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

It was quite unexpected, I agree. [Connor nods.] This place feels more comfortable than where we were before. I predict you will not need to struggle so much for food, Catdog.

[Another firm nod.] How are you feeling? Anything ill?

[Says the monstrous looking robot missing half his face.]

[A soft grumble of protest for the not-name given to him. It's his own fault for not supplying anyone with any kind of name to identify him as, but still. It's annoying, and Connor is annoying, and this entire situation is annoying. Story of his life. He squints skeptically at the android.]

You look like a haunting.

[He would know. He's haunted by terrifying faces very often when he's in his bouts of psychosis, and that right there is enough to scare away the bravest of small babes. The truth is, he's feeling a little ill -- but that's to be expected. He just crammed more food in his mouth than he's had in weeks, all at once. His body craves more more more, and he has to clamp his hands shut and ignore the urge to keep feasting like a ravenous animal.

He should just answer Connor's question with those thoughts, but.

He's petty and uncooperative. So.]

I can assure you I am not a haunting. [Connor tries to smile but gods it is horrific looking.] Do you need more cookies?

[For all his talk of wanting better for Catdog, he's also acutely aware that he's been struggling with food intake the past forever.]

[Could've fooled him and several others, Connor.

But at the question, he scoffs. As much as he'd like to enjoy the overflow of food, his mind can't and won't stop racing about the reason why he'd even woke up here in the first place. Aurora's voice, trying to explain their existence here... Funny. Funny to be face to face with an AI who aims to provide. And here they are, aiming to take away. Just like their own pathetically shortchanged resources: dangled out of reach for so many of them.

Feels wrong. Feels grimy. But what's new there? It's just how it is now.]

... You meet the AI in charge yet?

[Connor currently has no such moral qualms. There is the mission and only the mission to keep in front of him at all times. Whatever it takes, he will do it to achieve their needs and return.

That means trying to keep the resident AI away from his programming by not connecting to any unnecessary networks.]

I am trying not to. I would rather my programming remain as it is.

[Oh. Now isn't that interesting.]

Worried you'll be wired to care?

[Because that's what a robot-guy would worry about, right?

That whatever objective he's got in his head, it'll be turned upside down, make him something else. Ping-pong him from one extreme to another. How exhausting (thinks the man who speaks to phantoms in his head).]

I do care. [In his odd robotic way.] It is the other programming I do not wish to have Aurora touch: our mission parameters.

I always accomplish my mission.

[Always, huh? Makes him wonder what Connor would do, if Max got in the way of any of his mission parameters; Max doesn't particularly want to, but it's something to consider, even if the android had helped him not be a living skeleton before this.

Mmn. Anyway.]

Should probably talk away from here.

[Too close to Aurora. She could probably listen in, if he gets wind they're talking about her and this place.]

[Right now, Connor has no qualms about eliminating obstacles, but in the heat of the moment, who knows.]

Good idea. Should I find a restaurant for you to eat at while we talk?

[Restaurant? He hasn't eaten at a restaurant since he was a child. If you could even call 'em that, at that point. He looks entirely unenthused by the concept of being led around by a golden retriever that aims to please.]

No.

Should get a lay of the land instead.

You're no longer hungry? [Connor supposes Catdog may be full up on cookies.]

[Connor, you fixate too much. And that's coming from him.]

Eat too much, get sick.

[Humans work like that, don't forget. It's easy to overwhelm and stress the body, something that Max is keenly aware of in his lifetime of wandering vast deserts. He stands up, a slight hitch in his step from his bum leg as he moves toward the exit. And predictably, he does not wait for Connor to follow whatsoever.]

Don't worry about food anymore.

[... He's not gonna starve here, that's for sure.]

[Connor follows Catdog like the obedient guardian/caretaker he is. He matches the slower pace as they leave the hospital.]

It seems they have quite the supply chain. We should figure out how and bring it back with us.

That's the idea...

[He looks around as he says it, eyes tracking the Etrayans that come and go through these hallways. Some are confused new arrivals — some seem to know what they're doing already. He doesn't speak for a few minutes, more comfortable with them falling into (potentially one-sided) silence. When he finally speaks again, they've already made some good headway through the streets. All the while, he's watching with the usual flare of paranoia.]

Would be good to know more about the people here.

Assess the danger.

[Connor nods. Assessing a threat level would be ideal before moving forward with the mission. Perhaps Catdog is not the only one with a gun.]

Good idea. Would you like to do that together? [Connor knows he grates at times.]

[Ugh, together. Not very many people he'd ever want to be around, much less work with. But Connor has just barely toed the edge of tolerable for the sake of a mission. Skeptically:]

You gonna talk the whole time?

I try to be helpful, but if I am not helping, I can be quiet. [Connor then will indeed quiet.]

[Excellent. Music to his ears.

And so their mission begins.]

FEBRUARY MINGLE

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slaps a lil bow on this one to go bug your inbox