[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

[pure_havoc]

[the slightest deadpan] I think my brief experience with tobacco is all I will ever need. But tell me about coffee...

[please get the emperor hooked on a stronger caffeine fix than tea, it'll end great]

[callada]

Easy to get here, just ask the spirits. Doctor Ingram must have trained them ages ago to just always have some ready.

[In fact, Will probably isn't far away with his table piled high with empty mugs. He seems to live here. Seems to subsist on caffeine and a more intangible sort of bitterness.]

It's stronger than tea in flavor and it'll wake you up twice as quickly. It's a bean instead of a leaf, but you grind it into a powder and mix it with hot water.

[callada]

Yeah, of course. If I find out anything that helps us all, I'm planning to make sure everyone finds out. There's no point keeping things to ourselves here.

[Yet. They may learn things they want to hide from individuals like Robin, meaning no network, no forest spirits listening in. But mostly he figures anything they can learn, she probably already knows, for now. And he can't really think of her as some sort of enemy, even after what she did. She isn't necessarily malicious, she probably does things for reasons that make sense to her, and they're operating without all the needed information.

Just have to wait and see. Good thing he has patience aplenty.]

[pure_havoc]

Stronger than tea...

[sold. He'll totally have some later. For now let's doctor this tea with some sugar. Just a tiny bit, no need to go crazy and regret it immediately, that would be such a waste]

The world is a vast and fascinating place. Or, the universe is, however you want to look at it. So many things I could try, now that I'm dead and I have access to anything I want. [wagging a finger as he takes his cup and turns to find a nice seat somewhere.] Except, apparently, a good xiaolongbao.

[saibot]

Something you cannot accomplish.

[equinoctials]

Thanks.

[ Riku appreciates his sense of discretion. Being someone who absolutely has done some pretty terrible things (sometimes with some good intentions behind them), he's a little more at ease with the gray areas; being completely open and honest isn't objectively the right thing to do 100% of the time.

Riku pushes himself up to his feet, dusting himself off with a few pats. ]

I gotta go.

[ He's not really in any condition to go searching for the bodies of their missing friends, but he's going to anyway. He can't sit still, knowing Dawn might be out there somewhere, his end a constantly bleeding vacancy torn out of his own heart. ]

Be careful.

[paletteswap]

Believe what you wish.

[paletteswap]

Has anyone met with her? In person? Or has all communication been done through the network? It would be easier to sense her motivations face to face.

[He sighs, there's so much they still have yet to discover.]

I feel like for every new thing we discover, several more unanswered questions surface. And the resources at our disposal are not entirely helpful.

[evulsed]

[ He can taste that bitterness on the back of his tongue, even from this far apart, and Vanitas' mouth pulls up into a crooked smirk. It's there, still, just under the surface and growing— the Darkness in this hero.

But the expression is short lived, smoothing out into something even and thoughtful. Vanitas doesn't necessarily have anything to hide, even if dodging questions and instigating fights come second nature to him. His eyes carve over Riku, considering, before Vanitas turns away from him and goes to the wall of candles, standing in front of it and looking at all the little flames. It turns him into a black silhouette against all that light. ]

The doctor.

[callada]

[Pardon him while he waits a little longer. The tea in bags here isn't the strongest. He probably should just try doing two bags per mug one of these days. But eventually he does meander his way over after finally deciding it's steeped enough. One sugar, not too much milk. There must be some way to improve it past that based on what this town can provide but he hasn't tried too hard.

Fortunately enough, he makes it to the table without spilling his drink, sets it down, and just kneels on the floor. He should keep a stack of pillows in the corner - usually he brings one down from his room in the morning.]

What's a... that? What you said. Never heard of that.

[callada]

When we got there, she just talked by flashing her light at us so she didn't have to shout. Probably didn't want to startle the spirits.

[Or show her cards too soon. But he shakes his head, because yeah, to his knowledge, that's the sum total of anyone's interactions with her.]

One of these days we'll just have to march back over there and knock on her door.

[knifecollecting]

Maybe Robin has an idea of our actual numbers.

[knifecollecting]

You're welcome.

[equinoctials]

Gene?

