[Sesshoumaru is free of the restraints, now, and he is making good use of that freedom by perching on a rooftop and watching the activities below. He's in Sector 2, and finds himself not entirely able to resign himself to the blatant cheerfulness of some of the dogs at the Pet Cafe when they're met with the prospect of human company. To think that he shares a form and instincts with them. It's ridiculous. Even Inuyasha, with all of his flaws, has more good sense than these beasts. At least he only grovels at the feet of woman and not anything that walks past on two legs.

Still, Sesshoumaru can't help but think, as he watches one of the pups, Rin would love a place like that, teeming with what she would no doubt find fascinating and friendly creatures. He will not go so far as to admit that he misses her, but cannot deny, in the privacy of his own mind, that he finds this new distance between them ... unpleasant. He slides off the edge of the roof and seems to float the long distance to the ground, where he lands lightly upon his feet and strides into the midst of his mortal cousins.]

[Snow is cold, which means its time to bundle up. Yuta's at the clothing store in Sector Five, wearing a winter hat and scanning shelves and aisles for gloves and scarves too. Hopefully he could keep warm to avoid freezing his fingers. He switches on the video feed and blinks curiously before speaking.]

I was wondering, who's the youngest in Marina? I want to play in the snow but I don't think the adults will want to.

[Good morning, Marina. Someone isn't fond of sweets, but Minako may or may not have made him slightly curious about this 'Halloween' thing, and now he's seven-years-old and his last memory is that he was about to come home from the Ninja Academy. Not only he's confused, but he's extraordinarily on edge at being in this strange, new place.]

...Where am I? Kaasan? Tousan?

[A beat--]...Nii-san?

It's getting cold again. Can't we just skip the crummy weather and go back to summer?

[ she just 'tsks' to herself though, too tired to go on her usual rant. ] Guess I can't go running outside anymore.

...I miss getting to do stuff. I miss fighting.

[ seated outside the coffee shop and wearing a ridiculous amount of scarves. it's like she's expecting a hurricane instead of the slight chill. ]

[A bit before "sunset," a softly smiling Lacus appears in the video.]

Good evening, Marina. Thanks to an inmate request, tonight we are going to observe a lovely meteor shower in the night sky using the star projector. I have arranged viewing areas on the beach with some light refreshments. However, you should be able to see the meteors from anywhere in the dome.

If anyone would like to see star patterns or other sky-scenes from their own worlds, please don't hesitate to contact me. If you have photos or descriptions I can make a program for the projector quite easily.

I hope everyone has a pleasant evening.

( And about a half-hour after dark... )

[In the late afternoon, Erik strolls along the beach, free of his ball and chain. He pulls his hand out of his pocket, and floats the bottle caps he took from drinks at the club around him. It's almost relaxing, and not a very strong use of his powers, so he makes them rotate faster and faster. He considers flinging one at the dome… but that probably would either do nothing or be a very bad idea.]

[So, he sends them whizzing ahead of him into the sand and pulls them back, playing target practice with imaginary enemies.]

[Bother him?]

[It's been days with little to no sleep, hours of excessive training, and several skipped meals--and what ones were not skipped were lacking--but one would not notice by the tone of Itachi's voice. It's soft, contemplative, just as it normally is. He sits in the kitchen, bandaging burns on his hands that he was careless enough to get.]

Would you consider death an end or an exit? Does death truly bring a cease to events or does it merely rearrange the participants?

[The man looks into the communicator, and then stares down at the basket in front of him.]

A welcome basket, hm? I suppose I should be thankful. The pamphlet was helpful, at least.

[Still…]

I have some questions about this 'Acumen'. First… what is an artificial intelligence?

[Computers, they do not make sense.]

Secondly, how is it able to 'replace' people, and what makes it think that it knows better than us? Sometimes crimes are needed in order to do the right thing.

[… Hm. Okay, well, this question doesn't have to do with Acumen.]

Third… is there a Charles Xavier here?

[He's not even going to go into how insulting it is to have this iron ball around his leg. Metal. Around his leg. That he can't do something about.]

