[network] @LELRIC; HUNGER AND OPTIMISM; Day 004

[armoured]

A: Network (Voice); 11am - Open

There was a death.

[His voice is sombre, with an undercurrent of anger. How dare these faceless strangers pull people into whatever this is, and then let one of them die? He can't imagine how scared this person must have been, so far away from home and loved ones, and now he'll never see them again.]

I don't know how many of you saw that, but a man called Klaus Mikaelson has died. I don't know how, or why, or who the people are that told us this, but... But I know that he has to be the only one. We can't let anyone else die here, no matter what. We have to work together and find the answers to what's going on, so we can all get back home. I didn't speak to Klaus Mikaelson, but I'm not going to make that mistake again. I'm going to get to know every person here, because we're all in the same situation and I'm not going to let anyone fall through the cracks.

[Whether or not you wanted to be on Team Elric is irrelevant, Al will make friends with you all.]

The first thing we need to do is establish a base and start bringing supplies there. I know it's hard because none of us know this place, but we need to find a way to not keep wandering without a concrete direction. I've moved as far west and north as I could from where I got here, and I found a wall edging me on both sides. I went back a little way to a house I'd found, and now I'm moving south to see how far I can get that way. Please, if you hear this, try to move west and south... if we all do this, we'll all eventually end up in the same place. While you're travelling, make sure to leave marks anywhere you spend the night, so anyone following knows someone else has passed that way, okay?

B: Network (Voice) & Action to anyone travelling between D2 and D5; 11am - Open

[Al is struggling.

He's not moving nearly as fast as he did on the first days he was here, and he seems to be getting worse. His legs feel heavier and heavier, he feels somehow light-headed, and there are odd pains coming from his stomach. He's doing his best to ignore them, because he knows that it's impossible for him to truly be feeling anything physical, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

Finally, when he stumbles and lands on his knees in a snowdrift, almost passing out, he decides it's time to speak up and ask if anyone else is suffering the same things.]

Is anyone-- uh, I mean... is everyone okay? I've been feeling sort of light headed since the injections, is anyone else feeling that way?

[Except it's been since before the injections, and he knows that in his heart, but he doesn't want to admit it. Al is suffering from not eating anything since he arrived, because he doesn't realise that he even can eat now, let alone that he has to here.]

Comments

B - voice - ID: claytonator

[dr_unconscious]

[Al has found possibly the quickest way to get Clayton's attention.]

Ain't heard anybody else feelin' that way, no. [For how panicked he is right now, Clayton manages to sound very calm, very professional. He's had a few years to perfect the tone.] You feelin' unusual any other ways? Numb at all? Head hurtin'?

[armoured]

[It's a good job that Clayton sounds so calm, or Al would already feel guilty for worrying him. It's not good to hear these symptoms are apparently not common... what power do these people have to make them able to affect him of all people?]

No, not really.

[He has to resist the urge to downplay this, he hates worrying others, but he's not Ed so he knows the wisdom of accepting help sometimes.]

But I feel kind of heavy, and my stomach hurts.

[Even saying that sounds ridiculous. He doesn't have a stomach so how can it hurt?]

A - voice; ID: TW

[maskintape]

I've been going west since I got here. It just... keeps going. You're sure there's a wall?

[ Because he started closeish to the eastern edge of town. Not that he knows that. ]

And I'm not buying the obituary thing. There are people here who're already dead, they can't die again. It's - they're just trying to freak us out. It's a trick. They're lying.

[armoured]

I hope you're right... I haven't spoken to anyone that spoke to him yet, if nobody spoke to him then you might be right.

[He won't even touch on people being alive who were dead, that's a whole other can of traumatic worms.]

But I don't think we should be so quick to discount that this might be real.

A - voice; ID: MarbleHornets

[genreblindness]

I wonder what happened to that guy. And why they decided to tell us.

[He's feeling all kinds of uneasy about the possibility of people dying here. Not that people dying is a cheerful subject in the first place.]

[armoured]

I don't know.

[He really wishes he did. Some answers would be great right about now.]

