[open] woah so serious

[psycholawgy]

Who: Everybody!
When: 9 July (IC)
Where: The Sanctuary
What: A follow up to this! Citywide discussion log.
Rating/Warning: None so far! (Please let me know if things should be changed!)

[ the morning of the 9th, everybody should receive a text ]

Hi! I've updated the timeline summarising the recent events here in the colony. Check it out if you have the time, and let me know if there's anything you'd like to contribute!

Also, pizza party later at the Sanctuary. Be there at around 5! There's free food and drinks for everybody. :)

-- Athena Cykes

---

[ as promised, there's pizza boxes everywhere in the Sanctuary, and one of the tables has an array of drinks being served. there's soda, water, juice, and but nothing alcoholic! this is a serious event, after all, so let's try not to get drunk right now… ah. . . and don't forget to leave your cerevices by the door! this is a ceres-free environment after all.

once enough people are around and seated comfortably, athena tries to call everybody's attention by clapping her hands and yelling OBJECTION! really loudly. and we all know how loud she can be. . . so that's definitely one objective done. ]

So, I guess it's time to talk about that post on the network by that anonymous robot-looking thing. For those who just arrived, this is what I'm talking about. [ and with that, she clicks on a button on the remote control she's holding, and by one of the walls, the text in the said post will be projected. ]

Should we trust that anonymous poster, or should we trust CERES? I doubt there's anybody here who wants to trust CERES of all-- [ well, CERES is not a people, so she just waves a hand dismissively to finish her statement. ] Especially not after all those robots came in and tried to replace the originals.

I think… I want to trust Mosley, though. But nobody here has to share the same sentiment. I don't know much about him, and I'm just following my gut feeling, but-- [ she shakes her head. she can just talk about this further when prodded. she should be providing facts right now, not her opinion. ]

The moment upon arriving in the colony, we were fed information that the Flamines consumed our worlds - but we all know that's not true, either. After all, there are people here who have been able to go back home for a few days. From most of our experience with the Flamines, they're after CERES too, but at the same time, they've been working together. Or they used to, anyway. For those who don't know, the ocular implants we have are by the Flamine Federation. But now, the Flamines are after CERES because they have a debt to pay.

[ she glances around the room now, trying to look at everybody in the eye. ]

Tellus, in this case, are the following parties: The Bridge, and the four "Gods". [ air quotes included. ] Maris, Caeli, Occidi, and Ardeo. The Bridge was once held captive by CERES, and she was released by some people here. To thank them for what they did, The Bridge brought us to the jungle—her "home" and let us stay there for about a week or so. It wasn't exactly the best experience, but there aren't a lot good experiences here in the first place.

I could talk more about the parties in this post if asked, but for now, I want all of us to decide what to do with this announcement. I'd like to investigate all these parties, if possible, including Occidi, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Information and facts are our best weapon right now, after all.

So, if anybody else has something to say about all this, feel free. The floor is yours. And if there's anything you can offer, or if you know anything else, please share it with everybody. I know there's not any information I know that I would hide from anybody here.

[ awkwardly, she just shuffles away and takes a seat on one of the nearest sofas, hoping somebody would speak up and give their two cents. ]

Comments

[psycholawgy]

[ she's seated somewhere comfortable with only a glass of orange juice to accompany her. she also has a floating holographic screen in front of her as she types some things - probably recording the happenings of today. weird, huh?

she can be bothered, though! don't worry! ]

(( please check this out if you want to tag her! thanks :D ))

[babermetrics]

[He flops down next to her to take a break from all this serious shit. At least somewhat. Okay, so she's the one who started all this, and she looks busy, but . . . hey, it's something. She's a friend.]

Yoooo, what's that?

[heiroglyphs]

[Weiss is sitting in a chair on the far side of the room in a vain attempt of cutting herself off from the rest of the pack as much as possible. She leans over a mug of dark coffee waiting for it to cool enough to drink it. Her primary goal is to collect information, so she'll be quiet for most of the night. When it comes to who to trust, however, Weiss is quick to speak up.]

