IC INBOX

[gobo_projection]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CCC-REDHORSE. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 134.64.202.69 *** CCC-REDHORSE has joined 134.64.202.69 <CCC-REDHORSE> This is Reira Akaba! <CCC-REDHORSE>I'll try to answer you but sometimes I'm busy or sleeping, so I don't think about the message right away. <CCC-REDHORSE>(I might note old stuff down too...)

Comments

<hensvik>

[fourthmade]

[On October 1st, Reira receives the following message from a randomly-generated anonymous username. The sender will not reply again.]

There once was a boy who was a Halloween fanatic. He loved dressing up for Halloween, he loved pulling pranks and watching horror movies, and above everything else... he loved candy. One fateful year, while he went trick-or-treating, he visited a house. This house was creepy as hell! It was big, it was old, it smelled like a grandmother and it was owned by a happy, old rich couple. The boy came here thinking that he would be handed out big chocolate bars, because it was a rich person's house but when he knocked on their door... he was handed a bag of that shitty candy that nobody likes! Tootsie rolls, shitty flavoured dum-dums, those weird... peanut things... needless to say, the boy was heartbroken. He was so heartbroken that he died, right there on their porch and now, every Halloween he goes out and finds people to curse. He wants everyone to suffer the same way he did!

Everybody is already suffering from his curse!! Send this to ten people to break the curse, or to avoid getting cursed, or you'll be stuck looking freakier than usual for the rest of your life!!!!!!!!!!

<Player1>

[knifemonopoly]

Reira, it's Atem.

I heard you could change your feeding type without leveling up in the fog church. You can buy it from Mana. Is that right?

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

Huh?

Oh, yeah. I don't think Fog guys really change it they just get extra...Elias made it so I can't go berserk and stuff if I get hungry but I think that's harder to do (also I still have to eat...)

Um

Anyway, I just asked Mana to change my whole monster (and then I asked Elias for help with the last switch), but you can probably change foods too.

She can do a Llllllooooot of stuff as long as it doesn't break all the Fogs rules I think.

<harmonia>

[digiorno]

what is central park, exactly?

[Hello to you too.]

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

Central Park? :0

It's one of the places that Elias took the Night God's power through (she was dead a long time ago, it's just, he and the Fog were fighting over it)

(The Fog took parts of Lager Woods, which is why THAT place has nasty fog nightmare patches)

um

it was also the one i was in charge of

Elias had said it could get pretty bad for that spot but I didn't listen because it was my favorite place :[ but, he helped me get stuff growing there again, which is why it's all glowy and stuff now; it's algae!! (And seagrass?? They talk weird, they're weird plants...Nagisa said they sounded like old languages :| )

sorry i'm distracted because everyone's shouting on the internet again

Okay! Central Park!! It's one of Elias' spots outside the Arcade- people who aren't his friends get affected by the stuff there, but it's where I hid all the people from Felfri who got stuck here for until they could go home, because for anyone who isn't a friend, their monster stuff gets turned OFF!

(so don't go in there unless you have protection please!! :[ you're a nymph that would be bad)

Other things are that electronic stuff goes wrong, and if you lie you get a shock. The most important part is the powers turning off though, because it means people can't go hunting anyone in there :0

(I marked all the safe trails without anything electric, and took down anything else that would cause problems, so a lot of the people in Bavan really like it now!!)

ACTION ACTUALLY - after Elias' post 10/15/21

[endlesspastability]

[it's not uncommon for Sonic to be in the playroom when he's at the house, either hanging with Pompom or seeing how many plastic balls he can hold at one time or other such nonsense. But it IS abnormal for him knock on the partition to Reira's room]

Hey... Reira? [he hasn't thought of a good nickname for her yet... he can't use "Reirei", it sounds too close to "Rayray"! He's workshopping it] Are you around?

And so, while Ray was calling a cab,

[gobo_projection]

[Reira is..........................suffering. Lightly! Lightly suffering. There is a groan from in the room.]

Yeah....you can come in...

[And once Sonic comes through the partition, there she'll be. In her hanging chair, belly down as she flops ungracefully over the thing to stare are the currently revealed glassbottom window she's got in her room. If she really wanted to relax, she'd probably be in the air-lock out the (normal) window, instead of clearing the pillows off the 'floor' bit and staring blankly down.

She is having a Bad Night.]

