[Qubine's relaxing in his cave, laying across the cold stone floor when the feed comes on.]

So...is everyone enjoying their transformations?

[There may be a hint of amusement in his voice, but he's honestly just curious. He's not planning to be mean...]

[While almost everyone is riding the "woe is me" hum-drumvee, someone is riding the hell out of the funvee and flying like an insane lunatic. There's a slight lag of Enno's voice laughing before video cuts on to a rushing view of Fayren.]

Glorious! Wunderbar! How is there no way to do this normally, ja? Flight is... beyond words.

[Also expect him to rain heavily on your parade since he is having such a good time right now, pulling up for a loop and letting himself stall to start careening to the ground.]

Yet everyone is sad. [There's a very hard jerk in the video as he breaks out of the dive before it yanks up to his face, full of brilliant green scales and now very amber colored slits for eyes.] Nein, this change is far too fun to not enjoy. If there are any other dragons, be it natural or by what has happened, please reply. Then again, ja, if anyone is actually going to have fun, reply.

[Being this sociable is really only the result of something he finds so entertaining as to take the heaviness out of his mood, and he turns the video away from him again to once more take in Fayren, he dives in near a tower, spiraling down it before he finally lands with a loud thump. He quickly whips the video to face him once more.]

Meister Gale-- [Sorry Gale, he agreed to not call you by your last name but that's as much as he'll bend for a superior. He also has started walking, judging from the sky moving behind him.] Fellow Deputies of Nova City, if you are enfeebled in some way by these events, please call upon me for assistance.

Likewise for any citizen. I am currently [There's unmistakable glee in his voice that he fails to force out.] a dragon, but I am still a knight. My call is to serve.

[video]

I'm sorry if this breaks the rules... But after that anonymous post, I'm really worried... Not that I posted. That's anonymous.

Do people not like gods here? Where I'm from, the kami need faith to live... It's how we-- er, they-- get to become more than spirits. If people don't believe in them, wethey can't even move. Sometimes they'll even disappear all together... 

I think it's sad if people don't like the gods, so um... If you're a god, uh... I can try to be your follower... There's a shrine in Genessia, actually. You should come visit. Maybe I can light incense for you and offer a prayer, if that helps. I don't want anyone to disappear.

[action : genessia shrine]

[Yoshiya is at the shrine with his three Pokemon, going through his usual duties as the shrine keeper. Between cleaning the shrine and helping citizens offer prayers, he manages to stay pretty busy. But he's relying a lot on his Politoed for help: With winter coming, Yoshiya's corpse body is facing its yearly struggle. He can't regulate his body temperature without any faith, so his body is getting weak and useless.

When approached, he accidentally drops his broom.] AU- um...! Sorry, uh! [And then can't easily bend down to get it back.]

One sec, sorry! Are you here to offer a prayer?

 *Following the carnival, Faye had disappeared for several days. She didn't tell anyone where she was going, but just left. She wasn't seen at home, she didn't turn up for work, she wasn't seen around networks, and she didn't reply to any calls or messages that were sent to her. She just disappeared. Who would even notice that she was gone? Who would even have the time to realise and care?

When she returns, however, this is the first message that she makes, ignoring everything else and focused on Orihime's apparent disappearance. Faye looks and sounds positively thunderous*

Where have people already looked for Orihime? What leads do you have? What's the next step?

As for you - you sick bastard who took her - I hope you know it's only a matter of time before your guts are splattered on the ground and you're left to rot like the piece of shit you are.

*That scowl on her face is no laughing matter, nor is the resounding click of the gun she has just primed*

01. [ACTION] Getting your feet wet

---

[First, the bad: his game was up. The bedlam he'd caused to try and spice up the horrifically dull, podunk called "Inaba" had, apparently, come to an abrupt end. And it was just coming to the good part.

