[ He'd come to the library on a whim thanks to a conversation he'd had earlier. It reminded him of something, something he'd been considering ever since he landed in this place. Now the urge to read the entire selection itself was far too tempting. So there he was, volume in hand as he thumbed through the pages in search for that one passage.

You're in for a little poetry today, it seems, inmates. ]

The mind is in its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
What matter where, if I be still the same
And what I should be, all but less than he
Whom thunder hath made greater? Here at least
We shall be free: the Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

[ And the volume is closed with a decisive thud. He takes a moment to set it down before taking his glasses off and wiping them with a handkerchief. ]

I can't help but wonder if any of you have considered that little passage in reference to our plight. It came to mind, earlier. Should we accept our fate as it is and make the most of the situation or should we fight to regain our freedom? It is after all, what we make of this place.

[ And the smallest smile. ]

Call me a curious man.

[Presently before you is (1) one Rebecca Crane, her chin on the kitchen table and a cup of coffee between her hands. She shifts up to rest on her elbows after a moment, cozy in a loose knit sweater and tank top. And still tired as her yawning will attest, but there's a smile on her lips.] 'sup? Good morrrrning, Marina.

Thought I'd try and get some advice... [Camera view switching to that of the table, with a spread of a few danishes, some pâté, a loaf of Parisian bread and the last thing out of her pantry... grapes.] Not sure what to make for breakfast out of this. I kinda didn't get around to a grocery run yesterday, so it's going to be... a danish morning, I think. Danish and grapes, the breakfast of champions.

... But seriously? [There's a moment's pause, where she pulls that container of pâté closer and shows it off to the camera. Her voice is a little softer. Maybe just to not be overheard.] Who eats this? Stuffy... rich food. [Slight laugh.] What's next, caviar?

[A pause, before she sighs. Reaching for that cherry danish.] Ah, crap, I have so much to do today.




[Action/ Open - Noonish.]

[Sometime before noon she's finally pulled herself to her feet, washed her face and shaken off most of her morning lethargy. And dressed, finally. And out in the beautiful... morning sun to stop by some of the stores to pick up a few things. Cross stopping by the day before kind of derailed all her plans, so she's got groceries to stock up on. Backpack over her shoulder, she's yours to encounter to, from or in the fine act of selecting a nice head of lettuce or the like.]

[Inara has a small tea table set up in one of the gardens. There's cream, sugar cubes and a small plate of sliced lemons. All the pieces of the tea set match, naturally. There's also a small plate of tea cakes. Inara is dressed flawlessly in an apricot colored satin gown. She's got a royal blue shawl with intricate embroidering thrown across her shoulders and her hair is loose. She looks very controlled: her movements, emotions and facial expressions. She is dealing better with Mal's departure today, but she's far from all right with it. She had been prepared to spend whatever was left of her life arguing with him and now he's disappeared, gone back on their unspoken agreement.

In any case, she likes Spencer and this tea will be a welcome distraction. It's the best remedy at the moment for a heart that's not quite broken, but terribly bruised.]

[It wasn't that big crowded dinners weren't his thing. Well, to tell the truth they actually weren't his thing but that wasn't why he'd skipped out on the sudden Thanksgiving dinner in favor for staying at home, alone with a cup of tea. He had his reasons, good ones at that, the kind of reasons that most people would use against him in an attempt to make him be more social and that was also why he hadn't told anyone about his decision to stay in.

It had been two weeks. He lasted two weeks before it started to creep up on him.

There was nothing he could do about any of that though, aside from work, and so that was what he did. He was currently occupying himself with a stack of cheap, spiralbound notebooks, steadily filling them with more or less illegible scribbles and comments, completely unaware of the approaching threat to his privacy. ]

[ a video feed pops on, and then pans across the public baths. and there's a voice over: ]

Clean water... ample soap... immaculate linens... it doesn't even smell like anyone's ever been here. I'll forgive the warden for it not being deep enough to dive.

Do I really have to go home?

[ the video picks up bare feet and bare legs as Hawke hops down into the bath, and then the feed focuses on her already-getting-red face. she looks positively blissful. and yet, smirky as always. ]

I know there's a party tonight, and we all should look our very best. Would anyone care to join me? I'll wash your back, if you wash mine?

[Inara isn't dealing well with the events she's faced with at the moment. She's waited, and waited and explored every inch of the dome to make certain. Now that she is, she knows that she owes it to the people here who've come to care about Mal to let them know. That doesn't mean they need anything more than an audio confirmation and she's not up to pretending that she's all right outside of keeping her voice calm and level. When she does speak, she sounds normal, for the most part, if a bit flat and controlled.]

Captain Malcolm Reynolds appears to have earned a reprieve from his imprisonment. Any plans he had are on hold, at least for the foreseeable future.

[Suddenly there is video! And now there isn't. Oh, but now it's back! Give him a break, he's a carpenter, not an A/V geek.]

Hey, so did anyone know that prison came with headgear? I was not aware of that. I kind of feel like I should be one of those really pretentious rock stars who can't be bothered with a microphone. Also, kind of awkward to have this thing over one eye when you only have one eye.

Right, so... I was with some people. And there was a giant hole where a town used to be. Buff? Wil? ...I'll even take Andrew. Are you on this thing?

(OOC: He has an eyepatch over one eye even though not every icon confirms this!)

[Private to Suzaku]
We should probably talk.

[Private to Rebecca]
Hey. So about last night...

