[Action; Gefion Park]

[It's a rare day off, which means Hibiki can be found sitting on a bench watching her animals at play! She really doesn't have enough time to spend with them, so she's happy to see that they seem to be enjoying the outdoors on this sunny day.

Happy, and a little... tired, actually.

By the time people come across her, she may well have just nodded off in her seat, her form slumped slightly to the side as she rests. The sheep, hummingbird, gusk and Cyndaquil currently running/scampering/flying around don't seem to have noticed, but there is a small hamster on her shoulder now nibbling on a bit of her hair.

...Someone may want to wake the poor girl up.]

[Video]

[And later, a video call! She is clearly pretty uncomfortable, her hands twisting and fidgeting in front of her.]

I... I didn't really want to ask about it before. I thought I could take care of it, but there's so much going on...

[Deep breath, Hibiki. It's okay to ask for help, remember? With a short gulp, she continues.]

I... have a lot of pets. But I can't take care of them as much as they need it. I work with the medical team and the suppliers. I just--

[Her expression falls as she falters.]

...I can't take care of them by myself anymore.

[As loathe as she is to admit it. Even at home, she had managed to take care of Shii-chan even while juggling her work, but here...

It seems she's bitten off more than she can chew.]

I don't know what to do with them... I have a sheep, a hummingbird, a gusk, a Cyndaquil, and a hamster. They're all really great, and they're well behaved, s-so...

I don't want to have to get rid of them... but I want to make sure they get cared for. What should I do...?

[It's almost like a plea. These animals - each one reminds her of people she can no longer see. To give them away just doesn't seem right. But neglecting them hardly seems proper, either.]

[Hawkeye's had it rough lately, but he's resiliant. Still, he needs more distractions than just work and "the war effort". All work and no play makes Hawkeye go a little crazy.

He appears on the network with a deck of cards in hand, shuffling with moderate skill. Well, okay, he's not accidentally flinging them all over the room, at least. (Beat that, Nine.)]

Hi there! It's your friendly neighborhood inebriate calling. I was thinking...

One thing we used to do back home in between waves of casualties or shifts in post-op was have poker nights. We'd gather around in someone's tent -- usually the Swamp -- and play poker and drink. Mostly drink. Snacks were an option, but only if you could stomach food that might start moving. Army food, y'know?

No IOU's, though. Not when anyone can just up and disappear without notice.

Anyone interested?

[She looked numbly at the feed. Her private message had bounced back and the name was missing. After so long, so many gone, she'd begun to think he would always be here, to the end. Seeing him gone was a sock to the gut, but she hit the feed with a stern, stubborn look in her eyes.]

No time like the present. Merlin's gone, and we're the less for it, but there's work to do and he wouldn't want this going to crap just because he disappeared.

[The image isn't of the inside of Pinch of Sage for once. Instead, it looks like Samantha is standing in a greenhouse. She doesn't take people back to the greenhouse where herbs are grown for the shop very often. plants hang from pots all around her head and in long rows. Some are familiar to those who know earth plants, or the basic varieties found in Asgard, but others in the back are more exotic. She's standing next to a group of firebloom flowers, ones people who have met with the elves might have seen before.]

For those of you that have signed up with the Medic Corps, let's get started with training. Best way I can think of to remember him. I'm a terrible organizer, so one of you can get to rallying the troops, please gods get on that. [For a second, she sounded exhausted.] Training in powers like Healing and Damage Drain is good, and any of you from Sigyn and Heimdall with us should keep it up, but you've only got so much juice. [She held up a small yellow vial.] And potions like these can only help so much. If you overuse them or take too much power from other Heimdalls and Freyas like me, you can still end up exhausted.

Magic's a tool, and if you overuse a tool, you break it or you aren't ready when you don't have it. I'll be holding classes on poultice making, first aid and paramedics starting tomorrow. Anyone who wants lessons on how to make the curatives that some of us have been making, let me know. You don't need to be in the Medic Corps, but I'd prefer it if folks in the Corps get some lessons on the basics. The more tools, the better.

