Sitting pretty

[Faye's voice is a complicated and contradictory mix of weariness, energy, disbelief, hope, and joy]

...Well holy crap, we actually survived. Won, even! I missed the whole thing, how the hell did you guys do it?!

No, you know what, I don't even care. Are we- do we really get to go home?! Finally?! Sunset is not soon enough, aw hell, I'm gonna smoke half a box of cigarettes before then, at least.

...Otogi, thanks again for the Wish. I'm fairly sure you saved my ass. And thanks everyone else who, you know, fought and killed the bastards.

...It seems we lost a few. I'm surprised we didn't lose more but- well. ...I hope they're resting peacefully. They've earned it.

Are there really still people living on this world? ...Hell. Thank God for that. ...Guess I don't like the thought of the Earth being... empty. Don't envy them the rebuilding process, but- hell, now I'm babbling... need another fucking cigarette....

[a pause]

Oh God oh God I can't wait to get out of this place! Seriously, why sunset, can we leave now?! ...Warden, if you don't pull through on this I will shoot you dead. That goes for anyone else who stands between me and my ride out of here. I swear-!

[another short pause, then muffled swearing]

...Hell, if anyone wants to find me I'll be pacing circles around the Consulo.

[more muffled curses, then the PDA clicks off]

[sounds frantic and pained]

Would everyone please, please stop thinking so loudly- SHUT UP!!

((Faye has acquired Schuldig's telepathic abilities but doesn't know how to control them; thus, she can hear everyone's thoughts and is FREAKED OUT.))

[screened to Shadow//unhackable]

It's looking like it's just me.

[/screened]

[screened to Edward Elric and Pharaun Mizzrym//unhackable]

Hypothetical question. Something bad's coming, we all know that. It's probably the Entropi coming to destroy us and the world and all of everything, and everybody's in a tizzy getting ready to fight them. ...Question is this. If you had a possible means of escaping back to where you belong, and maybe everybody else who wants to go as well, would you? Even knowing you might be weakening the efforts of those who choose to stay, and endangering all that they're working for? Or would you, also, choose to stay and fight?

[/screened]

[screened to Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV//unhackable]

Ed, I may need your help with something in a little bit, then again maybe not. Just... be ready when I call you, alright? And....

[Faye's voice starts to sound strange... is this the sound of Faye caring?]

...Look, if things start going bad, you come to my room, Ast-Okto in Building One, in my bedroom there's a hatch to a tunnel, it's dug pretty deep. Things get scary, you go straight there, you hear me Edward? Go as deep as you can, you might be safe underground. You can bring friends- ...Hell.

[/screened]

[Faye sounds subdued, and awkward]

...The Warden's made it clear that something is coming. It's probably the Entropi, but it's definitely something bad. I know everybody's getting organized, getting ready to fight- but some of us shouldn't be in a battlefield, much less fight on one. If the shit hits the fan and things get bad, and you need somewhere to go... in my room, Ast-Okto in Building One, I've got a tunnel dug that goes pretty deep. The hatch is in the floor in the bedroom on the right as you come in. ...I'm hoping it'll be safer underground, I dunno. Just... something to think about.

[pause]

...For the rest of you... I dunno what kinda things people are working on, but, uh... anybody need some scrap metal? Bronze, iron, aluminum? Um. Just let me know.

((Faye hasn't realized Ed's gone yet, of course. ...She'll realize shortly. ^_^;; ))

Honestly, how stupid can people be? After everything else that's happened here, what do you do when you see a strange piece of fruit just lying around? ...I dunno, but you don't pick it up and eat it!

...But thanks very much to those who did anyway, you made fine guinea pigs. Once I could see that nothing bad was happening to anybody, I had several. ...Thanks also to whoever left them lying around and didn't drug them. They were delicious~! ...And the only fresh fruit I've had in a while.

Is anybody else concerned by the slow dwindling of our food supplies? After that big battle with the Keepers several weeks ago, I'm not sure the Indigeo's coming back. And the Warden said even if it does... the Keepers might do something to it, and it might not be so friendly anymore. But the point is, we've been on our own for a while now, and we don't know what's gonna happen in the future. We may be looking at slow starvation here. Unless the Warden can bring in food with his new Consulo? ...Does it even work that way? I don't think food has the same sort of energy signature as people.

...Or maybe some of our magical comrades who can appear food out of nowhere will step up and feed the populace. What do you say, guys~?

Speaking of the Keepers, the Warden, the Consulo, the Indigeo, the whole despotic regime... am I the only one who's worried the Keepers might not want the Warden to have his own Consulo? I mean, they did fire the guy, throw him in here with the rest of us... he's not a warden anymore, he's a prisoner, and maybe they won't want him to have shiny toys. I keep expecting them to swoop down and destroy the thing. Not to mention I'm still jumpy about that whole snafu with the Keepers chasing the Indigeo and turning the Warden against us to try to flush it out. The Warden says they never caught the Indigeo. That conflict never really ended, it's still hanging over our heads, waiting to explode.

...This place makes me nervous.

[screened to Edward Elric//unhackable]

Hey Ed, any luck with those cuffs?

[/screened]

[sounds highly annoyed]

Does anyone else find it highly inappropriate that the Warden has essentially threatened to kill me if I don't leave the building he wants to destroy?! That is so not okay! ...No. Screw it! I'm not leaving! It's a matter of principle, now. He needs to know he's not in charge anymore. I won't be bullied.

Warden, you bastard, I'm calling your bluff. If this one single spot is so damned special, you're going to have to bring the building down on me to get it.

[screened to Toph//unhackable]

[pleasant]

...Don't suppose you'd be willing to help me out again with my, uh, project? It's looking like I may have to leap out of a crumbling building at the last minute, and it's not like I can take the damn thing with me....

[/screened]

I find it somewhat disturbing how quickly things have returned to business-as-usual. It just shows how we've become used to random acts of violence from our Keepers.

...God I hate this place.

Well, damn, in all the excitement it's been a while since I've taken a good look at the sky.

Happy New Year!

It just figures requisitions would go down when I get a hankering for some Tsing-Tao. And I wish I'd saved some of those fireworks. ...Oh well~.

((Backdated to the 26th, whoops.))

So I guess Christmas happened while I was feeling under the weather... there's a whole pile of gifts in my living room. Uh... thanks? I didn't think I even knew this many people here....

Dom Santiago... actually, I didn't have a pair of these, thanks! Sweet of you to think of it~!

The rest of these I don't know who they're from, so....

Lingerie and candy canes... thanks, Secret Admirer~! Though apparently you admire a lot of people here. Well, sugar's always good and the lingerie's cute~... wonder if I'll ever have an occasion to wear it.

Whoever sent me the whiskey blending kit is my hero. Care to identify yourself and help me taste some of these~?

A dozen brownies, hell yes chocolate is always good... earplugs? Um, what? Thanks?

Coupon for free pole-dancing lessons, another universal gift I see... don't think I really need lessons, thanks~!

A bunch of sweets and tea and bath salts... really nice, thanks, whoever you are~!

This sorta brightly colored, dangly... uh... whatever it is... okay, I'm gonna go ahead and call this one. Ed, I sense your hand in this!

Dead trout wearing lipstick. Ew. Again, see I'm not the only one. Gee thanks, pal, you're so thoughtful.

And finally, THIS IS THE COOLEST GUN I HAVE EVER SEEN. ...What is it, and can you show me how to use it? I'm sort of afraid to touch the damn thing....

So uh... I didn't get anybody anything... feel free to requisition yourself something nice, and thank me later~.