When she'd gotten the okay from Stacey, Katara had set to work on a place in the City where Haku would be away from other people: naturally, her first thought had been to the hotel where she and the Outsiders were located, but that was impossible. They wouldn't have been able to accommodate the room, and it simply wouldn't be away enough in case Haku needed quiet. Katara remembered another place though: it had been a forest where she'd seen San before, but not too close to where she'd seen the werewolves gathered: she knew they preferred their space, as Haku would prefer his own. What was more, it was deep enough to where it would actually compliment the place to have the river here: more things might even grow, if that were possible.

Though she could have asked Toph for help here, Katara decided this was something that needed to be tackled all on her own. She'd set to work digging, stripping down to her underclothes and tying her hair back so it wouldn't be in the way. When she was finished, she wanted Rhiow there to magically protect the place: she'd seen there were several different places set up in the City, including one with demonic energy, that would interfere with what she was trying to do.

She dug quietly, taking in the nature all around her. She could feel how different this place was from most places in the city, and that gave her hope. Haku was going to be all right, she was sure of it! She wiped her brow, resting a moment.

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a green-skinned alien and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Yue had found what appeared to be an arena, or a sport stadium. She wasn't sure which it was, it didn't matter to her for that matter. Practicing her magic was easier to do, she didn't generally need space. Just hold a spell for as long as she could maintain it while she charged her barriers to full. It was a crude way to build magical power, but it worked. She didn't think working on new spells would be such a good idea right now, even in the vastness of this city. Too many ways she could get the spell wrong, and without constant access to spellbooks, she would need to work from memory alone.

"Me Armet," a blade appeared in her hand. Her size and the blade's size were nearly comical, much too large for a short little child like her. Even if she was much older than her height or build would suggest, barely taller than the ten year old that taught her magic. Or so she had been told. However, right now, magic was not what she needed to test. Kata was a Japanese idea, for training in martial arts on your own, or with a partner. Ariadne had adopted the system when the appeal made sense. Magic swordplay required the knowledge of proper posing for optimum spellcasting, as well as executing flawless blade strikes.

Yue let the motions come out fluidly, each strike gracefully moving to the next. When she first learned these techniques she was clumsy, and blocky. Her sword was too heavy and she was too sluggish. At times the sword vanished from her hand and she moved for a few quick unarmed strikes, as if she was in quarters too close for such a long blade. "Me Armet," and as quick as the sword was gone it returned to her hand, and he sword strikes resumed. "For so Kratika Socratia, Confirmatio Fulminas," As her strikes continued the sword crackled with electricity for the end of the kata. She repeated the same intricate strike pattern over and over, moving her incantation to different strikes, guards, and parries. Making sure her stance, her posing, and her strikes were as flawless as she could muster. As well as to test which poses lead to the strongest casting.

It was her fourth hour and near thirtieth reset so far.

St. Albans was by far the coldest planet in the 'verse that the red headed woman standing in the middle of a snow covered forest belonged to. The snow never seemed to stop falling leaving drifts sometimes up to ten feet in depth that a person or a vehicle could easily get trapped in. Even if it had been a year since Gwendolyn had been there she could remember the details of picking the spots out, how the snow seemed to lay as well as the crunch of snow under boot. She had asked Stacy to let her be clothed how she had been during the winder campaign on the planet much to her protests. The uniform she wore was tattered and had seen better days. Strips of clothing wrapped around already numb fingers as the cold winder wind swept its way through the barren limbs above her head.

It was night on the St. Albans that Stacy had recreated perfectly for her. Well below freezing and cold enough to zap the energy out of any thing that cared show its head. That had been her squadron, that particular night, on a recon mission that had gone horribly wrong. It was still a mystery to the lieutenant just how the man had managed to hand them over so easily to the enemy. How hadn't they seen it before? Were there warning signs while they were there? Ever since the nightmares the questions had been gnawing away at the back of her mind leaving numbness much like the simulated cold that the planet had to offer. Gwen closed her eyes, her helmeted head turned up to feel the to soft flakes if snow against her face. Any other time she would have stopped to enjoy the beauty that the white flakes had to offer. Now, though, was a different matter. She had a mystery to solve with the only way to stop her the ship herself or another crew member.

Irma was probably more stubborn than she could admit. Probably why, after spending a few days asleep, she opted to start walking again. Yeah, Reinforce would probably snap at her, but she wasn't going to let that thing bother her much.

She had every intention on trying to see how Sheffield Academy was, to see if it was still standing after the Nightmare King's madness and Aang's outburst. But, something else caught her eye as she wandered. Something she didn't want to see.

