[Welp. Chloe's body was currently wrapped in bindings and white linen that made the very image of a mummy after embalming. Her lips and eyes were visible, and thankfully didn't look dessicated in the slightest. The bindings were plastered to her body in such a way that left nothing to the imagination, right down to overly developed bosom barely contained within the bindings, a bosom that anyone who knew Chloe knew that she didn't have. Egyptian jewelry decorated her in gaudy fashion, and when she looked at the screen, her lips quirked in a displeased sneer. In her view, she looked....

Patently ridiculous. A binding started to slip off of her arm and flutter in the breeze, almost animated as it did. It was safe to assume that the complete lack of a breeze today said that, yes. Those bindings were... useful right now.

She sighed once and reached up to rub her forehead.]

I truly hate this time of year any longer. Of course these perverts would do something like this. I suppose if anyone wants to get kinky with a mummy, it's available. They certainly seem to want this.

[She reached down to collect a small object from her waist and hold it. It was a brightly colored, red and white and, within it was what appeared to be a miniaturized red and white ball.]

But... more to the point, I found this under my bed this morning. Do any of you know what this is? I'm almost afraid to touch it right now.

(OOC: Yes, that is exactly what you think it is. She's been given a 'gift' from a canon she's never even heard of, and has no idea what to do with it. Ummm, things get kinky if she opens it, and involves uh... well... sex with a yeah, you fill in the blanks. Just warning. Don't want that, don't ask her to press the button ^_^.)

[The feed shows one very happy mechanic, or at least a very focused mechanic. She's knocked over her device and it's started filming her as she searches her way through a lot of mechanical equipment. She's been so distracted every since seeing all the new equipment and technology that this place has. Expiriments aside, she's happy as a clam as long as she has something to tinker with.]

Well, if I put this there...[She reaches in to put together two pieces.] And then this piece here. [Another part snaps into place.]

And I take this wire, and connect it to this one, it should work! [She reaches out to attach the wires together, only it does not have the desired effect and instead there is a mini explosion. Smoke everywhere and pieces of equipment all over the place, even more messy than it was before. She comes into view covered in soot, and nervously laughing as she scratches at her head.]

I guess that wasn't it after all!

[Orihime appears onscreen, looking rejuvenated and happy. She's still running on a natural high...which means as soon as she gets home, she's probably going to crash face first onto the first horizontal surface she finds and sleep for hours. But for now, she's beaming cheerfully, flour on her face, colorful smears of frosting on her apron.]

I managed to open my own bakery! Want a visual tour?

[You're getting one anyway, as she holds up the tablet and pans around the shop. There are a few tables made of black iron and glass tops, with matching chairs. The interior is a sky blue color, the floor a black and white checker pattern of square tiles. But what probably really catches the eye is the rack of baked breads, next to a display case with a variety of cakes of different colors and decorated styles.]

I've always wanted to open my own cake shop. Normally it would have taken me years to get everything I needed back home, but all I had to do was fill out a form. It's great, isn't it?

[She turns the tablet back to herself.]

Please feel free to drop by. I'll include the address! Just look for the shop that says 'Free Samples!' in the window, and you've found it.

--Oh, and don't worry! None of the cakes have any fruit in them. I thought people might be kind of sick of fruit for a while, ha ha!

[Orihime bows slightly, and ends the message.]

[The face on the screen is pale, and dark markings lined the tilted eyes. To some the face would be familiar but...where was the beard?]

...I've somehow been re-configured while I was offline. [She stated flatly. She didn't seem upset at the fact she was suddenly female...but more bothered by the fact that her code had been messed with in the first place. That was a very private thing to a program okay?

There was a heated look to her eyes that was not caused by anger. In fact, the expression appeared to be...very sexually frustrated. The look of someone who couldn't be sated no matter how much they tried to get off]

I think I need help...

[ Edward Elric is beside himself and the smug grin on his face enough to show it. ]

I.

Am.

Taller.

Who needs nasty ass milk when you've got these things? [ He's holding up a banana, all delighted with himself as though it's his genetics and not the science fucking with him. ] Do you think it's permanent? I mean I could get used to seeing up this high. I bet I even tower over that bastard Colonel now! Oh man, if only he was here to rub it in his arrogant face...

[ He's getting distracted. ]

Anyone else able to figure out what the fruits about? I mean, obviously it's fucking with us, and I'd like a heads up of what to avoid and what might be fun to eat more of.

[ BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER BE TALL ENOUGH. ]

[ Once again, Sheena's looking pensive as she sits and stares out the window of her apartment before turning to the device. This time, however, appearances gad been deceiving, for that thoughtful expression had only been illusion.

