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[northeworld]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, NIINA YAMADA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 000.02.017.24 *** ReflectedStorm has joined 000.02.017.24 <ReflectedStorm> what the hell is this for? <ReflectedStorm> i'm not going to yack just 'cause i'm a teenager, okay?

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<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Merry freaking Christmas!

Your Secret Santa recipient this year is Annie Dyer (who goes by the very utilitarian "a.dyer" on the network). Please buy, make, or otherwise procure her a nice gift before December 26! You can give this directly, or label it clearly and drop it off at Crowe Clinic C/O Hawkeye Pierce.

Remember: Saint Nick is watching, and he knows where you live!

Happy Holidays, etcetera, and so forth,
Santa Claus

[hairday]

[Steve's not looking to become a stalker, so he will be employing the "drop the gift off at the clinic and let Hawkeye deal with it" method of delivery, thank you.

On the 25th, Niina will find the following waiting for her:

A compact, very winter-themed multitool that can be attached to a keyring.

An also very winter-themed screwdriver with interchangeable heads.

He doesn't know if a simulacrum would really need these things to take apart and/or put back together their radio, or their toaster, or whatever's next on the chopping block, but everyone likes it when stuff is shaped like animals, right?]

"For your next close encounter with a TV :)
Merry Christmas!"

- SH

[ibalsamina]

[Left outside of her door on the morning of Nattensfest, Niina will find two neatly-wrapped gift boxes—one fairly large and the other small enough to fit in her palm—tied together and affixed with a card bearing her name. The message inside is penned in elegant handwriting and the same gold ink:]

Dear Niina,

Season’s greetings and happy Nattensfest. I hope you are staying safe and warm during this time.

Though it has only been for a short while, getting to know you has been a true pleasure. Always know that you can come to me for anything you might need help with, and please take care not to overwork yourself.

I hope that this small gift might help you feel a bit more confident in yourself. If there is any issue in the sizing, please let me know, and I will help get it properly fitted for you.

With love,
Lusamine

[Inside the larger box is a white dress, lace-trimmed and elegant, the sort of outfit one might see being worn by the daughter of one of Bavan’s wealthiest elites. In the other is an equally luxurious brooch depicting a golden bird in flight.]

MERR CRISIS

[endlesspastability]

[honestly Sonic has no idea where Niina lives. But a package will eventually reach her!

It's a bottle of... Turtle Wax, wrapped in a couple of soft chamois rags.

There's a note on festive paper;

"I know we don't always get along but from one weird robot monster to another, this is the best stuff to clean your metal or plastic parts. it repels water too!

From: Secret Simulacra Santa =)"]

holiday gift.

[sweartoyou]

[Stuffed inside a box are various pieces of 80's tech, all roughly toaster-sized and smaller. There's also miscellaneous wires, screws, and bolts, and nestled neatly on top of it all is a little mouse toy with extra stitching that might, if one uses their imagination, patterns it like a computer mouse.]

(backdated to late December)

[fungi_guy]

[A large book wrapped in cheery paper and a homemade card.]

Happy Holidays! :D I didn’t think they’d have books like this here, I hope you like it.
-Ethan

[This was kind of a happy accident of a find, a moment of serendipity. He was trying to find the most ludicrous looking pulp science fiction cover for Simon in some used bookstore and he found this instead: a giant old book of cross sections, diagrams showing the internal workings of buildings, the human body and machines.]

[He loved this kind of stuff when he was a kid. He hopes Niina will too.]

March 4th

[swashgrappling]

[Niina will hear a gentle knock on her door, and when she answers will find a small gift on her doorstep. As promised, Tawna finished the rose garden Niina wanted. The box also contains a carefully wrapped bit of loose mechanical junk Tawna thought the teenager would like.

The green fabric has been left in an embroidery hoop with a gentle array of beaded roses forming a garden scene. Each rose is made up of many, many beads. It is clear the gargoyle had taken her time to make everything look as nice as possible. A few roses are a single color of red bead, a few others vary in different shades of red. Here and there are leaves and branches are woven between the small rose garden Tawna has crafted. Hints of trees in the background are denoted by brown thread behind some of the larger roses taking center stage]

I thought you'd want this a bit after the flower debacle that happened last month. Hopefully, you still like this.

See you later, kid.

-Tawna

<galagamer> late June

[waitingforplayer2]

Yamada-san, this is Chiaki Nanami.

[ Okay, deep breaths, be as straightforward about this as possible.

