RYSLIG; ic inbox

[greaterbanishment]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, JODARIEL. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 012.09.836.16 *** JODARIEL has joined 018.07.154.55 <noxalas> i am here

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<chimera> CALENDAR THEME

[boneshears]

Thanks for taking part in the pin up calendar! Your theme is: SEPTEMBER / HARVEST BOUNTY

<noxalas>

[greaterbanishment]

[ Jodariel stares at this for an amount of time. She frowns. ]

what is a September

<chimera>

[boneshears]

[He blinks several times. New arrivals sometimes manage to hit him with questions he finds bemusing.]

The ninth month (out of 12) in a year. A time for harvests and preparing for winter.

<KrisKringle> yes i AM just running with the misspelling of her name

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Merry freaking Christmas!

Your Secret Santa recipient this year is Tawny Bandicoot ("grappled" on the network). Please buy, make, or otherwise procure her a nice gift before December 26! You can give this directly, or label it clearly and drop it off at Crowe Clinic C/O Hawkeye Pierce.

Remember: Saint Nick is watching, and he knows where you live!

Happy Holidays, etcetera, and so forth,
Santa Claus

<noxalas> fuck yeah

[greaterbanishment]

greetings Santa
to procure a gift
are you able to provide any information about this tawny

is she a child do you know

<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

I don't think so. Teen-ager, maybe.

She's got a brother. Crash. Maybe you can pick his brain?

[thewrightidea]

[Phoenix has no idea who this person is, so he delivered the most generic gift he could think of: fruitcake.

He delivered it to Hawkeye's clinic, so hopefully Jodariel will get this not-so-great fruitcake.]

backdated to 25th sorry i am ILL and SLOW sdfhsgd

[boneshears]

He hasn't known Jodariel for long, but he respects his fellows that like to make things with their hands. It's not wrapped when it arrives, but there's an envelope pinned to the top of the crate that the delivery man pushing it peels off and reads, having received rather... Stern instruction to do so:

Captain.

May you find use and enjoy your craft. Happy Holidays.

Doctor Gabriel Morgenstern.

With that done, she's free to explore the contents at her leisure. Inside:

- Several bolts of cloth, each about ten feet in length in varying thickness and colours: some are clearly intended for summer or spring and the heavier cloths for winter and autumn.
- A high quality sewing kit with needles, shears, pins and various closings and fixtures to make the job less fiddly and awkward.
- Multiple spools of thread, all colour matched to the fabrics.
- A box of homemade chocolate lebkuchen.

no worries AS YOU CAN TELL i am even slower | > text <noxalas>

[greaterbanishment]

[ A day or so following the delivery, Jodariel sends a response, via the network. This instant communication thing is…really handy. ]

gabriel
i thank you for your considerate gift
the fabric in particular shall come in quite handy i believe
i hope you do not mind that i have shared the sweets
with the Children at persephone orphanage
where i reside and attend
they were

very well received

<chimera>

[boneshears]

You're very welcome. I'm glad the children enjoyed them. It's a hard enough life they have here.

nattensfest 2021.

[digiorno]

[from giorno, jodariel receives sturdy boots; a scarf and hat set with a note:] If any of these gifts become unwieldy or unwearable with coming changes, please let me know so I can have them adjusted. [and finally, a big tin of struffoli.]

DEC 25 - HAPPY NATTENSFEST

[standless]

[Though he doesn't know them well, his awareness of Jodariel being so new to Ryslig has had Jonathan feel the need to reach out for the holidays. Accompanying a well drawn card- depicting a holiday ox, someone knows how to make a well placed joke- Jonathan has included some packets of tea, and a small tin of biscuits.]

Happy Nattensfest, as they say in this land. While we may have spoken only briefly, with the holiday season so fast approaching, I thought it unkind not to make certain that at least one gift may be received this year; though I hope that you may have been given much more.

It is not much- I did not wish to make assumptions as to preferences- but I hope that wherever you stay, and whatever you do, you keep warm through this cold winter as you acclimatize to this strange place. Should you wish to visit for tea, you need only message as well! I would so greatly love to remain in contact.

- Jonathan Joestar

[His laptop address seems to be in the card.]