But there has to be a reason behind everything they've done, we just have to keep trying and we'll find it.

A- voice. ID: aldraper

[ployboy]

[Yeah, figured @Admin would make any broadcast of theirs public as opposed to just showing the information (or ruse) to some select few. It was just another concern on top of the many. There was no way of knowing how much HAL 9000 knew.

For his part Tim had just figured, hey- @LELRIC was an interesting user. Very possibly falling into the younger age group. If it wasn't the voice, the notion of them all banding together after being called out was naive. It'd be nice, though.]

I don't know of anybody who's come forward having known Mikaelson at all. Who's to say he's real? Yeah, we should get more organized and I think a designated shelter or two would tremendously help but it shouldn't be because of something the Admin posted. Whoever brought us here has far more information than we do and they're going to use that to their advantage. Obviously we didn't all show up here on accident- they're trying to play us one way or another.

But anyway, yeah- maybe working out a buddy system would be beneficial. Everyone who's logged on and knows better than to play Lone Wolf can find someone to keep tabs on and who'll in turn be trusted in looking after them. A message a day kind of thing. Marking buildings would be great- but with what? Markers? Snowmen at the door?

[armoured]

[He totally agrees that finding one another is something that needs to happen regardless of the truth of the message, it's simply that the message exacerbated it.]

I already kind of have a, um, buddy system with a man called Killian, we agreed to keep in contact each day to make sure everything was okay and to trade any information. If we can spread that, then I definitely think it's a good idea.

[A thoughtful pause, before:]

As for marking the buildings, there should be things inside you could use? Whether it's scraping it into the wood of the door with a knife or nail, or breaking off a sharp bit of debris to do it with.

b voice: id: thelonewanderer

[vaultexile]

[Hope still isn't aware he's not human looking. However she is trained as a doctor and probably more importantly comes from a place where a lot of people don't have enough to eat or drink.]

I'm fine. Have you been eating and drinking properly? You can go a while with no food but water you definitely need more often. It's important to ration but you have to be careful not to limit yourself to too little.

[armoured]

[Food and water? For some reason this chimes in his memory, it's... this is how he felt out on the island when he and Ed had been left by Teacher. He remembers the hunger like a physical pain, and this is so similar.

There's a long, and probably rather telling, pause.]

I'm sure that's not it.

[He is at a loss how to explain why, though.]

Really, it has to be something else.

B-Voice ID: George Milton

[bindlestifflost]

Hey, Alphonse. Been a couple a' days. I am movin' west, jes' kinda slow.

[He's traveling with a kid now, and caution is key.]

I ain't been feelin' lightheaded, though. You got you a good coat?

[armoured]

George!

[There's no faking the warmth in his voice, Al is clearly happy to hear from his wandering friend. He's been worrying about all the people he spoke to on the first confusing day, so it's good to know at least one of them is safe.]

Mm, there was a coat there when I woke up, but I already have my own... uh, clothes. So I've brought it with me, along with all the food I found, to give to anyone that needs it.

A - voice - private to @LELRIC - ID: Spoiler

[spoileralert]

Al. [ Steph's been feeling some of that martyr guilt too, so she thinks she understands. Even though there was nothing they could have done. There was never any chance. ]

His User ID never logged in. There aren't any posts from him anywhere.

He made his own choice to be alone.

private to @Spoiler

[armoured]

[It takes Al a good two full minutes to figure out how to make his response private in turn, but he thinks it's an important thing to do. He didn't even realise it was possible, but now he does, it's definitely a useful tool to keep in mind.]

That doesn't make it right, we can't let people make that kind of choice here. It's too dangerous to be on our own.

A - Voice

[tadashiwashere]

[Tadashi feel stricken when he sees the announcement that morning, but Al beats him to addressing it, and he's glad to see that the other boy is thinking along the same lines that he is. He has a few things to add, though, and he clears his throat, his own voice very calm and solemn as his reply starts.]

I one hundred percent agree with what you're saying. Our only chance is going to be to band together. I hadn't thought about leaving marks, but I'll do that from now on. I think I've gone south as far as I can, so I'm going to start moving west this afternoon -- see how far I can get.

