[ It takes herculean effort for the Psiioniic to turn the SFC on, but he manages it. Not that anyone could appreciate the work and mild head trauma he's put forth to accomplish this action.

There is a fat yet oddly expressive purple bee no bigger than an inch and a half on the screen, buzzing back and forth and flailing his little insectile legs. For those in the know, he's dancing in the intricate beenary code of a well-trained beehouse mainframe drone.

The message is simple: Help, I am a bee.

Otherwise, this is the rough equivalent of a funny video involving an unlikely dancing creature. Only without memetic background music.

And it's actually really, really stupid.

After way too long doing his little bee dance, he lands and speaks in such a faint voice it'd be easy to miss entirely:] Help.

[ Hello Vatheon! There is a Sophie sitting in her bed with a book on her lap. ]

Asbel brought me a book, when I had to stay in bed. He was reading stories from it.
I can read some too, but it's strange.

[ Here, let her show you. She starts to read. ]

"Once upon a time there was a family of six bears. There was Daddy Bear, Mummy Bear, Blue Bear, Big Bear, Clever Bear and Completely Bear. They lived in a forest that didn't have any trees."

[ ... she looks at the SFC. ]

If the forest doesn't have trees, how can it be a forest?

[ She is so confused. But it doesn't stop there. She looks back down to the book. ]

"The four young bears all decided to go out looking for adventure, so off they went. Blue Bear headed for the fun fair, but on the way he tripped and fell into a pot of yellow paint. This made him yellow from head to toe. Big Bear went to the Science Museum. Before he looked at all the interesting exhibits, he went to get a large hamburger and fizzy drink from the restaurant. But instead of drinking the fizzy drink, he accidentally drank some Incredible Shrinking Potion which made him about the size of ant. Clever Bear went to the library. He was sitting down reading some history books, when suddenly his brain exploded and millions of tiny pieces shot out of his ears."

[ At that point she suddenly stops reading, staring at the book for a few minutes. Quietly, she closes the book, looking at the SFC and with a perfectly serious look on her face, asks: ]

... is it really okay to read this? I don't want my brain to explode.

[Sunday morning, and time for Link to rise...]

[About a month later, as it turns out.]

[For a moment, he's disoriented, staring at the ceiling in a vague sort of way. He feels a bit like he's been run through a wringer, exhausted from not having touched the coral in - what, a month and a half? - and it takes him a moment before he can summon the energy to reach for the SFC.]

Um - hi. [Whoops, scratchy voice - let him clear that.]

I guess I was asleep for a really long time, huh... [Bit of movement in the background, Link is trying to push himself up and look for his boots. If he can find Asi somewhere nearby, he can get him to the coral, right?] It's weird, because I slept for a week just before this...

[Oh well. Have a sleepy smile (and, okay, some pretty epic bedhead).] But I'm up now! Um...

What did I miss?

[Later in the day, once he's touched the coral, he can be found here and there - getting used to food again, stretching his legs after a month of no movement. At times, he can be found in the plaza, a blue ocarina in his hands as he plays music.]

[Filtered to Luke, Cadence, and Xion]

[Somehow, Sola has managed to actually put a filter on this post. It took him quite awhile but it's very important to him that no one else see. He doesn't want them to worry. In fact, he's sort of hiding out in the bathroom of Johnny's apartment to make the post.

The young Hylian's face is drawn and he's rubbing his hand as if to try and get the circulation going after sleeping on it funny.]

Umm... hi everyone. Only you three can see this, I think. I mean, I hope so. But I had sort of a question since I don't know...

Have any of you ever, um... started... getting kind of numb o-or... kind of see-through?

[It sounds ridiculous when he says it out loud and Sola crinkles his nose as how strange but he has to know.]

[Hello, Vatheon. Long time no see, it's your resident grinning vampire calling. Only this time he appears with a plain, white, masquerade mask on, the same one he arrived in nearly a year ago.]