Everyone's being stupid on the internet and I can't sleep now... [she whines, burying her face in her pillow on the chair for the moment. She does, however, turn to face the former-hedgehog after a moment.]

...are you okay though..?

<hotrod>

[vroomkeeper]

You're one of the Neapoliteens, right? I'm Marik. We had fun carving pumpkins together.

[ He had fun complaining about flamingoes, too, but, beside the point. ]

I'm pretty new here so I have questions about Elias's history. Could I talk to all of you about him? I want to get a bunch of perspectives, and it sounds like that's why you've made your group. Which is really smart!

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

huh?

Oh [Excuse her, while she wakes up!!]

Yeah, I guess I could get the others. It'll take a bit though because Ray doesn't live at my house :0

12/6

[unholey]

[When Tsukikage first disappeared, Reira didn't seem all that worried. At first it was, he's just working extra hard lately and he must not have time to check his messages. Even after they learned that the Arachne hadn't been at any of his many businesses, she just sighed in disappointment. He'll be back in a month! she declared, said with such fervent certainty that it almost seemed plausible.

Because in Ryslig, for Reira, it's normal for people (for Tsukikage, especially) to disappear without warning only to reappear eventually, disoriented, with no real explanation for their missing time. It's just a part of her life, in the same way gets messages over the network in her brain and can't go outside during the daylight hours.]

[But Tsukikage doesn't come back. The days turn to weeks. The weeks become a month, then another month. Little by little, all of the things Tsukikage take care of fall to those who were left behind and Reira's belief slowly crumbles. Without anything to distract her, she's quiet and listless. She eats less. She waits, and waits, and waits. But he doesn't come back.

He's gone.]

[When Reira makes her post, intentional or not, the house is quiet. Yuzu, struggling with her own loss, retreated to her room hours ago. Trish has a shift at Nai'a and Bucciarati has gone to listen to her sing. And Giorno, restless and itchy with dissatisfaction over his new allergy to sunlight, flew out of the house hours ago, as soon as the sun went down, busy, busy, busy with all the work Tsukikage left behind in the city and his own projects. Fugo's busy with some of that work too, reviewing the finances of the businesses in the past few months to make sure they're all in order, but at least he doesn't have physically be there to get that done.

But he's not so busy that he doesn't see what she wrote. Her quiet admission, broadcasted to the rest of the Monsters, that the person she was waiting for wasn't coming home. Fugo doesn't know what to say. But, at the same time, Fugo finds that it doesn't sit right with him to do nothing.]

[A few hours after Reira makes her post, someone knocks on Reira's bedroom door. That someone is quickly identified as Fugo, when he speaks to her through the closed door.]

Reira? It's Fugo. [He pauses. Outside of the door, he shifts his weight from one foot to the other.] I made some food, if you would like to eat something.

[gobo_projection]

[Reira's room is an odd construction. It's the result of a time when children were more plentiful in the country and the house, and when the residents could fool themselves with the idea of permanence and family. Tsukikage's adoption records for Ron no doubt still sit in his room, which Reira still needs to venture into to clean out- it's something she'll notably need an arachne's help for, what with how heavily guarded the ninja was with everything, coating things so much with webbing that the 'Spider Pit' doubled as a time-out zone for any monster who lost themselves for one reason or another.

Reira's room is distant from the door however, not because of any tunnel-like entryway but rather because at one birthday long ago, the ninja rolled up invisible sleeves and began to dig outward; out until he hit water, glassing it off with windows that looked out into a wonderful lake from far below, forming the back end of what would be Reira's room.

The front end was curtained apart from it, and made into a playroom. Something to share. Something to enjoy in groups.

Reira is sitting there right now, because that is where her friends sat, where her 'siblings' sat, where Judith sat, and so on. Right now there is a silkie hen clucking softly in the ballpit of the playroom floor instead, and it makes it easy to hear Fugo's voice as it comes through the door.

She wants to say she's not hungry. She said it before, a few times, and she meant it, but a glance at the playroom TV- still on, albeit quietly- says that enough has happened and played that she really shouldn't put that off.

She won't be like...the Other Yuzu. The first one, she thinks.

(She hopes that never happens to this one. It won't, she's sure, but she has to hope as well.)

Reira doesn't move though, only curling her legs closer.]

....okay... [is what she says, just loud enough that it Might make it through the door, might not.]

