You're all liars, all of you.

[While the words are already jarring, out of place, when spoken with Freya's soft voice, they don't even begin to compare to the rest of the picture. Something is wrong. The goddess, usually so cool and collected in front of the travelers, is nothing like that now. It looks as if she hasn't been sleeping in days, since her twin's death, and her slender frame trembles with emotion.

Freyr had always been the friendlier, warmer of the two siblings, but that doesn't mean there is no warmth to be found in his sister. No, Freya loves, just as her brother did. She loves fiercely and boldly. She loves enough to fight for those she cares for.

It just never occurred to anyone that this would be a problem.]

I can still save him. [There's a harsh, hysterical quality to her voice that wasn't there before.] And you, with all your beautiful, noble words, will not help me, despite all he has done to spare your lives.

[She bows her head, hair tumbling down her shoulders and hiding her expression from the viewers.]

Stay within your guarded walls then. I will fix this myself.

[As soon as the video ends, all members of Freya's house will feel a strange, disconnected sensation and have difficulties using their powers as she cuts them all off. This will fade within a minute, and the powers will be returned to normal after that.]

[When the video comes on, Will is sitting there and he looks absolutely pleased. Only, not really. It looks like he may have swallowed a lemon, and his brow furrows as he sits there. Oh, and there he goes talking.]

So. That's it then?

Has anyone noticed that nothing really changed. I may have not been here long but even I can tell nothing changed after that battle.

People died for this and nothing was solved. It's just like having to deal with spoiled brats who tell people to fight for them and then they don't deliver back home.

[He knows that point only too well, and he just scowls before just rubbing at his forehead and sighing.]

Right, but when do people ever listen?

[It's assumed that Draco is around somewhere despite not being on camera immediately, judging by the fact that when the feed starts travelers are greeted with a nice view of a bedroom wall absolutely covered in diagrams, charts, graphs, drawings and notes. Literally every square inch of the wall above the bed is covered in paper marked with random colored pens. It's assumed the rest of the room is set the same way. In the background, anyone listening can hear a coffee maker brewing a new pot.

War's never been one of Draco's favorite things, but the battles in Asgard have made him think of his home world and the situation he's in. He hates thinking about it, but he's started dissecting everything he knows…hence some of the charts that are overlaying some older charts. When Draco begins to speak, he's still out of the line of vision, if only because he can't exactly face the city just yet.]

…I know this man at home who's trying to, more or less, recreate the entire world. A perfect world where everyone's exactly the same and everyone who's considered less than worthy is punished severely if they're not outright killed immediately. [This is bad. This is a bad idea to be bringing this up, but Draco's full of bad ideas and bad decisions lately.] Actually, his favorite method is to torture them severely before sparing them and then murdering them with a flick of the wrist.

But the thing is, despite the fact he's more or less a slit-nosed homicidal freak, he has a large following. Many follow him out of fear, but there are just as many who follow out of loyalty. There are many people who actually, genuinely believe our world will be better if we follow his plan for destruction and reconstruction. It's messy and violent, and yet they go along with it anyway. Funny how that works, isn't it? One has to wonder why. [It's probably for the best that Voldemort's not around to hear that one of his servants is basically disregarding everything he's been taught. But after his last conversation with Jade? Maybe he really doesn't have to be constantly fearing for his life...maybe just every other day.

Let's get to the point, shall we? His hand appears in the frame of video and he's pinning a fresh piece of paper to the wall above the bed. He soon takes out a pen and in a neat, elegant scrawl writes something on the top of the page.

The art of persuasion and manipulation

His hand hovers in midair for a moment before he withdraws it.]

What is the fine line between persuading people and manipulating them? And, as a bonus question, what is the fine line between safety and fear? Sometimes I have to wonder if the rulers of this world aren't any different, what with having to do their bidding without even asking us. And yet we do it anyway because we're told it's better this way. [He knows it's a stretch, but it's still a valid point in his opinion.] As you can see, I've plenty of room on the paper so give me something worth writing.

[ There are so many things Hanako would like to say over the network... but there are not enough words. That post during the battle... it became real, after all. The void would be more painful if she didn't rebel and go say goodbye to the girl properly. It's possibly the best decision Hanako ever took in her whole life.

It's audio, and it'll be curtly to the point. ]

To all those who knew her, Nakama-san has gone back to her home world.

Those of you I know, and I didn't have a chance to catch up with during the battle, please contact me. I want to be sure you're all safe and sound.

[ Feed over. She's going to respond in a hour or so, after she's less prone to sulking for the loss. ]

...How do you memorialize a god?  I realize that there are many of us here who still don't agree with the gods, their war, or the way they've chosen to go about fighting it, but I think we should all recognize the sacrifice that Freyr made.  Regardless of whether or not he was only trying to protect the other gods, it's a fact that his actions saved us all when everything looked hopeless, and he should be honored for that.  A funeral doesn't seem quite appropriate, but I'm not sure what else would be.

