FEBRUARY MINGLE

[etrayamods]

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⏴

Comments

Shelley Lang | oc

[dustyroad]

Valentines

[The Tally was unnerving, but Shelley didn't know enough about the larger picture to even start hazarding guesses-- especially with the introduction of a rail system, his sceen reader sputtering and stammering over the map as it tried to interpret the data into a simple, verbal form, and the hustle and hustle over the last few weeks wearing on him enough that he just wanted to retreat into the woods.

It wasn't that simple, especially when a little mockingbird flapped into his face when he returned to his apartment and threw a paper Valentine at him.]

Damnit, Mandy. What is--?

[He squinted at the pink and red card, then held it out at arm's length to focus.]

Give a stuffed animal to.... Oh no no no.

[He shook his head.

So it goes.

Later on, at the coffee shop, he would approach anyone who looked lonely and offer them a rainbow colored squid of a plush toy, complete with heart eyes.]

Hey, you're looking like you could use a friend right now...

Take it. It's for you.

[Please. Don't ask questions. Especially about the little gray bird napping in his wide brimmed, leather hat]

wildcard!

[Don't see a prompt you like? Make one up. 20+ for drinks, older than that if you want to ship tease. Hit me up at woodrift for plotting. ]

Valentines

[welcome_summer]

[Mayuko was waiting for one of the afternoon trolleys to roll around when Shelley approaches. She seems to be sitting by herself, but as soon as the squid plushie is extended, a white paw reaches up from her lap to bat at the dangly tentacles.

Of course someone would find a rainbow Marcy...., she thinks ruefully.]

Thank you-- it has met with Daichi's seal of approval.

[The large cat in her lap sits up with a stretch as Mayuko receives the squid. As the bird is being still, he focuses on the new toy.

With her other hand, she rummages through a collection of paper slips.]

Give me one moment, I need to get started on these, too....

[dustyroad]

No rush-- and no pressure. We've all got the same kinda challenge, right?

[Giving something to someone...along with the other mission of winning whatever game they were entangled in to save their worlds.

The little bird sitting on his hat was content to stay there for the moment, as long as the cat wasn't a threat. Shelley just offered a relieved smile ]

I'm glad someone likes the squid. I didn't know what to do with all the weird toys that they had in the shop. None of them looked particularly romantic.

[welcome_summer]

Ain't that the truth!

[She returns the smile easily. The stakes for everyone are so high... if Aurora is to be believed. Reaffirming the community bonds, after dividing the population between four disparate groups for weeks, would be a priority if she were running things.

She plucks up a Valentine, does some quick counting on her fingers as she mutters before she clears her throat and declaims:]

Things can be made "cute"
When presented in a way
That is most charming.

[dustyroad]

Oh.... poetry?

[It took him by surprise, but he smiled when he realized what it was. ]

On the spur of the moment, too? You're pretty good!

[welcome_summer]

[She makes a shallow bow from her seat.]

Thank you--far, far in the past, composition on the fly was a must-have for court life. Not much called-for nowadays, but I am glad that it pleased!

valentines

[lastonetodie]

[ The Custodian certainly looks lonely, though he's not unoccupied. He has several books stacked up at his table, and is slowly working his way through one so he can be certain he's absorbed the information correctly - the Drzyr had long ago abandoned books, preferring audio recordings as their medium of choice.

He glances up. ]

I am not in need of assistance. [ But he does obligingly put down his book and take the plush toy, looking it over in curiosity. ] What is the purpose of this gift?

[dustyroad]

It's-- it's to keep you company.

[Shelley explained, lifting his glasses off to see if he could focus better on the stranger.]

I don't know if you follow it, but there's a holiday about giving gifts going on right now. Not the Big Winter one, the Smaller Winter one.

[A shrug. He had no idea how to explain what Valentine's Day was.]

The Big Winter Holiday is sometimes said to be about celebrating the winter solstice. The Smaller Winter Holiday is about being with people who care while the days are still pretty dark.

[lastonetodie]

I am unfamiliar with such holidays. They are customs that are surely familiar to your world, but not to mine.

[ Whatever strangeness translates alien language brings words, but no concepts. He himself had never experienced the seasons, only artificial facsimiles of the homeworld environment the Drzyr had long ago left behind. ]

Winter is...some sort of season, in which your star's...light fluctuates? [ He's trying to bridge the gap of understanding. ] That is a drastic shift. I assume it becomes colder as your star withdraws?