... This feels weird to reach out about, anyway. ]

I talked about your contacts at the lake with you, last month? You said I could reach out if I needed help, and

I think I need to feed again.

<ReflectedStorm>

[northeworld]

you can call me niina-san.

[Niina wants to just write 'don't call me Yamada' but she decides against that. She doesn't want to spook her away.]

yeah i remember. you don't need to say more than that, if you don't want. just tell me where you want to meet and i can get you a few names.

do you have a preference or should i just get a few random names.

<galagamer>

[waitingforplayer2]

Niina-san! I can do that.

[ What a strange question? She guesses this is her life now, though. ]

I don't have a preference. But I'd like to know why them, if that's okay. I don't want it to be anybody who doesn't deserve it.

<Composing> forward dated to 7/25

[leggierissimo]

Hello, Niina. Long time no speak - or type, as the case may be. I know that you and Beat speak a lot more often, so I have a request for you.

I'd like to organize something for Beat. His birthday is coming up in a few days, and I thought that it might be good for him to receive a few messages from the people he enjoys being around and talking to, to let him know just how much he's appreciated. If there's any day to show him a bit of love, this is it, and I can assure you that it is very much needed, even if he won't admit it.

This isn't an obligation to get him a gift, though I certainly won't stop you if you'd like to. But, sometimes, a message we can go back and reread when our minds are turning against us is a gift worth more than something you can hold in your hands.

His birthday is August 1st, and we'll be hosting a small get-together at the following location:

[When looked up the address is... an old church? Very odd. If investigated, though, the church seems to be undergoing renovations.]

You're welcome to come, if you like, and you're welcome to bring a plus-one. This is neutral ground, of course. Let me know if you plan on coming, so I can make sure we have enough supplies.

((ooc: PS: Don't tell Tal, the location/gift is a surprise!))

<ReflectedStorm>

[northeworld]

hmph. you've got a lot a nerve asking me that.

[That's not to say Niina's not going to come or that she's not going to get Beat a gift. This is what happens when you have a tsun little sister.]

but seeing as it seems to be a neutral place, i'll be there. i don't trust you a single bit but beat couldn't outwit a rock.

that idiot has even more nerve having a birthday so close...

[Tsun translation: 'I'll come and I'll bring a gift even though I don't know what to get yet'.]

<Composing>

[leggierissimo]

[This is about par for the course for what he expected. At least it's positive, somewhat.]

Good thing it's not about me, then, hm? I'm sure he'll appreciate you being there nonetheless. Thank you for agreeing to go.

10/17, action

[ikutachi]

[ A bird sings, somewhere.

Everything burns. Well, incorrect, everything always burns, but it's way worse than usual. Can barely even breathe when every move reminds nerve endings that there's a ground beneath her back, and her back screams. She is alive. Again. Shinju only knows why. And more importantly, she is... alone. She already knows her powers are gone. The inside of her thoughts are too quiet; nothing grabs at her heart, forcing her into the worst parts of herself and beyond. There will be damage, probably. Maybe there already is. Neither sadness nor anger comes to her. Just... nothing.

That's fine for now. Every time you lose yourself, it gets harder. Eventually, it becomes impossible. But... not yet. She can still think, and so she will. Think. Say it aloud if you have to. I am Nogi Wakaba. I was born on the 20th of June. My blood type is A. Run over every memory that comes to mind until life comes back, however long it takes.

When she opens her eyes again, there's someone there. Saying... something. Too quiet to make out. Where am I, but she can't hear herself either. Whoever it is tries to help - a hand on one shoulder, one hand behind, and lifts-

Her brain shorts out. She'll apologize for passing out on whoever that was later.

On Niina's end, one of her nerds knocks on the door to her office and peeks in. Like, they know you've been a near-corpse for- uh- a while, and they're the ones who told you to rest, but they found a burnt monster on the property? A really hurt one??? They don't know how she got here and they don't know whether to bring her inside or throw her out. She's in a dorm room for now, but, like, should they just put her in the dumpster for trash pickup? Please advise. ]

[northeworld]

[Niina isn’t sleeping but she stands from her cot. One of the newer nerds, she notes. Nervous with monsters still. She acknowledges them and asks to be shown this monster.

Niina’s voice is bland; she can guess who it is. When she enters the dorm room she waves the human away. The one armed frame, the burns… it had to be.

She closes the door quietly as she sits on a chair. It squeaks annoyingly. A hand shakes Wakaba gently.]

Wakaba. Wakaba, wake up. It’s me, Niina.

