[ Feferi is just so excited to be on camera today, just so excited. Anyone who's been there might recognize the background as DITR's makeshift office. She needed somewhere to prop her tablet up, as both her hands are holding a binder, face down at the moment. ]

While everyone is talking about laws and councils and punishments and all that, I have been thinking about something else: we don't have any really good way of sharing information we find on missions! There is the network, yes, but who wants to go back through every single network post to find out what happened? Plus, if someone withholds information, it's really hard to blame them, since there's no good way to share it.

So the idea I had was this!

[ She holds up the binder. In glittery sparkle pen, the cover reads MISSION LOG and she flips it open to show off the inside. ]

A mission log book! ( OOC cut for length )

So for those of you that don't know, I have a bag that's bigger inside than out, and no matter what weighs ten pounds.

If there's things that are on the must-take list that isn't possible for you to take with the weight allowance - musical instruments, ammunition, weird medical supplies - let me know. I've got room for about a hundred pounds in the bag, and I can carry ninety more with me.

Medical supplies, to be honest, are more important, followed by food, ammunition, and then other things.

[He smiles a bit, sitting back from the screen for a moment.]

So, it seems that we'll be leaving this place. Some of you seem...upset.

Not I! I am quite pleased to be rid of this place. But if it bothers you that much, I, the great GENIUS Dist the Rose, propose this:

Given the right materials, I could begin making replicas. In fact, I could even replicate the entire island. If we bring one Exile with us, I could make many more from them. You see? It matters not if I make a hundred or a hundred thousand! We could simply repopulate the island!

[He folds his hands in his lap, pleased.]

It's a simple solution, directly from the mind of a genius. You may thank me now.

[Short and to the point.]

Is it customary for people to leave this place only to return mere days later?

[It's early Wednesday morning when a new video message turns up on the network. The nun seems to have none of her usual energy and the bags under her eyes are fairly pronounced. Flynn and Fluffy have likely put up with her pacing almost incessantly since dinner time last night, and even now she fidgets in her seat, fingers playing with an ornamental looking watch hanging at her neck.]

Has anyone seen Chrono? Short, grumpy, purple hair. He's usually with me.

... He might have been in some kind of fight, so I'll take anything. Or anyone to help me look.

Recently, several of you have made complaints on this network of being attacked by a strange girl. She used needles for weapons, dressed elaborately, and seemed unbalanced in her affect.

I want you to know that the issue has been dealt with.

[He probably should leave it there. That's the most relevant information: the threat is gone. But he's thinking about the way people spoke of Regina, the terms they used. He's thinking about Martin, who may still not return. But even so.

He clenches his jaw, and he's unable to marshal his irritation.]

I also want you to know that what you encountered was not solely a monster. She was a girl, an infected girl, and her name was Regina Darkov. Her younger brother, Martin, was a long time resident of this place. If he returns here, and you speak of your experiences to him, try to show some respect.

[When the feed starts, there's a girl who will be familiar to some. She doesn't begin by explaining that she just returned or anything, though. Instead, there's a brief silence of only several seconds, but she soon starts to speak once she's found the exact words she wants to say.]

So, um, I know there's a clinic for the Transports here. And, I know it's probably only for people who have lots of experience in medical stuff to be working there, but I wanted to know if there was any kind of, like, training program, or someone who knows a lot about medicine and stuff that's showing people how to do it? I only know a little bit of first aid, but I'd really like to learn more, is the thing.

Apart from that, um... I'd like to hear stories from other worlds. It can be things that really happened to you, if anyone's comfortable with that, or famous legends from the place you lived, or, well, anything! I just like hearing about different places, and I think stories are a good way to do it.

[forward-date to around 3 or 4am 6/13. poster ID for this tablet is MARTIN DARKOV, but this is not the Martin you are looking for. here is a pretty face for you.

actually, no. this was a pretty face, but there is a lot of ugly going on here. scabs and grooved flesh all along the right side...eye nearly swollen shut.

this gal's brow is furrowed, straining, contradicting the lazy smile it wears.

slow, methodical, yet wavering after each letter:]

D. A. R. [swallow. a wider smile and a shakier voice.] K. O. V.

[it blinks a few times; there's a couple tears trailing from behind the monocle.]

