[Video]

Well. That was exciting.

[Presumably he means his arrival, since his is an unfamiliar face.]

Where does one go for fun around here?

[There are probably more important things to tend to first, Lucifer.]

[Action: Genessia City]

It's a good thing that he'd woken up in some place where no one else could see him -- and that he'd figured out that his true face was showing so he could hide it again -- because until he figures out what sort of place this is, it's better not to go showing it off to anyone he comes across. Especially given what happened the first time he did that.

So the strangest thing about this man strolling through Genessia City is his clothing. Not the fact that it's an expensive suit, bespoke, not off-the-rack. It's more the state of it: crisp white shirt marred by what appears to be several bullet holes, though not stained by blood and he himself has no injuries; a tear in the left jacket sleeve, and what appears to be blood if looked at closely enough. Otherwise his clothes are clean and impeccably cared for.

Where is he going? He doesn't know, but that's never stopped him before. If he acts like he belongs for long enough, then he's sure to figure something out soon enough.

A. Video [OTA]

So, if anyone's interested, Fairy Tail is looking for a new resident healer. If you want to apply for the job, just contact me!

[She's smiling but it does not quite reach her eyes.]

And for those who knew her, Tatlyn is gone... She's been gone for a little while actually.

Like Cassian and Kay.

[Come to think about it it was pretty much at the same time... She frowns and reaches for a notebook. The feed ends.]

B. Accidental video [OTA] and Action [Open to all the employees of Scribes and Scripts (in Fayren) and to Atreus]

[Mavis is standing on a stepladder in the bookstore's main shop window putting down the Thanksgiving decorations and putting up Christmas decorations instead. As a shop owner, she doesn't have to do that, she just happens to like it.

She also put Christmas themed books on display.

At some point, she looks above her shoulder.] What do you think, Zeref? I'd say the light string with the snowflakes looks better than the one with the snowmen. Or should I put both? Oh... And I'm sure Hana will like the red and green tinsel... It has little candy canes on it.

[She sounds and looks accomplished.]

I can't wait until we start decorating the Christmas tree in Fairy Haven!

WHO: Lorna Dane - open to anyone who may want to talk to her, even if it's not class related
WHAT: New professor doesn't actually want to deal with students holds office hours
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct 2 between 3 and 5 pm
WHERE: Attleton University, Physics Dept

Several weeks into the semester, Lorna grudgingly added office hours to her official schedule. Her three courses - only one undergrad, thanks be - were pleasingly grouped from mid-morning to late afternoon and left her plenty of time to spend in the lab or volunteering at the Research Institute in unearthing the mysteries of this parallel dimension. But her students had been asking for time outside of class and she was running out of excuses.

Choosing office hours was a delicate thing. You wanted to be sure to avoid having to interrupt any real work while still picking a time at which you'd have to spend as little extra time as possible in the office. Avoiding meal times was key, but rushing around campus to classes was also to be minimized.

So it was that from 3 to 5 on alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she committed to being found in her office. To discourage anyone from actually taking her up on it, she kept the lights off in her office, choosing instead to rely on natural light through her window, and, as often as she could get away with it, the hallway lights as well.

On her door, just below the placard with Dr Lorna Dane, Geophysics was a listing of her courses:

Physics 105B: Introductory Electromagnetism, Waves, and Optics
Geophys 310A: Electromagnetism and Optics
Geophys 254: Isotopic Geochemistry

Below that was a sign: No, you can't have an extension.

It wasn't that Lorna didn't want to help her students to succeed. She just wanted them to do it without bothering her.

[The feed explodes to life with the sound of someone or rather something snarling and hissing. It sounds like a shuffle of some kind, probably between two beasts judging from all the fangs and fur. The video is shaky and the lighting poor but something big lumbers past within the shadows. As the creature draws closer, an enormous white paw stomps directly onto the phone cracking the screen.

The footage is still rolling but there's not much to see. There's a few more growls and hisses until the enormous white beast finally moves its paw off the screen. Finally the viewers catch a glimpse of what seems to be an enormous white...wolf? No, wait, that's not a wolf.

Definitely not a wolf judging from that oddly vulpine face and those tall fox-like ears. It's a fox! A huge fox with piercing red eyes. The fox glances down at the phone briefly and makes a noise akin to a sigh. It seems remorseful.]

The stupid thing broke--[Wait, did that son of a bitch just talk? Talking monsters is nothing new but what the hell!?]

I'll kill you next time! [It's yelling at the shadowy figure that's retreating back to the woods.] Mark my words!

