[Altaïr is dressed in normal, 'modern' clothes when he appears, making a rare occasion of addressing his fellow Travelers directly. Because he isn't wearing a hood, it's that much easier to see the annoyed and slightly perplexed expression on his face.]

I would like to know what this is doing here.

[At that, the view tilts to show this statue from the mid-chest up.

It's actually a fairly good likeness.]

Is this a joke?

[No one said gifts from home had to be from the time Travelers came from.]

If you could take anything... well... any one thing from here back home... something that isn't a memory or a person. What would you bring back home with you? If you would bring back anything at all, I suppose.

I've just been thinking, now with Thiazi... gone [She doesn't really want to say dead.] that things feel like we're far more likely to be getting close to the end of things. It's a terribly serious thing to talk about, which is why I suppose such a serious question...

[She tries to brighten herself up, offering a smile, though it is half-hearted.]

It doesn't have to be, though! I'm sure... well, perhaps it's best to think of something fun and lovely instead.

It is winter again. We had the wonderful festival last time. Perhaps we should do something smaller but something like it? [She wasn't sure that anyone would be in such a mood for a thing, but maybe so?]

We keep losing people. We did well against Thiazi but people still died, or have disappeared at some point.

( And that's sad. Sometimes they get mentioned publicly but not always. Sometimes it hurts too much )

They should be remembered. Everyone that's been here has helped us somehow to get ready for this war or has been in it. We should thank them, and hope that they're okay back home.

( She knows from talking to some that not everyone will be but hope and remembering a friend is nice )

Maybe the park? If someone could draw up candles or people just got together it would be nice. You could talk about them or just leave their name somewhere. Tomorrow, before curfew.

I'll be there early to wait.

I've realized something. ( her voice is level, even, and pleased. she's been thinking since returning from the recent expedition to destroy thiazi. the biggest of the big bads has been vanquished, and in spite of the hardships met and casualties, she's feeling relatively optimistic. ) We're gonna win. They want a war, we'll give 'em one. But.

( and there's always a but... )

I think some of our resourcefulness could be extended if we had more driving physical force. I'm going to reopen defense classes, including some bootcamp-style hard-hitting advanced weaponry. I'm willing to spend most of my time on this between patrols - and you know, food and sleep, the stuff you need to not wither and die - including one-on-one sessions. You're more than welcome to contact me any time, day or night, through your bracelets. First class will meet outside of the Roadhouse tomorrow, about an hour after first light. There will be cardio and strength training to warm up, and the majority of combative instruction will take place at Gefion Park, where there's more room.

Oh - for those I haven't met yet, I'm Buffy. I'll take fighters of all ages, though I'd encourage anyone under the age of like - say, sixteen? - to find less risky means of helping in the war effort. Anyway. Get in touch, we'll talk fight.

... ugh.

[Ellie sounds... out of it. Not herself. Distracted, like she's been hit a few too many times in the head, or is somehow drugged up. She's finding her way but she's slow, like she's having to think about every word before she says it.]

So. Question -- how many of you guys have been in two places at once?

I think I was back in my... my world. For a while.

But I was here, too.

Anybody?

( awkward moment of realizing she's never actually posted to the network, only replied to other people. well, no time like the present. oh well. here you go, asgard: scrawny teenage girl of surely no more than 16, looking only slightly sheepish while attempting "friendly". )

So uh, question. Who here's gotten tattoos? In Asgard or before. If anyone could point me to a studio, that'd be great too.

alright asgard. long time, no see. hear you've been a bit down lately. no problem. i've got something to lift your spirits.

unfortunately i've a bit of a shopping list i've gotta take care of before it can. if you've got any of this stuff, i'm willing to cough up the cash. in the end, considering you're of age, it'll benefit me and you both.

-corn or corn meal
-yeast
-sugar
-copper tubing

[ You're not subtle, Ash. ]

[ Private to Jo ]
i'm gonna need some money.

[HELLO ASGARD. THIS IS YOUR RESIDENT ITALIAN ASSASSIN SHOPKEEPER ON THE LINE. And said resident Italian looks as if he has a question- or would if he currently wasn't having his attention directed to something on his outfit. Something like a grey hair.

Dio mio, does he really need a reminder about his age on top of fighting a war. Ezio makes a face at that, brushing off his sleeve and finally turning to the camera again.]

Buon giorno, Asgard. A question. [A pause, and then-] At what age do you start to consider someone as "old?"

[No, this has nothing to do with his novices telling him he needs to be more careful because of his age, or ghost pangs of old wounds when he moves the wrong way, what are you talking about. This is just normal conversation.

Right.

Right.]

[[FYI: Some characters might have the (mis)fortune of Ezio conking out in the middle of their conversation, as he's going on a canon update! Enjoy.]]

[ river's standing in the middle of the road, looking a little worse for wear, but she doesn't seem to care about the blood drying on her skin, and her eyes are wide and bright as ever. the natives are walking past her, singing and holding one another, and one hands her a small candle that she holds in the center of her palm curiously. the hymns gets quieter as they pass and then she speaks down to her little flame. ]

Ghosts in the streets tonight, but you're alive now.