In its place was an expression of disbelief. ]

I know I have mood swings, but even they're not as bad as what I just went through. I've been subjected to things that could change my personality before, but nothing like that. That....

[ And she hesitates as she searches for the right words. ]

These people are in a league of their own.

And to those I "met up" with during that time... I'm not holding anything against you. [ She shrugs. ] How can I? You weren't yourself, either.

[ She turns off the feed, but not before the device captures "a so-called goddess ain't got nothing on these people." ]

[ Hiccup looks... well, a little embarrassed, considering his last message on this thing. He had been hiding himself away for the past couple of weeks for multiple reasons, but feeling like a moron was a large part of it. ]

... So those experiments sure can make you sound like a real fool, huh?

[ He's sitting out on one of the cliffs south of the city, enjoying the wind off of the ocean. It reminds him some of Berk when he's out like this. ]

I've never been one to give in and just accept being a captive. It goes against who I am. I wonder how they manage to change even the deepest parts of you like that.

There are some plants back on Berk that have the ability to make you feel more relaxed, but they don't make you that different. Your mind is still yours. Has anyone ever seen things like this before? Experiments that can alter the mind like that?

[He'd thought a lot about this before deciding to actually broadcast, though he hadn't shared that with his roommate. She preferred the sneakier alternative and Steve? Well, Steve was just a bit more upfront about things when he could be.]

My name's Steve Rogers and I've been here just over a month now. I noticed a... well, I'm not exactly familiar with most of you -- any of you, really, but I noticed a trend of... exaggerated emotions. Or, that's what it looked like. People being too... everything, up to making positive excuses for why we were brought here.

[Here's where his expression hardens just a little, but it's not aimed at anyone he's talking to.]

There's no excuse for us being here. No one that I've seen has asked to be here. We're prisoners and these doctors have a lot to answer for. If anyone has found anything out, knows anything about the behind the scenes here, I'd appreciate a heads-up. At this point, I don't think any information is too small.

And to the doctors? Trust me, I'll be finding a way out of here for everyone.

[Someone sounded entirely too certain of that. Someone wasn't used to failing.]

I've made up my mind!

[Regarding what, you might ask. But gauging by the sight of Orihime with a full backpack hoisted on her shoulders, topped with a tightly rolled sleeping bag, it's pretty easy to guess what she's planning to do.]

I know we're expected to settle down, and work, and live kind of a normal life. But I don't think I'm quite ready to do that. There are a lot of sights on this island that I want to see before I have to keep a work schedule. See?

[She unfolds the map she bought and holds it out to her tablet so everyone can get a brief look.]

I think I'll check the caves first. I've never been spelunking before, it sounds fun! If anyone else wants to come along, you're very welcome. I just thought I'd let some people know so they don't worry about me. I was very thorough in my packing as well, so I won't run out of food or get too hot or too cold.

[Orihime tugs at the straps of her pack, grinning.]

If I find anything interesting, I'll let you know when I find it. Wish me luck!

[Which, to those who know her well, probably means she's going to be searching for answers, and maybe a way out if she's lucky. If you don't know her well, no one could blame you for thinking she's just going on a light-hearted exploration adventure. She salutes, then reaches out to turn off the feed.]

[ For anyone who knows Sheena, the pensive, thoughtful look on her face is not something one sees everyday. She's sitting on her window sill looking out over the streets below. ]

You know, this isn't the first time I've been kidnapped and brought to some unknown world. The first time it happened, I yelled and screamed and punched the walls in anger. [ She chuckles wryly. ] Did some damage, too. And that was within the first few hours of waking up.

I also met someone who became very important to me. [ You know who you are, Chloe.

After a pause, she begins speaking again. ]

When I woke up here, it was like "oh no, not again". No yelling, or screaming, or punching of the walls. And once again I ran into that person I had met once before--and we remembered each other.

[ This time, she looks directly into the device. ]

Is it possible to be connected to a person worlds and times apart? And if so, is it because of your soul? Your heart? Or something else?

[ ooc: If anyone who knows her wants to handwave knowing Sheena's address, feel free to do so and come visit her! ]

[When the device flicks on, the video captures someone that is not happy. The bed in the background looks like someone might have thrown a bit of a tantrum, to say nothing else about what the rest of the room looks like. One hand is on her neck, where that bruise should be. And the other is holding the device out in front of her.

She figures if the people that were responsible for this were listening, this is how she'd reach them.]