Upon entering Sector 4, the very large tent that stands framed by the beach is quickly noticeable. Closer, one can see colors dancing upon the white sheets, like opalesque spires under the moving onyx sky. As you enter one of the wings of the tents, grass give way to wooden flooring, and chains of white blossoms and gold ribbons line the sides. The open dance floor in the center bids one to look up to whimsical white-gold lamps, balls of light dancing in seas of violet, blue, green and pink organza. The fabrics fall down pillars adorned with leaves and flowers. Tables set in white and gold with jewel toned flowers sit at the four wings surrounding the dance floor.

... but it is far too early to take a seat. Smile and greet your fellow attendee, take the hand of a friend, and dance to the music.



There are large tables with finger foods and punch (not spiked -- save it for the after-party!), and very little space near the walls (sorry, wallflowers! You won't get away so easily. ♥ )  After a large number of people are gathered together, Jeanne stands up on the small stage set to the side of the dance floor and taps on the microphone to get everyone's attention...



OOC STUFF
+ Info post / thread index (please read this first!)
+ Jeanne's greeting speech!
+ Prom King and Queen announcement. (Spoiler: It's Euphie and Kanda.)

[He's been keeping to himself ever since the 4th wall incident, but today is an exception. The entire dome will be offered a simple question.] What would you do if you were told the one thing you wanted most in life was unobtainable? What would you do to accomplish that goal? Would you be willing to give up everything?

[action]

[He's searching for them now. Kitty, Kisame--and his brother, too. He hasn't seen or heard from the shark-like nin for quite some time now. Could he have vanished like the others? Regardless, the young Uchiha is going to get some answers, no matter what it takes. First things first. He'll check the usual places that he's seen Kitty hanging around. She'll be easier to confront. The fact that he's stalling like a coward makes his insides twist, but he shoves down those traitorous thoughts for now. He'll get to Itachi, all in due time.]

[It's growing late which is partially by design. She figures fewer people will be dress shopping for prom right now. She pulls out another sequenced number from the racks. Really, Acumen? You have a thing for bling, huh?

Taking a break a little later, she reaches up to set a private channel and then pauses, deciding to try something else first. She closes her eyes and takes a cleansing breath, trying to clear her mind of random thoughts before focusing on one. "Are you you listening, Xavier?"

She has no ability to push it into his mind or hide it from other powerful telepaths if they happen to be paying attention, but she's curious if he'll respond.]

[Private video to Itachi]
I'm thinking gray suit with a pop of color. Red? Blue? [Who needs context? Of course he might see she's in the clothing store if that helps.]

(OOC: Feel free to find her in the clothing store or on her way out when she'll have a bag with her.)

[York WAS minding his own business, exploring the dome while tons of people chatted on the network--]

[And then suddenly, he was in another part of the prison altogether, with a ball and chain around his ankle. Staggering in surprise, he nearly loses his balance, but manages to regain it before he takes an undignified tumble into someone's flowerbed. Once he shakes it off, he reaches up to touch his temple.]

Did you catch that, Zach? I didn't! [Sounding excited, in a hushed sort of way.] It was like we experienced teleportation! They make it seem a lot more dignified in fiction. [Pausing.] You're right. The time of day is all wrong for instantaneous travel. What do you suppose it was, then...?

[He settles down on a nearby convenient seating surface, taking a tomato out of his pocket to snack on while he ponders this turn of events with "Zach".]

[naoto has no idea how this happened. she was with Heine and Nill back at the church - when those twins appeared...]

[and now she's in prison. it's not like it could get any worse. there were still those same boundaries, dangerous people, and the need to survive. she fixes a glare at the camera] I don't care about the crimes you committed or the people you killed. Just know that if you point your teeth at me next, I'll pull them out for you.

[They have been progressing with dodging, techniques for breaking holds, and learning how to fall in ways that allow them to get up easily and away from assailants, but today Itachi has decided to push the envelope.

Today students will all have to play the roles of "attack" and "defense."]

One must attack and the other will defend. You must each participate in both roles. If you cannot think like someone who has the intent to confront you, then you cannot properly adjust yourself to avoiding them. An attacker does not always intend to harm their target, but merely to detain. Remember that.

I will step in if necessary.

[Is this a test? It might just be.]

