networkinthenight | [Network] - WEEKLY BULLETIN

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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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[inertia is a powerful force, you know]

Hardly. It's an irrational feeling, as most of them are. I suppose it really doesn't matter, it is simply a place to lay down once in a while and keep whatever things I'm accumulating. [he tips his head slightly to the side, almost a shrug but not quite] It is also much closer to the tavern.

That it is. When we meet with everyone else, I'll suggest establishing it as the primary meeting point in emergencies. If we have one place everyone can come to, it will make it easier to account for everyone.

[Because the last thing they need is another situation where people scatter, and twenty end up missing. It's going to haunt him for a while.]

A secondary location in the village might also be useful in case the bridge is destroyed. I don't want anyone trying to jump that river.

[Speaking of things to tell the new people: river bad. River sings and threatens to drown you, apparently. Probably more than threatens, if you press your luck.]

My thoughts exactly. In the middle of the chaos, I considered how many people might have fled to the village instead of the buildings around the bonfire, and it bothered me that I had no way to go and see for myself. [tablets aside; they've already discussed the limitations of those, not the least of which is people taking a moment to type out or record a message]

There are a number of minor issues for which we need solutions before we can even consider our larger goal, aren't there? Strategies to deal with the various dangers as they come up, evacuation, protection, communication.

Yes. The network is helpful, but we can't assume it will operate in all situations. And there are unknown factors still that Doctor Ingram will supposedly fill us in on. Some other threat, and some other individual we have yet to meet.

[Another reason to wait until the new shipment of souls has arrived: they will have heard whatever it is Will has yet to say and can talk about how to incorporate it into their plans.]

But we're a small enough group of people. We won't be able to organize everyone, because there are always those who think they know better and want to do things their own way, but we can try to get the majority to agree on something.

Yes...I'm eager to hear from him on that.

[and braced for the bullshit that will inevitably follow]

A majority is enough, if for no other reason than it will make the upstarts stand out. People are free to disagree and have their own ideas, but eventually, simply being contrary for the fun of it will have consequences.

[he's dealt with a conclave of egos, he knows this game]

As long as they aren't harmful, we can forget them. I don't think we'll have the manpower needed to corral people against their will and claim it's for their own good.

[And he just doesn't have the interest in that anyway. This isn't a unified nation and there are no laws, it's just a bunch of people who survived past death somehow. Those who will work together should do so but those who refuse aren't his problem here.

- Just don't mind his own stumbles, as he takes a wrong step and crashes to the ground, rattling his lantern heavily in the process. It's fine, it's fine, he just gets back up and brushes himself off. Checks the lantern over before continuing on, one more step added to every fall now.]

[whoa buddy you okay there? Cao Pi naturally startles and side-steps out of the way so he doesn't get taken down as well. His eyes go to the lantern first, and then the tangle of limbs righting himself]

Are you all right?

Yes.

[Just the usual little bumps and scrapes. A cut lip this time, judging by the sting of it and how it's already starting to swell up as he runs his tongue along the inside of his mouth. Hm. Oh well. Nothing that won't be fixed with time and a cup of tea. Carry on, then. The Invincible isn't much farther - he can see the lights from some of the rooms from here.]

For defense, we'll have to consider who has weapons and who is trained to use them. Perhaps we can offer some basic weapons training if needed. A lot of the people assigned to defense in this last expedition were killed.

[okay, well, if you say so, dude, but that looked like a hell of a tumble. Cao Pi heaves a sigh and follows along. So long as no one is in danger of dying and needs a light, here.]

Is that...really? The casualties are from the defense force. That doesn't bode well at all. Either they were unprepared in general or they simply had no idea what the actual level of danger was, out there. Both could be considered worth working on, but I'd like to know where to focus.

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.

[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]

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.]

[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!]

[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.]

[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]

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.

[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.

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.]

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?

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.

[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]

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.

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.

[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.

[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.

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