[That's... odd. It feels like she blacked out or something...]

Rido Kuran, did you still want to meet? Or are you too much of a coward?

[Even with all the strangeness going on today... class must go on. That's what Fletcher and Alphonse decide, anyway. They set up in the educational facility, and by 10AM they're ready to start.]

[The class begins with a warning that none of the students will be transmuting anything for at least a year... maybe a few months if they're quick learners, and from there consists mostly of a lecture on the basics of alchemy with overhead slides depicting sample transmutation circles and the most common symbols that go inside them; both boys also give a demonstration of their alchemy for the class. A good demonstration of what they talk about can be found in this section, though the manga-only stuff, anything about the gate, and so forth will not be coming up.

It should be noted, though, that Fletcher is distracted for a lot of the lecture, as though he's listening to something else... Namely, all the confused new arrivals.]


((Tag into the appropriate threads inside the post! ALSO, please keep in mind that while Al and Fletcher said "at least a year", no one from outside the FMA universes is actually going to be able to learn to transmute anything. Ever. :Db HAVE FUN))

[Soubi sets up three large printouts of different paintings on display at the front of the room on easels. Above the easels written on the board is the question:

What makes these art?]

{OOC: You can meet him Before, After, or During class, just put which in your subject line. Be warned the second link has a VERY LARGE PHOTO.}

[You can see a smiling Euphie and a floating, purple ball next to her. It's clear from the background they are in the park.]

Hello everyone.

Hello! Hello!

[Giggles.] I guess Morgan wanted to say hello too. [Smiles] I was thinking of making a request to Acumen, but I wanted to get everyone's feedback first. I'd like to request playground equipment for a section of the park. I thought it would be nice since we have some younger inmates here and because you're never too old to enjoy a swing set or a slide. Does anyone have any preferences on types things?

Oh! I have a request for Jun, Zelda, Jalyt, and Jennifer if you all have a moment to talk.

[The feed cuts on to a shot of a small podium, set up at the very edge of one of the athletic complex's fields. Lockon and Lacus walk into the frame, and wave.]

Hello! Neil here. Lacus and I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that the night sky will look a little different, come "sunset".

We'll be using the star projector to provide visuals for our Astronomy class, including footage from space voyages!

If you're interested in taking the class, or just want to see a show, there are plenty of spaces on the bleachers out here on [field number].

We hope you'll enjoy the class and the demonstration. Following the class, the stars will return to normal. The moon will be full tonight, as well. Thank you, everyone!

( Lesson is within, come the setting of the sun~ )
(( OOC: Event style post! Separate sections for before, during, after the class. Threadjacks encouraged/welcome, and if you wish for specifically Lacus and/or Neil, please put that in your initial tag somewhere. Else expect either or both! ))

Fletcher, Brother, I'm sorry I didn't come home last night...

Has... anyone ever fallen into one of those big holes that appeared in the ground before?

[He's starving.

They're getting old, the hunger pangs that Pride has inherited from his little brother Gluttony. No matter what he's tried to eat in the last couple days, it hasn't been anywhere near satisfying. His attention has been suffering as a result of not eating enough

He's already having to restrain himself from eating those humans he's passed by today as it is. He couldn't risk it yet. Those who had friends would surely note their disappearance. He needs to learn more, see who he could use and who could disappear with no concern.

But first, something must be done about this hunger.

The shelter kitchen stands silent at the moment. His container standing watch for anyone coming in for an afternoon snack or tea, his shadow goes to work. Thin tendril-like hands wrap around the handles of pantry doors and refrigerators as large ravenous mouths sprout from the shadows, ready to devour all he needs.

Raw steaks...ham...turkey...tuna...flour...oats...butter...milk...ice cream...tea leaves...pineapple juice...soda...coffee beans...cabbage...squash...onions...crackers...cans of soup...kosher salt...black pepper...chili sauce...mayonnaise...soy sauce...miso paste...olive oil...

His shadowy mouths gorge on the food and drink, crushing the packaging and food alike between his teeth before swallowing. Each fridge and pantry quickly depletes, leaving behind empty shelves and drawers.

All that food is gone now, with one fridge alone untouched. Shadowy hands open it, revealing plastic bags of blood lined up on the shelves. Those, too, find their way into his beak-like mouth.

It's somewhat satisfying, the taste of humans. Not quite the same as full human, flesh and soul included, but it helps a bit.

