[Any City - Day]

[Caelestis had been dreading this day since he arrived here, so he was certainly well aware of it when it finally arrived. He wasn't one to get bent out of shape because of birthdays - he didn't care even though he was in his 30s - but there was one major figure here that was missing that never was before. That was his twin sister, whom he shared every one of his birthdays with. He knew that time didn't flow the same way here as it did at his home, but it was easier to say that they were 33 now rather than trying to figure out the technicalities behind Genessia's time against Celveryia's. He'd always been one to hide his emotions if anything would ever bother him, but this was one case that he couldn't hide very well. It wouldn't take a detective to note that glint of sadness in his eyes that day, even if his expression seemed to be the same stern look he always carried.

In addition to that feeling of loneliness he had without Almarei around, he'd noticed ever since he woke up at the crack of dawn that his eyes weren't quite right. He'd chalked it up to inadequate sleep, something he was quite used to as it was, so he'd thought nothing of it and went about his day. With his vision as it was, he thought it best to skip his magic training in the Fayren fields for the day and chose to explore the other cities. But between being absent minded and his eyesight, he found himself nearly bumping into people a few times, much to his annoyance. It wasn't their fault, it was his, so he made a point to stop and tip his hat, apologetically bowing his head slightly to the person.]

I beg your pardon.

[At least he had no trouble getting across streets safely. Thankfully.]


[Everglade - Night]

[Once it was coming on sunset, he'd gone to Everglade to serve his duty as a Ranger, but it wouldn't be long into his trek amidst the city when he realized something was very wrong. His vision became worse before eventually, everything faded to black. He would let out a startled cry, collapsing to his knees in the middle of the city streets. At the worst possible time. His right hand covered his eyes, and despite them being wide open, he couldn't see anything.]

What... what the hell kind of magic is this?!

[Stay calm? That's what he would try to do normally, except he's on his knees in the middle of this hellish city, blind and vulnerable for reasons unknown to him. In this state, there was no doubt that he was a sitting duck. He may have magic, but it does little good if he can't see the target and his surroundings... except calling for help is the last thing he wants to have to do.]

[All this talk about the Everglades as of late had spurned the fox's interest in this gloomy region.

He arrived here by foot after sundown and found himself already longing for the gentle forests of Fayren. The Everglades is a land cursed by darkness and forged by magic. The oppressive fog that chokes the region is almost too thick for even his eyes to see. It's a sinister place that looks only vaguely similar to that of fairer Attleton but not by much. The foulness of this city honestly doesn't bode well for anything remotely human.

Tsukuyomi honestly looks out of place as he meanders along the street immaculate in white with his black sword at hand. He had no other reason to come here other than to ease his nagging curiosity. He caught a glimpse of people here and there but most where quiet hesitant to converse with an outsider. The ominous flickering of the nearby street lamps left little to be desired by anyone visiting this ghostly town.

Finally reaching a landmark in the form of a grand manor obstructed with ivy, the fox deity pauses as he pulls out his phone to record his adventure thus far.]

So this is the Everglades?

[He questions as he glances down at the cracked screen of his phone. In the upper corner of the screen there's easy to see that glass there is chipped thanks to Tsukuyomi's carelessness.]

Not much to look at in the terms of beauty but certainly a rather interesting abode. Quite humble in a sense but still quite sinist---

[The loud cawing of a crow nearby caused him to jump a little. It seems that even a former deity like him can get a tad anxious.]

H-Hold your tongues. None of you witnessed that.

Who: Toby Allaway: Jefferson, Belle French, Cas Lopez
Where: Not completely finished Diner/Tavern
Why: Cuz...
When: Around Now-ish

( CLOSED: Jefferson & Belle )
( CLOSED: Cas )

Who: You! Anyone and everyone is welcome to come!
What: A Festival of Fireflies with games, food, rides and more!
Where: Genessia
When: August 15th-20th. Starting at 7pm
Warnings: Be sure to warn in your threads appropriately.


[The gates are open and the air is filled with the sound of music. Whether you're a reveler, a vendor or anything in between-- come and enjoy the festival!

The Firefly Masquerade post is here]

[Toby flicks on the screen standing behind what looks like a rustic bar.]

Hey. [He sort of sucks at using these stupid video things and he'll always forget to introduce himself.] I'm about to open a place and we're going to have custom beers.

