[ When the video starts, the first visible thing is Blaine in the background over the sight of a desk. The desk has a load of files all over it, spread out so that they’re visible by the camera woman’s hand. Blaine’s stretching his arms out in a mocking mimic of a portrait in the background, trying to imitate the pose the woman in it is doing. A few seconds later (just enough time to roll her eyes off-screen), the video pans down to the desk to show the documents in clearer focus. The data probably looks innocuous at first glance, but an extended viewing would reveal some serious inconsistencies with the data that the company whose header is at the top of the documents released to the public. Health+, the company associated with the recent double-homicide mentioned in the paper, had its name all over these documents. The documents show evidence that they hid studies that showed results that didn’t rule in their favor to push out drugs to make millions of extra cash off despite the results showing potential negative reactions and just about all of them saying further testing is needed before release- some of the data indicating as many as ten years that the product would’ve been off the shelf.

The camera lifts up and turns around, and there’s a face that some may recognize as Olivia Moore, the local pathologist at Genessia’s Hospital. Only in this video, she looked different. She looked… lively. The porcelain pallor that normally accentuated her features was full of color, her eyes were bright, and even her golden blonde hair looked like she’d walked straight out of the curly section of a salon style guide. And her expression? Far more enthusiastic than she’s exhibited in months. ]

This is Olivia Moore. I’m in the office of Riley Eval, CEO of that pharmaceuticals company, Health+. These are memos directly from her desk. I’m pretty sure this is enough to put the entire board away for years and get their products pulled from the shelves before someone gets hurt. So if anyone like, say, a Guardian were looking for a ton of evidence, here she blows.

[ In the background, Blaine turns a heel and looks at her - then the camera. ]

Are you openly broadcasting that we broke into an office?

[ Liv’s eyes roll up for a moment and she looks over her shoulder at Blaine. ]

We’re privately investigating. We had the door codes, we didn’t break in anywhere.

Riiight. That’s why we avoided cameras.

We avoided cameras so that the company didn’t see us exposing them and stop us before we actually could. This is for the greater good, Blaine. We can’t do good in the world if we aren’t willing to put our first foot forward. [ Maybe that was Angela’s brain talking. Maybe it was Liv’s insane amount of intrepidity finally coming out to pull her out of her own funk. It was hard to tell. ] Now stop trying to confess to crimes we aren’t committing on camera, I’m still filming.

You know what you can’t do good in the world with? That styrofoam your lunch was in. Think about the world, Liv. The world. Do you know how much energy you’re wasting broadcasting our illegal detectiving?

Legal. Private. Investigations. [ Okay, before she kills him. ] My point has been made, and I’m never taking you out for lunch again unless you forget about the styrofoam. [ And the video flickers off, before Blaine can retort again. ]

[Anonymous text.]

Weapons experts.

Kind of without a weapon right now and not even sure if I should get it out of the stupid rock.

[His poor family heirloom. Even if it's probably safer in there than in his hands.]

I'm looking to build my own. It's a tradition where I'm from. I'm also wondering what made you choose yours? If it works for you, there must be a reason.

[Maybe not one of the more hopeful reasons he would have believed in the past. He's done with that. But one that makes sense.]

Stay on topic.

[Private text to Weiss, not anonymous.]

My answer is yes.

I'm not the greatest ad spokesperson in the world, but as usual, if you know science, the Genessian Scientific Research Foundation could use your help. We're seriously understaffed right now and the more people we have working, the more likely we are to find something. I'm a surgeon-turned-assistant medical examiner-turned-pathologist, there are only so many possibilities I can cover or you'd probably be getting more frequent updates, Genessia.

How many of you are from the U.S.? I know this isn't exactly the home-of-the-brave here, but I'll admit to missing out on barbecues and fireworks. Is anyone doing anything tomorrow?

( closed stuff for blaine, toby )

[ The broadcast comes with the sunset, and in fact the camera is angled so that it only catches Priss' partially-gloved fingers on the guitar strings, and a shred of her leather-covered stomach inhaling sharply at all the key moments once she's singing, barely visible around the guitar's body. The rest of the camera's zoomed focus is on the sky behind her as sunset begins to roll in, which takes up fully half the frame. Priss may not have a band here, but she's a god damned professional, and she knows how to set up a shot. And how to project into a mic that's several feet away; wherever she is, she's set up the acoustics damn well. ]

[ There's only a few seconds pause before she begins to move her still slightly-damaged fingers on the strings, left hand at the neck and right picking the first notes before the first strum. If said fingers are stiff at all, it doesn't show. An inhale... and her voice joins in over the guitar as more notes are pulled from it. ]

[ It's a slow song. ]

( Blue Confusion )

[When the video starts Jaune just looks tired. Tired and aggravated, and it's apparent in his voice.]

