eighth. voice (breathe underwater, i'm coming up for air).

[torrefied]

[It's been a while since Mello's addressed the network with anything but cold, impersonal text (well, except for that one time he was possessed by a demon, but let's not dwell on that, he wasn't exactly himself), and the fact that he is now choosing this method of communication is significant - Mello does nothing without purpose. He's been here an entire year, and he has begun to slowly pull himself out of the mindset of a man with one day left to live and not much to lose. Near was right; he is better at dealing with people than he has been, and it's well past time he took steps to rectify that. He's stuck here, perhaps indefinitely, and he has, in spite of his various missteps over the past year, become a part of this community.

So when he speaks now, his tone is a measure less haughty and condescending than you might be used to seeing from him. This is, believe it or not, what an attempt at teamwork looks like.]

I've revised the introductory guide, and I've included a new attachment with a summarized history of the events that have transpired here. Please take time to review it. If anything of importance is missing, I'd like to know.

[Look at that, Hadriel. He even said please.]

I think we need better documentation of what happens to us here - not just so that we aren't forced to keep explaining things to the newcomers ad nauseam, but because our history informs who we are, collectively. And I can't help thinking that if the gods here or their so-called previous host population had left better records of what happened before, we might have been better prepared for what happened when we were attacked not long ago by the things that killed them off. Now, I'm good at collecting information, but I'm only one person, and as we've seen, the Door is unpredictable about who comes and goes. If only one person is collecting this sort of information and that person disappears, we all lose that record.

[He falls silent for a moment, thinking of Near's recent disappearance. As much as he dislikes to admit it, even to himself, it's something that has left a deep impact - deep enough, perhaps, to prompt this shift in his attitude.]

I guess ... I'm asking for your help. All of you.

[Don't make this weird, Hadriel. It takes a lot for Mello to ask for help with anything.]

Comments

voice;

[closerift]

I agree. We should make all of this more widespread... and well-known.

[ Not only do they need to know what the gods' enemies have done and could do, she thinks, but also what the gods themselves have inflicted on the population. ]

I have some notes from Dorian... and Leliana, friends of mine who... left. [ The last one is especially raw. ] I can try and compile them into something accessible.

voice;

[torrefied]

Thank you. Any information you can add would be appreciated.

[Ouch, though; the ache of loss is something with which Mello is intimately acquainted. Near's been gone a month, and it still weighs heavily on Mello's mind.]

I'm ... sorry your friends are gone. [That's right, isn't it? This is what people do when they're allowed to grow up human - they express sympathy in situations like this.] Someone [who is important to me] I knew from before disappeared not long ago. I keep thinking there must be a pattern to how the door operates, but so far, I haven't been able to find it.

voice;

[closerift]

Of course. ... I'm not so good with these devices, but I'd be happy to share the physical copies with you if you're available.

[ Once she gathers them all up again... ]

Thank you. [ It isn't "all right," so she doesn't say so. ] I've found no pattern, either. Some are here for months, others for less than a single one - I don't understand. [ Cecily smiles thinly - very thinly. ] And I've been here for... Maker. Over a year and a half.

( voice )

[torrefied]

[Of course he did. It was a brilliant move, one he wishes he'd thought of himself.]

I doubt it. I'd been here for months by the time I wrote this document, and no one else had seen fit to pull it together.

[voice]

[synthedick]

I know you're not fond of us, but I know more than a few of us would be grateful if you'd mention the Guard on this thing so we don't have to constantly explain who we are, how long we've been here, and what it is we try to do. Trying to avoid that 'explaining things ad nauseum' bit, and given we've also got records of what's been happening around town, it couldn't hurt.

[voice]

[torrefied]

I said you should let me know if anything of importance was missing.

[voice]

[synthedick]

You also said you were good at collecting information. Leaving out an entire organization that's been around for so long makes your work look shoddy. More importantly, you said wanted help from all of us, and that's what I'm offering.

voice

[unitas]

What can I do to help? [ Or what else can she do? She keeps her own set of records, albeit it sloppy but filled with various tidbits of information that she thought might be important at a later date (not including that of Fear's cowardice and his previous mention of running away). ]

I've been thinking of setting up more emergency boxes, equal it out on both sides of the river, make sure we're all a little more prepared for things should it go south again.

[ There's a lot of work for them all to do here. ]

voice

[torrefied]

That's a good idea. If the city's split again or part of it's lost, an even distribution of supplies would better our chances at survival. Maybe ... we could make a list of locations where the boxes can be found, so people will know where to look if necessary.

[Why yes, he is suggesting that he'll help.]

You've already done a lot, Sharon. I don't know if anyone's thanked you properly.

voice

[unitas]

We can update the city map with the locations I know are still usable or there. The split really fucked 'em up. [ The murals, too, suffered their fair hand of damage and she's always hated doing something like that more than once. ] Well, that, and were at least somewhat useful.

[ At that last bit though: ] ...I'm just making up for my shit.

voice

[hearthebell]

You know that I have an eye for detail and a high endurance for tedious tasks that are nevertheless important. If documentation is something you need help with, it isn't as if I have anything more worthwhile to attend to.

voice

[torrefied]

I know you do ...I just didn't want to bother you with something like this.

[Somehow this sort of thing seemed beneath L's capabilities.]

voice

[hearthebell]

You know what life is like here. Furthermore, you know what my life is like here. Do you really think I'm busy with something grand and important?

voice

[skelebro]

Not been around here as long as some have, but...how d'you pick apart what's worth keepin' around and what ain't worth recording?

[That definitely wasn't a sign that he'd help, by the by.]

voice

[torrefied]

Usually if it's something that's relevant to the majority, that would be worth documenting - things that have happened here with some sort of lasting impact, for example, or something one of the gods told you. Especially the latter. I have a feeling a lot of us have been asking questions but we haven't been sharing the answers.

voice

[skelebro]

So like...the bar that got blown up and the speakeasy that got set up after.

[Conspicuously not mentioning any of the names of those responsible. For, uh. Reasons.]

text

[unfollowing]

you forgot to mention the sewing shop

text

[torrefied]

[I forgot to care he types out, then deletes. He's trying to be better with the people here - even Emily.]

What do you want people to know about it? Send me the text you want included and I'll work it into the document.

[Who knows. Maybe hell Hadriel will freeze over and he'll stop by sometime and ask her to make something. He does still owe Sharon a vest.]

text

[unfollowing]

[It's cool, she would've sassed right back. And then she would've followed up with actual cooperation, because she too is trying to be less of an asshole.]

i'll have it done by tomorrow

[There's a pause as she thinks this over, then decides just to go for it.]

if delight and rage end up going on the recon mission, fabric and coffee will be in short supply, so i can help you out with the guide if you need anything

voice;

[hasitsthorns]

Count me in, dude.

Though I do have one criticism. I worked super hard on that shipping chart, man. [ Deleted now. At least... on the network. With some fine tuning, she could throw up a revised version again. ] Didn't even get a mention? See if I do anything fun again.

voice;

[torrefied]

[Jfc you people.]

I said to let me know if anything of importance was missing.

[Voice]

[elegant_and_proud]

I would be interested in compiling information on what the gods have said about their enemies. The inorganics, as they've called them.

[Voice]

[torrefied]

I'm also interested in this topic.

[Very interested.]

I suspect that a number of us are asking these questions, but we're not sharing the information.