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

[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.]

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.

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.]

Correct. Those are both items of note to the community at large. I included the bar's razing in the historical record, but I can still add the speakeasy's establishment, if you can provide details about that.

You'd have to ask Rey. Assuming she feels up to sharing.

[He's pretty sure that's her business. Not that he's gonna be stoppin' by anytime soon.]

Was that the only addition you had in mind?

Unless you'd like me to talk about stickin' stars in the sky.

You could.

[That is an action you can take, Sans.]

What was your reasoning for doing so?

Me and Shadow got real drunk.

[So it'd be pretty characteristic of Sans for this to be an obfuscation, a transparent drape over some deeper, more sentimental meaning. For this to be one of his attempts at redirection, pretending he ain't near as deep in all this as he actually is.

Except that ain't the case.

This time, the only reasoning he has is it seemed like a good idea at the time.]

[That moment of silence before Mello makes his reply is Mello dragging his hand down his face. Why are people like this.]

Well, I suppose there are worse things you could do while drunk.

Hey, at least we didn't set anything on fire or burn any bars down.

[They created something instead. That's, like - kinda noble, or something, right?]

Right. Well, it was a nice gesture. I'd imagine many people here find it a little more comforting to be able to see simulated stars. It gives the illusion of open sky, which makes being here feel less enclosed.

Aw, gee. You'll make me blush.

[Never mind that skeletons don't have blood. But it's the thought that counts.]

Orchard's always in bloom now too. You ever check out what kinda flowers and things people ask Sorrow to bring in from their world?

I've seen the orchard, yeah. I help with the weeding there, sometimes, but I haven't made an extensively catalogue of all the plants, or where they come from originally.

Yeah, I dunno how many of 'em are "native" to 'round here, anyhow. Some people make deals and the like to bring stuff through. [Himself included.]

Since we're being moved around, it seems unlikely that any of them are truly native.

That'd be my guess. [But an educated one.]

Might be a nice project to figure how much of the stuff there's edible.

Are you suggesting it as a project that you're interested in taking on, or just making a suggestion in general?

Me? Doin' work?

[He chuckles at that, skull rolling to one side.]

Nah. Just file that one down in the suggestions box.

[If you could only see Mello's expression, Sans. Somehow he's just not at all surprised.]

Duly noted.

[It's a good idea, even if Mello does chafe a little at the idea of being the only one who cares enough to see the project through to fruition.]

Do you have any other suggestions to file?

Nah, 'm good.

[He's filled his quota of Ideas to have for the day. Mello's already done this much; why not go the whole hog, right?]

[A little begrudgingly:] Thank you. I suppose if you think of anything else, I wouldn't mind hearing it.

Sure thing, pal. 'S real nice of you to do this.

[SORRY MELLO.]

[It takes all of Mello's willpower to hold back the long-suffering sigh he wants to exhale.]

Well, somebody should. And if no one else will ... I guess it has to be me.

There, see? You ain't half bad.

[That's, like...kind of a compliment. Or something.]