It's all gone now. Nothing left to eat but cookware, pots, pans, the refrigerators themselves, ovens, toasters, and so on. Not the sort of meal he really feels like eating. His monstrous shadow body shrinks down until it looks simply like that cast by a little boy.

Pride still hungers, but it's subsided a little. He can deal with it for now.]


[The boy slips out of the kitchen into the cafeteria. Now off to the education center. He has a lot to learn about these other worlds free for the taking, now that he's not so distracted...]

((OOC: Little note over here on the OOC community with some info.

Feel free to run into Pride anywhere from the cafeteria to the education center.))

[*Open only to those invited by Euphie]

[Early Morning, Before the Breakfast]⁽¹⁾

[Ribbons was in a buzz and a blur as he made sure that the buffet table is all set -- food (croissants, rolls, cheeses, omelets and breakfast meats, fresh fruits and salad) and beverages (water, fruit juice, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and milk for the younger ones) being served at their right temperatures; china, silverware and linen intact and spotless; flowers fresh and tables and chairs arranged at proper distances.

He wore an eggshell blue shirt with white pinstripes that was rolled at the sleeves and charcoal slacks and pants. As the bots moved around, there was a look of concentration on his face as he made sure a blossom in one of the the floral centerpieces was not drooping too much...

Later, he shall be by the door, sleeves back in place, making his two-tone black-purple tie is in order, ready to welcome the arrivals with bots at the ready to serve drinks~]


[Breakfast Meeting]⁽²⁾

[Once all the invitees have arrived and have at least been served drinks by the bots, Ribbons shall tap a butter knife against his glass of fresh orange juice to call for attention --]

May I have everyone's attention please...?

To our founder, Princess Euphemia li Brittania and to my colleagues, good morning. We are here today not only to make each other's acquaintance, but to celebrate the opening of the Marina Academy and our first day of classes -- a day that marks the beginning of a new chapter in this prison. This shall be a start to an era of nurturing minds and bodies.

I hereby propose a toast -- [Ribbons raises his glass --] to you and your good health, ladies and gentlemen, and to the enduring success of Marina Academy. Cheers!

[And after a tip of his glass and a sip, he shall motion to the buffet table with a little bow and the attendees can get their food~]


( OOC Notes )
 

So, which classes is everyone planning to take? Is anyone else a little nervous?

Oh! And if anyone can teach art or science it would be really helpful!


(OOC: Link is not IC, but Guilford did announce where the catalogs could be found in a prior post.)

[Sometime during the afternoon of the day that Ed had brought his brother to the hospital he'd slipped out to get some food, and catch up with Russel and Fletcher in person.

It wasn't long before he returned to Al's hospital room, two sandwiches in hand - one already half eaten but obviously re-wrapped while the other remained entirely intact as he slipped back into the room without even bothering to knock. Edward hadn't bothered to ask if his brother was hungry before leaving, but it didn't hurt to offer.

He knew there was still the matter of trying to determine if they were even truly from the same world, but he wasn't sure how they were going to prove that or how he would handle being face to face with another Al that wasn't his brother.]

Hey, Al- I brought you back a sandwich, if you want.





[ooc: /so fail.]

[The communicator turns on with a face full of black cat and Al laughs, pulling Tama away.] Tama, don't eat the communicator! [He smiles, picking his kitty up and rubbing noses with her.

It's been a week since Al has looked like this. Eyes bright, a big smile on his face. He looks happy. More like the old Al, before Ed vanished and the issue with Envy started.

He smiles at the video.] Thank you for taking care of Tama for me, Fletcher!

[Tama meows and bats a paw at his nose playfully.

Al laughs and hugs her close.] I missed you too! Come on, let's play some more. [He picks up the small golfball-sized toy he has by his side and rolls it along the ground, watching the kitten go tearing off after it.]

[The video flicks on to show a lion, looking extremely angry. He had listened very well to the welcome message, and was, to say the least - not pleased with what he heard. His words aren't really directed at anyone - he's almost muttering to himself, hoping someone would hear and oblige.]

What is this?-- Where am I? I need to-- I need to go, if this really is a prison. I can’t stay here. There are things I need to do, there are things I have to do...

So, [his face falls from anger to pure sadness.] please. Let me leave.

[Probably the first thing that comes across the communicators is a roar of anger and confusion. The communicator is knocked off the Snow Leopard's head and goes rolling across the ground before being stopped by a giant paw. The device records what appears to be some kind of animal sniffing at it suspiciously before leaving it alone.