Before that I need people to come taste them and tell me what they like or don't like about them. [He likes to get straight to the point.]

Address is listed below.

[Without much more to say the video flicks off.]


[OOC: Toby will be at his unopened, unfinished Tavern. For those who come to taste you'll find him standing behind the bar with an annoyed look on his face. There are also a few papers out with menu's listed on them and puns scratched in messy writing next to each item.]

Accidental Video;

[The communicator's video function seems to have turned on as the device fell to the floor, as the angle is a bit skewed and the camera is slightly obscured by what appears to be a mixture of sand and straw. A growled breath is heard as Clay, in jeans but no shirt, his hands wrapped but un-gloved, grunts with the effort of hanging a large punching bag from the ceiling in what looks like one of the sparring rooms in Sand Gym.

And then he starts at the new bag. One punch, another, another, the strength of his blows rising has his face twists in a snarl of something like rage. He cries out, or maybe it's more of a roar, as his thundering punches reach a crescendo, and the air around his pounding fists seems to waver like hot asphalt after a rain. The new punching bag is torn open, ripped from its ceiling mount, and flies across the room to explode into it's packing against the wall.

He exhales through clenched teeth and moves to the side wall to get a new bag. He doesn't seem to have noticed the communicator.]

Action;

[Clay is destroying punching bags in a sparring room at Sand Gym anywhere from 6:30pm until closing time. Anyone is free to join him, but he's not the best of company right now...]

a; video

[The video feed comes on and the face of a young woman appears. She has red eyes and long black hair that falls over her shoulders. Her brows are knitted in concern and a frown pulls down on her lips. She's currently seated on a bench, grass and trees making a slight appearance behind her when she moves her head. After seeing the welcoming video Tifa had needed a moment to collect herself and her thoughts before attempting to contact anyone.

But the thought that Denzel and Marlene-her children-could be around here somewhere and not know where she is gives her the resolve to try and use her device. With the help of the instruction manual it's easy enough.]

Hello. I'm not quite sure who all is seeing this, but whoever you are I need some help. I'm looking for two children, a ten year old boy and a six year old girl. Their names are Denzel and Marlene. I understand that they may not have been brought here with me, but I'm their guardian so I need to be sure. If anyone sees them can you please tell them that I'm here. My name is Tifa. I'll be staying in Genessia for at least a couple of days.

[She hesitates for a moment, as if she's going to say more, before shaking her head.]

Thank you. [The feed clicks off.]

b; thud's gym

[After a few hours of wandering the city and double and triple checking her phone in case she hears from the kids or from someone who has seen them, Tifa finds herself heading into the first gym she comes across. It might not be wise to be spending any of the money she found upon arrival before first finding a job, but the need to punch out her frustrations has been growing since she woke up here. If she could drain some of her anxious energy by beating the crap out of a bag it would be money well spent.

Wrapping up her hands she immediately sets into punching the bag with fast, vicious strikes. Occasionally she'll toss in some kicks that are as equally powerful as her fists. Anyone watching would be able to instantly tell that she's in her element.]

c; jack's bar and karaoke club

[The early evening will find Tifa settled on a stool at the bar, a shot of bourbon sitting before her. Despite having been a bartender for several years she's not usually much of a drinker. But the events of the day have more than called for a drink or three. The atmosphere of the bar is familiar, nearly homely to her as she discreetly watches the clientele and listens to the karaoke participants.

But no matter how familiar it feels, there's a sense of sadness that lingers over her. This isn't home. This isn't Seventh Heaven. Her family isn't here.]

Hello everyone. As you already are well aware crime has increased in Everglade due to the Mayor... again. I am trying my best to deal with the current situation as is my Deputy and a group of natives. I do apologize for me taking too long to say anything about it as well.

[He sighed slightly. First it was the heatwave and now it was this. He felt like he could never catch a damn break.]

This has made me wonder if I should perhaps consider hiring another Deputy while this is going on. [He pouted slightly.]

If anyone is planning on going into Everglade, please stay vigilant just in case and just be careful. [He sighed as he turned his chair.]

And to think this all started from one dumb rule.

who: Mr. Gold & Toby Allaway
Where: Everglade
What: Bounty Yo: Refined Whispers
Warning: None.. maybe language.

