mylittlejamjar | Second Note: Bye Bye, Blackbird [Visual]

[When the scroll comes to life, it will show a concerned stallion, pawing at the ground.]

What ho, all! Sorry to be a bother, but I was wondering if anypony knows what it means if you can't catch hold of somepony via these fine little whatsits. There's this fellow, Jay, who's been staying with us on Vantas' farm, but he seems to have disappeared. I mean, I'm not about to go chasing down every fellow who finds an itch to go wandering, but it's been a day or more. There was also another chap I'm having trouble finding. A red fellow with a tiger on his flank by the name of Jan. And then there was another fellow, a very upstanding-looking gent with a rose on the hindquarters going by Tamaki Suou.

All three of them were humans before they were ponies.

[He pauses to ponder.]

Well... Jan might also have been a tiger. I wasn't very clear on the specifics, what with it all being byunbyun due to the zowazowa. Honestly, the cove could do to be a bit more precise about these things. Which does remind me: Are the rest of you actually speaking English? Jan said he wasn't when I mentioned it to him. He said I sounded like I was speaking Japanese, which is a marvelous notion, if utterly mad.

Right, but to the point. Has anypony else noticed their new chums buzzing off for parts unknown sans magical whatsity scroll?

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So, you're speaking Gallifreyan at the moment? How bizarre. You sound like a perfectly fine English working fellow.

[He shakes his head because there are more pressing matters.]

I do hope they haven't run into any trouble. I didn't even think to test out the scrolls under the harshest conditions. You don't suppose they've all wandered into the forest? Oh, Luna! Zetta's out there, and all sorts of other dreadful things.

Now I'm speaking English -- and now I'm not. [Did he really just switch languages? There was no outward sign either way.]

If they have.... [He looks uneasy, remembering Zecora's warnings about the forest.] Somepony must have warned them, though. I can't even remember how many times I've been told not to go in there.

Have you talked to Zecora? She knows her way around the Everfree.

I did speak with Ms. Zecora briefly when I met her in town. Jolly, her being a zebra, what? Dante lives out that way, as well. I can check in with them.

You don't suppose...

[He kicks a hoof along the ground, looking away.]

Would you mind giving it a go, Doctor? Contacting them, I mean. Truth be told, this wouldn't be the first time somepony's tried avoiding me.

Makes me wish we had more zebras around here so we could get a better idea of their culture, actually. [Because this rhyming business is fascinating. Zecora makes it sound like all the native zebras do it, too.]

...I could, yeah. I'll give them a try.

[He wasn't going to say it. Really, he wasn't.]

I asked her if she was from Africa, but she said she'd never heard of it. Seemed to think my description of the place was near enough to her homeland, though. She was dashed mysterious about her origins, though. I'm not entirely sure if she ever answered one of my questions about her friends and family back there directly.

Fillies and their secrets, though, eh?

Erm... thanks awfully much for checking. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you contacting them if that's the problem. You being a clever and upstanding gentlecolt!

Oh, I dunno -- any stallion's got to have his secrets, too. [Like Handy...who was frustrated that the Doctor had gone around blabbing his biggest secret as if he had a right to explain Handy's existence to all and sundry.] She's offered to teach me how to navigate the Everfree Forest, actually -- should be interesting.

[He gives Bertie a little smile and nod.] If they can be found, I'll find them!

[Bertie is oblivious to any resentment as regards Handy's secrets.]

That might come in handy if we have to go looking for them out there. Good show, old boy! It's the clever fellow who thinks ahead before he even knows there's thinking that needs doing or a particular ahead to get to.

[He offers a nervous smile back.] I don't doubt you'll sound them out, Doctor. I'll help however I can!

[As he should be. As, if Handy gets his way, he will remain. Handy's troubles are his own.]

And if I can't raise them by scroll, we'll just have to find another way. They have to have gone somewhere. [He's trying to keep upbeat about this, mostly for Bertie's sake at this point.]

[ooc: Should I just say Handy tries and fails and comes back to let Bertie know, or do you want to end the thread with him just promising to do it?]

Right! My thinking on the matter, precisely, old boy! You can't just no be anymore, can you? Seems most unlikely, even if it's just that they've gotten sucked back up into the rainbows or whatnot.

Exactly right. Alright, time to get to work -- I'll get back to you when I've found them. [So confident!]

Well, um... if you can't raise them on the scroll, do let me know.

Second Note: Bye Bye, Blackbird [Visual]

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