[ The video opens up in the Oxygen Gardens, up on one of the levels that's more or less a jungle. A cow and a horse (Hatter's, formerly) are grazing in a pen, ignoring the person holding the camera. A butterfly flies past, landing on one of the fence posts before fluttering away into the thicker brush. The camera is moved over to a chicken coop where a rooster, two hens, and now five chicks are living. The chicks look like they were just hatched, little bits of eggshell still inside the coop. After focusing on them for a bit, the little peeps of chicks and clucking of hens added to the typical sounds of the gardens, Jaye turns the camera onto herself. Anyone particularly prone to noticing details might notice Alayne's dragonfly necklace and a necklace made of vervain peeking out from the collar of her shirt. ]

So. Most of these are mine and if you even think about touching them in a way I don't like, we're going to have problems. In fact, if there's an animal in the Oxygen Gardens, don't try to do anything with it other than maybe pet it if it doesn't look like it'll bite your face off. Someone'll get pissed and it'll be your fault.

[ Best to get that out of the way, right? ]

Anyway, I usually put the eggs in the different kitchens -- you all may have noticed that and you're welcome. A few people requested to hatch some for various reasons -- for pets, to raise for food, whatever. So Angela, Mordecai, your chicks are ready. If anyone else wants one, let me know. You'll be responsible for them, though I'll help out as I can.

[ Pause. ]

I guess that's it. Uh. What's up, Tranquility?

[ Stannis turns on the feed, seated in his quarters with a goshawk, and looking rather… unimpressed. Of course, this is hardly a change. And of course, when he speaks, his voice is firm and commanding. ]

Though I mislike these devices, I see little other manner in which mine inquiry may be answered.

[ He sets his jaw, moving his teeth from side to side. ]

They say that this is a vessel that moves through… space [ as preposterous as it sounded… there was hardly any denying such ]. This begs the question as to how one would conduct a battle aboard such a vessel. It would not function as a typical vessel, moving instead in four distinct directions, as opposed to two, would it not?

[ A frown. As much as he loathes to do this… ]

I would have more information on such strategies, and if this vessel has ever encountered another, and been forced to do battle. I would also know how one can apply their knowledge of ship combat to the Tranquility.

[ And with that, he hastily shuts off the feed, having little else to discuss.

He loathed ignorance. And he would fully cure himself of the affliction ]

[The broadcast is audio only, and the voice that comes across is quiet and more than a little bit ragged. But he speaks evenly.]

Good day. This is Miles Edgeworth.

These past days have been chaotic, and as such it has been easy to lose track of time; however, it must be remembered that in spite of everything that has happened we have received no indication that the jump will not go forward as scheduled. It will occur in five days. Please bear this impending deadline in mind; there will be more reminders as we approach the event, but be sure that you are prepared.

I manage a service, in which I recommend that all individuals on board to take part. It is a "buddy system," in which you are assigned someone to check to ensure that you have made it safely to the jump. For more details, please inquire here.

Additionally, if any are interested in joining the security force, please speak with me; I should be glad to direct you the right way.

[A slight pause. He's searching frantically for distraction, but this isn't enough - so he adds more.]

What languages does everyone speak? I should like to find a conversational partner; my skills are becoming rusty.

[And:]

I should also like someone with whom I might be able to discuss certain aspects of physics.

[And then another pause, and then quietly:]

Quite.

[ For once, Alayne Stone — Sansa Stark to some already — does not greet the Tranquility with her usual politesse and poise. Where usually she would arrange herself carefully, hands folded and not a hair out of place, she sits in the frame of the picture lopsidedly and sideways, the whole of it shaking as the dull sound of a fist flat upon metal rings in the background. ]

Lady! Lady—! [ Alayne calls and the answer is a muffled howl, coupled with another bang and the indistinct sound of another voice. ] —Petyr, I—

—I will call for aid, just please— [ Another howl, more dire this time. ] —look to keep her calm.

[ Only now does the image right itself, Alayne's expression pinched with worry though she does her best to smooth her hair back (and with it, some of her fluster). Still, Alayne's speech is quick and worried. ] My dear Tranquility, I beg the question: is there no way to unlock the doors? No matter of mechantry or— or magic that may give us passage back to our rooms?

I was not mindful of the warnings made by others and— only thought to bring warm clothing to those unaccustomed to such bitter climes. But in doing so, I have made my room a cage for my guardian and my animals. [ Again, a howl pierces the air and Alayne flinches visibly. ] Lady howls to be so bereft of me. I am fearful she will harm him or the birds in frustration if salvation does not come quick. So please, I beg you: send aid, if there is any aid to send.

