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

[cactusy]

I guess?

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

[aimsforknees]

[ 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. ]

[cactusy]

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.]

[aimsforknees]

[ 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.

[cactusy]

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.

[aimsforknees]

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. ]

[cactusy]

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

[aimsforknees]

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. ]

[cactusy]

[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.

[aimsforknees]

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. ]

[cactusy]

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.

[aimsforknees]

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

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

[cactusy]

[Shaw gives a lazy, one-shouldered shrug, and when she answers, her tone is faintly lilting - a hint of that playful amusement still sticking around.]

Wouldn't you like to know. If you were a cool kid from the future like me, you'd recognize it.

[aimsforknees]

[ It's something from the future? John suddenly doesn't want to see it. He doesn't want to see this thing that should mean something to him and doesn't. But it's tactical to know the place, to understand it. He doesn't let it show though, he puts on a face to match her tone. ]

Really? You're going to keep it a secret?

[cactusy]

He seem like the kind of guy who'd want you to know?

[Shaw says, raising an eyebrow.]

He probably wishes that I didn't know. He can tell you about it if he wants, but until then, my lips are zipped.

[aimsforknees]

[ John raises an eyebrow back. ]

He knows we're in the library, don't you think that's a fair trade?

[cactusy]

Back in New York, you never knew where I lived.

[Not actually true, but she doesn't know that!]

[aimsforknees]

[ He can absolutely confess this now without any qualms. ]

You think that Finch doesn't know where you live? We know when to leave someone alone.

[ It's past tense for her but present tense for him. She was just abducted by Root not that long ago for him. ]

[cactusy]

[ She scoffs. ]

If Finch knows, it's because he cheats. And he can't cheat here.

[aimsforknees]

[ He actually feels a bit... put out, that Shaw is choosing Carver over them. They're supposed to be a team, they're supposed to trust each other with this sort of thing. ]

You don't trust us to know?

[cactusy]

[Shaw sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. The idea that John might see it that way doesn't even occur to her - in her mind, this is John treating Carver as a number more than as a teammate. Understandable enough, since Carver is new. But as a former reticent newbie herself, she also understands why Carver might want extra space.]

I trust you. He probably doesn't.

[aimsforknees]

[ "That's not the point," he wants to say, but doesn't. Her mind is made up, there's no point in arguing. ]

Fine, Carver has a secret hideout.

[ From his future, that he doesn't even know about. ]

[cactusy]

[Any trace of the jokey teasing fades away as Shaw studies him, her eyes narrowing in confusion.]

Why do you want to know so bad? I only know because I got it for him, but if I didn't, I wouldn't care.

[aimsforknees]

[ At this point it's not about knowing where Carver lives. It's about the fact that she's picking Carver over them. Keeping his secret instead of sharing information with the team. Maybe that hasn't changed, in the future. Shaw had held herself apart from him and Harold, showed up when they called but always left right away. He'd wondered if that had changed in the intervening years, when she arrived she seemed... closer, than before. ]

You're right, it doesn't matter.

[cactusy]

Bullshit; you're pissed.

[But she doesn't get why. It doesn't make sense. Unless--]

You don't trust him, do you. You wanna scope him out a little more.