[ There's something complicated about that syllable, pensive. The truth is, Riku is sorry to see his name on that list. It was a connection only recently made... but what does that matter to a heart that makes it? The loss is still a loss.

He's going to miss him.

Considering the other boy's back, standing there like a ragged black pit that dims the candles behind him, he thinks... it's not outside the realm of possibility that Vanitas might miss him too.

Loneliness, after all, belongs well and truly to the Darkness. ]

You plan on hanging around here until he shows up? Why?

[paletteswap]

Is there anything preventing that? Any security? Will the forest spirits attack us if we get too close? It seems wise to find out as much as we can quickly before something like this happens again.

[catholicisms]

It wouldn't hurt to ask.

If she doesn't, we could probably poll it easily enough.

[catholicisms]

I suppose we should just be grateful the Invincible has coffee.

( Matt misses proper coffee but truth be told Karen always made it at the office... he drank instant when left to his own devices and there's really nothing sadder. )

I appreciate knowing that, and feel obligated to mention text doesn't lend itself to sarcasm.

( he was teasing... did the Matt in your universe do that ever, Peter? bc this one makes jokes... sometimes. i'm not saying good ones, but he does make them. )

[pure_havoc]

[there's a flash of interest - it means something didn't get translated, which fascinates Cao Pi. He's working hard on figuring out the boundaries of what is and and isn't understood and how to deliberately use his own tongue. It's easier with writing but speaking is still a crapshoot of arbitrary rules.]

They are steamed buns, filled with pork. The Wu peoples of the eastern provinces make very delicious versions of them, I like to request them for a snack when no one is watching. [he smirks over his mug] It's surprisingly gauche for an emperor to be seen publicly eating peasant food, but something about the delicate steamed skins and soft dough is irresistible.

[callada]

[That was some unnecessarily flowery description for peasant food there, buddy. Rosinante lifts an eyebrow, then eyes his steaming hot tea. No, better wait longer, let's not forget that was just made.]

Never had that but I guess people fill buns with anything. I don't think there's much from home I miss that I can't find here, though. Maybe umeboshi.

[That would be an utterly divine treat. Everything else he's wanted, he's managed to make on his own, but his palate isn't exactly... imperial. Stir-fries and salads and stews are all simple enough.]

[pure_havoc]

Well, that's true. They do. [don't even get him started! though he wonders at the word. It feels like something he's heard before, but not with the familiarity of his own homeland. Was that something Mitsunari mentioned? It could be.] ...umeboshi. What is that? Is it any good?

[better than tinned soup from the general store?]

[callada]

If it wasn't good, I wouldn't miss it.

[The subtlest of smirks crosses his face as he tests his teacup again with his fingers. Finding it hot enough to touch, he takes a careful sip. Pulls away a little too quickly because yes that still burns, and splatters a portion of it on the table. Whoops. He holds up a finger to say "one second" as he reaches for a napkin to clean it up.]

Uh, there. Umeboshi are plums. Pickled in wine, then dried. They're really sour and salty at once. But they're addictive. Supposed to be good for you too, I guess.

[callada]

Security?

[It's followed by a bitter chuckle. He's not going to forget any time soon the horror that was Winters being ripped away from them into the darkness; Five's shrieks of pain not long after when he and Riku were the quickest to try and reach him. He's seen his share of blood in his life and contrary to what they say in stories, it doesn't get easier.]

We had, what, nine people as lookouts flanking us, and then Winters and Peter and Riku standing guard just so Five and I could hook cables together, and a lot of those people are gone now. Even without a foghorn calling attention to us, yes, there's "security".

[knifecollecting]

She's in charge of supplies. I hope she would know.

[saibot]

If you had those type of powers you would have done something already.

[webshoots]

[ ur not his matt, matt! but yeah, sure, matt joked sometimes. gentle ribbing and self-depreciation at having utterly terrible lives absolutely counts as like, A kind of joke. ]

We should be, but my gratefulness and appreciation doesn't quite extend to a vague cup of hot.

That's all it can be described as, right? Hot.

[ not even hot water, it is quite literally just a cup of Hot. ]