[ Off-screen that muted voice calls out, though it is unclear if it is meant as a response to Alayne's words. She turns when she hears it, reaching for the door, before the video cuts out again. ]

—

[ ooc note; Alayne is locked outside her room at 003 » 005. Other people on the same floor are welcome to note/comment/investigate the sound of a very upset direwolf howling in one of the rooms. It probably sounds pretty disturbing since Lady almost never howls and she sounds equal parts sad and angry.

Action threads welcome, though Isaac Lahey has first dibs to take Alayne away to join her family. ]

[ he's sitting in the oxygen gardens, a wooden pipe in his mouth and large white smoke-rings curling from the end of the pipe. there's an open book in his lap and there's a lingering weariness in his posture, despite how relaxed he seems.

still, when frodo speaks up, his voice is fond, light, moving his pipe away from his lips. ]

Where I come from, smoking pipeweed is considered an art. Making good smoke-rings like this--there's nothing quite like it.

[ frodo pauses; glances at his book then. ]

My dearest friend told me that he wondered if anything we've done would ever be put into 'great stories.'
"The stories that really mattered, that stayed with you."  As a lad I spent most of my life reading about stories, learning them and I'd always had my favorites with my Uncle. He went on a many great adventures.

[ he smiles quietly ]
Sometimes stories can be..quite different than we imagine them to be when we begin them. The same could be said of adventures.

Do you have a story like that? One that's stayed with you. Perhaps something you knew as a child, or one you found in a book. Perhaps it isn't a story but a moment that you've shared and relived with others over and over again. I'd be glad to hear them.

I wish to speak of magic.

[Loki lifts a hand and a ball of green light appears in his palm.]

Some consider it a science, others mere...trickery...

An illusion but naught else.

[He breathes on to the orb and it cracks; veins of light jagging across its surface, then a small dragon starts to emerge, as if hatching.]

It is hard to consider magic in a place such as this, that feels so sterile and dark. But, I think, there are many among us who come from places where the arcane is not so alien.

And we long for that...

For some mystical light, to illuminate the darkness.

[He lowers his hands and the little dragon hovers in place, flapping its glowing wings.]

To give us wonder, once more.

Who here knows about magic, and its practice? And to whom is it naught but a lie.

[He frowns and waves his fingers through the dragon, causing it to dissolve.]

Miles, I already know your answer, so you need not respond.

((ooc: People who admit to knowing/using magic will go on Loki's "stalker list", just in case that is something you'd like to avoid.))

[ Why hello there, Tranquility. Starting off on the video feed, as the picture forms, is the redheaded, pyrotechnically-inclined Wildling, otherwise known as Ygritte. She's standing before Jon Snow's bed, upon which several medieval-looking weapons are strewn over the soft comforter.

Normally she'd be smiling, having been kept in a very good mood since the end of last month, but not so now—not after what she's recently seen, and heard that others have seen, in the depths of the ship. Her features are stern, lips pressed together firmly as she nods into the camera. Today, she is all business. ]


Space training's all well and good, don't take me th' wrong way.

But 'fter what we've seen—and I think many of you've seen things that y' normally wouldn't, in the last coupl'a weeks here, not just myself—I think it's time we had some other kind 'f training.

[ She holds this up, to show to the camera. ] This is a dagger. Carved m'self, entirely from ox bone. Meant for close-handed combat, not t' be used as anything but a last resort, if your enemy sneaks up on you. Pref'rably, y'want something with serrated edges such as this, t'do the bulk of the cutting—the edges will make sure that y'get tearing through the skin and sinew. Even if it's not steel and can't cut through bone, you can still give your enemy a fatal strike 'f you aim for his entrails. Kills 'em nice and slow.

[ She sets it down, and picks up another weapon lying nearby. ] This is an axe. Not just any ol' kind 'f axe, neither—this is a battle-axe. [ She grabs the haft, the handle of it, and swings it in the air to demonstrate. ] Arm-length, 'though they can be longer, but arm-length is good for throwin' too if need be. Some o' my clansmen wield one in each hand, for fightin'. Steel bit makes the blade lighter, easier t' swing—but we don't got much steel north o' the Wall, so many times we use wrought iron, which's heavier—but if y'swing good and true, it'll land a heavy blow. Can crack 'n undefended skull, easy.