"No... no, not that..." Irma muttered, her jaw dropped. In front of her was the Citadel of Kandrakar. The massive fortress in the center of the universe was on board the ship. She hesitatingly climbed its steps and began scouring its halls. Its quiet, looming presence easily unnerved Irma. Most of the time, she was usually with the rest of the Guardians and a handful of others. The place was usually filled with the members of the Council of Kandrakar.

As she wandered, she easily saw that she was the only one in here. It looked like this place had barely picked itself up after Nerissa and Phobos' assaults on the castle before it was picked up here.

"HELLO?! Anyone here?!" Irma called out, her voice echoing through the building. A moment. Two moments. Nothing. No response. It was more than likely that the council, especially the Oracle and Halinor were in the pods, asleep, but it didn't matter much.

This was more than enough proof that things had definitely changed. In the empty Council room, Irma sat on the floor and curled herself up into a ball.

"We really blew it..." Irma muttered.

For the most part, Vivio was pretty unimpressed with how disorganized things were in the Media Library. It seemed that many who were in here for one reason or another was more prone to either toss away everything or put them back where they didn't belong. Did they really treat their libraries back home like this?

Shaking her head, Vivio began her work, making sure things were straightened up in the place. No one asked her to, she volunteered herself to do so. Was she expecting something for this? Of course not - after what she went through, she just wanted to do something relaxing. And if reorganizing the library was that, then so be it.

As the little girl did her work, her device Sacred Heart followed suit, trying its best to help Vivio out in anyway it can.

"...I wonder if this place has a librarian..." Vivio said to herself. "...I wonder if they'll let me if they don't."

Several buildings in the City had been completely destroyed during Aang's rampage, but a few had survived relatively unscathed. It had only taken Kang two days to repair the Drunken Dragon; he'd done so by himself, not even waiting for his leg to heal up a bit first.

Usually, he didn't bother lighting any candles or using the fireplace in the tavern unless it was a period when the artificial sun had set. He could see perfectly fine in the dim light. For the celebration, though, he'd thrown the windows open wide, scrounged up every candle he could find, and started up a fire, knowing that human vision wasn't as good as his own. The tables surrounding the stage had been cleaned, as well as the tankards, and the door was propped open. The bozak had even wrestled two of the 60-gallon barrels from the back room into a corner of the main room for easier access, one of cactus juice and one of ale. If more was needed, he was sure he could get someone to help bring out another.

Tess had commandeered the kitchen to make her food, bringing in her own equipment. Kang had been slightly afraid at first that she was going to burn the place down, but nothing had happened yet. She seemed to know what she was doing, even if she'd given him a few scares.

The sunlight glistened on the old sword blade teeth and dinnerplate eyes of the comical-looking wooden dragon grinning above the entrance. Come in, relax, have a drink and a bite to eat!

[OOC note: Both drinks are alcoholic, and the cactus juice has twice the kick of the ale. :D;]

The Nightmare King has been defeated. Those crew members who were touched by his madness have been taken down.

The City is a mess. So is the rest of the ship. As is most of the crew.

But it's all over. Finally.

Elsewhere on this ship, a war was being waged. A war for the hearts and minds, the souls and very sanity of this crew.

A war that Stacy wasn't certain that all would survive, hence why she released you. Replacements would be needed.

But that war is miles away from where you are. Or at least, so it seems. There are no screams of agony to greet you, no monsters trying to claw at you.

But that doesn't mean the Nightmare King can't reach you.

Prior to your arrival here on the Obs deck, reality had been shifted. Constructs of the current crew grew out of nothing. All of them look, sound, feel, behave, and scan as the crew member they're copying. They're as real as you are. And with smiling faces, they await your arrival.

They can't wait to welcome you. To your doom.

Won't you say hi?

[ooc: Nightmare plot is still on, people, and this is the newbie portion. For all current players, as stated above, the Nightmare King made copies of your guys, who are still stuck fighting nightmares elsewhere in the plot. You can tag in as the copy of your character, have them be friendly, get the newbies to let their guard down, and then the real nightmare can begin. Newbies, you can tag in, have fun, and suspect nothing until its too late.]

[Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have the copies of your guys greet the newbies.]

[ooc: Newbie Helpers List | Instructions: Post your character with one post establishing them as being podpopped. Tag each other in groups of 2's, 3's, and 4's, to get some interaction to start with. If a thread doesn't already have 2 or 3 people tagged in, tag it with your character's podpop popping near the other people, rather than making a new subthread. If you would like to play out them talking to the AI, please send an email to the mods making the request--we do this only by request. Then move onto the big Newbie Meeting. Once your character has gotten the rundown from the old crew, you may start posting entrance posts and freely tagging.]


||Pod Release Protocols Initating|| Stacy's familiar voice sounds out to all the podmates through the ship.

In the Pod Caverns, there are the sounds of: Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There is condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in the pods, as the people inside slide out onto the floors, covered in slime.

--

( There was nothing... )