( Where the wild things are. )

[Video]

[It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure these things out and given the level of tech he's familiar with, this is hardly a problem to figure out. He snorts softly to himself as he finally clicks the video on, leaning up against one of the buildings of Genessia City, arms crossed over his chest and suit just as mussed up as it normally is. Dress shirt untucked, suit jacket unbuttoned, and hair a right mess. But that last part is pretty impossible to fix.]

Well, shit, been a while since I've had anything new to do and being dragged into a semi-peaceful lookin' place is certainly a nice change of pace. No one trying to destroy the world or take it over or what the fuck ever else craziness of the week.

I might have zoned out a little on that whole hologram thing, short attention span, if you wanna call it that. So I got a few questions for whoever can see this mess.

One: The fuck is with the jewelry? Who thought this shit was fashionable or practical?
Two: So this whole unable to leave thing, is that really true or some bullshit scare tactic to keep people in line?
Three: If you happen to know what Gaia, Midgar, or Shinra is? You might wanna contact me.
Four: What the hell do you people do for fun?
Five: Where's the closest damn bar?

The last is of the upmost importance.

[Action, Genessia City]

[To be fair, Reno was never one to sit around for long and tended to get restless if he even tried to do as such. Thus he'd immediately taken to wandering and learning the ins and outs of this particular city just in case he needed them for later. Whether for offensive purposes or to just get the hell out quickly and not have to worry about the repercussions of something he probably did.

Luckily he'd had a pack of cigarettes still on him and his lighter, so finding the redheaded man with a cigarette perched between his lips wasn't a difficult thing in the slightest.

He's poking his head into various businesses that may or may not be of some interest, just learning the lay of the land and anything that might be worth his time or effort.]

Video

[This will be one of the few times that Toby bothers to use video. It's easier and he isn't really afraid of anything on the network, even after the recent odd occurrences. He's kneeling next to a motorcycle and anyone who knows about motorcycles will be able to tell that he doesn't have any idea what he's doing. He pauses and brings the video up to be directed only at his face.]

So shit's happening.

[He doesn't have the best social skills.]

Anyone want to grab a drink?

Action

[Toby kicks the old bike on which sounds like it's dying as he pulls onto the street. It's what he can afford so he isn't to worried about it. he'll head directly towards a bar and as always he's the very large figure cut at the bar. Thanks to the video it won't be hard to identify him.

He orders a beer and then waits with his phone sitting next to him.]

[ 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. ]

Who: Gale Reinhardt and Toby Allaway
What: Flames of Rage bounty
Where: Nova City
When: July 18
Warnings: Fire and dog puns. Also probably violence.

( Gale just hopes he doesn't end up with a hot dog )

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been around much lately. I have good reason, and for the time I was gone I don't think I was capable of fulfilling my duties as City Guardian or as a leader, so I'd like to thank my Deputy Artanis for taking care of things in my absence. I don't intend on talking about what happened with a bunch of strangers. You're not my therapists, and most of you aren't my friends. What most of you are, despite everything that I've been through in this world and my own, are good people who deserve to be safe. I think it's obvious that I'm not capable of doing that through sheer enthusiasm and ability. I'm relatively certain no one elected me because they thought I was going to be able to punch superpowered serial killers through a wall in the first place and make everything perfectly safe like that.

What I ran on the first time was creating teams and using my brain to come up with new ways to protect this city and its people. I think it's about time Nova City saw more of that, so I'm breaking Nova City into protective sectors and hiring more Deputy Guardians out of my own pocket. Being able to guard smaller sectors and call in backup from other parts of the city is going to improve security and I make more than enough disposable income and I can't see a better way to spend it than to make sure that you all know that even if I couldn't protect myself alone, I'll make sure that Nova City will become a place we can all feel a little safer again.

I'll let all of you know who the new deputies will be and how the sectors will be divided up by the end of the month. Anyone interested leave a private message, but I make no guarantees about who will actually get a job and who won't. Any candidates will be informed of the interview procedure just before it. No sooner, no later, and if they would like to withdraw their candidacy at that time they are more than welcome to.

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 )

Who: Mr. Gold {Rumpelstiltskin} & Open
What: Arrival
Where: Bay exit/entrance + Genessia City/Library


To be honest, Gold isn't a stranger to finding himself displaced onto new worlds. However, he usually is in someway responsible, or at least he knew that he was going to end up in a new world in short order. Neither happened to be the case here. Oh, sure he had taken the portal to get to the Land of Untold Stories. However, he hadn't done a thing to take himself from there to here.