I think we should all pool resources, but there are still others arriving and we don't know how big this place is. I think if we could make some way stations -- leave enough supplies to sustain anyone who gets into a tight spot -- it would be even better.

Everyone should be careful about how far they go, too. With the way the doors lock down at night, we can't risk pushing too hard and missing our window to get inside.

[Then, more confidently than he feels:]

We're gonna make it. We're going to pull through this, okay?

[armoured]

[He remembers this guy from the other day, one of the few who have arrived after everyone else, whatever that means. He seemed nice then, and the impression is only reinforced when he agrees to Al's ideas.]

Mm, that's something I should have said.

[Darn it.]

Getting to one place is important, but travelling safely there is even more important. It doesn't do any good to travel west fast, if you get locked out at night with no shelter. Leaving food in other places, way stations, might be a good idea for the future, but I don't think so right now. We have no way of mapping which buildings are the way stations yet, so needed food could just be bypassed.

A; voice; ID: starspangledhero

[fifty]

[America is traveling, so he doesn't stop to turn on video, and the crunch of snow can be heard as he talks.]

I started out around that area--the southwest corner? Well, close to it. I didn't go all they way over, but I know the one I started in was close and it's hardly even a house and it's sort of dangerous so if you find that one you should pick a different place.

I've gotta find someone specific before I go anywhere else but meeting up with a bunch of people sounds like a totally good idea!

[armoured]

That's really useful to know, thanks-- uh, what's your name?

[Because he is pretty sure his name isn't actually starspangledhero.]

When you were down there, did you notice any other buildings or landmarks nearby?

A

[croi]

So what do you intend on doing if they don't want to be known or don't want to talk to you?

[He can respect irrational promises like vowing to get to know every damned last person, but still, the thought came to him.]

[armoured]

...I won't give them a choice.

[He sounds a little bit guilty to be saying that, but he has to weigh what's important.]

This isn't about just passing the time, or making friends, this is the difference between life and death. So I'd rather take someone being angry at me for forcing my company on them, than hearing they died alone.

A.

[ninjainviolet]

[ Sheena doesn't know if she's spoken to Klaus Mikaelson or not, since they're all using IDs that aren't their names. But she doesn't mention this to Al, not wanting him to feel guilty over the possibility. ]

You're right about setting up a camp, and I've been heading west for the most part.

And finding mostly houses. Maybe instead of just one camp, we might be able to find a group of houses that can work the same way?

[ Why not? It'll be like an army camp. ]

[armoured]

Maybe.

[He's not even sure what there is in this place, and whether they'll find enough houses close together to be used as a permanent base.]

I think eventually we should try and get a few bases to work from, in different areas, so even if you're travelling then you're never too far from another small settlement.

B - Voice ID: M. Jones

[notrosesshadow]

Hello Lelric. You say you're lightheaded? Have you been eating or drinking since you've arrived? [Because those are the obvious first choices. Most people suffer from chronic dehydration. Also, it lets her know if he's found food at all.]

[armoured]

[Ha... right... eating and drinking. Al knows that can't be the issue, mostly because he is incapable of doing either, but it's an awkward question to answer without lying.

So he'll choose to focus on the far less important bit of her conversation, like a coward.]

It's actually Alphonse. I didn't know how to work this thing when I got here, and now it won't let me change it.

A; voice; @Chillinski

[figureitout]

Yeah, about going south... depends on where you are, but that might not be the best idea.

[Why? Well, let him elaborate.] Because there's a graveyard, at least when you go south from where I am, and there's literally nothing there. Nothing to stay in, either. I had to run back north and barely made it back inside before the doors locked.

[armoured]

That's definitely useful to know, the last thing we want is for anyone to get trapped outside at night.

[He has a feeling the temperatures will drop low enough to cause a severe risk of death by hypothermia, and he couldn't bear knowing someone was trapped outside without being able to help.]

Did you find anything interesting in the graveyard? How many graves were there?