[It's roughly noon. The armies are staring each other down across a field of mud and gravel and blood. It's clear that Asgard and their allies are heavily battered down, suffering from heavy losses and damaged morale. It feels like today is the last day. It seems like there's no chance that anything but the end of the world could come today.

Then a video feed starts on the network, surveying the view from a high vantage point. Freyr isn't on screen, but he's close enough to speak and be heard clearly. But even if he weren't close he'd still be heard. There's a convenient little spell projecting his voice all across his side of the battlefield and through the city itself. It's a stern voice, tense and short instead of the gentle, patient attitude he usually shows.]

Sound the retreat. Get all living things within the city walls. Abandon that which cannot be swiftly carried. Now.

[The video continues in silence while his orders are spread through the forces and followed. It takes little more than ten minutes to move everyone inside at an ordered dash. Supply wagons and tents are left in the field and people and animals are removed until all that remains is ghost town of a camp. Small groups of enemies that try to chase are quickly and efficiently deterred by fire from the flying ship, and eventually all are safe inside.

He wants this recorded. It's more than just to be sure his announcement is heard -- he wants to be sure no one forgets how close they were and how important this battle was. His ship maneuvers to the center of the field, and he takes a graceful leap to the ground just yards from the enemy front lines. At that point, he begins to glow.]

...Do not doubt that all of you would have died this day. This is not a game. It's not a trick. Everyone and everything you love is and has been riding on this. I'm sure, even now, that the war will not end. You will all have to continue to fight, and for that you have my sincerest apologies. You also have my sincerest faith. I have never seen hearts so strong as those who stand for what they believe in when they are so far from home. Whether you hate us or not that remains true. I am sure you will triumph in the end.

Thus, I am honored to have observed true beauty in all of you. Thank you and good luck.

[His voice wavers by the time he's done. He'd like to be emotional, but showing fear and regret won't help anyone and so he holds it in.

It's a distant angle, but the video might just catch a hint of a solemn smile. Then, with a flash like a bomb the view goes white and then blinks out. After that anyone looking out past the gates will see a wide, shallow scar on the land, stretching from just feet away from the city walls to what used to be a point three quarters of the way into the enemy army. In that place, nothing remains but rock-solid round covered in a layer of fine white dust. Not even a bit of metal or a single plant mars that flat surface. For a moment anyone in Freyr house will have their powers flicker off, then back on within a few seconds.

But the enemy is decimated, and shows no signs of coming close again.]


[ooc note: That's it for actual plot events! The enemy army will stay at a distance the rest of this IC day (tonight and tomorrow), and will leave in the morning (Nov 16). There will be another NPC post on the 17th, but other than that from this point on is just cleanup. Characters who died will return on the 17th! Thank you for playing!

Oh and P.S. you can get comments from the other gods, so do feel free to respond to this post to talk to them or just to talk to each other. Threadjacking is A+! It is a free-for-all in this post, even for quick action threads.]

[It's evening, and Nakama has once again been ordered to sleep. Before she does that, though, she has a few things to say. The Arena is visible behind her, the rows of beds and crowds of healers, and she looks ready to drop off at any moment, but her voice is strong and clear.]

So I realized awhile back... even if we win, this'll be goodbye, won't it? Everyone will be going home.

[She pauses, takes a deep breath, and continues.]

There's something a lot of my friends know, but not all of you do, and I think it's time I told you. In my own world, I was already dead - I had to sacrifice myself to save the planet. So that means when I go home, I'll be returning to nothing. I only say this so you'll understand how important it is that I say what's coming next.

All of you... if I knew you, if we were close, if we exchanged a few words... if you even saw me on the street and smiled at me... you've given me so much more than I could ever hope to put into words. You've completely changed how I see both myself and the world. You've taught me about hope, and friendship, and caring about myself as well as other people. For all of the terrible things that have happened here, this place has been more of a home to me than I could've imagined possible. And for that, I thank every single person in Asgard. I even thank the gods, for bringing me here and letting this happen.

So, I - I guess this is goodbye. [Her eyes finally start to mist over, but she's smiling.] Take care of yourselves, all of you, in your home worlds. I hope that you'll be able to find peace and happiness. And - I know you won't be able to remember me, but just know for now that you changed the life of one person for the better. Whoever you are.

[With that, she curls up on the floor, closes her eyes, and ends the feed.]

((ooc: There will be no replies to the tags on this entry. Nakama has gone to sleep, and she doesn't want to look back on (what she thinks is) her last farewell. But anyone who wants to leave her one "final" message is free to!))

