[Video]

[neverfeltthatway]

Hello, everyone. [Though overwhelmed when he first returned, now Armin is calm and composed - nearly solemn, almost military in the way he goes about this. He doesn't enjoy this task, but he takes it very seriously.] I'm sorry it took longer than usual, with everything that happened. [Being sent on a different jaunt, not knowing if he'd see any of his friends ever again.] But... I have the list of people who vanished over the course of the last jaunt and haven't come back.

[He takes a deep breath, then begins the list - slowly and clearly, with a small pause between every name.]

Damian Wayne. Jason Todd. Neria Surana. Lucina. Ryuunosuke Ibuki. Sanosuke Harada. Connor Graham. Labrys. Nick Burkhardt. Phèdre nó Delaunay. Oona. Ken Amada. Junpei Iori. Yoon Yoorae. Chizuru Yukimura. Inigo. Takakage Kobayakawa. Janos Audren.

...

I'm sorry. If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

Comments

[volving]

[ Cass doesn't actually say anything.

But she notes the first name on the list. (also the second, but she hadn't had a chance to meet him, so... less emotional.)

Now she may never get the chance to apologize for failing to protect him. ]

[creativefool]

Ken. Takakage... Dammit.

[There are plenty of names on that list that have Kanji wincing a little to hear.]

Does ... does anyone know if Janos was Infiltrating or Investigating last time? He was one of my group. Never even got to know that much...

[neverfeltthatway]

I'm sorry, I couldn't say - I wasn't around for this jaunt.

[creativefool]

Off in the other place? Yeah, that's fair enough. Just somethin' that came to mind. That's all.

[willyousee]

[Phèdre. Inigo. Takakage. Janos. Neria. He had hoped - oh he had hoped - that he was wrong. But there aren't enough dungeons for all of them.]

...Thank you for checking, Armin.

[shantiprayer]

[Oh, her dear sea-sister, why do the Trumps keep taking you away? Maybe she actually got to go home this time... Whatever the case, she needed to be strong for her sea-brother right now.]

Alcuin, will you be alright? Do you want me to come find you?

[willyousee]

[For a moment the water around her flickers with a view of the head of the stairs in the workshop, looking down the hall toward Joscelin's door. Then it's gone again. It's likely that Alcuin hadn't intended to share that with her.]

I will be all right. Phèdre has gone and returned before. The last time she went home. I cannot begrudge her that even if she did have control over it, which she does not.

[neverfeltthatway]

...I'm sorry. I know how hard it is.

[willyousee]

It is part of Traveling. If portals appear I know there will be no shortage of volunteers to enter. In the meantime...

In the meantime we will do our best to remember and uphold the values they fought for and with luck they have returned home and left this place for good.

[shiroganeheir]

I mentioned this elsewhere, but for completeness' sake, Tohru Adachi is also missing.

[Naoto's mental voice is a bit uncertain. Possibly nervous, possibly more. When she continues, it's mostly to herself.]

Ken-kun and Takakage-san? This isn't good.

[neverfeltthatway]

Oh. I'm sorry, I'm not sure how I missed him.

[Armin frowns as she continues, but doesn't really know what to say.]

[mysunnydisposition]

[ softly: ] Oh, no...

[ Well, there goes the good mood she's been in since Questing Country. Maybe it's stupid, but she can't help but feel like this is her fault somehow. ]

[neverfeltthatway]

I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do...

[He trails off. Of course there isn't. How can he help in the face of this?]

not really here

[upcard]

[She doesn't really respond to this, but it hurts. Lucina. Oona. Inigo. Takakage. Neria. Sano. Phedre. Yoorae.

It just gets worse and worse, topped off with

Chizuru Yukimura.

There is the faintest sense of a mental sob but then she's cutting the connection completely.]

[prolificarse]

More than half again the number of your last list. That's certainly disturbing.

[neverfeltthatway]

It's troubling - but we've had worse months before. This might be a little unusual, but it's far from unprecedented.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

I say, has anyone noticed there's a distinct trend in ethnicity here?

[purseownerisme]

What do you mean?

[neverfeltthatway]

...Ethnicity? [There's genuine curiosity in his voice. Guess who's never made that distinction? Because - for the most part - it doesn't exist in his world. Not for the last 100 years, anyway.]

[purseownerisme]

[That was a long list but one name hit her the hardest: the same dumb idiot who said he'd be there for her and now gone...it hurt. A lot.]

Thanks Armin.

[The next thing she said was barely a whisper, something about Inigo and not keeping a promise now.]

[neverfeltthatway]

...Are you all right?

[truthvalue]

[Souji only recognizes one of these names.]

Inigo's gone?

[neverfeltthatway]

He is. Was he a friend?

[canbebrave]

Oh.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin quietly reviews the list from Sansa's perspective, picking out the names that would be particularly relevant to her. Neria. Phedre. Probably Chizuru. But, as always, there's so little he can do.]

I'm sorry.