I can't believe I have to say this, but since there's nothing stopping people who have committed murder here from running for City Guardian, apparently I do. You shouldn't vote for actual murderers like Reiner Braun and Roman Torchwick unless you like the idea of trusting an entire city to someone who either admits they murdered someone and does a bad job of even showing any regret or someone who's questionably claiming they're redeemed after...a few weeks? Even if he does claim he's trying to make up for his mistakes, you don't just suddenly lose all of your bad habits like criminal acts in a short amount of time and try to take on that kind of position without an ulterior motive.

This whole thing is stupid. It's stupid. I'm done talking about it. Just...if you want to know more about the crimes they committed while they were here, I can answer your questions. I doubt I'll convince other murderers unless they want the position for themselves.

[it seems as though battler is definitely excited about something! when he turns on the camera he is immediately waving at everyone!]

Hello hello~! How is everyone doing today? Me? Oh just fine just fine. I don't think I've ever said a formal 'hiya' to everyone, so here I am, Battler Ushiromiya- at your service!

Actually.... you know, there's been a lot of sad faces on the network lately, so I feel as though I need to fix that. I think people need a chance to feel happy again, so if you're feeling like you need a pal- you can come right to me! Look look, I even have some games for us to play! Chess, cards, fun riddles with one another-?! You name it and we'll do it!

[he calms down a little after his rant.] Or if you want to talk about anything, anonymous or whatever, then I am definitely all ears as well.

Who: Jefferson and YOU!
Where: Genessia City, near the Bay
When: April 19th
What: The Hatter is here, and he's kind of mad about it.

--

He couldn't stop thinking about it.

Those first moments, seconds, minutes, that he had awoken in this place; they played in his head over and over, making less sense each time. It was as if his brain was stuck in a hopeless pattern like a broken record, reliving it all again and again as if somehow the 100th attempt at recollection would somehow bring meaning to the madness. But nothing did. How he had gotten here, why he had woken up in that strange contraption, what purpose the necklace served, what purpose this entire place served... he just didn't know. None of it registered as reality.

The only solid concept he could grasp was that he already hated Genessia.

Jefferson had so foolishly thought that he would finally get to live his life happily. To have his happy ending with his daughter who he had so long fought to have at his side again, but no. Of course a man like him could have no such ending. Not forever. Only long enough to trick him into thinking it would be.

He sat on the sidewalk outside the Bay for a very long time with his mind in that perpetual state of circular chaos, and he didn't care to pay much mind to what was going on around him. Occasionally he would lift his head and hope that he would see his little girl there, only to curse himself for daring to wish she was ripped from her home again just to be with him.

To anyone passing by, he likely looked a mess. He didn't have a clue as to how he would react to strangers at this point. In fact, there was only one damn thing he did know: again, he was trapped in a realm where he didn't belong, and it made him insane.

[David starts up the video feed and starts to speak.]

Okay first I want to-

[Loud construction noises can be heard and he stops. There is construction being done at the Guardian's office to put in extra offices for Deputies. He waits for them to stop, and opens his mouth again.]

Okay..I-

[Hammers banging and more construction noise. He stops. He opens his mouth to speak again and they start right back up. He sighs and in a flash of light, he’s sitting inside of a café. He flags down a nearby waitress and orders a BLT and a drink. Then he turns back to the camera.]

Alright. Now where was I.. oh right. This is belated, but I want to thank all those that came out to the Carnival without ill intentions and all those that participated in the date auction. The events couldn’t have been successes without you. I want to give a personal thanks to Yui Kusanagi. Without her, the Carnival would have been put off for a while longer. So thank you, Yui.

[He receives his drink, thanks the Waitress and shifts his focus back to the camera.]

I also wanted to announce a new addition to Genessia City. It’s been something that I’ve been working on and frankly I think this place could use it. In Genessia City, you will now find the W&T Building. W&T is short for Will & Testament. Ominous, I know. But listen.

[He attaches an image of the building here.]

The W&T Building is for people to use to setup things in case they depart from this place. It’s used to execute your wishes on dispersal of property, businesses, assets and the like. If you have opened up a Sub-Archway to a place in your world, you can also transfer ownership to another person that is also from your world. This is possible because of the CPU. Initially it wasn’t going to include Sub-Archways, because I have no control over that, but I posed the question to the CPU, and it said it is something it can handle.

[A small break to take a another little sip of his drink.]

So, the W&T Building, like Memoria Park, is considered hallowed ground. It’s all sorts of illegal to try to do any harm to anyone that is in the building. When you enter the building, you are allowed to use on of the rooms inside. You will find forms inside for you to fill out that will say who gets what and so on. There will also be a device that you can use to record a message, if you want to leave something like that.