[ when the video feed flickers on, you get a very good view of a deck of cards being shuffled aimlessly at high speeds. the shuffler of said deck appears to be sitting cross-legged on a bench in a very familiar area of Sigyn. he looks like he's intently studying the cards that he's shuffling, but at the same time, he looks a bit disheveled and... if his body language has anything to say, he doesn't look all that pleased, either.

when he addresses the video feed, it's just as abrupt. ]

Sooo... [ and he exhales, just a little exasperated. ]

Apparently in the month and a half that I'm apparently missing -- which, you know, I didn't even know I was missing until I looked at the calendar and realized that I was serious outdated in more ways than one -- shit went down, the world's about to end, the grass grew about negative three inches and I really, really need a good haircut.

[ a pause. and then he laughs. but even as he laughs, there's a sense of weird urgency buried underneath the layers of good cheer. ]

Yeesh, I really think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

Anyone want to play the good Samaritan and help catch me up on stuff? [ cheery! ] That or, you know, I'd also settle for someone taking me out to ramen. I'm so not picky right now.

[ then, as if in afterthought-- ]

... and by the way, has anyone seen my bird?

I’ve been hearing a bit lately about how people don’t want to fight in the war because it’s not ours to fight and not only do I understand that, but I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way. But as long as we’re here, isn’t it better to fight than to stand aside and watch this place fall down around us? [ Fighting may not usually be his thing, but circumstances being what they are… ] As long as we’re here, and as long as it threatens us and our loved ones, doesn’t that make it our fight too? We just have to stop thinking of it as fighting for them, and think of it as protecting ourselves and each other.

[ Not that he supports the war and fighting by any means, but he'll do what he has to ]

Justice.

[It's a strange sight, really- there's Cheriour, clock eyes always ticking, and there is a gentle sort of smile on his face as usual, but what is in his hands might be a surprise to some who haven't seen him carry it around.]

[It's a sword, and an old one at that. He's rubbing it down with a cloth, polishing it, though the slight dark tarnishes at it's end are impossible to remove. And he continues to speak at the bracelet placed next to him, hand never stopping its movements down the weapon.]

I'm not sure that many people know what justice really is, honestly! I mean, when you talk about someone being just, it means they know what is right. They can look at a situation and judge accordingly, making sure that their decisions go accordingly to their own moral compass.

But justice is really more than that. Justice is...hmmm, how to put this? It's just something that you have to follow through with. It's the feeling you get when you watch an innocent person get hurt. It's seeing a bad person really get what they deserve after all the harm and pain they've caused others. It's this force, really, that drives you to do the utmost good for people you can do.

[There's a dreamy sort of look on his face, like he's talking about something adored and prized over all- it's quite obvious that he has really strong feelings about this.]

But! Of course, not many people think about it that way. Some people think it can be only found in courtroom cases and trials, which is true, but it's so much more widespread! Justice is more than a jury and a judge, anybody can go through with it. It's found in everybody.

...At least, that's what I think.

[And he smiles over at the bracelet with a pondering look.]

What is really the definition of justice, do you think?

[He's still so new here and still trying to get used to this place, but... What was that about war he keeps hearing? It definitely isn't anything good and considering that right now he can't even protect himself, much less anyone else it just isn't good at all.

He sighs a little, before speaking up. Timidly.]

Um, hello. I-I hope I am not bothering anyone, but... I was thinking if maybe someone could possibly teach me sword fighting? If it's not a problem of course...

[More like he only needs to relearn how to fight, but looking at him it's probably hard to believe he's ever even seen a real sword, much less fought with one. To be honest, he doesn't want to fight, but even more than that he doesn't want to be useless when something bad happens.]

I'll probably need a new sword, too...

[His broadsword is currently too heavy for him since Asura's power is gone...]

So, I trust we all had fun with our animal friends a week or so ago?

[Hey Asgardians, long time no see. Jacob smiles, looking amused in his new sweater that was given to him, along with six other sets of winter clothing, due to the fact that he was nice to a sheep. Asgard you sure do surprise him sometimes.]

I've even seen a few sticking around...which makes me wonder, are they appreciated? Animals in human lives, I mean. I know most children nowadays want a cat or dog to keep them company, but parents would probably shirk at the thought of keeping a more unusual animal, like a snake or raccoon.

Which is interesting really...in Egyptian times, animals were great symbols of powerful deities who shaped the world they lived in. Most of them even had animal heads- Anubis, god of the dead and embalming, had the head of a black jackal. Thoth, god of writing and knowledge, had the head of an ibis, which is a type of bird. Horus, the god with the head of a hawk, Bastet, a protective goddess with the head of a cat...I could go on and on.

