[When Dante shows up on the feed, he looks almost... refreshed.]

Hey everyone, sorry about going AWOL on such short notice. Had some family matters to attend to.

[For the Guardians, that should be a pretty good indication of what had come up at least.]

But, things are good now, and I'll be getting back to my duties immediately. A big thanks to Integra for stepping up and handling things in my absence.

[Private to Satou.]

Sorry for the mess we made on your turf. Shouldn't be happening again.

[Private to Integra]

How'd the interviews go?

( Well. This is an awkward position to be thrust into. What with the arrival of Dante's brother and leaving the town in 'crisis mode', he's left it up to Integra to take up the mantle, being Attleton's only deputy.

To anyone who may know her, they might have noticed she's been acting a tad more irate than what is typical for her, but to the camera-- at least, she appears perfectly unaffected, composed and rational. )

Good afternoon. Please, allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Integra Hellsing.

( Not being the most sociable person, it's actually been some time since she's addressed the network in such a fashion. A bit awkward, frankly, considering her position in this moment. )

I have come today to inform you all that Dante has had some personal affairs arise, and has left me to manage Attleton in his stead.

( She's so happy about this!! Can't. You. Tell??? )

Additionally, Dante has allocated the funds for me to hire on a new deputy. I will be conducting interviews in the Devil May Cry shop. Please contact me if you have any interest. Thank you.

♕ I. Action [The Bay]
[Lotor emerges from the pod in confusion, accompanied by a sleepy (and slightly grumpy) cat, who is curled around his neck. Lotor is also sleepy (and possibly also grumpy). He's on guard, too. He's never had the experience of not knowing where he is before. It looks like he's on a planet. Where is the fleet? Has he been abducted? Wary, he draws his blade, in case there are enemies nearby. At least he's still armed.

Once he has his bearings and is relatively sure that there are no enemies here ready to attack, Lotor reads the pamphlet. He listens very closely to the welcoming speech given by the hologram. The warning about tampering with the hologram is very clear. Well—Lotor doesn't intend to tamper. He just wants to learn a little more about the device and how the hologram is generated, which is why he leans in close and runs his claws across the surface of the stand.]

Hm, I wonder what the energy source is.

♕ II. Action [Genessia City; Library]
[There's a child in the library who has surrounded himself with a massive array of books. They are stacked on either side of him, as well as in front of him, and his attention shifts from book to book quickly. He leafs through one quickly before abandoning it in favor of the next.

His cat, Kova, is still with him, lounging and dosing on the table Lotor has commandeered. Is this child taking up residence? Are cats even allowed in the library? Regardless of how well he's following the library's rules, it's definite that no one is allowed to eat the books, which is what Kova starts doing when he rises, stretches, and starts to nibble on the corner of a page.

Lotor idly waves the cat away.]

Kova, no—I know they're primitive, but they're information retrieval devices.

♕ III. Network: Text
[Having the ability to make a general public transmission of his own, with no oversight? It's new for Lotor, and it's exhilarating to be free from authority, so he wastes little time in making use of the network. Really, what is it if not another source of information?]

I want to know about the others who were brought here. Tell me, what is your name, rank, and planet of origin?

[Those are decent, basic questions to start with.]

♕ IV. Action [Nova City]
[Wandering and exploring his new surroundings has taken up a lot of Lotor's time. He now finds himself in Nova City. Nova City feels a little more like home, if it still isn't quite like living on board a giant warship. Walking past the shops and other businesses, Lotor peers curiously into the windows. Kova, even more tired now, is lying on Lotor's shoulders, asleep. It occurs to Lotor that he should find somewhere to stay soon—for Kova's sake, at least. He needs to take proper care of his animal.

In front of a café, Lotor stops short and stares through the window. Inside, people are seated at tables, eating. The food here is so strange, but he's suddenly so hungry. He remembers the red bills that he found when he woke up. He should be able to use them to buy things. But he needs to determine if this alien food is edible. As if sensing his thoughts, Kova opens his eyes and mews wearily. He's probably hungry, too. Lotor straightens, determined. He's the one in charge here, so he's going to handle this situation.]

Don't worry. I'll find us something we can eat.

I. Text
[ The situation is overwhelming. Maiya had never expected to wake up again, never mind in such a foreign environment. As surreal as the space around her was, she would have nearly thought this were an afterlife she had never considered—at least, until she finds the pamphlet. Her situation may have seemed fantastical, but the wad of cash tucked inside and the note telling her to get a job were anything but. The hologram waiting for her seems to confirm that thought, but it does little to clarify that matter of how she could be here.