Anyone who already has the skills... I could probably use the help in training the folks who are using more powers than training. The more the merrier.

Private to Eridan

I'm re-acquiring an investment from an old friend of ours. We need a third. I suggest Desmond, but I want your input first.

[She's got this thing figured out. Well, except for the video. But, hey audio works. She taps at it experimentally.]

Hopefully, this is transmitting.

[And then, carefully, she clears her throat.]

I have no idea what I was expecting when I walked out those door when I arrived, but it certainly wasn't running for my life.

[Margaret pauses thoughtfully, just long enough to where there's silence on the line.]  

All I want right now is a very stiff drink. I assume someone has recommendations.

( the video begins with doctor mccoy, sitting at a desk in his room in sigyn. he looks particularly business-like, hair combed and expression serious, hands folded in front of him. before he speaks, he clears his throat—it’s almost as if he’s still a little uncomfortable to be addressing so many people at once, but that’s the only sign of it. )

Figure it’s best to get this out of the way while we’ve got the time. ( before another disaster or attack happens, he means. ) I like having a frame of reference—makes it easier to deal with people, and treat ‘em too, when you have to. I know we’re all working off the same magical system, here, but it’s better to account for specifics all the same.

That being said, here’s a list. Fill it out if you want, don’t bother telling me why not if you don’t want to. You can be as specific, or as vague, as you want, or leave out questions entirely if they bother you. If it makes you feel better, you can secure it and have my word as a doctor that I’ll keep it confidential.

( attached is this text form: )

name:
age:
species:
location prior to asgard: planet, city, country, realm, etc.
is your world more familiar with magic, technology/science, or both?:
which power did you receive in asgard?:
did you have any skills, powers or abilities that you lost once here?:
are conditions here generally better, worse, or the same as your prior location?:

That’s about all. Not much else to do on a rainy day, is there.

( ooc / a textbox, for convenience: <tt><big><b>name:</b> <b>age:</b> <b>species:</b> <b>location prior to asgard:</b> planet, city, country, realm, etc. <b>is your world more familiar with magic, technology/science, or both?:</b> <b>which power did you receive in asgard?:</b> <b>did you have any skills, powers or abilities that you lost once here?:</b> <b>are conditions here generally better, worse, or the same as your prior location?:</b></tt> )

[The video feed opens, and a confident looking Kate is there, more composed than some others who have utilised the video feed here.]

Good afternoon all.

[She may be intruding on your day, but at least she's polite about it.]

So, a question, fellow Travellers, since it appears to be the done thing. If a scientist were looking for work here, where would you suggest one starts? The last thing I want is boredom setting in, after all.

{Short but sweet. Why waste words when you don't have to?]

[Anonymous Video]

[The feed begins, and there isn't a soul in sight. Rather, it appears to be someone's room, but given that there is a bright pink cloth spread over the bedding that certainly doesn't match up with Freya's House colors, it would be difficult to determine anything from that.

However, the bedspread isn't the real eye catcher; in the middle of this is an ancient journal, and it's on these pages that the camera zooms. Much of the text is blacked out, but certain phrases and words do stand out.]

████████████ series of tall mountains and deep canyon near the kingdom of Svartalfheim.

Unfortunately, the Earth Giants no longer exist within that place - or indeed, anywhere in Yggdrasil. ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ the fall of Laufey █████████████████████████████████ the end of the Earth Giants. What choice did we have? █████████████ was unnatural. ██████████████████████████ wrong.

There was no other option. We had to abandon the survivors. ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

[After focusing on this page for a good few minutes - plenty enough time to read through what text is visible - the feed will end only to be followed shortly by...]

[Anonymous Text]

I received something interesting over the holidays. It's a pity that little battle took up so much time, but now that we have done our part, I thought it would be a good time to bring this up.