Once you are finished, there is a box you can put the stuff in and a place to deposit it. I don’t have access to these boxes. I can’t go inside of it or review or change the contents whatsoever. Anyone that tries to obtain the boxes or tries to commit any form of theft or altering any of the contents will be charged with a crime. And you can expect the same response that you would get if you attacked someone at Memoria Park. The only time someone other than you gets access to the box is once you have left. And that person is someone that you have to designate.

If you wish to get your box back and change or remove something, you can contact the CPU directly via your device when you are inside one of the rooms and the box will be returned to you. We have Memoria Park so that people can find some closure when the ones they care for have left. This place is a way for you to help give them that closure.

So if you have it in mind to do something like that for the people you care about, I encourage you to do it sooner rather than later.

[ The feed begins in a dark room - there's moonlight through a window somewhere offscreen, but not much else to illuminate the feed. There's not much to look at - a simple folding chair is all that's really in view for a little while, though there's the sound of shuffling footsteps in the background for a moment. Finally, a figure makes its way to the front of the camera. A giant, heart-shaped figure.

That's right. It's Huggy Heart.

He gives the camera a happy little wave before turning a bit, shifting back and forth as the person inside gets to work on taking the costume off. It's not a fast process - the stupid thing was pretty cumbersome - but eventually he manages to get the zipper in the back open, and with a bit more shifting around the costume falls to his feet.

Mercury stands there, hair a bit mussed and in a plain black t-shirt rather than his usual jacket. ]

Whew! That thing was not built for comfort.

[ He kicks the costume aside dismissively, falling back into the chair with his legs splayed out. ]

It was nice getting out and about for a while, though. That carnival was...

[ His smirk falls a bit. ]

Well, let's be honest. Pretty lame. Decent food, but not much else going for it. Didn't really wow me. Three out of ten at best. What I'm getting at here is that I'm bored.

[ He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, narrowing his eyes at the camera as he lowers his voice. ]

Me and boredom are a baaaaad mix. Some of you might remember that! So consider this a heads-up that I'm going to be hitting the streets again. No more costumes, no more sneaking around. That lost its luster a while back. Just me and a few cities worth of friendly faces to mingle with. Can't wait to meet some of you face-to-face.

[ He leans back again, crossing one leg over the other - his pants and boots, at least, are the same as usual. His expression returns to his usual smirk, tone casual. ]

All that aside, anyone know any good jokes? Come on. Make me laugh.

( TEXT: GSRF Official Report: Dream Docks )

VIDEO;
Less business-related: Is nitrous oxide legal in Genessia?

[ There is definitely a car behind her. It's definitely not her normal SUV that she drives around.

She may have eaten a street racer. It may be a good time to ask her about cars though, since she's got mad auto-mechanic skills at the moment. ]

My extended trip to the Dream Docks is over. Considering it took me two hours to make it home after I ended up in a Nova City parking lot and some back alley in Everglade, I'm guessing something fun happened while I was gone.

I'm still not convinced I'm in the right apartment either considering my new roommate's decision to make his next start up an interior design firm with my entire apartment being his first experiment. Another 20 minutes just to find my blender that I'll never get back in life. [ At least that cayenne-chocolate milkshake with a sliced red pepper along the edge of the glass looks good. Worth it? Maybe. It's definitely making her feel better. ] I don't think anyone ever taught him about personal boundaries.

[ Liv takes a sip of the drink, which is already half gone. A week is a long time not to eat properly. ]

To those who saw me toward the beginning of the month: I decided the look just wasn't me anymore. I'm-

[ Is Liv just staring off into space for a moment? Yes she is. Oops. Liv's breath comes out like she'd been holding it, then she shakes her head. ]

Wow. I haven't had brain freeze since I was 14. [ A little smile pulls to her lips. ]

Anyone want to fill me in on what I missed? Or potentially have plans I can horn in on tonight? My schedule's relatively clear for the next couple days since I wasn't sure how long I'd need to take off from work for this.

Okay, so, I've gotten the whole spiel about other worlds, the cities, blah blah blah. I just have three questions.

First off, does the name Sparda mean anything to anyone here? Usually when weird shit happens to me, it's usually tied back to him.

Second, how high in demand are a Demon Hunter's skills here?

And lastly, I'm gonna need a good pizza joint's address. Preferably one with a bar.

[Dante will be just wandering around Genessia, probably turning a few heads with the massive sword and handguns holstered in plain sight. He has no destination and as such is just aimlessly exploring, looking for landmarks to help get a feel for the layout of this strange new place.]

[The video begins with Jaune adjusting it so everyone can see the new kitchen. On the pristine counter rests an unopened bottle of whiskey, two shot glasses (one of which is nearly overflowing with water), and a trading card. Jaune and Weiss are standing at the counter.]

What exactly am I doing here, Jaune?

I’m glad you could come, Weiss. Have you ever been into drinking tricks before?