Fayren is mine. This MY domain.

[The video opens up to Lily, not that anyone who’s met her thus far would recognize her. Instead of the black unicorn she’s been up till now, she has finally managed to transform into her human form again, and looks quite happy about it.]

It feels so good to be human in form again. I never thought I’d miss it so much. To have hands and fingers. To be able to hold and do things again. I almost thought I’d be stuck the way I was forever.

Hello again everyone!

[The screen blips on and a woman can be seen in it. She's not smiling, but she's not as angry as some either. Mostly, she appears to be neutral. She's dressed casually, wearing jeans, a white top and a black leather jacket. She's hesitant, as if she wants to say something, but she's trying to choose her words carefully.]

So... There's no way to get home, huh.

[There is tension in her shoulders as she tries to relax, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. As angry as she is, and she is angry, she knows losing her temper won't solve everything. Surprisingly, she has the voice of her pseudo-brother in her head and it's kind of calming her. For now.]

I... I've been to, uh, that place. Whatever. They answered my questions, I guess. [She rolled her eyes at that.]

Now what?

[The feed turns on to a black unicorn looking down at the phone, and with how she's pulling away, it's obvious that she's used her horn to work the damnable device. This whole technology thing was so strange to her, but at least she was attempting learn, right?]

Um....is this thing working? I hope it is.

Hello, I'm Lily.

[She pulls away further, giving a better view of her equine face with bright blue eyes and her long silver horn. Her long black mane drapes from her neck, a long forelock to match hanging down in front of her face. She snorts, and looks about, not sure if this was actually working, but willing to give it a try, and seems to gain some of her confidence as she goes.]

This tool is such a strange device isn't it? But that's not quite what I came on to ask about. You see, I don't have much experience being.....of the equine variety and I was wondering if anyone could help me learn somehow? Or at least explain to me how to not be at the bottom of a herd. Yes, I know, a very human thought probably, but human is unfortunately what I know. I don't know how to be another way. So, can anyone help? Even more is what does a unicorn do? What's our purpose, and yes I know there are legends out there, but they're all different. I guess....what's everyone else's knowledge of my kind is what I'm asking? I'm sure everyone knows something different and maybe those stories could help me figure it out somehow.

My greatest thanks to anyone who answers.

Who: Hana, Sam, Zeref and Mavis.
Where: Fayren, at the book store owned by Mavis and called "Scribes and Scripts".
When: Today (August 20th), after closing time.
What: Mavis received two job applications, from Hana and Sam respectively. They wish to become book hunters at Scribes and Scripts. Since Mavis doesn't really know them, she's invited the two of them to come to the book store to get know them and talk about their future job. As the resident book clerk, Zeref is present as well.
Warnings: BOOKWORMS EVERYWHERE!!! People allergic to books, please stay away from this post. ;)

Mavis pushed the door from Scribes and Scripts, the little bell greeting her with its soft chime, and let out a contented sigh. Sure, she liked her Guardian office, she liked Fairy Haven too but, for some reason, coming back to the bookstore always felt special to her. Maybe because it reminded her of the abandoned library that used to be Mavis' and Zera's favorite spot on Tenrou island.

She walked down a few aisles, caressing the leather bindings of some random books as she went. They had sold quite a few books lately and they were empty spots on the shelves now. Yes, it was time to refill the book store and that was exactly where the two potential book hunters she was planning on meeting today came into play. If they loved books half as much as their job application suggested they did, they'd be perfect for the task. They'd find the missing pieces that would make those shelves whole again.

Mavis' small bare feet padded soundlessly on the wooden floor as she made her way to Zeref's desk. And, as was to be expected of a dutiful book clerk, there he was, sitting behind the desk, a book in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. She smiled at him.

"Is there some coffee left for me? I don't remember when was the last time I had so much paperwork to do."

She hopped gracefully onto a ladder using it as a stool.

"Hana and Sam should be here soon," she sounded cheerful, yet calm at the same time. A strange combination that only a hundred year old girl who still looked like she was fifteen could muster. "Sam graduated from a school called Stanford back in his world. Have you ever heard of it? From the way he wrote about it, they have you read a lot of books there."

There was the slightest bit of envy to the blond girl's voice. Going to college was something Sam and Zeref had in common. Unfortunately, Mavis never got to go to school. That was something she had always wished she could have done, though, with time, she had managed to learn more by herself than she could ever have at school.

She looked towards the door, waiting for their potential future co-workers.

