[ Live from Asgard's 'Great Library' this evening, a set of bookshelves taking up the majority of the background behind her, is a familiar, serious-looking face-- albeit one that's been lying pretty low outside her job at the hospital for the last little while. Despite the rather close set of the 'camera,' it's fairly obvious where she is... although for some reason she appears to be standing rather than sitting, and keeps glancing off and down at something she must be following some kind of directions off of.

Actually, she... seems to be wrapping her hands, using a long, dark red something, her slim fingers flashing into frame occasionally as she calmly addresses her bracelet- ]

How many of you are familiar with sparring, without the use of weapons?

[ ... Was it mentioned she was in the library during this? Yes? Well, hopefully she isn't bothering anyone too much, then. Eventually, she does take her leave of the place, heading over to where she fits in better instead: the arena, where she can be found frowning and outright attacking some hapless punching bag late into the night.

Perhaps someone forgot to tell her you're supposed to take it easy and primp the day before a party?? ]

( (lead into voice post): Cloud's reactions to being stabbed have never been entirely normal. )

Tifa!

Tifa, come back. [ With his labored breathing it's too staggered to be an order, sounding more like a desperate plea. ] Tell me what I did. I can't... [ It's not in her to hate any but the most awful people and there's a surge of terror that he's done something, will do something in his future horrible enough to make him that. But it's still not right. She was talking to him normally, smiling, why would she do that if she hated him? And... ] It's not like you to run away. So...please, come back.

( (action--Sigyn, with Vanille) )

[The feed flickers on to reveal a rather serious-looking girl with long, silver hair; she appears to be seated on the steps leading up to one of the God Houses, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. At the moment, she's not looking at the camera, and instead, it's as if her attention is drawn to anyone who may be passing by in the area instead.]

Etro does not watch over these lands. A new goddess serves as my patron.

[She goes quiet again, apparently content to just watch the passersby for a while. When she does finally turn to look at the camera, her expression is nigh unreadable, and the tone of her voice is as calm and steady as ever.]

The timeline is different--unknowable.

[Yeul turns her gaze away again but quickly shifts it back, lips parted slightly as if she's about to say something. The moment passes, though, and she remains silent. After a little longer, she turns off the feed, but not before the faintest hint of a frown crosses her features.]

[When Sazh starts up the video feed, he's walking around the Freya welcome hall's main floor, trying to get a good look around now that's he's finally fully acknowledged the fact that he's here to stay.

He absentmindedly rubs the back of his head as he searches for something to say.]

This place isn't all that bad. [Which is true, even though his expression is less than cheerful as he says that. So far it looks like trying to be positive about this whole thing really isn't going to work out for him. He's in the middle of a sigh when a small yellow bird emerges from his afro and flies out of view of the feed.

Sazh follows the bird with the camera by turning the bracelet as it flies towards the spiral slide.]

Don't get any ideas now. There's no way I'm going to use that thing. [The bird chirps in response as Sazh shakes his head.] Yeah, yeah. I get that you think it'd be fun, but can you really see an old man like me making it down that thing? [There's another series of chirps from the bird and this time Sazh nods.] Right. Can't be getting sidetracked now, can we?

[Sazh turns his attention back to the screen, looking at it intently as he focuses the camera back on him. Now it’s time for the real reason why he started this broadcast.]

Now, have any of you out there heard of a kid by the name of “Dajh”? Whether you have or not, let me know. Dajh is my son, and if he’s out there I need to find him as soon as possible.

[He rubs the back of his head again.] … Thanks in advance.

[The feed goes black as Sazh shuts it off.]

[ today in heimdall district, one (1) noel kreiss can be found (unsuccessfully) searching for artefacts-- in other words, running around like a headless chicken looking in strange places while questioning the natives who walk past him. his video feed on the network clicks on to the last few seconds of the hunt, with only a facepalm to show for his troubles. ]

Ooookay, talking to these guys isn't really getting me anywhere. I'm guessing it's the same for everyone else-- probably has something to with the whole "grey and emotionless" thing. Just a theory. [ there's something of a scoff attached to that statement. ] So humour me: just what do we know about this place? Has anyone been here for longer than the rest?

