[Shit. People were right. Sougo has been free for two days and he already didn't like this whole doing nothing he told himself he would enjoy. Doing things were good for distractions. Being in the police force back in Edo was a good distraction. Fighting people, stopping people, using weapons, all that action were good distractions.

Even though he hated Hijikata, tormenting him was a good distraction. At least Hijikata was someone who was familiar with him, and more than that, Kondo was the one person left he had known since he was a child, and knew him best. Being here meant he was alone. He always felt a distance and that he was different from everyone at home, and being here meant it was even more true. Losing his sister forever was horrible enough, and then he had to be put here afterwards. He didn't feel strong enough for this. She never even got to see the world. He failed her. He is the worst brother. Her death was his fault because of his selfishness. His heart hurts, but he keeps his guard up, just like he always does.

Sougo is at the park, standing by the playground.]

Eeh, I want to play on the playground too. Why won't the kids play with me? Is it because I'm too big?

[Puts a hand on his head, acting like he's distraught. in a deadpan manner.]

Go die in a fire. You guys are no fun.

I think I'm gonna move to Sector 5. Hope my neighbors ain't afraid of a little destruction. I don't know what's gonna happen after I drink too much. Oh, and line up if you're not afraid of some S&M action. Don't be shy. I'll take good care of you, but only if you call me Master.

[ Sarah Jane might have made a bad impression with all her shouting in her first post, but this time she's determined to attract positive attention. She's smiling, bright and enthusiastic. ]

Do you know what we need here? A newspaper. The network doesn't have everything, after all. Wouldn't it be nice to know the news? We could do classifieds and advertising too! Whatever people are interested in. It could be like a club or a class.

Is anyone interested? Don't worry if you've never written for a paper before, I can teach you. I used to work for a newsmagazine at home. Journalism is my calling.

Oh, and we'd want photographers and copy editors and the like, too. If you want to help, we'll find you a place. So don't hesitate to get involved!

[ With another bright smile, she turns the recording off. ]

[Welcome to the Devil's Compass, it's Poker Night.

The record player might be playing something jazzy in the background, there's (plenty of) smoke wafting in the air and the taps are just waiting to be... tapped. For those who quit the game or didn't come to play in the first place, the pool table and dart board are free. But why wouldn't you come to play poker on Poker Night? Scared of all... the big bad cheats?]

[ Wandering around the snowy park? There are two things to look out for: (1) don't trip over the bright orange ropes that close off a large open area, (2) take cover and watch for a stray snowball, and (3) ... you know, you might want to join in for this is a Snowball Fight.

Only guidelines: no weapons, no head shots, no stuffing snow down someone's mouth, collar or anywhere else uncomfortable. Play to your heart's content! Spoiler: there's no winner.

Warm drinks and snacks are served in a nearby tent (ah, thank goodness for space heaters!), while towels and blankets are also available. You might want to take advantage of the snow as well -- make snowmen, snow angels, your own sculpture as you wind down~ ]

( --- OOC Guidelines; PLEASE READ --- )
 

[Agito's in a pretty gloomy mood today. With Akito off hanging around Tsuna, and Lind who knows where, the dark is feeling almost...lonely. Even after their split, he hasn't spent all that much time away from Akito. But now that the light is distracted and Agito doesn't want to bother him, Agito's...not sure what to do.

The teen can be found resting on the ground in the butterfly pavilion, back to a tree. One leg is drawn up up to his chest, his arms folded and resting on his knee. Golden eye stares out at nothing, lost in thought. What to do without Akito? He's not in the mood to train...being on his own in a normal situation like this is...confusing.

He ignores the butterflies that rest on him from time to time, along with anyone around unless they catch his attention somehow. A distraction would be kinda good right now]

[Closed Mingle – Sanguinala Feast]
[The noontime feast was held in the house that would soon find itself under construction—tools and materials had been hastily dragged outside, as they'd been stored within for safe keeping during the shelter lock-down and, fortunately, for the snow-in. In their place, the two commisars from the Imperium of Mankind hastily cleaned and decorated the place with swaths of gold and red, while in the Shelter, Felicia and Sasha oversaw the preparation of the meal.]

[The feast itself is comprised of fusion dishes: the Imperium's cooking sense with ingredients readily available to them in the kitchens and stores. It's certainly adequate enough for themselves and their small handful of guests--a few fellow humans whom they had invited to join them.]

[And after it draws to a close, Cain will promptly suggest they all go to the Devil's Compass.]

[Open Mingle at the Bar, mid to late afternoon]

[Come and PARTY. Or just happen to come by and be swept into the party. Or resist being swept and grumble about them being annoying. YOUR CALL.]

–

((OOC: If you aren't sure your character is invited, check here or contact us. Otherwise, feel free to have threads that have nothing to do with the feast but take place at the bar here! Newbies are welcome to the bar. ♥))

((Please specify if you are at the [bar] or the [feast] in the subject line!))

