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

[aimsforknees]

[ John recognizes the signs of paranoia. The things that eat at you even when you're far away. He has them too, is always calculating those kinds of things, he just has more experience. Better control. It makes him... sad, perhaps, that this little girl has that quality to her too. ]

If anything happens when I'm here, I will protect you. Do you want me to walk you back to the apartments so you can take those off?

[ It's sincere, his promise. He will. He wouldn't leave this girl alone to fend for herself. She shouldn't even be here in the first place, fighting for her world, though given her comment about escaping, who knows what she's left behind. ]

[littlestderolo]

[He catches her off guard with his words, with his promise, because she doesn’t expect it. She never expects it. She’s been on her own for so long. She’s been alone for so long. Save for her family’s murderers and their associates. Anyone who’d ever cared about her had died. She’d watched them die.

Or they’d left her. (She tries very hard to not think about Percy. Watching him run away as she’d bled out into the snow outside Whitestone.)

So when people care about her, when they show concern, even for a moment, and offer to protect her, it sends the air rushing out of her lungs in surprise. An emotional suckerpunch. Even now, having escaped Whitestone in the most unexpected way. Even after Yelena had taken her under her wing, here.

Cassandra can’t help the way she looks up at him, surprised and wondering. It’s all worn openly, despite herself.]

I…

[She swallows, around the lump in her throat that’s the desperate desire to ask him why. He’s only just met her. Why would he…

Instead she focuses on the second part. His question.]

No, it’s all right. Better to just [play along with this place, for the moment.] blend in for the moment.

Thank you, though.

[aimsforknees]

[ The expression on her face makes him hurt. No child should ever look like that just because they were offered kindness. It's not right. And now she's here, where bad things are going to continue to happen. ]

My name is John Reese. If anything happens and you need help, you can contact me using the little device we were given. I'll come help you, even if it's something small.

[ He's only voluntarily given his full name out twice now. First to Hikaru, and now to this girl, the same offer both times. He'll help, he won't leave them to fend for themselves. ]

[littlestderolo]

[He just… keeps giving her these emotional sucker punches. It’s almost hard to breathe. He does it so easily. Just… offers to protect her, offers to come to her aid should she need it. A complete stranger. And it’s been years. It’s been years since someone had cared. And she doesn’t know what to do with it. There’s a snarl of complicated emotions knotted in her chest. She wants… she wants to. Believe him. Trust him. Let him.

Let herself

Let herself reach out to him, should she need to. She doesn’t… she doesn’t know if she can. She hasn’t been able to in a long time. Hasn’t been able to let her guard down. Even here. Yelena had been the first to manage it. But maybe. Maybe she can. Maybe she can let herself. There’s a complicated expression on her face. More of that surprise, and wondering, with a scared sort of hope mixed up with them. Longing.

But he’s given her his name. The least she can do is give hers in turn.]

I’m Cassandra. De Rolo. [A last name that she doesn’t want, a last name that doesn’t matter, here, but she gives it all the same. Even if it’s almost immediately followed with] Just Cassandra.

Thank you, Mr. Reese. I… [A soft, unsteady inhalation.] I will. I’ll try.

[aimsforknees]

[ There's that look again, one John can't do anything to solve. Maybe if he were a better person he'd give her a hug, try to be comforting. But he's not. Instead he just gives her a little smile. ]

Do you like to read? There's a library here. It's got lots of books you can borrow and I know a guy who can make good recommendations. There's a nice armchair on the fifth floor.

[ Maybe he can't offer that sort of comfort, but he can offer her a place to be. And of course, the benefit of Cassandra being in the library would be that he's close by, that he can help at a moment's notice, that he knows she's in a secure location. ]

[littlestderolo]

[The little smile is more than enough. He’s already offered her more than she expected. He’s already earned… not quite full-fledged trust, because that’s long since become a very tall mountain to climb with her, no matter the care offered, the promise of protection, but… the beginnings of it. She’s… inclined towards him.

And, of course, she’s more so with the mention of a library. The library in Whitestone Castle had once been her favourite place in all the world. It was too blood-stained, now, too haunted, as the rest of the castle was, for there to be a favourite anything for her there within its walls. It was her prison, nothing more.

That complicated expression on her face fades, the shadows ease just a little, as she almost lights up at the mention of books. She has missed being able to sit, and read. She’s missed being able to sit and read safely.]

Oh yes. Very much so.

[You’ve gone and done it, John. She’s going to be there so, SO often.]

[aimsforknees]

[ John can tell right away that she's happy about the Library. That's good. She should have a safe space to be in, a place to enjoy in this sometimes terrible place. The armchair on the fifth floor is a good place to hide away, too; John himself reads in the reading room, but that's so he has easy proximity to the entrance. ]

I'm there sometimes, so I'll check in if I see you.

[ He is, in fact, there most of the time since he lives there, but he knows how to hide himself away so it's not quite so obvious. She doesn't need him breathing over her shoulder every time she shows up. ]