[ a pause, and then he continues anyway. no harm in asking. ]

I'm mostly looking for inconsistencies: things that don't seem to belong, even somewhere as weird as this. [ without mog, he has to resort to asking the old fashioned way. ] If you see anything that seems to fit that description, let me know. It'll probably be obvious, so don't strain yourself looking too hard.

( Action | Sigyn House )

[Well, something's definitely not right. In fact, something's very wrong here. Very wrong indeed.

Anyone who resides at the Sigyn house might feel a slight disturbance in the Force air. The structure itself may even literally shake a little as huge booted feet storm up the walkway and onto the porch, although... as soon as Snow gets there, he halts in his stride, simply pulling open the door and entering. He's been there before, after all, it's not like he's new to the place. He doesn't need to be an intruder, even with his heart pounding the way it is.

You see, he's lost something very important to him. Something that was once in this house. And he's not going to believe it until he's questioned every person in his path, left no stone un-turned... you get the point.]

--

( Video | Later that evening... )

[Once Snow's recording starts, there's the glimpse of a bed beneath him, a few haphazard things scattered on the floor. Obviously, it's his bedroom. And he's slumped a little, gloved fingers idly toying with something shining and translucent he's holding in the opposite hand.]

Hey.

[He's not looking at the camera at all, gaze focused instead on that very bauble he's holding onto. The thing's cupped in his big hands like it's something fragile and living that could be easily broken to pieces in his strong grasp, or snuffed out, like a flame.]

Just thought I'd let you guys know. I dunno when she left or where she's gonna go now, but Serah's gone.

[And he leaves it at that, reaching to click off the feed, not once meeting the video with his eyes.]

[someone does not look like they're having the best of times. He's got books scattered about the table, all flipped open and dumped on eachother haphazardly and a good look might tell you he's not been having the best sleep for a while.

That's not what he's here to talk about today, though. He rubs the bridge of his nose and sighs]

Think I've seen this kind of thing get mentioned before, but I was just thinking-- have we got any kind of system for dealing with these attacks? First responders, field medics. People to lead district evacs if shit gets too hairy. That kind of thing.

'Cause I wouldn't doubt this kind of thing is gonna happen again, far as I can tell we did alright with the [...] fairies. But whatever comes next is probably gonna be harder to fight off.

Can't help thinking we'd only benefit if most of us were on the same page with this. [shrug]


[Filtered to Cloud]

If you've got a minute, I wanna talk to you.

[it's not really a request so much as a demand for your time, Cloud]

[VIDEO]

So that's how it goes, huh?

[That may be a somewhat unamused Australian crossing her arms and staring back at the bracelet she's got. Fang's not too pleased. She was just fighting Orphan with the rest of the team, only to suddenly be brought here, unannounced.]

Much as I love bein' brought in t'save worlds as the next person, you'd think gods would get the message when we were tryin' to get rid o'the Fal'Cie back home. [She cocks her eyebrow at this.] 'Course, far as I know, these ones'll want to kill off humanity too, for their own reasons.

[A sigh, and she thinks for a moment before saying anything.]

Don't have what I used to, either. I guess y'could call these guys "gracious" since they let me keep my spear, but anythin' else? Can't feel it.

[At that, Fang gestures to the spear [[bottom right]] on her back.]

Anyone mind tellin' me a way out? I can't stay, 'm needed back home.

[ACTION]

[Don't mind the tall woman walking along the halls and inspecting things. It's kind of like Cocoon here, only really gray and kind of primitive. Not as primitive as Oerba, but she's pretty used to the shiny things by now. So feel free to bug her, if you'd like. She doesn't bite... much.]

Okay, so maybe this place doesn't totally suck.

[A shrug. Oh yeah, it's Zephyr again...finally. He's found himself a table somewhat out of the way, and has started to strip down and clean his guns. The feed shifts down every so often while he works to show them on the table, all the pieces carefully picked apart and arranged in an almost OCD-like order as he cleans and checks them one by one. There's a pair of boxes to the extreme right, but they're close so one could only guess what is in there]

It's more stupid than anything else. Seriously, what was the deal with the cupcakes? [Not that he didn't enjoy them, but really] Also, some of you are weird. Real weird. Who even uses whips anymore?