I don't know about the other parties, but I'm not about to trust a word out of anyone from CERES. Mosley knew those robots wouldn't work right, but he didn't seem too concerned about our safety. Is he really the best we have for intel?

[meowbel]

[Meanwhile, as Mabel just sat near the center of the room, she wasn't exactly sure what to do. With everyone talking left and right, she honestly felt just a tad bit intimidated that everyone seemed to know what was going on. Of course, as she heard someone speak up?]

I don't know, is there anyone else we can trust? Don't really know what's going on here but he seems to be the only one who kind of actively talks to us!

[...For better or for worse]

[dereban]

[ Inaba is definitely here, wearing a rather professional suit; sure, she knows that this is a "party" - seriously, pizza party is the safe word here, but why is it always pizza? Nevertheless, she has a paper and pen with her as well as her cellphone as well. ]

I can't trust any of these guys as far as I can throw them. CERES has been going around in circles, the so-called "gods" have been pulling bullshit, and the Flamines. Well. Sure, they'd do what they promise, but is it really worth it? Nevertheless, I'd definitely like to investigate a little more before rushing in to make any decision based on that post.

[ What a pain. Of course, if anybody wants to talk to Inaba re: other things about the colony, she's willing to answer questions! She even has a pin on her that has her name and says that she's with the Cerealia Times. ]

[zerotohiro]

[He's seated in a corner next to his frequency deflector, monitoring it while also listening to Athena talk. He doesn't speak for a moment, watching the room for a short time before he wraps his arms around his knees.]

I've got a question for everybody actually. How many people have actually talked to the parties at hand? Just curious. [A beat.] I know a lot of you spoke with the Flamines because of the last meeting but what about Mosley or the Bridge or the gods or whatever?

[After that, he shrinks back into his hoodie a bit.] We figure out what they've thrown out to all of us, we might have a better idea of what to do next.

[adornmental]

I talked to Mosley once, but it wasn't super important. [He just tried to get Mosley to wear high heels...]

But I talk to Ardeo a lot, and... I mean, I'm not sure about the rest of what that robot said, but I do think it was telling the truth about Occidi and the rest of 'em not knowing the Bridge might be up to no good, at least.

[If he were to side with anyone, he'd pick Tellus, honestly... But he's also of the opinion that they need more information.]

[geophile]

[ there isn't a chance that steven would miss this meeting, especially with the discussions that he had with people on that now-infamous network post. there's plenty to discuss, especially now that he's up to speed on all of the information that's currently available.

with a cup of tea in hand and a curious steel companion silently floating by his side, he listens to athena's words. he'll speak up once it's prompted: ]

I don't think it would be wise to take any of this at face value. The prospect of new, possibly reliable sources is certainly worth investigating, but blind trust at this point in time would be ill-considered.

[ he pauses, silently collecting his thoughts for a moment. while he would like to be positive... the worst-case scenarios have to be considered, too. ]

We'll have to be careful. If we are hasty in "choosing" sides, this could have the potential to ideologically fracture the colony population. We need to stay united.

[sunnymerc]

( Soleil kind of just...tunes everything out. She has no idea what any of this is all about and she is just here to look good and because Athena suggested she show up. So she just kind of...gets distracted.

And sees a thing.

She leans over in her chair to kind of...prod the shiny, floaty thing. )

[dirtdevil]

[ no pizza, no soda, just righteous indignation in this corner. he's opting not to sit down, leaning back against a wall instead, arms crossed and frowning like the delightful, approachable ray of sunshine he is.

oh, and now he's opening his mouth to talk. great. ]

Do we really need to put our trust in any of these assholes? Sounds like when you get down to it they're all poor options, just in different ways. Why do we have to choose one of these "paths" if all three of them are shitty?

[ in other words, isn't there a "Fuck All Y'all" party? because if not, he'll totally start one. ]

[fingerbanged]

[JUST. GESTURING OVER TO LEVI NOW. Because finally.]

See? Someone here gets it! What's the point of being on a team if they're gonna screw us over no matter what?

