010 ~*~ The most anticlimactic return

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Action : 340 Brady Lane : Sunday mid-day ]
[ It might be difficult for outsiders to tell that something was off about Meiling, at first. As a drone she was a touch more pleasant and carefree, a bit more diligent with her work, and much more subservient to her "husband". At school she was pleasant and diligent and a good, hard worker.

But today, the vacuum cleaner in the living room is on and just... running in place. A quick investigation will show that it is on and sitting flat on the floor beside the couch. The couch that a certain redhead is dead asleep on.

...drone!Meiling did not understand the importance of proper rest, so that's why Meiling, having snapped out of it, decided to rectify this at the cost of all else happening around her. ]

---

[ Action : Mayfield Elementary : Monday Afternoon ]
[ Dressed in her usual overalls for her work, this particular janitor is mopping the halls rather dully. She isn't humming to herself as usual, or trying to make a show of cleaning for anyone still milling about after school. Meiling is definitely not all there, but at least it's obvious from the lack of a genial smile that she is no longer droned. ]

---

[ Phone : Monday Evening ]
[ That's both the longest and most frightening droning period ever for her, so those who know her might notice that she's just barely keeping the disappointment inside. This place can make her break just about any promise, it seems... ] Um, hi Mayfield. It's Meiling. I was told I was out for a little while, now, so I want to say I'm sorry to anyone who wanted me for any reason! I'm all better now, I pro-- .

[ Deep breath. ]

I'm pretty sure I am, I mean.

Comments

[not_so_great_wall]

...that sounds like the work of the Taisui Xingjun! [ At least, if it wasn't just Mayfield being Mayfield. ]

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

No, it was apparently aliens. Though I suspect the town was behind it anyway.

[not_so_great_wall]

Oh.

...real aliens, you mean? [ Not "Patchouli trolling the gardener" aliens? ]

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

...depends what you mean by real. Like I said, it was probably just another of Mayfield's fabrications.

[TELL ME MORE]

[not_so_great_wall]

The ... opposite of fake aliens, of course. [ No, she's not taking a tone. ] Not someone just playing at it for fun, I mean.

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Well, doing it for fun seem as good a logic as any behind what they do to us here. I don't see what you're getting at.

[not_so_great_wall]

You remember the crop circles in the garden at home, don't you?

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Was there something like that? The gardens are your business.

[not_so_great_wall]

There was... Mm. Maybe it wasn't that important. [ Though she swore that Aya had interviewed people surrounding the "incident", but it turned out to be a bit of an experiment by a certain purple-haired wizard, so nothing came of it after it was all fixed. ]

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Nothing worth worrying unduly about, anyway.

[not_so_great_wall]

You're right. It was only temporary, anyhow.

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

This wasn't anything worth worrying about either, since anything strange they did went back to normal at the end of the day and in the end seemed mostly harmless. The party was actually kind of fun!

[not_so_great_wall]

...there was a party? [ Aw man, now she really wanted to be here. ]

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Yes, at the end with the costumes like I said. Sakuya and I quite enjoyed it.

[not_so_great_wall]

Ahh, I see. [ She must have glazed over that part because of feeling off, still.

...pardon the yawn. ]

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Did you not get enough sleep? I imagine your drone didn't nap nearly as often.

[not_so_great_wall]

She didn't nap at all! I'm still feeling the effects of it.

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

You poor thing, having to be awake more often than you're asleep.

[Sarcasm? Neveeer]

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Too tired to sound dignified. ] Remiliaaaaa....

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Well, having you awake and normal eight hours a day is better than twenty four hours of that impostor.

[not_so_great_wall]

I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again. [ As if it was preventable in the first place. ] To make up for it, how about I come look at the garden where you're staying, sometime?

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

Ohh, that'd be nice. It's rather plain as it is, I think.

[not_so_great_wall]

[ With cheer in her tone. ] Okay! Then I'll do some shopping and come over this weekend to liven the place up some.

[redthenightless.livejournal.com]

I look forward to it.

It's good to have you back, Meiling.

[not_so_great_wall]

It's good to be back, Remilia. [ Believe her. Nothing feels better right now. ] I will see you soon!