[He starts reassembling the handgun now, and after starting, manages to keep doing it without even looking and instead focusing on the feed]

Okay, business time. Where do I get ammo around here? There's gotta be...

[Last piece, pulls it back, snaps forward and he tosses it in the air a few times. Yup, feels right. He holsters it, then pulls out a second handgun and starts to take it apart]

...a place around here. And I'm gonna need a lot of ammo. Armor piercing, hollow point. I got a bunch of duds I need to get rid of now. Used to work, but I guess this place has a problem with ammo that can freeze a person in place.

[And then after a few moments...mostly spent dissembling the weapon in silence]

Also, I guess...this magic crap? How do I use it?

[ yeah, sorry, asgard. you're going to be seeing a lot of this face as the feed cuts in and out. guess what, he's spamming the gem-button-thing to see what it does. what is this witchcraft what is going on and after maybe a minute or so, it comes on and stays on. ]

Yeah, okay. This still makes no sense. Is this the Spirit World? This better not be the Spirit World. I don't know if I could go without a bathroom again.

[ and there's that same suspicious look, still, as he looks around. it's obviously he's just kind of talking to the air; does he really believe that this thing lets him communicate with others? no way. that kind of thing is impossible! ]

Who's Thor? And why am I living in his house again? Sorry, but saving worlds is the Avatar's job, not mine. I'm just the guy who throws boomerangs. We just finished saving our world, can't a guy get a break and enjoy it?!

[ and there's some kind of frustrated sigh as he scratches at his jaw. ]

Man, I hope Suki's here. Or Katara. Or anyone. I think I'd even take Jet at this point. At least I can move around now...


[ooc; yep. there's sokka. o/]

Ah— hello...? I'm not really sure how many people can hear this... (She sounds a little awkward, unsure of how to address this mystery mass of listeners.)

My name's Serah. Serah Farron. I'm a little lost... or confused, I guess. I stayed and listened to the maid for a while, but there are still so many things that just don't add up, you know? I mean, if this isn't Cocoon, then are we on Pulse? And the gods - they sound a lot like fal'Cie, but... something's off. I'd appreciate any information you could give me.

(There's a brief pause, and her voice sounds distant and heavy for a short moment.) I wonder how long it's been...?

Mm, anyway, I thought I'd put more stock in what you all had to say. We're all in the same boat, after all.

(Alas, another thoughtful pause, not so brief as the first.) This might be a long shot, but has anyone met someone by the name of Lightning? Or Snow?

[Enma stares at the bracelet for a good, long while. He looks uncertain, tense, nervous, like he's trying to muster up the will to say something but hasn't come up with much yet. You wouldn't be able to tell from the way he absently fidgets with the cuffs of his jacket and picks at a bandage on the back of his hand, but he's been doing a lot of thinking lately. He's been here for three weeks, knows he needs to get home, knows he has things to do, and he can't shake the feeling of complete helplessness. He hates it. Can't bear it, and underneath all the nervous energy is frustration and anger that just needs a bit more agitation before it boils over.

He wants to ask if anyone's gone home yet, or has thought of a way to leave, or has figured out more about what the gods want from them, but instead all he manages to say is:]

Wonder if they'll let us leave if we just paint the walls for them....

[It takes a short moment for him to get the sense that what he just said was insufferably dumb, and he nervously claps one hand over his face, slaps at his bracelet, and switches the feed off]

[The first thing that fills in the screen is ROSES. ROSES EVERYWHERE. And to follow up, it looks like a boy has searching around for someone. Although if you look more closer, it seems like judging from the nice legs, long hair and cute face? It's definitely a girl wearing boy's clothing.

And if you're around in the gardens, you may have noticed that this girl has been stretching her legs in the same place for the past five minutes. She looks kind of at a loss on what she should do next.]

Hm... Y'know, I thought that she would be hanging around in a place like this. She enjoys being around flowers, so it would make sense. Besides... It is a big garden, so we could've missed each other by an inch. Maybe I should give it one more go around before heading back to that place with the maid?

