Everyone: Counter and I will be joining, we just don't have time to write sheets at the moment due to unfortunate- And completely expected! -circumstances relating to the disappearence of our CBer. And I'd appreciate it if you WOULDN'T interrupt me, Counter! If you have something to say, say it when I'm finished. Well, I didn't say you could do all the talking, so it's my right to interject if I think of something to say and- Forget I mentioned it.

What? No, the CBers can't be gone! Silk! How can you be doing your nails at a time like this?! This is terrible!

Ahh we're better of without them. Satin's so annoying.

Just because she doesn't like it when you're rude to people is no reason to dislike her. I don't like it either and you don't dislike me.

No. I loathe you. I loved being a only AE. Life was so peaceful. And besides I have other reasons to find her annoying, she left the house with chipped nail polish last week! That is just wrong!

Whatever. If Satin has disappeared, then we'll be gone next!

What! I'm too young to disappear!

Technically you're ageless.

Whatever how do I sign up for this thing?

Looking for the chart is sheet?

Gimme!

Name: Silk

AE, CAPTCHA, or CAPTCHAE': AE

Perceived Age: 13

Personality: Fabulous! (Self centered and snooty)

Appearance:Flawless skin, curly blonde hair, hazel eyes, essentially perfect in everyway.

Powers: Impeccable fashion sense. That's not a power,I have that too. No you don't! But if you insist, I have a dress that makes me invisible when I wear it. What! How did I not know about that?

Just fill out the sheet.

Name: Denim

AE, CAPTCHA, CAPTCHAE': AE

Perceived Age: 13

Personality: Shy in large groups or with new people, but talkative when you get to know me, very determined, outdoorsy.

Appearance: Short, causal chic/ athletic style, very long dirty blonde hair in a braid, hazel eyes.

Powers: Can talk to animals, great first aid and wilderness survival skills, and lockpicking.

Why are you filing out a third sheet? 

Name: Fleece

You're taking that penguin, too? Come on, it's absolutely useless! 

AE, CAPTCHA, CAPTCHAE': CAPTCHA

It can't even fill out the form itself! You have to translate for it! 

HE has a name. 

Perceived Age: 2, I think

Personality: Sweet, with a fierce streak

Appearance: Blue penguin

Powers: What are you're powers? You don't know? I'm sure you'll help us somehow.

Yeah right.

Fleece says you offended him!

It has feelings?

HE has feelings! 

Hiya, guys! Oh dear, missing CBers?! Well, Soren is missing because- because they've been sucked in a never-ending vortex of business, that's why.

*Well... yes, quite. They believe that this is a great idea, and we would love to participate in it, but we can't, due to Soren's business.*

Um... yeah. They got our point across.

*Submit* 

Shall we start...?

Pzun looked down at the sheets. There were twenty-one of them, all shoved on his bed by Cloud who was lying in his hammock chair messing with her earrings. Why didn’t he get earrings? Oo, what if he added them to his character sheet and saw what happened? 

“Don’t even think about it,” Cloud said. Pzun tried to look innocent. “I am not letting you go over to Satin’s and fight Silk for disrespecting Fleece.”

“Wait, what?” Pzun flipped through the sheets. Fleece was on there, and Silk was being a jerk to them. “Well, I wasn’t, but now-“

Cloud sighed. “Guess I shouldn’t have said anything.”

”Dbbm,” Aven said and curled up around Pzun’s shoulders. The Moon houseboat was filled with various animals, plus the spirits of Blue’s pets that had passed away, who all took turns sharing CAPTCHA duties.

“Can I borrow your laptop?” Cloud swung it away from his grasp. 

“Ask before taking.”

“Sorry. So can I?” 

Cloud grinned wickedly. “No. I’m busy.”

“You’re on Tumblr.”

“Exactly.”

Pzun sighed and flopped over onto Cloud’s lap.

“Ey, get off. Go get the iPad.”

“It’s too laggy,” Pzun moaned, face firmly planted in Cloud’s jeans.

