November Mingle

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: November 22nd - Early December
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, and an unexpected guest!
NOTES\WARNINGS: N/A, please note any needed warnings in threads.

⏵ arrival ⏴ Welcome to Etraya! Arrival goes as expected - or it would, except it is not just Aurora that greets the newcomers as they arrive. Certainly they receive their earpiece so they can communicate with one another as those before them have, however there is what seems to be a woman waiting for them that is of a more flesh and blood persuasion as they leave the hospital. She carries an air about her that isn't quite like the newcomers themselves, but she is decidedly not one of the companion bots, nor Aurora. She has bone-straight blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, with a straight-cut fringe hanging above her eyes. The black dress that ends just before her mid-thighs also has a rather revealing neckline, though the sleeves which cover her arms almost feel like a mockery of modesty considering the rest. She is also wearing black stockings and black pumps, and the red of her lipstick is striking against the extreme contrast in shades she otherwise holds. As each newcomer independently files out of the hospital, she makes certain to garner their individual attention, either with a wave of her hand, a wiggle of her fingers, or directly calling them over. She is persistent, and with being so new, it is wise to heed her. Not that anyone can force one to, if they choose to walk away, nor does she seem interested in trying to, but she has her means for those proving stubborn. However, those who aren't... “Hey! I know you’re not just walking past me. I’ve got- you know, plot relevant, written all over me. I picked this dress out just for you, you know?’ “C’mere, listen up. Mama’s got a little bit of homework for you, but it’s gonna help you, too, okay? I need you to go find the hot goss, the piping hot tea on the street for me. Find out what everyone’s saying about the people we’re stuck with, okay? People are a lot more relaxed and honest when they talk about others, right? This is about efficiency. Efficiency, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll be in the trenches, too. But make sure you come find me again. I’ll be around here, okay? I know you’re as confused as I am. Well no. I’m much less confused than you are. But if you can tell me about the people here, I’ll tell you more about where you are and what this is about.” For those who ignored her, or those not newly arrived, they will receive a message through their earpiece: “Girl. Hey. Listen. I’m kind of in a pinch, okay? I need like… a little favor. But its a fun favor! I need you to get your girl some info. I need the word on the street, honey. I need the tea piping hot- I need you to go talk to your friends, enemies, frenemies, butt buddies, cousins, and have them tell you about anyone they know. I need straight facts and good gossip on everyone here. And then get back to me. Kisses. And this isn’t something for nothing. If you bring me some good goss, you’ll get some good info in turn about your whole situation. Cause that’s what you’re missing most besides home, right? Context.” ⏵ spill the tea ⏴ Tatianna having now tasked everyone (new and old) with finding out more about their fellow inhabitants—if not for their sake, for her curiosity—and in exchange she will give them valuable information that may aid them with acclimating here, or something far more valuable depending on how hot the goss is! However, she will not just hand out her secrets so easily, and so she will need one piece of gossip about each inhabitant. So she expects everyone to get mingling and talking, she isn't a charity here! To assist in this, the companion bots have set up cozy little wicker daybeds around the main hub of the city. All of which are suspiciously cozy and warm once you have sat down on them, but especially so with the accompanying aroma of the tea wafting from the kettle which rests on the center table, accompanied by sweetmeats. The tea itself also stays warm despite the cool autumn air, and so long as you stay within the daybeds, the biting chill won't reach you either. However, the tea is not only perpetually the right temperature, but it seems to have a way of loosening one's tongue. Especially the more one imbibes it. Did you mean to share that secret that might not have been yours to begin with? Or that personal detail about your best friend that wasn't meant to be known by anyone but who they themselves have told? Probably not, but the cat is out of the bag now, isn't it? Well, hopefully word won't get around...after all, it isn't likely who you are talking is going to tell everyone else, right? Right? Adding to the oddity of it all, the tea one drinks might not be the same tea that their companion is drinking, despite it pouring from the same kettle. What might be one person's earl grey, is another's pumpkin spice chai. Whatever it may be that pours out, it certainly seems to be to one's liking, or its closest approximation. There's probably some deeper meaning in that, some sort of symbolism one might surmise from the nature of sharing gossip and it being tainted by personal bias, but who cares about navel gazing about such a thing? After all, this is meant to be an enjoyable endeavor! Getting to know your fellow inhabitant should feel as comfortable as catching up with an old friend. What better way than to do it by sharing tea you both will enjoy? ☕ ⏵ close knit ⏴ As the tail end of November draws nearer, people will have already begun to see the first flakes of snow. It grows colder, and while there isn't quite a blizzard or a snow storm happening, the snow does not seem to let up with its descent. It doesn't quite get so cold that it is untenable, of course, but it would be advisable to bundle up! In fact, the companion bots seem to be on the case with assisting in just that! Around the city people will find groups of companion bots busily knitting sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats, and so forth. In fact, the moment they see someone they clock as not quite bundled enough, they will insist on supplying them with whatever they deem as being without. Are you already wearing a scarf? Well, clearly you need two of them! How about the gloves? Couldn't hurt to have several pairs! However, that isn't all that's available to people, after all there are cafes out and about where one might get a hot beverage to help fight off the cold, but for those less inclined for such establishments, the companion bots are here to serve! There is at least one companion bot per knitting group that seems to have hot cocoa on hand. If they see someone who is looking particularly cold (almost everyone is, the companion bots aren't particularly keen on the signs of successful temperature regulation), they will have a paper cup of hot cocoa imposed upon them that has their name on the side. Or, sort of. It is at least a close approximation of their name, or maybe it is an alternate spelling? Really, who can blame the bots for getting confused, there are so many of you! ⏵ snow more games ⏴ The snow is here to stay, but that doesn't mean that it has to be a bad thing! With everyone well supplied in their winter garb, the companion bots have set up spots for fun activities! Perhaps the inhabitants would enjoy a fun snowball fight, or some sledding? Some of the waters have frozen over, so ice skating is always a possibility too. Though one might want to be careful if they are to venture past what the companion bots have marked as safe. Some of the companion bots are trying their best at making a snowman, but all their efforts seem to come out rather...square. They're trying their best, but maybe they can learn by following the inhabitant's examples. There are others that will offer gold star stickers to those who seem to dominate in the snowball fights, but unfortunately the stickers don't stick too well with all the snow. Well, they tried! People will still find bots out and about with nice warm beverages available to fight off the cold, too. That service will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. Similarly, if someone comes out who is a little too under-dressed for the weather, the bots might have to pick up those knitting needles again, so be sure to put on your winter clothes..! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ To report information to Tatianna, do so here! She will only give each person their rewarded information once she has a bit of information on each character in the game. Each bit of gossip does not require a thread to count though it should be IC knowledge gained through IC means. Try to check what gossip has been given to her already, because doubling up will not yield results! Good luck! For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[pethetic]