<noxalas>

[greaterbanishment]

[ Another entirely unexpected gift. Jodariel honestly doesn’t quite know what to do with it, especially when she sees the long letter. After getting it read to her by one of the other employees at the orphanage, Jodariel mulls it all over. A day or so after, she manages to send off a message to the address included. ]

this is jodariel
i thank you for the gift
and sentiment

it is
appreciated

where can i find you should i wish to return the favor

< Eb7#9 > | morning of may 25 | voice (upcoming CW: cannibalism, dismemberment)

[unholey]

[Usually, Fugo would send this message via text. But because he knows Jodariel is still learning to read, he instead records a voice message for her. His tone of voice, as it always is, sharp and precise; each word carefully chosen. It's difficult to tell how he's feeling by this message alone.]

Good morning, Jodariel. Sorry for the short notice, but I won't be able to make it to the orphanage this morning. A situation has come up that requires my immediate attention.

It's not dangerous, so don't worry, but I won't be able to reply for a while. I'll explain more once everything has been taken care of and I have some time to spare.

Take care.

<noxalas> | permavoice

[greaterbanishment]

[ Fugo is someone Jodariel can always recognize a message from before her laptop even starts reading off letters.

That's recent. In the last few months, he changed his contact information—something Jodariel was unaware you could even do—and now it has something that resembles more a picture than a letter. A number sign, it says. She isn't quite sure what it has to do with numbers, but it is a sign, so perhaps it's to signal they are approaching; one sure does follow for Fugo, after all.

In any case. She knows, when her laptop reads off his contact, and nothing more. It's a kind gesture, to give her a verbal message, but that isn't what she's surprised by. Fugo is a kind boy. That she has always known.

No, what surprises her is the contents. She's glad she's stepped away to take it, returning quickly and quietly. She sounds mostly neutral in her gravely voice—but there's a tinge of concern, one that she doesn't do to hide. ]

Greetings. I shall cover your shift for you. There is no problem nor complication, what with my current biological clock.

I trust you to take care of yourself. This is not in doubt. However... If...you could please check in with me the moment you are able.

I shall await your reply.

<whichdoctor> | backdated to mid-September

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Hey, Jodie.

I wanted to catch up about a couple things with the school. Well, mostly just one. You got some spare time in your week, by any chance?

<noxalas>

[greaterbanishment]

i Do
or at least
i can budget Out time

is everything
Alright?

<abbacchio>, late sept also

[riproduzione]

apologies i recognise the hour isn't ideal, but i was curious as to some of the children at persephone's. fugo brought up something related to another topic, and in turn it got me thinking about those under your care.

do you happen to know how old the oldest is? or if there are any plans in place for them once they're an adult?

<noxalas>

[greaterbanishment]

worry not About the hour
abbacchio
it is Good to hear from you

the oldest has recently turned sixteen
she has Expressed interest in further school
we have been Trying to find ways to continue to Support her in this way
especially When she turns eighteen
which is the Age the other adults have impressed upon me as
when the Children could Leave

but none of us are very Sure
i worry About throwing them to the world
especially This one

<DrOsborn>

[certaininequities]

Good morning,
I hope you don't mind an unsolicited message. The anonymous person in charge of Ryslig's Secret Santa told me I should reach out to you for details on what sort of holiday plans you have for the orphanage, and how I could help fund them.

<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Your Secret Santa giftee is REIRA AKABA, goes by "CCC-REDHORSE" on the network. She's about 14, I think. Kelpie. Believes in Santa Claus and generally kind of a sweetheart. I'm sure you'll find something nice for her.

Buy or make Reira a gift by December 26, or Santa will come down your chimney and box your ears.

If you need more information, contact me C/O Hawkeye Pierce at Crowe Clinic, and I'll delegate him to tell you to do your own research.

<Aether> [voice]

[ibalsamina]

[After a couple weeks of silence and much deliberation, Lusamine finds herself suddenly possessed by an urge to message Jodarial. Though they had exchanged quick check-ins with each other following the return from Felfri, Lusamine had remained shaken, standoffish, and overall in no condition to be social. Now, after unpleasant run-ins with both the rumored Nattenskatt and the son she'd assumed lost, her situation only feels more perilous—but she liked to think herself resilient.

The city this week is bright and festive, and she is a monster again, beautiful and powerful. It would be an appropriate form of revenge, she thinks, to find some way to enjoy it all as she once did. She only needs a bit of company.