....'s unlocked.

[hairday]

[ Under the Nattensfest tree on Nattensfest day, Reira will find a number of things waiting for her:

A fluffy stocking loaded with candy, all of which fits the same specifications she gave him prior to Halloween. No artificial grape flavoring! Mixed in are some spinning tops, pogs, and other small collectibles he nabbed from the same game shop he picked up Atem & Ryou's present at.

A couple of wooden insect puzzles for her to put together with her housemates.

An assortment of mad lib booklets. ]

Happy Nattenmas!

[unholey]

[Throughout the month of December, Fugo has slowly been placing a number of items underneath the Hill House Nattenfest tree. They are all neatly and precisely wrapped with paper featuring ugly sweaters (of course). He also fries up a large batch of struffoli and bakes some mustaccioli for the house. If you get a gift, you get a carefully-packaged portion of struffoli and mustaccioli.

Reira's personal gift is a kit to create two Tensengrity tables; one uses all wires, while the other also uses some magnets. She also gets a set of neon acrylic paints to decorate them with. If she doesn't know what these are, Fugo is happy to explain the theory behind them and will, a little awkwardly, offer to help her put them together if she needs or wants it.]

MERR CRISIS

[endlesspastability]

[A sloppily wrapped package with a card is left for Reira under the tree in Hill House!

Inside the package is a somewhat lopsided but cute (and HUGE) Ace the Pangolin plushie from the arcade, some cute holographic stickers, and a velvet bag. In the bag is one of Sonic's precious (but useless) Rings on a leather cord.

The card reads, in Sonic's somewhat messy handwriting;

"TO REIRA THE AMAZING

Happy Nattenwhatever and merry chrismas!! I wasn't sure what to get you to thank you for everything you've done for me since I got here. You've been here so long, I figured you probably had EVERYTHING that this place has to offer. So I gaveyou something that doesn't come from this place. It may not do anything but it makes for a pretty necklace at least... But this GIANT ACE seemed too cute to pass up on. Plus stickers, cause who DOESN'T love stickers??

anyway thanks again. I'll never be able to make it all up to you!!! thanks for being my awesome friend

SONIC"

There's a childish drawing of Reira and Sonic (as his normal furry hedgehog form that she hasn't actually seen...) at the bottom of the card. They are holding hands??? or maybe they're just standing close together, it's impossible to tell]

holiday gift.

[sweartoyou]

[In addition to a bunch of clothes they bought together that will be Reira's when Rachel goes back to slime time, there are some handmade accessories: a beaded snake bracelet, dangling black puffball earrings that each have eight dark navy threads hanging off, a fabric scrunchie with a shimmering fishscale pattern, and a heart keychain made from light brown, off white, and light pink beads.]

nattensfest 2021.

[devilsproof]

[from beatrice, reira receives a small stack of paperback mystery novels by renowned bavanian authors, plus a very nice pen with which to write in the margins. also, a giant fuckoff bag of candy.]

nattensfest 2021.

[digiorno]

[from giorno, reira receives a small, bright blue binder containing a painstakingly handwritten account of all of giorno's memories of mista, in italy, in ryslig, and the few he has of mista in the other ryslig. she also receives several balls of garishly-colored yarn and the promise to teach her to knit things for mista for when he comes back, if she wants to. there are additionally big stompy boots and a big tin of struffoli, along with an offer to teach her to make them. you know, if she wants.]

an extremely belated nattenfest gift

[riproduzione]

[ For her hospitality, kindness, and patience; Abbacchio gives Reira some neatly iced sugar cookies shaped like stars from a bakery, and a soft scarf. There's a small card atop the box of cookies. ]

Thanks… and sorry about the mess in the kitchen, I promise I cleaned up.
– Abbacchio

<BlueBlur69> Backdated to late january

[endlesspastability]

reeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiirraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

can we go to the arcade

im aaaaaa little peckish

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

[AH-

AH!]

Yeah I'm coming!

[That sure didn't take long.]

<Composing>

[leggierissimo]

Hello, Reira. You've been here for quite a while, so I've got a question for you, if you don't mind answering?

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

Huh?