He'd blearily stepped out of his pod, only to be greeted by Weiss' hologram. Which meant he had to endure Genessia's tutorial by his most despised kind of person. Once it was over, he bore it a grimace.]

Man. What a stuck-up bitch.

[Last and least, his feet were wet. That's the cherry on his, so far, shit sundae. For the good? He still has his gun. And he had his other weapon: the blood-red persona that practically gave him a migraine to bring forth. He could feel it within him, as though he were in the world of shadows. Wonderful.

Once he made his way out of The Bay, things looked to be turning up. The world was new. He was in a city again. He was out of the sticks! With a wad of cash. Maybe this wouldn't be so horrifically dull after all. At least he could get beer past evening now.

Along the city streets, he walks around with a sense of fresh purpose. He might actually enjoy this. This world seemed a lot more interesting than the one he was steering to ruin before. If it were from someone less bitter, it could be described as happiness.]

You know...this isn't too bad. Guess I should go to that GSRF place to see what's up. On the other hand, I could use a drink.

[Decisions, decisions. Wanna save him from talking to himself and show him a good night on the town?]

02. [VIDEO] Introductions

---

[Even a new world can't shake off old habits. He still feels the need to put on that dim, nice guy facade he'd used to cope with the reality he so despised. Might as well introduce himself, and fish for a job while he's at it. Give him a moment to get into character. What comes into view is a dopey looking, Japanese man shy of thirty with an off-center tie and a disarmingly innocent smile.]

Oh, uh, looks like it's working! Guess I should introduce myself.

[He cleared his throat.]

Umm...I'm Adachi, and I'm new here. Gotta say it's...pretty wild! That hologram back there looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. And I'm...whoa, speaking English! Don't remember taking classes for that, but I won't complain, heh. Wonder why that is? Oh, I'm from Japan, by the way. If that means anything.

Anyway, I'm a police detective, or...was, I guess. Is anyone hiring for that? I uh, don't have my papers on me, sorry. Will credentials be a problem? Hope I don't have to go through the academy again.

I, uh, do have my gun though. Am I in trouble? They were pretty strict about those back home; couldn't really take them out of work. Heh, guess it'd look pretty bad for an officer to break the law on his first day.

[Gee, he's just so shy and harmless, isn't he?]

Sorry, guess I'm pretty boring. Oh! But Check this out.

[The phone trades his shy face to focus on his hand, holding a 500 yen coin. It's only value lies purely in entertainment now.]

Okay, watch closely.

[He grasps it in his hand, then pumps it up and down.]

Are you watching?

[After that gripping suspense, he opens his hand. His palm is bare. The coin is gone! Wow!]

Ta-da!

...well, maybe it's more impressive in person. Guess if law enforcement doesn't work out, I could always be a magician, right?

[video]

Do we have anymore information on the suspected dragon poaching incident in the paper? 

I need to leave town for a while, but I can't do that knowing there might be a threat to Hana... Is Fayren's guardianship doing anything about it? Or anyone independent? 

[All of this seems like a normal call... until you factor in that the video is cutting out and glitchy. Occasionally, dark shadows seem to seep out from around Uai. Blink, and they're disappear. He also seems more agitated than his usual, snarky self.]

[action : fayren / mountains]

[Why is he leaving town, you ask? Why, to glitch out, of course! Uai has been on a downward spiral for months now, and it's finally to a point that he can't ignore it. It's after an "npc" comments on his dark glitchy aura that he realizes it's becoming visible, so calls out of work. Even if someone (action prompt A) finds him leaving Fayren, with the inky aura fully visible, he'll eventually sneak off into the mountains.

There,  Uai can either be found (action prompt B) sleeping in a tree or seemingly passed out on the ground over the course of the next few days... or, you might be unfortunate enough to (action prompt C) run into some skeleton dragons. Speaking of action prompt C:]

[action prompt C / skeleton dragons]

( Cut for length )

[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?