Oh. Sh. Shh.

We solved a mystery.

[ the name attached to this account, and thus with all applicable comments within this entry, reads Haruka Takahashi, as usual.
for those of you just joining us at home, some info. ]

If you're only interested in useful posts, you can skip the rest of this. I'm only out to waste the time of those who want it wasted, today.
For anyone else, color me curious.

Water, Wind, Light, Flame, Earth, or Darkness.

Pick one, please.

To clarify, "light" doesn't mean good and "darkness" doesn't mean evil, or bad. Or vice versa; there's no moral alignment to any of them.
And I didn't "skip heart", so don't bother bringing that up.

[ tetchy. ]

[Unusually for this network user, the transmission is purely Audio. A great deal of transports will of course recognize the voice as belonging to Kanaya Maryam. Strangers will hear a fifteen-year-old female, naturally rather mature and composed, doing her best to sound even more so. She speaks crisply and briskly with no mercy, like the distinctions between American and British English are to be stalked into a dark alley and shot in the back of the skull.]

The armageddon that occurred in the world of Elmer C. Albatross isn't the only one that's ever occurred in paradox space, you know. Just ask Asuka Langley Soryu or Rei Ayanami or Shinji Ikari. Any of them can tell you that the end of a world is always at least as ugly a thing as what happened on May Twenty-First. Anyone who escaped the planet Alternia before the meteors struck can reiterate the sentiments that Exsilium is a far better alternative to no planet at all. For many of us, Exsilium is our home now and we'll fight literally to the ends of an Earth for its sake.

I know not all of you feel that sort of debt to the Initiative. You do want to go home, this isn't your war, it's their fault. That's really too bad. Because if we let the United Earth have their way and don't develop Initiative in both senses of the word, we're all going to be post-apocalyptic refugees before long. We come from dozens of worlds. Would you like to take arms with the Initiative to fight against the reckoning, or watch each one meet the same fate Elmer's world did?

[An open question, Exsilium.]

A space-ship crash? I would think there would be plenty of better ways to greet new Transports. Even things like unsightly roommates or dingy floors rank secondary in overall effect now.

[ And he'd just started getting acquainted with the place, too. He could have never imagined the biggest source of disruption would be a radical destruction of his entire complex.

A hazing experience to rival all others, he supposed. ]

Well, I'm impressed by the hospitality here. Do events of this magnitude happen regularly?

( ( encrypted to shinji ikari, asuka langley soryu, rei ayanami; 70% ) )

[An audio post begins, and for a few seconds it's just the sound of the rain. Then, a piano begins to play. Those familiar with classical music would recognize it as French Suite No. 4, a well-known work by German composer J.S. Bach.

The music goes on for about fifteen minutes. It's a piece with a sense of introversion to it - even as the music turns complicated and speedy in some areas, it maintains a restrained elegance. Emotional, without being passionate.

When it finally ends, there are another few seconds of rainfall before Kaworu speaks.]

The demands of human relationships are overwhelming when you consider just how much love a heart needs to survive.

But, conversely, a heart can give an infinite amount of love in turn. The world is less scary if you simply remember this.

[ The disgruntled expression on Shinji's face is basically his default expression as long as Aurican is inhabiting his body. ]

I am not sure how humans managed to survive. I always assumed human senses were almost the same as dragon senses until now. Eyesight makes the darkness at night even more forbidding, if that's even possible. I am still learning how to walk, and I am just not going to bother learning how to run.

Possibly the only advantage humans have with dragon senses is the sense of touch. Though I suppose that shouldn't be surprising, considering the lack of scales. The hands make things much easier to hold on to.

Are there any non-humans in human forms? How do you learn to adapt?

So, um, first off I just wanted to say hi to all the new people! And say that I'm sorry you're kind of stuck here, too. It's tough, but there are lots of nice people here, so if you're having trouble with anything I bet you'd be able to get help. Except going home, that's still a mystery for everyone.

[And then a smile breaks out on her face, and she moves her tablet so the feed shows a wing of one of the gyms with a barre running along a wall, and mirrors attached to that wall. As quickly as she turned the camera away from her face, it's focused back on her.]