“Deal with it. Go on-“ 

Pzun got up and navigated through the mess on his floor. The iPad was in the school-desk part of the gally (he refused to call it kitchen) table. He grabbed it and turned it on as he walked back, tapping on their thread.

“Ocean Song wants to know when we’re starting,”. 

“How about now? I’ve got everything we do running as an RP post, so we can just post this.”

“Yeah, sure. Should we post our own character sheets?”

“We probably should.”

Pzun took two blank ones and a pencil and started writing. Well, the pencil was dull, so he went to sharpen it. Then he started.

Name: Pzun Kiwi Moon (Pzun)

AE, CAPTCHA, or CAPTCHAE: AE!!

Percived Age: Nine-ten ish.

Personality: I’m Blue’s extrovert side. I like soccer and track and animals. I also climb trees, and I like hanging out in the woods. Free spirit.

Appearance: An African-American boy, with shortish black hair and puppy-like brown eyes. Usually wears a shirt with a dinosaur on it and shorts, and his knees are always skinned up. Wears sandals and has a thing against socks. Golden stud earrings. Dang it, that didn’t work. Guess I’m still earringless.

Powers: Can communicate with animals and has a talent for finding and befriending them. 

Name: Raincloud Panic Moon (Cloud) 

AE, CAPTCHA, or CAPTCHAE: AE

Percived Age: 14

Personality: I’m Blue’s introvert side. I like doing things right and curling up in a nest of blankets. I love drawing, poetry, and theater. I also spend too much time on Tumblr.

Appearance: Silvery wavy hair almost over one eye but not quite. Southeastern Asian type features and skin tone. Eyes are a pretty red color reminiscent of book covers and cranberries. 

Powers: I can telepathically communicate and sometimes manipulate the emotions of others. Which is creepy.

Cloud shoved all the sheets into her backpack and stood up. “Let’s go.” Then she stepped through the portal, and Pzun followed. 

They came out in the CB square, where Ocean Song was impatiently waiting, tapping her foot. “Let’s goooo already,”she said, pulling Cloud’s arm.

“One sec.” Cloud took out the sheets and tapped them. Instantly, all the AEs who signed up were at her side. (There was not that much room at Cloud’s side. It was kind of awkward.)

Voices suddenly filled the square. 

“What the heck?”

“Why are we here?”

“Hey, Cloud.”

“The AEs had been magically summoned-“

“You can’t just do that!”

“DEV GET OFF ME!”

Pzun grinned and cupped his hands to his mouth, yelling over the chaos-

“STARTING!” 

Ocean Song~

We all gather in a grand room, tall and old-looking, an best of all, smelling like books. The others converse amongst themselves, while I watch them carefully. I see Ace and smile. He's talking with Hailey and rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. I survey the rest, playing withou noticing it with a strand of my magic weaving around my hand. I raise my other hand, and most AEs look at me. Soon, I have their complete attention.

"I believe that our first move should be to, one at a time, state when and where we saw our CBers last. Any objections?"

~~ 

“Sounds good,” Cloud said, a bit bluffed by how Ocean had taken over. “Let’s see...” She twirled her finger around like a conductor’s baton unconsciously, a habit she’d gotten from Blue. “I last saw Blue dressed up like a book headed for a SI.”

“Which book?” Maki asked slyly, and Pzun flicked her on the shoulder.

“You know we can’t tell you. AEs aren’t allowed in SIs, anyway.” 

“Then she said she was going to school,” Cloud said, “But it’s the weekend now, isn’t it?”

***

While they talked, Pzun figeted. He’d inherited Blue’s love for breezes and running to the park and sitting talking with a friend while ice-creams melt from the summer sun. Why did they have to have the meeting in such a musty, cold, room, when it must be spring outside?

“It’s Monday,” Ocean Song corrected. “But the CBers disappeared ten days ago.” 

Pzun counted on his fingers. Ten days ago would be a Friday. Blue definitely should have been back. It was easy to lose track of time sometimes, being an AE. Mandy once said that two months had felt like a day to her. 