[Billy drags a hand over his face and takes in a deep breath before muttering to himself for a moment.] My mom is going to kill me. No, she's going to ground me for all eternity and then let me die of boredom because she'll take away anything and everything fun. Goodbye, comic books. Goodbye, video games. Goodbye, TV. Goodbye, life. How I ended up in prison again... [He trails off, then speaks up in a normal tone.]

Well, I guess this good be worse, right? It can't be that bad of a prison if they let you use all sorts of things and don't confine you to a tiny cell... right? [He asks a little nervously.]

This is probably a real long shot but, uh, are there any Avengers here...? Or X-Men, maybe...? Or anyone who knows any of them really well? I have a... problem. Yeah. A problem. I mean, besides that I'm stuck in a jail I'm not entirely sure how I got to.

[Rogue is sitting on the bed in a corner room of the shelter. Her knees are drawn up to her chest and there are fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. The room isn't hers, it's Logan's and it's empty now. There's a cup of coffee going cold on the nightstand. The door to the room is cracked open and people passing by might hear her sniffling. Once she's got herself under control, she flips on the audio of her device.]

Logan's gone. I came to bring him coffee and...[She trails off shaking her head and shuts the device off.]

[CLOSED!]

[Okay, that had definitely not been the best start to a day. That whole conversation with Azula wouldn't get out of Tsuna's head, and probably wouldn't for quite some time even after the rawness of the encounter wore off.

He needs to see Akito, and so a hurried and distressed looking Tsuna is walking at a fast pace toward the room he knows the other is in, not stopping even if he sees someone he knows. Reaching the area, he spots Agito and knows he must be in the right place]

H-Hi, Agito-kun. [It's all he can manage before looking away and knocking on the door only a little hesitantly]


[OPEN!]

[After a while Tsuna and Akito head out to the common room, not wanting to disturb Lind any more than they already have with their discussion. The earlier video conflict was public, so there are some who probably want to catch and speak with one or the other, or even the both of them. It's a lot easier to do so since they're all still stuck in the shelter after all]

Good morning, Marina! [Have a very smiley pink haired girl on your video feed!] For anyone I haven’t met, I’m Lacus Clyne and I’m very glad to meet you.

It seems as though we’re all going to be in the shelter today, so we should make the best of things. I was thinking that we should get together and have a big winter banquet! Anyone who wants to help cook should please feel free to come to the kitchens and assist, and if not you should still come and enjoy the food with us.

Dinner will be served at 5 in the main cafeteria, and after that maybe we could have fun playing games and watching movies together. I hope everyone has a good day, and I hope to see everyone at the feast!

[A few minutes later]

I just learned that today is also Ritsuka’s birthday! To celebrate there will be a cake and some special desserts and decorations. [as many decorations as they can find without access to the store.] Everyone please, stop by to wish him a happy birthday!

***
((OOC Notes: Mingle post, open to all! Reply to Lacus by [video] or there are several action options: [cooking] any time before 5pm ICly, [dinner] a huge buffet of almost anything you could want, or [after dinner] for card games, board games, and movies throughout the cafeteria and nearby common rooms! Your character is in no way obligated to be at all of these, but they could be if you want~

Also! A link to Ritsuka’s birthday party will be added once it goes up. There will be cake and lots of special desserts and pretty decorations in one area of the cafeteria.

If anyone wants to intentionally or unintentionally sabotage the food, please contact me OOCly before you do so. Thanks and ENJOY!))

Hey. [Always weird starting these.] So, the Devil's Compass has a pool table now if anyone is interested. There's a dart board too, [Thinking] and we still have drinks. It's the only place outside of the club you can get alcohol.

Sasha is here tonight too, so we've got pizzas, quiche, and pie. ["Pie" might have come out slightly sighed.] So, stop in. [Should he say bye? Awkward pause. Click.]

(OOC: It's a mingle! If you want to reply directly to the video you can. Please use Sam's comment, because I'm turning off comments!)

[Incubator hadn't been made aware of this place before, so he decides to approach the situation with caution. Instead of joining the chorus on the communicator, the small fuzzy creature listened for a while as he examined his welcome basket. Then he paused, trying to psychically search for local magical girls, only to find that his telepathy was greatly limited. It was enough to make a decision or two about his immediate predicament, even if he would have to perform more tests too discern the extent of his new limitations.]

[Eventually, he abandons his basket on the walkway and climbs the nearest tall building with a set of deft jumps. He contorts his body so his paw can reach the communicator. Time for the first test--who can hear him?]

[Voice]

[QB speaks with a rather cute and upbeat voice, sounding almost like it might belong to a child--an effect ruined by his mature word choices. He doesn't address anyone in particular; he appears to be thinking out loud.] Of course there hasn't been a mistake. When every action is a crime, every person is a criminal.

This prison appears to be the result of an advanced culture lacking the ability to consider moral relativism. None of you should feel so alarmed by the accusations. What may have been acceptable on your world doesn't match the legal acceptability of this advanced artificial intelligence.