[fingerbanged]

[Yusuke's been to the Sanctuary before, to discuss other things that CERES had no business knowing about, so it was obvious that this wasn't just a mere pizza party for shits and giggles. There was that whole weird robot message from a week or so back, and he vaguely remembered Athena planning to have a discussion about it at some point, so all signs seemed to point in that direction. And if not? Well, free pizza was never a bad thing, and someone may wind up mentioning something that could be looked into.

He's content on stuffing his face while Athena speaks, though he does take pause at a few things-- namely Mosley and the emerging details about the other factions involved in this place. That was good: he didn't have to make an obnoxious comment about needing to read the novel that was the timeline to get into this book club talk. As Athena finishes, he polishes off the rest of his slice, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets and standing up to put in his (very small) amount of knowledge.]

First off: screw that Mosley guy. I asked him straight up about the ghosts he mentioned when he was gifting us those murderbots-- which, by the way, I totally called they were evil, you're welcome-- and he said that they were weird and haunted people because they felt like it. What he didn't mention was that these ghosts were killed by CERES themselves, as sacrifices to these... "God" things. I don't know about you, but that coming from a guy who claims to have never lied, especially when he outright gifted us robots that tried to maim us, seemed pretty damn sketchy to me.

[And, for a moment, he looks a little unsure, as if he's not quite confident with the details that he managed to scrounge together.] I mean... Rei had told me the whole story about the ghosts. How CERES had them trapped, and how they wanted revenge, and how this maybe could have been something to appeal to these Tellus spirits or whatever. But these people must have died in a fucked up way, or else their ghosts wouldn't be so hell-bent on making this place suffer. So I'm not entirely crazy about throwing my support behind a place that straight-up lies to us and feels the need to sacrifice folks for whatever shady-ass reason.

... of course, Tellus could probably just be as bad too, and we don't know for sure if the Flamines actually destroyed anything either. So, basically? We're kinda boned with whoever we pick.

[There's a small shrug, and he reaches up to rub behind his neck.]

Anyway, I've only been here for like... a month, so that's all I got. I'm pretty much lost when it comes to the finer details of this crazy crap.

[babermetrics]

[Great, just what everyone wants to hear, that everyone is fucked. Not that it wasn't already on all of their minds. When Yusuke's done, Leon just sighs and hunches up even more in his Sulk Spot™ on one of the sofas.]

It ain't like it makes any more sense no matter how months you're here . . . all that happens is you get more of the same crap piled on you by literally everyone. So yeah, we're probably totally screwed. I dunno if those gods give a fuck about us, but even if they did, they don't get us. They didn't even know we needed stuff like food and air!

[pure_havoc]

[oh no, don't tell him the floor is his. He will take it.]

Reconnaissance is the first and foremost step toward making sense of our situation. Yes, we must investigate on all three fronts - four, in fact, if it is agreed that despite his insistence that we need not look into his background, we include this robotic person and his superior. Those with the talents to use technology to look into CERES and the Flamines should do so, and prepare means of ensuring that the information they uncover is protected and distributed so that their efforts are not in vain.

That said, it is only the first step. The being requested we make a choice; but who is 'we?' Do all of us displaced from our own worlds actually consider ourselves a single unit, a country, a kingdom unto ourselves? Or will we sunder ourselves based on who wishes to serve their own or other interests? That, I think, must be made clear before anything can be done. I know full well that CERES provides us our living situation, and that the native beings would like their world back from the usurpers. I have no loyalty to any party but if our survival and return to our worlds depends upon making unsavory alliances, I will say this: I have done worse.

But make no mistake, I trust none of the parties involved and if left to my own devices, will choose a path in which I am loyal to none but prepared to play all the other parties against each other. If my fellows here would appreciate an experienced hand in preparing such strategies, you have the cooperation of the Lord of Wei.

[it's barely an introduction, he's still got so many more ideas simmering under the surface, but Cao Pi will yield the floor and talk to people one on one instead]

[dishevelment]

Even if we aren't one unit, there is no doubt that our common situation has made us into one.

[Koumei spoke quietly over his cup of tea, entirely ignoring the free pizza in favor of listening in to the various conversations.]