I know last time that I mentioned I was looking for a place to dance, and some other people mentioned they'd be interested in the same thing, so I asked the Initiative people if it would be okay if we could have a wing in one of the gyms to turn into a place for the dancers here to practice. And, um, they said yes, so here we are! There's not going to be formal lessons or anything, unless somebody else wants to set something like that up. I just wanted to let everyone know that they can stop in whenever they want to!

Oh, and - if there's anybody interested in going outside the city sometime, I'm looking to take a trip or two. Before anyone gets all worried, I know to be really careful, and I've done it once before.

[With another smile, she leans forward to end the feed.

ooc: this is all mod approved!]

–hhhgh...

[behold: the underside of a table. if...you're aware of what the underside of a table even looks like, that's surely what you're looking at.

until a hand lifts and then gracelessly drops onto the screen with a heavy THWUMP.

a grunt.]

Get...backhh... [exhale. the view tilts, then dramatically shifts.

behold: Martin's face, sideways, on the floor. red-cheeked, bleary and slow-blinking.

cue nasally, confused sound:] Mruh–?

[a long stretch of just staring, squinting periodically. he is...sure these are words he can read on this screen. hang on. just...a second...........


nah. nah, he's just gonna...gonna let the screen drop flat and display the table again, rattling a little with the careless move, while he mumbles something unintelligible, topped off with some kind of whiny noise.]

I am out of money.

[ This is clearly distressing - how is he gonna build his hoard now? He has collected several different kinds of glass bottles already. He's been collecting rocks as well, along with sheets of paper, tattered magazines, and different kinds of toy balls and horseshoes. He needs to get more more more. ]

I was told I can get more by getting a job. Doing things and in return I get money.

How do I get one? I don't know how it all works.

[ The voice is hushed and small, but no less direct for it. ]

Reporting. Met with Ikari-kun and the pilot of Unit-02. [ Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child - she omits him, as something unsettles her still. ] Housing was located, according to instructions. No status problems. I will wait.

[ Silence, as if she forgot to end the recording, until: ]

Requesting information on where to buy clothes. My plugsuit is not useful here.

[ Akito’s eyebrows are wrinkled and his face is definitely way too close to the screen, but once he realizes the video function is actually on and working - he pulls back, an easy smile on his lips and a hand raising to give a small wave to the camera. ]

Hello! I haven’t been able to look around much yet myself, but -- there was someone with me before I got here, and I was wondering if anyone has seen him? He’s about this tall, [ he gestures about foot and a half above his head, which probably isn’t much help, but. ] has brown hair that’s pointed at the ends, yellow eyes, and might be wearing am ugly colored sweater vest. Goes by Akira!!

If you haven’t seen him, then maybe Kazu? He’s about -- [ the hand lowers a half a foot. ] this tall, has blond hair, blue eyes, always wears a white beanie.

[ the hand drops down as he finishes speaking, arm pressing close to his side. ] Or if you could tell me where the nearest cake shop is, that would be almost as good!

My name is Akito, by the way. Akito Wanijima. It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure.

I know that in my world, on the fourteenth of this month, there's a holiday called Valentine's Day.
On this day, people express their affection for one another, right?

I was wondering if someone would be willing to explain this to me a bit more.
I don't understand.
It seems to me that expressing one's love, and having love expressed to you in return, is meaningful when it's done spontaneously.

[VIDEO // Encrypted to everyone who interacted with him during the timewarp mix-up]

Hello. I wanted to thank you for helping me the last couple of weeks. [smile.] And I wanted to apologize for my child self, if he said anything strange to you.

[The feed starts, focusing on a girl who appears to be around sixteen. She's sitting on a bed in the apartment she's been assigned to. She appears tense, nervous, though she does her best not to let that carry to her voice as she begins to speak.]

I'm sort of, um, not really new to the whole getting sent to a different world all of a sudden thing, so I don't really have any questions about that. I got everything about the war thing, too, even if I'm not going to have anything to do with it. I did have a few questions about some other things, though, so I'd be really grateful if there's someone out there who knows the answer!