[ she blows on the candle, but not strong enough to put it out. it just flickers back in place and she smiles, looks directly into the camera feed. ]

Sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ yī. Did you do something good lately?

[ ooc; trying this one last time. river has been gone since june and has only just come back today with a canon bump to the end of serenity, so she's a little more sane but also in dire need of a bath. come say hi? ( permissions are still here. ) ]

[ To the video comes a girl, high-school age, maybe 16-17; the girl is beautiful, has dark hair by the shoulders, green eyes with a cat-like pupil, and there is also a big cleavage that allows everyone to see the blue lizard tattoo between the breasts. Said girl isn't so happy ]

Oh, this thing is on. So, thanks for bringing me here, but you probably know how ironic that is, gods. Specially when I was so close. But thank you for the heartbeat. [ Tokage smirks ] Now that I do have one, and I'm apparently alive, I have a question: what happens if I die?

... And has anyone seen a kid named Shinobu? He's pretty cute, but also very grumpy. Too serious for his age. [ Tokage smirks seductively before he licks his own lips and pulls his shirt down just a little more, exposing even more of his chest ] Shinobu, come to nee-chan. I'm all warm now~

Before you start complaining, [ said with a Look, because he knows some of you probably already have ], let me set things straight.

This is not a punishment. I've been content to let you guys roam about and track mud through my house like misbehaving toddlers since Day One, and I'd be content to continue doing so until our business is done here. But isn't, and we don't have time to dick around anymore.

Thiazi's attack wasn't random. It was desperate and sloppy, which means one thing: she knows we're coming for her.

[ He wants to be viciously pleased with the idea of her panicking, but he is nothing close to amused right now. ]

The only way she could know that is if someone on the inside told her. We don't know who, and we don't know how, but we can't afford that kind of liability. These laws are in place to protect you. We can't fight a war on both sides of the wall.

Be vigilant. Look after each other. It's going to be down to you to keep each other safe.

[ A pause, a blink. The ever eternal silent sigh. ]

You have questions. Ask.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the official kickoff for the new martial law! Ask your IC questions here, and let us know if you want any god in specific, as they'll be hanging around this post. The log for weapons registration, rationing, and Red Scare flavoured shenanigans is over here. Let us know if you have any questions! ]

Tony Stark has returned home.

( her voice is curt, and she doesn't bother hiding behind text. it's become almost second nature to her, these announcements - every few months, one of her friends teammates disappears and she is right back at square one, left cleaning up the mess. if she's being completely honest with herself, it's easier to feign annoyance than examine her feelings about the disappearances; they come up too often for her to allow herself to be emotionally compromised by them.

still, it's clear she's far from happy at the moment. )

For those who knew him.. The best I can offer is an opportunity to pick up any research or information he might have been holding for you.

( her voice is somewhat stiff. sure, she'll hand over whatever you want - but not before going through it all first. how very like tony, to disappear without even saying goodbye. )

I'll be at the bar if anyone wants to arrange to pick anything up.

( filtered to bruce banner, steve rogers & maria hill )

There are three rooms in the house open. Feel free to move your stuff in, as long as you don't object, Banner. Rent is due first of the month. ( that's as close to an invitation as steve & maria will get from her right now. )

[Riley’s giggling can be heard even if her face can’t be seen. It seems she’s currently sneaking through Needle in a Haystack to where there are a bunch of voices. With a snort, the giggling stops as she aims the view around the corner to show…

A bunch of shirtless Assassins in various stages of irritation over the fact. It’s so funny to her that she has to share this with the world.]

( [Six Assassins learn they're shirtless below cut] )

They just disappear? Nothing will stay on any of us?

[An Italian accent chimes in, and Ezio turns his head towards the group, back to the camera, and actually trying not to smile. Okay, so in between all of this war, it’s funny to him, despite the irritation he may feel.]

I have only tried once- and as much as I wish to see if it would work, I am not certain I wish to sacrifice more of my clothes if Asgard demands we remain this way.

[A second equally Italian accent chimes in, far less entertained sounding.]

Is this a regular occurrence in this city then? People’s decency revoked for… amusement?

Come now, padre, you make it sound as if we are treated like barbarians. [Ezio can’t really hide the smile he’s wearing. Oops.] I do not mind the attention so much.

Your madre will have me up by my thumbs for parading about in public!

So will my wife. [Altaïr hesitates, as if he’s not really sure.] Most likely.

[ In the midst of the Assassins' kerfuffle, Desmond hurries in from the summer heat, equally shirtless and equally vexed. ]

Does anyone have a spare- oh.

[ If he wasn't bewildered before... ] Really?