Another roar echoes, before very clear, apparently totally human speech can be heard] Bellorum! If this is another one of your tricks, it will not hold me.

[For now though, Tharaman settles near the basket that he'd found, looking through it. Perhaps it had some inkling of what this place was...]


((He will reply to voice/video replies, but he probably won't trust the comm much l3

Oh! And without the comm, he only understands English *nods*))

Edward, Alphonse? Are you two okay?

[Good morning Marina! Have a smiley Xellos!]

What a lovely day, isn't it? I just had to bring my new friends out to play~ [he leans close and wags a finger, winking] Be sure to let them know how much you enjoy their performance! They're terribly shy.

( Slightly squickable content, perhaps. )

Bravo, bravo! That calls for an encore, I think...

((OOC: The lines are from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Thanks to Pip for helping me find them!))

[ooc: Takes place right after some arguing in Al's post. Ed's meeting Al at the shelter, so anyone can feel free to bump into him on his way there or when he first gets there. The thread with Al is closed, but if you want a character to pop in on the two of them together please let me know OOC! And uh, he'll have his communicator on so any contact there will also be responded to. Ed's default communicator mode is video unless stated otherwise.]

[Ed would have made his way to the shelter easily enough if it hadn't been for the lizards prowling the streets in packs. For the most part he'd stuck with trying to dodge them, because he didn't want to have to explain to his brother why 'staying safe' had been such a difficult task. However it didn't take long for him to come face to face with one of the creatures, and backing away ceased to be an option when the thing's friends made their presence known as well.

And he had been doing so good at avoiding them, up until this point. Taking on a defensive stance and trying not to turn his back on a pesky lizard would have been easy enough to do if they weren't already closing in on all sides - so he did the first thing he could think of. Jumping up before they got a chance to lunge and kicking one hard in the face with his left leg...

Once he reaches the shelter, Ed stays by the door to watch for Al despite being told to remain inside for his own safety. He's not going to sit comfortably inside while his brother was still at risk. His sleeve is torn and his clothes are stained with blood, but he seems clear of any obvious injuries - looking more worn out than anything.

The first thing he does when he arrives is check the communicator, frowning.]

Fletcher? Where are you and your brother staying?

[Al's voice sounds out of breath and is laced with pain.]

S-sorry, Russell... Fletcher... I think I... might not make it home tonight...

[Some sounds of metal clanking can be heard in the background.]

[The bonfire going in Sector 6 is guarded by sentinels, but the area is decorated with orange and blue tents and laid out with good food, many of it toasted or hot. The flames are enchanted and cool, and they get extinguished if they're taken outside the boundaries of the little camp, but there is actually have a rich, spicy alcoholic beverage being served there, so try to have fun with that instead. (No, it will not make you breathe fire.)

[The bleachers and benches here offer the best view of the fireworks just starting to go off as the sky darkens...]


((posted slightly early, but hey, starting Friday we're going to have monsters, SO, if you don't plan to play with the monsters -- or if you do -- have some fun here! post a comment, and then comment amongst yourselves~))

[Ed's looking- well, slightly annoyed for Ed, pissed off to anyone that doesn't know him - and not really looking straight forward. He took his time to explore and get comfortable with the communicator before attempting to use the damn thing. The idea of alternate worlds and different uses of technology isn't entirely foreign to him, but he's not going to pretend to just be okay with this new development. In fact, he's really not okay with it at all.]

All right, so it wasn't a dream. I get it. I'm a sinner and a criminal, and I deserve to be here. Wherever the hell here is, but if the guy in charge is so flawless - what is he doing capturing little kids?

[Leave it to Ed to forget that he probably would have qualified to be here at the age of ten. The last part is mumbled to himself as he pulls the communicator off again.]

And if it is- it's... another world without alchemy.


[ooc: Okay so. I did intentionally wait to post, because I wanted Ed to have some IC time to inspect the communicator and everything before actually using it, but then my life got really insane for about a week, so my putting it off a day stretched... forever. I'm really sorry about that guys, but he's in now so- hopefully I didn't mess anything up.]

[Ryu could do nothing but fly. So fly he did, in his hybrid form, until he spotted something to attack.]

[Anyone getting close to him would see that his eyes were blank, and he looked as if he was incredibly angry.]

[Approach? Trial of the dragonnnnnnnnnnn!]