etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

Entry tags:

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

[ He has to think on that. He can tell it's an honest question and he feels like it deserves an honest answer. Does it feel like his? Has anywhere he's slept in the past ten years felt like his? Even the loft Harold gave him doesn't really feel like home, in a way. It's nice, it's a good place to lay his head, he feels comfortable there, but he feels temporary in it, in some way.

Living in the library is different. Even before arriving in Etraya the library had felt like a place he belonged. There was always a comfort in arriving and having Harold look at him and say "good morning, Mr. Reese" and the soft whirring of his computers and the clacking of the keyboard. Now he lives there, with Harold, and they have dinner together and don't talk all that much sometimes, and especially at first there was an awkwardness to it. But it's familiar and comfortable as he walks through the shelves, cares for the building, goes back in their shared living space and there's Harold again at his workstation. ]

Yes.

[Shaw grounds the back of her head against the lamppost she's leaning on, shoving her hands into her pockets.]

Does it feel real?

[ This isn't the first time Shaw has asked something to this effect. Is this another future thing? Either way, he has an easy answer. ]

Yes. Why? Does it for you?

We're on some weird-ass alien planet that's being fully managed by an AI, and impossible things happen pretty much every day. That sound real to you?

[ Well, she has a point. All these things are wildly inconceivable. Before arriving in Etraya he would have blown such a thing off as a delusion if anyone had told him. But it feels real. And even if it's not real... in some twisted way he has what he's always wanted. Waking up, seeing Harold first thing in the morning. Making dinner for Harold. Doing all these stupid little things with Harold that add up to some sort of life he craves, even if he'll never let on. Even if Harold doesn't realize that John has slept better in years now that he's safe in the library, now that he knows Harold is just in the other room. It doesn't stop all the nightmares or the restless nights where he can't fall asleep, but they're markedly less.

If he knew it wasn't real, he would give it up. He would. But he does want it to be real. And more practically— ]

And what if it is? What if we really are trying to save our world? Can you give up on that chance?

I'm here doing middle school Valentine's challenges; does it look like I'm giving up to you?

[Her tone is mildly snarky at best - a baseline Shaw level of annoyance, rather than actual offense. Still, though - come on, John. She's clearly not doing this for fun.]

Don't worry. I can think something might not be real and still play along.

[She has, unfortunately, gotten quite good at it over the course of the past year.]

[ He gives a small smile at that. Yeah, that's Shaw. He shouldn't have doubted for a second. She knows how to pull through and make it count. ]

Good, I'm counting on you. It's like one big number, all seven billion of them at once. Can't do it alone.

[ And he couldn't. Those first couple days without Harold were bleak. He didn't have it together at all. He only does now because he's not alone. Obviously Harold is intrinsical to his life, a constant he never wants to be without anymore, but he thinks Shaw would have been good for him too. Would have grounded him, would have pulled him out of his paranoia. He's glad she's here, even if they're not that close. Even if their relationship isn't symmetrical, in some way. ]

[The words echo back to her text conversation with Finch not too long ago - when they'd both, for the first time in even her memory, expressed their appreciation for each other.]

You won't have to. I'm not going anywhere; I'm in this for the long haul.

[She says it while staring off into the middle distance, which in anyone else would be a sign of detachment or disinterest. But there's a clear note of certainty in her voice: she's here, she knows what she's saying, and she fully means it.

After a beat, she adds:]

This place would suck a lot more without you. I'd be doing worse.

[One more pause.]

I could do this alone, but I don't want to.

[ John is sure he's never heard such a declaration from Shaw. He honestly thought he would never hear it. It's very clear to him that the intervening years have meant a great deal to her. The years he doesn't know. How hard must that be, to see him and know that he knows so little of her, that he knows almost nothing of the time they've spent together? He thinks back on them in the rowboat, their tug-of-war with the oars. That's so far away from what she's saying here. The Shaw he knows barely tolerates being contacted by them. ]

I'm sorry I'm not the person you know.

