etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: February 14th - March
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, a mini mission, and some new city features!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, the last remnants of snow are melting in the sunlight as the weather begins to warm up. It's still chilly enough one might want to put on a coat, but not so cold a jacket is necessary for wandering around without freezing off one's fingers.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ heroes return ⏴

As the Quantum Rail train glides to a halt, returning passengers step out onto familiar ground - the train station, right where they had initially begun their mission. When exiting the station, their earpieces vibrate, indicating the automatic download of a detailed map which highlights key locations, transit paths, and notable landmarks. As Aurora promised, she had been working on a few renovations around Etraya! A sleek trolley system now winds through Etraya, following clearly marked pathways through the city bubble to make travel across the city smoother. However, the trolley only moves one way, eternally following the loop Aurora has set it on. And because of this, it takes six hours to complete it's loop all the way around. Don't miss your stop!

Pets and animals have been returned to their usual preferred areas, some awaiting the arrival of their owners, and others keeping to themselves in the forested areas throughout Etraya.

Beyond the small upgrades, things seem relatively unchanged - until one familiar sign catches the eye. One marked by four vertical lines, methodically crossed out one by one: the final slash has now been drawn through. The tally is complete. What it indicates has yet to be made clear, but it has to mean something, right? No one would go through the effort of making an ominous-sounding sign without following through.

⏵ love in the air ⏴

This Valentines Day, Aurora and the companion bots have opted to try something a little different: they have scattered mystery valentines across the city. Hidden within mailboxes, tucked into cafe menus, slipped under doors, on the outside of high windows for those wall-crawlers to spot. There are countless of these little slips of papers, strewn throughout the city. And within each valentine, is a challenge or gesture to complete. Please feel free to make these up yourselves as long as they fit in with the theme!

Some examples include:

Deliver a flower to a stranger.
Write a heartfelt poem for someone.
Share a box of chocolates!
Confess your feelings for another.
Play matchmaker for two people - this can be platonic, or romantic!
Gift a friend with a stuffed animal.
Give five different people a genuine compliment.

While not mandatory, completing five tasks will earn an individual an additional ten points to use towards anything they would like!

Each little Valentine is signed "Your Secret Admirer. ♡", and some of them may even be addressed to specific individuals. Don't be surprised, Eddie, if you see one or two that are specifically addressed to you lurking around your collection of chicken friends!

And while most of these are harmless, some of the valentines cards come with effects for those who come into contact with the paper. Perhaps they thought it was a piece of garbage, or were just kicking it out of the way rather than intending on taking part. It doesn't matter! They get to join in on the fun, too.

Heart Eyes - your pupils literally turn into hearts for a few hours, making it hard to focus on anything other than things (or people) you find attractive.
Love-Struck Stammer - You can only speak in poetic compliments or romantic declarations, regardless of whom you're speaking to.
Chocolate Bliss - Everything feels good. Simple. Easy. As if there's nothing in the world to concern yourself with. You feel happy, without any concerns or worry.
Rose-Tinted Vision - everything looks soft and romantic, as if you're in a romance novel. You know the ones.
Magnetic Attraction - regardless of what you had been doing, you suddenly find yourself unable to leave the side of the person closest to you. Had you been eating chocolates while walking down the street? Well, have fun getting stuck to the guy who'd been out for a jog!
Serenade Syndrome - you find it impossible to resist the urge to sing your words, turning all conversations into love ballads.
Heartstrings - A thread appears, connecting you to someone close by who you share many similarities too. Perhaps you had never met this person before, but the threads tied around your pinky fingers that refuse to let go until you allow yourself to open up to them clearly means you should be a little more familiar with them.

Love is in the air—or maybe just a bit of well-intended chaos! 💕

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome back from the mission, and welcome to Etraya for our newcomers! We've tried to keep this log simple for an easy introduction, as well as some downtime for our mission-goers who worked hard to solve the Quantum Rail mystery.

There is something else going on, but. . . well, no one seems to know what! The computer that had been on the lower floor of the hospital is now missing, and Aurora may seem a little flustered as she flits around Etraya, in search of something.

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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Who is "she" Connor?

[ On the bright side, Connor being the most annoying vacuum cleaner ever invented, is helpful. It took him all of five minutes for that one panic attack to become a distant memory. ]

The same person who gave you your orders.

[Connor won't say it out loud but he's being quite annoying about it.]

Why would you be bound to made-up hierarchies, you're the android sent by Cyberlife.

[Not that Robert gets it, but he assumes Connor isn't bound to a perceived human leader. Unless there's some sort of ownership registration and he's hers.]

I believe I have been compromised. [No shit sherlock. Connor is in literal pieces.] My programming was affected as well.

[Of course. That should be their first priority then, get the robot to have freedom of choice.]

Let's try getting you fixed up then.

Fixing me is not the priority of the mission. [Which he can't talk about either, so why stick to it.]

Fixing you would make you more capable of fulfilling your mission. Don't argue with me.

[Fixing him would make everyone a lot more leeway regarding what they have to do here. They all have to be on the same side, otherwise the whole thing will be more of a nightmare than it is already.]

Of course. My apologies, doctor. [Connor defers back to politeness and niceties.] I will not argue further.

Robert.

[This is further evidence Connor's more than a vacuum. Not that he'll say it out loud.]

Robert.

[Connor is still a bit stiff as Robert's orders conflict with those of the mission. He cannot put himself first while they have work to do.]

Good.

[And since Connor seems to have some feelings about the robots, Robert will ask them about the supplies. They seem happy to answer questions, and apparently won't stop them from checking the first couple of lower levels. It's bizarre.

Once they have the information, he pulls Connor aside.]

It doesn't look like they'd even blink if we took stuff.

Would that not draw attention to ourselves if we take supplies?

[Connor will follow Robert into the fire, but they don't want smoke following them around.]

It would. That's why we're not doing it yet.

[They have to blend in and play nice.]

We should learn more about the place, figure out how and when the supplies get in. Blend in.

[Which would be easier if Connor got repaired.]

Of course. I could canvas the local area.

[Because asking questions won't be suspicious.]

See if you can find the parts to self-repair. Do you have the list?

[He has a busted prosthetic arm so that's an excuse to find a mechanic.]

I do, yes. It's right here. [Connor reaches into his jacket and pulls out the neatly printed list for Robert to take.]

[Robert takes the list and puts it in his pocket.]

I'll look into this, we can regroup in a couple of days.

[Connor nods firmly.] Of course, Robert. I will continue with our mission until then.

Check in with me before doing anything that might harm you. You getting taken out would compromise the mission.

[Maybe prioritizing the mission is the way to go to stop the vacuum from losing any more parts.]

[Connor nods.] I will notify you before I take any such actions.

[Will that stop Connor from putting the mission first? Nope.]

[He'll take it. Hopefully he won't lose any more fingers.]

Do you wish for continued company or would you prefer I investigate on my own?

[Connor seems pleased to do either at this point; he's generally unflappable.]

Let's split up. It'll be better for the mission if the locals don't associate us.

[Let's all pretend we are working towards a common goal.]

Of course. [Connor nods and takes a few steps back from Robert.] I'll alert you to any new information I find.

[And then he's off!]

FEBRUARY MINGLE

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