[dear

god

this guy talks a lot. Till doesn’t say a thing as Cato prattles on, but his eyebrow twitches with irritation. when he’s done, Till lets out a sound somewhere between a sigh and grumbled growl.]

But…

[Till is massaging the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, brow twitching in irritation. normally, even if he wasn’t necessarily on board, he might at least admire this guy’s gusto; it’s got a rebellious flavor to it… but see: bad fucking couple of days.]

What makes you think you have to give her anything?

I’m not. I don’t even know who the hell that lady was. Why waste your energy?

[besides that he’s…clearly got some to waste.]

[furtitude]

In case she actually has something. Or, in case she doesn't but the way she lies about it gives something away.

[Little Cato looks around at the almost idyllic scene around them. Cute robots knitting sweaters! Snowball fights! Cozy tea nooks!]

I...

I don't trust this place. Or that somebody decided to just...kidnap and make us do stuff.

[He looks at the scene around them is as if he's expecting something dangerous to spring out of the Rockwell-esque tableau. Even as his body language is slightly more relaxed, just a normal guy drinking tea normally, his ears are upright and scanning around like little radar dishes at any sounds. Like any minute now, he'll hear a gunshot and watch the festive winter scene suddenly get stained with crimson.]

[(Okay, so maybe he's not the most trusting.)]

I don't like not knowing if they're lying or not.

[pethetic]

[that catches Till’s eyes, even if just through a glance at the corner of his eyes. Till doesn’t know what the hell cats are, nor has he really seen…many mammals period, but even he can kind of read Cato’s body language for what it is.

Cato’s distrust, funnily, makes Till .5% more trusting.]

Of course you shouldn’t trust this place, [Till grinds out, scratching the inside of his ear with a drill of his pinky.]

Like you said, they kidnapped us. And they’re making us do all kinds of stupid shit, and I’m sure it’s for a deeper reason than just trying to get something stupid like gossip.

[that may sound jaded, but he’s earned it!]

But also like… what’s even your end goal? What could you possibly learn from her that’d justify even complying half way?

