[Anri lies under the awning of the Guardian Sapling’s branches, staring up through them at the dome’s ‘sky’, far overhead. It’s been an interesting few days and she’s grateful for the reprieve, having fled from her shelter room even earlier than usual to – be outside, collect her thoughts, find some focus. Give Saika some attention, so that she wasn’t under the constant suffocation of heady whispers.

She's dressed for the weather, coat and mittens and boots, but the hood is pushed down to support her head above the snow and grass. Under close scrutiny, anyone who knows her will recognise the alien brightness to her eyes – a clear red rather than their usual dull brown.

She’s hoping that no one who knows her will find her right now.

She’s hoping for some peace and quiet, but who knows how much she’ll get.]

Why doesn't anyone ever bring in a little anarchy around here anymore?

[A young man dressed in black, velvety robes is seen walking and pacing the corridors in the restrained section of the prison still.]

Yet another day of this restrainment. It should please me that they apparently fear me this much.

How kind of Acumen to announce that it will snow. It may want to take caution in the future, however. How easy it would be for those who wish to use it to their advantage to do so.

Ahh, how unreal! This is unbelievable! It’s almost like the premise of a video game except this is real life! Just think of all the possibilities that could come from a set-up like this! The forbidden romance between two criminals; a boy and a girl trying to find their way home, all the while seeking comfort in one another as the dream of ever finding a way out gets farther and farther away! There are so many possible scenarios it’s almost unbearable!
 
If only Anri-chan and Mikado were here with me! She would be perfect as the leading lady beside me and him the perfect sidekick, supporting us in our perils as we try and keep the flames of our love alive while spending eternity together in this cold, dark prison! [Which is a strange thing for someone who is standing in broad daylight to say, but he’s on a roll so let’s not question this statement quite yet.] I suppose in their absence I will have to find others to replace them.
 
I’m sure that won’t be too hard. In a prison full of such lovely ladies, there must be many of you just dying to win the love of someone as handsome and loving as I! Yes, I can see it now, every one of you has some trait that makes you worthy of my love. There is no need to fight over who gets the part as my leading lady, though! There is more than enough of me to go around for all of you and I am more than happy to accommodate all of you. [And with that, there is a wink and the cut of the feed.]

Alright, bub... [It's a little hard to understand him with that cigar clenched between his teeth, and he's puffing furiously on it even as his claws slide free with a threatening snkt. Strange, though. He's too angry to notice that the pay is lasting longer than usual, and the cuts, simply, are not healing.]

You've got three seconds to tell me what the hell's going on here, and maybe you get to walk away with your guts intact. [Prison? Yeah, right. More like one of Magneto's schemes. He's coasting along on that dick's motorcycle one minute, and he's stuck here with this thing on his face the next.]

[Someone's gonna pay, big time.]

((OOC: Sound familiar? Yeah, that's because Wolverine was here during the 4th wall, but he doesn't remember it at all~))

[There are two rather distinct problems Anri is having right now.

One, the sweater she is wearing is suddenly much too large for her, leaving her with swinging, flapping sleeves and the hem getting caught around her bent knees.

Two, she cannot reach the top cupboard in the shelter’s kitchen.

A bit of climbing helps her with the second problem but only drives home the first, and her efforts for getting toward the counter are a bit clumsy. It isn’t so bad until she knocks over a small row of clean drinking glasses, sending at least two of them crashing to the floor.

Feel free to come investigate the noise. Just keep an eye out for the quivering child cowering over the pile of broken glass, trying to pick it up in her oversized sleeves.]


((OOC: De-aged plus memory loss! Because I am ridiculous.))

"Write your secret or your confession?"

[The tone is questioning, amused as Izaya abruptly turns the feed on. He sounds skeptical, that's for certain.]

My, my. How forward, "Chrome-chan." It is a rather... unexpected change of pace, though. I do hope we can meet sometime, you seem very interesting!

[That's it. He cuts the feed right after; as if this was a filtered post but he simply didn't know who to filter it to, given how anonymous is all is.]

[ooc: CONFESSION SUBMISSIONS GO HERE!]

[ Good morning Marina~!

Were you sleeping alone last night? Well now you have company!

Were you sleeping with someone? Well, you're still sleeping with someone, but maybe you'd like to give it a look-see, before you get too comfortable.

Are you sure this is your room? You might want to check though -- who knows if you're using the same design of lampshade or if your bed really is set up against the wall...

Whether you are in your own room or not, one thing's for certain, you're in for a surprise this morning! ]


(( OOC: Many pardons for the late, but here be your Morning After Prank all-purpose post! Do your threads here if you are so inclined, or make your network freak-out posts~ Have fun!

ETA: I have used the reveal table as a handy Thread Index. I'll update this as the event rolls along [last updated: 22 October, 12:40 p.m. EST] ))
 

Getting cold again. So - what, does this mean Halloween's coming up? Hope no one's planning on throwing another big ass party. [flexes her hands] Yeah yeah, parties in prison? Newsflash newbies, that's all we do around here.

