etrayalogs | MISSION 004 WRAP-UP

Entry tags:

MISSION 004 WRAP-UP

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: August 9th and going forward
WHERE: Returning to Etraya
WHAT: End of Mission 004 Log
NOTES\WARNINGS: N/A

⏵ there's no place like home ⏴
On the morning of August 9th, every Etrayan’s earpiece receives a message from Eos: FAIL or PASS in big, bold letters with no further context. Players are free to choose which response their character gets; if they were able to go through Moorecroft without letting on that they were from Etraya, or another city bubble in general, they will receive a PASS. Those whose identities as Etrayans were spoiled, will get a FAIL. This response has no bearing on whether or not they participated in the midnight breakouts, nor what condition they’ve managed to get themselves into.

It wouldn’t be the first time some kids from Moorecroft tore up the town looking for answers, even if it is the first time in a while they’ve managed to get as far as they had and cause as much damage as they have.

Regardless, any responses sent to Eos will bounce right back to the original sender, with a RECEIVER UNAVAILABLE error: it seems that, shortly after sending through their results, all of those from Etraya have been disconnected from Eos’ network, and reconnected to Aurora’s by the friendly companion bots stepping through another portal in the middle of Moorecroft’s park. They’ll offer waves of their hands, and usher everyone back to Etraya proper. They’ll offer explanations similar to what Aurora would give to newcomers arriving to those who were dropped in with Eos, as well as offer to assist them in getting settled in Etraya.

The companion bots will allow Etrayans to step through the portal with items they can carry, minus the smaller android babies. If they insist, it will be explained to them that, much like the companion bots native to Etraya, these babies are meant to assist newcomers in settling, and they cannot take them from Eos.

Welcome home.

At the very least, everything looks normal on this side.

⏵ whispered secrets of the night ⏴
Or it seems normal enough. While previous excursions outside of Etraya have featured environmental changes, the city bubble now appears exactly as it had before everyone left. Buildings stand as pristine as ever, animals have been fed and cared for, and everyone is invited to return to their homes for a quick rest.

But as you meander through the familiar streets and over bridges, an unsettling stillness clings to the air. The usual sounds of Etraya–the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the chatter from the companion bots– feel slightly off. Shadows stretch a little too long, lingering in the corners of your vision, and the light, although warm, seems to cast an unnatural tint over everything. It’s as if the city itself had been holding its breath in everyone’s absence.

As days pass, the eerie stillness begins to ebb. The animals gradually resume their usual activities, and companion bots return to their routines, chatting with Etrayans as they wander the city and help set up new facilities.

Yet despite the return of normalcy, a sense of unease lingers. The city feels different as if it’s been touched by something while you were away. There are no curfews on Etraya, unlike Moorecroft, but those who wander in the dark may be unable to help but notice that it almost feels as if something is watching you, waiting for you to let your guard down. Etraya appears to be the same, but something has changed, shifted. And it’s only a matter of time before that change reveals itself.

Those who wander outside at night during their first several days back will feel like they are being watched, but will be unable to find what is watching them, regardless of the method they use to try and discern what it is.

⏵ sea la vie ⏴ The unsettling sensation of being watched gradually fades over the next few days. Etraya begins to feel more like the place you remember: slightly empty, but comfortably so. The weather shifts unpredictably, with cool breezes one day and almost stifling warmth the next.

The companion bots, seemingly oblivious to any lingering unease, appear to be in full vacation mode. They spend a significant amount of time on the two small, sandy islands that are just south of the hospital, setting up for what looks like the perfect beach day. Chairs are arranged in neat rows, colorful towels are spread out across the sand, and a small shack has been built just off the side of the bridge that offers swimsuits and any other beach-related item that they could need - or most of them! The narrow river means surfboards are out of the question; instead, the bots provide massive tube floaties, perfect for lazily drifting down the currents.

⏵ polaroid pandemonium ⏴ Everyone receives an invitation to Corrine’s Cafe, along with a table number. The invitation may arrive via a companion bot delivering it to them physically, or as a direct message from Aurora via their earpiece. The invitation instructs them to meet at the cafe at a specific time and sit at a designated table.

At each table, two envelopes sit in front of two chairs, each containing a collection of photos. These images capture significant moments from your history - events you may have forgotten or ones that have shaped who you are. On the back of each envelope, instructions for the task await: discuss the moment featured in the photo with your partner, and share what it means to you. Whether it’s a memory of a terrible ordeal, or one of your happiest times with your loved ones. The choice to participate is yours; however, Aurora and the companion bots make it clear that your place at the table is pre-reserved whether you show up or not - meaning, your photos may still be viewed by others, even if you decide not to show up.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

This log marks the end of their visit to Moorecroft! Characters return to Etraya on August 9th regardless of what shenanigans they were getting up to within the other city bubble. We'll be following up with the mission: breakout threads, as well as continuing to follow through with NPC threads and provide further information for those still participating in plotting.