[furtitude]

My fath -

The guy who raised me. [A distinction he's making now, for the man who lied to him his whole life.] He used to say that if you don't know the right thing to do, find the least trustworthy person you know and do the exact opposite of what they'd do.

[A pause.]

Basically, you can still get things out of liars. Like people's lies can tell you what they care about. What they're protecting.

[pethetic]

[Till’s eyebrows raise, like that’s tickled a good part of his brain, eyes on the surface of his tea. he still thinks it’s moot in terms of applicability, but maybe good advice in general. after all, Till never really had human guidance of any kind—at least outside of when he was like…a baby.]

Huh…okay.

…But, even so.

How does that benefit you?

[Till’s actually facing Cato now.]

You care about what she cares about? What she’s protecting? Why? That’s what I don’t get.

[furtitude]

That's how you find someone's weaknesses when they're stronger than you. So you can attack them. Or find a way to escape that they're hiding. Or find out a plan you can stop because they don't think you can figure it out.

People that control other people sometimes get cocky, especially if they think you're weak and don't know anything. And sometimes they leave something important out in the open.

[The tone suggests possible experience.]

You read between the lines and get information from different places to do stuff with it.

[He says it all like this is just...obvious. The digging, and the watching, and the obsessively squirming through every possible gap. The trying to pull your way free the second your enemy slips, even if you have to drag yourself by the claws. The piecing together of plans to not be fooled and maybe to fool your captor instead.]

[When he'd been captured, he'd attacked at every perceived opening, tried to pry at every possible exit. And even though it had taken someone helping him from the outside: he'd been ready. And his rescuers had needed him to be. At other times, they'd almost figured out Lord Commander's plans in time to beat him - almost.]

[He knows sometimes a fight is futile. So many are. But not all of them. Even his crew's failures had taught him that - there had sometimes been an option they'd overlooked.]

If this whole thing is a weird lie and they're just doing something shady, I want out. I wanna go home.

[And he'll use whatever he can to get there.]

[...within reason. He's not going to do anything that hurts other trapped people here. They're innocent. But the people that grabbed them might turn out to be free game.]

[And he wants to go home even though his universe will probably fall apart and die anyway, after everything went to shit there. But if it does end, he wants to be there with his crew when it does. That kind of makes it even more important to get there.]

[pethetic]

[…cocky, thinks they’re weak…

Till’s reminded of his Guardian—his owner, really—and feels a hot wave of rage. towards him, of course, for all the abuse he suffered…but also for how unrelatable this perspective is. there was no fighting him. Till tried constantly. there were ways out, though…

Till’s friend had figured it out-even tried to take Till by the hand to freedom…and Till turned his back, because he couldn’t bear to leave the person he loved behind.

was it just him?

well, that friend was kind of a unique case, actually. if it were as simple as Cato said, there’d be far fewer human pets… still, Till feels like him and Cato maybe have some similarities…

ugh. Till’s not trying to think about that guy right now.]

Alright. That’s where you and I differ, I guess. I don’t wanna go home.

[as soon as he says it, it feels—off. that girl he’d gone back for, before…he’d died in her lap. she’s still home. can he really condemn his universe, then? but…she was in the same place he was. the same deadly situation. was she even still…

god, thinking about her makes him so unbearably sad. he just can’t get his mind anywhere comfortable.]

…

[Till still doesn’t correct himself. he’s unsure.]

Whatever, fine. I don’t give a shit about any of this, so I…I’ll give you a fake secret. You’re giving me a headache.

[furtitude]

[Some similarities...]

[It's impossible for Till to know it now, but Cato's occasional moments of rage are similar to his own. Especially whenever he thinks of an alien's razor sharp teeth flashing in the light of the fires in the killing field.]

["If I sense doubt in you ever again, remember this: I own your son." The dead vines, telekinetically reinforced, had squeezed even harder around him, until he could barely breathe, as if his whole body was being clutched in a massive hand. "And now I own you."]

[They have some. Maybe they'll eventually figure it out someday.]

[Right now, though, Cato perks up at Till agreeing, ears upright and alert, the tip of his tail flicking happily.]

Okay, hit me. And then I'll give you one in case you decide to talk to the lady for answers, too.

[Till might change his mind later, after all. Maybe not about going home (because his home might suck, for all Cato knows) but about wanting some answers.]

[pethetic]

Alright.

