[ The feed cuts on to a certain young boy looking less pleased than usual. He's standing in a Shelter room and sighing. ] Alright, you know... [ The camera pans to show the contents of the room. It is spotless and the floor looks very clean and... open?

That's because there is only one bed in the room. ] Anyone notice anything wrong with this picture? [ He'll give people a moment to think about it. ] Yeah. One of my cots is missing. The one I had already broken in, too, so thanks to whoever decided to help themselves while I was out of my room. Why didn't you ju—

[ There is a noise in the background; something skittering across metal. Touma freezes and looks up. ] Huh?... hang on.

[ He sets the communicator down and walks over to the wall. It sounded like it came from up top, so he fetches the chair from the other room and stands on it to look into the vent and....

Are those... eyes...?

He pries the cover open and peers closer and— ] AGH! [ The scream is punctuated with a thrust of his FIST into the vent. Satisfied with the squeak that results from his attack, he scrambles off of the chair while a tiny voice inside says, rather cheerfully: "It's rude to hit someone you've just met." ]

[ Touma picks the communicator back up and looks about as angry as can be. ] Screw this place. Seriously. I can't move out quick enough.

[The smell of burning food quickly permeates the already stale air within the shelter. Zero is moving as quickly as he can through the hall back toward the kitchen on his floor, his ferret, Chanel, quickly chasing after him. His senses are much stronger than a typical human, allowing him to realize within moments that the food he'd expertly prepared was quickly being destroyed by the very amateur hands he'd left it in.]

[Stepping through the doorway, he beelines to the stove and reaches over the much smaller girl standing in front of the dish he'd prepared. Flipping the heat on the burner into the 'off' position, he gives the brunette a dark look of annoyance before taking the spatula from her hand.]

Step away from the food.

[Seriously, she did this every single time he handed over the reigns of the cooking to her for any amount of time. It didn't matter how simple the instructions, it happened without fail.]

I left you with two instructions. 'Don't touch anything. Just stir the meat every thirty seconds.' I don't know if I can salvage this, Yuuki.

[ooc: Come chat with either Yuuki or Zero and/or both of them.]

Suzaku?! [Her voice is desperate sounding and full of emotion. She's also a little out of breath because she's running from the educational center toward their home, hoping he'll be there and not at the Defense Force office.] Where are you?

(OOC: Following her conversation with Guilford.)

[...quietly]

I have been giving a great deal of thought to the incident a few weeks ago, and your -- opinions on what happened. I think I have decided that I cannot excuse what the Engineers do in the name of entertainment. It feels like -- an abuse of their power.

[after a beat]

I understand that it's unlikely that most of you would be willing to help me. But -- is there anybody here who would be willing to act... as...

[another pause. almost embarrassed]

...my bodyguard?

[If you feel like wandering into the Shelter kitchens for a midnight snack, you’ll get a bit of a surprise: there are small tea lights scattered around on counters and floors, lending the dark room a soft, warm glow, and, just beyond the doorway, there’s a techpriest seated on the floor with her legs tucked underneath her. Her head is bowed towards the room’s interior, her hands are clasped in front of her face, and she’s softly reciting a prayer. A dish of incense burning close by is lending the kitchen (and even the hallway outside) a powerfully bitter scent.]

[How long has it been since she’s blessed the kitchens? Far too long, in her opinion. And with the Sanguinala approaching quickly, purifying the equipment she’d use to cook the holy meal was of paramount importance.]

[Buffy can't sleep and all of this togetherness has been driving her nuts so she's in the dojo "working out". What she's really doing is bopping around to this song turned up loud enough to almost cover up the sound of her own loud singing. She probably looks fairly hilarious, swinging her hair around in what's typically known as the hair porn move--Miss Swift's signature move. Interrupt her, laugh at her, mock her taste, tell her to turn that damn music down]