video; ~5 pm

[momchester]

[Mary looks... well, alive, which is a bonus, but also frazzled and exhausted, with pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, lips chapped, hair falling out of her ponytail.

But more than that, she looks haunted.]

I'm back. I'm alive. [Her lips press together in a thin line. She bows her head and talks to her knees.] No thanks to those monsters.

I don't know if anyone else made it out... there were no- [sniffing hard to avoid tearing up.] -shelters. Nothing Darkness proofed. [Head still bowed tightly.] I don't know if any of those people I fought with made it out alive, but if they didn't, I'm going to tell you all right now.

[She finally looks up, eyes welling now with tears she refuses to cry.]

They hunted us. They bound us, put collars on us, they put us in cages. They chased us and hunted us down like we were fucking dogs and we couldn't-

[she claps a hand over her mouth, breathing hard to rein in her emotions. When she opens her eyes again, there's something chilling and deadened in her eyes.]

When I died at home- the first time, before I came here... it was a demon. A demon pinned me to the ceiling and burned me alive in my baby's nursery, and I didn't feel as violated as I did those two days. In that cage. [She shakes her head intently, looking away.] Those monsters kidnapped children. They wanted to see every one of us die like dumb fucking animals.

I wonder what would happen if I prayed for them. [There's a weird look in her eyes. Something you wouldn't leave your children alone with.] It's the Christian thing to do.

Would I get their souls into Heaven, or their heads on a plate?

[With a last ugly look at the NV, she turns the public feed off.]

[Private to Jinx]

I found a plus one.

[Private to the angels]

Did you hear my prayer? [The one she whispered as she lay dying.] Please, tell me none of you- tell me you didn't go there. Please.

Comments

video || private;

[servingfather]

[Michael looks...well, absolutely fine except for the concern etched into his face that's currently covering his anger.]

Most likely the second option though I wouldn't be so generous as to give them a quick death that ended with the possibility of their head on a plate. As for your prayer - yes we heard it. I did as you asked.

video || private;

[momchester]

Good.

[If she looks like she's about to cry, it's because she kind of is.]

I thought about you- about- any of you, in there, in that place.

Michael, they had collars. They killed our powers. If you had tried to find me-

[video]

[socius]

Medium or well done?

[video]

[momchester]

I'm gonna take that as a "no."

[She asked you guys a question. And is none too stable right now.]

However you like your heads, I guess.

~23:00 | Video | Private | Unhackable

[magnetic_magpie]

[There's a flicker of a video feed coming on and off several times. It's all static, snow, and crackling - like an old TV station that's gone out do to storm damage.

Finally though, it does come on. Magneto, in a world, looks pissed. His jaw is set so hard his jaw muscles are knots, his lips are pulled thin and bloodless, skin around his eyes tight. And his eyes, his eyes are white, glowing and pulsing. Around him the air is strange like he's sitting in bright blue haze, colours aren't right, and there are flickers like lightning below, off camera. His voice is very low - hard to hear over the crackling which can't be anything else but thunder - monotone, accentless, each sound perfectly and carefully articulated. There's almost a palpable seething painful cold spreading from the NV.]

We had been told these 'Newcomer Hunts' had been ended. That no "people" would be hunted. I did not believe them then. I am sorry to have been right.

[He takes a breath, and the white glow fades but is still present, the air clears a little, the flickers and crackles fade. Some warmth, concern crawls into his tone.]

I assumed your illness earlier was Pull sickness - are you injured?

[But it only for a minute as his tone flattens and cools again, his jaw ticking and a flicker of what looks like lightning - only doesn't crackle - shoots out of his mouth. The feed goes to static for a split second.]

What did they look like?

all them filters :|

[momchester]

You mean this happened before?

[Video]

[thelightbringer]

Who are 'they'?

[Video]

[momchester]

I don't know. He didn't introduce himself.

[ video ]

[hostage]

[He's taking a cigarette break, just checking his NV in a quiet spot some distance from the noise of the party. His cigarette falls into the sand when he sees her message, though.]

Thank god...

[ video ]

[momchester]

[Oh wow hawkward, is she glad she sent John away for this.]

Hi.

[Taking a shaky breath in.]

[Voice]

[vw_coyote]

Mary... I ...

[I'm sorry I didn't get there. I'm sorry that I couldn't help. I'm sorry that I was a coyote and busy at the time. I'm... sorry.]

[Voice] private

[momchester]

[All Mary remembers is hearing something from Amy about a wolf or something. It was vague, it was rushed, Mary was busy, so not a whole lot registers with Mary.]

What is it?

[video]

[ellen_harvelle]

You got company?

[The company you want, anyway. If you need some, she's here.]

[video]

[momchester]

In a few minutes. The boys are probably running home since they saw this.

Video

[hybrid_prodigy]

[Hey, you were angy that there was someone as young as Kurt there, Mary? Have a twelve-year-old.]

We didn't meet then, but I'm really glad you're . . . alive again, Miss. [He'd been about to say "okay", but she doesn't really look like she's okay.]

Anyway, I think all the rest of us made it out.

[momchester]

[s t a r i n g.]

You were there too?

[She's going to burn them to the ground.]

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[inthejunk]

Some others lived. So far, no one knows who put them in there. Do you?

[momchester]

Apparently it was someone who's done this before. He's run hunts for Newcomers before.

video

[hejhej]

[Lisbeth chokes on her soda when she sees the post. Deftly with one hand (because like hell is she putting her can down in the sand), she activates the video feature.]

Hi.

video

[momchester]

[asdkljfghfh.]

Hi.

You made it. [Thank god.]

[canavarum]

If you do not mind my asking- who are they?