While I've made more questionable alliances as well, there is little that's more troubling to an army than ideological disputes. Regardless of what we vote upon, I feel that we must move forward united as one.

[babermetrics]

[He is 100% here for pizza and soda.

Or so he'd probably claim. He's actually only about 50% here for pizza and soda. After that whole announcement happened before . . . he just feels like he ought to be here. He was even considering saying something up in front of the class, but it doesn't take him long to realize that he's a little bit less courageous talking about being dead and all in front of a live audience than behind a screen and keyboard.

Maybe he's still trying to work up to it. Or maybe he's just listening to everyone else and stuffing his face. He hasn't decided yet. Either way, for now he's just sullenly curled up on a sofa, lost in brooding on what everyone else is saying and his own thoughts, and drowning his sorrows in junk food, which is at least one awesome thing about all this. That part works for him.]

[adornmental]

[A QUIET STRANGER CAN'T BE LEFT ALONE FOR LONG. After Kashuu's done moseying around and chatting, he'll amble this way, plopping himself down on the other end of the sofa.]

It's the kinda meeting that makes you wanna nap for a hundred years, right?

[All of this talk about decision-making and standing united and battle strategies and needing to get more information... Geez. He misses home, but not enough to be happy to see war-like nonsense again.]

[sunnymerc]

( When a girl invites you to a party, you show up. That is all there is to it. The real question is why in the world did Athena invite Soleil? That is a poor decision on Athena's part seeing as Soleil is brand new, easily distracted, and has skewed priorities. Frankly, it is a miracle that she manages to get here at all in the face of not knowing how to use her magic technology whatchamacallit. )

I have no idea what's going on.

( But she is curious about this 'pizza' thing so she isn't particularly perturbed. Don't expect her to provide much of anything but some moral support. )

[bruiserprincess]

Short version is there are three different sides in all of this and they all want to use us and we shouldn't trust any of them. CERES claims they can get us home but they like to talk nice and then do all sorts of nasty stuff. The Flamines probably didn't actually destroy our world but they're not on anybody's side but their own. And the spirits want blood.

Basically every option sucks.

[It's an awful lot of cynicism coming from a pre-teen]

[tuishou]

[Check in the CereVice at the door. Wouldn't want CERES to know what's going on, despite announcing the event through the CereVice itself. The implants belonged to the Flamine and they weren't siding with CERES, so why, then, did they still have the implants? Most of all, though

should he add his voice to the echo chamber?

Let's not make a hasty decision, let's gather information, let's make our own luck.]

The research tower should house some of CERES' secrets, shouldn't it? The medical facilities as well. If people have been a part of this colony for a year or longer, then I'd at least like to know why we have so little information on them, especially if we must continue to accept their good grace until we resolve the matter.

[Of choosing a faction, of going back home. Either or.]

There's enough sense in this room to know we have to gather more information; now, how and when will we do it?

[zerotohiro]

[He's currently on the floor wedged between the frequency deflector that blocks CERES entirely and what looks like a red rolling suitcase, arms wrapped around his knees and eyebrow arched at Neji's question.]

You ever been inside their tower? [It's a rhetorical question.] Take it from someone who's been through there a couple of times. It's really not that easy to get anything out of there, much less always make it out alive. If we could devise some kind of plan to infiltrate the place without getting busted, fine, but that's easier said than done don't you think?

[faithfulflame]

[Rei mostly sits off towards one side, arms folded and watching the precedings in pensive silence. She has a drink in hand, and isn't entirely sure what to say. She doesn't have a whole lot of information that hasn't already been covered, but she does have some thoughts.]

It's my opinion that anyone who willingly sacrifices another sentient being to appease a spiritual power is absolutely something that cannot be trusted. I can think of no wholesome culture that finds that to be acceptable, and the very idea of it is disturbing. Of course, the local spirits that accept that power are also dangerous because we know that they're the kinds of beings that desire such sacrifices in the first place. If we were to go to them, what's to say they would even let us go? Or that they'd willfully help us instead of making sure we can't leave so the sacrifices can continue?

