O-oi! Whose idea was it to use my desk for their filing cabinet? I have to work here you know -- what do you mean, they're all mine ... ?

[That sure is a big stack of files on that desk. Almost bigger than the person to whom that desk belongs -- but since that person is Conan, this is not such a big deal! A view shared by the woman who Conan is talking to, who seems to laugh as she leans back against her noticeably emptier desk.

Conan grumbles, evidently not seeing the humour in the situation.]

So what are these ... the reports for Detective Beckett -- ah, I didn't expect them to be done this soon. Guess that means the lecture was a success! And this -- the analysis of the plants. No changes? Then Henrik can take this ... Oh, the domestic in Freya? Not looking for a third party, no ... but I'll have to talk to Yuri-sensei and Edgeworth-sensei about the situation.

[Conan goes tip-toe to starts sorting through the files as he talks.] Ha ... looks like I'm not going to get to work on the newcomer guide today either. Or the supply kits ... Speaking of -- I had a meeting with the Director about staffing. He agrees that we should be looking to recruit travellers with more knowledge in the field of--

[Field of what? Sadly, it will have to remain a mystery for now -- because rearranging the files on his desk, Conan has unwittingly triggered an avalanche of paperwork. That huge pile on his desk has given way, sweeping the tiny detective with it -- and the feed ends abruptly obscured by a sea of folders.]

((ooc: if your character might be interested in joining the forensics department, take a look at this! Thank you!))

[ when the video flickers on, there's the face of a very uncertain girl, biting her bottom lip. when she realizes that the video worked, she quickly bows, before speaking in an equally uncertain voice. ]

H-hello! [ ahhhhhh nerves. /)_(\ she pauses here, as though plucking up her courage, before looking into the screen imploringly. ] I... I'm sorry for taking up your time, if you are listening. I just had a question that I wanted to ask. [ deep breath! ] I just wanted to know if... if everyone's eyes could still...

[ ... but that's so unclear askfdsal. she pauses again, as though trying to recollect her thoughts. ]

Can everyone still see what they normally 'see'?

[ another pause. and then, she kind of deflates. in a sheepish voice-- ] ... ahhh, I'm sorry. This must be such a strange question.

[Imagine, if you will, that you grew up with a girl who's a bit... well, "OCD" might be putting it kindly. Ever since you can remember, every day has been to-do lists and organization and neatness out the wazoo. Which is fine in its way! You've learned some good work habits from her, and life with her has been a pretty happy thing overall. But then when you come to Asgard, and you find yourself living in a completely different district from the aforementioned girl, with your own room and your own wages and nopony to tell you to clean this and sort that... Long story short, it can be tempting to let things slide a little. Or... a lot.

Which explains why, this fine evening, anyone within the vicinity of Heimdall house's 8th floor will hear a startled cry:] Oh no. No no no, whoa, don't -- aaugh! [Immediately followed by a loud CRASH. It sounded like a big pile of books, plates, clothes, and various other junk, falling on top of a poor, unsuspecting ex-dragon. Because, well, that's exactly what it was.

Spike's video feed clicks on at this moment; possibly in his wild flailing to protect himself, he accidentally smacked his bracelet. There's no one visible in the messy room at first, but after a moment the pile of stuff on the floor shifts, and he growls and sits up in the middle of it. His green hair is sticking in all directions; there's a sock on his shoulder, a rock candy wrapper stuck to his cheek, and a silver tiara hanging off one ear. He scowls and speaks aloud to himself, as if dictating a letter:]

"Dear Princess Celestia... Today I learned that living on your own is harder than it looks. Sincerely, Spike."

[Spike groans and gets to his feet, shedding junk as he stands.] Geez, look at this mess. Alright, I've been lazy for more than long enough. Time to bite the bullet and clean this up.

[At this point he glances up and jumps, finally noticing the video is on. His cheeks turn red, but he grins sheepishly and waves.] Ehehe. Don't suppose anybody in Heimdall wants to come up to room 804 and help out? I could make us all dinner when we're done! I've been practicing with cookbooks from the library, and I think I've got the hang of human cooking now.

[Well, whether or not anyone's interested in helping, this cleaning isn't gonna do itself. Right before the video ends, Spike can be seen cracking his knuckles, rolling up his sleeves, and getting to work.]