[dustyroad]

[Dealing with a robot-like being was not that unlike dealing with Lola back in the mountains of his home. She wasn't human, and was just as baffled by concepts like property and currency.]

Um. Kind of?

[Shelley shrugged. There was a lot of nuance to this and he wasn't a science guy. He made his living watching people.]

It's a little more complicated, but you have the right idea. It gets cold in the winter. And dark.

... Do you wanna get an ice cream?

[lastonetodie]

Fascinating. The orbit of a star, and how they affect planetary weather as well as native flora and fauna, is not my expertise...but it is intriguing to see how sapient life flourishes regardless. [ He's never seen it in his universe, though. ]

I do not know what an ice cream is, but I will accompany you to observe it.

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug isn't inside the coffee shop, but he is around it--next to a very loved van, a make-shift map in his hands of Etraya's new layout as he's...trying to work out where everything is now, actually.

Look, sometimes we want a physical map to figure out where everything is than the one in front of our eye!

Shelley, is this a perfect enough target to throw a plush toy at? ...especially when there seems to be a peculiar 2-legged metal octopus just sprawled on the bonnet of the van. It's close to a squid, right?! ]

[dustyroad]

......damn, kid. Thats the same kinda bus I go camping in back home.

[It was a much loved and well managed VW that had been in his family for years. First it was his uncle's, then it got passed to him long before certain plots of land were distributed as part of that man's Will.

Shelley chuckled at the sight, admiring the body of the vehicle from a polite distance.]

Did you know that there's a pop tent you can pitch on the roof?

[tinflower]

Huh?

[ There's a pop tent he can pitch? Gorgug looks back and up at the roof, and there is something up there, and-- Gorgug tries to point, but without letting go of his map. ]

Are you talking about the sail?

[ This van may have had adjustments made to it, see... ]

[dustyroad]

A.... Sail?

[The record that was his brain skipped at the mention of this. Shelley, perplexed, took off his glasses and peered up at the roof.]

Why does a bus need a sail???

[tinflower]

Because my bus is a van that's also a boat. It has van mode, and boat mode.

[ He's nodding, like this is very normal and easy to understand! ]

I can press a button, and a propeller comes out. I sailed the sea on it as its skipper.

Valentines

[donfire]

[Ace was just having a coffee when a random man just... offers him a squid?]

Thanks...I guess?

[He takes the squid but there's so many questions, one specially like-]

Who are you?

[dustyroad]

[Valid question.

Unfortunately... ]

Just your friendly, neighborhood Mothman. One who was picked to represent his world for some godawful reason-- seriously. Aurora's gotta be pulling something crazy to have picked a complete nobody.

[donfire]

...Are you a moth?

[Cuz that sounds like it'd be cool! Ace is looking at the squid over, smiling at the eyes.]

If you're really a moth maybe they needed someone who can fly.

[dustyroad]

[....oop. now that was someone taking him literally. Shelley let out a choked laugh.]

I wish!

[He flashed a grin.]

The Mothman is story about someone who scares people away from places that they shouldn't be in the first place. Some people see it as a person-sized monster with wings.

I'm just a nobody who happens to be a fan.

[donfire]

...Oh.

[He's not disappointed, nope.]

He sounds pretty cool though, so no wonder you like him!

I bet it's super scary.

[maximumlegend]

[ Oh no, Shelley. Terrible wording there, bud.

Because it's not even the stuffed squid plush that's making Fabian squint at the person holding it out towards him - it's mostly the words that's narrowing his one eye. And he's just staring. Staring. Have you ever felt judged by a teenager, Shelley? Because it's happening right now. ]

Why would you say that?

[ Instantly defensive.. ]

[dustyroad]

[Oh snap. He didn't know how to handle a pissed off teenager.

He was good at pissing them off.]

.... Because it's a holiday to be with people who care about you and you're sitting here all alone?

[He waved the stuffed squid, hoping that Fabian didn't smell his nervousness like dogs were said to smell fear.]

[maximumlegend]

Wha--

[ His jaw drops a little, and offense immediately seems to take over. ]

What do you mean, I'm sitting here all alone?! [ Says the guy who is - indeed, objectively and all - sitting there alone. And yet he sounds so offended about it.. ] How do you know I'm not just waiting for a friend here? Or even a date?

[ Fight him, old man!! ]

[dustyroad]

Then give it to the hottie that you're dating, I don't care!

[Flustered, Shelley tossed the little stuffed squid at the kid and turned around with a huff. ]

My bird told me to do it, okay?