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.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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.

Edited 2017-05-10 21:11 (UTC)

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. ]

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

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

I know. And if I hadn't taken the initiative, we'd probably still be waiting for him to complete it.

Your cruel words wound me.

[Said with an appropriately dramatic but still obviously dry tone.

Sorry guys, carry on.]

Wow, both of you? My self esteem's never gonna recover.

[Indeed it must be the end days.]

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.]

[Oh Shadow. Chris knows he's genuinely asking, so he gives a genuine answer.]

I'm being sarcastic. Really sarcastic.

[He laughs a little at that.]

What can I say, I'm super talented. But you'd know if I was actually serious.

[He can say that pretty certainly.]

[Don't sass him, mister, he will sass back.]

If you're super curious to see how obvious it is when I'm serious, sure. Great plan.

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?

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.]

you forgot to mention the sewing shop

[Well played, Nick, that's one damn effective counterpoint. Still, it chafes Mello to concede; he is childish and hates to lose. And he has one hell of a grudge against the Guard.]

You'd think an organization that's been around so long would be better at doing what it's supposed to. I wonder, is it really such a loss for the people here to not know of its existence?

[Everything in his tone indicates his opinion: a resounding no.]

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it," Chris.

I have no idea who said that, but I'm gonna guess they're dead.

[Just saying.]

The records might survive, but if that information isn't readily accessible, it might as well not exist.

[Interesting ... and noted, though he doesn't comment on it.]

Flannery O'Connor. And your guess is correct, though I don't see what that has to do with anything.

I wouldn't presume to know what's important to you.

[Said more regretfully than combatively. He can imagine L doesn't find anything here important, since he has an idea of the sort of activity L's used to. But it's more a statement on the fact that despite L's importance in Mello's life, despite the fact that they've been living under the same roof for months, he doesn't know the man well at all. And while Mello may not know what does interest L, specifically, he has a strong suspicion that he himself is nowhere on that list.]

Page 1 of 7

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

voice;

[voice]

voice

[voice]

voice

[voice]

voice;

( voice )

voice

( voice )

( voice ) /threadjack because I have to

( voice )

voice

( voice )

( voice )

( voice )

voice

voice

text

[voice]

( voice )

( voice )

( voice )

( voice )

voice