MISSION 004 WRAP-UP

[etrayamods]

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⏴

Comments

[levindicated]

Of course I do. After you've gone and gotten my interest piqued-

[He looks at Barnabas, at his expression- The softness, how engrossed he is. They have similarities, don't they. ]

A relative of yours?

[Of course, even Barnabas must have had a family.]

[odinpusrex]

[As Cid stares at him, he finally finds it within himself to break his gaze from the photograph and look to him. He cannot be allowing himself to be vulnerable around others, but especially not him. His expression hardens again, though not as much as it might.]

Hope you to uncover that which you may use against me? Do not pretend to hold sympathy for me, Cidolfus. I am not a fool—

[He flips the photograph over to see if there is more to it, a quick and somewhat irritated gesture, but he halts at the instructions there.

He frowns.]

...

[levindicated]

[Of course he has sympathy for Barnabas. In the moments that he's not incredibly fucking angry at him, this is a simple task.]

In case you've forgotten, we're on the same team, aren't we? Any problems we have with each other can wait.

[He follows Barnabas' gaze to the instructions.]

Perhaps the only one seeking to harm you is our captors.

[He crosses his arms.]

I'm not thrilled about this either, you know. I've four of my own pictures.

[odinpusrex]

[He stays silent for a long moment, whether or not he listened to what Cid said to him is honestly up in the air. His brow is furrowed, and he almost seems hesitant to have the photograh face him again. As if looking upon it is a danger to himself.

Perhaps it is.

When he speaks, he does not look at Cid, he keeps his eyes on the instructions.]

The moment in time captured in this image is one of mercy and reward. She is the visage of my mother, bequeathed to me by the Almighty.

[With what vestiges of himself he still has, he hates this. Hates being put in a situation where he has to explain such a vulnerable thing, but what choice does he have?

Why does it have to be Cidolfus?]

[levindicated]

[Cid's mouth sets in a hard line. There is so much to say. There is so much he thinks about this. His heart pounds in his chest as his mind injects him with adrenaline. They don't have time to argue, and besides, he wants time to think about this. They are to discuss.]

[A neutral question, then. One helpful for him.]

When was this?

[odinpusrex]

Long after your demise.

[Over five years, to be exact. Though it is hardly the first time Ultima has done this, but he cares little to share that nugget with Cid unprompted. It is...hardly relevant to the photograph, after all.]

[levindicated]

[Cid shuffles his photographs, then hands the appropriate one to Barnabas.]

I can't be too sure, but I believe it was your Almighty that sent me off.

[And watches his face for his reaction.]

Rather provocative, I think.

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas' eyes slide down to the photograph. His gaze has a conflict of something within it as he furrows his brow, narrowing his eyes as he examines the scene. It isn't anger, and not quite sorrow, but there is something there, even if he is actively repressing it.]

You stood against God, I do not know what you expected.

[His reply is curt and clipped. As if pushed out in order to reply, but he isn't interested in his voice betraying much else. Barnabas' shifts his gaze to Cidolfus properly.]

This could have been avoided.

[The being struck down by God thing, death itself was always inevitable.]

[levindicated]

But I stood with mankind, and I did what I thought was right. I have my regrets, but what can I do?

[Cid takes the picture back and reshuffles it. He sighs as he looks at the next one. He blinks quickly for a moment, pressing back tears. It's Mid.]

What else have you got?

[odinpusrex]

That is what you choose to believe.

[Barnabas says with a low drawl, but as he watches Cid shuffle through and have a reaction, he stares for a moment. Then pulls out the next photograph he has. Whatever that was clearly impacted Cid, and he can hazard a guess what or who it might be of.

Though it can wait, for the photograph he pulls out is one of him and Cid, back when they first met...when Barnabas saved him. His expression becomes a bit unreadable in its stoicism.]

It would seem there is little to explain here.

[levindicated]

You're right.

[Cid pulls the one of Ramuh out.]

...See this is sort of interesting because I'd never seen him like this. I knew what he was wearing, but how can you know what your own face really looks like? Never really had a moment to pop over and look in a mirror in the heat of it.

[He's sort of stalling here. He doesn't want to talk about Mid. There's no one in the world he'd rather see or talk to than her, but it's nice to want things.]

[odinpusrex]

[There is, not quite relief, but something similar that washes over him when Cid is just as willing to not discuss the matter of their meeting, and what it might have meant for them at the time. Something a little too personal and exposing, and he would rather not have to admit the hope he felt when he found Cid.

It would give his departure that much more weight and significance.

As he eyes Ramuh's picture, he does not quite understand why it matters, but he supposes he will humor him, if it furthers them from the previous image.]

He is a wizened sage, did you truly expect him to look youthful?

[levindicated]

Of course not. I just mean... As much as we're meant to identify with them, as much as others see us as these beings, it's just a bit ironic that we never get to see them ourselves.

[It was all a little meandering for his usual poignant point, but he could still feel his heart thrumming. There's no way he was thinking straight.]

[He doesn't want to talk about either of these pictures. But he supposed he'll save Mid for last.]

[Cid hands Barnabas this photo, eerie in its voyeurism like all the others, of Barnabas' own hands fitting his medal around his neck.]

A lifetime ago. Know what I remember about this day? How I'd wondered if I'd earned it. If I deserved the weight of that responsibility. I'd had no interest in violence then as I don't now, but... It wasn't simply about that, was it?

We'd grown close.

[odinpusrex]

I suppose I never cared to look upon myself in such a way. The Creator formed me, formed Odin as he is meant to appear, I need not worry beyond that.

[Though as they move on, Barnabas stares on at the photograph, a snapshot from more his direct memory than Cid's, odd as it is. Indeed, he speaks true, they had grown close, Cid had earned his trust. A feat otherwise thought impossible, and yet he had. As he holds the photograph, his grey-blue eyes tracing over it, he feels a slight twinge in his chest, when he knows he shouldn't.

The pull of nostalgia, but so too the knowledge of what would come that same year. Of the choice he would make, that he had to.]

We had. Whether you recognize it or not, you had earned your place at my side, though I now know you would not appreciate it as I had hoped you would.

Every man is capable of mistakes, and you were mine.

[levindicated]

I'm your mistake! ...And after I'd shown you such a nice time with Ororo.

[He has no option but to deflect. This is too close, too raw. Too personal.]

Well, don't feel bad. We all make mistakes.

[He pats Barnabas on the shoulder. He still has one photo left.]

Let's just get a cup of tea, do a round and go, eh?

[odinpusrex]

[That earns Cid a flat stare, both the comment about their time with Ororo and the pat on his shoulder. He does nothing to remove his hand, but Cid likely can sense his underlying annoyance.]

No.

[He says about as flatly as he is staring at Cid.]

You are deflecting, trying to run away from something. [His eyes flick down to the envelope, then back to Cid's face.] Is there another image?