[this was the end. it was over.

battler was now situated in a cave, no longer located at the mansion. he was miles away from it by now, everything had ended and everyone was at peace. he knew it was coming, his end was near. he's known that he's been dead for a long time and it would soon come.]

Hello everyone.

[he seemed far more formal than he should be.]

....It's over. The eighth game ended.

[he was smiling but there was something else behind it, a certain sadness due to everything.]

I've said it before, said it all this but.... my family is dead. They'll never come back to me. It's just... just me and Beato now. We'll be leaving the island. The storm has passed and we have a boat.

[when will it happen though, when will he die? ange lives because she's not on this island, eva lives because she fought her way through it all.]

So... see you later, everyone.

[The room is brightly lit, a house in a familiar home. How much time has passed? It seems like forever since there's a school uniform clearly in view.

And then, a taller figure stretches on her chair, and laughs.] So now I know! The Internet is for Porn! Who would have thought that after all this time after access was cut off that I got it back now and the first thing I see is doujinshi?

[She swings the camera up. Oh my god it's Hayate. And she's older now. Her eyes sparkle with mischief as the swell of womanly curves in puberty are clearly shown under the sweater she's wearing.] Yohooo community! Guess who's back for round two!

Snowflakes, huh? Been a while since I've seen any weird icons next to people's names. The monk had some kinda mouse or cat thing or somethin' for a while, then the place changed and all the little "heads" or whatever went grey... Doesn't look like it does anything when you put your arrow by it or click on it though. [Click. Click. Click. Click.]

Anyone more computer savvy figured out what it does?

[And then he finally tries clicking the snowflake by his own name. Despite clearly being indoors on the video, there's a snowball in his face.

The snowball stays there splattered over his face which, for a moment, is wearing a bland, unimpressed expression. As anger starts to set in, one hand reaches up to wipe the snow from his face, the other cutting off the video feed.]




((ooc: Feel free to assume your name is one of the ones he experimentally clicked, or, upon having discovered what it does, that he decided to snowball you. Also don't hesitate to threadjack and snowball the hell out of each other on this post.))

Oi ooooiii! I have an important question, that's right, listen up, this is the question of a lifetime! This is for men, yeah yeah for us men!

So....! Glasses, or no glasses?

You know what I mean, there's no other way of looking at this, I'm asking if you find girls more delectable with or without those spectacles!

Aah, me? How embarrassing, ihihihi~! Even though I was the one asking....! Alright alright I can answer, I'll give it a shot! I say..... with! But let's get serious here, I love 'em without as well! There's just something about that little added accessory however that can get my heart pumping!

[there they were, the two of them situated in the chapel, a big brother and his younger sister. however something was different here, the familiar redhead was that of a child, a much younger version of what others would be used to. she was crying against her brother, clinging to the front of his suit. after she was finished crying battler patted her head, reaching into his pocket and he pulled out a key.]

Are you listening Ange? Take good care of this.

[the key itself was mystical looking, rather large in size and it had a chain with it too, like a necklace. he put the key around her neck, explaining to her that it was her necklace, that she would need to use it to make her own decision.

of course, she didn't have a clue what battler was saying, that he was telling her to take care of this key. he gestured for her to leave with him, and she remembered that earlier he mentioned he would finally tell her everything, so she questioned where they were going, she was certain he was about to tell her everything here and now.]

On that day, on that island.... what happened?

Weren't you about to tell me, onii-chan?

Oh I will. I'll tell you the story and let you listen... However, it might be the kind of thing you can't really feel if you just hear about it from someone else.

....What do you mean...?

What you really want.... isn't to know what happened on that island on that day.

[it was true, she simply wanted to go there, to see everyone. ange muttered that she wanted to go back there, battler smiled and he said he knew that already, which was why he was inviting her back to that day, back to October 4th, 1986. she would go back to see everyone, be with her parents, the cousins, it would be the one place she's ever wanted to go to. she asked battler if she could stay there forever, if after the conference ends if she'd have to leave and go back.]

Not exactly, that decision is yours Ange. You have to decide for yourself.

I don't want to leave. I'll be with everyone forever, I'll stay with my family. Even if you tell me I have to head back.... I'll stay on Rokkenjima.

[battler, with an amused grin, told her that she was free to make whatever choice she desired. however, there was one more thing.]

You don't need to listen to anything I tell you. You're free to decide however you like. .....However, if you're a good kid, and if you can trust your big brother....

...If I can...?

Then believe everything I tell you.

I'll..... believe you.....

[and with that.... the eighth game was destined to begin. the game battler created just for ange.]

Since the community always makes us do something for Halloween -- well, enough that we know it isn't just Christmas with chocolate and cosplay -- I figured I'd go looking up some things. So, do you think we're going to have to wear costumes this year?

And, uh, who thought this was a good idea?

[Behold: a bed in a stone-hewn bedroom. A bed full of sheets and rather more quilts than are probably necessary. There is movement under the quilts like the beginnings of an earthquake. Something rolls out from under the quilts and onto the floor, something small and blonde and wearing fluffy red pajamas.]

I'm awake, Sarge...ugh. I'm up, I'm up. [Kefka sits up and rubs his face. He looks tired, and his hair is long and tangled.] How am I expected to get up when there's nothing to get up for? At least being in the military meant I had a proper schedule.

[Then he notices the floating camera.] Hey! Community book! [He jumps up and tackles it, sending the screen blurring red and grey and blonde. When it recovers, Kefka's set the book up so it can face him on a white vanity; the table is covered with cosmetics.]