[She frowns deeply, taking a sip of tea.]

I believe wholeheartedly that the Bridge cannot be trusted. We know from England-san and Chibi-san's report that the Bridge was involved in taking a sacrifice, and our anonymous friend has given me even more reason to doubt her. Of the two? I'd be more willing to trust CERES than the Bridge. Occidi, however...I don't know. I should probably speak to her.

[And then theres the other group.]

The Flamines, however, are fire. They can be bartered with. And they will follow their word. I believe that, after having spoken with them. The question is not whether they are trustworthy, but rather...do we involve them in our struggles and escalate things? Because that, to me, sounds like the nuclear option.

[adornmental]

[Considering Rei had good things to say the last time, Kashuu listens attentively when she speaks now. After a second of thought:]

I'm pretty sure they don't want the sacrifices so much as the promise of stability. They're like... I mean - to protect the people you love, you'd do whatever you could, right? To Ardeo at least, his people are the most important thing, and I think... the Bridge has probably talked 'em into thinking that these sacrifices are the only way to keep 'em safe, basically. Or something like that, even though that's probably a lie. I totally agree that we can't trust the Bridge at all, though, and I really don't like the Flamines "option" either.

[But he also doesn't like CERES so DANG, it's a struggle.]

[testoffayth]

[Yuna, in truth, has no idea what a lot of this means. There are a few things she picks up on, yes. And it's all helpful information, of course, but more importantly...it's all reliable information. Enough to allay her fears about Spira being destroyed, and quash those lingering doubts. She settles in with a slice of pizza to listen, and after a while, finally stands up and raps her staff once on the floor. When she speaks up, it's not in a quiet voice, but rather something more serious and firm.]

Has CERES given us any real reason to trust them? All that I've heard since I arrived a few days ago is that they've lied to us and tormented us. I don't know, though. So...have they?

[pure_havoc]

[there's so much sarcasm in his tone as he decides to help her out with a little info]

If the thousand credits given to you at your arrival and a temporary reprieve on paying for your residence is enough to lay your trust in anyone, then that is what you have.

[okay sarcasm aside...] In return, CERES has spun a tale of destroyed worlds that paints themselves as our rescuers; however, we have since discovered that they have a contract with the very people they blame for being the destroyers, that they have willingly sacrificed people on an altar to the native spirits, and that they have reneged on every agreement made with others - the Tellus natives, the Flamines, and who knows who else. Is a thousand credits and a month or two of free housing equal payment for that?

[masakados]

[Naoki, to be perfectly honest, he has no better idea now of what he wishes to do than he did when that broadcast happened. As it is, he's just sitting off to the side of the room, his arms folded over his chest, expression neutral.

Different paths mean divides. Not everyone is going to agree. By placing them into a position where they apparently have to choose... with such little information, as well... He palms at his forehead and sighs to himself, wishing at once he wasn't reminded so very much of his home.]

We have so little to go off of. [He kneads his thumb in-between his eyebrows, tiredly. The words are mostly to himself, as well, a moment where he wants to vent a frustrating reality.] We always do. Feels like we really do have to investigate more...

[adornmental]

I think everyone agrees with that, at least.

[HELLO FRIEND, festival friend, now switching gears into Serious Discussion friend. Kashuu's trying his best to parse all of this complex choice-making stuff but boy it's a struggle, so he'll just come sit over here for a little bit.]

So it's just the same problem we always have, with the "how do we actually do that" and "how much useful info will we even be able to get".

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee raises his hand like the most eager of students.]

Ah... I wish to investigate Occidi-san! I have been told that the spirits may appear at their shrines with the right offerings, especially for the person aligned with them! If I can find her, what sorts of things should I ask?! And, is anyone else thinking of speaking with one of them?!

[psycholawgy]

[ ah... so eager! what an eager beaver. ]

Actually, Hiro and I want to talk to Occidi soon. I was planning on asking Merlin to grow some flowers for us so we can offer it to her.

Not really sure yet what we'd be asking, though.