The first thing might seem a little bit silly, but it's important. Um, to me, at least! I just wanted to know if there's a dance studio anywhere in this city, and where it is if there is one. The second thing I wanted to know is kind of more general, but, um, if the words Siren's Port mean anything to anyone here, I'd like to know, and to talk to those people a little bit, if I could. And the third thing...

[She pauses, looking down at her hands, away from the tablet.]

What do you think is the best place here to watch the sun go down? Um, thank you in advance.

[+1 to the late-to-the-event party but THAT'S OKAY this blonde teenaged militarily-dressed lady doesn't have much to say, but it is undoubtedly important. In fact, how this important factoid seems to have slipped by everyone's minds seems to utterly boggle her.]

I'll make this quick since I wouldn't want anyone to waste my time.

[Yes all this... time-travel business was jarring and important but this is unacceptable. She crosses her arms.]

Why are there so many dragons here?

[A small, white-haired child, about six or seven years old, stares directly into the video lens. He seems to be wearing something like a hospital gown. The whites of his eyes look a little pink and puffy, like he's been crying. But his face is completely blank.]

This isn't where I'm supposed to be. [despite his expression, there's tension in his voice.]

No one's come to get me. [more tension.]

Where is my piano?

[after another second of cold staring, the video ends.]

[ So maybe an hour or so after everyone's return to Exsilium, some might have noticed it started snowing. Probably even more noticed when said snow quickly turned into a full on blizzard, covering everything in a thick layer snow in a matter of minutes. After an hour of letting the blizzard rage on, the culprit finally reveals himself.

Jack turns on the feed, squinting into the camera before quickly pulling back a little when he realizes it's on. He's leaning back against a wall, staff resting on his shoulder and he opens his mouth to speak when suddenly the screen grows blurry with a soft crackling sound. The screen goes dark for a moment then as Jack hurriedly wipes the frost away while muttering darkly under his breath. When the camera focuses again, the communicator is placed somewhere low and Jack's crouched down instead.

He raises one hand and waves sheepishly. ]

Hey. Since it seems a lot of people can hear and see me which wow, still unbelievable, I figured I should give this thing a try. For those who can't ... this will probably be a really weird video. Oh well!

[ He shrugs and the previous uncertain expression disappears in favor of a grin. ]

For those that can hear and see me, hi. I'm Jack Frost and I come bearing gifts. The heat back there was bad enough, but I can't say I was feeling up for all that dreary rain again, so ... [ He flips the device, showing the big snowflakes that are now gently drifting down from the sky. ]

Have some snow. [ A pause and he moves back into view. ]

I also wanted to thank everyone who helped me back in the desert, you all kind of saved my life. You too, guy who kept leaving glasses of water. So yeah, thanks. [ Wow, awkward much? But he obviously means it sincerely and the awkward is replaced with excitement again soon enough when he gestures to the snow-covered courtyard behind him. ]

Now, everyone should come out and have a little fun!

[ There is a video of something bright, golden, and shiny. It's moving fast and the video barely catches it before it switches off.

Then it switches back on again, this time showing a scaly, reptilian face that has the shape of a wedge and bright yellow eyes.

Then it switches off again.

And on again, showing the the underside of the golden creature's jaw. That's when it speaks with a slightly squawk. ]

Stop that and start working! How does this thing work I don't -

[ And then video shuts off again and stays that way until a few minutes later when it clicks back on again. The little wyrmling looks less than impressed, judging the narrowed eyes and the tightening of the jaws. ]

Is it working? I don't think my claws are good for this sort of thing. Can you hear me now?

I've been thinking about how it is I can be the best help here. I want to help make the Initiative happy without needing to fight or hurt people. Of course, one of the ways is to help keep up morale - everyone will feel better and work better with a smile on their face! But there's more to an army than just fighters. I'm sure we have other departments that need help. I'm offering up myself to one of these services! I promise that I'm a capable energetic worker who's willing to learn a lot!

So which one needs the most help? I'm sure we have a medical team. What about a technology department? Oh, I hear we also have a law enforcement division now too. Maybe I should become a cop? [Okay, he just laughs at that.] Is anyone out there willing to take on an apprentice in something, then?