[today on the network, there's a video of a purple-haired woman, looking impeccably styled and made up as usual. she'll clear her throat and wave to the camera before speaking up]

Hello, Asgard! If we haven't met already, my name is Rarity, and I do hope we'll all get along nicely! I hope all of you are settling in nicely since your arrival.

However, today I am not just here to introduce myself. I have a very important question!

Might anyone be familiar with the process of acquiring some real estate outside of the rooms we are given in our Houses? I am familiar with how to do so in Ponyville, but I assume acquiring any sort of establishment here may be a bit different! You see, I would rather like to open my boutique here, if possible ... !

[she sighs, wistfully recalling the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, where everything had been set up just the way she liked -- her studio, her shelves, the counter, the fitting room ... but she'll shake it off, and clasp her hands together with a smile]

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

[ The network has a lot of people on it, almost too many— and despite having coaxed herself out of her shell slightly, Shiemi couldn't help being intimidated by talking to that many people at once! It's taken her a few minutes to get up the nerve to actually try posting, but once she does, all of that determination she's built up sort of ends up...

Well, exploding, nearly yelling at the feed. ] H-Hello, everyone!!

[ Though her face is as red as a tomato, she manages to breathe and smile abnormally widely before continuing, seeming to gain confidence with every passing moment. ] My name is Shiemi Moriyama! I've only been here for a few hours, but it's nice to meet all of you! I-I've never used anything like this before, but I wanted to give it a try! I hope I'm doing it right...

[ She doesn't look so sure of this, but it doesn't seem to deter her, either. ] I was told it was a good way to get in contact with people, and that seemed like a good idea, I thought. I'm looking for some friends of mine. If anyone from True Cross Academy is here, I think... [ It feels a little strange, being the one to suggest a plan of action, considering that's usually the other Exwire's area of expertise, or even the teachers!

But she really thinks... ] I think we should regroup! [ That's the word she's looking for, isn't it? Regroup? ]

So please call me back if you see this! And to everyone else, I hope we can be friends!!

[Have a video feed of a kind of ugly cat, guys. It's off-white and scruffy, with torn up ears and a kink in its tail and one eye -- but somehow kind of cute anyway. And it's pretty bloated -- it's either wormy or pregnant, and it's trying to get into Kanda's lap as he sits on the front steps of the apartment building in Loki district.]

Turns out if you feed strays, they keep coming back.

Who likes cats? She's due soon.

[ Chihaya doesn't seem TOO busted up from the recent slew of fairy attacks; her hands are bandaged, but that's about it. When she speaks UP, though, her voice sounds rather hoarse... but that's neither here nor there, as she cuts straight to the chase. ]

I'm sorry for bothering everyone, but I have a few questions. First, does anyone know if the recent disappearances are related to the fairy attacks in some way? I know that people have been disappearing before they occurred, but it just seems... strange.

[ She pauses a bit awkwardly. ]

Second, does... does anyone know what day it is? I've lost track. Other than that... I hope everyone's doing okay. I'm curious to hear what powers were the most effective against the fairies; if anyone has any information on that, please let me know. Oh, and-

[ And then because she's mildly tech-challenged, she completely fails her following attempt to filter this to Shiage Hamazura: ]

Hamazura, are you free right now?

[ With that ambiguous last message, Chihaya cuts the feed. ]

[It's been a common thread in many of her conversations with friends - slow down, relax, have fun - and she's been thinking about it more since losing Jr., who was always so eager to cheer her up and keep her enjoying herself. But she gets most of her enjoyment from working and doing things for others, so she's at a bit of a loss. Shopping with Yukari was a bit stressful, so she doesn't think that will ever be a hobby of hers. But maybe she can find out some more from the network.

She still won't waste time, and certainly won't get involved in the gods' games. But it's worth trying out a new hobby, isn't it? She does have some downtime...]

Hi, everyone. I keep being told I need to find ways to relax and have fun between my work and my training, but my favourite hobby is my work and has been for awhile, so I'm looking for new ones. Favourite books, movies or video games - easy ones, please, I've only played one before - or other things you like to do, whichever. I'm open to just about anything.