For Orihime - Cake Town - Morning

[ Charlie was good at remembering places, different details of where she was. It was useful information, great to have handy in a situation where she needed to run away or make it sound like that was the town she was from. It was great to know where hiding places were, places she maybe needed to stay out of, places she could rest in for a moment or two.

And since old habits died hard, Charlie was out wandering Genessia. She starts around the temporary housing, taking in businesses and the like, trying to see where exactly everything is in regards to where she was staying. And she even wanders to the area near the bay, looking at the various businesses and trying to see if any of them might be hiring.

Truthfully, she has no job experience, unless picking pockets counted in which case? She has some there.

So deciding on a place that might be okay with how untrained she is? That's hard. And she really doesn't like the idea of starving, so her stomach wins.

She makes her way to Cake Town and pushes the door open, looking around for a moment before approaching someone she hoped worked there. ]

Excuse me. I was wondering if you were hiring? If there's a now hiring sign and I missed it, I promise I'm usually a lot more observant than that.

[ That was probably not as helpful as he hopes. ]

Attleton: Market - afternoon: OTA

[ With a job squared away, Charlie can be found trying to grocery shop. She has limited funds, a desire to see it extend well past her first official paycheck, and a small fridge to put food in. So she can't buy much, even if her stomach is telling her to buy everything. She manages to buy a few apples, some quickly cooked microwave meals and a gallon of milk and is now waiting in line to pay for everything, watching everyone and everything with casual interest.

Is she settling in? Probably not. But she's relaxed some. Nothing about this place is making her danger sense scream, so maybe she's okay? ]

Genessia: Starter Residences: Evening - OTA.

[ The small handful of errands run and Charlie's back home, heading to her place in the starter residences. Her tiny but pretty cozy apartment with the small fridge, shared bathroom. Okay, that part? That part she's not too fond of. But she has a roof over her head and it's quiet. She's good with both of those. She can be found either inside the halls, heading to her place, or outside on the front steps, writing in a journal she bought earlier and watching the people come and go. Nothing too intrusive or exciting, really. Just a teenage girl with an apple and a book and a pen, trying to settle in and remain as inconspicuous as possible.

So clearly, that means come and say hi. ]

(She might be unrecognizable to the companions she has made, but she does look much more content. In Fayren, for those who care to seek her, rests a Unicorn under a tree. She is petite, moon white, cloven-hoofed and her eyes reflect all the wonders she has seen in the sea and on the land.)

If you can see me for what I am... (Some might be like the humans of her world - too blind to see the truth.) ...know that I now protect the forest of Fayren. No harm will befall it while I am here.

(Animals can be seen in the background, frolicking and forgetting their fear. Yet they do not approach her. She glances at them, watching over their play as if she is their guardian or mother.)

[Leaning against the wall of her office at the Ivory Tower, Lust's lovely face appears on the screen, unsmiling, her expression almost bored save for the hint of intensity to show she is very much invested in the responses people give.]

The recording at the Bay indicated that only people with necklaces are considered 'real.' What about those who seem to be native to this place?

[She brushes an errant lock of black hair over her bare shoulder.]

Do any of them have souls? Has it been verified one way or the other?

[It's important; she doesn't want to waste her time grooming alchemists out of nobodies who won't ever be able to create a Philosopher's Stone.]

So...it'd been an interesting couple of hours. The pod, the hologram, the obvious tracking devices presented as gifts, they all screamed 'set up' to her. Lorna was fairly sure that she was awake and less certain that she wasn't trapped in some telepath's mindprobe. It seemed elaborate for that, but then again, telepaths often had overactive imaginations and too much time on their hands.

She wrapped the tracking device - sorry, ID pendant - around her wrist several times by its chain and flipped the pendant through the end to secure it. The phone she powered down and stuck in her jacket pocket. The cash was an oddly anonymous option considering the other two technological leashes, but it was one she could embrace. Her first stop was your basic convenience store for some hair dye, where she jammed the lock on the bathroom and covered the vivid green of her natural hair with a nice safe black.

If this place was real, she couldn't take for granted that it wasn't just as hostile to mutants as the US. It was safer to be taken for a normal young woman, perhaps a bit thin but well-dressed and neatly groomed. Nothing special about her. With her hair freshly dyed, she fixed the lock on the bathroom and headed for that reliable bastion of information - the nearest dive bar. People talked when they had alcohol in them.

[OOC: you can find Lorna in any bar within a few blocks of the Bay. She's not hiding the fact that she's new and looking for information.]