An' lastly, the weapon you should be starting with, for longer-range—the shortbow. Mine's made o' weirwood, the trees most found o'er the Wall, and in the godswood o' Winterfell, I hear. [ A slight smirk, just a quirking upwards of her lips, before she schools her face seriously once more. ]

[ She notches a grey goosefeather-fletched arrow in it, drawing back the string to demonstrate. ] Only three feet long, rawhide string. Smaller size is common for us spearwives, since we tend t' be a bit shorter than the menfolk; but it's also easier t' maneuver around with, during a hunt, when y'need t' be light on your feet.

[ There's a quick thwap sound, as she looses the arrow and it sings through the air, landing hard in the wall on the far side of the room. ] Shoots fast an' hard, for a small bow.

[ Setting it down again on the bed, she addresses the video feed once more. ] If anyone'd like t' do some one-on-one training with any o' these, I'd be happy t' show you how it's done. [ She cracks a smile. ] Shit, bring your own weapon and we can practice in that ...indoor trainin' field, whatever 's called.

But I think it's important we learn t' defend ourselves, now...all 'f us. That goes for th' younger Starks, 's well. Any babe who's no longer on his mother's teat should be learnin' this.



[ ...because what is decorum, Ygritte. :/ ]

[ This is Bruce Wayne's voice. Cheerful, foppish, and the audio itself is somehow unsteady as though he can't decide how close to his mouth to hold the device. Apparently his default is too close, because--well, you'll see. He speaks like he's called someone specific. ]

Um, hi there. I bet I mess this up somehow, send it to the wrong number - something like that - but I don't really know that many people here, and... Well, this is embarrassing, actually--

[ At this point he bumps the video feature on with his chin, and it records a swathe of his jaw. ]

Do you know how to cook?

[ He's squinting into the camera, super close when he draws the device back, so that only his left eye and a swathe of slightly too-long hair falling over his forehead is visible, and then that eye narrows and the feed shuts off. ]

[ Well, if it isn't one Stannis Baratheon who looks rather... unimpressed. Of course, this is hardly much of a change, but at least it would appear that in the last two months, he has managed to master some manner of control over the communications device. He looks directly at the feed, blue eyes filled with judgement. ]

I have delayed some matters for far too long.

[ yet, perhaps he had done so because he loathed this device so much. ]

Firstly, I would join the "security" division aboard this vessel. If this is to endure for much longer [ and his faith in Melisandre may not be as great here as it was in Westeros ] I would wish to do as much as is possible.

[ while he has attended Nathan Petrelli's meeting, he cannot help but feel that it is his duty to do as much as he can (perhaps in hopes of returning more swiftly to Westeros). ]

Secondly, I would visit these oxygen gardens in more depth. [ Accompanied by a specific individual, namely Jon Snow might be oddly somehow implied ] Should others have information on such from their own visits, I would hear it.

[ And this is where it gets difficult. Though he has developed some manner of proficiency, one important skill still seems to evade him. Still, this was not something that he wanted Ser Davos to see, and he did not particularly understand filters.

And so that left him only one (regrettable) option...

T E X T ]

FINALLY, I WOULD KNOW HOW ONE IS TO CONVINCE ANOTHER THAT NO HARM SHOULD COME TO HIS PERSON FROM A THIRD INDIVIDUAL. [ that was not convoluted at all ]HE COMES FROM FAR BEFORE THIS INDIVIDUAL AND I AND BELIEVES HER RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MANNER OF ILL DEEDS. WHILE HE LISTENS TO REASON ON EVERY OTHER OCCASION, ON THIS MATTER HE WILL NOT BEND.

[ much like... someone else on nearly every occasion. ]

THAT WILL BE ALL.

[ The Others take this "text" function. ]

If a rabbit could talk, what do you think he might sound like? It's a boy rabbit. A nice one, but not too nice. Tolerant but fair.

[hmm. after much fiddling and a crash course on how to video, davos finally gets the screen working, although he'd had to prop it on a table because holding it with his hands is a little bit of a difficulty. off-screen, he clears his throat for a bit, and then he appears, a rather-rough looking (old) man whose face speaks of a general distrust of technology who has no other choice than to reacquaint himself with something unfamiliar, again.]

I've listened to conversations around, and it is in my knowledge that for some of the occupants of this ... ship [he actually feels uncomfortable having to say that], this isn't the first, or second time, that such an event has happened - where a man or a woman has been thrown out of their present circumstances and into this place as either a reprieve, or a curse.

If there can be an assurance made that time stops when a man is thrown into this place, far away from whatever land or world he hails from, I would be willing to listen to them. [a pause.] I'll have to ask to make your replies not in text. I don't expect anyone to comply to that request, but if you could be so kind, please do not.

