Okay, wait, no-- no, I can do it!

( Possibly there are sounds of other voices, but Ellie is being stubborn because she's Ellie. The complaint is undermined by the laughter running rich through her voice; a new sound, maybe, for a fair few on the network. )

Come on, it can't be difficult. ( But her voice drops, as she grumbles. ) iPod, what the hell happened to walkmans-- ( Oh! Wait, gentle listener: ) It's working! Steph, I made it work!

( And what is playing? Why, the finest compilation of eighties classics, of course, with the dulcet tones of a few teenage girls and glasses in the background. Sorry, Bones - the unit has been invaded. )

Sami, this is the one you need to hear. ( Because, as we all know, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. )

It's not fair.

[someone doesn't sound happy at all.]

She was my friend. But now...

YOU CAN'T TAKE HER AWAY!

BRING HER BACK!

[some loud, pained screaming.]

BRING HER BACK. NOW!

[wherever painwheel's at, she's decided to take her anger out on the place itself, as it sounds like there's quite a bit of wrecking, breaking, and smashing going on.

yeah, it's pretty bad.]

[Have a very annoyed looking Lloyd on the screen. If you can make out the background, you might realize this is the same apartment with the very messy room that Mithos showed everyone a few days ago. Lloyd, however, is sitting at a table, which is only easily guessable from the current angle.]

Do any of you know anything about this "etiquette" stuff? There is no way this can be right!

[He holds up a fistful of forks, each of them a slightly different size and make.]

Why would anyone need to eat with this many forks for one meal? You just have to poke it in the food and eat it! Doesn't this just make it a lot harder than it needs to be?

[He then proceeds to lift a napkin from his lap.]

And why do I need one of these on my legs? What if I drop food on it?

[He glances off to the side for a moment.]

Kratos is just making this up, right? He tried to teach me stuff I wanted to know before and he made it all way too hard then, too. I think he just does it to be a jerk!

[From somewhere out of the picture, another voice is heard.]

You realize I can hear you.

[Lloyd suddenly glances in the same direction again, now looking incredibly nervous.]

Cra-

[And the feed cuts out.]

I ain't exactly proud of how I handled stuff when I got here, but I gave it a lotta thought, and I think I've got everythin' figured out now.

[Toji takes on an important sounding tone.]

We're basically on our own here, living by ourselves, makin' our own food, doin' our own cleaning, payin' for our own stuff, right? So that basically makes us adults. Or at least we're bein' treated like it. And if we're bein' treated this way, we gotta live up to it. I got a job washin' dishes at a place, and I've been takin' a bunch of other odd jobs too. I can't act like a spoiled kid forever, so from now on I'm gonna pull my own weight around here.

So if anyone sees me mopin' around like a sadsack again, smack some sense into me!

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo? This is Neko, is someone listening? Wrong number? HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

[ Someone without much ability with technology is fumbling with the device, sounds of grunting and fuming clear as the video function goes on and off, as well as the voice one, briefly showing bits of white and way too much skin at times.

It suddenly settles on a pair of mismatched eyes. An aquamarine and a green leaf one. ]

Is Shiro here? He had to go somewhere right? Because he said it would be okay. And then he was here! I saw him!!! [ A pained frown crosses the small bit of visible face. ] I want to see Shiro! I want I want I want I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant!!

[ The camera pans out, showing the pouting girl down to her shoulders. Her bare shoulders. This doesn't seem to concern her much, if at all. ]

If Shiro isn't here then I don’t want to be here. I don’t! I want to go away.

[ A beat, and then the pained frown comes again. ]

I’m hungry…

[Oriko understands how to navigate around the camera, moving slightly to adjust the impact of her message whenever her tone changes. To start with, she's facing her tablet's camera almost directly, smiling and polite, but at some point she will shift so that she sits considerably higher than the lens.]

Good afternoon. I hope everyone's settled in, those of us who arrived here recently. I guess this is mostly for you.

I'm grateful to the others who have compiled information on local shops. It makes me feel so much better about my potential expenses if I plan them out. Thanks to your contributions, I've already budgeted for the next two months with some left over for the woman nearby who makes her own candles - I'm happy to send more business her way!

[She seems very pleased about that, but soon falls serious.]

I expect that we will soon be called on by our hosts. For some of you, this is the most recent call of many. For that reason I believe we shouldn't become too hesitant or apathetic.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' How many times have you heard that already? Surely you'll hear it again. I wonder...If that applies here, as well, to our story. Would you believe something like that?

I know you must be angry. So am I. I won't tell you how to feel, so I can only offer encouragement.

Those of us who need to repair from a previous life, don't you think these people worth that time?

( [locked to: madoka kaname] )