[ Dressed in a metric ton of pink, the princess is sitting just inside the door to the library, knees pulled up to her chest as she fiddles awkwardly with the communications device. Cookie crumbs are on her dress and she's wearing the scarf, the rest of the welcome basket sitting next to her.]

[Finally, she decides to send a message and is obviously trying to be very very stern and regal and it is sooo not working. Instead, she sounds petulant.]

This isn't fair, you know! Kidnapping a princess, that's a crime, too.

I don't care who Acumen thinks he is. I'm Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, and in the name of the Moon, he'll get punished.

[She huffs and pauses awkwardly and then grudgingly speaks again:]

And... um... thank you, people that made the basket. The cookies were really good.

[It's the first day of Basic Meditation class!

Since it's cold out, Maya alerted the students via communicator they'd be meeting at the Training Hall for the morning and into the foreseeable winter. At least until that waterfall gets installed.

The class begins with one simple question posed to the class:]

So does anyone know what meditation is for?

[The class really doesn't cover much, since about half of it is Maya getting distracted and rambling a bit, but she does mention the very basics and purpose of meditation, and the last fifteen minutes she has the class attempt to meditate.]

((OOC: Feel free to tag before, after, or during the lesson, but mark when in your comment's subject. Event-style threading encouraged. Or if you don't feel like threading, feel free to add your character tag to the post anyway for attendance!))

[The morning brought an empty bed to Maya & Pearl's room. Maya's young cousin had simply vanished, and sure enough the departures post said she was missing too.

It's a bittersweet thing to Maya. Pearl never belonged here in the first place, no matter what Sentience claimed, but Maya's room will feel empty again. Living with Jennifer & Co. certainly helps, but as far as Maya knows, she might be the only one from her Earth. It's a little lonely to have that feeling, but she's done well covering it so far.

Maya's bundled up in weather clothing as she walks through the light snowfall along with Missile, the Ditto. Missile has taken on the form of a kitten, copied from a real one at the pet café where the two were not long ago. She runs along ahead of Maya, batting at snowflakes as they hit the ground and melt.]

((OOC: If you have telepathy or that sort of thing, feel free to pick up on her bittersweet feelings, but otherwise it'll be pretty well hidden.))

[Cain is in uniform, including the standard issue fancy hat. It tends to grab people's attention.] Good morning, everyone. For those of you just joining us, I'm Commissar Ciaphas Cain, servant of the Imperium of Mankind back home, and member of the Defense Force around here. And apparently, I'm a new teacher at Marina Academy.

Anyway! Basic swordsmanship. Anyone interested in learning how to cross blades? Of course, they'll all be wooden. It'll be held three times a... [Frowning at the contents of his teacher folder.] Do we even call that a week?

[Chucking the folder aside.] Frak that, it's an hour at Noon on days ending with one, four, and eight. Since today is Day 88, that gives you plenty of time to decide if you want to join. But if anyone's interested in a meet and greet, being shown which end of the sword to hold, or anything like that, I'll be at the dojo for the next hour.

Questions?

Excuse me - is this thing working?...

[A long pause before the voice (a kid's voice) starts speaking again.]

Thank you to whoever gave me the information about Marina. I was just wondering...is this really a prison?

[It doesn't seem so bad. It REALLY doesn't seem so bad. Aren't prisons supposed to be awful? ... He takes a few seconds before speaking again. This second question is something he kind of needs to know, but he's not sure which answer he wants to hear - on the one hand, he really wants to see his friends; on the other hand, from what he's seen in the information pamphlet...things, them being here would be a bad thing...

He asks anyway.]

... Also - has anyone named Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger arrived here?

Oh? A prison? That's not very convenient. Well, the idea for a prison is not to be convenient, but still! I would've liked a little notice beforehand.

I mean, cherie still hasn't got any thumbs! It will be difficult for her to steer. Hopefully, the Auto-Pilot will keep functioning without me there.

[A pause. Then, the sound of someone humming to himself, as if thinking. And then a quiet sigh.]

Though, I wonder----this place hardly looks like a prison at all.

But, there are different types of prisons, qui? As they say, "a gilded cage is a cage nonetheless", pardon the cliche.

...

Ah, excuze-moi. I've let my thoughts get the best of me. I should say bonjour to everyone else that is here! My name is Waka, and I look forward to see what trials this prison might have in store for me~ ♥

[Swish, dip, splash.]

[Ryoji's up to his elbows in dish water -- unfortunately literally -- but that doesn't mean he can't say hello! The camera is propped up a bit away, and he'll grin at it disarmingly.]

