Looks like suddenly the population doubled. It seems a lot more than normal!

[She looks a bit daunted. Not that she's been here all that long to make an accurate guess, but in comparison to the few other times new arrivals have appeared, while they all seem to pale in comparison. For a moment she looks vaguely troubled.]

I was wondering...this morning during the morning announcements, Acumen suddenly just vanished mid-sentence. Is that typical...? It just seems strange...

[... Anyway, it's about time she get down to business and make herself useful. She gives a shake of her head.]

Regardless, since there are so many new faces, I decided I should try and do what I can! If it comes to explaining the mechanics about this place I'm... [Admittedly] probably not a very good resource, but if there's anyone who needs help at all, please let me know! I can at least explain about housing. Or any of the bare essentials that someone might have questions on.

[Her eyes widen suddenly, as though just remembering something.]

Oh! That's right! _{I nearly forgot, in all of the excitement.} [Lifting a pan into the view of the screen, she smiles sheepishly behind it.]

I made riceballs! It's not much, but I figured with all of the commotion, maybe everyone could use a little pick-me-up, you know? There's plenty, with all kinds of different flavors, so don't hesitate to stop by. I even made a little stand outside, over in sector five. [Too much time on her hands, maybe. But she wants to try and help make a difference if it's possible.

[ action ]

[and in the education center today, you might hear the sound of a rather pleasant piece on piano. those who walk into the room will find one (1) mop-head as the source of the sound, looking rather distracted...

before he heaves a giant sigh and slams his head right on the piano keys.]

[ audio ]

[and all you get on the network today is the sound of a really. bad. piano chord.]

[Sometime around noon, very cute little white animal can be found wandering the dome. Though he wears a communicator, he hasn't really made much of a fuss about being here, or spoken up often at all. In fact, despite showing himself publicly, he seems pretty content to keep to himself.]

[Unless, of course, you're a teenaged girl. In which case, you may find him in your path, seated on his haunches or walking quietly behind you. Unblinking, a smile on his cute little face, his tail slowly swishing back and forth, back and forth, waiting politely to make conversation...]

--
((OOC: I apologize forever.))

...A prison? This has to be a joke.

This isn't the airport or even the place where I was headed to--

This is so not good at all! This is a disaster. This wasn't how things were supposed to go-- if this is a kidnapping, you've definitely got the wrong person! Do you even know who I am?!

[She just stomps her foot, in frustation] Ahhh. What am I going to do? Even my cellphone doesn't work...wait, what's this--

[Well someone now takes notice of the device. She presses some random buttons while trying to figure out how to use it. She figures it's worth a try to call for help-- well, if it it did work, unlike her cellphone]

Hello?! Is this thing even on? Can anyone hear me? Saji?! ...Anyone?!

If anyone heard that, and knows their way out of this place, just...someone please help me! I need to find the quickest way out of this place and fast.

[ooc; ...yeah she's totally being loud/dramatic on purpose :< ]

[Cosmo's in a good mood today! Plants like the warmth, and she loves it as well. It's the perfect time to wander Sector 4 and see if she can find a little house to stay in. The only question is finding one that's suited to her height. She is shorter than most of the populace.

So as she wanders, she flicks the video on, curious to ask]

I wonder...does anyone know if the houses in Sector 4 are all the same? I've noticed that many are suited to the height of a human, but I'm not quite as tall as them.

[She's catchable in any part of Sector 4, looking into the houses that don't seem to have anyone living in them. She's making sure to knock on the doors of them first though!]

( Arrival—A short time before the voice )

I am given to understand this is a communication tool. If anyone from the Black Order is listening, this is Inspector Howard Link requesting information on [everything] our current situation.

If anyone else is receiving this, I have... [looking down at the welcome basket where he has already absorbed the contents of the brochure and taken survey of the various supplied products] cookies and sealed beverages I can trade for more details.

[There's the sound of fumbling, then a couple swears, then Gilbert's angry face appears on the screen. He doesn't remember falling asleep here, and... he is not pleased! He has so many things to do and people to watch...]

Hey. Send me back to where I came from! I obviously don't belong here! [The chain on his foot rattles as he lunges forward to yell into the communicator, the cigarette he so gracefully talks around almost falls out. Almost.]

This better not be some kind of joke! [And he's fumbling for his guns, which he just can't find.] Where are my weapons?!

"Ha. Ha. Ha." This is where I'm supposed to laugh, right? [The video shows Kaoru, looking most unimpressed, clearly more annoyed by his surroundings than anything -- though anyone that knows him will be able to recognize the faint, uncertain waver in his tone.] My lord, this really is your worst idea yet. This is a "The Host Club members are wrongly accused! Survival in the commoner prison!" scene or whatever, right? For one, no one is going to accept that Honey-senpai could be falsely accused of anything, and no one will believe that Mori-senpai would just let it happen. For another, this list of crimes is so crass -- isn't this bad for our reputation? [Both the waver and the annoyance suddenly become more pronounced.] And separating Hikaru and I isn't funny.