Now that I think about it, it's pretty creepy with how the people around here act. [If she could describe it, it would be like they were puppets in a play. No feelings, no emotions, no soul-- It's like seeing someone who wasn't all that there. It felt like they just went with the flow towards whatever anyone had told them to do. Maybe what disturbed Utena the most was how Anthy acted similar to these people at times... Even if she did not want to admit it.] C'mon, Utena Tenjou... Let's ask for some help.

Um, yo! Has anyone seen a girl with purple hair, green eyes and dark skin? Her name is Anthy Himemiya and she's a very kind hearted girl. If anyone has seen her around, then I'd appericate it if you could tell me where she is!

[ Tidus is wagging his wrist, suggestive that he smarted it somehow. After muttering something about a stupid bracelet, he glances at the screen with small surprise and seems to forget all about bruise forming on his wrist joint, a result from hitting his bracelet against a table until it worked. ]

O-oh, hey! Hey! Has anyone seen my old man—err, I mean Jecht? I've been looking everywhere, and I haven't seen a sign of him!

[ Evidently, there's a PB&J sandwich sitting nearby. He takes a generous bite out of it and talks with his mouth full. ]

Y'know, I ha' a fee'ing tha'—[ swallow ]—I'm not where I was supposed to go. I mean, I've never heard of a place called Asgard before. And who is this Thor guy, anyway? I don't recall ever pledging my allegiance to him. I swear, if this turns into another Yevon situation, I'll… I'll show 'im!

[ He sighs and takes another bite of his sandwich. He doesn't even know what his options are. With a headache forming, he ends his train of thought prematurely and scratches the back of his neck. Then, he seems to address the screen more personally. ]

Look, Dad, if you're around here… well, I'm not in a hurry, I guess, but I want to say a few words to you now that everything's settled. And you being here also means I'm in the right place, which I feel isn't the case. Or who knows, really? So anyways, just say something or come find me, if you're there.

And to everyone else? The name's Tidus! I'm from... [ shrug ] Zanarkand!

[ Finished. He pops the last of his sandwich in his mouth. ]

[Well, wherever he is, it sure as hell isn't the welcome hall the maid had pointed him towards. No, in fact, the angry kid being recorded has he plays with the bracelet and interface hasn't gone anywhere near his new home. Actually, from the look on his face, one might assume he's not just angry, but driven too. Though on what, or who, is all but impossible to guess until he starts talking]

Chosen by the gods? Is this some kind of joke? Who the hell do they think they are? I'm so sick of...

[He's muttering to himself right now, but conveniently, also realizes that the thing is working.

...he thinks.]

This working? Looks like it is. [He actually tries to poke it. That goes about as well as you will imagine, being a hologram and all. Enjoy the close up of his finger] Fancy stuff they got here. Shame about how they couldn't use any of it to clean up after themselves.

This place and these gods can go ahead and rot for all I care. I'm not buying the stuff that invincible maid was selling about there being no way out. So just point me in the direction of the way out already, and you can get back to being sheep for these faceless cowards.

—does this thing even- oh, there. That must mean it's working.

[A youth with a very serious face has appeared on the video feed. Look at those eyes, they're so deep, aren't they?]

This is not the afterlife I expected. I thought... I thought there may not have even been one for me. The Shade lied. Gods and goddesses, what is this place? What kind of madness have I been pulled into now?

[A small bit of hesitation. It's a long shot, but if he's supposed to be dead, then maybe the others...?]

Emil? Weiss? Are you guys here? ...Kainé... [No, she's supposed to be alive, unless that damned Shade really did lie about it all.] Do those names sound familiar to any of you people?

-- lot of fucking nerve...

[Hey folks! Say hello to Reno's face. Reno's face is looking a little worse for wear, with flecks of blood and soot and, well. Some people would argue that looking as angry as he does is really not attractive in the least.

He pulls a face once he notes the video's working - he hadn't really given much thought beyond "make sure you know how this thing works," and so now he's not actually sure what to say. He knows enough to know screaming and shouting demands isn't going to get him anywhere (fuck if he doesn't want to, though.) The smart thing to do - check for allies. Regroup.]

[SIGH. Soundin' mighty hostile about having to do this too.] Just in case it's of any interest to... anyone, this is Reno-- of the Turks. [...] If there's any Shin-Ra personnel around, I'd appreciate it if you just happened to feel like saying 'hi'.