As punishments go, this could be a lot more interactive! But I guess now that I'm a prisoner, I really shouldn't complain, right?

[Brief pause as he finishes scrubbing one plate and sets it to the side.]

I'm Ryoji Mochizuki. We're supposed to introduce ourselves, right? [Little laugh.] Since we're stuck here and all.

( Kaworu is a thinky Angel. )

Well, this is interesting.

[The voice is high and soft for a male, obviously young. With a bit of fiddling, he switches on the video function - a handsome teenage face appears, with inhumanly pale skin and red eyes, framed by unkempt silver hair. Those who knew her may notice a marked resemblance to former inmate Rei Ayanami. The welcome basket sits ignored beside him - he hasn't connected its presence to his incarceration yet.

One corner of his mouth quirks upward in a lopsided smile.]

Have I offended you in some way, Old Men? Or - are Ikari and NERV behind this?

[Then the smirk is replaced by a petulant frown. If that's the case -]

At least let me speak to Shinji for a moment. That's not too much to ask, is it?

((ooc: for those who want to 'sense' his power, or who happen to prefer action, just indicate 'action' in the subject line. he's sitting in the park with a ball and chain around his ankle.))

[Voice]
Acumen has done as ask and provided everything we need for a fun little evening. The anticipation must be getting to some of you. And why shouldn't it?

If you're giving out treats, don't forget to put a jack-o-lantern outside your door. Even in the Shelter.~

And trick-or-treaters should be careful of the Park in Sector 4 tonight. It's Halloween and who knows what might be lurking there. [Insert an amused, mysterious chuckle.]

[Event]
[The candy is out, the light is on, and the jack-o-lanterns "smile" on the stoop. It's perfect with the sun having fallen to half-mast and the dark orange-and-red glow of the late afternoon stretching out over the prison. A perfect night for trick-or-treating indeed.

And do be wary of the Park. Unsuspecting trick-or-treaters will find themselves possibly startled by bats swooping down from the trees, or hear the howling of a wolf break through the silence of the night right when they least expect it. Something may have tried to touch you, but why is nothing there? What was that noise in the underbrush? Is that a black cat hissing over there with bright green eyes in the dark? Who knows?]

( OOC )

[Click! The video turns on, showing a stove with some noodles in a pot. They look really soggy, and they're starting to break apart. There's water on the stove, as if the pot was boiling over shortly before the video was turned on.]

[Otoha looks a little sheepish as he turns the communicator so that his face can be seen.]

… How long are noodles supposed to cook for, again?

[Chad can't stay indoors. There could be someone outside who needs help and if could take too long to get to them by staying inside--where safety isn't certain.

He hadn't expected to run into this...thing so quickly. Arms and legs and heads and it's like someone put a lot of body parts in a pot and mixed them together.

Punching it does nothing. It's fast than it looks and tries to grab his arms if he gets too close. The Right Arm of the Giant is harder to call upon, and his attacks are not as strong as they should be, but it's effective. How many of these are out hunting people?]

Wow, everyone's so fussy this morning. When I stop to look outside or something, it's pretty funny to watch you know.

Not being able to see what's going on is sort of, well... It's kind of looking at people who are just hallucinating. Chasing butterflies in the outfield, so to speak. But I guess if it's enough to make you all yell and stuff then it's got to be creepy.  Scary,  since there's nothing I can do about it, but very funny too. Kind

Otherwise? It's sort of loud. I think I'll take my headset off today.

[He doesn't actually mean that last part.]

Wonder who else doesn't see what's going on...

[The sirens are enough by themselves to wake anyone up. Thankfully Akito's tuner kit contains a small torch which lights up the room. Agito's the first to recover, flicking on a channel to ask wtf is going on, but.

When things start changing, it's enough of a reminded to make Akito scream]

Fuck- Akito what-?

[If you're able to translate very stammered, very fast talking, you can hear Akito repeating 'Not again' over and over. The crying doesn't make it any easier to hear either]

The hell...? What the fuck is going on? [That is demanded to the rest of the place, while Agito tries to calm his other down and stop him clinging hard enough to hurt]


((OOC: Action open to housemates))

[Video | Open | Morning]

Hey everyone! We got the movie theater reserved for tonight's start of The Steel Samurai! So make sure to stop by movie theater at 8 PM tonight! We'll have plenty of snacks for everyone! Don't be late or you'll miss the start!


[Action | Open | Evening]

[Shortly after 8 PM, the movie theater's lights dim and big screen lights up with the action of The Steel Samurai.

It's a generic tokusatsu/samurai TV series centered on one hero, the titular Steel Samurai, as he fights against the Evil Magistrate and his minions to defend Neo Olde Tokyo. You can be assured it is filled with many cheesy one liners, battles under the full moon, attacks shouted out, and its own theme song.

Each episode has a short intermission after it to allow for bathroom breaks or snacks, with a snack counter manned by a bot giving out soda pop, candy, popcorn, chips, and so on.

Maya scheduled the show going through the sixth episode or so, with this segment of the series ending a bit past 11 PM.]


((OOC: Second half forward-dated to evening. Event style posting for the second half. Feel free to make a thread for any point during the evening (including showing up halfway through episode 2, leaving after the third episode, and shouting moves along with the hero, etc.) and threadjack each other.

For some idea of what the hell they're watching, here's a sample from later on in the series: sample (start until ~0:45). Or ask me questions on AIM or something. 75% of it will be BSed.))

Hi everyone!

I talked to Euphie yesterday and I decided to teach my own class on meditation! It's going to be for beginners so you don't have to know anything about it to sign up.

It's going to be every few days from eleven A.M. to noon. [Looking down to a paper in front of her to read] I guess on days ending in two, five, and nine.

[Looking back up.]If you're interested, you should sign up! We probably won't have class tomorrow since it's too soon, so it'll probably start on the Eighty-Ninth Day. But feel free to ask me any questions you have.

But besides that, I'm also going to have a party sometime soon to show The Steel Samurai episodes! I realized a lot of the newer kids here haven't even seen it before for some reason. So all the kids should make sure to come to it! Adults can come too if they want to not be old fogeys too.

((OOC: Class details available on the wiki.))

Wha-

[Hello Marina, have one extremely offended pint-sized dragon.]

Prison?! You gotta be kidding me! I ain't no criminal! I didn't even commit any of those crimes you got listed! Well I did kinda break the Great Stone Dragon but that ain't the point! And I ain't assaulted nobody. 'n fact, I oughta be gettin' a medal. Bitin' butts is unhygenic and nasty.

[Scowls.] Mulan better not be doin' anything stupid without me. That girl's gonna get herself sliced in half if she ain't careful.

And what's this thing on my head? A spoon?

((OOC: SO LATE. OTL We'll say that he was curled up in a ball with a massive headache yesterday, so this is his first day fully awake and out and about.))

Good morning, inmates. It is the 84th day of the third generation.

There is an issue that I would hear all of your opinions on, one regarding some inmate reactions to the blackout that occurred the night before last. It is imperative that you all understand that such events will naturally happen, so long as inmates have the free reign that they do. The only fail-safe method to ensure that nothing goes wrong is to reduce or remove that freedom.

So then, inmates of Marina Asylum, should the trust and freedom given to you be limited in exchange for a more smoothly operated system and facility? Or are some of you content to endure through some inconveniences, and retain the leniency you have now?

Inmates Fai D. Flourite and Toothless, your requests can be found at the entrance to Sector 0. Inmate Kefka Palazzo, your request will delivered by a remote unit.

I pinched myself three times, but I’m still not waking up. It’s really very strange. [ small considering pause ]

On TV, there’s always a big emphasis on how intimidating a prison is. It’s supposed to be a place that no one wants to go after all. But this one is...different. It’s very beautiful -– as if it belongs to the top ten best places to visit. [ smile. a perfect n_n face. ] If I didn’t know any better I’d think that I won a prize!

I heard last year for Halloween there was a party. Nice, but not the only way to celebrate this time of year, is it? There's a lack of the innocent creativity that accompanies the current holiday. [Rayflo is smirking just a little.]

I spoke to Acumen and he gave me permission to host a little "game" if you will. As long as I get enough support. The objective? The one with the most candy wins.

So is anyone up for a fun time of "trick-or-treating" this Halloween?

[Raises an index finger.] And don't forget you agreed to help, Axel.

[Leaning against a building, Kallen has just finished getting through the welcome message on her communicator. The last thing she remembered was leaving for school, and now here she is, trapped in some sort of crazy prison thing? What a way to go.]

Bullshit! You have got to be kidding me. There is no way this is real, no way in hell!

[The sound her fist hitting the wall is picked up as she lets out a string of profanity.]

What bastard is responsible for this?!

[OOC: She's in sector five, somewhere near the convenience store. Anyone walking around, feel free to run into the angered ginger. :D]