Yeah, what is it?

bedtime after Atem's broadcast

[sweartoyou]

[Phew! Okay, sorry about that, buddy, she had to assure Atem that he's one of the best boys, argue with people trying to set their boundaries, and murder Dib. She's here now, though, at the end of the day, to slorp into the spot next to her, wherever it may be. Her arms wrap around the younger girl and hold her close before she even bothers speaking.]

Another loud day for you... How are you doing?

[gobo_projection]

[Well. At least by this point she's talked to enough folks that she's erm...

A little better?

...

Alright she's not a lot better but frankly speaking there's really only so much everyone can DO. It's not as if there are any other energy feeders in the household, or at least none who can safely send the goblin to sleepland.

Unfortunately, she also stands by that 'no lies' rule, which means her answer to Ray is nothing more than a rough head shake. It's still fairly loud, all things considered. Toning down, but not by a whole lot.]

Days after Atem's post

[missleadingquestions]

[Apparently it's a little harder than Maya first assumes to coordinate a delivery of anything to the Hill House no matter how nicely she sweettalks the deliverymen, as certain things are only available on certain days, but eventually a parcel arrives for Reira. She's never even been to Hill House before the team was uninvited... but nevertheless, no one said she couldn't send someone else.

The parcel is filled with snacks and sweets, mostly what's available in Bavan seasonally right now— markedly, Maya hasn't bothered burdening a Monster business with her patronage at the moment, so they're all from human shops, but it looks like there's plenty of sparkly abalone shell trinkets too. They're just little animals on 'coins' or button shapes inlaid with abalone Maya has collected, assembled by the fisherwomen in Merain. There is a premade Apologies greeting card that has, in marker, the addition "for making the network loud : (" under the fancy script of the card.

On the inside it reads;

Miss Reira,

I heard things got worse for you after our broadcast and I wanted to apologize for putting that burden on you. I can't make it better, but here are some snacks and things for your trouble. I'm sorry we didn't consider what that could do to you.

I hope things get easier for you soon.

-Maya Fey

On the bottom of the card is scribbled To contact, use numbers... along with the numbers tied to Maya's inbox.

>> <CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

[At least the Parcel does indeed get there. Things might be tenser for the time being, but the mail is eternal! And dedicated.

In any case searching mail for problems isn't something that's come up just yet, at least not with how rarely mail does come- it's scooped up by the house golem, couriered on inside, and in the end, Reira's opening it up. Initially with some confused, but pleasant surprise- hey! She recognizes these candies! And the shells are nice too!

...And oh. There's a card.

...It takes a bit for Reira to think of a reply to send. Maya's inbox at least, is a number she quickly has filed away to get Something sent. ...The question she supposes is what to actually send.]

Hello Maya?

Um

This is Reira :0

It's

well i guess it isn't 'okay' exactly but

I'm feeling better now, and things are a lot quieter!

It happens a lot, so please don't feel too bad about it :[

Even though stuff happening on TV first was new, the pattern I guess isn't. Someone anywhere does something big, people get hurt, and then everyone starts shouting at each other. No one agrees on anything, but no one knows how to agree to disagree either :[

It's probably pretty easy to forget that there's two people still 'listening' to the network like that though :/ But, really, I don't think it's very fun for the people who aren't connected like that either...

These are really nice snacks though- I sometimes buy these when I go to school, so thank you!

And the shell charms are really pretty!

And um

...well, I hope you feel better too :[

[In the meantime, she's tucking the card in her photo album. Nice and safe!]

<justsonic> day after the broadcast

[endlesspastability]

hey reirei

you doin ok? =( i always forget that when the network pops off your head does too

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

I still have a headache.....................

It's a little better but it still hurts......

Another Gift Delivery

[missleadingquestions]

[Close enough to Reira's birthday, another little parcel arrives at the Hill House, full of more of those animal-motif buttons and even some shell-beaded necklaces and bracelets.

A very small, simple note is attached.

Heard it was your birthday! Sorry I couldn't be there. Hope you had a fun one, and enjoy these little trinkets!

-Maya]

<DrOsborn> Backdated to the day after the TWEWY Event

[certaininequities]

Hi Reira,
Sorry for not having reached out sooner. I meant to, after Emily did that blood test for me, but then I ended up on a sort of alternate reality plane. I don't know if you've heard from anyone else who was there, but it was bizarre.

I need to apologize to you for how noisy the network was after I made that post at the beginning of the month. I know that you hear everything, but ... it was the easiest way for me to tell the truth to people without having to spend time having the same conversation over and over again.