[He needs to note who to avoid - who to kill outright if he sees them on the streets.]

video;

[momchester]

I didn't get their names.

Apparently the man in charge of it owns those hunting grounds and has done this before.

[action]

[failedparenting]

[Mary's lucky John already had the pizzas in hand when he saw her post, or else he would have tore ass straight home empty handed. As it is, he has half a mind to leave them on the street so he can get home faster.

He wishes she'd told him all of it, instead of letting him just hear it. He knows it was horrible for her, and she has to be hurting, but he's getting the feeling she was trying to get him out of the house just to broadcast...all that. He still heard it, though, so what was the point?

He wants to be understanding, he really does, but he can't help the tiny flame of anger burning away at the back of his mind. So, that's it? Barely a few hours in, and she's already trying to hide things again?

He's completely silent when he gets back to the apartment, expression betraying nothing. No pain, or anger, or even sympathy. He slides the pizzas on the kitchen counter, then goes to sit next to Mary.]

[action]

[momchester]

[Something about his blankness puts her off. It reminds her of the hunters, of the chilling nothing behind her eyes. She craves anger or tears, embraces or warm sympathy to bury herself in or a silent treatment harsh enough to betray that the person still cares.

When he sits down, she gets up and goes to inspect the pizzas. It's obviously nothing but keeping herself busy. She doesn't give a damn about the pizzas.

She's nervous.]

voice;

[showbizpanache]

[He's not pleased to see this being talked about so bluntly, but he's too happy to see Mary to let it bother him.[

I'm so glad you're okay, Ms. Mary.

voice;

[momchester]

[She stopped being able to give a fuck as soon as she woke up writhing in pain from her own death. Yep. No more fucks here.]

Kurt. You got out.

[She sounds about ready to collapse from relief.]

[Video]

[treehopping]

[Oh dear, here it is, the truth of what happened to those who disappeared, Rue suspected but part of her has tried to avoid this realisation, not wanting to believe that this place was like... like...]

I... I thought they didn't do that here.

[Video]

[momchester]

[The heart-achingly vulnerable admission slows her roll a little, getting her to really look at the little girl.]

I didn't know until I woke up there.

[... 8(]

Do they do this in your world?

Video 1/2

[bloodthirsts]

[T-they--

Video

[bloodthirsts]

[Now Nill's reluctance to tell her makes sense and there's that twist inside, that anger that two of her friends and so many others were subjected to that!

It's just like back in Neo Genesis when...]

Who did this to you?

reaction;

[safeguarded]

[He should ask if she needs anything, really, but he's sickened and frightened and he thought, even in a small way, that this place was different. All the same, there's a stubborn hopefulness lingering at the back of his mind - the fact that she could talk about it at all was a good sign. Things could change. People could be safe.

But 'could' isn't much of a consolation at the moment. He can't imagine what it must be like for her; even with all he'd experienced, he hadn't been killed.]

voice;

[motioned]

[Gently:]

Do you want some company? Or - is there anything else I can do?

voice;

[momchester]

Oh, sweetie, Ahiru, don't worry. My husband and son are coming home soon.

[voice]

[madeinoblivion]

Wait- wait.

Those hunts actually still exist? That's what's been going on, and why people were missing?!

You've gotta be... That's-

I thought they only did that with murderers the city didn't want to lock up for life, and slaves that had some kind of special paperwork....

...Are you sure it wasn't more of those crazy core-cult people? They kidnapped a bunch of kids to try and make demons in the core wake up or something, last year.

[voice]

[momchester]

I'm sure. They just wanted to go on with "the hunt." It was about fun.

Video

[tea_lover64]

Ah Mary, it is good to see you again. I am very sorry that this has happened to you.

[He was glad he had been keeping up with his exercises, keeping in top form was important. This was further evidence there was a need for a wider information network for Newcomers, and not relying upon technology overly much]

Video

[momchester]

Thanks, Iroh. It was just... harrowing.

Filter;

[uberboned]

[Grimly]

Yeah. I heard. No, I didn't. Jinx would've lost it.

Filter;

[momchester]

[His is actually the face she's wanted to see the most. She hangs her head a little, clearly exhausted.]

Good. That's good. They had these collars... some demented kind of void tech.

voice; private

[unluckyinlove]

[Jinx. Sounds. Pissed.]

It's still happening. I should've killed him while I had the chance.

voice; private

[momchester]

When was the last time?

video; private

[got_it_memorized]

Mary! Jeez, it's good to see you.

[He'll take all the rest of that stuff in shortly; right now it's just good to see her face.]

video; private

[momchester]

Hey. Uh, you too.

[Sorry about the lack of enthusiasm, she's not really feeling... anything right now.]

How are you?

voice;

[mulletrock]

[Hearing all this takes him right back to the Benders. It wasn't as bad as this but it was pretty damn close. The visual of his mom in a cage hits him pretty hard. Brings him right back to Sammy being in one and even though he joked about it, they lost the guy they came out there to save and that fed lost her brother. It wasn't funny. It was sick.]

I'm on my way with the cat chow.

voice;

[momchester]

Thanks. Ben's with you?

[video]

[carryonmywaywardson]

[he saw this. He saw it and danced a bit. But he didn't want to bother her. So many others were saying hello. After a bit he did connect to it, and came into view. Maybe she would like to know he was alright. Maybe it would help. He didn't know, but he smiled at her.]

I knew you would be back.

[video]

[momchester]

[A tired smile.]

Hey, Ben. [Something about his little face gets to her. She wonders, did Dean look like him at that age?] I'm glad to be back.

[athermercy]

You're not alone now, are you?

[She can't do much -- Just offer company.]

[momchester]

No, I'm not. Well, I won't be in a few minutes when John gets back.