[002. video]

[ceiling_cat]

You guys usually have weather like this? Nothin' but rain and sleet... it's enough to get anybody down. [He looks back at the video feed, grinning.]

That said, since the weather's keepin' me in, thought I'd bug ya all with a question or two.

First, I'm tryin' ta fix up a place to stay. This place doesn't happen to've dragged in a hardware store or somethin', does it? Anyplace I could pick up some tools? Be nice ta get my hands on a bit of paint an' plaster, too.

Second thing is I've been hearin' a lot about what happened last week, and somebody told me weird things happen every other week 'round this joint. Anybody willin' to tell me stories about what they've seen when? You never know, maybe we can figure out what's comin' if we look at what's happened before.

Comments

[Video]

[stepford-smiles.livejournal.com]

I have a small stash of tools - not much, but a few things. No paint or plaster, though, but they might not be impossible to find.

And - this one is a little harder to explain. Every other Saturday night, usually, the Animus change something. They put the city underwater once and turned us into mermaids. They've changed us, too - entire parts of our personalities. Made us forget home, and the people from it.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Any particular place you found 'em, or should I just look everywhere?

Underwater, huh? That's interestin'. Sounds like it'd take a lot of juice.

So the last one was personality reversal of some kind. What about the one before that?

[Video]

[stepford-smiles.livejournal.com]

They were in the last apartment we stayed in. We left that place, though - it was too far beyond repair. I'd suggest looking everywhere you can. There's a ruined mall in the city, too, and things appear there sometimes, though it's typically been picked pretty clean.

[And Mami considers that last question.]

Last week, our personalities were changed. The week before that, we forgot our homes and the people from them. Before that, none of us could do anything but smile, and we couldn't express any sort of discomfort or unpleasantness, no matter how much we tried. And before that was the water world, when I arrived.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hm, all right. Somebody mentioned the mall for art stuff - sounds like it's worth checkin' out.

[He's making notes industriously on a couple scraps of paper.]

So you could feel discomfort, just not express it?

[Video]

[redumption.livejournal.com]

[He still distrusts you but, being as how he's crashing at your place, he'll lend a hand. For a bit.]

Whatchu need done, yo, I'll help.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

[Grinning. He appreciates the offer, especially given that you are crashing there.]

Lookin' to get some plywood nailed over that broken window and plaster the cracked wall. Maybe pull some cinderblock outa one of the wrecked buildings and make a stove kinda thing out back, too.

[Video]

[redumption.livejournal.com]

[Don't get used to it, coffee-man.]

Aight, yo, I can look fo' some blocks. [You all are puny in your arm strength] Yo, any size?

[Video]

[exarmatio]

It happens sometimes, this time of the year.

[The mention of last week makes him wince, just a little, but he shakes it off.]

There have been a lot of different things, really... I've been here for two and a half years. I've seen this entire place get turned into a jungle, become a tropical island, turn into the ocean floor. We've also been completely stripped of our abilities, or have had our personalities altered, or have been forced into Victorian era clothing. Sometimes the event is harsh, sometimes it's lighthearted. There's honestly no way to predict what sort of event might be coming next.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

I've heard about the last couple months worth, but nothing before that. I guess the jungle and tropical island were sometime earlier?

[Shaking his head, amused.] Fancy clothes, huh. That's pretty bizarre.

Shame about the weather, but thanks for the warning. I'll hafta make sure I get the house patched up before it gets any colder.

[Video]

[exarmatio]

Mhm. The jungle was back during the summer, and the tropical island was earlier this year. February, I think. That happened once before, though, soon after I arrived here. It seems like sometimes, events repeat themselves, but it isn't common.

I can definitely suggest doing that. The last two years, the winters have been fairly harsh. The winter before last, it snowed nearly the entire month of January. A lot of us were snowed in.

[Video]

[al_truism]

Events usually alternate between serious and not. It's like the Animus give us breaks. They have a peculiar sense of humor, though. Anything that seems innocent usually isn't in some way.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

What do ya mean by that? Things like turnin' into a waterworld full of mermaids sounds pretty harmless to me...

[Video]

[al_truism]

Mostly, but there were sharks and things, too.

Something really dangerous would be a loss of powers or a personality inversion, or the week we were forced to uncontrollably re-live our worst memories over and over. Something not as dangerous would be when food was falling from the sky.

[knight_to_king]

We didn't have any of that stuff when fixing up the place we're at. But we had some other things going for us. Could be someone who's willing to help a bit.

Not likely. Been here three months and one minute a bloke's a fish the next he doesn't remember where he's from.

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Plus permanent smilin', right? Yeah, I've heard the list. Some odd stuff on there.

... So what'd ya use? Anything I might be able to dig up around here?

[knight_to_king]

That one was mad to watch, skipped over me though. Yeah, well, it just seems to get worse.

...Don't think so. We had our magic to help, so 'less that can just appear about here you can't go digging it up.

[reflectivedawn.livejournal.com]

Did you see any stores around when you arrived?

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Nah. Haven't been around the whole place yet, though... and a couple people've been tellin' me there's a mall.

[reflectivedawn.livejournal.com]

There is. But I doubt you'll find anything.

[Video]

[fairymicrowaver.livejournal.com]

Sometimes. It depends on the day.

The hardware store, what was left it has been picked over but if you need tools I can lend you what I grabbed.

I can tell you what I've seen, but you might want to sit down first. There's a lot of it.

[Video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

You've been here for a while, huh? Well, I've got notepaper. Hit me.

Hmm, shame ta hear about the store. I'd say plaster, a putty knife and a hammer's all I need for the moment -- got a busted window that needs somethin' nailed over it and a crack in the wall. Place isn't about ta fall down around my ears or anythin' like that, it's just not too weatherproof.

[Video]

[fairymicrowaver.livejournal.com]

First thing that happened when I got here was altered timelines. At some point we all make a choice, right? It affects who we become. A lot of people here turned away from bad choices, and the Animus reversed that.

I've got the knife and hammer, plaster is a bit harder to come by.

[not here] 1/2

[checkmychainyo.livejournal.com]

[When Kurapica sees the video feed, his instant reaction is to gasp, because, is that-- Leorio? It couldn't be...

But quickly enough, he realizes that although their appearances are eeriely similar, this man is different. Kurapica knows Leorio's face, and they don't match up.]

[video] 2/2

[checkmychainyo.livejournal.com]

[So it's as he responds with video that he both thinks this man being different from a Leorio is a blessing and a curse. After all, Leorio shouldn't be here, but despite that...]

...As far as we are aware, the Animus prefer to instigate events in patterns, but it's foolish to become dependent upon patterns. The Animus have broken their own patterns before.

[video]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

If predictions had ta be a hundred percent there'd be a lotta weathermen out of a job. [Chuckling.] What're those patterns you're talkin' about?

Did hear somebody sayin' that they tend to go from bad ta better, but nothin' more specific than that.