 [Video]

*Here's a very unhappy looking Sonico, hair hastily and messily pulled up into a ponytail. There's a flush of annoyance on her cheeks too*

Whoever is going round Attleton mucking up people's homes like this - you need to stop. We are nice people just minding our own business and we don't deserve your...rudeness. Please learn some manners and find yourself a more productive hobby.

*Isn't she so threatening? As she pouts in her frustration, Sonico turns to face her home. Wait a minute - is that a giant penis on her doorway?*

[Action - Attleton]

*Sonico didn't waste any time in getting down to business. She is outside with a bucket full of hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush, various bottles of cleaner nearby for her to try. She is in her usual shorts and tshirt, scrubbing viciously as she tries to get rid of the ugly marks on the door*

[Qubine had been busy with his Deputy Guardian duties and other things on his mind, it took him nearly a week to notice that September was upon them. How time flies... Now he wonders if the question on his mind was common. Only one way to find out...]

Has anyone ever forgotten their own hatch...err...I mean, I believe they're known as "birthdays" to humans?

[Ever the conversationlist, is he not?]

[ A certain young looking and French sounding vampire has shown up on the network after who knows how long, and she is looking rather conflicted. It's a feeling that's become much too familiar to her liking. ]

I must have gone soft. Perhaps it's this... Deputy Guardian job I have, or the fact I do not have to inspire fear to even exist in this realm, but since when has the Scarlet Devil cared even a little what happens to a few foolish mortals?

a. Bay area

[Reno's not entirely surprised that he feels like he's had the best sleep he's had in a long time. With a job that requires sleeping lightly and the most recent catastrophes he's had to contend with, sleeping that heavily is a rarity that normally requires a not insignificant amount of booze beforehand.

More disconcerting is everything else: the fact he's woken up in a pod he doesn't remember finding his way into; the fact that none of his current surroundings seem at all familiar; the fact he can't remember anything at all between being with his fellow Turks and a recently-cured Rufus and shoring up somewhere new.

Frankly, it's a miracle he hasn't already thrown the box on his chest into the water already, given what could be in there. Even when he opens it - after making as many checks as he can to ensure it's not rigged to explode - he's none the wiser. He's never much good first thing at the best of times, and this is a hell of a lot of new to process.

Eventually, he makes it as far as the hologram. But he's wire-tense, senses on full alert and always with half an eye on the box he's still yet to remove the contents of, and as he listens to what is supposedly the full story it's with a slight scoff of disbelief, curses muttered beneath his breath.]

And right when I thought we were done with the bullshit for a little while.

b. The bars of Genessia

[For as cautious as he can be, for as cautious as he's been while he's tried to process the reality of what he's dealing with, Reno's never really been the sort to get too caught up in fretting over things. Once he's had time to process the basics - kidnapped but probably safe, with no apparent expectations save to live - and to perhaps do a little scouting out of the main city just in case - he figures there's really no point getting too worked up about things. Not to say that he's not keen to get back to what he knows but, well. He's got money in hand and the city has bars. Maybe he can consider it a vacation.

And so he makes his rounds of the bars within Genessia City, staying long enough to get a feel for how the atmosphere runs and if it's the sort of place he'd go back to. He finds himself drawn rather more to the dive bars, those that seem to cater to a broader range of people - partly because he hates the snobbishness of the posher places, more because he figures people-watching is a good way to learn about a place and for that, better to hit up the more varied places.

Not that it especially shows. On the surface, with his slouched, open posture and laid-back expression, he seems like nothing more than another bar patron. Only the sharpness of his gaze would give any indication that he's quite ready and willing to deal with any situations that may arise, for all he really just wants to chill out and drink a while. If company comes his way - for curiosity, or because he's spent too long watching someone and they've taken notice - all the better.]

Action; Bay
[She had no idea where she was when she woke up. The last thing she could recall was being in her group's hangout falling asleep after a good day of work. If she could recall they had killed at least three powerful people and made that well known.