[Private to Allen]
...[cancelled]

[Action | open]
[She debated back and forth over showing up at the club, but tonight she'll be getting outfitted with a collar that prevents her from going into any bar in the prison—standing or burned to the ground. So, one last drink then. Or ten maybe...]

[In light of recent events, we could all benefit from an episode bookend quote some encouraging words, right?]

Bruce Barton wrote, "Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."

Euphemia? May I have a word with you, please?

[Filtered to the Defense Force]

Hey guys… I have a proposition.

( In which Kitty blows up the bar )

(OOC: Characters in sector five will hear multiple explosions of varying volume. The sound may carry to neighboring sectors or be heard by anyone with super hearing of course. They are located partially underground which is muffling the sound to some extent. The immediate vicinity is clear at the time of the ignition. Flames will reach and exceed the surface, but Zelgadis will be on the scene shortly after the first audible explosion to begin containing the blaze. He will have it in hand on his own, but anyone rushing to the scene is welcome to help. Feel free to mingle. Kitty will have an open thread below. People are welcome to assume they were among those asked/told/threatened to leave the bar initially!]

[With enough coffee, you can get through almost anything.

This is a rule that Reid has lived by for years, and one he's not about to break anytime soon. It's gotten him through the days following sleepless nights, it's kept him company at cold, wet crimescenes and damn it, it will keep him awake after that exhausting roller-coaster of a night, lingering migraines be damned.

Supressing a yawn, he waits outside the Defense Force HQ for his patrol partner to show up, take-out coffee mug safely cradled in his hands like a caffeinated life-line. ]

[ooc: OPEN ACTION for anyone who'd like to bump into the boys while on patrol! ]

Alright, I'm stumped, and it's pretty hard to stump me. I get that I'm in prison and there's apparently no escape. If you crack the glass, all the water pours in and even if you manage to get out, the 168.327 times normal gravity will crush you flat. Clever. But this really doesn't look like a prison. I mean, what prison hands out gift baskets? Not exactly the most intimidating first gesture.

So my big question to my fellow "inmates" is: what exactly is going on here? How did they snatch me up and hold a trial that I don't even remember? I doubt they really care about justice, but why lie about me getting a trial?

[A sigh. This is really getting him nowhere.]

The point is that I'd appreciate information besides the info in the pamphlet. Thanks.

[[Open to participants at the end of Round One!]]


[You wake up suddenly, and you're not where you were. But looking around, you find you're in... your own room. Your own bed. It's dark and quiet, late at night, and any friends and roommates you might have are there with you, still sleeping, or just waking up.]

[But something is wrong.]


((OOC: This mingle will function the same as the last mingle. Sentience will make a "prompt" comment for each new development, and then you respond to them and thread amongst each other. In this mingle you start out separated, so you are also welcome to use your communicators to video or voice chat with each other in response to each prompt comment. But you are only capable of speaking to other people who are in this mingle; you cannot hear, speak to, or communicate with anyone who isn't taking part in the event. So don't tag any other action or network posts on the community if you're in the event!))

[Late afternoon in Sector 3, a slightly-built robot, different from the many that wander the facility, has gathered with a few of the inmates in front of the movie theater.]

[They're planning a party, or so they say.]

[...Within an hour they break away and head to an unremarkable, sealed building towards the dome wall of Sector 3. And then Sentience's party disappears inside it and they are not seen or heard from again for the rest of the day.]


((OOC: The first event mingle. Do not respond to the post itself! Sentience will make several comments over the next few hours. Each comment is a separate prompt, describing the action that's just happened and which is happening. Comment to a "prompt" comment to set your character in the mingle, so that other characters can tag you there! If you want to tag Sentience, Sentience will be making comments just like every other character so that you can interact with it directly.))

[ she's getting the hang of this communicator thing. she's also traded her armor for a white, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and grey slacks. she's at a table in her apartment, shuffling something. ]

Since I'm sure there's no shortage of people trying to re-create traditions from home, I thought I'd add one more to the list. Anyone up for a card game sometime? Preferably one with plenty of drinks. [ she smiles sunnily and holds up her deck for Wicked Grace ]

I promise, I don't cheat. Much.

[Rebecca will hanging around Sector 3 for the majority of today, whether it is scoping out the buildings (the club, arcade and movie theater especially) or deciding on which house she wants to take up as her own. The Shelter's sweet, but privacy's... better. So you can either find her earlier in the day just soaking up the sights and making her decision, or you can find her later on when she's hoofing a couple boxes from the Shelter to a one-floor, two bedroom house. Boxes are 78% electronics.

Friendly faces get a wave.]

((OOC: Minor warning for the first thread with Cross. Potentially NSFW!))

[Kitty is wearing her uniform. Blue. Tight. Low cut. You get the picture. She likes the comfort of having it on when she trains which is what she was out doing this morning. Where the afternoon takes her, that's another story one we tell together.]

[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!)

[Voice - Open]

Hey Miss Kitty, when do I get my encyclopedia? I've got just the place for it.


[Voice - Filtered to Order Members (minus Alma)]

Good news! [don't you love it when Komui is all excited about something?] I finally finished testing on a potion that will let you Exorcists use more of your powers. Temporarily of course, but it's better than nothing right?

I'll need a few volunteers to test it out. Fou, you still up for a spar with the testers?


[Voice - Private]

[unlike his other calls, this one his tone is quite serious.] Miss Yuuki, I have your pills for you.

[An Explanatory Prelude in Short Story Format]

( Cut for rampaging teal deers. Proceed with caution. )