For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please use the mod queries thread. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[weirdly enough, Ava lives with the permanently unpleasant feeling of being watched at all times. comes with the territory of growing up in the captivity of an intelligence agency. so this? isn't all that unfamiliar, and Ava compensates by shifting herself invisible to enjoy her restless exploration of the new curfew-free environment in what she hopes will be relative peace.

she doesn't expect to be disturbing anyone else's, to have her presence called out. but the threat is met with a light giggle through the empty dark.] Oh, I don't think you're capable. [perhaps just a bit closer than the laugh was.]

You don't?

[ There's almost relief to hear a voice from the darkness. That way she knows something is there and that she's not just imagining this weird 'being watched' feeling.

She stops in her tracks and looks around slowly. ]

Big words from someone who's hiding.

But it'd be entertaining to watch you try. [there's a glitched glimmer in the air, as if the spectrums of light don't know how to properly focus on the woman emerging from nothing. but there she is, hands clasped together in front of her in a nervous tangle despite the small smirk that crosses her face.]

Wasn't spying on you, if that's your concern. [because it's an understandable assumption, one that she'd make herself and wouldn't be overly friendly toward.]

Not like there's a lot to spy on. I'm just walking.

[ She eyes the other woman carefully, not sure just what she was dealing with yet. ]

I don't know you, do I?

What a coincidence. So am I. [dry, but not unfriendly. her hands continue to fidget, because honestly at least she knows what to do about somebody taking a swing at her face. not as much with small talk.]

No. [emphasized with a small shake of her head. she's vaguely aware that maybe it's appropriate to offer a name here, but she's never inclined to divulge too much.] Been here before?

I've been here awhile.

[ And she's still pissy about it. But, at least she knows that she's not the only one that's getting pulled here. ]

When did you show up?

[ Very nice, very demure small talk. ]

[awhile... it's troubling, because she can't quite gauge how long any of this has been going on for. who amongst the group has been here the longest. how long this is expected to continue. Ava shoves her hands into her pockets, takes a few steps further down the path, with only a tiny glance over to see if the other woman intends to follow. she's too restless to stay standing.]

About a month back. First on a clown-infested space station. Then in the stepford town, where I had to play security guard to some fish. And just now, here. [she sounds rather irritated by all of it, the whiplash of being dragged from one unfamiliar location to the next with seemingly little purpose or satisfying explanation.]

We must have just missed each other then if you've been here that long.

[ Not that Jessica had been very sociable or anything lately. It's been a lot of pouting and a lot of drinking but hey, she's here now.

That's something. ]

Less said about that town, the better. Trying to forget it.

[ Trying and failing. ]

I don't make a habit of making myself known. [easy enough with the invisibility, to lurk about without being bothered. at least when not getting called out for it. she stares upward at the sky for a moment, as if trying to puzzle something out, before abandoning the thought.]

Ah. [having to share living space with strangers and pretend to be a family unit was rather uncomfortable. but luckily they hadn't been too invasive of her privacy. she wonders what sort of unfortunate situation the other woman got assigned, that she's trying to forget. ava frowns a bit in sympathy.]

Did you fail?

Probably.

[ She shrugs. ]

I didn't pay that much attention and I don't really care about it either way. Pass, fail, whatever. It didn't kill me so I'm fine.

Mn. [she passed, but not through any particular effort. just because she's tends to slip under the radar by keeping her head low. if there's consequences to any of this, she rather let others be the example before rattling the cage and finding out the hard way.]

So you don't care what happens to your world? [without judgment, she's been insisting it doesn't matter to her.]

That's not what I said.

[ Not explicitly, at least. ]

I just don't think I'm going to be a good spokesperson to stand up and talk about the reasons why. Plus, I don't know if I believe this place can do anything to any other worlds. I don't trust it.

No. But I don't, to mine. [Yelena had suggested she try talking to other people, more or less. she's still struggling to find the value in it, when every conversation sets her on edge. mostly the lack of knowing how to respond without escalating into further argument, with her desire to cut through straight to the facts.

but not everything is an interrogation. she doesn't have to aggressively shake information out of everyone she talks to. supposedly it's easier to find some common ground. Ava sighs out at the impossibility of such, boots scuffing at the sidewalk as she walks.]

I'm not interested in spokesmen, or the opinions of people too stupid to take any of this at face value. Just trying to understand what consequences there have been. Or if there's a correlation between... failure to play along and those who vanish.

Couldn't tell you.

[ Which sucks. Because while she doesn't trust this place and it's shit, there's a small part of her that does wonder if what htey're saying is true.

But how the hell do you prove that? ]

I haven't gotten tossed into jail or flogged in the town square for not doing everything they've said. I don't know if that means they're not serious or they're just biding their time.

Suppose if it's meant to be a test... correcting our behavior along the way wouldn't yield results beyond how easily coerced or influenced by punishment somebody is. [not how deserving they and their world are of surviving, by whatever metric that's being measured. interference is meant to be minimized in scientific experiments, or else the results are skewed.

a frustrated sigh. no, she doesn't like having to play by the rules, especially in a situation she never agreed to, but it's even more annoying not knowing where all the lines are drawn.

the only feedback being that she somehow passed the last mission grates at her, and the fact that it bothers her at all is even worse. are they intentionally psychologically manipulating her, or is her paranoia being fueled by her own experience with exploitation?]