[ikutachi]

[ She was having a perfectly fine time being unconscious, face down in a Something, Somewhere, when there's noise again. Distant. Easily ignored. Then someone touches her and now she wants to die all over again god dammit that hurts.

It takes a second to turn towards the voice - strangely muffled and static-ridden. Like an old TV set. Because it is an old TV set. Wakaba is- her. Right. Right. Up, she says. And the one hand moves to try and shove herself upright. She gets exactly nowhere. Ugh, one second, try again, try harder- ]

...Hhh? [ Was she always those colors? Weird. ] Hello. Niina?

11/22, action

[ikutachi]

[ After an eternal moment, she wakes up face-down on concrete. Every nerve screams, freshly shocked out of slumber, but it's better than last month. Still alive. Good. The anger is quiet, back behind the wall where it belongs, but thoughts don't sit right. Still infected. Less good. Dragging herself upright is doable. Later she'll have to do an injury assessment-

Later. Now, sunrise.

Past all the noise, autopilot takes over. How did she get up here? Mm. Unimportant. Memory can be dealt with later. It's always those early mornings where she felt most like herself; staring over all that was her responsibility to protect. It feels right, and it's just as right to sit on the edge of the roof, legs hanging off the edge. And eventually, she'll be spotted and yelled at by-

Best not to think. ]

[northeworld]

[Niina is in no position to see Wakaba from the ground. She barely is waking up herself. The whir of servos, the grinding of gears announces her presence as she shakily takes to a standing position.

It--happened again, didn't it?

She feels sludge dripping from her facial screen. A crack. She rubs what she can away as she turns around to see Wakaba sitting like nothing happened.]

Thanks a lot, Wakaba.

[Her voice sounds... off. More monotone somehow as if the speaker is malfunctioning somewhat.]

Are you finally calmed down?

[ikutachi]

[ That's the wrong voice.

But it is A voice, one she Knows, and the disruption makes her turn. For a moment, the blank expression still has that faint disdain from before - but only a moment. Eyes remain violet, awareness ebbs back, and in real time Niina's appearance clicks. ]

Niina, your- Are you okay?!

[ It looks far worse than it actually is, but only the narration knows that. Niina stands there with a fractured screen, leaking oil as viscera, and the face is one of panic and horror. There's an attempt to get up, but freezing once making eye contact with her own hands. Blood paints her knuckles, both dried and fresh, her own and not, but that same black sludge is there as well.

Two plus two. No wonder Niina's mad. ]

Shit. I'm sorry- I-Yeah. Yes, I'm calm now. Sorry.

<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Your Secret Santa giftee is HARRIER DU BOIS, A.K.A. "t_sunset" on the network. Weird guy. Little bit nervy. Go easy on the jokes, I'm not sure he can take them.

Buy or make Harry a gift by December 26, or Santa will come down your chimney and box your ears.

If you need more information, contact me C/O Hawkeye Pierce at Crowe Clinic, and I'll delegate him to tell you to do your own research.

Nattensfest

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Niina & Wakaba will receive a package at Saint Flora's. It's a new set of games for the schoolyard - balls, hoops, a punching bag for training - and all of it seems to have been reinforced to withstand monster strength. ]

<Aether> backdated to uuuhhh early May

[ibalsamina]

[Whether or not anyone had noticed (in her current, self-pitying state, she can't help assuming that no one had), Lusamine has been missing for a month, asleep in a storage drawer at Veritas Morgue & Mortuary following the disappearance of the Pale Fog. Waking had proved upsetting to the say the least, and the following week of attempted reintegration somehow even more so, but once she's regained some semblance of composure, she attempts to send Niina a message:]

Niina, if you have received this message, please respond. Tell me you are safe.

[Only now, after it's already sent, does she suddenly remember two unfortunate facts:

Firstly, she had seen Niina in the Pale Fog. Or, rather, she thought she had. When she thinks on them, those images of Nihilego reaching for Niina and whispering its sweet promises to her feel more like a dream than a true memory.

Secondly, if it really has been a month—and it has, she's confirmed—she had missed Niina's birthday.]

<ReflectedStorm>

[northeworld]

[Niina's been in rough shape during the past month especially with how the Pale Fog had made her so upset. She did in fact notice.]

i am but shit... i thought you left.

[MOMMOMOMOM. ...She didn't even recognize that her birthday had been missed, it's not like she ever celebrated it.]

<galagamer>

[waitingforplayer2]

Niina Yamada, I have questions about your time as a simulacrum.

<ReflectedStorm>

[northeworld]

what's with that formal tone. i got answers, though.