“Who’s next?” Lydia Wilds asked. 

(Note from Blue’s ghost: I will influence the plot as we go along, though what the AEs do will probably change it.)

Ack, I haven't written my charrie sheet! Sorry! And you've already started! Counter, write up your dang sheet. Assuming we can still join the expedition, here's mine.

Name: Eris

AE

Perceived Age: I'm thinking fifteen today

Personality: I'm very independent and always try to do things myself- even when desperately in need of help- that's because I don't need it! Anyway, I am pretty clever, I guess- except in human interaction- like you're any better! I do tend to overthink things and occasionally jump to conclusions, but I am open to explanations. I hate when people patronize me or pity me. 

Appearance: I'm average height- SHORT! I'm like, on the shortish side of average. Anyway, my hair is shaved on the right and the part that still exists is straight, comes to my chin, and is dyed flame-red. I also have a metal prosthetic leg. 

Powers: I don't really have any?

Oh, is it my turn? Wait, I'm not ready! Stop whinging and do your sheet.

Name: Counter

AE

Percieved Age: Um, sixteen sounds good, I guess.

Personality: Argh, this is the hard one. I'm kinda awkward, I make stupid jokes sometimes... I'm kind of a failure of an AE, so- Ok, I'm taking over. Counter can be really shy, but he's surprisingly funny when you can actually hear him. He tries to make people feel comfortable and is a good listener. He's still a dork, but he's a good dork.

Appearance: He's got longish, sandy hair and he's almost tall. He's fairly pretty, I suppose. Excuse me, what? No, shut up, go away, you weren't doing a good job so I'm taking over. I'm sticking with pretty. He's tan and fairly long limbed.

Powers: Not unless you count the ability to accidentally say 'um' every other word in conversation.

"Who's next?" asked Lydia. Ace raised his hand.

"Quill was procrastinating on her homework," he said.

"Yeah, but then she went to work on her novel," added Hailey. Cloud nodded seriously.

"And this was ten days ago?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Ace. "And we know she can't have been working on her novel for ten days, because she barely has the patience to sit still for ten minutes!"

"Alright. Next?" 

“Neko went off to write a post for some RP she’s in.” Maki commented.

”But she definitely would have finished it by now!” Saki continued, fidgeting anxiously. The teen had been different from her normal cheery self lately, unable to stop worrying about her CBer. But someone had to stay strong, and she was willing to do anything.

Aki stayed quiet. Everything needed had already been said, and she frankly did not care if her own life was at stake. But apparently enough depression was in the air already. 

"Well, shoot, I don't know where FountainPen went."  Skylar spat, looking at the ground.

"That's 'cause you're never listening to her!" First-Quarter cried.  "I'm the only one who actually pays attention to what she has to say!"

"Both of you!" Third-Quarter said, stopping them.  "She said she was going to swim practice, remember?"

"Yeah, but then she came back!" First-Quarter argued.

"Celestials!" Skylar growled at them.  "She went to Saturday lab, and then she said she was going to hang out on the NaNo forums!"

The twin siblings glanced at her, agreeing with her silently.

~~~

Sorry this was just dialogue guys 

EveryAE seemed to be posting where their CBers were before they disappeared, so...

---

"Next?"

"Well, in the case of this AE's missing Chatterboxer, who, of course, vanished without warning, Icy had announced that she was going to leave (without ANY other explanation), then...left."

Thirty paused, sure that a round of gasps would rise from the assembled AEs. Unfortunately, this audience didn't seem to be of that sort--but Thirty was just happy that she was being listened to.

"...Well, she usually leaves the house without informing a single soul where she's headed. The poor, deranged girl even still plays Pokemon Go..."

A cough from the audience. Thirty decided it was her cue to end today's thrilling story.

"But, though extremely adept techniques of deduction, it was discovered that she was headed to the costume store....probably to waste all of our hard-earned money on the blue wig she had been staring at the day before, even though I told her not to buy it."

"Very...nice, 30. Next?"