Fletcher, where are you? I... need your help with some gardening things. Yeah.

Acumen's systems tick over to midnight, and somewhere in the depths of the holding facility, dozens of little silver spheres shiver and come to life. They rise up into the air, dangling little bouquets of mistletoe, and hover in waiting for the door to open again. And when it does, they swoop out and work their way into the dome proper, making it out just in time for daybreak.

Now they're scattered all over the dome, Anissina's gifts and Eggman's souvenirs. They're seeking out people to bring together in the holiday spirit...

Whether they like it or not!


[Comment here and other people will comment to you. Details and index here. Please specify your time of day and location in your tag!]

[Fai's in the shelter common room, a cup of hot cocoa and a bucket of toy construction bricks in front of him. He's relaxing after all the festivities of the Yule Ball, and the shelter is pretty quiet.

He's got a partial building already set up, and is now working on adding extraneous decorations.]

(OOC: Lemme know if this doesn't work, Rylie!)

[Have a Russell glaring and looking very pissed off. He holds up a piece of paper he's scribbled a note on close to the screen.]

I fucking hate this place. Just so you all know. I'd say that outloud but my voice appearently isn't working so I can't. And before anyone says something about 'oh you just can't hear', no. No, I can hear just fine, although I might have slight hearing damage from the dog barking into my ear this morning.

[At the very bottom, Russell has drawn a lovely picture. There's a stick figure about an inch long, with arms and legs and a head. On top of it is written Me. Next to it is a very small dot. There's an arrow pointing to it just to make sure you see it. Above that is written Ed.]

[It's been a few days now, but finally Fletcher is coming out of the woods. He hasn't thrown up since the first day he got sick, and now he's stopped coughing and sniffling. This is a positive sign.

But, now he has a new problem.]

Brother...? I'm hungry. [About time he was.]

Your scores have been recorded and it's time for part two of the competition to be my new friend—a challenge! Bring me [dramatic voice] a fluffy wuffy rabbit. A real one.

[This game has been made harder by the fact that there are bunny illusions running around the dome now. Since Q's powers have been WICKEDLY reduced to a poor shadow of their true nature, Q is having to pop himself from location to location to create illusions. So you may see a bunny one moment and then it will fade away the next. And if you try to pick an illusion up your hand will go right through it as if it were a Kitty.]

(OOC: Slightly backdated to evening.)

( Private )

( Saki )

I've noticed that there's a significant lack of animal life around here. The few animals we do have are either fellow inmates, domestic, or rabid. What a shame. I've always liked bird song. Fish are poignant and charming, but unfortunately silent.

At the risk of sounding terribly mundane -- what's your favorite animal? [♥] If you don't have one, then go ahead and complain about the ones you hate instead.

[ooc: you can find Zelman sitting on a park bench. so normal. except for the fact that he's virtually untouched by the light snowfall. if you venture close enough, you'll realize that the snow never had a chance, because all of it is melting before it can get close.]

[Private to Ashton]

So... How's the barrel making business coming along? Found myself a place the other day and it could use some sprucing up.

[Private to Tyki]

Got the clubhouse; now I just need the crops. Any news yet on when we'll start harvesting?

[Private to Russel & Fletcher]

So… that little project we discussed. Still interested?

[Private to Ed]

Yo, Pipsqueak! Got a moment? [Yeah, that punch in the head didn't really teach him much.]

[Russell heaves a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He looks stressed out, worried, and tired because he hasn't gotten much sleep lately.]

Is anyone here a doctor? Fletcher's sick.

[He doesn't trust the machines, not with his little brother. No way. And Fletcher's not in danger of dying immediately (... at least he really really hopes) so he'd rather wait for and get some human help.]

For those of you who aren't aware, don't understand, or are worried about what's happening right now -- we're experiencing another incident like the monster attacks. But this is the first time it's ever happened during the day.

Whoever is responsible has a twisted sense of humor [honestly, the day before Halloween?] and we shouldn't reward them by panicking.

I'd like to encourage everyone who can to please gather in the shelter. There don't seem to be monsters about right now, but I don't think that will last for long, and this time seems to be different than the other times, so take every precaution.

If you need help, please don't hesitate to ask for it -- I'm sure the defense force is standing by. But we should all get to safety as soon as possible.

Hey, do you guys think we can help Lelouch and everyone next door? They'll have to move if they can't expand their house, and I thought maybe we could use alchemy to help them out with it.