{OOC: Mark with Before, During, or After. Any volunteers/demonstrators can stand in/work with students on techniques for this if they want, too! After class, Itachi can also be found on his way to the graveyard for his morning existential crisis ritual. Lots of mingling is encouraged during this class!}

[The video feed turns on, and maybe this face will seem familiar to some people here as he's walking, talking a good look at his surroundings]

Is this supposed to be some sort of world change?

[He takes note of the communicator as well as the welcome message he's greeted by] No-- maybe not, this device is different.

Tch. Leaving one place and ending up stuck in another, that's not what I had in mind.

[ There's a rough voice on the com-link, but the slowness of the following statements round off the edges and, somehow, make it gentle. ]

Now that everything has died down a little bit, I've got a few words I'd like to say to all of you.

[ The video feed flicks on. There is a man looking into the camera, which encompasses his bust only. His face is battle-scarred and his hair is a stark white, giving the impression of age beyond what the rest of his body might have betrayed. His right eye is a definite, clear blue, while the other... it seems to have no iris at all, just a blank sclera which almost seems to glow around the edges. His broad shoulders and his mostly stolid features should scream military to anyone familiar with the type. Anyone paying particularly close attention may see strips of yellow chord underneath his high collar, and maybe the start of something metallic on his left shoulder. ]

To start, my given name is Nathan, and in some circles, I am known as "Cable" - you may call me either, as you see fit.

I'm sure that this interment has come as a shock to most, if not all of you. I, like you, had plans for my future and concerns regarding my present. So I'd like you to keep in mind that I sympathize with you fully when you hear my next words:

This is not the end of your life, but a new beginning.


( I do not think we should give up hope on /this/ reality )

[The video begins almost completely dark, only a few slivers of light shining through as the sound of splashing water is heard. There's a quiet grunt as the darkness lifts--shown to be blue fingers covering the camera--and Kisame's head and shoulders come into view as he hoists himself up onto the observation deck. The view spins dizzyingly from his communicator tumbling away, knocked aside as he clambers up the rest of the way; he's soaking wet and dressed in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, hair hanging in dripping, drooping spikes around his face, but he looks quite pleased with himself in spite of the bedraggled state.

The camera is sprayed with water as he gives himself a brisk, dog-like shake, but even through the distortion, he can be seen--sideways though the view now is--drying his face and hands on a towel left near the rest of his clothes, and the massive bandage-wrapped length of his sword. (And yes, it is a sword, even if it doesn't look like one. It looks more like a club than anything else, topped off with a long skull-pommeled hilt. At a good six feet long and a foot or two wide, the weapon is probably larger and heavier than most people.) He scoots further away to bend over a paper--some sort of map, from the looks of it--and start drawing, expression set in concentration, muttering to himself on occasion and grabbing for a ruler.]

That ought to do it.....

[It's getting late. Otoha knows this, but he's not on duty tonight. He lets his feet wander, and walks through the streets. He doesn't really care that he has no idea where he's going to end up. It's nice to be able to just wander, no pressure... right?]

[... No. He still has his city in his thoughts. It's hard to think of it as anything but 'his'. It was his to protect, to care for, to help grow... and he had lived there his whole life. If anyone could claim the city as theirs, it was him, right?]

[But maybe... that wasn't quite right. That line of thinking was where the problem with Eko started, more or less. He sighs, and realizes that his shoes are crunching down on sand. The beach, then. He puts his hands in his pockets, staring out at the water, letting his thoughts wander along where they will.]

[Every grave in the yard is covered in one or two flowers, courtesy of Sakura. She puts a few more on Gyoro and Ururun's grave before moving on. She doesn't cry. Instead she places the flowers as nicely as possible around one of the graves.]

How are you, Itachi-san? I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner to see you. [arranges the flowers a little more and smiles]

[ooc: a 'year' since Itachi died ;-; you can catch her coming to and fro from the graveyard as well]

[It's his fifth day here and still no sign of his crew, or a way out. It's finally starting to sink in that he's stuck here alone, completely cut off from his captain.

Now what?]

Has no one ever escaped this place before?

[He's trying out the communicator, mostly, since this is his first time actually using it. But may as well do some info gathering while he's at it. Aside from that...]

[Filtered to Sanji]

Oi, Sanji... you're still here, right?