Left in a completely unknown, impossible situation, she has nothing to fall back on but the most basic impulse engrained in her: she has to contact Kiritsugu. There's no reason to imagine he'd be here as well, or able to see whatever message she sends out, but she can see no other first step but to try. They already have a code for situations not unlike this one, should one of them ever be captured and unsure of their location. ]

hanged man

[ There is one thing she doesn't mind about her situation. Text communication can't give an unwanted listener clues about her location the way radio can. ]

II. Action (Genessia City)
[ Maiya doesn't wait for an answer after sending that message. She's still moving on instinct, and her instincts say she needs a change of clothes. Part of that is an irrational impulse born of her last memories, telling her that her position has been compromised and that she needs an outfit not immediately recognizable by her enemies. And, part of that is because her clothes are covered in blood.

So, if you're lucky enough to have chosen this particular day to shop for clothes in Genessia City, you may find yourself approached by a serious-looking woman dressed in equally serious-looking clothes, her face utterly stoic despite her jacket being stiff with her own blood. ]

Pardon me. Do you know much about what's in-fashion here?

[ She needs to look unremarkable, okay.

Later in the day, once she has something new to wear, you might encounter her stuffing her bloody clothes in a public trashcan. Because that's normal. ]

III. Text (Anonymous)
[ It isn't until she's had some time to process her situation that she tries to address the general population of of Genessia. There's much she needs to come to terms with, but— ]

Is there anyone who remembers dying before arriving to this place?

[ That's the subject that weighs most heavily on her mind. She still isn't sure what to make of the discrepancy between her own experience and the language of kidnapping. But, maybe those who have been here longer can lay her thoughts to rest. ]

[Since Enis disappeared, Eliot has been at a loss. For one, he has more time on his hands. Surprising perhaps, when he runs a large business. He had become so accustomed to balancing housework for her with his job that there is now a sizable gap in his daily schedule, filled with nothing but missing his friend. 

Also, with being horrendously hungry. He did her housework in exchange for her blood, but now Eliot is without it. In the middle of winter, when he needs blood the most.

TL;DR later: Eliot is a sad and hungry vampire.]

[VIDEO]

This... This is incredibly difficult for me to phrase. Please consider it c-carefully.

I need human blood... uh. How much would I have to exchange for that...?

Without being hunted down or something.

Asking for a friend. [A pause. Eliot is such a terrible liar. He also doesn't like telling lies this serious, so amends his statement:] That friend is me.

[ACTION]

[Eliot can later be found holed up in one of Genessia City's many cafes. He thought it would be a good idea to do some furniture shopping for the new mansion, but the cold has caught up to him. He's sitting at a table with five steaming hot lattes, lids off, bunched together. And he's warming his hands over them like they're a fireplace.

He's also wearing about three layers of clothing and looks absolutely pathetic.]

So... I've got a question for people who have more experience with the gateways of this place than I do. If you open a gate to a place with something dangerous living there, can the residents of that place get out?

[Private Video to Aizawa, Lady, and Nero.]

...So, I've got what's probably a really bad idea banging around in my head that I want to run by you guys. If I end up going through with this, I'd gladly let you guys use the place as well but... well...

[He sighs, glancing back at where Sparda hangs on the wall behind him.]

...I'm thinking of opening a gateway to Mallet Island.

This is a message for the "South Attleton Safety Society."

Fuck off. Using powers for personal gain falls under assault and is already covered by the legal code. I'm not going to outlaw people being born a certain way. Hell, if I'm being brutally honest here, the demon license I implemented was aimed primarily at one person.

Also, any heckling of or otherwise interfering with people based on some stupid notion of 'normies vs power' is going to be classified as disturbing the peace, and my deputies will arrest and fine you.

Attleton doesn't need civilians playing soldier out of boredom. Go back to making stupid complaints to my office about garden gnomes and flamingos.

[Before cutting the feed Dante is going to angrily chuck a balled up newspaper off screen.]

{ action/around the bay }

( It was downright perturbing the way the awoke. Trapped in a silver coffin and caked in her own blood. In fact, she still couldn't quite believe it, even as she listened to the words of the hologram and perused the literature in the envelope. She didn't want to.

It was a cruel joke, certainly. Or a dream. Perhaps she might even be dead. Not likely, though. She would remember such a thing, even considering that she did just come out of a war.

But, as Integra always does, she would have to the most of it. Keep a stiff upper lip and move forward. So, she does. One clank of her boot after the other, as she staggered along out from the cavern and into the twilight engulfed bay. )

{ video }

( One shower and some much needed rest later, she had determined that no, this wasn't a dream. She's made a mental note to skewer whomever compelled her to this world later, but for now, she needed to find a way to thrive in this place. Learning to use the device was simple enough (as it was not terribly advanced from the technology in her world,) and the flicked on the screen. )

Good afternoon. My name is Sir Integra Hellsing, and I've only just arrived. I'm searching for a tutor of sorts, someone experienced in cooking, and I'm willing to compensate for their time.

( Exactly how, she hasn't determined yet, but... details. )

With that in mind, I'm looking to see what jobs are available. I'm an experienced combatant with training in both bladed weapons and firearms.

( She's not about to demand any kind of leadership position, but it's clear she carries a certain gravitas to her words.

With that, the feed flicks off. )