[Well, open to just about any suggestion.]

If you can help me out, it'd really be appreciated.

[ Hey there, Asgard. Grinning at you is a particular spider girl, who for some reason seems particularly spidery today.

Which may or may not be because she's holding up one hand in front of her, and crawling rapidly across her fingers is an actual spider. ]

( cut for more spiders. no pictures, but lots of discussion of them. don't click if you h8 spiders! )

Anyway. Hey, Roxas! I've got a faaaaaaaavor to ask you. You better contact me when you see this!

[ With that, she reaches up to the screen. Though she feed seems to shut off, she actually leaves it open for one person. ]

( Locked to Sam )

You too, Mr. Hunter.

[We open in Odin's Great Library, one of the more easily accessible halls near the entrance. Spike stands before the screen, beaming happily... but it's not too hard to tell that the smile is a little forced.]

Hey, fillies and gentlecolts! Or however humans say that. You're all looking at the Great Library's newest page! I gotta say, getting this job was even easier than I thought it'd be. After spending so much time in the Ponyville library, going back to one where all the books are labeled and the shelving plan doesn't change every few weeks? Cakewalk.

[Once he's done sharing this, Spike pauses briefly, smile faltering. Soon he adopts a more serious face, leaning closer to the screen.]

So, uh, obviously that's not the only reason I'm recording. I... I've been thinking a lot, since the dragon and that announcement this morning. If we really are... heading into a war... I'm definitely not ready. I don't have any practice with my power, I still feel kinda clumsy in this body... and I don't know how to fight. I mean, I can scrap a little, but in a real fight... I'd probably just get myself beaten up. Or worse.

So what I was wondering... was if there was anypo-- anybody here who's a good fighter, and wouldn't mind teaching a guy who's got just about no experience. I just started working, so I probably won't be able to pay much, but maybe we can work something out? [He runs a hand through his hair.] Just let me know if you're interested. Thanks.

So, if the dragon is to believed, there's a war coming, and we're all expected to participate. [He pauses, then shakes his head.] No, maybe not expected, but if someone's planning on attacking the city, then it affects all of us anyway. With the walls sealing us in, we've nowhere else to go.

That means we'll be seeing more of what happened--the fires, the injuries--and we need to be prepared when they strike next. I don't know about the newer folk, but a lot of us who were here since the beginning have been practicing the powers the gods gave us. I think...if we're going to give ourselves a good chance of surviving this war, we should all try to work together...help each other.

[There's a pause as he fiddles with something off-screen.] I was thinking, each house should have a few people volunteer to teach the newer members how their powers work. We all sort of blundered through it the first time around, but I don't think we have the time to do that anymore. Not if the dragon and its companions are serious about the war.

Anyway, Sigyn's part of the city has a hospital, and the healers there are--[Whatever he's about to say next is lost in a sudden yelp. Merlin jerks his hand back and frowns at it, just as a smallish form practically launches itself at him.

And down he goes, flailing his arms as he falls off his chair. The bracelet manages to catch the words that sound suspiciously like "Ow! What was that for, Arch--" before the video cuts off.]

[Should you wake up to find yourself in a new world, with a new body, and no sign of the people (or, perhaps, ponies) you knew... Well, there are many ways to respond. There are those who panic, those who cry or scream out their displeasure, those who accept their fate and do what they can to adapt...

And then there are those who just grumble and grouch. Like this skinny teenager with his spiky green hair and conspicuous lack of a shirt. (The video cuts off at shoulder-height, so who knows if he's wearing anything else.) He looks briefly impressed at the display his bracelet is giving him, but shortly settles back down into a scowl.]

This thing can send a message to everypony in the whole city? Sheesh. So even if I still had my fire breath, that's me out of a job. Maybe there's a library I can sort books at or something...

Well, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Spike. I'm supposed to be a dragon, but now I'm... I dunno what I am. [He looks down at his body bemusedly.] Pink. And all soft. I miss my scales already. [And now back up to the camera.] So... If there's anypony else from Equestria here, let me know? Otherwise I guess I'll just go find my new "house". At least they gave me a map.

[Having a plan, however small, seems to help a little. Spike seems calmer as he turns off his feed.]