But it is interesting how animals, on my world, are not held as sacredly as they were back then- except for examples like the Hindu treating the cow with reverence and other such cases, most people would not look at an animal and think "that is something I need to pay respect to."

How is it in your worlds, I wonder? Are some animals held in higher respect than others? And for what reason? I know that even some worlds have mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns...are those even considered special in a place in which a person sees them in their regular habitat.

[A pause, as his smile widens.]

I'm curious, Asgard.

[ the bracelet hadn't been that hard for him to figure out - in fact it was a nifty little piece of technology, though there wasn't something quite like it where he came from. Of the options he figures voice is the best way to go for the very first one, if he's going to be broadcasting it, after all. No reason to show everyone his face right away.

He's leaning up against the side of Freya's welcome hall, arms somewhat crossed as he records the message. ]

So I see we have ourselves a little war going on. You know, this place isn't the only world with problems. Some of us were in the middle of doing something important. Enemies to vanquish, friends to rescue, stuff like that. But I guess that doesn't matter to certain parties.

Anyway, since we're stuck here, I guess I do have one question: where's the best ice cream in this dull place? I told a friend I owe him some.


[ ooc: feel free to run into him in Freya or respond! ]
[ edit: Lea's conversation with ??? is FILTERED for the record ]

So, how about a roll call for the powers everyone's been granted here? [ She's a little nosy. ]

I'll go first-- I can grow plants. I'm not sure how cultivating a garden is supposed to help this world, but it's not like I can ask the gods to change it back to healing.

[She has something very important to discuss.]

Alright. I haven't been here long and I need to know about the people around me a little more. Let's see....

....Okay, I got it. Little sisters. What do you think about them? Cute, not cute? Don't you just want to hold them and.... and.... [she trails off a bit after saying that. She clears her throat, hiding that grin of hers before she goes back to glaring at the bracelet.]

Got it?! Let's just talk about little sisters!

[The feed crackles up and into view. A girl is sitting on the floor of the Sigyn common area-- her legs look to be rather long, her hair is long and pink and flows nearly to the floor.

And she's... Naked.

A far cry from her first visit. She was granted clothing then. LUCKILY her hair seems to cover up anything.]

Um... [She's ducking behind the sweep of her bangs, blushing a little bit with her one visible eye big like a deer in the headlights.]

Am I...

Oh no, not again... B-But this all looks familiar-- [somebody wanders past and she squeaks, ducking down again in fear like a scared bunny. She musters the courage to speak up again to her bracelet.]

A-Asgard? Am-Am I back in Asgard? Really...? I didn't think it was possible but--!

Oh... Hello again, everypony. I'm... Fluttershy...

[She offers a small smile to the feed. SHE'S PRETTY COMFORTABLE DESPITE EVERYTHING. She's gotten used to not wearing clothing again. So. Have fun with that.]

[Lyon's face comes over the bracelet looking uncharacteristically embarrassed this time.  It takes her a few moments to clear her mind and really think of what she wants to say, but when she does speak it's in a slow, calm, and measured voice that she's probably forcing herself pretty hard to adopt.]

It has recently come to my attention that I may have given some of you the wrong idea about the relationship I have with Freyjadour Falenas.  Having found this out, I feel I owe it to those of you who know one or both of us - and more importantly, to Frey himself - to clear up the potential misunderstanding.  The two of us are not, and never have been, romantically involved with one another.  He's a very important friend that I've known since I was young, and we grew up side by side.  We're really more like brother and sister than anything, and while it's true that we trust each other implicitly and would do almost anything for each other, we simply aren't on that level of intimacy.  I apologize if the way I talk about him has been confusing or if it's given anyone a false impression of what things are like between us.

[Yeah, that was eight kinds of awkward, wasn't it.  Lyon isn't sure if she should add anything else, so there's a few moments of hesitation here while she considers that.]

...That's all I have to say.

( filtered away from itsuki so hard.. except not much at all since she isn't great with filters but if willpower could be a filter this would be fort knox, pretty much. )

.. Look, this is probably going to sound really weird to suddenly ask this after everything that happened, but.. I need serious opinions here, okay?! No trying to be funny!

[ She takes a deep breath - honestly, saying any of this is already difficult enough, but she doesn't have anyone specific to ask about this.. the woes of being friends with guys and moe girls all over, not to mention everyone she knows from back home is gone too by now - even Nanase's bracelet can't be reached anymore. So the network is the last option left.. ]

So.. the situation is-- no, let's start over! What I just want to ask is.. what do you do when someone confesses to you? You know, confessing in the.. the romantic kind of way! [ sputtering. ] I already know the answer is accepting or rejecting it, but what if you don't know which one you should pick?!

[ aka 'how do i deal with my own tsun 101', apparently.. ]