[ the video clicks on. the blonde youth holding the camera is seated against the wall, eyes red-rimmed and watery. but he seems determined, sure of himself, ready to strike whatever sort of deal he has to so he can escape this awful place!

he sucks in a shuddering, watery breath. ]

This is Shuri Oak, son of Wakaba Oak! [ a pregnant pause. he seems to hope to give his audience a moment to consider this information. he puffs his chest out, blinking hard. ] I refuse to stay here! Point me to whoever is in charge, I'll talk to them, they'll see they made a mistake! And I don't care who or what they are, my Father will have me out even if they're a troll! [ the blonde takes a deep breath. attempting to give a warm, confident, charming smile. ]

I'll be sure to see to it that whoever helps me with get a lesser sentence.

[Kamui hadn't meant to make himself so sick, and yet he'd managed it anyway. The last few days had been an indistinct blurred images while he was awake and restless dreams while he was sleeping -- and he'd done a lot of sleeping, feeling too pained, warmed, and exhausted to want to stay up for very long.]

[When he wakes up again on the morning of day 126 he's pleased to find he feels like a solid mass of heat and misery than he had last time he'd stirred from his rest. Talking still hurts, a little, as he discovers when he tries to call Subaru's name and gets no further than 'S' before he cuts off and grimaces. Right, no talking above a whisper unless he needs to.]

[But surely he's well enough to walk, yes? Kamui slides out of bed and stands gingerly. He can at least make it to the kitchen, he thinks...]

(ooc: feel free to catch him in the bedroom, in the kitchen, on his way to the kitchen, etc.)

So, um...

[Fidgeting as the screen flips on, a girl with long brown hair worn up high in a ponytail (for once) glances away from the camera, red decorating her cheeks in a soft hue that glows. Fingers twisting, she tears them apart to curl into her skirt, a nervous habit that also serves for embarrassment. She licks her lips, speaking carefully as she continues.]

Ehee--I was just wondering, but,uh...is there anyone who tutors? I mean for some of the classes here in school...

[Looking a little sheepish, she laughs awkwardly before closing her eyes and giving a small sigh. Boy, asking really is kind of embarrassing.]

[Sitting at a free table within the arcade, there's a long haired girl in a large hat, shifting a couple cards on the table, all of them face down, though the backs are unrecognizable. Her expression is a little down, small shoulders slumped as she gives a disheartened sigh.

When she looks up she smiles though, eyes fixing on the video feed. At the very least her words and expression are sincere.]

It's starting to get a little bit late, but there aren't any set curfews in here. Is there anyone who would like to play a game with me? Anyone can play!

[Her grin becomes a bit enthusiastic.]

I promise! It's sure to make you feel great!

[Really, everything was going more smoothly than planned. Stalking the rooftops a little over an hour before the party was set to start had shown that Hokuto had managed to drag both Kamui and Subaru out of their house as requested. Really, getting both Subaru and Kamui out of their house for long enough had been the only problematic point in his plan. Now that it was taken care of, all he had to do was make sure they were well out of sight, and jump down to head across the way to their house. The front door to the house wasn't even locked. It was almost too easy.]

[Fuuma didn't bother setting anything too fancy up. He just tied a few balloons to the legs of the kitchen table, and taped a "Happy Birthday!" banner up on the wall - good luck getting that down later Kamui and Subaru, it's pretty obvious a tall person put it up there. He figured the party would be enough of an excess in Kamui's mind, so there was no point in going overboard with decorations.]

[Food, on the other hand, he had tried getting a bit fancier with. Not like he had anything better to do here. There's two red velvet cakes with butter-cream icing set out, a large quantity of vanilla ice cream, and an equally large fruit platter. It's rather obvious who the food was catered to, and Fuuma honestly didn't care that much if there was someone who hated all of it. Of course by the time people start showing up, he'll be gone anyways, so there won't be anyone to make complaints to.]


((OOC: It's Kamui's birthday! If you got an invite or word of mouth from someone who got an invite (AKA you just want your character to join in for great justice), feel free to tag in. This Fuuma isn't going to be at the party at all, so mingle with other people, bug Kamui, eat cake, and all that jazz.))

[Have a dramatically loud whipcrack, Marina! Fuuma is in the park, showing off just the tiniest bit. He loops the whip back up easily, gathering it around his wrist. It's long and slim, carefully hand-woven.]

--I think I owe someone lessons~?

Oh, and -- where's that fellow who passed out yesterday, while I'm at it? Nena's unconscious friend.

Why - why would Acumen arrest a ghost? I don't think it makes much sense...Ghosts should be able to move on, right? I don't think it's fair to keep one here with m-me - with people. [does she sound a bit stressed?]

I really, really, really hope Acumen doesn't arrest any more...That would be the worst.