No. [ Weiss was clearly the most encouraging of all of Jaune’s endeavors. ]

[His shoulders slump a little. Just a little. But he’s determined, so he steels himself and continues on confidently.] Well, I’m going to change your mind! Not only will you be left in awe by my...talents, but this is a skill that takes a lot of tries to actually master. Check this out.

[ Weiss crosses her arms, looking honestly doubtful about everything Jaune’s said. But she’s learned to be at least a little nicer to him. A little. He’s done things that have at least proven to her that letting him finish his sentence is acceptable, and she’s willing to at least see what he has in store. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually surprise her. ]

[Jaune smiles like a puppy way too eager to please. This is his chance to impress Weiss! He even turned on the video so everyone could see this. If he were honest, he had just discovered the trick, and hadn’t had any time to practice. But it didn’t look difficult, and this seemed like a good time to try it.]

Okay, Weiss. Don’t look away.

[Opening the bottle of whiskey, he keeps eyeing her out of the corner of his eye to make sure she’s still paying attention. He fills the empty glass with whiskey, miraculously not spilling any, and puts his expendable trading card on top of the glass of water. He takes a deep breath because he only has one chance at this. He flips the glass of water over…]

[But apparently doing so when your hands are sweaty from nerves isn’t a good idea because the card slips, allowing the water to splash all over the counter as well as anyone nearby. Jaune drops the glass out of shock onto the one filled with whiskey, spilling it too in the process.]

[Weiss jumps back with both of her hands up, since he most definitely got it all over her, a loud yelp passing her lips in surprise. Her voice jumps at least six octaves in a split second. When she puts her hands down, she narrows her eyes right at Jaune and balls her fists up. ]

What is wrong with you!? You just got that all over our brand new kitchen!

[Oh no Weiss is mad. Which isn’t that surprising but this was not the direction he wanted this to go in. He smiles nervously, fear obvious in his eyes, and holds up his hands to try to appease her. The fact that this is on video is forgotten. Priorities.]

That’s not the trick! It’s supposed to-- You’re supposed...it’s really impressive, I promise! Just let me try again, I have enough whiskey, and we still have water, and and maybe...let me get a towel first!

[ Weiss had given him a chance. She had. She really really had tried and now she smelled like a distillery and this was not what she wanted to deal with tonight. ]

Clean this up, I’m going to go take a shower. Don’t try that again inside the house, Jaune. You’re lucky you didn’t try to pull that in a room with carpet!

[ It doesn’t take long for Weiss to dab the worst of it out with a towel, stomping with every step as she heads upstairs. She is so done tonight. ]

[Weiss smells lovely no matter what. Jaune opens his mouth, still trying to turn this around.]

So is there a chance you’d watch outside? Maybe on a warmer day. That should give you some time in advance...because--

Because you’re so busy.

[But She’s already walking away. He thought it was a good plan because then he could practice and master the skill. He ends up running after her until he’s no longer in sight, though he does give up following her.]

[Ten minutes later, Jaune finally remembers he left the video on. He walks back to his videophone, disappointment crossing his face when he realizes it didn’t stop recording. Oh well. He looks like he’s about to say something, but he just looks away awkwardly and turns off the feed.]

[ooc: Blue is Weiss and Red is Jaune!]

[ voice; ride like the wind at double speed ]

How's it going, 'nessia? How was your day? Do anything fun?

I'm good, if you were wondering. New. Don't have a lot to report yet. Just admiring. Amazing how good the wifi is on other planes of reality, right? Who knew Asgard had all those Optimum hot spots. The full package. The experience of being kidnapped to an alien world plus your own Twitter. No bars on the cell though. I don't think I'm covered out here. Anyone know what to do about that? Change scares me and this thing just doesn't have my apps. Or does it?

Also, I had an important inquiry. Can you all give me the status on the current taco situation? And general food options, I guess. Exotic native cuisine of the cities especially to expand my tongue's cultural horizons. I prefer sugar over spice on the taste-buds but I will accept deets on those sinus-clearing wasabi covered abominations too. Please respond, ASAP. I don't know how there weren't menus on that rack. Literally every place I've ever moved at least had a Chinese menu tucked under the door on day one.

[ action; i'll take you places that you've never never seen ]

[ blaine's positive anyone he knows in this place is going to be sending out a signal real soon, even if he didn't put a name or a face out into the world. could be a bad thing but he's pretty sure nobody that wants to murder him would know his voice? probably. probably.

spent a while doing some exploring before deciding he wasn't really sure what the hell to do with himself now that he's part of a show on the Syfy channel without actually speaking to people. the plan ended up being sit in a booth in the Bright Sky Diner with a (admittedly delicious as hell) milkshake while doodling on the back of the map of Genessia in between going through the network. sup. ]