[theshiningone]

[This whole meeting was just reminding him of home. Multiple choices, multiple opinions. Hiro just prayed that this didn't go down south and started a dumb Civil War on who's choice was better than the other. While Hiro didn't like to see friends fight, he knew that conflict was also necessary for growth. Though if they were conflicting opinions, then he hoped that the people could try and talk things out in a mature way.

That being said? Hiro stands up whenever he feels that it's time to speak. He's looking completely serious and his leader face is on.]

Guys? Among all of the information swapping, I think we've missed out on something very important for how we're gonna handle this.

[And with that, Hiro composedly lifts up a empty pizza box and tosses it onto the table.]

I've realized that we're starting to run out on pepperoni pizza and probably some other flavors. Someone needs to go out and fetch some more. Any takers?

We can't make deceive decisions if we're low on food and drinks. And by the way, I'm gonna raising the "Pick a Fourth Option" flag too. If we can't trust anyone, then we should make our own path. The only issue is that we need more intel... [He lets out a sigh.] If we could make friends with everyone, then that'd be less of a hassle. But I know it's easier said than done... [A beat.] I'd rather not fight everyone either, but if they're gonna be pushing us into a corner... Then I'm gonna be pushing right back to survive.

[He'd much rather talk things out and brofist. But they had to jump into actual fisting, then he'll be mostly content with kicking all the asses until someone starts talking sense. Nine times out of ten, that's how things usually turned out on his side of things. When he speaks again, he sounds a little more lighthearted.]

Soooo... That said? Who's gonna be the lucky pizza slave?

[geophile]

[ with steven busy talking to some other pizza party attendees about boring serious stuff, he's left beldum to it's own bored devices. while it could be a good pokémon and stay politely at its trainer's side, that's boring! there's so much cool and interesting stuff in this room - a lot more from the last time it was here. exploring might be fun, and maybe it can make a friend or two!

in particular, it's interested in the pizza box that hiro throws on the table. it looks at it curiously, prods at it, nudges it so it's standing up... and eventually ends up with it folded over its head like some sort of oversized cardboard roof hat.

cool. ]

[kirkwalled]

[ hi friends, have your local douche in shining armor! except the armor is replaced by jeans and a t-shirt and instead she's just sitting with her mabari, listening to everyone. though there's one thing she wants to pipe up and she says it through a mouth full of pizza. ]

A quick reminder for those considering the Flamines. They're very much willing to kill those they don't deem "acceptable" to their standards. A deal may be struck but it doesn't include all of us. They've made that quite clear.

[ she is... not particularly looking forward to any flamine showing up in cerealia because that's a battle she doesn't think she's quite ready for. she's fought many things before but eldritch horror mercenaries? haha no way.

nevertheless, you can also find hawke off to the side and looking a few moments away from taking a nap in one of the plush armchairs. she hates revolutions. ]

[geophile]

[ while steven isn't exactly a fan of the whole "talking with your mouth full" thing, she does bring up another point. ]

I agree. If the Flamines can truly be categorized as mercenaries, they can hardly be considered reliable. Along with those that they don't deem acceptable, the idea of what they may do to former "employers" once a better offer of payment comes along needs to be kept in mind.

[ meanwhile, beldum will be floating hesitantly up to her mabari, wondering if it can gather the courage to introduce itself somehow. it looks pretty intimidating... ]

[heiwana]

Speaking with the spirits...perhaps they would be willing to tell us more.

[ Says the serious but quiet sword spirit. ] If there is a way to...go about this without fighting or violence then pursuing that route would be best. Ceres and the Flamines...I do not know why they have brought us into their war.

[ Ugh he just hates all of this to be honest. But Kousetsu won't take sides...at least not until there's a clearer picture of things. ]

I would like to know more about them...the spirits of this land. Perhaps they would have a better knowledge of the history of...Ceres and the Flamines as well.

[majinken]

[stahn's been quiet while everyone is discussing what's going on because he hasn't been around as long, and that makes it harder to make an informed decision. he's also deferring to dymlos a lot, because when your sword is a renowned military commander, sometimes trusting that judgment helps.

but what kousetsu is saying sort of rings truer to his beliefs.]

