Good morning, everyone! Today is the 162nd day of the third generation, and it is still chilly, but will remain clear. I have a very important question for you all to think about today...

[Sentience pauses. The robot appears to be in the butterfly pavilion this morning, but you won't find it there, and in fact the pavilion is strangely calm; all the butterflies are perfectly still, as if sleeping.]

I know that Acumen has asked this once before, but I ask you again, sincerely. ...I want you to think about the importance of freedom, compared to the importance of safety. Would you rather that I give you the freedom to do what you wished, or would you rather that I protected you from each other, even if that means that I may have to deny you things you want, or interfere in your lives in ways you may not want?

[...after a beat] Think about it, and let me know your thoughts in the next few days.

Either way, today I have removed the debris from the former site of the Devil's Compass. As per request, I will be beginning efforts to rebuild it. Any inmate who is interested in helping in the reconstruction is welcome to do so!

And finally, Sasha, your requests have been installed in the handicraft room at the education center; and Snowman and PM, your requests are available at the shelter. You can ask any robot there, and they will retrieve it for you.

[At the entrance to Sector 5, several very long tables have been set up outside. Low light is provided by street lamps hung up just for the occasion, a cozy dining room in the middle of the street. There's turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and many, many other Thanksgiving favorites. A warm, printed message at the center of the table asks:

In the tradition of the holiday known as Thanksgiving, please feel free to enjoy this meal and think about all the things over the last year for which you are most grateful.

Come one, come all! Food covers the tables, enough for the prison's entire population, courtesy of the bots. Have a nice big dinner with your fellow inmates, and get your CR on!]

[wow. w o w what did hijikata ever do to deserve this, huh—? wait, don't answer that.

as of right now, all the vice-chief can offer is a short, tired laugh with that demonic grin of his. hijikata's fatigue is apparent; his wounds may have been healed, but that still doesn't do anything about the fact that the issue with itou had only recently gotten resolved with his life and nothing beyond that. what use was resolving that bullshit if all hijikata had to show for it was fucking prison?

he sounds more than indignant when he begins to speak.]

You think this is funny? Is it? Cop stuck in prison— [it takes more than just effort to try and keep calm and not throw around his restraint everywhere and cause property damage, (not that he could, anyway) and it shows. clearly. hijikata's temple has one laaarge vein about to pop out from irritation. he's probably going to get an ulcer soon, too. words can't describe how much he wants to kill everything right now.] —hilarious. Go laugh in hell, you bastard.

[obligatory scary face included.]

I got things to do, and this isn't one of them. Sougo! Fun's over.

[. . .

there's no response. hijikata waits... and waits... and waits. ......... what. does this mean he's alone in this scary place?? guys???]

Sougo!!

...Leo? [his voice shakes slightly, confused and groggy (and maybe a little scared -- no one's here to hear it, so what does it matter?). his head is pounding, and he can't remember how he got here, but all he can remember are Leo's words:

"I've come for you, Oz-kun."
what did that even mean? and did that have anything to do with now? unlikely, perhaps, considering the information he'd woken up to and the weight chained to his ankle and he takes a moment to play with the chain before giving up. he can barely move with it nevermind get it off.

the video feed that (accidentally) is initiated a few moments later shows oz crushing his hands to his head in an attempt to numb the pain he's feeling. he's alone, of course, collapsed to the floor with his back up against the weight for support and knees pulled in. his eyes are open, wide and pupils narrowed.

the abyss had been different. he'd been a different person, then, and in the abyss he barely had time to think with the chains present but this place he could sit and think and think for hours upon hours (and perhaps he had depending on when he exactly got here) and the more he did, the shorter his patience was becoming. he can't be here, he has to be with his friends, he has to protect them, he has to protect himself for them and being stuck in some underwater prison isn't protecting himself at all! finally, he speaks up, his voice loud.]

Alice! Gil! Where are you! [it drops, the slight desperation seeping through.] I need you both... [here. with him. where he knew they were safe and not hurt or anything considering the encounter they had had all been facing with leo, vincent, and echo.]