[Anyone who passes through Sector 1 will see Sakura slowly inching along the way. She's just left the headquarters and she's on her way home. It's dark and she looks more than unhappy being outside. In fact, she even has her wand out - just in case.]

[ooc: there is a 99.99% chance that Sakura will flail and accidentally hit you with her wand if you sneak up on her in the dark. She's had a traumatic day okay]

[when the feed opens, Subaru is already blushing and hasn't even started.]

What do you do if... you like someone? Or-- more than just... one someone? And someone else-- s-someone else likes them, too, and they might like both of you, and someone else might like you--

[that doesn't make any sense. he takes a deep breath and tries this again.]

How do you know if it's okay to like someone? [there. that's better.]

[a bit later, in the house, Subaru has been oddly quiet for the past couple of days. he's got some tea now, and he's going to very carefully go look for Kamui.]

Kamui--?

[ someone is standing in front of the ice cream parlor, on his way back from the convenience store. and he's just... staring at the sign, wondering when this showed up. ]

... what's "ice cream"? Why does it need a whole shop? [ sounds cranky that he has to ask about this. to be fair, he doesn't really get the pizza shop, either. or the ramen stand. ]


((ooc: Open open open!))

( WARNING: Disturbing Imagery )

((OOC: Open! Tag in with whatever your character will do (follow the path, attempt to wade over the bodies, jump into the river) and I will reply with how the environment will change and react, and soon they'll be able to run into Kamui! The post is written in prose, but I'll be replying to all tags in [action brackets]!

Again, this dream is OPEN to everyone, but if you have any particular triggers or phobias relating to torture, murder, Christian imagery, blood/gore, injured/dead animals, and the apocalypse, please say so HERE so that I can avoid mentioning them in our thread.))

[It was rather strange. Normally he didn't feel tired until well into the night, after the network had gotten pretty quiet. But tonight Fuuma felt like he was going to fall asleep standing before dinner. Maybe... just a nap. He didn't bother with heading over to the bedroom, he'd just crash on the sofa. It was too early in the evening to actually bother getting completely ready for bed. And it was just a nap.]

( Dream.A )

( Dream.B )


((OOC: First dream is completely open, but please tell me here if you plan to tag in. I've got final projects to finish this weekend, so I don't want a flood of people, and I might be kind of slow. Second dream is closed to Kamui, Kamui, and Subaru. But if you really want in it, bug me and I will see what I think. For the second dream, most replies will come from the account foundastray!))

[ dream 1 - labyrinth - walk along a dark, narrow hallway lined with doors. you cannot see the end of the hall, and if you turn around, you won't see where you came from. a minute passes, and then another...

eventually, you begin to hear it: a faint voice. you have to strain to hear it at all, it's weak and it trembles as if through tears. it seems to be coming from behind a door far ahead, off to your left.

behind you, you can hear footsteps; starting softly, the staccato rhythm growing louder and louder--

until a door immediately beside you slams open, and Kamui barrels out. his eyes are slitted and gold, his expression wild.

it takes him a moment to notice you, another to recognize you, if you're someone he knows. in the meanwhile, he snarls, claws raising--

the voice cries out again. Kamui! and then a sharp cry of pain. Kamui whirls around, panicked. he begins to throw his body against doors, calling a name: Subaru! Subaru!

none of the doors open. no matter how hard he tries. and Kamui himself begins to look like he's in pain. but he keeps trying.

Kamui! another cry and a sob. ... help... me, Kamui... ]

-----

[ dream 2 - wasteland - dust, grime; the smell of something faintly acidic -- it gets in the back of your throat and won't fade. there is a window covered with a ratty plastic tarp; rain patters against it from outside, occasionally dripping into the wall, eating into a small groove from past leaks. it seems that, every so often, the whole building seems to shiver, and a little more concrete dust falls.

Kamui stands by the window in a heavy cloak, watching the rain. on the other side of the room stands a blonde man with an eyepatch. there is a faint, gleaming thread between the two of them.

You made me, the man says. So Subaru wouldn't, is the reply.

Ah, how cold... the man jokes, but it seems flat. Kamui doesn't look away from the window. It's not my problem.

the building shivers again, and Kamui does look up, now -- at you. his eyes narrow. What do you want? ]

((OOC: In dream #1, feel free to jump in any time after Kamui appears; in dream #2, Fai will just smilesmile at you and not speak, then eventually fade. And feel free to tag just one, or both!))

Good afternoon, fellow inmates. This is Light Yagami.

To better predict the pattern at which the stabilizer functions, I'd like to conduct a bit of a survey myself, just as Mister Holmes had done just a while ago.