Giorno was extremely upset ... and I told him I wouldn't come back to the house if it made him that uncomfortable. I haven't heard back from him. Did something happen while I was gone?

<CCC-REDHORSE>

[gobo_projection]

[All things considered, Reira has a lot on her plate. First of all, there's been a lot of tension and a lot of talk. People avoiding each other, people swearing other people off, and of course, people planning a move. Abbacchio at least had a nice, normal reason, which involved the unfortunate fact that flying lizards were not meant to sleep underground.

Everything else just sort of has her sitting in the ball pit wishing she was a simulacrum like Judith was, so that she could get buzzed into sleep.

As it stands, a number of monsters have since been packing suitcases and the like, and the start of the next month keeps looming closer, and closer, and closer.

She can't help but sigh whenever she sees it. She probably should've known that such a busy house was too good to be true.

As it stands, Reira reads the message and honestly has trouble thinking of how to respond. She has to hold her face in her hands, groan a bit, and stare at the ceiling.

It is, ultimately, a number of hours before she answers.]

Giorno's leaving at the end of the month.

[There's a pause, and she adds-]

And Trish. And Fugo. Abbacchio already moved.

[So. Yes. Something happened. Something definitely happened.

She'll let Norman make the first real move though, if only because she still doesn't know what it should even be.]

<abbacchio>, mid sept oh my god im so slow

[riproduzione]

reira, i was speaking with sonic and a question came up that he doesn't quite have an answer. now we're both curious. i'd like to pick your brain about it if you don't mind? it's regarding the arcade and elias. i understand if you don't want to discuss it right now, or if you'd rather do so at a later date.

[ normal! ]

<CCC-REDHORSE> gfdgdfg ur gud

[gobo_projection]

Huh?

Yeah sure :0 What do you wanna know? I could let you in if you want, he won't kick you out or anything unless you try anything weird or stay too long without a key.

(I can let Sonic in longer, but that's because he's protected.)

The day after the deed (he needed a day to process and scream)

[soundsurfing]

i tried reirei

i tried to be his friend

but its too much fer me my brain aint able to ignore the stuff he put out

i dunno if he do it on purpose or not but its too much it hurts

i broke my card

i cant be his friend

but this means you gotta try harder ok?

he only wants to listen to you

dig in

make him see what hes doing is gonna make him lose the people who actually do care about it

OWIE!! OWIE!!!!!

[gobo_projection]

[What does she say.

It's on a phone screen right now. Staring back at her, as she curls in her bed.

What does she say? There's nothing good she can say. Nothing at all. She just cries, silently, curling tighter and tighter into a ball. Shudders and cries, grip on the phone shaking.

She can't even go find him to talk in person.

She's still in Felfri, after all.]

i'm sorry

<abbacchio>

[riproduzione]

you often use ":0" in your messages on the network.



what
does it mean

[ wow, no pre-amble, huh? ]

< CCC-REDHORSE >

[gobo_projection]

oh no not you too :[

It's a face!!!

It's not a bad one either don't worry :0

It's just a little 'o' face, like if you're talking, or maybe a little surprised...

When I'm really surprised I add '!!' so that it's more clear :0

<Player1>, post red haze

[knifemonopoly]

Hey, Reira.
Where are you?
I want to ask you something.

[He wants to ask in person! Luckily, Reira has the network in her head, so wherever she is, she'll get the message!]

< CCC-REDHORSE >

[gobo_projection]

[It sure is in her brain. It sure is.

SHE'S SEEN WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SAYING BUDDY.

But, that aside, Reira answers rather promptly. The safehouse status of the safehouse has finally ended, the home is clean, and-]

I'm at my house. All the animals are kinda confused since we had a bunch over for a while.

What did you want to ask?

<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Your Secret Santa giftee is TRIFFANY LOTTABLOG, A.K.A. "PunnyBone" on the network. She likes history, archaeology, books... you know. Boring things.

Buy or make Triffany a gift by December 26, or Santa will be sad.

If you need more information, contact me C/O Hawkeye Pierce at Crowe Clinic. He also accepts cookies (not fish!).

< CCC-REDHORSE > i am so sorry,

[gobo_projection]

Santa are you saying Mister Hawkeye doesn't like fish?

Or is it both of you?

Are you tired of fish? :[