[Network] - WEEKLY BULLETIN - open

[inthenightmods]

WEEKLY BULLETIN

announcements

• What do you get when you combine a Catholic and a spirit child? I don't know, it's not a joke, it's just an announcement that one of the spirits-- a baby, it looks like-- has been adopted.


• What an awful week, though. Both the exploration group and the distraction group did so well, and honestly? It made a difference. You guys should be proud.


• On a lighter note, autumn is just around the corner! Look for temp drops and gusty weather cropping up in the next week or so.

classifieds

• None.


• If you wish to submit an advertisement, please drop them by the post office.

obituaries

• Capt. Ben Winters: at least he died as he lived: doing something worthwhile. Thank you, Winters.


• Number Five: clever right to the end.


• A whole host of people have gone missing since the party... We haven't found their bodies or their lanterns yet, but I think it's safe to assume they're probably gone. Here's the list: Melisandre, Yaeris, Gene Hicks, Ahven Sychantus, Scott Ryder, Nathan Drake, Brienne of Tarth, Raylen Givens, John Constantine, Chloe Frazier, Irwin Wade, Elisha Harper, Dick Grayson, Aragorn, Rafe Adler, Billy Russo, Ben Hargreeves, Kyna Midha, Washington, Sam Drake, Daniel Riordan, Replica Riku Dawn, Eleven, Shadow Moon

[Worthy of note: this bulletin comes to you not via a newspaper, but by the network, now that Robin's connected with you guys once more!]

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Comments

Re: @keeper; text

[knifecollecting]

[Oh, she hadn't expected a response.]

That's good. If I can help, let me know.

[beaconkeeper]

👍 You got it, girl. Thanks.

[callada]

I have a feeling something about her meaning was lost in the message. But maybe that's just unwarranted optimism.

[Because, uh, yeah. Whatever the Keeper thinks they'll gain by exploring on their own, he doesn't get why they can't have a map to direct their efforts. Does she not really want to help them survive? She says to ask her if there's anything she can help with, but he tried that and she refused. It didn't leave a good impression on top of his existing frustration.]

She did say something to the others about how if she dies, if her lighthouse light goes out, someone needs to fill in immediately or we risk all being killed quickly. The lighthouse itself is significant and the light is her lantern.

[callada]

Them and others. It wasn't all defense. But they were good people for the job and we'll need to replace them one way or another. I do think we were all... uninformed, more than any other problem.

[All the warnings up to that point had been vague, and he was only fortunate in having spoken to Will not long before leaving, who told him the things attacked like animals rather than some of the supposed wizards present among them. No obvious magic, just sharp teeth and claws. But when you can't see past the dim radius of lantern light, even animals can overwhelm.]

I have ideas on how to set up better next time we have to attempt something like that, but I hope we don't have to.

[pure_havoc]

[he reaches to open the door of the bar and naturally holds it for Rosinante. Might as well]

If you don't mind, I should like you to share your experiences with everyone. Most of us who remained behind don't really know what happened out there. What you saw, how you fought. It may come in handy to determine how to protect others, going forward.

[he's blunt rather than cajoling but it occurs to him that Rosinante, and anyone else from the teams who made it back, has it in them to influence the rest of the town to action. If they only knew what the actual threat out there was, they might take preparations seriously]

[equinoctials]

[ You are, Vanitas says, and Riku measures the possible impact, whether there's any value in denying it, and why.

Anyone on that list might still be out there, lost, maybe trying to make their way back. Or they might just show up in this church one day, resurrected by whatever mysterious process brings a dubiously fortunate few back to this place.

Concluding that he has no way of predicting with any reliability how Vanitas will take this, he slowly shakes his head. You're always looking for your friends is baiting, he won't take it. ]

Sure feels like it. Dawn's not here, Vanitas.

[catholicisms]

I'll see what I can do. Anything else? Want me to get you some coffee while I'm at it?

( aka you're being kinda demanding pete, just fyi!!!!! how rude, turning the sad blind guy until your errand boy! )

[evulsed]

I know that.

[ Not because he has some inherent way of tracking him, no matter how he might be able to feel the way darkness moves around him, but because he hasn't seen him appear. Vanitas might not know much about the way this world works, but he does know what happened after he died himself, how he came back— so this is where they'd be.

Regardless, he could take or leave the replica. He could take or leave almost any of these people from his own world. ]

None of them are here yet.

