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

[redsquares]

[For what it's worth, James looks relatively unfazed, even though he does still ask-]

So magic's real where you come from? I saw someone use it while we were all trying to cook, too.

[Or at least... he thinks it was magic.]

[reapoman]

[ Well, at least James is chill about it. He's never given anyone the whole "magic is real" talk, so he honestly had no idea what to expect. ]

It is. Supposed to be secret, though. This place has kind of thrown me for a loop about it.

[redsquares]

Oh.

[Well, he can't relate in that way specifically, but-]

I'm starting to feel that magic isn't that shocking of a revelation for many people here. If that's why it's a secret in your universe, I mean. Even before this place, the concept wouldn't have shocked me too much after all I've been through.

I don't know if that's a relief or not, though...

[reapoman]

After arriving here? No, I guess something like magic would be trivial.

[ This city and its purpose are kind of a lot to take in. "Wizards are real lol" doesn't seem like that big of a deal by comparison. ]

And just what have you been through?

[redsquares]

[Is it James' turn to speak a little more openly about what happened thanks to the magic of gossip tea? It remains to be seen — he always would have spoken about this part, in a general sense, to anyone who asked.]

I was visiting a town that changed itself depending on... someone's inner fears. It was like hell, trying to survive. There were monsters everywhere.

[No magic, technically, but definitely something supernatural and spooky at play.]

[reapoman]

Damn.

[ Even Ivan's got to admit that's a new one, but maybe not something totally out of the realm of possibility. He's learned that a lot of the cosmic forces in the universe have a sense of irony, if not an outright sense of humor. ]

Did you make it out?

[redsquares]

It took a few tries.

[His brows scrunch as they walk. There's something odd about that statement to him, even if he was the one who spoke it. Like it doesn't quite slot into his mind the way it should — did it take a few tries? No, it only took one, though maybe it felt like he was stuck there forever.

He sets the thought aside, scrubbing at his face briefly with a mitten-covered hand.]

But... yeah. Almost didn't. [Make it out alive — in more ways than one. He definitely feels no need to bring that up, tea or otherwise.] And then I get rewarded with being here. At least I'm not the only one.

[reapoman]

[ If Ivan notices that moment of oddness, he doesn't see fit to remark on it. Being through something that hellish is bound to cause all kinds of confusion. Surely it's nothing more than that. ]

The robots are definitely easier to survive. If annoying sometimes.

[redsquares]

[It’s probably fine.]

Ha… well, I meant I’m not the only one from my universe here. Did you run into any familiar faces, too?

[reapoman]

Oh. No, I can't say I have.

[ Granted, most of the faces Ivan runs into back home are dead people so. Maybe it's good they're not here.

(lol. lmao. if he only knew.) ]

Are they friendly familiar faces, at least?

[redsquares]

…Uh. Sure.

[He sounds real confident about that. (He doesn’t even know about Vincent being from his universe, too, as of right now.)]

One’s a teen girl named Heather. She’s been through a lot, too, apparently, but she seems earnest enough.

The other woman, she’s…

[A long, notable pause.]

Maria. She’s a friend. [lol]

[reapoman]

[ You could drive a truck through that pause, so of course Ivan takes notice. ]

I've met Maria. She's been friendly enough to me. You seem a little... unsure.

[redsquares]

[James takes on an awkward air, implementing another pause before he replies. He doesn’t want to be unfair to Maria, because she wasn’t exactly given a lot of choice when it came to anything at all, but…

It’s complicated.

And this time, the tea does make him looser-lipped.]

She had [has?? had??? has??!?] a… a thing for me. She came on kind of strong, and I had to tell her pretty firmly that I didn’t feel the same way. She didn’t take it…

[Uh.]

…well. So things are a little awkward now. But she hasn’t tried to tear my head off yet, so I guess that’s progress.

[reapoman]

Ah.

[ Yeah, that's about all he has on that one. Affairs of the heart are so far off Ivan's radar that he doesn't really know what to do with this information now that he has it. ]

Being here probably changes some priorities around.

[redsquares]

Yeah, we've all got other things to worry about right now.

[And maybe Maria can figure out what to do with herself, now that she's surrounded with other people.

James walks a few more paces, then screws up his face a little belatedly.]

...I don't know why I phrased any of that that way. Don't tell her I said that, okay?

[reapoman]

I'll do my best. I'm not usually one to gossip, but things seem to be slipping out a little easier today.

[ He doesn't want to get in the middle of whatever's going on with James and Maria, though. It sounds exhausting. ]

[redsquares]

[Buddy, you have no idea.]

I'm finding that out in real time. [aaaaa it's fine, it's fine] How fortunate for that Tatianna woman.

[reapoman]

Too fortunate, surely.

[ This was a set-up!! ]

I'm beginning to think I need to swear off the food and drink in this place.

[redsquares]

[It was definitely a set-up. Great. James should skip all the suspicious drinks, too, but how's a guy supposed to tell something legit versus something questionable? And the tea was nice, too, if that's the culprit.]

And do what, starve instead?

[He huffs. Sir?]

[reapoman]

I don't need to eat.

[ Pause. It seems he's still prone to just Saying Things. ]

Ah, hell.

[redsquares]

[The Ivan lore Expands. James thought he was just joking, but oh. Apparently not.]

...At all?

[reapoman]

[ Well, the proverbial cat is wriggling its way out of the bag. Might as well just let it go. ]

Pretty much. I'm not human.

[redsquares]

Oh.

[This would have been a more shocking revelation had he not experienced Silent Hill and/or traveled the multiverse to end up here.]

...What are you, then?

[James just assumed he was a human that knew magic. Like a wizard or something silly like that.]

[reapoman]

[ the rest of my ocs suddenly
]

I'm a grim reaper.

[redsquares]

[SOMETHING SILLY LIKE A WIZARD,,,,

Okay, wait. What?]

Sorry, what? Like, "black hood and scythe" grim reaper?