If each of you don't mind, do reply to this post with the following:

1. Whether or not you are human. If no, please specify what you are, exactly
2. Your origin world or planet, and the respective country if any
3. Your gender and age

If you would like to remain anonymous for this survey, by all means, go without providing your name - it would not affect the survey results in any way. The results will be broadcasted later on, just as Mister Holmes has done. But in this instance, if you would like copies of the results, feel free to leave me your name, so I may send you a copy through the mail.

Thank you.

[Has Subaru ever mentioned he's not that great of a public speaker? Because he's not. He's going to do his best, though! He's in the process of taking breath when the feed clicks on, and he offers a bright, if nervous smile.]

Um-- Hello! I-- some of you know me, but if you don't, my name is Subaru Sumeragi! Um-- since there's a church now, and it's open to everyone, I'm-- I'm going to be offering some omamori for everyone!

[he seems less nervous when he's talking about things he knows, brightening considerably as he talks.] Omamori are small amulets that you can tie onto your bags or your communicators or anything like that, and there's different kinds that help bring good luck and things! You can get them to help with good health, or help on a test, or to help bring you love! They're usually from shrines and temples, back home, so I think it will be okay to offer them at the church.

A-anyway, I just wanted to ask if there's any in particular you want help with, so I know which omamori to make! So if there's something you're hoping for, you can have one. They'll just be at the church, so-- you don't have to tell anybody what kind you're taking, when you go to get them!

Ah-- thank you!

[Voice]

If anyone is looking for Harry Potter, he's gone.

[/Voice]

[Action]

[He had been woken up by the robots coming in to clear out Harry's things. He had been stupid to think that he could have a 'normal' life here. Frustrated, Otoha grabbed his sword and headed to the dojo to practice. He needs to stop thinking, needs to break things and cut things and destroy something.]

[He unsheathes his sword, taking a moment to calm himself as much as he can before slicing into the first dummy.]

[[ooc; The voice part is open, and the action part is closed. \o/]]

Not that I think there are many here who would, but...

[Yuuki, just appearing on screen looks deadly serious for a moment. Dark brown eyes clear and intent, focusing on the screen with a well of passionate emotion behind them.]

Wasting food is the worst.

[Giving a sigh, a hand moves to rest on her slim hips, the other lifting up to her head in the appearance of tired exasperation.]

If something happened again where the dome was to shut down and the food supplies get cut off, that could turn into a real issue. [She lifts a lecturing hand.] Playing with the supply catered to a particular group's nutritional needs is even worse. [Probably Road doesn't care all that much (actually, the worry and chaos it causes is probably something she likes ...Damn it.). Anyway she can only imagine Kamui's irritation.]

Just try not to take it for granted.

[She exhales one last time.] Anyway... [Eyes softening, she gives a small hopeless smile that tugs the corner of her mouth. Anything too serious and she feels out of place.]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone who plays chess that wouldn't mind teaching me? I know how to play a little, _{er...mostly, anyway...} just not well. If so, I'd be grateful! I promise I'm a great student!

[Her hand lifts after flashing a bright smile and peace sign at the device, covering the screen after as she reaches forward to deactivate it before suddenly halting.]

AH! [Hands falling away she has an afterthought, only just remembering now!] I almost forgot. Suzaku-kun, can I speak with you?

[It's raining and Lelouch is being a homebody, staying indoors and playing chess with himself idly. He's been thinking about this next move for quite some time, and it seems like now is as good a time as any... He flips on the communicator, relaxing and smiling into the video.]


You know, I was just thinking. Who else made secret codes or hand gestures as children? Like a phrase that sounded innocent but meant "Let's go meet outside," or a gesture that meant "Check up on that for me."

Maybe I'm the only one who thought in such complicated terms as an eight-year-old. [chuckling] But it was fun knowing that only we would understand.


[Acumen can hear them over the network, and possibly records the content of everything it translates through video. But unspoken hand gestures and phrases that don't mean what they sound like they mean are much more difficult to uncover in surveillance, aren't they?]

Ouchhhh...

[Rubbing her nose, eyes watery, the camera flickers on to reveal Kobato, looking confused. Or rather, more confused than usual. From what is visible beneath her hands, her nose and forehead looks a little red, and she a little dazed as she stands before what appears to be an empty doorway.]

I- I think there must be something wrong. I know sometimes I run into things. But... I never expected to run into air!

[Unsteady, she teeters a little on her feet.]

( OOC )

[Kamui speaks in a tired tone of voice, and it's unlikely it's just because he's posting early in the morning.]

Keiichi Segawa is gone from the prison now, too.

[And unlike his last message, Kamui simply cuts the feed off that simple sentence.]

[ her tone is gentler than usual, as she's trying quite hard not to offend anyone ]

People are seriously- seriously managing to leave this prison and no one's recording it. Really, I think that's silly

I'm volunteering myself to keep a record of it, and I really hope that people will report these disappearances. It's quite interesting, really.