[is she complaining about parties? her brow wrinkles a little.] Anyway, I'm bored. Anyone have any awesome stories to tell? And none of that philosophical, fairy tale kind of shit. Real stories like, war stories, or - dusting vampires stories. [helpful pause] There has to be someone here who's kicked ass before.

Is the voice from before still here? The one who talked to me?

I tried to think of what I did wrong, but I still don't know... I haven't hurt anyone. Am I really in a "prison"? Does this mean I can't help humans anymore?

All I want to do is to help... I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

[It's been days with little to no sleep, hours of excessive training, and several skipped meals--and what ones were not skipped were lacking--but one would not notice by the tone of Itachi's voice. It's soft, contemplative, just as it normally is. He sits in the kitchen, bandaging burns on his hands that he was careless enough to get.]

Would you consider death an end or an exit? Does death truly bring a cease to events or does it merely rearrange the participants?

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.

[The woman who shows up on your screen this time Marina, looks upset. In many ways. At times it may appear clear that she is torn about this whole situation.]

I will only say this once - my name is Soma Peries. I don't care why I've been brought here. I accepted the weight of my crimes long ago. But why should I be punished here? You are not the ones with the right to place judgment. [No, that was the people that she had hurt. Back home. But even so...]

I ask you now... who are you all, and why are you here? [Her voice is a bit cold and calculating like the ex-soldier she is, but there's a hint of the well-meant concern and curiosity there, buried underneath her harsh exterior.]

And... Allelujah Haptism... if you can hear this... [Clearly she's not pleased, or comfortable with this at all, hesitating a bit. She huffs.] ...don't make her worry. [The same as 'don't make me worry', but Soma won't admit that.]

[ oh, marina asylum! good morning! a rather pretty pretty face is presenting itself in the communicator. it's a bit belatedly, but oh, well, right? the cheeks are round (a bit of remaining baby fat), eyes blue and pale, eyelashes extraordinarily thick and long—although, golden not black or brown—and hair honey in color, but a little unkempt. it's incredibly youthful, and girlish just as much as it is boyish and vice versa. for a brief moment, there's a really concentrated look, and then— ]

It's really personal to be able to know all of that—[ the break between speaking is very slight; the accent is british, light and airy, and a little more raspy than what's normal for him. (his throat is a bit raw, you see.) ] My entire life. If you're going to be so sodding personal about it, the least you could do is address me properly. It isn't, "Welcome, inmate," it's: "Welcome, the Earl Alois Trancy of Buckinghamshire."

[ this is clearly important. clearly. his face rises a little and he slides his eyes shut in what's supposed to look like offended dignity. acumen, you are such lowlife. ]

Oh, but perhaps we don't even need titles. Oh, no. Let's just do without them completely. [ it's funny, because there's a half-truth to this. for all his aristocratic and snobby airs, he really fucking hates nobles. legitimate nobles. people born with silver spoons in their mouths who act as though the world owes them everything, and isn't that a laugh? hypocrisy? oh, hell yes! but, he doesn't care. ] Addressing the Earl by 'Alois Trancy'—or, hell, even Alois alone should be dandy, shouldn't it? But, inmate is not acceptable.

If I'm to remain here the rest of my li—

[ there's a quiver in his tone, a choke. his teeth set, his eyes clench, and he swallows very, very hard. —alois arrived sometime during the night, and being easily prone to night terrors, he had not slept through it. he awoke and imagine his dismay, of course, when he found he was not in his own bed. the majority of the rest of the night and early morning, once arriving, was spent throwing the most massive tantrum.

he screamed, hollered, wailed, sobbed, and called out for claude—his butler—time and time again. 'Houheo taralna, rondero tarel' was chanted again and again and again, in throat ruining desperation. he wrecked his welcome basket and did his best to throw himself against a wall, because someone needs to be punished for keeping him from claude (he didn't walk away without a few bruises, either). it's been hours later, and claude still hasn't appeared. he is devastated and furious. and!, in spite of his needless complaining, he's teetering. poorly trying to keep himself together. to say he's 'calmed down,' is an overstatement. he's simply bitter. ]

... Life. The rest of my life, then you'll call me 'Alois,' at the very least. [ 'inmate' sounds like a thing and fuck that, if he's going to feel like an object again. ]

Oh—! Though, I have to tell you: this is my first time seeing the ocean! [ his voice pitches here. it's lilting, amused, like suddenly he's having a friendly chat. (yeah, what? this kid.) ] I always knew it would be beautiful, because it's so large and so fucking deep, [ oh, best brace yourself for crude language, too, ] but I hadn't imagined to what extent. A lot of things are really easy to imagine, but there's probably not enough room in our brains alone to comprehend all the things that can be found in the ocean. In a way, I suppose you could say, you've given me something I've always wanted.

