[ Ilya seems reasonably calm as always. In fact, she's leaning a little closer to the screen as if she's trying to get a better look at it, apparently not too fazed by how it's "mutilated". ]

video;

[wearefriends]

Strange? Of course it's strange! [She throws it down, disgusted.]

That's the... the one that wanted this body...

[overwinters]

Well, I can get why it'd want another body instead. It doesn't look like it has much of one.

[ The weirdest calm assessment. ]

But.. it's just a doll, right? It's not real.

[wearefriends]

Ugh, of course you don't get it.

[She picks the doll up, and with sudden, hitherto unseen violence, she smashes it against the wall until it shatters.]

Wait.

[overwinters]

[ At least she doesn't say anything about the display of violence, mostly since she doesn't really think anything special of it.. ]

Wait.. and then what?

[wearefriends]

[Viola covers her eyes with her hands.

Three seconds later, the doll can be seen sitting on the back of the chair, perfectly whole. It's simply there; it doesn't appear or climb up, it's just there.]

You see?

[overwinters]

.. It can regenerate?

[ It's weird to say that about something that isn't alive, but thanks to Ilya's kind of powers dolls might as well be humans in a way.. ]

[wearefriends]

Yes.

[She sighs.]

I smashed it, broke it, put it in the microwave... no luck.

[overwinters]

[ Hm, maybe she should try her powers on it.. if it's something alive, could she maybe trap a doll into another doll? That'd be so weird, but--

.. wait.. ]

A microwave is one of those.. heat boxes, right? You can put dolls in there?

[wearefriends]

What? Yes, that's them. Haven't you used yours yet? [She doesn't come from a place where microwaves exist, but she has to admit they're fun. Doesn't help that she busted hers by putting something metallic in there but... who knows. Maybe she could use that information for later.]

I don't think dolls are meant to go in. I just wanted it to melt.

[overwinters]

[ Yeah, there wasn't exactly a microwave in her isolated castle either.. or at least not any she ever got to see or use. She's learned about them a little in Shirou's house though, but they're still sort of a mystery to her. ]

It'd probably be much easier if you just threw it into the fire! Or maybe you should have ripped its remaining limbs off one by one. [ DON'T SAY IT SO CALMLY.. ]

[wearefriends]

There isn't an open hearth in my apartment. [And please, she's not about to start fires in her home when she doesn't have any guarantee she could control them.]

I didn't want to mutilate it, I wanted to be rid of it.

[overwinters]

Aww, that sounds like it'd be less fun..

[ Great idea of "fun", Ilya. ]

It doesn't look like it wants to go away though.

[wearefriends]

What it wants shouldn't signify... [She mutters it, then drops it onto the table again in disgust.]

[overwinters]

Maybe if you want it to go away, you should make it want to go away.

[wearefriends]

Well, I can't imagine smashing it, melting it, crushing it, and throwing it away suggest that I want to keep it.

[overwinters]

It could be that physical violence doesn't work! Maybe you should try being really, really mean to it. Or just telling it to go away.

[ Actually, to Ilya, something like that sounds much worse than just physically being hurt.. ]

[wearefriends]

Treating something like it has thoughts and feelings can give it a venue for thoughts and feelings, you know.

... At least, that's what my father always said.

[Or a black cat, at any rate.]

[overwinters]

[ Wrong RPG horror game dad obsessed with dolls.. ]

... Maybe they have them already. It's not like you know, right? [ She's taking it a little bit more personally than other people would, since she's almost a doll too.. ]

[wearefriends]

Did I upset you?

[She looks a little put out by the idea.]

I did, didn't I... I'm so sorry.

[overwinters]

I'm fine. I was just saying..

[ Obviously it's not entirely a honest answer, but still. ]

... But thanks either way, I guess.

[wearefriends]

Maybe you should be careful about what you 'just say' in future... who knows what might be paying attention?

[overwinters]

But you say the dolls don't have thoughts or feelings, right? [ As much as she dislikes thinking that way. ] So then they can't be listening either.

[wearefriends]

But there are things other than dolls in these apartments.

[overwinters]

.. No matter what I say, they'll try to hurt us either way unless something is done about them. It's in their nature. Nothing we do can make it worse, at least.

[wearefriends]

You sound so sure about that...

[Is it time for flattery? It's time for flattery.]

I wish I could be sure of anything in this place. You're so smart.

[overwinters]

[ At least Ilya - due to her honesty and the idea imprinted in her that most people are honest too when they seem nice enough - believes it easily.. ]

Me, smart..? W.. w- well, that's just part of being a lady, isn't it?

[ She's obviously surprised for a moment though before she tries to regain her composure. ]

[wearefriends]

I guess so! [She gives a pleasant little giggle.]

[overwinters]

See, then.. it's just part of everything. It's natural.

[ She lets out a deep breath, and then, somewhat more relunctantly: ] .. Thank you. I guess.

[wearefriends]

You're welcome!

[She laughs a little again.]

I better go. I'll talk to you later, okay?

[overwinters]

.. Hmm. [ She sobers up a little again, giving the other girl a nod. ] I'll see you some other time then. Good luck with the doll.

audio;

[selfism]

[ He has little interest in conversing with the children here, but he's immediately arrested by the sight of the horrific doll. ]

Who is she? [ he asks tightly. He knows now that these dolls are based off of people familiar to the residents. That thing...it resembles a girl Viola's apparent age, but it's so monstrous looking. ]

audio;

[wearefriends]

She's the one I was running from, the one my dad had to shoot to stop her coming closer... she wanted this body, wanted me to switch for this one!

[At the 'this', she shakes the doll, her anger spiking into disgust. How dare this place give her this doll? How dare it?]

audio;

[selfism]

[ He understands now her strong reaction the first time she described the monster to him; horrible doesn't do the doll's disfigurement justice. ]

That thing wanted your body, [ he repeats slowly, brows furrowed. ] What happened to its own body?

[ As awful as the doll appears, it still resembles...a child. That, perhaps, is the most disturbing aspect. ]

audio;

[wearefriends]

... It was sick.

[Her voice is grudging, reluctant. She's discussing a distressing topic and doesn't want to.]

And it mutilated itself.

audio;

[selfism]

[ That would explain the disfigurement. ]

You saw it happen?

audio;

[wearefriends]

... Yes.

[And the smile on her face is not reflected in her words at all.]

audio;

[selfism]

[ He has little else to say. "You're lucky your father was there," is on the tip of his tongue and then he simply shakes his head to himself. The last thing he wants is for her to get all teary talking about her dad.

So he simply falls silent. Unless Viola has anything to say, he'll eventually end the call. ]

audio;

[wearefriends]

[No need. With a perkier voice (that she's sure to make sound entirely forced), she ends it for him.]

Well, bye mister.

Good luck.

audio;

[selfism]

[ With a nod that she can't see, he hangs up. ]