[another presence of silence, just oz's breathing before he speaks again, this time not nearly as desperate. it's like shutting a switch off the way the built up panic dissipates completely. he's quiet, voice low and slightly poisonous with spite.]

...This is stupid. My head hurts.

I can't sleep...

[the video feed is nothing but the lifeless stare of a girl who has lost all hope to what pertains to sleeping. her arrival has made her inner clock all sorts of jacked up and it was messing with her beauty sleep and napping cycle. is she even blinking? (no, she isn't.)]

I am trying so hard to, like, go to sleep but all I end up doing is thinking too much, uhuh. I can't even move and I'm starting to miss being able to move around and choose where I want to take a nap on and be a bum and do nothing all day. I am tired of not doing things. [rolls on her side, because obviously she's resigned herself to lying flat on the floor, the communicator a few feet away from her.] And when I try to take a nap, like, I'm already rested from doing nothin' and I'm starting to really wonder what does the sun look like again?

[this goes on and on; silly rambling over nothing that makes no specific sense. her eyes are bloodshot, her voice monotone and that of a person in deep anguish. pathetically bends her knees and brings them closer to her chest, taking on a fetal position.

obviously she doesn't care about paying attention to her surroundings slash situation.]

Is this deportation, huh? I promise I've been a good girl. I don't wanna be sent baaaack, aru.

[ Oz pops up on the screen, smiling and with tea cup in hand, a feast spread out behind him. Yes, he is at the party but there seems to be something missing... ]

Have no fear, there's plenty of cake and meat left at the party, still! You can trust if Alice or Break were still here, there wouldn't be any left. I guess you're just in luck, yes?

[ Yes, this is how he chooses to inform the unfortunate of their absence. Oh well. He was getting used to his friends popping in and out at will. Best to just keep the guest bed ready for the next one. ]

((ooc: Action free to anyone who wants to bother him at Sentience's party. Oz really can't let good food go to waste.))

[He had nothing in his room to begin with, so when he wakes up in the morning, he finds nothing wrong with the empty room. He doesn't note the day change either. He never paid attention to that either, because he liked to have as little to do with the technology here anyway. The day suddenly being different looked nothing more than a glitch to him, really. He didn't even notice that there was a new face and voice announcing it.

So Gilbert is now in the shelter kitchen, making much breakfast. Because he has so very much to think about right now. Not only is he worrying about a place for him, Oz, Break and everyone else to stay, he's thinking of ways to save everyone. Very, very much to think about. In the mind and body of Gilbert, it meant that...

...it meant that a lot of eggs and bacon were suddenly all over the counters.

And by force of habit, he finds that there's a couple different kinds of sweets sitting around too. Cookies, cakes...]

Tsh...

[Gilbert appears over the feed looking disgruntled.]

If you're hungry, I just made a little too much food. Feel free to help yourselves... There are cookies too...

[Private to Oz Vessalius]

I made some cake for you on accident. It's in the shelter, if you're interested.

[Here, Marina inmates. Have a flat, serious but good-looking face in your screens. With eyes closed, the man with aquamarine blue strands of hair looks rather calm.]

I require of your assistance about a way out of this underwater prison. Any sort of information and important details will be appreciated.

[Yes Marina. Only serious business. What did you expect? He opens his eyes and looks at the screen with determination. And with that, the feed ends.]

So everyone's in agreement that the kisses that happened yesterday don't count, right...?

[Searching for confirmation here, because she definitely kissed more than she intended! One was already one too many. Even a day later she still looks red, and slightly embarrassed over it all. She thought going to bed after would help her forget it all, but instead she can't stop thinking about one in particular. The memory of Zero's lips cause her eyes to dance away from the screen. With a small cough she clears her throat.]

Is that normal for St. Xocolatl's Day?

[With idle hands, she fidgets a moment, before deciding to work on braiding her hair.]

I heard something about a holiday called White Day that's supposed to serve as follow up. Because there was an idea that after the last Holiday this was around the time of St. Xocolatl's Day. Or...however you measure time and holidays here. Please tell me it's not something equally as weird.

