[The feed turns on to Gin, Seles and Yoruichi’s apartment, where the statue of Gin is just hanging out in their living room. Yoruichi is out of sight behind the camera, for some reason, filming the statue.]

[After a few moments, the feed swings over to a slightly different angle as Yoruichi takes a few steps to one side. Then she walks clear across the room, still keeping the statue the focus of the broadcast. Strangely enough, the terrible, knowing grin seems to be fixed on the camera, no matter where in the room she stands.]

[Finally, she speaks, her voice faintly disgruntled.]

No matter where you stand in the room, that thing looks like it’s watching you.

[She flips the device around, her expression matching her voice.]

You guys saw it too, right? I know I’m not crazy.

[ Aerith appears to have finally decided to get around to using her communicator more, now that she's had some time to get settled in and explore (and also establish that there really isn't anyone she knows from home around here). Her hair looks a little damp and her face a little flushed, like she's been out in the rain, but she's smiling, an empty basket in her hands. ]

I don't suppose there are very many flowers growing around here, are there? It looks like it might take a little time to get back in business since I have to work from scratch.

[ She shifts the basket aside, pointing the camera toward a raw patch of earth that she's clearly been tilling, dug right down into in a particularly large section of missing/damaged pavement. There's a scattering of flowers there, growing just as resiliently as ever in a place where they have no business being. ]

No place is too gloomy for me to work with. Soon, I'll be able to fill the whole basket! I'll accept orders in advance, limit one per person.

[ She laughs faintly, playful, teasing, and turns the camera upward again. ]

Do you think—"they" would allow something like a flower shop around here, anyway? If I'm going to be here awhile, it may not be a bad idea to keep busy. —Busy-er.

[The video is a little shaky when it first comes on before it's finally moved to display the user's face.]

Is it working...?

Um- hello! My name is Cheria Barnes, and I've been here for a few months now. I'd meant to do this sooner, but with everything that's happened... Well, it seems like as best a time as any now.

Back home on Ephinea I lead a relief organization to help with the aftereffects of war. We ran food drives, helped with building repairs, gave first aid-- pretty much anything people needed of us that we could help with, you know?

So... I was thinking that I could start something like that up here too. For people that can't fight but still want to help. I thought it would probably be a good way to get the people here to trust us again too... Anyway, if you'd be interested, please let me know!

Thank you.

[She bows, but it's a little lost in the view of the tablet.]

Um-- how did he say to turn it off again? [The feed is still live for a few minutes before she finally manages to turn it off.]

[Video]
[Well, looks like a red-haired teen is cooking, judging from the amount of steam puffing out of a stew pot as he meticulously diced some onions into little cubes when the feed came on.]

It's been a while since I really used this, sorry in advance, I don't really have both of my hands free right now.

[The teen dumped the cubes into the stew pot as he turned to the feed, while stirring the pot.]

Uh, someone asked me to teach someone else how to cook earlier on last month, and I've heard about a baking lesson some time ago in the network, so it got me thinking.

Would anyone be interested in a meet-up? It's not going to be that big, but it'd be enough for us to share recipes, tips and all.

Anyways, feel free to ask any questions here as well, I'll answer them to the best of my capabilities.

((OOC: This entire post is backdated to February 2nd! Yeah, one day, but...))

[Network, Video, Private to "Kaneis"]

Hey. I read those posts that I made during the last couple weeks. The ones where...

Well, that was me a decade ago. Riana, I mean. It's... A long story.

And... I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the attitude I did towards you, I shouldn't have been so pushy, and I should've remembered I don't need hair secrets.

[Network-to-probable-action, Private to Shirley Fenette]

So, uh, it's not perfect, but I got some stuff together. I got lucky just after the mission and found a bunch of my world's sourcebooks. Haven't had a lot of time to go over them yet, but they're in really good condition for being, near as I can tell, a millenium-plus old.

Then again, they mentioned that resources one needs from their world become available here, so this might just be an extension of that? Or just coincidence. Or both.

Let's just not think about that, all right?

[Action, all over the place]

*Whenever Pidonus isn't busy teaching Shirley, she's going to be teleporting around the region at random. She's... DEFINITELY in some kind of funk, which seems doubly odd compared to her often fairly bright, confident attitude.

She's not even looking where she's going, so she might bump into you.*

(WARNING: Pidonus is basically a giant swarm of adequacy issues, and these have been brought to the fore by a certain someone's temporary instability. She's potentially likely to try and use her powers on anyone she runs into, trying to charm and seduce people as a desperate - and unlikely to succeed - attempt to ignore the problem. Please include in an OOC note in your response if you want her to try anything, if that something will succeed, or if you just want to talk to her.)

[A curious young woman appears on the video as she stares at the tablet in her hands, somewhat interested in the new and different and technology and all--when she remembers that oh right, she'd planned on talking to people. Way to make an impression of being focused and prepared...

She clears her throat.] Er, hi there. My name's Shirley, and... These people--y'know, the Initiative and all--they're really not picky when it comes to people who end up here and all, huh? So I just wanted to clarify something: not everything has to be about fighting, right? I can't say I'm good with anything like diplomacy either, but it's a better start than something like shooting someone...

Sorry if it's a simple question. I just wanted to be absolutely sure; thank you for your time in advance.

... actually, there's just one more thing. [A pause, because this is a lot more awkward of a topic to bring up. Still, she can't help but be curious given her own circumstances.] This is probably gong to seem silly, but this isn't actually some kind of weirdly militaristic afterlife, is it?