hadriel | video;

[ It's Hannah's network debut! The teen looks cheerful enough, for a person trapped in a monster-infested cave nightmare, standing in front of one of her city-decoration projects. ]

Does it work? I know everyone hates when people hit "reply to all" on e-mail, but I haven't really used this thing yet, and I thought I should introduce myself to everyone. We're all stuck here, so... better to have names to go with the faces, right?

[ Hannah, no, this isn't an online college course. ]

My name's Hannah - Hannah Washington. My brother Josh is here, too, and... I'm from the same place as Chris, Ashley, and Emily, if you've met them.

[ She isn't exactly sure how long her friends have been in Hadriel, but it's been longer than her own one-month period for sure. ]

Um - So, I got some cookies for painting, I guess. From Hope, maybe? Are they safe to eat? I know that the "gods" aren't all the same in how bad they are, but if there's any chance of them being risky, maybe it'd be better to throw them away.

[ Hannah pauses, tucking some hair behind her ear. Behind her, occasionally visible, are paintings of butterflies on the walls. ]

Any tips for a cave-city newbie?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, join the club. Pretty much everyone hates it here. I mean, what's not to hate about this place, right?

It's... pretty scary. [ She admits, thinking of the Deathclaw. ] I was so freaked out when I first got here.

[ The presence of some of her friends has helped, though. ]

Are there any good things about it?

I got nothin'. Well, I mean, I guess Chris is OK. Doesn't sound like I would've met any of you all otherwise.

Chris is great. [ Hannah laughs, surprised. ] I'm glad you got to meet him.

Yeah, he's all right.

[She smiles, though, in that way people do when they're trying to play it cool about having something nice to say about someone else.]

So I guess you had to deal with all that bullshit in Canada too, right?

Hmm. [ Hannah smiles, too, understanding her meaning.

The question, though, has that smile slip from her face like sap. ]

"Bullshit in Canada?" [ Jesus, did they tell everyone about what I did? What they did? ] ... Yeah, well. I mean, yes. I was there.

[ It was her parent's house, after all. ]

That's really fucked up.

[Nick's been told about Josh's "pranks," and the idea that he'd pull those same stunts on his own sister is unsettling. Maybe they're not on good terms? Maybe that's why no one mentioned Josh even has a sister. How does having a sibling even work? Nick's an only child; she doesn't know.]

Look, this place is bullshit, but we all have enough to deal with from the assholes running this place. If anyone tries starting shit like that again, I can show you how to throw a decent punch, if you want.

Mm. [ Hannah is... actually pleasantly surprised at the reaction, having expected this friend of her friends to put some of the blame on Hannah. Emily and the others would surely have mentioned what Hannah had been doing during the prank, wouldn't they? ] It was bad for sure.

[ There's a little sigh and she chews on the inside of her lip. ]

Really? [ That perks her up just slightly. ] That'd be... really cool, actually. If you don't mind. I'm sure it'll come in handy in a place like this, right?

[ Though she probably won't be trying to punch the monsters... or the gods. ]

It comes in handy all over. Best thing my dad ever taught me, honestly.

Your dad taught you?

[ She thinks of her own father, of his 'mild' obsession with Westerns, of the shooting range on the mountain. Her mouth thins. ]

Ours was too busy making scary movies for that kind of stuff.

video;

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.

video.