It seems the gods haven't been entirely transparent with us, now have they? Based on the other books found in the library, this is most likely referring to someplace called Ginnungagap. You can look it up if you want, but good luck. The gods have blacked out anything important. Or at least... most of what was important.

I can't be the only one curious about this, can I?

[ The backdrop is only the wall of her room in House Hel and in place of a missing crown her hair is braided back from her face. ]

I am Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen. I traveled with many of you to the front at Alfheim, though this world remembers my face from a time now lost to me. If we once had dealings in the past I would speak with you of them.

[ Better than bumping into each and every person one at a time, as she's been doing for over a week now. A beat, and she continues. ]

Among you are men and women that claim the Seven Kingdoms their home, to whom my family name and titles are more familiar. Whether you hail from Westeros or the Free Cities and beyond - I make only two simple requests. [ Many of them have already come forward, but there is at least one false name that doesn't match up and one Kingslayer that hasn't shown his face. ] To friends, I ask that you tell me of your time in Asgard. [ Her back and shoulders remain straight, her gaze hardening just a fraction. ] To all others, [ oathbreakers and pretenders alike ] convince me that our cause in this world is truly a common one.

[ And that no blood needs to be spilled on these foreign streets. Their feuds can resume back home where they can be settled and not forgotten.

Or just stay out of her way. Khaleesi out. ]

[This month has been a steaming sack of shit for Sam Winchester and it's beginning to show -- he's pale, has bags underneath his eyes, and looks like he hasn't slept in days. His home is intact, but he knows some other buildings in Asgard aren't, and Sam is beginning to develop a powerful migraine right in the base of his skull that he wants to attempt removing with a hacksaw.

Normally, Sam has a lot of patience for this kind of stuff -- panic and disarray is kind of the Winchesters' deal. But right now all Sam wants to do is lock his door and ignore everyone plus their mother, because right now, the closest people to him have done nothing but lie to his face about how everything is fine and dandy when in reality, Sam is falling apart at the seams.

Still, Sam has a point to prove -- and when he speaks, it's careful and calm, though a far cry from the normal gentle tone he carries when speaking to the panicked population of Asgard during times like these. He's overtired to the point of blind exhaustion and certainly doesn't have the strength to go around saving babies from burning buildings, but even though his entire life has crumbled to pieces, he's still a hunter.

People still need saving.]

Everyone who's injured needs to head the hospital -- and the able-bodied need to rally together and try to get to the people trapped in the collapsed buildings. The Citadel is a good place to get together, I think -- how about anyone willing to help out meet there? Bring water. The healers don't need to deal with heat stroke on top of everything else.

[Sam pauses for a few moments before drawing in a steady breath, releasing it slowly.]

Stay safe.

( [Filtered to Team Merlinatural // Private // Unhackable] )

[He's been hiding for a long time. Hiding from his madness, his death, the aftermath of the split worlds; hiding from the truth. But something needs to be said.]

Fuck.

[Okay, so that wasn't a good start. He scrubs his hands over his face, which looks tired and drawn, and starts again.]

Yeah, it's true. Our heads really do blow up. But that's not it, I'm betting you all figured that out your own ways. What I've gotta say is, if you saw me when everything was upside down -

[Pinching the bridge of his nose now. God, this is fucking awkward.]

- I had control, alright. Back home, I'd learned to stop the rush. Mostly. But getting it all back like that in one hit would screw anyone up. Some mutations, they're - [No, he won't spill everything about Pyrokinesis; he won't make himself look weak.] - anyway. That shit you saw me do, I might as well have been on crack. I'm not a psycho. Yeah, I like to fight, and I won't back down, but I'm not a psycho.

[He glares out at the city.] Laugh if you want. I don't give a shit what most of you think.

[But some people needed to hear this, and there were too many to contact individually. So this had to be said, and it was, and now he's switching off the feed.]

((ooc: BACKTAGS ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. I just didn't want to miss the chance to address his aftermath in some way.))