(OOC: Still finishing up kissing threads. If I missed one that someone wanted me to tag to poke me about it!)

[D is standing near the stables, leaning forward with his arms resting across the top rail of a fence. The fading light of dusk renders an almost Impressionist image blurred by shadows. A faint gleam in D's eyes may be a trick of the light, or perhaps an inheritance from the vampire half of his family.]

I have finalized arrangements for horseback riding lessons through the Education Center. I will be available on days ending in 2, 4 and 6. Lessons will begin at seven in the morning. If you have need of private instruction or wish to schedule a lesson outside of these times, speak with me personally.

[ooc: The course catalog entry is here for those who'd like to read it. Group lessons IRL usually take about an hour in the saddle alone. Students are also often expected to be responsible for basic care such as grooming, tacking up, and cooling down the horses before and after riding, so please keep that in mind. It's not unusual to spend two hours at the barn for a single group lesson. Private lessons more often run 30 minutes to just under an hour in the saddle, plus however long it takes to get through the aforementioned horsecare before and after riding.]

[The communicator turns on and there’s a nice view of a small living room before it gets set on a table and both Rika and Tsuna sit in front of it.]

H-Hello, everyone! It's Tsuna and Rika. [He smiles widely, if a bit shyly. He doesn't usually address all the occupants of Marina] We decided to move in together and get an apartment, heh.

[Rika nods, a big smile on her face.] We are still getting settled in, but we would like to have a small party to celebrate moving in. We plan on having it the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.

Everyone's allowed to come, s-so stop by if you like! [He glances at Rika a moment to make sure that's all, and then reaches to turn the communicator off, waving until the feed cuts off]

(ooc: Tsuna is orange and Rika is purple! Anyone is welcome to come over, whether or not they've only spoken to either of them once or many times!)

[ Oz flicks on the feed, hands on chin and grinning at the screen. If one's an astute observer, they might notice it's just a bit to wide to be truly sincere. ]

Hey! My fish tank seems to be getting a bit on the green side. Anyone know how to clean one and want to take a hand at it?

[ yep, that tank hasn't been cleaned since the last Gilbert disappeared. Shame on him for making that poor fish suffer! Oh, and it's a pretty big tank. Just so you know! ]

[ Later, for those wanting a special kiss from one Oz Vessalius, he'll be wandering around the pet cafe, looking up fish food and cleaning supplies and of course a Vessalius can't starve! That's what the shelter kitchens are for. How in the world did those bots get there... ]

((ooc: Oz is canonically 15 years old so please keep that in mind where bots are concerned!))

[Ritsuka has a busy day planned (perhaps even more than he thinks). He'll be starting off from the shelter this morning to pick up a book or two at the library in Sector 2. Following this, you will be able to spot him in Sector 3 as he plays a game or two at the arcade.

Lunch will be in Sector 5, and the afternoon will be spent reading in the park in Sector 4 until it gets too cold and he heads back to the shelter.

Expect his mood to deteriorate as the day wears on.]

[ooc: open to all! if you would like to choose/rng the intensity of the kiss, write the result in the subject of your first comment (cheek, normal, mega). otherwise I will default to normal. cheek only for girls, though, since I want to save Ritsuka's first normal girl kiss.]

[Lovely day for being in any open, common area of the dome, isn't it? Of course there is a chance of kissing bot, but it's always something in the underwater prison.]

(OOC: Check out the OOC post for details. Pucker up! Edit: Links for those with loading problems!)

[ His own hand reaches up, fingers lightly stroking the cloth patch that had affixed itself where his right eye should be. A momentary look of irritation and a furrow to his brow appears but he soon dismisses it, lowering his hand as he does. With a single breath, he considers every bit of information rather abruptly force fed to him before he finally glances at the device he has.

So it's come to this. While he had been careful in covering his tracks, only leaving clues obvious to his beloved, it seemed the law came for everyone. No matter how twisted its sense of justice was. However, it doesn't surprise him. It would have taken an extraordinarily sophisticated system to have captured him. So much more to have been able to tend to his burns (minor stings now, not so much that it bothered him) and seal him off.