[Till rubs his chin, scowling. it's...kind of hard to think of a lie. Till has actual secrets, and...some drama going on that definitely would be good for gossip... but thinking of a lie is a little bit tough.]

Hmmm...

[well...unfortunately...Till has had some of the tea..... thankfully only a little bit, but... it has its effects, and Till's not aware of its influence. when he's sober from its effects, Till will probably be tearing his hair out.]

I—

killed someone...

[not exactly true, but not exactly pure fiction.]

[furtitude]

I don't know if that'd work. Like, who doesn't kill people sometimes?

[The prospect of killing being some source of shame is hard for him to wrap his head around. Killing good people? Sure. Generally killing? Nah.]

[There are different types of danger. On Tera Con Prime, the violence came from control, but everywhere else it's what his dad had one time called "the wild west" in reference to some old Earth thing. Almost everyone packs a weapon of some kind and a gunfight can break out almost anywhere. People do whatever they have to, to survive.]

[It occurs to him that some of the ritzier worlds have rich people who don't have to worry about it, though. They hire guards so they don't have to get their hands dirty. They'd probably think killing was scandalous.]

[Or maybe some other people's worlds are super safe. Maybe in the vast wide multiverse, "bounty hunter" isn't a totally viable career choice for a 14-year-old boy like that time he almost became one. In worlds out there that are safe, killing would be some huge thing.]

[A totally alien concept.]

I guess it might work if she thinks you're from a world where most people don't do that.

[It occurs to him that depending on what kind of world Till is from, sounding so comfortable with killing might come off...wrong. And he doesn't have much contact with other people close to his age. That's why it'd meant so much to have his crewmates Fox and Ash become his friends.]

[And why it hurts so much now that Fox is gone and Ash is...she's so lost. Just so, so lost.]

[He doesn't want the people close to his age here to think he's some kinda psycho. Like many teens his age, he wants to see how many doors are open when it comes to being liked and maybe making friends.]

[The tea is also making him a little more prone to loose lips, too.]

Nnnoot that killing is totally okay all the time back home. It's just for us, there's... there's a lot of bad people that hurt people for stupid, selfish reasons. So sometimes you have to protect yourself.

My crew tries to be good though and not hurt anyone innocent, just the people always trying to kill us. Which they do, like, a lot.

[pethetic]

[if only Till knew about the rebellion in his home world—this would all sound a lot more familiar. so he doesn’t, and he just puzzles at Cato no verbally.]

Hm…

[any more specificity was too close to reality: saying it was his friend… plus, even saying it with plausible deniability would probably rattle him too much. it sort of already had, a bit. oops.]

That makes sense, I guess.

[Till rubs his temple, scowling.]

Gossip doesn’t have to be so dramatic, anyway… Not that I’m tryna embarrass myself over here even with a lie.

Here, how about let’s try with you first. My head’s somewhere weird…

[furtitude]

[Phew, crisis averted. Some other teenager maybe doesn't think he's cool (yet!) but doesn't think he's uncool.]

Okay, um...

[He tries to think of something that'd cause scandal. Maybe even something close to the truth would be fine? But a lot of the things even close to being a secret in his life are secret because they're painful. They're the quiet hurts that happened when he was in bad situations, like when he was imprisoned by Lord Commander, or trapped alone in the time shard.]

[A bunch of little doors he even keeps shut in himself.]

[Something else. He needs something else, something he can live with.]

[The thing he says is more the truth than he'd like. It makes him think of a terrible time - terrible times, since it'd been the second time he lost his father - but at least it's something done for good reason, and then undone. The mix of the tea and those facts makes it slip out through his lips.]

I shot my own father.

[Why that one, though? Normally he'd keep that a little closer to the vest. But...maybe he can live with it. And the fact it's true means extra protection for someone using it as their gossip. He wouldn't even be making something up.]

He was possessed by this super evil being and trying to kill my other dad. Luckily, he survived and got un-possessed, so it turned out okay.

[Until he was revealed to be a liar and not even his real father, but he manages to keep a lid on that, even with the tea working against him. Working really hard to pry his mouth open.]

But that'd sound super dramatic for someone like her. And it's true, which means it's extra safe for you to share without her figuring out it's a lie. Also, I don't care if it gets spread around because it means any jerks in this place will know not to mess with me.

[pethetic]

[Till isn't—super familiar with the word being used in this manner, but more or less pieces it together through context what this "father" figure means.