[ It seems like Natasha is always last to know these things - but it was really inconvenient, to be honest. She’d been at work at the bar when her shirt had suddenly decided to take a vacation to god-knows-where. Now she’s come to join the cavalcade, hands propped on her hips once she spots the predicament of everyone else. Her bra has decided to stick around for the party, at least so far. ]

I liked that shirt. And I liked the rest of you with shirts, no matter how .. interesting .. the view. [ She sighs slightly, not ashamed of being sans-shirt but definitely very far from pleased. What’s next? Their pants? ]

[Connor wanders by Riley’s hiding spot about that point, utterly unruffled by his current state. He pauses briefly and glances in her direction.] Good morning, Riley. [And moves on with his day. These boxes won’t unload themselves!]

[Immediately everything falls silent as everyone but Connor turns to look at the Novice Assassin with looks that say she had better run.]

You should be impressed I was here this long without you noticing? She does look better than all of the rest of you though.

[That doesn't help the problem and she bursts out laughing as the angle changes to show Riley laughing her ass off as she runs as fast as she can because she is in SO MUCH TROUBLE.]

FUCKING WORTH IT!

[ooc: Welcome to the shirtless curse brought to you by Altaïr, Giovanni, Ezio, Desmond, Natasha, and Connor. It's an Assassin shirtless party! Well, most of the Assassins. Riley, for example, did not get hit and made the most of it.

Network responses very welcome but there will be an open thread for people to visit Needle in a Haystack if they want to see all the shirtless Assassins in person! Enjoy!]

Hello everyone it’s been quite a while, I’ve been busy preparing and researching. Before I really get to into my work I wanted to teach everyone runes.

Runes are written spells that anyone can use as long as they have the ink and working hand. Normally I’d take the time teach you how to craft your own arrays. This time I’m just going to focus on teaching you all some of the existing runes that a lot of people might not know about.

[He turns to show a large sign with list of every crafted rune names.]

These all the runes that have been crafted in the city, they were made by all sorts of different Runemasters since the travelers have rediscovered their use.

As you can see from the names these runes have many different purposes that can help. I will be teaching anyone that willing to learn as many runes as they like. Not only that, but maybe you can suggest some creative uses for these runes as well. I’ll be in Freyr district in the yard of Grimoire’s Sigil.

AnyRunemaster that are still here, you guys are more then welcome to help me out.

[He cuts off the feed there, already getting read to work on his special product while he waits.]

[OOC: Info about what going on is here. This is a good chance for groups to get involved in things. ]

We are going to war, and people are going to die. Do they always come back?

Does one always become a ghost? In that case, how long does one stay that way?

[ She really did not enjoy that particular experience. ]

So here's a question. How many of you've- No, I'm not going to start with that.

[ It's too depressing, and he'd rather try and stay as upbeat as he can. ]

What've you got waiting for you back home?

[ Oh, he knows sometimes there's no getting around the difficult things, and that's not his point. He doesn't believe in sugarcoating anything.

And now that he's said this, he's just realized he's been a bit one-note with his transmissions, since both of them have had to do with their homes. ]

It's just that I've been thinking, it puts this war we're supposed to be fighting into perspective. Thinking about the people and places I want to keep safe does that for me.

[ Alright, maybe he'll get laughed off the network for saying what's on his mind, and really, he's okay with that. He just had to put his thoughts somewhere, so he did. ]

[ when the video cues up, it's a shaky view of a headful of red curls you probably recognize with this particular bracelet ID, but a face that definitely isn't right, not exactly. she's not sure why she's a boy when she wakes up, but it only takes a short bit of thought to realize it's the same reason why Stiles was a fox once, and why a lot of weird things happen here. it's a curse. but she doesn't really get much time to think that all over when she wakes up snuggled up to her boyfriend and quickly finds herself getting yelled at - WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! SIC HIM, HALE. EAT HIS NUTS! SCOTT! SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTT!!! SOMEONE STOLE MY GIRLFRIEND! - and shoved off the bed and forced to stumblr out of the room to hide from the angry fire-breathing Stilinski and she can't-

stop

laughing.

and she still is laughing even now that she's hauled up in the bathroom, door locked, yelling muffled on the other side. she's laughing and trying to hold the camera steady ]

WHY ARE YOU WEARING HER UNDERWEAR? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

Um, so, hi! Hey.

[ wow, her voice is deep. okay. ]

This is Rachel, like it says, I guess I just- did something, or caught the wrong god's attention, or the wrong.. something, if it's not them, because I'm very much a boy right now, and-

EAT HIM, HALE. EEEEAT HIM!

Gods, would you stop? [ she laughs again ] Okay, can someone please come over here and just tranq my boyfriend? Seriously. [ that makes her laugh again, wondering if Stiles would have to call her his "boyfriend" for now, too. oh, gods. ] I think he's too freaked out to realize this is - obviously a curse! [ last part shouted at the door ] But I need pants, or just- boy-sized clothing. I'd draw them, but my notebook is back out in his room. And yeah, I don't actually want to hide in the bathroom all d-ay, hey. [ someone caught sight of the mirror, finally ]

Wow, I'm really cute...

NO YOU'RE NOT!!

I kind of really am, though!

YOU KNOW WHO'S CUTE? MY GIRLFRIEND. GIVE HER BACK!

[ Rachel just laugh-sighs and shakes her head before shutting off the feed ]