[Fletcher is sitting, alone, in front of the Xenotime memorial garden with his chin resting on his knees, trying to sort out his thoughts.

What if it's not really true? What if the engineers and Sentience and Acumen really did just abduct everyone for no reason? If what Yuuki says is true and her world didn't actually change at all... Then none of it means anything. Nothing actually got better. All those people are still dead, and Fletcher's hands are still stained with their blood. He hasn't been able to accept that; he's kept clinging to the idea that Sentience fixed his timeline. But what if he didn't?

Fletcher can't move past that and accept that it's a possibility. His mind just freezes up. He just stares at the garden, mind running in circles.]

[Video]

Hello! I just wanted to remind everyone that there's a cooking class today and we'll be making pumpkin pie in honor of the cooling weather.

I'm also taking volunteers to help coteach the class! Our lovely Jalyt had to return home a few days ago--I really hope she's doing okay. She always had so much enthusiasm and love !--so I'm a little overwhelmed. But no fear! I'm certain I'll be able to handle everything just fine with a slight change in the schedule pending approval. I was thinking class every 3rd, 6th and 9th day of the ten day at 9 am unless that conflicts with someone's schedule.

((ooc: Event style. Feel free to ask other students for help with the baking and Jennifer will pop in and out as needed ♥ To reply to the video, just mark it in a subject heading. The first two threads are dedicated to during and after class.))

[Clearing her throat, Yuuki's voice is soft. It echoes gently on the network, not demanding or even accusatory. Just curious.]

Do you believe that...you should be here? That you, and possibly everyone else, deserves this place as a punishment?

[She has her own definite opinions, just as everyone else. She isn't here tonight to judge others for possibly having different thoughts and beliefs from herself. But-- she wants to know.]

[OOC: You can catch her on her way from the convenience store back to sector 4, or just do audio. ^^]

[Fletcher sounds groggy, like he's just waking up. Yes, in the middle of the afternoon.] Why do those monsters keep showing up...? Someone has to know why, right? I mean-- someone has to have made them...

[The brothers had spent most of the day at the library, generally having a good time, but then on their way home the lights had gone out.

Immediately, Fletcher moves closer to Russell and grabs on to his hand.] ...Brother? What happened? [As though he would know.

And from somewhere nearby, there are noises...]

[Anyone who enters the library may walk through the shelves to one of the secluded tables that is covered in a messy pile of papers and notebooks. Amongst the them is a blond head that may be slightly drooling onto a notepad.

Someone hasn't slept in three days and finally crashed.]

[The voice sounds like that of an elderly man with emphysema, deep, raspy and scratchy.]

The effects of the gas leaked by the explosion last night are not permanent. They will wear off within a few hours on their own and a cure will be spread before morning to make sure it all works.

There should be no negative side effects. Some of you might get a few extra hours of sleep tonight and wake up a little sore in the morning, but that's about it.

The explosion was an accident and a big misjudgment on my part. No one was meant to be exposed to that gas. For that...I'm sorry. May not be worth much, but I am. So I'll do what I can to fix this.

[Anyone who tries to hunt down the sender will find their roads blocked by several fail-safes, including a very loud screeching noise before communication is disconnected completely.]

[The camera turns on and shakes a bit facing a small stereo. A hand reaches down and presses a button and music starts to play. The camera is quickly set down, showing the wall of the Training Hall for a moment until a figure steps out onto the mats and faces the camera.

She's slightly off-center, but the camera still shows all of her, including the long broom she's holding with one hand. However, Maya is a little different from usual. It's not her clothes - she's wearing her usual spirit medium's outfit. Rather, her skin has taken on a silvery-sheen. It's not just her face either: her exposed arms and legs have the same appearance.]

[Maya faces the camera and speaks in a dramatic tone:]

The darkness may encroach on this town...but there's still a hope left!

[She unfolds the paper fan with her left hand with a dramatic arm gesture.]

Don't fear, residents!

Ma.Yo.I. will defend this town from their evil attacks!

[Maya swings the broom around wildly for a short moment, since she's holding it at the very end of the broomstick. She quickly gains more control over it once she drops the paper fan and helps with her left hand too. It swings down to the mat bristles first.] Hai-ya!

((OOC: Details on her power here))

Um... Brother? Edward? Alphonse? Are any of you having any problems with your alchemy?