Till listens patiently, mostly because he's not sure what to say. in all, he feels kind of... bad... for him. he guesses no matter the universe, there's no real way to get away from those kinds of tragedies... he also feels bad because it's a truth. and this guy came up to Till asking for a lie!

it feels so unbalanced.

he rubs the back of his neck. he didn't even want to get involved in the first place, but now... ugh. he feels like he owes it.]

You didn't have to tell me something that painful, especially if it's true... Jeez.

Um.

[ugh, Till can't give the whole truth, but he can't think of anything else... it's dramatic, he doesn't really care if it circulates (he's not sure what Ivan will think of it, but he doubts Ivan will take it seriously—and besides, Till's pettily kind of mad at him).]

To expand on my—lie... If she bugs you, you can tell her I really did kill my friend.

Kind of like...

[he falls silent just a moment, trying to thread it together. he can't lie completely, because of the tea...but since he's ingested so little...]

Maybe... He had some kind of illness, and I could have cured it. But it would have required sacrificing someone I loved, so I turned my back on him. And eventually, the illness took him, so I'm responsible. I guess.

[furtitude]

It's okay, I've made my peace with it, with mine.

[That actually isn't untrue but it's also not...great. To have enough traumatizing things happen in your life that "oh yeah, he turned out to not have died and also lots of worse things happened" kind of makes you mentally slot something that should mess you up as "resolved."]

With yours, I'm not gonna get into your business, but that just sounds like a crappy situation where it was impossible to save everyone, and at least one person was always screwed.

[If one person always had to die no matter what, then...it just sucked, and no one could be faulted for deciding not to be the arbiter of who had to die.]

That's not the same as taking someone out. Trust me. [In his case, he has killed so many. Like a super big number of people, enough he kind of stopped counting.] It just...hits different when you can't save a friend.

[He thinks of Nightfall, far off in the distance, with the dimensional keys in an array behind her. How the destructive light from Mooncake was briefly blinding until...nothing was left.]

[The expression on his face is extremely gentle. Not pitying, just gentle, the way someone might be with a friend who's just mentioned something unfortunate that happened.]

So we don't have to use that one. We can make one up. Or even if you're okay with it in general, she doesn't need to know who. Or why.

[That makes it more personal, all the nitty gritty.]

[And Till isn't something to be used at his own expense.]

[pethetic]

[well, at least that snaps Till out of his miserable, wet-cat expression.]

It is made up!!

[said maybe too defensively. but yeah, it's not the same as murder. Till quirks his lip, trying to think of another lie—his head's been so damn gloomy, and he's already such an angry angstpot as of the last decade or so, it's hard to think of something more lighthearted. and also something that saves embarrassment...

Till wiggles his back against the rest of the daybed nook. he blinks, remembering when he performed Unknown, and smashed his innocent animate guitar (not alive!! not exactly!), Freddy, into guts and bits of something like plastic. probably his most controversial show.]

Oh.

[he blinks over at Cato. per the thrall of the tea... this one isn't even a lie, but he thinks it's easy to misunderstand, so it'll work for him as what sounds like a fib.]

If we don't use that one, we can say I like... [Till tries to think of how to phrase it. "smashed the guts out of" sounds.....incorrect. uh] disembowled? Something on stage live, during a show.

[furtitude]

Oh. I just - I just thought -

[The tone got a little confessional, that's it.]

[But whoops, ha ha, it was just the story and him thinking it was real made the guy want to change stories.]

[Embarrassed, he moves the conversation on and tries to recover.]

Never mind, the disembowelment thing is perfect. It sounds super dramatic.

I never caught your name, by the way. So I know who to tell her the secret belongs to.

SHIT i'm sorry i missed this notif T _T

[pethetic]

[Cato isn't wrong—Till's just an avoidant, defensive baby.]

—Oh. Right. I'm Till, [he answers, tension dissolving.]

Who're you?

[this guy's pretty okay, Till's decided. he won't let down his guard, but he's decided he's nice enough.]

Re: SHIT i'm sorry i missed this notif T _T

[furtitude]

[Little Cato's thoughts are the same. A little prickly at first, but this guy is okay too. Maybe he just needs people to be friendly at him. Cato comes from a world where a lot of people have reasons to be on edge - he's been in that place himself in worse times.]

Little Cato.

[He finally gets up.]

I'm gonna go get more secrets. I'll see you around?

[He starts to skip off in a way that could possibly be called a "scamper" but suddenly stops and turns back.]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

[He comes back over and holds up his fist for a fist bump.]