That being said, there are others who are from the same land, and perhaps time, as I was. [a pause.] I am not one to ponder on the specific manipulations of time and space, I've no knowledge there. But if the name of Westeros means something personal to you, I humbly request a meeting. Not on behalf of any King, as all of us are poor on that respect - and perhaps so much the better, but that is yet to be seen. Only of myself.

[a much longer pause. he ain't a smuggler for nothing.] Information is never freely given unless one asks for reward, and even beggars in that respect don't rely on the kindness of others. I have none to offer in return, unless specific concerns regarding the state of Westeros as I left it are raised - that, I can answer, in exchange for answers as well. The value of both, of course, can be determined later.

That is all. Thank you for understanding.

[end feed.]

ooc; will be slow

[The post begins with a direwolf, peering with sharp curiosity into the device. It is a short video; it lasts only for about a minute, just long enough to take in the sheer size of the direwolf--large enough to fill the frame until he shifts to sniff at the device, and then you can see that he's very large indeed, and not only because of the perspective. But he's friendly-looking, for a wolf, ears pricked, eyes bright--and then the video ends.]

--

This is a direwolf, called Summer. There are six direwolves aboard this ship, and they are all of House Stark. They are not a threat to anyone save to those that might mean threat to the Starks. They are not pets and they are not tame, but they are not wild either. They will not bite you without reason. If they cause some mischief, you need only inform any of my House, and we will make right whatever they have wronged.

People are often afraid of direwolves. You need not fear any of our six. You may be wary but do not attack or provoke them and they will do you no harm. They are rarely apart from us so there should be no reason to do so. But I thought it should be said, as there are new people aboard this ship.

I am Bran of House Stark, and by my word, Summer will not harm you. If you would like to meet Summer, you may.

[SO THERE. And Bran might end there, all that having been said, but... a few seconds later, and he adds:]

I have some questions, too. I am looking for someone that might perform a wedding. And I am looking for people that might know of [--and this is more delicate to say--] transformations.

Thank you.

STAY CHEERY.
MRS. NESBIT✿

( OOC: Sorry about that, I woke up late... /posts three hours later

LOL and omg i swear the god i didn't copy Ianto's post this is the funniest coincidence FLOWERSQUILITY. Anyways, enjoy. )

[ Nathan here, Tranquility, looking more tired and strained than he's ever been. No more fog world, no more New York City, but it seems to have taken a lot of his bluster with it. If anything he just looks as ill as he was a couple of months back, when the stasis sickness was in full swing. His words have a shaky effort at strength to them. ]

You know, growing up I was always taught that in times of crisis it takes an extraordinary person to encourage people to stand up and carry on. That even in the worst of times there's still hope for the future. Doesn't matter what you've seen, or what you've done, cause you do right by nobody by giving up.

[ Deep breath. ]

I'd like to remind everyone on board that there's a jump in a few days, and to make sure they report to the medical bay on time. Edgeworth's buddy system is still in place, and I recommend it for the people on board who don't have anyone to make sure they don't get turned into intergalactic cow patties when we... you know.

Day before we Jump we're gonna call together the first meeting of our impromptu council, try and work out how we want to do this in the future. If anyone still wants to speak who hasn't got a formal invite, just show up. Seems pointless to fight about it. We'll be meeting in two days in Holodeck 1, 10am sharp, and I won't be waiting for stragglers to get started.

[ He opens his mouth to try and say something else, but chokes up and looks away. ] --Anyone sees my brother, punch him and tell him to call me.

[ One more deliberate look, trying to look serious, but if you squint you might be able to tell that he's on the verge of breaking up. ]

Look out for each other, Tranquility. Petrelli out.

I will not take part in the argument between my brother Robb, who is called the King in the North, and Queen Cersei Lannister, who is the mother of Joffrey Baratheon, the King on the Iron Throne.

That satisfies my vow, as King Stannis reminded me.

[A pause. Jon is still kind of bad at this talking in public thing, so give the kid a break. Not a huge one, just a little break. Ghost is sitting beside him, yawning.]

Months ago, the ranger Strider and I went into the depths of the ship, hoping to find some trace of those who are lost or missing. Ghost went alongside us, but we found nothing, which I am sure is not surprising to any. We returned before the jump, but then Strider was gone, so he could not speak of this trip himself. I have been, since that time, occupied with matters of family aboard, and have not had the time to discuss this.

Has anyone else ranged into the ship?

[And a pause]

Also, the howling that has been coming from the Gardens - I spotted a direwolf there, but it fled from Ghost. I would keep caution, going there. They are dangerous things that can easily kill a man and think little of the act.