He was reasonably certain this wasn't the world that Hyde had spoken of that held the knowledge he sought. It's disconcerting how easily he found himself in another world that has nothing to do with his end goal.

The white box gets a brief passing look as he makes certain that the two most important items he'd had on him prior to his waking here were still in his possession. Once assured they indeed were, he relaxes enough to leave the bay where he woke up before investigating the white box he'd woken up with; followed by investigating the nearby magazine rack for other answers. He gains a few but remains with others unanswered.

How he'd been brought, why he'd been brought, what purpose really did the neck piece actually serve? If it was only given to those kidnapped and dragged here, was it merely an identification of those not native of this world or did it hold a more sinister and hidden purpose? He pocketed it for the time being, he'd keep it on him but until he learned more of it he had no plans on wearing it properly. The strange currency he placed in his wallet beside that he'd brought from home. He'd look into possible employment in tandem with seeking out answers to his remaining questions as well as possible knowledge pertaining to the one goal he still held.

Collecting a city map from the rack, he could be discovered examining it or even on his way toward the library he'd noted from the map.

Action | Closed to Toby (Backdated to the day after her release)

[She'd run. That was first clear memory after Battler had finally released her. She was in a forest, she could tell that much, but where didn't matter. All she could focus on was putting as much distance as possible between her and the monster she could still sense behind her as possible. There was a wounded and terrified part of her that could feel him behind her still, and that scared little girl ran until the muscles in her legs wanted to give out, until her chest was burning with her own breath, and she still kept running.]


Text | OPEN - Not Backdated

Hi. Um, so, if you don't know me, my name's Cas. I'm wondering if anyone's hiring. I can learn to do just about anything.

Just...nothing in Fayren. Ever.

...sorry.

anywhere outdoors

[ Some things should be unusual, right? But to a youkai like Yahiko, ending up in a different world isn't that big of a deal. Sure he can't go to the Underworld due to circumstance, but that's besides the point.

And anyway! Being in a new place gives him lots of opportunities to explore and he loves exploring, it's like a big game of hide and seek with all the good and interesting places that hides in a newly discovered location.

So there's a child (or what looks like a child) - or perhaps a fox - running around everywhere. Yahiko is climbing, leaping, and flying to any place that might be of interest. He opens lids and doors and picks up and rolling around things. Which means that if someone can't see him, it looks as if whatever he moves around is moving on its own.

Or maybe he accidentally(?) throws something at an unsuspecting passerby. ]

any shops or restaurants
[ You can't just look around outside though. Once shops starts to open their doors to costumers, he enters the shops one after the other to have a look inside.

Don't be scared if your merchandise starts to move around on its own. Or if this child-looking person is picking up everything ever to have a look at it. Or, if you're in a restaurant, a menu starts to float or is picked up by this little creature that might look like a fox, or might look like a child. ]

video
[ This feed might be empty, if you're unlucky. Or it might, if you're lucky. But there's a voice, at least. ]

Hey! Let's play! Play hide and seek with me? I'm great both at hiding and seeking!

Oh and! Apparently we need jobs here but I don't actually need one but I thought maybe it could be fun! Then I can buy my own rakugan. [ He loves those sweets. ] It has to be fun, okay? And preferably something easy to do for this little old fox!

[Belle had found herself waking up in hospital. Seemingly confused the young brunette slowly shifted herself, making sure that she was sitting upright and in place. She had no idea how she got here. Last thing she remembered was a whiteness. As she sat there, looking around still slightly confused, trying to wrap her head around where she was or how she got there.

Slowly she moved, getting off the bed only to realize that her looks she was perfectly normal. Nothing is missing, nothing is bruises of cut or anything. It was enough to make her wonder if the whiteness had something to do with dying? And when she came back everything was reset?

With that thought trailing in her mind she had managed to pick up what was set to the side before eventually being able to go. As she walked, her hands started to play with the phone. She figured she should say something and once she gets home in the sub archway, she finally decides to switch it on.]

I can't say I know how long it has been since I was gone, but I thought I would just let people know I'm back now. I'm sorry if I worried anyone.