Hello, bubble~ Tell me, how many of you have heard of or even attended a masquerade ball? For those of you for which the answer is 'neither' then allow me to enlighten you~ A masquerade ball is a formal event with dancing, music, food, and drink, where the participants attend in costume and wear a mask. Think 18th century Earth: ruffles and frills and add color. Any and every color theme you can imagine. Pick your favorite color and base your entire outfit on it, whatever strikes your fancy~

Half the fun is the outfit and the mask~

[He unties the ribbon holding his mask in place and takes it off to hold it up as an example.]

This is about as simple as a mask can get and yet it works. But you can make yours any shape and any design with any embellishment you so desire~

Anyway~ I ask because I, along with the very helpful Golden Victory club, intend to put on such an event The night of the 8th. That gives everyone who wants to attend three weeks notice on their costumes. I know there are plenty of people, including myself, who would be more than happy to help anyone put such a costume together~

Everyone is invited, of course, no date necessary~ Though, I recommend you find one anyway, these types of things are always more enjoyable with a friend~
[He winks and shuts off the SFC.]

//Private to the Employees of TC

Ah~ Sorry to sort of spring this on you, but could I ask for your help in the preparation of this event? Mainly, just the set up and cooking. Once that is done, you would have plenty of time to attend the ball yourselves.

[ Sophie is seated today, by the fountain in the plaza, but she doesn't seem very perky as usual. If anything there's a bit of a frown on her normally inexpressive face. She tucks her head against her knees with a sigh. Tiger Festival is with her, naturally, walking along the edge of the fountain and trying to bat at the water with his paw. ]

It hurts.

It hurts.

My head hurts.

[ She's had a lot of complicated questions to ask lately, and some of them have been pinging her memory. Or what of if she's trying to recollect. Abruptly she is startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a -plunk- and a loud mewing, and she turns to scoop the cat out of the water. ]

You can't do that Tiger Festival. You don't have gills, so you'll drown if you try to go under the water.

[ The bedraggled kitten just huddles close and meows like the world is /ending/ ohgod he got WEEEEEEEEEET. ]

[There's been a break in the rain up on the island, and the SFC broadcasts a stretch of beach, the sand damp and the sky cloudy and dark. That doesn't seem to bother the beach's two inhabitants, a pair of trolls near the water, one with nubby horns and a dark cloak that billows and ripples behind him in the breeze, and another all in yellow, lying down, his head resting against the other's thigh.]

It's hard. I know it is.

[Signless' voice is soft and reassuring. He obviously doesn't realize the device is recording, let alone broadcasting.]

If it wasn't hard, it wouldn't mean anything. Part of the sacrifice is giving up the emotions that are easier, the ones that come more naturally, and letting yourself breathe free again.

[Psii makes a soft noise that the SFC barely picks up and shifts, the bones of his shoulders pinching together on his back, clearly visible under his shirt, and moves a little closer to Signless.]

Being like this, though, you're giving the other person so much power over yourself, letting this desire occupy such large parts of your day, and if you aren't careful, it's going to consume you entirely. Do you remember the fires in the plains on Alternia? When the grass would get so dry, and then there would be a single spark, and the entire prairie would be ablaze? Hatred is like the sun that dries the grass out, and revenge is the spark that starts the conflagration.

[Signless pauses, looking out at the water for awhile before continuing.]

I've struggled with this too, you know. It's very hard for me to think about... about the Empress and what she'll do--what she did, and not want to hate her. But then, that's giving her too much credit. That's giving her more power over my life than she needs. That's what she would want, for me to spend all my time thinking of ways to try and get revenge. [his voice hardens, becomes steely] Not that she doesn't deserve it.

[It evens out again, becoming soft and gentle once more.]

I choose not to live that way, though. I choose to not give her that satisfaction, to not give her what she wants. I choose to forgive, and breathe free and easy.

You want to choose that too.

[OOC: answers can come from Signless or Psii or both!]