[ he had planned to say something but he is too busy fussing (actually, he'd been crying and is now trying to cover it up). ]

Stupid place thinks it can ruin my dreams. It's Sumaru shit all over again. Unexplained things happen, people disappear, and no one knows who the bastard in charge is. I don't buy this "coral is in charge" crap. Punching a coral doesn't sound effective anyway.

And if it's Philemon and NyarthWhatTheHellEver at it again, I'm going to kick both their asses. in. to. the. ground. I would show them who was really in charge. No one messes with Michel!

[ yeah, that pretty much went over what he had planned to say. he shoves the SFC into his pocket and heads to the plaza for something to eat. Noodles would be great. The SFC flicks off in his pocket. ]

[Today seemed to be a good day for people to be waking up out of their coma-like states! Chie was one of those people, and she wasn't exactly pleased about it.

She flipped on her SFC not long after checking the date and seeing it had been 3 weeks since she last remembered being awake. The expression on her face had a tired look to it as well as one of confusion and annoyance.]

Hey Vatheon, it's been awhile! What have a missed? All I'm really aware of right now is that I've been sleeping for almost a month, and I'm starving.

Not to mention I'm super behind on my training regime! [Chie paused a put a hand to her forehead. How did this even happen? Sigh.] Oh man, this is such a pain...!

[The feed begins and the image that appears on screen is that of a red headed woman, her normally fearsome demeanor tempered slightly by the haziness having been brought back to consciousness after a period of particularly deep sleep. Mitsuru takes a deep breath and starts speaking]

I apologise for anybody who was looking to get into contact with me, I fell asleep.

[That explanation would suffice for now. Surely the people who had been here long enough did not need more than that. She continues to address the network.]

Now that I have awakened, there are things that I need to tend to. Starting with the most mundane.

[Mitsuru's normally perfectly coiffured red hair is now longer and in need of attention.]

... I require assistance with my hair. It is longer than I would like and requires some tending to. Preferably at the hands of a professional. I would hope Vatheon has someone with those skills and are willing to assist me. Thank you.

[The feed ends.]

---

[Mitsuru's quietly sitting in the lounge of the dorms, slowly getting used to the idea of being awake. Being asleep for such long periods of time is something she could never ever manage and for now staying awake is a task in itself.

There's a full cup of tea on the table in front of her, untouched and undrunk. She prepared it just a moment ago so the steam is still rising steadily from it. All signs point to drinking that tea being a good idea but Mitsuru's simply choosing to look at it as if she were in a daze. She could tell many things had happened while she was asleep so she was going to wait to hear an explanation from someone she trusted.

For the time being, Mitsuru's just going to have a staring contest with her teacup, as if she'd be able to divine some knowledge from it. Just like the mystics, except she doubted that the mystics used earl grey. Not like she was expecting any actual knowledge from it, but rather it was a game she was going to play to get herself to stay awake.]

Damn there's a lot of new people here now.

I'm looking for three things here:
1. [ he holds up 1 finger ] Musicians, especially ones who know Visual Kei. No lead singers. That's a job only the Great Michel - i.e. yours truly - can fill. [ he brushes his hair back melodramatically. He is so beautiful, isn't he? ]
2. [ he holds up two fingers now ] Anyone who's been to Sumaru City.
and 3. [ 3 fingers now ] Persona.

Also, Bubble city. If you pull shit like that April Fool's joke again, I will hunt you down and kick your collective asses.

Michel out~~~

[ Kanji doesn't sound too happy when he starts speaking on the SFC. ]

You pieces of shit try somethin' like that "April Fools" joke again, I'm gonna kick your assess all the way to the moon an' beyond. Make you see the stars till you drop dead. Got that? Murder ain't funny. Death ain't funny. [ He mumbles other things; some of them curses, some of them inaudible all together, and then he clears his throat and adds something else. On a lighter note. ]

Yeah, so...lemme just get this outta the way before somethin' else happens in this place. Sewin' classes - I know, I know, it's been forever, but uhh, hear me out okay? - are gonna have two new teachers. Kanaya-san and Italy-san are gonna be helpin' out, especially if I, I dunno, fall asleep for another two months again. If you want in, just tell me right now. It's free, and uh...y-you'll learn a lot of c-cool shit. Promise.