Committing crimes does not automatically make you a "bad person" by your standards, because your standards were never considered or applied to begin with.

[Voice/Video Post, OPEN]

[A young man is seen freely walking around an empty corridor, his arms folded gently in his black sleeves as he studies the area around him contently.]

I suppose they would have to let me off my chains eventually. They must expect that by now I will be a valuable, honorable guest. As kender would frequently say, prisons are kind to their guests. No, my friends, I will not do anything to endanger this place, such as setting your precious linens on fire.

[D is a dark shadow against the backdrop of snow, hair and clothing partially concealing his pale features. He is leaning against a wall in Sector Five, watching the inmates who venture outside into the snow for errands or play. In spite of his relaxed posture, there is an aloof air to him, as though he does not consider himself as belonging to the rest of the prison population. Rather than seem proud, however, he seems lonely, as if he holds himself apart not because he thinks of himself as better than the others, but because of some fault inherent to his nature. In his world, it is a rare dhampir who is accepted into society. Even one so famous as D is often reviled and rejected for the simple reason that a vampire's blood flows through his veins.]

[Rogue is standing in the kitchen again. This time she's mixing things up in a bowl. She looks happy again.]

Since it's so cold out, I thought maybe I'd do breakfast again. I got cheese grits, bacon and warm cornbread today. There's also hot cider 'cause there's not a better way to start out a snowy day far as I'm concerned. There's plenty for everybody and don't be scared of the grits. They're good. There's coffee if you don't want the hot cider too.

[Michiru is in the shelter kitchen. Yes, there is a kitchen in her apartment, but there is so much more room in the shelter kitchen. She wanted the space to work on making dinner for her self and Minako, but the observant passerby might notice she's making more than is need for just two people, most likely on purpose. She knew what it was like to be new in this place and she has the intention of helping some of the newcomers feel more at home if they passby. She's more than willing to share with any hungry people who wander by, new or not]

[ The feed flicks on to a very undertain face, like he's still getting to know the place and the communication device. He looks like he's about to speak, but clamps his mouth shut. Then he puts a finger up, looks like he is about to say something -- with conviction! -- but sighs instead. With a lopsided little smile, he looks at the camera in earnest. ]

I'm about to have uh... a strange little request here.

[He enunciates every word. He really means business.]

Can someone please say, "April Fools!"? Or maybe, "You're on Candid Camera!" or even, you know, wear a sideways baseball cap and rush me with a camera crew and say, "You just got punked"?

...

Please?

[Heavy sigh, as his face takes on a look that's more peeved than earnest.]

Barring that, I'm looking for a guy named Dean. Man, we need to talk about your car.


(( OOC: Someone's got a taste of some MEMORY LOSS CANDY, and is now reliving his first day in Marina! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO TROLL THE TRICKSTER, GUYS! >8D ))

[ Glitters floated down and around plastic structures as Gabriel turned a snow globe up, down and around, shaking it all about...

It's been a while since Gabriel last pranked someone, and he thinks it served its purpose well. But today... just for today, he's not out to teach anyone a lesson. He has been itching to live up to his Trickster image, for a good ol' prank, and not just for one or two people.

The snow globe disappeared like cigarette smoke from the palm of his hand, as an impish smile played on his lips. This is a good night, he thinks... ]


---------- [ Closed to TRC!Fuuma ] ----------

[ ... he laughed to himsef as he appeared with a quiet breeze, letting himself fall like one would do on a soft bed, sprawling on top of some rooftop. He is very much exhausted by the exercise, but by all the gods and supernatural realms, it is worth it! He sighs, contented, just about to sleep, quite unaware that someone might just be occupying this one rooftop already. ]


( OOC Notes )
 

[At first, the feed is merely an image of that wide, laughing mouth. The sound is soft at first, a raspy chuckle, but it inevitably begins to build. Soon, the monster is very nearly screaming with amusement, a wild, insane cackle that sounds more alien than man.]

Oh, and here we are, still rotting away in this dump! No one visits, no one calls, no one sends flowers--!!

[They pause to pace for a moment, gnashing their teeth. One can see that they're still inside the cells of the Defense Force.] Whoever is in charge of this dump better come say hi before we get impatient and find them first...

Oh, how adorable. Really, the first ten minutes were quite charming. I'm still impressed someone managed to get me down here for a supposedly elaborate and ingenious little prank.

Because it isn't proper to actually imprison a princess, as I'm sure you're aware - especially the princess of the great Fire Nation. I could crush you all with a wave of my hand before you could even begin to bow before me and beg-- however, I'm feeling... generous today. I'm a forgiving princess, after all. I'm kind. I will even humor you!

[A pause as she clears her throat.]

Ha ha ha!

[The laugh sounds...almost psychotic with a mix of awkward. But in her mind she is laughing at the joke! It's funny! She's amused!

She stops abruptly.]

But I trust you all know when a joke goes too far- so I'll spare you the effort and end it for you. Now-- come forward. I expect a full report. And since you transported me underwater in the first place, it should be no problem for you to get me out.