117.0

[encryptedlock]

[Backdated slightly to this morning.

York wakes up not only on the floor but in a completely different room than where he was before. There's a moment of panic - it looks entirely too much like something from home to be recognizable as the castle immediately - but as always Delta is there in his mind, reassuring him. Yes, he can still access the CastleNet, and look around a little. This is Noble Six's room.

The question then becomes why is he in Noble Six's room, and how did he get there? And why is his journal mostly blank?]

Hey there, castle. It's me, and I seem to be back to normal now. So. What kind of loss was I on and for how long?

[UNSC filter, sans Maine]

And what the hell is going on with the journals?

Comments

UNSC Filter

[noblefive]

The castle had a little reset.

You Agent York?

UNSC Filter

[encryptedlock]

Are the journals the only things that changed?

And uh, yeah. Hi. Guess we got another one from home, huh?

UNSC Filter

[noblefive]

Yep. I'm Noble Five.

And as far as we can tell, it's only been the journals. I was only here a few days when it happened.

[lonenoble]

Back to normal again? Carolina will be relieved.

You were both toys for a while. Carolina handed you to me so she could keep watch on Maine...

[encryptedlock]

Much as I usually am, anyway.

[There's a slight pause; he supposes that makes sense, but why Six rather than Wash?] Why did she need to do that? Is he awake again?

[lonenoble]

He's up and you aren't the only one on a loss.

[atadiscoverer]

Agent York? I was wondering where you had disappeared to. A loss makes sense.

You okay? No lasting damage?

[encryptedlock]

It's gotta be. I guess I was a...toy?

Nothing I can tell yet, anyway. Everything seems present and accounted for.

[atadiscoverer]

Well, if you want I can come and give you a check-up. The castle gave me a wee gift from home that'll make it easier.

[That, and it's Ancient technology.]

[demontobeloved]

Glad to see I'm not the only one suffering.

[encryptedlock]

Yeah? You get turned into a toy too?

[demontobeloved]

No. Something worse.

[He growls slightly] The damned castle messed with my Powers.

Dictated

[brute_shot_bully]

[Oh.]

[Long pause. Debating. It might be better to just leave it, but he's got a year and a half of some not-nice memories he's got to clear up.]

Hey.

[Not gunna hold it against York if he decides to slam the journal closed.]

[encryptedlock]

[Oh, look who's still talking.

Nope. No response from York. He's still convinced this is a ruse - and why shouldn't he? For all he knows, Maine got Gamma back somehow.]

[brute_shot_bully]

[Okay, he wasn't saying anything, but he wasn't closeing the book either. Maine pauses for another long moment before continueing.]

Sorry.

[God it sounded so trite. Words weren't his forte, and in any other normal circumstance he probably wouldn't have said anything at all. This was nowhere near normal.]

York

[youfallback]

You were a stuffed toy for a week. Some residents received items from home this week, some of which were pets or other animals. Wash is an AI, started a day after you were turned into a toy.

Kept all three of you in my room until the power went out on Friday. I needed to guard Maine, so I trusted the NOBLE team with your safety until the power outage stopped. The evacuation plan more or less went as it should.

All of the residents, from what I've heard, received an empty journal earlier this week. I still have my old one, so I'm not sure what the Castle's trying.

[Pause. Kind of an information dump, whoops. She did miss you, don't let her tone fool you, York. She's just feeling a little off.]

Location?

Carolina

[encryptedlock]

[Infodumps are Delta's favorite, don't worry. It only takes York a few moments to digest this and sort through it all.]

Probably late Christmas presents from the castle. That's how I got my Mongoose.

Do the old journals still work? I'm still in Six's room, but I'll be dropping by Five's to check on Wash in a minute here.

York

[ironlady]

Are you alright otherwise? [Being normal and being okay are two different things.]

Caterina

[encryptedlock]

A little disoriented, but other than that I'm fine. Everything green with you?

Master York

[inafadingcrown]

It has been some time. You are well, I hope?

Lady Galadriel (now with the right account)

[encryptedlock]

As well as can be expected, I think. It's a little strange to lose a week out of your life like that.

How about yourself? Did you like Paris? I mean, it's another country and about five hundred years in the past compared to where I'm from, but it's still my world.

York

[helljumper]

Castle decided to give us new ones. Think you might be able to find the old one, if you look around hard enough.

[A grin.] Glad to hear you're back to normal, though.

Rookie

[encryptedlock]

In my room? That's easier said than done, Rookie.

[Naw, he keeps it organized (what military man can't?), but there is an awful lot of stuff there.]

Was I at least a cute plushie?

LATER, IN YORK'S ROOM (Wash, York, Delta, Carolina)

[youfallback]

[Carolina's busying herself comparing the physical differences of her two journals, which are sitting on York's holographic table. They do look exactly the same from what she can see, but one has all of the entries from before the change and the other, well, doesn't.

One of the good things about wearing a helmet is that it allows her to not have to worry about her facial expression or hiding the fact that a headache has taken a firm grip of the back of her skull. Her mind feels clouded, the table under her fingers feels solid enough but what's really telling her that it's real?

Nothing.]

[encryptedlock]

[Meanwhile, York's only been dealing with the slight disconnect of having two different visual feeds: one from his own eyes and one from Delta inside the module. That should be over as soon as they can coax Wash out, though, so he sets the storage unit down where he can plug it in to the projection system on his workbench.]

Rise and shine, cupcake.