Okay, what the hell is going on here?! This is imp...

[No. She seems to bite back on something, a flash of something else on her face. Not anger but confusion. Terror even. Then it's back. Anger.]

Whoever's out there? Whoever's doing this? You'd better answer me! I may not be able to log out, but there's still a whole lot I can do.

[She drops her hand away from her neck and clenches it into a fist.]

And will do, if I have to.

[ Hermione hasn't left her room to go and find the common room yet. She doesn't want to be around people but she also knows that... well, staying shut away will also not help her survival in the slightest. And that's the point of all this, right? Surviving?

She recognizes the devices and is able to set it up to record video easily, so when it turns on, she's sitting on her bed in the hospital, knees tucked under her chin and holding the tablet out at arms length so she can see her face from the camera angle. ]

Is there any other information about this place other than the vague introduction? This place is so... empty compared to the last place I was kidnapped to.

[ She sighs, muttering to herself more than the recording; ] A chip is better than a collar, I guess.

My name's Hermione Granger. If anyone can tell me more about what's going on, I'd appreciate it.

[Orihime didn't need any prompting to leave the hospital. It was unfamiliar, and there was something definitely wrong about it that made her uneasy. Quietly rubbing the sore side of her neck, she steps outside, and blinks. Everything looks so...alien. There's nothing out here that she recognizes, and she's sure she's never been in this place before...but that much was obvious when the smiling man indicated the city's name. Proxima Gamma. It sounds a little futuristic, but for reasons she attributes more to confusion than anything, she can't feel excited about that.]

[Hesitantly she takes a few more steps, coming to a stop on the sidewalk. No one's face looks familiar to her either. She reaches out with her spiritual senses, and although she feels several strange soul signatures in the city, none of them match those of her friends.]

[She walks a little further, turning her head to examine as much of her surroundings as she's able to drink in with wide eyes.]

[Finally, after about ten blocks of aimless wandering, she finds a bench. Sits down. And exhales. It's not a dream; she's far too lucid, and her dreams are much weirder than this. All she knows is that she won't be able to make sense of this city alone. The smiling man indicated that there were others here that she could communicate with via the tablet she'd tucked under her arm. Now that she's sitting, she rests the tablet on her lap, and fiddles with it. Seems to be working, just as he'd said it would. She brushes her thumb over the screen, then decides it can't hurt to send a message. There might be someone here she knows, and if that's the case, this will make it easy to reconnect.]

[And so it is that Orihime's face appears on the screen as she holds the tablet out with both hands.]

Eeto...like this, right?

[She can't tell if it's recording or not. Well, if she's doing it right, someone will answer, so she shouldn't fret. She laughs sheepishly, letting go of the tablet with one hand to rub the back of her head.]

Ah ha ha! Please excuse me! I haven't used one of these before. My name is Orihime Inoue. I was wondering how many people are here? Did you wake up in the hospital too?

[Her hand drifts to the spot between her neck and shoulder, her smile momentarily subdued.]

Any information you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

[Orihime bobs her head faintly, then leans slightly as she waits. There has to be someone else here in similar circumstances...right?]

[A thin, rather pale face, but still-- a bit sallow in the lights of the hospital, as well-- appears in the video feed, blinking rapidly, as if the sallow-making lights are actually hurting her eyes.]

Alright, is this thing on? I cannot tell... Oh, right then, I think I see: the red light is on, so it's definitely recording! [A short, self-deprecating laugh.] Honestly, I don't understand why I just can't-- simply-- stick my head into the fireplace, if I really want to talk to other people who are not actually present in the room with me... And of course, that lends the advantage of being available to only select few, within the Floo Network...

(Honestly, you Muggles, I don't even understand half your "technology". I mean, seriously? Why would you want to broadcast this ugly mug all over the damned city!)

Right, then, since you lot are available to be whinged at-- here goes nothing!

What the HELL is this!? [The picture grows wobbly as she attempts to lift the damned camera over her head, in order to aim it at the back of her neck: at the implant point of the chip, in fact, which is still an angry red, of course, due to her fingernails digging into the spot.

[After a brief moment, the camera becomes too heavy for her twig-like arms, and so she sets it down again with a grunt.] I mean, seriously? What the HELL have you Muggles implanted in my damned neck!? I-is it something meant to-- to control me, or just my magic?

This is so completely not on, either way, you know! I'm just curious as to whether I'll be able to hex the person who did this to me, when I find them...

[[So... turns out that Maria's general melancholic malaise and her anger aren't that far apart, if anyone wants to play with that! ; 3 ♥]]