[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...

[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.

[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.

[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. ]

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.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

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

[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.]

[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.]

[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?

[truthvalue]

[Souji only recognizes one of these names.]

Inigo's gone?

[neverfeltthatway]

...Are you all right?

[neverfeltthatway]

He is. Was he a friend?

[neverfeltthatway]

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

[neverfeltthatway]

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

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

The majority of the names called have a rather Japanese flavor, wouldn't you say? Is that a bit of a trend in the population here? I'm afraid I haven't met most of the inhabitants.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

Yes, sort of a cultural majority, rather, at least in that list of names. About half are Japanese, what. I've only met one fellow from Japan here, myself.

[neverfeltthatway]

Hmm. I suppose many of them were from Japan.

So... your ethnicity refers to the country - or I guess the culture - that you come from? I thought that was called your nationality.

[purseownerisme]

I don't usually think about it. But more than likely there's no reason why that happens. Then again a few of us don't really care for the Trumps in general.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

[rather arch tone] You think it likely that there's no reason for a particular trend in a world that is completely controlled by the thoughts of those in charge? If you say so, darling.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

Nationality is the country you belong to, ethnicity has more to do with cultural and genetic background. I, for example, am English. The most English person here. But there are fellows who claim British nationality, but who's ethnicity is, for example, Nepalese. The Gurkhas served in the British Army for decades, and some chose to emigrate with their families after their service. Their children would be born as British citizens, but their ethnicty would be considered Nepalese.

[Which is much more than Tick-Tock usually explains, so hopefully you caught all that, Armin.]

[purseownerisme]

...please don't call me that.

[purseownerisme]

I'll have to be, right?