[ He means it. ]

[Now Shaw looks at him, faint surprise and confusion in her eyes.]

What?

I'm not; you're fine.

[It's annoying and occasionally disquieting how much Reese and Finch don't remember, but mostly just on a logistical level: it means she needs to be careful of what she talks about and how she talks about it (something that she's failed at in this conversation once already), and it means that there's a lot that they don't have the necessary context to understand. But when it comes down to it, Reese is still Reese and Finch is still Finch. Even if they'd shown up not knowing her at all, they'd still be her team.]

[ He studies her for a moment, and then believes. He won't presume to know how Shaw feels, and he also knows she doesn't lie. She just tells it like it is. It's a quality he appreciates. He can always trust what she says is the truth. ]

Okay. Thanks.

[ He means that, too. But now there's an uncomfortable moment where he's been too honest, too forward with his feelings. It's not how he usually is and he feels awkward. He looks away, not sure what more to say. ]

Seriously. You're fine.

[This conversation is already beyond Shaw's limited repertoire of social skills, so beyond that, she isn't sure what to say, either. After a moment, she adds--]

I've told Carver some stuff. Not anything classified, obviously.

[See? She's talking to people! Normal people stuff. She's doing fine.]

Yeah? You buddies?

[ That's good. Shaw needs friends. He and Harold are sometimes more coworkers than friends, though that line is greatly blurred here without any numbers to keep them occupied. Besides, he thinks that's good for Carver as well, and he, well, he wants Carver to be good. ]

I guess?

[She says, shrugging. How does one know if they have a buddy, John?]

[ That's close enough, in John's book. ]

Glad you have a friend. Carver seems a bit high strung, I hope one day he learns to relax a little.

[ Another genuine sentiment. He does hope Carver learns to relax a little, learns to expect anything good will happen to him. ]

High-strung, sure, but definitely not as uptight as he looks.

[Which, admittedly, is very uptight. But Shaw knows that she herself comes off as a humorless hardass to a great many people, so she knows not to judge a book completely by its cover.]

[ John gets that, he's interacted with Carver enough to know there's a person buried under all that paranoia. ]

I'm trying to get him to realize he doesn't have to be completely miserable here. He can eat some food and have a drink. That sort of thing.

Or sleep in more than hour-long stints when he collapses from exhaustion.

[That's one major reason she'd picked the subway for him, other than personally finding the idea funny: it's hard to think of a place more secret, secure, and safe than that.]

Does Finch still have an alcohol stash? I bet Carver'd like some top-shelf scotch.

He likes vodka. I got him to drink with me before.

[ It was... valuable time. Getting Carver to relax a bit, sharing just little bits here and there. Time well spent. ]

Mmm, the man's got good taste. Did it work? Did he relax?

A little. He said he'd sleep in a tree if he got lost on his way back.

[ John does wonder if he ended up doing that. ]

[Shaw rocks back on her heels and studies John hard, wondering if he's making a joke. No, she decides, which naturally leads her to wonder if Carver had been joking.

Her lips twitch. She releases an amused puff of air through her nose. And then she grins slightly, chuckling under her breath.]

Weird-ass guy's gonna fit right in.

I wouldn't sleep in a tree. Would you?

[ John has never slept in a tree. When he was homeless he found random corners and abandoned doorways to sleep in. Sometimes the encampment in the abandoned building. But never a tree. ]

I have once. Stakeout. Wouldn't recommend it.

[It hadn't been a good sleep, but she'd still been able to get a little rest: she'd had Cole in her ear, ready to wake her if anything happened.]

You think we're gonna have to keep an eye on the canopies? Pull him down, take him back to his hideout, feed him? I got him a hideout, by the way.

[ Sounds miserable, if he's being honest. ]

He doesn't seem very good at taking care of himself, so probably. What kind of hideout?

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