[And today's monthly Himari feed begins with Himari sitting in her bedroom, apparently stroking something on her... lap? Not that you can see anything from her mid-torso down, anyway. Once she's done with that, she looks at her bracelet and smiles.]

Hello, everyone! Himari here again, to present a brand new friend!

[Aaaaand, panning the video to show an adorable kitten resting on her lap. It doesn't look like it's older than a month or so, and Himari has taken the liberty of placing a brand new pink ribbon tied around it's neck.]

I found it when I was taking a walk this evening and decided to take it home! It seems like it was separated from it's mommy, so I couldn't leave it all alone either. [Humming and stroking the kitten's head for a moment.] I'm not sure why, but I feel like I should name it Sunny. It's a cute enough name, right?

[Yes, because cute names are a priority in cat rearing. Clearly.]

Has anyone had any experience taking care of kittens before? I think I've got the basics down, but I'm not sure I know everything. Mainly, how should I make sure it has a good enough, um... [WELL.] ...bathroom area? And, oh! Nutrition is important. I would be grateful for any advice on that, too.

[She pauses after this, and it looks like she's going to end this here, but. Then her face turns slightly red and she's staring at the camera. It looks like she's embarrassed by what she has to ask next.]

--I almost forgot I wanted to ask this, too. But, hm... [THE LONGEST PAUSE ON EARTH, and it seems that every second makes her more mortified.] I'm sure this is a very silly question, but I don't know what I should be looking at. So, well! How do you tell if it's a boy kitten or a girl kitten?

[And once she gets that out, she exhales and returns to her usual smile. Although, still obviously embarrassed by having to ask that.]

Of course, thank you to anyone who can help me with this. Goodbye!

[ good morning, asgard. aren't we looking lovely this fine day? today, claudia greets the network, looking a little thoughtful, and tapping a ballpoint pen against a table. the ink is pink. no, she hasn't used this one the most! gosh. (except for how she totally has.) there are more pens on the table, too: black, blue, green, red. one of those might be purple... someone sure raided an officemax. ]

Do you think, when we leave, the gods will allow us to take some things home with us? I know I have joked about the television and microwave, but the pens they have — so much more convenient! I don't have to dip. And the ink doesn't bleed or smudge!

[ most assassins hide knives in their clothes. claudia hides pens. ]

[The feed opens up on Ann, as red as ever]

So, I've been here a few days and I'm afraid I've a small problem.

[She holds up her letter]

I was told I have telepathy, yet I've experienced no signs of it. I'd be quite grateful if someone could assist me.

Ah!

[ and the woman that greets the network smiles. sure, she is pleasant, but ugh, she gave up with the maid a little too soon and walked away. ...partly forgot how the bracelet worked and had to figure it out herself. IT WAS HARD, MAN. technology. ]

Salute. I am new to this holy city, and I have questions I hope can be answered. The serving girl I was greeted by is strange — not very good with answers, either. Does she greet us all? You'd think she would do better at her job, then. [ OFF TRACK. she shakes her head. ] Lo dimentichi. What I want to know is the gods of Asgard. I know one, mine — Freya, but what others rule?

Most importantly, — [ and here, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. the only finger to bend, though, is her ring finger. depending on your attention detail, you may notice scarring on that very finger, too. ] What do we do for entertainment here?

[ calling all shifty sorts. she needs to make frands with thieves and hookers asap. ]

[Come morning on the travelers’ 64th day in Asgard, the city now seemingly overwhelmed with vibrance, a message will appear on each and every bracelet. Loki's face should appear familiar enough to the travelers by now, and the video’s background appears to be that of his last video. He smiles, just the same as before, and then, chuckling, throws his arms up in an almost celebratory manner.]

Well Travelers, it looks like you did it! Asgard is back in its prime and, just as promised, you’re free to go!

[A quick wink.]

It was nice knowing ya! And hey, thanks again for all of your help. You’ve been great, really.

[And that's that. The feed cuts.]


[OOC: "Loki" will only be responding selectively at best, but the gods will be about in this post. As of now, the Gate of Fog (at the end of the main road between Heimdall and Freyr districts) will no longer be guarded, and the force field keeping Travellers within the city is down. Should they leave, they'll find that nothing in particular happens. They're just outside the city, and the landscape is rocky fields and some sparse, tame little bits of woods. There's game to hunt if looked for (caribou, rabbit, fox, etc), and things are more and more "normal" the further they are from the city. After a couple of hours the city itself will suddenly, in the blink of an eye, become just as grey as it was before the fog rolled in, and the greyness will apply to the lands very close to the city outside as well.

Keep an eye on the gods' interactions with each other for clues to what happened! ;) Another NPC post later will give more solid info later.

Also Importantly, the chosen leader for the hospital expedition on Day 70/April 20-21 is... The Doctor. All of him. We'll be contacting the muns with info sometime in the next day or so so things can get going ICly. If it falls through we'll PM an alternate asap! Have fun!]

...bel. Asbel?

[ A young girl around the age of fourteen with purple hair tied up into pigtails appears on the video feed, peering worriedly into the screen. She got the part about the ring that it was some kind of communication device, but how to actually use it was another story. What is this, some kind of Amarcian technology? She managed to at least bring up the holographic screen with a few pokes and record herself. She hasn't a clue that it's recording properly. ]

Where... are you...? Can you hear me?

[ She brings up the letter and map that the maid handed to her when she arrived. She struggles to read it: ]

You have been... cho... to...

[ She trails off into silence, then starts struggling to read it again. Asbel only taught her how to read simple words. ]

You... be...

...

I can't... I can't read it...

[ when the feed comes on, loki is sprawled sideways in an armchair, his back against one arm and legs thrown carelessly over the other. there are books spread around him, one lying open across his chest with his palm against the spine to keep it from shifting. he's not bothering to look into the video, instead toying with a small, delicate piece of equipment that a certain playboy multi-billionaire might recognize. (he's good at 'acquiring' things that interest him.) ]

Tick tock, Asgard. Aren't we all just good little clockwork people, spinning predictably along while it all comes to life around us. I wonder where the key might be that does the winding.

[ he curves a slender hand at his ear as if listening. ]

Can't you hear it? Tick-tick-tick, like some great and terrible heart. [ his hand falls away, and he laughs, head falling back, folding an arm over his eyes as if to hide it. ] A last, desperate act for a dying world.

[ he's quiet for several moments, but slowly removes his arm, turning slightly to smirk at the feed. ]

Come along, now, show me some real mischief, won't you? It's been so terribly dull.

[When the video clicks on, a woman with vibrant red hair (no, seriously, it’s red. The colors of Asgard look pale compared to this woman's hair) and a matching dress (if you can, you’ll recognize it as the height of fashion from ’88. 1888) comes into focus. She smiles a bit, at once friendly and slightly dangerous]

Well! This certainly isn’t what I expected upon waking up to a bright light. I don’t suppose someone would be willing to help a lady out, hm? That maid—if you could call her that—was most unhelpful and not at all polite, to say nothing of the fact that she's apparently a horrible liar.

[Seriously. Does this world look gray to you?]

And if someone could direct me to this “Loki” gentleman, that would be lovely. I have some questions for him that I believe need answering.

[For someone who was just taken from her home, she’s alarmingly calm and composed, beyond that normally expected of Englishwomen of the time.]