[ He clears his throat again. The SFC switches from audio to video. What you see next is a cute plush toy that you wouldn't have expected to be made out of an oven mitt. It's detailed, and sewed with skill. What was it exactly? A bunny! Carrying a basket of colorful eggs! And was wearing something similar to what Alice in Wonderland wore in the story books! Kanji holds it by the side and oh, this plush toy was actually a puppet! SO MANRY, GUH CANNOT HANDRE IT-- ]

See? It's damn cute, am I right? [ He plays around with it, showing everyone his creation, and go ahead and laugh at a six-foot tall, burly teenager playing with a plushie puppet but whatever he doesn't care, nope. But after five minutes of this, he finally blushes, clams up, and shuts the video feed off, turning it back to audio. ]

Sewin' classes. Me, and Kanaya-san and Italy-san...y-yeah. You got all that, right? Right. [ Awkward. Andddd time to shut it off completely.~ ]

[The video is on as it seems to be a little sickening. However there are constant flashes of red.] What on earth is this thing... Finding it on my person after I wake up from some strange sleep on the ground of all places! I feel outright violated that people did stuff to me while I was unconscious. So much for waking up with a kiss from a prince.

And where am I anyway? [The camera finally stops as it's pointed up at the coral.] Something as beautiful as this... This place is beautiful and strange at the same time. Absolutely magnificent. A wonderful stage for a new play to start.

[The camera seems to be set down as what appears to be a female face with yellow-green eyes and red glasses with bright red hair comes into view.] I wonder if any handsome young men would want to help out a beautiful maiden become accustomed to her new surroundings...

[Camera shuts off.]

Yanno, I'm getting really sick of this curse shit. They are getting waaaaay too invasive. Between Hades and the fish demons and everyone else, this 'sea of your soul' crap gets really busy. I swear I was drowning in thought bubbles! [ many of which he didn't want to see. So many sad things. Hearing rumors of Maya's disappearance wasn't helping either. Anyway. ]

Now listen here, damn bubble city. All I want to do is get the band together in one place and make amazingly beautiful music WITHOUT interruption. - By the way, Strider, I need to know when you're free. - Is that so hard to ask?

So stop interrupting me! Shit.

P.S. Hades thinks you're an ass, bubble. [ Technically, Eikichi, Hades is a part of you, so.... ]

Yukari, lemme know if you hear of any meetup going down.

[Signless has chosen his location carefully; when he turns on the video function, there's a wall of water behind him, and a school of brightly colored tropical fish swimming past. He's very clearly in the bubble again.]

My friends, today I want to talk to you about fear.

[His voice is low and soothing, his story-telling voice.]

I have known great fear in my time. In my world, the color of my blood was a source of fear, something that drove me into hiding for a long time. Then, when I dreamed of the world that could be, rather than the world that was, I was afraid again... afraid that I would never see what I knew we were capable of come to pass. I was afraid to speak out, afraid to make a ripple in the still, stagnant waters of our society, and tried instead to live my meager little life underneath the notice of the highbloods.

But then I saw what my silence was doing, what those in similar positions were suffering, and I knew I could not stay silent. I could not sit idly by while our world rotted away from its very core, while its corruption bled away the talents and very lives of so many trolls who had done nothing beyond being hatched the wrong color. I could not wait for another to come along and demand change, or I would wait the rest of my life. I needed to cast aside my fear, to find a reserve of strength within me, and rise to what my world needed me to be.

[His voice falls, becoming hushed and soft, almost painfully honest, and he looks down, his cloak hiding his eyes.]

I was terrified. Casting off fear is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Fear is something I knew, its cold comfort as familiar to me as my guardian's face. It would have been... easy to live my entire life in fear, I thought.

[He looks up then, and his eyes are burning, his voice strong once more.]

I thought that fear was a cloak to hide me, but it was a chain I wore around my neck. When the fear was gone, when I made the decision to cast it aside, I have never felt so free in my entire life. It was how I imagine it must feel to wake up one morning with wings, and look out the window into an endless sky. When the fear was gone, I could breathe a deep breath for the first time in my life, and look to the future not as an ominous, foreboding thing, but as a path bathed in light and redemption.

I am not afraid any longer, Vatheon. This is my home now, and it is worth fighting for. I will not be driven out of my home again. I will not let fear control me.

[ Have an Eikichi rather irritated, holding the left side of his face which is swollen and red. ]

The mumps? Seriously? Sonnuva bitch! These damn mumps are ruining my beautiful face! I thought this was a childhood disease anyway. How the hell do I get it at 17? Almost wish Ginko were here to do some recovery spells. [ yeah, he misses her but won't admit to it. ] Wonder if they'd work here anyway. I haven't really called out a Persona to do anything but chase dumbass butterflies. Long story. Don't ask.


Anyway, I know I promised to get the band together this week, but dude, mumps. Next week definitely. Strider, Selphie. Lemme know when's a good time to meet up. We need a name.