[Silence reigns for a moment before Kaoru sighs and rises, not bothering to turn off the video feed as he turns and walks away from the camera and heads for the door.] I bet that thing doesn't even work. Cheap props aren't a good--

[Then Kaoru pulls open the door and stops dead, staring out the door and up at a bot that's slowly passing by. He's silent aside from a faint shocked sound before he suddenly growls and spins around, stalking back towards the camera. He looks angry and worried, now, and when he reaches the table he snatches up the communicator, hands shaking, and accidentally cuts the feed off.]

[ Around noon, the robots that had been swarming the beach scatter, leaving a transformed landscape in their wakes. There are volleyball nets set up in the sand, along with colorful umbrellas and blankets beneath them. Part of the water has been sectioned off for water polo, while inflatable rafts in fanciful shapes are ready for use in the open area.

Ringing the beach are food stands serving street and festival foods: chin chin, takoyaki and taiyaki, aloo tikki, sabikh, empanada, hot dogs, ice cream and shaved ice, and suchlike. There is one stand where a robot serves an alcoholic punch not completely unlike sangria. Several of the other stands also serve non-alcoholic drinks. Clean up robots zoom from place to place, picking up garbage. ]

[ If you pay attention to the network, you'll see there's an adorable little kid smiling at you! |3 ] Hello Marina inmates-- how are you today?

I was thinking it would be fun to check out the new skating place, but rather than go alone, I thought it would be much more fun if I invited someone to go with me. So! Does anyone want to go skating with me?

Oh! We could also go to the Ramen place after skating! And then we could go to the ice-cream place and... [ramble ramble~]

Oh.







Shit.

[ look at this cute little guy, tinkering his way to your eyeballs with his newly-acquired, newly-fangled doo-hickey. he clearly has no fucking idea what he's doing or that you can even see him and his elaborate flail routine. all this muttering that you may think is addressed to you is actually addressed to himself. and the more and more he talks, the more and more you get the feeling that he's about to implode out of nerves. ]

This is stupid this is stupid this is stupid this is stupid this is stupid this is stupid this is shit. I've never gone prison-bad, I don't suit prison, look at my face, not even really fancy ones like this, I can't keep hold of the soap at the best of times, how can A-cumin expect me to deal with this and this stupid ball and its stupid chain friend.

Man. Sis'd be so disappointed in me.

[New kid on the block happens to be shouting loud enough for those around to hear. And those listening in on their devices too.]

DON’T TOUCH ME! I ordered you to maintain a distance so why aren't you maintaining it?! If you come any closer, I'll end your very existence! --What the hell are you, anyway?

... I said STOP! Stupid thing, are you hard of hearing?!

[There appears to be a sixteen-year-old boy shouting and pointing at one of Marina's fine, upstanding bots! ... Who looks like it just wants to do its job around the dining hall and usher the loud boy out of the way.]

Excuse me, ah - Marina. My name is Guy Cecil, I'm the attendant of Luke fon Fabre. [He's been awake for a little while and taken the opportunity to gauge the area, deciding it to be of reasonably little harm.] If anyone has seen him or knows where he is, please contact me as soon as possible -

[He's seen something.

The feed clicks off.

A few minutes later, it clicks back on, and his expression is wholly different -- animated instead of calm, excited rather than peaceable. He's also seized one of the drones by the arm attachment and is holding it up, impervious to its minute squirms.] This is amazing, is everyone seeing this!

[The drone tugs out of his grasp and goes back to picking up trash.

Guy coughs into his hand very pointedly.]

--As I was saying previously; anyone who knows of Luke fon Fabre, please contact me immediately regarding his whereabouts.

[After waking up in his old room to find all of his clothing gone (it was about all he'd amassed in the room), Kaworu ventures outside in the t-shirt and sweatpants he slept in. He's immediately struck by two things: a) sweatpants are very uncomfortable in this heat, and b) what the hell, it's hot out.

After finding himself a change of clothes - now just a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jeans - he wanders around a bit before finding himself on the roof of the Defense Force HQ trying to puzzle this all out. There are new buildings, new faces, and the weather's changed completely. But he doesn't feel like any time has passed, so he couldn't have been lost, could he? Surely he'd remember.

Finally, he slides to the edge of the roof and dangles his legs over, turning on his communicator and smiling placidly at the population. Remember this face, Marina?]