Originally, she composes the message in text, but, remembering Jodariel's struggles with typing, ultimately opts for the voice option instead. It isn't any different from leaving a message on an answering machine, she supposes.]

Hello, Jodariel. This is Lusamine. I hope you have been well.

[Clear, confident tone; no sign of weakness.]

I am calling just to ask if you have any plans for the Nattensfest holiday. If you are able to find the time, I would like very much to see you again sometime soon... So please do keep me apprised.

<noxalas> [voice]

[greaterbanishment]

[ Jodariel's gotten used to the speech-to-text function that makes it possible for her to communicate on the network. And she's starting to pick up basic words—it's her writing that's really abysmal, but she's trying, truly. Regardless, she doesn't expect anyone to put themselves out for her. Text communication is just what's simplest for them, so she adapts. That's what Jodariel has always done.

When she receives a message from Lusamine... Well. She has to adapt to this, as well.

It's been awhile since they've been in contact, and Jodariel feels that's probably her fault. Once again, she had abandoned one in need, after a moral choice that tore her up inside. A war she would no longer abide. While they've made contact since, Jodariel could tell it's caused friction between them. So she's surprised. She'd given Lusamine her space, but honestly she hadn't expected her to reach out. But...

It creates a warmth inside her. A grateful, grateful warmth. ]

Greetings, Lusamine. I am pleased to hear from you. [ Especially now, she does not say. ] I shall be busy, the nights of the 24th and 25th, with the children of the orphanage. However... If you would be amenable, I would like to meet before then. May we convene on the evening of the 23rd? I would much like to see you then.

HAPPY NATTENSFEST !

[seacub]

For Emporio, Jodariel has a special place on his mind- if he hadn't been assigned her for secret santa, he'd have already been putting together a gift. (As it stands, she still receives a little fishleather drawstring pouch, with a pretty neat chunk of petrified wood that he found.)

Santa said, '10 solars'. Emporio, digging around, eventually figured out that this meant about 10 dollars.

He decides, ultimately, to spend ten dollars on tokens at Insert Coin. Which is why, when Jodariel receives her secret santa gift, it appears to be deceptively more than ten solars! The first thing in the box (simple cardboard, simple wrapping paper begged off from others,) is a stylus pen. Yes, these are useless now. Probably. But considering how they first met, he hopes she'll be able to have it ready for the future if it IS needed. A little note taped onto it says it'll work on touch screens, so she doesn't have to use claws. Yay! ...Also it works like a normal pen, so it's not like it'll be sitting around doing nothing.

The other part of the gift is a large lava lamp. Neat! Fortunately it'll actually work on a normal outlet. He thought it might make for a nice calming light to have around. Also, it took enough tokens that it felt sufficiently worth it.

Also his arm was numb again- anyway. The last part of the gift is a cheap little notepad that came out with the last remainder of the tickets he earned that way. Just a little mini spiral notebook with a glittery cover. (Hey, the pen fits in the spiral though!) He did it, 10 solars, huzzah-

'Happy Nattensfest - Secret Santa' is all that the card with the arcade presents says. Considering it comes at the same time as that little fishleather pouch with the card reading 'Happy Nattensfest - Emporio', the dots can probably be connected.

Even if he did try to make his handwriting look different.

[greaterbanishment]

[ Jodariel sort of has a thing, if a gift is given by a child, she loves it. It doesn't matter what it is, she encourages creativity and exploration, and if it's something she needs to talk about with them, she will. Therefore, Emporio's gift, the petrified wood, she's charmed by it.

And the rest, well...

When she thinks about it, there aren't a lot of people who would know about her breaking her phone in Felfri. His timing is one nail in the coffin and that's sort of the rest. How sweet then, to get her both something for the exchange and a secondary gift, of his own accord. The lava lamp in particular is kind of fascinating. It reminds her of the magma Hedwyn had collected from the Black Basin, a keepsake of their travels. The animalistic part of her values its gentle light, and the tiniest bit of warmth.

For the record, he receives a present too. It's the easiest thing she can make, without exact measurements, and that's a warn knit scarf in a gentle maroon color. She had one of the other workers sign her name, as well as write a small promise to gift a matching hat, should he give her his measurements. ]