So has anybody outright tried to fight back or protest?

Edited 2024-08-21 20:43 (UTC)

Nothing organized that I know of.

[ Not that she's heard of, at least. And if it has happened, she's had her head stuck in the sand and she's missed it. Unfortunate if so. ]

I think most people are just busy dealing with the bullshit. The stupid plushies or arranged marriages and shit.

[she looks unimpressed at that. not that Ava thinks protest would be any amount successful no matter how organized, but at least something might be learned from it.]

Didn't waste my time playing house. [she shared an assigned living space and stayed out of the way as much as possible, because she had no interest in playing family with strangers. it's insulting. her family is long dead.

but at least they didn't make the mistake of trying to house her with any men, she'd have put them right out on the streets, curfew be damned.]

Makes sense to keep us distracted with pointless things. Though whatever we're meant to be doing here, I have no clue.

We're rats in a maze.

[ Put there to be entertainment for whoever might be running this place. It's all shit and it's going to continue to be shit. ]

I don't know what lesson or what living with someone for a short time did to prove anything besides that people can. It's just a way for them to be entertained.

Least they can do is offer some decent cheese for motivation. [she crosses her arms tightly over her chest, hates the feeling of being trapped all over again. even if the cage is less visible, the orders less specific or direct. at least with a handler giving her a debriefing on her performance, she knew the routine. here she feels completely lost, and she hates it because it just exposes her underlying reliance on the thing she hates most.

control. every step forward feels like unknowingly walking right into whatever trap the unknown they have set up. how can she know any choice of her own isn't exactly the one this entire set up is trying to push her into. a glitching version of her face turns to suspiciously glare at Jessica, even as her gaze stays steady ahead.]

They could just watch reruns of The Office like everyone else, if they're that bored. Jesus. I'm sick of everyone trying to make their shitty schemes my problem. I was dealing with enough and the first time in my goddamn life I was going to get a chance to be normal- [Ava immediately cuts herself off with a snarl.]

Whoa.

[ And here Jessica thought she had some pent up issues. Looks like she's not the only one. She eyes the other woman for a moment, waiting to see if the outburst was done before shrugging a shoulder. She doesn't disagree because she's damn tired of people sticking their noses into her life and questioning her choices too.

So, she gets it. She understands. ]

What do you mean, get a chance to be normal?

[she breathes out jaggedly, a bit embarrassed at allowing the cracks in her resolve to show. to a total stranger who has no interest nor responsibility for her wellbeing.] I...

[it's all really fucking unfair, but saying so sounds so childish. nothing has ever been fair, it's not as if she has some unique claim over being traumatized. she just needs to handle it better, fingernails digging sharply into her palms.]

I've been sick for a long time. Finally found people willing to help. Developed a treatment plan... [Scott was supposed to go off an collect her more healing particles from the Quantum Realm, and maybe it's for the best she's oblivious to how that ends. because it'd be further proof that the odds are forever stacked against her.] But now I'm stuck here. [and it's an oversimplification of everything, but admitting that she's a killer struggling to integrate into society that went on a revenge streak against a family in a desperate attempt to save her own life is really just too much to share. she's fine self-isolating from the population here already, she doesn't need to give anyone reason to come after her.]

Are you getting sicker?

[ She's not a doctor, she doesn't know what makes a person sick unless they're being obvious about it so it's not like she can tell. Her eyes narrow as she looks over the other woman.

Doesn't look contagious and isn't snotting it up everywhere so Jessica's gonna take this to mean sick in ways she's not aware of. ]

I'd bet the money that I don't have there's some kind of doctor around here that might help.

[Ava visibly tenses at the mention of doctors. maybe it was a mistake to mention that something is wrong with her. she doesn't need a stranger using it as an excuse to poke and prod at her. and she certainly doesn't need to give anyone leverage over her again.] No. It's not the kind of thing that- it's fine, I have it under control. [she doesn't. she has no idea how long Janet's stabilization will hold out. but apparently the dead don't stay so here, so if it comes to that...]

The point was. I was so close to finally getting to just. Live. Free of other people's bullshit. Do something I wanted with my life. Without having to constantly worry if I messed up or didn't perform correctly-

Well, if you did, you fucked up with a lot of other people.

[ Considering she wasn't alone. They were all here, stuck and trapped, and forced to do whatever this place wanted them to do. ]

So, I don't think it's just you, okay? I don't even know if that's what happened. Could be this place just snatched random people to have fun with.

[she wants to claim she did nothing to deserve this, but she can't manage such a lie. in her heart she knows better. knows that no matter how she justifies all the lives she's taken, that the karmic weight of it would crush her eventually. Ava huffs lightly and glares, she highly doubts this was just random selections.]

Sure. But then what? We just let them kick us around until they get bored and toss us away? [like Yelena's sister, who apparently vanished without so much of a warning. the very thing that gnaws at Ava's anxiety, that she can never seem to escape.]

01.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject