[Since Matoi arrived, she's had one goal in mind.

She has to find Xellos. He told her to find him. But she can't. It doesn't help that it's all gone -- all of her bugs are gone and she needs to ask Sentience for more. This. This.

She can't fail like this.

Anyone who is up far too late for their own good is likely to find a completely panic-stricken Matoi running around. She's muttering to herself and nearly tripping over her kimono. They would also be treated to panic-spam, but earlier Matoi tripped and smashed her headset on the ground. So that's not even an option.]

[quiet]

Xellos?

[A distressed audio message comes into play across the network. Accidental or intentional, whoever is on the other line seems to have turned it on in the middle of something.]

... Terrible, terrible, terrible... As of late, people had been accusing me at random for various crimes. Shopkeepers accusing me of market espionage for carrying a notebook into the store, women accusing me of being a pervert for using a camera at the beach, policemen accusing me of premeditated murder after evesdropping in on a conversation about American cinema...

[A brief pause in the rambling; the dramatic change in pose on the other end is almost audible. For some reason, he doesn’t seem to realize that it’s not a video feed, and it’s as if this is how he’d normally talk.]

But I never expected it to come to this! Now, even the computers are accusing me of being a criminal!

[Another brief pause as Nozomu reverts to a more sober tone.]

It’s such a terrible, terrible world where the belief that people are fundamentally good has been erased from the minds of a paranoid public that suspects everyone of being a criminal. It has even reached the point where they’ve developed machines that automatically accuse people of being criminals!

[Yet another brief pause. Three, two, one...]

I’m in despair! This pseudo-futuristic nightmare society where machines can imprison people at a whim has left me IN DESPAIR!!

Well, since I’m most likely on death row for crimes that I may-or-may-not have actually committed, I might as well just kill myself.

[Around 2 A.M., Matoi is still up. She sounds a bit sleepy. This whole having to be awake at a certain time is killing her. But her sleep schedule is still so messed up, and she never was much of a sleeper any way.]

[She's kind of annoyed that someone else got their murder recognized with the funeral, but she's been keeping that to herself. And it's kind of hard for her to brood too much on it. Sentience wasn't stupid when it came to trying to keep her in one place. There is nothing more beautiful to her than being celled up with Xellos.]

[Mostly, she's been watching him. Silent, like she is so often. But it's been so long since she's spoken up. And well, Meru is proof that one has to do it every once in a while.]

You were teasing Lina again today.

The last couple days were fun. Sentience is really nice for letting people go and letting us have a party.

However, I am... confused. If that can happen to them, then... hm.

I have mixed feelings on the issue. I want to be next. I don't want to be next. I don't know which I want more. Too many pros and cons for both.

I've been thinking about a pet, though I had doubts that I would qualify before... Also must start thinking of a costume. Anyone else thinking about costumes?

[ a female voice comes over the network, dripping with patently false innocence and alarm ]

Ooh, oh no, oh deary me. Caught. Imprisoned! This is just so... terrible. Whatever will I do now? How in the world could I possibly escape...?

[ a giggle, and her demeanor changes, her voice going low and cold ]

You simple little fool. Don't you know anything about Nobodies?

[Kallen comes back from her shower in a pretty good mood. the effect is ruined when she opens the door to closet.

[nothing. not her Ashford uniform, neither of the outfits she got from the store...not even a bra.]

E-EHHHH?!

Th-this isn't funny.

AS SOON AS I FIND OUT WHO'S RESPONSIBLE, YOU'RE DEAD.

(( YAY FOUR AM VOICE SPAM REJOICE AT THE FAILURE OF SLEEP PATTERNS! ))

I miss you.

If you haven't guessed by me coming out on the network again... I'm bored!~

You know what that means, right?

This time I don't have a game for you, but a question! Oh yes. You can answer privately or openly. Personally I don't care either way!

[Giggle]

Are you ready?

You can only have one or the other: love or trust.

Which one would you take?

[He hm's quietly to himself, quite unaffected by the message before his eyes, and after waiting patiently for the communicator to complete its sentence, speaks with such a collected tone.]

Very well. Prison it is. A prison with butterflies, no less. However, [A soft sigh.] the young master's tea has yet to be prepared, Mr. or Mrs. Sentience. The cake as well. ...[A long pause, he's now bothering to turn his head left and right, before he adds, softly,]

Exactly what have you done with my lord?

[Matoi's sleep schedule has been nothing short of messed up lately. Not that it's ever been normal, but lately, it's been getting more and more skewed. The panic sets in so easily lately. Xellos is by far the hardest person to keep tabs on that she's ever met.]

[It's almost too much for her heart to take.]

[But right now, she's stable-ish. Deep breaths in, a few fantasies, a blush and a smile. Never completely stable, but at least controlled.]

[She's standing in her room, dressing herself, carefully tying her kimono. She jostles her headset, accidentally turning the microphone on.]

I-- I can't be useless like Larxene. If I were, he would just let me kill myself and be done with it, end it, just like that moment. I have to mean something. We're in love.

I'll do better. Try harder.

[Because he is soooo into fashion, Joshua is currently biding his time so early in the morning in that new little clothing store. Too bad he's making a mess. Picking things off of the rack... Looking them over... Making a disgusted face... And this discarding before moving on and repeating the process. For someone who is from the thriving streets of Shibuya with all the latest... This is really just killing him.]

Ugh.

Has anyone heard from Sanji?

Good morning, criminals! Thus dawns the twenty-second day of the third generation.

Inmate Dahlia Hawthorne has exppressed interest in the rehabilitation standards. For those of you interested in rehabilitation, guidelines and methods of evaluation are available. Some inmates have already reasonably progressed in this fashion!

It is, of course, perfectly acceptable for you to go on without rehabilitation. It is strictly for your own benefit, after all.

I--

[The transmission breaks off for a moment.]

--

[At about five AM, Matoi is wandering. She has a purpose, and seems to be completely ignoring everyone around her. There's a rope in her hand. It's rough, not broken in. But still. It will do. She's so tired. So tired of screwing up.]

[At least-- at least this might bring a smile to his face, towards the end.]

[And then she finds the perfect spot. There's a rock high enough to hoist herself and then allow herself to fall down. She ties the noose in the tree with uncanny purpose. She doesn't seem nearly as upset as she was before.]

[Resigned.]

[She steps up on the rock, looping the noose around her head. The rock is just high enough to let her. And then--]

[It hurts.]

[But she knows it won't last long.]

[a few startled blinks. She sits on the bench with an indignant huff]

[mutters] What is this...? I’m not a criminal, I’ve done nothing wrong... [thinks, wonders. What does it mean about a timeline? Am I dreaming? Has Suzaku captured me — this sounds like something he’d endorse. But this place...]

[toggles the communications device, proud of figuring it out in only a few moments]

There has been a mistake. I have committed no crimes, only supported a just and righteous cause. You cannot imprison me for following the will of the gods. My name is Sumeragi Kaguya, and my husband, Lord Zero, will be very angry if you don’t let me go!

[That ought to get someone’s attention.]

[ooc: I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to respond to anything, as I'm likely going to bed in a moment, but...]

Criminal!?

[The voice that comes out of this transmission is high, shrilled, and not pleased. At first it's difficult to tell if this is a male or female. Either way, they're unhappy, and they obviously just got the lovely little welcoming note.

[With a huff,] Hmph. Who's going to be here to see what I did with my hair? All that work for naught. And this place is so dreary. Whoever is playing these games has a horrible taste in decorating. It needs.. a fresh coat of crimson paint! [Said with a little too much excitement.] Who wants to volunteer!?