If there's a way to solve this without having to fight too much... I think that would be better, too. Too many innocent people have gotten hurt already.

[he doesn't know much about the deities or even the flamines, but ceres has betrayed his trust in ways that are hard to forgive—too many people he cares about keep getting hurt at their behest.]

[fishyoldman]

[Raven is dozing in one corner. He's still new here and still getting up to speed on everything, and he already knows whose decisions he'll follow whatever the outcome of this meeting. Even so, he's here to listen and gain as much information as he can. It's not snooping if he was invited, right?]

You kids ever thought of electing a leader? Maybe a group of representatives? Opinions are good and all, but decisions are what matter.

[And with that contribution over, he'll go back to pretending to doze. What a lazy old timer.]

[dishevelment]

I've a question for you: have you ever attempted to herd cats?

[It sounded bizarre, but it was a valid point. A military man himself, Koumei knew the makings of a proper soldier when he saw one...and there were so many people in Tellus who had their own opinions that they were unwilling to compromise on.

Discussions like this were the most feasible means of maintaining order amongst themselves, for all of the merits and flaws that the medium offered.]

[prosecutory]

[Edgeworth doesn't just have his organizer to take notes with; he has a second, rattier organizer with him, its swollen pages a sign that it has been previously damp. The worn and discolored cover as well as the tears in the paper are uncharacteristic of someone as fastidious with note-taking as Edgeworth.]

I'd like to speak to Occidi again. My last encounter with her was...cryptic, to say the least. [He opens up the older organizer to pages full of notes, smudged in some places.]

Anyway, let's not make any rash decisions, or choose based on simple reasons such as, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". This is more complicated. [He slams the table to emphasize his point.] I wouldn't be surprised if we walk out of this sanctuary without a definite, united solution in mind, but we can at least meet again to update each other on what we've found out.

[Feel free to notice that he hasn't taken a single slice of pizza. Just a glass of juice.]

[pure_havoc]

[don't worry Edgeworth, Cao Pi doesn't eat pizza either. He'll join you in the smart corner]

It seems everyone is resolved to investigate, but it would be nice to at least leave here with a set of plans for who is going to investigate what. Otherwise we will all sit around agreeing that it needs to be done but not actually move forward.

[notsosolo]

I just want to remind everyone that CERES murdered my children in addition to countless others to appease those spirits. We can't go trusting anyone who would do that or ask that.

[It rather colours his perception of all of this, okay?]

Not that I trust the Flamine either.

[fatalstriker]

[yuri's been hanging back and keeping quiet for a while, but the truth of the matter is this whole situation's been getting under his skin for a bit.

which means for once in life, he may actually have something to contribute.]

We ain't gonna get much done if we don't get organized. There's too damn many things we don't know about to start making decisions.

[mister lone wolf sure does have ideas here.] A couple of people to keep track of what we find out, and a couple of groups to look into everyone they're trying to tell us to side with.

I'm not gonna say we should side with any of them, but we need to know what we're up against. [he sighs.] It's gonna be tough to get everyone on the same page no matter what, though.

[yuri's absolutely not expecting an outcome where everyone in the city agrees to side with one faction. he's expecting it's going to get ugly, and that's why he doesn't want to take sides. he's going to do what he thinks is right and just, but he also wants to be sure he's making informed decisions when he does.]

[pseudonyms]

Look at you taking charge. [She can't help but grin lightly anyway just because it's Yuri.] That's not a bad idea though. When we were trying to solve cases back home our team always split up into smaller groups to do the investigating so we could brainstorm at the end of the day.

You really think we can get everybody to agree, Yuri?

[unpreparer]

[For the most part Illidan sat in the far back corner of the room, attempting to go as unnoticed as possible. It initially had not been his intention to speak, he was simply content in taking in everyone else's information and keeping his opinions to himself, but eventually he couldn't stop himself from making his opinion known. So he stood and stepped forward, flexing his wings and making sure he had the attention of those in the room before speaking.]