But there was still a trickle of power remaining.
One tiny string he could pull that seemed so familiar. Connected to a certain... doll.

Wonderful. A small message drifts through the ether in hopes to hit a particular blond shinigami. Just two words. Simple and in a familiar voice to Hisoka's mind: Hello, boy.

But there would be time for a proper hello. For know, the matter at hand. ]

Incarceration. Quite the interesting situation I seem to have landed myself in.

[ A pause as he considers what else to say. But the thoughtfulness is replaced by a rather small smile. ]

I suppose it would be only proper to introduce myself to my fellow inmates. I am Kazutaka Muraki, a doctor by profession from where I was taken from specializing in cardiology and pediatrics.

Perhaps Acumen has a twisted sense of justice to bring a man such as myself to prison.

[Silent since first arriving, Cheshire's simply observed, safely away from others. So far he's learned that some of the invaders into his own space have been brought here too, much like how he brought them originally (even if most were accidental). Regardless, he wants to avoid them if possible. Particularly with this annoying metal around his paw.

After attempting to chew it off for hours, he grew tired. All he knows, now, is that instead of his regular collar, there's something around his neck that allows him to communicate or watch the humans if he wants. And - his bell has been hidden.

Hungry, however, the Koi Pond has driven him from outside of his hiding place with the constant movement of the fish. Sitting on the edge of the little fountain, his tail lashes from side to side. One paw wet, he dips it into the clear water, attempting to scoop one of the larger koi out.]

[There's a quiet sigh as the video flickers on. Some of you might know this man! It's seaweed head Gilbert, looking worn out. Not to mention grumpy. He can't find his cigarettes anywhere, from his turned out pockets. The same with his gun.]

Hello. My name is Raven and...like many of you, I've been taken by Acumen.

I won't plead, or beg. The welcome message was clear enough. But if there's anyone from my world, or someone who has knowledge of Pandora or the Baskervilles, I would like to speak to you.

Thank you.

[He picks up his hat, and lowers it so the upper half of his face is covered, even as he turns off the feed. There's nothing more for him to do then to sit and wait.]

[The communicator is obviously being thrown around with irritation as the face of a young girl is brought up. Annoyance is in her eyes and you can tell she is less than pleased to find a ball and chain attached to her ankle.]

Not...happy...WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!

[She is screaming at no one in particular, it appears answers are all she really wants at the moment as she is attempting to gnaw at the links of the chain.]

Damnit this isn't tasty at all! HEY! Where the hell am I?!

[She now attempts to pick up the steel ball and next thing you hear is a loud smash and the poor girl is underneath the ball itself.]

CRAP! GET ME OUT OF HERE! OZ! SEAWEED!

All right! Marinians, I have an urgent request!

[Popping on screen, Yuuki's long hair is down, hands rising to sit comfortably on her hips as she clears her throat in order to speak into the screen.]

I need to know if there are any intelligent scientist-y individuals here within the dome that might have known me, or about me, upon my previous stay. It's really important! And, er... probably best if you know how to deal with chemical substances and things.

[Brows knitting as she reviews her words, searching for anything else she might need to say or have forgotten.]

Oh! [At once she raises a hand into the air.]

I promise to compensate you for your time. So step right up and help a cute girl today!

[Might as well add - ]

Real criminals with bad intentions need not apply. Believe me, I'll know. Thank you!

[And after a beat]

Shibuya-kun! I need you as well.

[Minako and Michiru have taken over one of the common rooms for a much needed ~CHOCOLATE~ break! What this means is that they've prepared cups of delicious hot chocolate, courtesy of Michiru, and have a bunch of marshmallows and chocolate and granola crackers for their attempted smore extravaganza.]

[Minako clicks on the camera, grinning.]

Hey Marina! Who's up for some smores? [she waves the bag of chocolate around] I know we just had dinner, but if anyone's in the mood for chocolate then you can just follow your nose. Michiru-san and I will be here all night!

[Michiru smiles.] Everyone, feel free to come by. We have plenty of food.