Being an Account of the Time Spent by the Mage Erk in the Place Known As Econtra

It seems we've won, and we're finally going home.  It's been such a long time...

[Private to Azula//Unhackable]
... I suppose I ought to say goodbye.

Looks like we're out of time.  I hope we're ready for this.

... You know, I have this sudden, ridiculous urge to cook something.

Now I know why the spirits were so weak.  If the entire world is like this...

Well, if the Warden says we have three days, we'd best be ready.

It feels like we're going again to fight Nergal and the dragon.  Only this time we don't have Lord Eliwood's magic sword.  Not as if we have much of a choice.

Well, that was certainly impressive.

I wonder if the Warden could bring that sort of power to bear during an attack.  He rebuilt the compound after the storm, didn't he?  Perhaps he could raise some sort of barrier...

[Screened to Azula//Unhackable]
I suppose I should have done something for that Earth holiday last week...  How does dinner sound?  Trust me, I may be a teenage boy, but I can actually cook.
[/Screened]

... I'd like to apologize for what I said earlier.

[This is intended to be screened to Azula; unfortunately, he got nervous and fumbled the coding, so it's perfectly visible]
Princess Azula...

I'd, er, just like to let you know that non of what happened these past few days was anything I would have done normally...  I don't know what was going on.  I mean, it's not that you aren't... but...  Oh, hell, there's no good way to say this, is there?  I'm sorry.

Maybe it would be best if we never mentioned what happened again.

[Private//Hackable (he screwed up the coding again)]
Perhaps I'm just more of a romantic than I thought, but I always thought the first time would be, well, special.  Instead I just end up rolling around on the floor with my roommate and I don't even know why.

Mercury?  Azula?  This drink doesn't belong to one of you, does it?

[Private//Unhackable; a few moments later]
... How did the bottle end up half empty?  I don't even remember opening it...  I suppose I just did it without thinking about it.  Oh, well.  It's actually quite tasty.
[/Private]

At least I managed to avoid that blasted mistletoe this year. Dear Saint Elimine that was awkward last year especially since the next person to come along happened to be male.

Well, I suppose this means I've officially been here... far too long. I not only know that a holiday's just passed, I recognize what it is.

[Private//Hackable with serious effort]
Damn, and here I thought I'd be able to deal with this better by now.  We don't even celebrate this holiday in Elibe - probably they don't in her world either.  And yet I'm still upset that Ilyana wasn't here to not-celebrate it with.

... I wonder if there's a way to make that sentence sound normal and not end it with a preposition.  I doubt it.

I need to take a walk or something; my mind's starting to wander.
[/Private]

((OOC: Mood reads as "calm" unless hacked.))

Just out of idle curiosity, does anyone know how electricity's generated on worlds without magic?

This "Thanksgiving" holiday... Does anyone know what sort of thanks specifically it's about? And why do we just celebrate one world's holidays here, anyway?

And what's all this business with the Indigeo? I seem to be out of the loop.

Oh, dear, it's headed towards that holiday again, isn't it?

I'll never understand why anyone would associate the middle of fall with dressing up in costumes... But if anyone's planning on pulling something like last year, would you be so kind as to leave me out of it? I would just as soon not get turned into a woman again.

[Private//Hackable]
I promised her that if it did happen she'd get to see me as a woman for once. I think I could have tolerated it if she was here.

... So much for not moping about her being gone, I suppose.
[/Private]

((OOC: Mood reads as "apprehensive" unless hacked.))

... I suppose I don't really have anything to say that hasn't already been said far too many times - we're not dead, the cuffs are gone, the Keepers are here, that poor fool was killed trying to escape, we need to strategize... But I feel like I have to post something.

[Screened to Princess Mercury//Unhackable]
... I'm sorry about what I said before, when... well, I suspect you know what I mean.
[/Screened]

( If you'll be my bodyguard~ )

*chuckles* What a ridiculous song. I'm actually feeling a bit better now.

[Private; he hasn't bothered to make it unhackable, though]
Somehow I don't think she'd be too pleased if I spent the rest of my life moping. I'm not going to forget her, but at least I can try to actually function normally now...
[/Private]

*silence for a second or two at the beginning of the recording before Erk starts singing*

( Bright Lights )

*quiet and strained; it sounds like he's trying not to cry*

Ilyana... She's gone...

It figures. Couldn't be happy, even just for a little while... I think I know how Matthew felt now.

...

I hate this place.

Well, that's over with. I could have lived without being turned into a woman again, honestly.

I suppose I really ought to introduce myself to my roommate at some point. My name is Erk. And I see we've acquired a guest as well. At this rate the apartment will be filled up and I'll still be the only male here. And it's just occurred to me that neither of them can possibly be much older than I am.

Ilyana, are you alright? No one attacked you while they were transformed or anything like that, did they?

[Private//Hackable due to excitement]
It's just hit me. She feels the same way. I can't believe... I didn't dare hope. If this is another hallucination I'm going to kill the one responsible. I very much hope it isn't one.

It's a rather strange thought, having a girlfriend.
[/Private]

((OOC: Mood appears as "calm" unless hacked.))

And here I thought this place was done turning me into a woman... Funny, I could swear I've seen these clothes before... I haven't been turned into someone I know, have I?

*footsteps; he's headed towards the bathroom to look in the mirror*

*a long pause*

... Dear Saint Elimine, I've been turned into Priscilla.

Well, that was... frankly quite a terrifying episode. Though I spent most of it in my room - better part of valor and all that.

... Me talking like Matthew is probably not the best sign.

At any rate, things seem to have more or less settled down now. Though I notice one of my roommates seems to have moved out. Not a clue why.

Then again, my roommates seem to be alternates of each other, so I suppose there's no telling what results from them arguing amongst themselves.

[Screened to Ilyana//Unhackable]
Ilyana? How are you? Nothing happened to you this last week, did it?

Um... Ilyana? I'd like to apologize for... what happened a few weeks ago, with whatever it was that made me say...

Um. Well, I'm sure you know what I mean...

Oh! Master Pent! I didn't hear you come in.

Oh, this? Well, you remember Econtra, the place I told you about? It sort of inspired me to work on this in my spare time. It's a sort of parchment that transcribes spoken words. You see, it's been picking up our conversation.

It could be very useful, though perhaps we shouldn't tell Matthew about it. At least not until I've made another so he won't cause too much trouble by stealing this one. And I'm afraid I'm still working on a way to be able to erase it...

((OOC: Erk will respond only to written posts, which he'll assume were caused by the parchment picking up servants' conversations or by magical interference.))