I am of the opinion that all of these established factions have their own agenda, and are merely attempting to use us as a means to an end. I have no intention of being used as anyone's pawn, and if I am not the only one, I think our best option is to try and find out what the end game is for each of these enemies.

[And thus find a way to turn that end game against them, or twist it to their own advantage, but he wasn't about to go mentioning plans of blackmailing factions powerful enough to destroy worlds and such. He didn't see any way that could backfire, but others might.]

Ceres appears to be in the most vulnerable position of the four, but the spirits of this world are the most needy. The Flamines only see Ceres as a mean of some greater end, and do not see this place as more than a cog in a wheel, a nuisance but easily replaced if not working as it should. This new creature, that has done an astounding job at pointing out the obvious, is simply another factor to take in. For now I believe it should be watched, as it may chose to ally itself with one of the aforementioned groups.

[pure_havoc]

[Aha, it's the demon guy. Cao Pi can't help but smirk a bit at the ironies piling on top of ironies]

Wonder of wonders, I agree with you entirely.

your regular robots' rights activist

[pinsky]

[Well. This was... A shock.]

[Sulla dwells on it for a moment, staring into a half-full plastic cup of water. (Recyclable, even.) She's known about the implants, the Tellian spirits, a little bit of the Flamines; she read through the information the other refugees sent as thoroughly as she could. It's a relief to know her world isn't gone, at least...]

[But it seems like she's been dumped in the middle of a fight she doesn't know how to win. When she thought she needed to be left alone for awhile, she didn't mean this! But she still has to say something:]

So, uh, hi. [The most awkward half-wave.] I wasn't here for the part with the synthetic doubles, but I know a little bit about robots [she is one, after all], and... I mean, new synthetics are kind of like little kids. There's the base programming, or what you'd call instinct, and then there's what they learn and make themselves. In the case of synthetics, that underlying instinct is created, right? Someone gave them that instinct; it was a matter of time before they. You know.

[She bites her lip, looks down for a moment; there's some deep sympathy, or anger, bubbling in her every time she thinks of those poor creatures, created just as tools. Maybe they weren't as smart as synthetics can be, but they still deserved better. Sulla wants to do better by the synthetics on this world. It's not their fault, it really isn't!]

So what I'm saying is... If this Mosley guy is giving us robots that have a base instinct to kill us, they could do way worse to these other parties, right? I think they might be right to be scared, or want to fight back. And I think... Whoever this fourth party is, the synthetic, might want us to help his people too.

[cryptologic]

[ That's a new perspective, and an interesting thought. The robot had insisted they could take care of their people, but Dipper's not convinced they're entirely independent of CERES, either. ]

You're putting a lot of trust in something that could have been deliberately programmed to dupe us. Whoever they are really, there's a lot more about them than they're telling.

[ Since they were told...basically nothing. Maybe the robot's message seemed helpful on paper, but Dipper can't get the fact out of his head that that very face followed him after he died. ]

[manolia]

[Chibi's going to talk, he swears! But first, he has to stuff his face with pizza. In the past week, he's been drawing up tens of drafts for possible communication devices, then scrapping all of them; he's been too busy to think about eating, or doing much sleeping. Hell, he looks weary in his face, and the way he carries himself.]

[But he can't keep his mouth shut, so of course he takes the stage.]

It may be worth unofficially appointing people who have become close to each of the four spirits, or who are in their favor, to ply them for information - slowly, of course. Given their capriciousness, having too many people hounding them for details seems, ah... As though it would give none of us the benefit of getting those details.

[He grins wryly and gives a look to Athena.] I think some of us have worked our way in with Mosley. [... Chibi not being one of those people.] And as for the Flamines, I do not think they are apt to trust any of us.

[With a weary sigh:] I just wish we had gotten more information about the Flamines from the implants. [He busted his ass to make sure Saiduq didn't blow his chest open in vain, okay!!]

[adornmental]

D'you think something like that would be a good idea? [Because GUESS WHO'D SIGN UP TO TALK TO ARDEO good lord, he already does enough of that as things are...

But mention of the implants reminds him--]

Uh— And I have an eye chip that I can, like. Donate or whatever, the next time someone needs to look at one.