Things certainly change quickly here, don't they? Just yesterday I needed a jacket and scarf, and now it's summer again. At least it's more like home.

[The video feed opens to the side of the dome, smooth polished glass tinted blue from the waters beyond. A hand comes out to touch it -- a hand made of what appears to be blue-grey pebbles? Some of the darker ones, interspersed throughout the flat slate of the rest, shine a bit in the artificial light.]

[The hand sweeps over the glass, almost thoughtfully. The feed then shifts, the user setting the communicator on the ground to reveal a tall, lithe figure swathed in beige, complete with cloak, hood, and cloth mask covering his face from the nose down. And a restraint, of course, so heavy that it’s bowing the floor beneath it. What you can see of his face is more stone, his eyes framed by yet more dark blue rocks. He ponders the dome for a long moment, then reels back and delivers a very hard *punch* with his stone hand, all his two thousand pounds of weight behind it.]

[Nothing happens except for a spectacular noise. The stone man reaches up to pluck off his mask, stroking his chin.] Hmm. Must be a magic seal of some sort.

So we're all from different worlds, I get that much.

But ya can't tell me that I'm the only one unlucky enough to come from a world full of Cape-types! [And then she laughs. Probably leaving you to wonder if she's serious or not.]


[Action]

[If you happen to wander into the bar this afternoon, you'll find Zinda, sitting alone and looking mildly agitated, drumming her fingers on the table. Well, that's an unusual sight. She's normally talking someone's ear off!

Dare you approach her?]

[Voice]
For a crime as severe as that, the amount of time for which a person is restrained certainly is short. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

Now then, I'd like to ask - would anyone be able to recommend a good place for food that isn't made by robots?

[seemingly random question is random, but he'd like to gain the trust of the people here through idle conversation for now]

[Action]
[Light will be exploring the dome for the bulk of the day - since he's finally free from his restraints - to become more familiar with the overall surroundings, and to see if he might be able to find any clues as to how this entire dome operates. You might find him especially close to the outermost extremities of the dome, and possibly loitering a bit around the external boundaries of the Defense Force Headquarters]

[If he does spot you staring at him, or possibly taking a good look at him, he might just greet you with a pleasant smile and a Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening.]

[He'll be wondering about from morning up to the evening(9 AM - 6 PM), only taking a break for lunch at the Shelter kitchens. Feel free to approach him~]

[Rarity is BEAMING. Clearly, something amazing has happened.]

I had something more formal planned, but I'm so excited I just can't contain it! I have finally crafted my first dress for humans! It took a lot of research, and I know how simple it is, but I think it's a perfect contrast to our surroundings!

[Steps aside, revealing a red dress on a dress form.]

I call it "Fire Flowers Under Waves".

[feed turns on to reveal Minako. She appears to be cheerful enough, though something seems just a little off...]

Hey there, Marina. This is Minako again.

Has anyone lost track of a friend recently? I'll be compiling a list of people who have disappeared from the dome soon. It will be posted up in the common area of the Shelter, and I'll keep it updated once every two days once I finish up with the first list.

Please, just drop me a message with the name of your missing friend, and the last time you've seen him or her. Thank you.

[with that, the feed seems to have ended-- at least, for the majority of the viewers of this post.]

( Filtered to S.E.E.S. members and Ryoji )

[The feed comes on with Ashura sitting calmly, mostly his face and shoulders shown and not much else, so it is hard to say where he is, but it is some place quiet.

He pauses for a moment, as if waiting for a crowd to quiet, then begins.]

I realize we have many new members joining us, and some of us have been here for longer than we care to remember. And it has occurred to me that we all know so very little about each other - be it our pasts, our names, or even the worlds we call come from. As a general rule, a people usually share a common past and culture, making a sort of unity between them that sits beneath the usual interplay of individual personalities. And those who follow a different culture are looked upon as oddities, or even with fear.

Being here, in Marina, with so many people from so many different worlds and cultures, I thought perhaps as a whole, as a... people, we might come to understand each other better if we understood each others stories and powers. I would hope that it would provide some unity between us, or at least make it easier for us all to get along with each other and coordinate when times call for it. That being said, I am willing to be the one to compile information anyone is willing to share about their culture, their people from their world. You do not have to speak to me, and this is only mine own idea of what I think might help us all, but I am sure this will work for the better of us all.

And in the spirit of this, I offer up my own story first....

[There is another pause, a breath, and he begins - ]

( Ashura's Story )

[He pauses again, taking a deep breath.]

I am available through many means if you wish to tell me your tale, and through my new understanding of technology can hopefully compile them and allow for all to access. I hope this proves to bring us together, or at the least make this place more liveable for us all.

[He stays on the feed silent for a few seconds more, then turns it off.]