[paletteswap]

Hm.

[He hasn't even talked to her and he's already less than impressed.]

So someone would need to put their own flame in the lighthouse? And then be bound to it? It would be helpful to know more about how the lighthouse functions then. The horn seemed to communicate with the forest creatures.

[paletteswap]

No. I'm determined to see you human again.

[webshoots]

Black, please, and if you’ve discovered a way to make it more palatable than what they serve at the Invincible, I’m all ears.

...Sorry, but you know I was just throwing out ideas, right? If you find out anything that we haven’t discovered yet by the meeting, that’d be amazing, but I’m not expecting you to find all the answers either by then or by yourself.

[ like CALM DOWN there matty boy. ]

[equinoctials]

[ Sora has that effect on people. ]

...

[ Riku doesn't know for sure. He's not sure what it was like for Sora in the time between he felt Vanitas die and when Vanitas returned, he's not sure if there was a vacant ache in his heart the way he has now, heart raw and bleeding around where Dawn's presence should be.

He doesn't think Dawn is going to wake up in this church, now or tomorrow or ever. ]

Yet? Huh, so you can hope.

[equinoctials]

[ Riku wrinkles his nose a little at the acrid smoke, regretting his decision to sit next to him - nothing personal, but like with Gene, the company was good but the tobacco smoke doesn't agree with him.

He doesn't complain. ]

Yeah...

[ It's staggering to think that their chances of failure are so high, that they're existing on borrowed time. Another reset could sweep the board clean and replace them with newer, less damaged pieces. ]

Experience, age, none of the factors people thought would matter saved anyone.

[ Mary is the youngest and assumedly the least experienced of them all and she survived. ]

If I learn anything that doesn't get into the log book, I'll keep you in the loop. Can I count on you to do the same?

[evulsed]

[ Vanitas lowers his chin, just a little, watching Riku from under the shadow of his eyelashes. He hasn't stopped to consider what Riku might feel about his twin, because he doesn't know how to articulate something so gentle as empathy; or to define it or understand it. That he'd felt it for Sora doesn't change his lack of understanding. ]

I just know what happened to me.

[equinoctials]

You came back.

[ Riku shouldn't let the bitterness enter his answer and yet, there it is, an ugly sentiment. Jealous. Resentful. They can relate as far as the Darkness goes, but any connection Riku has made has been with his fists.

At the same time... he actually finds himself caring whether Vanitas is still around or not. It's not about his resemblance or connection to Sora. Not exactly. It's more nuanced than that. More tied to the Darkness, to the orchestrator at the center of great influence in both their lives. ]

Who are you waiting here for?

[callada]

Of course I-

[As always, he has to stoop to enter. This time he makes it inside without flopping forward onto his face. Just when he thinks he's gotten off easy, he stumbles into a chair. In trying to separate the furniture from his leg - which should be an easy thing - he knocks over an entire table and somehow ends up underneath it as it inverts onto the floor.

Man, he was doing so well for so long, too, but you can't have a streak of good without a streak of bad.

He waves in the general direction of Cao Pi as if to say yes, he's still fine, thanks, all good, then drags himself out from under the table with a grunt and sets about picking things back up.]

Uh. Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say.

[Yep he's prime serious preparations guy. Believe.]

[pure_havoc]

[stumbling in the dark as they walk on uneven paths is one thing. Completely obliterating a table inside a building is quite another. Cao Pi refrains from checking this time, though his eyes follow the flicker of the lantern just to be sure. Otherwise, he stands back, doing his best not to roll his eyes too loudly.]

It's not important. If it's about plans, it can wait until the meeting.

[that should, at least, give them an opening to talk about other things. He's still got notions of asking about the things he saw at the grave, after all. First, though, he turns away and goes to look for cups and the tea. Better to at least make an attempt at this even though he frankly has no idea how to tea. He has people for that!]

[callada]

Yes. Despite my frustration with her, I recognize that we have a lot we can learn from her. Her lighthouse itself must have all sorts of resources. I recall reading that she wasn't the first to the position, there were others before her - so I imagine it might hold documentation on all sorts of things that a person in the role of Keeper should know.

[And Robin had herself said, again, that she will give answers if asked. For some things other than maps, that might even be true.]

[callada]

[Ah, yep, that's acceptable. It was probably related. There's a lot to think on anyway and while he doesn't mind thinking a little out loud so that he and Cao Pi can discuss, there isn't a whole lot they can come up with right now of substance. Not until they have everyone else assembled so they can work out what they all agree to, and not until they've heard whatever it is that Will has to say.

The chair rocks a little unevenly as he sets it upright. Hm, might have bent it slightly. Oh well, it stands. So he brushes himself off and collects his poor abused lantern, then asks the spirits who eagerly pile up onto each other to mimic his height if they would boil them some water. These ones, at least, seem still present and entirely harmless, for now.]

Do you need a hand with anything?

[Rosinante offers mostly to be polite. There likely isn't much that needs to be done beyond selecting a few cups and then finding sugar, tea, and milk. He's probably got that handled.]

[pure_havoc]

[Well he's got the cups, that's a start. But it's probably clear from the slightly perplexed crease between his brows, Cao Pi is not used to preparing anything in the food realm any more complicated than pouring wine. He does not have any of this handled, no.]

Which did you say you prefer? I'm used to tea without anything added.

[the spirits are thankfully a huge help, so he sidles casually out of their way and sets out the cups to wait to be filled]

[callada]

This one's fine.

[Which isn't to say that he's sure he prefers it, but it's plenty drinkable. He's not sure what "English Breakfast" is supposed to mean, he'd just picked it on a whim one day and found that it's apparently just black tea, which is all he'd been going for. Whatever "English" is, they must be hardy people if all they have for breakfast is tea. Or maybe it's a joke. It's hard to know what breakfast is in a place where there's no sun and sleeping happens when you're tired.

The spirits bring over a pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar, and so he waits at the bar rather than taking any of it to a table. Might as well not make the little things carry boiling water across the tavern.]

It ends up being something like what I've had at home, though we have lots of other kinds there too. Lots that are better than this, but I guess I'm not that picky.

[pure_havoc]

[bit by bit Cao Pi is learning about other cultures and how they eat. He never had sugar, only honey and sometimes fruit, so that's new. He definitely wouldn't have considered doing any of this to tea but given his high standards, it might actually make it palatable. Or do the opposite. Hm.

Excuse him while he dips a finger in the sugar to taste]

Ah. So you like your drinks sweet. You know, it fascinates me that tea, of all things, seems to have crossed so many boundaries. Tea, and alcohol. But then, I suppose it is human nature no matter what world they come from to need to get drunk once in a while.

[callada]

Coffee's the third one. Tobacco's a fourth. We all just want to make ourselves feel better.

[Shrug.]

Dunno that I'd say I like my drinks sweet normally, but it's just what most people do with strong black tea so I'm used to it. I don't normally put sugar in coffee, on the other hand. Only if someone burned it, or made it too strong.

[Idiot cabin boys are the type to never get coffee right and if he was picky about his caffeine he'd never get any work done. They could stand to take lessons from Baby 5 because when she wasn't purposefully trying to burn him, she did actually manage pretty well.

A few sturdy forest spirits waddle over and are joined by others to form a couple towers with which to pass along the heated kettle until it reaches their cups. Rosinante watches them pour carefully, happy to let them do it. Given his track record in the last fifteen minutes, he'd probably spill it all over himself.]

[pure_havoc]

Those are two things I'm not familiar with. Not to say they don't exist in my world, but if they do they're from far away and haven't reached my court, yet.

[he nods his approval to the spirits, who chitter happily that they managed a job well done, and sniffs somewhat dubiously at the packet of tea before putting it in to steep.]

Well. I do like trying new things, so while tea isn't new, your additions are worth testing. What about honey, have you tried that?

[callada]

Yeah, it's just harder to come by. Some islands have lots of flowers and lots of bees but it must just be easier to grow and ship sugar cane, or sugar beets. Honey's kind of a special treat.

[And usually served drizzled over pastries, or spooned onto buns with cream. Why must honey be ruined by pairing it with bread? Dressrosa is known for its honey, he recalls reading - must be all the flowers that make it possible.

The tea will have to steep for a few minutes, so standing here it is. Means it's time for another cigarette, so he lifts his lantern up onto the bar and opens the top so he can expose one to the flame.]

Anyway, if you want to get familiar with coffee and tobacco there's plenty to go around. Rastus so far hasn't had any trouble getting cigarettes.