endgames | 037 -- [Voice

[With Naruto MIA (and if he's being experimented on, he hopes his pal fries the Rogues good in the process), Shikamaru can't afford to cut out at the convenience store, much as he wants to. He takes the morning shift, debating whether he should look into hiring more people again, before finding his journal returned to him halfway in.

Yeah, returned. Don't ask. ...it got eaten, okay. Don't ask.

Later in the day, when he's off, he decides to mark the occasion.]

[Voice]

Congratulations, Luceti. As of today, it's been a year since TERRACE, and so a year since this village's seen a draft. They've been happening less and less frequently, but that's a record even for us. [Which is a good thing, if you can't tell from how pleased he sounds.]

Speaking about misconceptions... Let's play a game. Pretend I'm a New Feather here, freshly arrived and working on the half-naked problem. A couple dozen people have explained the thing about the wings, don't worry, but I still have no idea how I got here, or where 'here' is.

How do you explain the situation? What's the first thing you tell me about the world, or the Malnosso? If you don't feel comfortable saying it on the journals, you can find me at the playground if you want to say it in person. Any of you who've been here for less than two years, I'd be interested in your response especially.

[/end]

[True to his word, Shikamaru will be at the playground all afternoon, hogging the roundabout while school's still in session and begrudgingly giving it up when the kids are out for a spot in the sand. He'll have his journal and a separate notepad with him, scribbling in both.

When the sun goes down, he'll hang out for a little while longer for latecomers before calling it a day and going to the bar. He has no intention of getting sloshed, but he'll stick around long enough to have some fun and knock back more than a few.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'll talk to him, next time I see him.

[Which will be later today, luckily enough.]

I'll mention it to him as well. He helps out at Azalea, so it's convenient. [She looks back over at the screen.] It'll be good to have some fresh progress again... provided that there is anything useful behind the door.

[Given it's the one she had wanted open initially, it would be disappointing if not. But anything was a possibility.]

At this point, I'm convinced any of it is open game. Of all of them, the last door should've been a dead end - it probably would have if not for the good doctor.

Her bones confirms at least one thing: there are those who had access to this place even after it's secrets were scrubbed. She might not have been the only one who had the same idea.

Or the only one caught in the shift, as evidenced by the initial skeleton. But you're right, of course. We learned a lot from an attempt that seemed best made on a whim at best. Now it's only a matter of time... [She frowns, trying to see if she could find a more accurate gauge of time from that loading bar, to no avail.]

[He looks down the hall, in the direction of where those rooms lie.]

Think we should poll the others for what door to open next, or wait until Archives is cracked?

We might as well wait and do it at once. There's a chance what we find - or don't find - can have an influence on our next decision.

Fair point.

Speaking of that though, that last room we opened has made me wonder if maybe we should be checking someplace else while we wait.

We should always be mindful of where we poke around, but where else did you have in mind?

Those ruins in the mountain. The laboratory.

There was nothing of use there when we examined it. But you were able to find this place in the tunnels from a special item given on one of your missions, correct?

[He nods.] That's right. It belonged to Precis. Since she's no longer here, I can tell you what it was. It was a pair of sunglasses Specialist Davis rewarded her with. Shifts become visible when wearing them.

I see... and do we know if these glasses are still in the enclosure?

I'm not sure. The guy I thought to ask [Claude] disappeared 'bout the same time she did.

Hmm... it's been a while since I've thought of them, but could she have been friends with Leon as well?

Leon? [He strokes his chin.] That's the guy who came up with the system for the teleporters, right...?

That's correct. He's helping me out as a teacher now as well.

[Tapping his foot, he crosses his arms now. See here's the thing. Shikamaru remembers most of his experiences in Luceti. His trip back home last March, however, made smaller details a bit more blurry from the rest.]

When Precis died, I announced her death. A few of her friends responded, but I don't remember all of them now. Leon might've been one of them. I'll check when I get back home - it'd be smart to look into the others too, if they're still around.

That's a good way to confirm. Just let me know what you find out; if it is the case I can always ask him myself if he knows those are still around.

[He nods.] Sure thing.

[She might get the chance before him, but TIMELINES...]

In the meantime... [ She shakes her head, watching that troublesome status bar. ] How often should we take shifts down here until this opens?

Once a day, maybe...? Depends on what happens. You know how things get around here.

[Experiments throw everything off.]

Unfortunately. But at least once it's open, it's open, and we can proceed from there. I'll keep going over the notes as well.

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