[Kefka picks up a brush and waves it at the camera.] You have to stay here so I can talk to you, you naughty page-flapping phase-clapper! [He pauses, then adds matter of factly:] My connection to the community is alive, so I have to make sure it's paying attention to what I say or it'll fly off and ditch me for a few months like a very very bad flying book monster. It looks like a lot of you are new, so let's get some introductions going!

I am Sir Kefka Palazzo, formerly of the Gestahlian Empire, currently god of the world of Woolsey. [He bows.] I'm bored out of my mind because it turns out 90% of being a god is doing upkeep to make sure the world is running properly, make sure the monsters are fed, blah blah blah I need something to do. If you need a fighting companion, new armor or weapons, healing supplies, miracle cures, et cetera, I can provide it for a reasonable price! Or we can talk! Talking is very reasonable and I want to know all of you new people. [Beat.] Talk to me now. Do it.

I either want a dog or this cat.

Can I get someone to say they'll take care of one once I'm gone if I do?

Riley and Jin: Get over here, we need to talk!

[The video shows a white-haired young man, wearing some kind of robes. He hums quizzically and smiles.]

Y'know, I'm pretty well-versed when it comes to magic items, but I've never seen anything like this before. A journal that talks back? Definitely a new one! I kinda wish I'd thought of it myself, but oh well. The ducks are a nice touch!

I wonder how this happened to my journal, though...

Maybe one of the other mages used it for an experiment and then left it here. People leave important stuff lying around all the time.

Or maybe... I actually found a cursed item and by opening and reading it, I just doomed myself to a really horrible death! [He sounds pretty casual about that possibility and, if anything, his smile actually brightens a little.] That'd be something!

...

Or maybe it was just a fluke earlier and I'm sitting here talking to myself like a crazy person. It wouldn't be the first time, ha ha!

[It's an interior shot of the Yagami household as the briefest motion of green and yellow was seen, as Shamal exited her room, almost too indistinguishable to be recognized due to the angle of the camera. Hayate is burning up, her cough getting worse as she clutches her chest.]

Sick again... how long has it been since my last cold...

[This really wasn't a cold, as she fumbles for the remote and turns off the light, only for her hand to seize up and drop it to the floor.] O-oh...

[The date of the calendar read Dec 15, just ten days before Christmas. It was going to be a fairly miserable Christmas if Hayate was feeling this way as she tried to sit up. The world seemed to swim for her as she fell back on her bed.]

S-so weak...

[There was a shuffling from her room door as another form barrelled inside, and the video cut off from there. But it was apparent, Hayate was getting worse.]

[A teen's face suddenly appears on the video options. He's clearly new, if the confused expression is to gauge. Plus, who would have such a strange demon-print jacket?]

You know, this kind of site is the stuff people on the Ayakashi Monthly Forums would love to see. 'Fantastic Duck Site that infects your computer and forces you to talk to it!' Real chain e-mail kind of stuff. But that's not really the case here, is it? Magic, demons, gods, alternate worlds, sentai and magical girls and more...

[His face cracks a gleeful grin]

This is so cool.

[ A RATHER SHOCKING VIDEO SUDDENLY APPEARS ON SCREEN!

Look it's Yuri drenched in her own blood in the Rokkenjima kitchen! Of course, the blood didn't pool or anything, so it's possible that she wasn't killed there. It's hard to even tell what she was killed with, there are so many brutal injuries on the body, even her thigh high socks are torn!

Of course, she is already dead so she groans after a moment, then looks over at the camera irately. ]

Alright, who the hell killed me, where, and with what!? Everyone better get looking for Clues right now!

[ That said, anyone who replies may get replies from any one of the possible culprits. Was it Battler? Lambdadelta? Bernkastel? Eva-Beatrice? Perhaps it was Ange? Though the girl seems to be off on her own for now. What if Yuri staged the whole thing? If that's the case, what did she do it with and where?! ]

[When Bazett appears on the video, she is pale and seems to be biting back the desire to shake, cry, or do both at the same time. Her suit is noticeably torn and in spots, covered with blood. One of her hands clutches a card. She stares into the screen for a long time before speaking.]

L-Lancer. I am...sorry.

[She knows that the Lancer card that she had beaten back into its card form is not, in fact, the same Lancer as the one over the community. That had been corrupted thing with no mind to call its own. But it had the same face and the same voice. It was still some form of Lancer.]

[And she had killed him. For the sake of her mission, she killed a copy of her hero.]

Please forgive me.

[She bows her head. She knows that this apology will probably mean nothing to Lancer. Nevertheless, she still feels compelled to apologize.]

[As she reaches to shut the feed off, having finished with her apology, she notices that she in fact has the wrong privacy settings on the video. What little color remains in her face quickly drains out at this.]

...As for the rest of you, forgive me for making you listen to this.

[She quickly turns the feed off.]



[ooc: Bazett will answer with texts in response to any questions.]

I hope things are going well for everyone. I've a question, if you will: what makes a perfect meal? Your favorite food? The company you are with? Or something else entirely?

Is everyone done forgetting yet?

[ There's actually a slightly upset look on Yuri's face. It's not like she's about to start crying or anything, but she looks a little worried. ]

Did Ange worldhop over to someone else's world and camp out? I can't find her. Don't tell Battler, I don't want him to worry if she's just moping somewhere.