But now she was in a style of the city she was unaware of. To say she was confused was a perfect understatement. Never the less she kept calm as she left the Bay turning to watch the hologram the moment it started. Once she was finished she set about exploring and seeing what the world had to offer. and mostly ending up carrying food around whenever she came across food stores.

It was rather nice to be able to afford food sometimes when you lived the life she does.]

Video
[She soon switched on the feed. She had decided to use her angelic personality she had mastered and her look to try and gain the trust of people. As she was about to speak she had been currently eating hat seemed to be a sandwich.]

So first things first. Fan of the food. [Sure it wasn't what would keep her filled her long, but damn it she was taking advantage of actually having food.]

Second of all, I'm not going to ask for people. If they are here they will come to me. But I really hope it's not the case... People back home just aren't that nice. I wouldn't want them to cause problems here. But what I need to know are about jobs.

[She paused before taking a small nibble of the sandwich that was still sitting at the side.]

I've never actually had a job before... So I don't know where to start in looking. So would someone please be so kind as to help a poor little beginner here. [She knew she was lying, but it was always something she was good at. Though it depends on what one meant by job. Killing people for a living wasn't something she did for money, but more personal gain and with money as an added bonus if she got hired.

But she frowned slightly, if for the time being.]

I'm not sure how I can help you with helping me. So I guess I'll just owe you one favour. How does that sound?

I'd like to address the cities as a whole on an urgent matter. [ the tone of this voice is the very definition of the term 'harried'. it is very nearly drowned out by a constant, excitable uproar that could only belong to a large pack of dogs. ]

If you weren't already aware, there was a break-in at one of the major dog shelters in the area. If you haven't already collected one, or assisted in returning them to said shelter, then I graciously encourage you to do so.

On the matter of collection, I also have with me a very large group of dogs in sore need of homes or relocation. [ some of that 'harried' is joined by a healthy dose of 'desperation'. ]

Any help would be appreciated. I thank you in advance for your time.

[ please save him ]

[The video camera turns on to see a very close up look at a brown eye, before it pulls back to reveal the face of a young man with a straw hat on his head.]

Huh...This is like a dendenmushi or something but with a screen. I wonder if we can find a screen like this back home.

Oh right. I'm Luffy. Anyone know where I am? Did Kuma send me somewhere again?

[He doesn't recall Kuma being around, but who knows? Kuma was weird.]

Is any of my nakama around? Zoro? Nami? Ussop? Sanji? Chopper? Robin? Franky? Brooke? ...Is Tra-guy here?

[He seems to be mostly distracted looking around his surroundings, even as he extends his arm to pull himself across the water of the Bay.]

By the way. Anyone know where I can get some meat? I'm hungry.

[Smoker's not sure how much he believes any of this, it all could be an elaborate plot by one of the pirate emperors on one of their islands further on the Grand Line, though, he very much doubts any of them would be foolhardy enough to kidnap him, and still leave him a pair of seastone cuffs and his jitte. And if it was Kaidou, there's no way X Drake would leave Smoker running free and unhindered. But any of the Emperors usually felt most secure on their own islands, surrounded by their own people, so it could just be arrogance to sell the illusion. Still, whether fake or not, best to play along for now until he could prove otherwise.]

[And the best way to get information? Was to ask as bluntly as Smoker ever did. You'd be amazed at what pirates would give away if you just asked.]

Three things. [He holds up 3 fingers.] One, where can I get an endless supply of good cigars? [And he means good. And endless. He's smoking two at a time, they'll go quickly.] Secondly, what's the nearest bar? And thirdly, what is there for law enforcement or bounty hunting opportunities around here? [Because if he was kidnapped to play toy hunter for someone....]

[Might as well see what or who they wanted him to hunt, really.]

[And the idea that he might just be announcing to all the criminals that he was coming? Yeah, he knows, he prefers it that way.]

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!