It's true, it's my first time seeing it, and I always suspected when Claude would finally take me to the shore I would only get to see the surface. And, as far into it I'd go would be up to my shoulders. The surface is really lovely, too, though. How it sits so close to the sky, like they're kissing. I've seen it in paintings and I'm always so jealous of the ladies who are painted next to them. Rivers and lakes aren't as beautiful. They don't have that sort of blue. They're only green and dirty. 'Paint my portrait, too, Claude,' I've asked him, but we're always too busy and much too far from the seaside. From anywhere, really. I don't think I've been anywhere outside of Buckinghamshire in ... hum, well, quite a long time! [ he giggles a little, and the recording shows him rocking slightly. he's sitting upon some mats, doing his best to avoid exercising entirely, and kicking one of his legs with youthful enthusiasm. ] Oh, ahaha, I've almost forgotten. Of course you must have known all that. You watch very closely, don't you? I wonder, just what kind of 'artificial life form' you are, Mister Acumen? Should you be evaluating yourself for crimes, too?

—Ah. [ his eyes widen a bit, and he stills. his head cants. ] I'm really well taken care of, you know. Just what do you intend to have me do about food, and bathing, and dressing?



(bitty ooc note!: ack, i um. could be wrong about this...? feel free to correct me! but, as it's tuesday, i'm assuming alois is in sector six for exercise today. c: please, feel free to run into him or visit him or whatevs!)

[The face over the feed is mistrustful, with a neutral regard for her surroundings that borders on severe.]

slfhr

[Yes, Marina, text. She doesn’t have the hang of it yet, but she is from the 1930s. Frowning down at the communicator – the frown not that different from her usual expression, just an extra pull of the mouth, Chane tries again.]

a a a a b b b c d e f g 1 2 3

A A B B C C d d E E f . . .

! ! ! ? ? a a B B

[The severity of her expression softens, mildly, but it’s clear she hasn’t yet figured out she’s on the feed. A few more seconds and it dawns visibly.]

Who took my weapon?

[Priorities. Chane has them.]

...bottom of the ocean. Again. Wonderful.

[ not the first time he's been down to the bottom, thanks to the fledgling initiative during world war ii. it is, however, the first time someone's tossed him down this far with the intents of holding him here for the crimes he's committed. he won't contest that he's deserving of this, given all he did during his soulless years, but the timing couldn't be worse. ]

You know, I really don't have time for this. Thanks, but no thanks for the accommodations. Bring down your hammer of justice another time. I've got more important things to do than indulge some Holier Than Thou on a quest for reparation. Been there, done that.

[ -- HOLD ON A SECOND. ]

Eloquois Ocean. What dimension is this?

[He had thought after he went to the hospital that they would just patch him up and let him go. Instead Fuuma had been patched up and pushed along by the bots to a bed, and at that point it wasn't worth coming back and forth to the hospital for how often they wanted to check those burns he got on his arms and hands. So he just stayed the night. It wasn't like he had any very important plans anyways. But today, well, he was a little bit bored. Watching the bots come and go was only so interesting. Hopefully Karen come knocking, considering she was likely to be in the building as well.]

[Digging around in the drawers on the nightstand next to the bed had yielded a deck of cards, but it wasn't like Fuuma knew many single player card games... So the best way to fix this was clearly to ask. The video background is clearly the hospital, for those who know it, but there's nothing visibly wrong with Fuuma, since his hands aren't in view.]

Are there any good single player games you can play with a deck of cards? I'm afraid I don't know any, and it's rather boring just sitting here.


((OOC: Anyone is welcome to bug Fuuma! He's just chilling out at the hospital for the day. You can also come visit him there to make his life less dull as well.))

What's a Promenade?

More fuckin' human shit?

This prison sure is culturally insensitive, why am I even here if it's goin' to be all humans all the time?

[It's late at night, which is exactly what Sentience wanted before making a post like this.]


The Engineers do not take anything seriously. That's simply the way they are; they have a tendency -- not a personal tendency, but a racial tendency, wired into their brain functioning -- to laugh at painful or difficult topics, to treat them lightly.

But even taking cultural differences into account, it is... cruel, isn't it? To take out their boredom on the people here. This is supposed to be a place where criminals can live out their sentences in peace. Everyone here is a person, not... a toy.


[Sentience still seems troubled about the fourth wall.]

---

[There is a soft, exasperated sigh before the boy finally starts up his entry. Very obviously annoyed if you couldn't tell by the swearing.] So, apparently there are ninjas in this miserable shithole and I fuckin' pissed them off... This so isn't funny.

Anyone got a paperclip or something I can use to pick a lock?

[If you're listening closely you may hear a distinct rattle of chains. "Miserable shithole" because despite the fact they had damn near everything here in comparison, it still sucked to Helix. He honestly felt a little cheated here, he was a big, nasty criminal, why was he being treated so well? Wasn't he supposed to be on death row or something under stricter surveillance than a friggin' ball and chain?? Nevermind the fact he really shouldn't be bitter about this... Right. Lets pass the time with idle chatter shall we? Cause he doesn't feel like dragging his ball all over the dome he's too wounded for that crap.]

So. Who here has actually killed someone? [A pause for effect and a slight, mocking twist to his tone.] C'mon, don't be shy. We're all just criminals here.