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

[aimsforknees]

[ John waits out the silence, doesn't push. Carver will either talk or he won't. And when he does— John does know about that. He nearly did, in the back of Harold's car, speeding to who knows where. Remembers feeling the blood slowly draining from his body, barely remembers Harold trying to get him on the gurney. Doesn't remember anything after that. ]

Yeah. Didn't drown, got shot.

[ Was drowning one of Carver's tests? Is that how he's making sense of it? ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ He nods slowly, not really seeing John or the room or the glass in his hand. The first time was the worst, he thinks. The memory hasn't dulled at all. Even now, he remembers fighting the handcuffs. The bag over his head and Pope's hands going tight on his shoulders. Holding him still for it while Leah poured the water and he thrashed and sobbed and died a little.

You learn how to survive these things. ]

Have to know what your people can take, [ he explains softly. ] Have to know they won't buckle. I didn't.

[aimsforknees]

[ John gets it, all of a sudden. Feels cold. Yeah, Carver's commander did make him this way. In comparison it almost seems kind the way Kara and Mark treated him. But there's not really a good way to tell someone that all the shit they've been through is actually just shit. At least, that's not a conversation John knows how to have. But it does explain a lot where Carver is coming from, why asks for nothing, why he practically rejects everything. The people he's used to following almost drowned him. ]

You're strong to get through that.

[fortitudosalutis]

I am, [ he agrees softly, because the commander said as much after that test and all the ones that followed. Because otherwise he would have died a thousand times over, in Korengal and back after the hungry dead came for them, a thousand times in a thousand horrible ways except that he didn't. Pope made him strong enough to survive, to protect their little family. ] We all were. Praise God.

[ Devotion is never easy. It requires sacrifice, and pain, and all the degradation of their ugly, brutal world. But it comes with clarity and Carver doesn't allow himself to doubt the exchange. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ He doesn't like Carver's commander, or his god, or anything that's been done to him. Carver clearly doesn't see it, but it was bad. What happened to him was bad. John has no doubts about that, even though he'll probably never voice them to the man himself. ]

Did everyone get tested?

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Yes, he starts to say, everyone, whenever God or Pope decreed they were due for it. But that's not true, is it?

Matthew was their one exception. It wouldn't have been right to drown a child. ]

All the fighters, [ Carver replies softly. All of their company, all the soldiers that Carver trained or commanded or fought alongside. The brothers and sisters he buried and bled with. A few he killed himself, out of mercy. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ So not everyone. Their family had more than just fighters. Civilian partners? Children, maybe? He can't imagine having innocent lives like that so close to that much darkness, but Kara had always been particular about that, had said he was practically a different species. He still feels that way. ]

And all found worthy.

[ Or, he supposes, only the worth were kept alive. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ In a different moment, Carver would have agreed without hesitation. Maybe he even would have named some of them, the ones who proved their strength and their bravery, their dedication to God and their family both. Many of them died anyway. He thinks all of them are gone now except maybe Leah, returned to God where they can finally rest. But the sound of Bossie screaming and burning, Pope's boot on his neck, snaps unbidden into Carver's mind.

For a moment, he swears he can smell the acid stink of it. Fire and armor and meat. Coward, Pope called him. Traitor, though not in so many words. And little brother died screaming and in pain.

Carver twitches and downs the rest of the glass. ]

We did what we had to.

[aimsforknees]

[ John offers the bottle of sake. Carver seems like he needs it, and honestly John would too if he was Carver. Those can't be easy memories to pull back, though John is glad to understand him better now. He just will do his best to stay away from the subject next time; knowing is valuable from a tactical point of view, but there's no reason to torture Carver with it. ]

Sometimes that's all you can do.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ It's a sin to drink like this, knocking it back so carelessly, but Carver holds his glass out anyway. The ghosts are so close now, their voices and their deaths churning in his soul. He'd rather be unconscious, he thinks.

Don't let your guard down, the commander whispers in his ear. Carver tightens his jaw and doesn't flinch. He can't flinch in front of John, he decides. He cannot be weak. ]

I'll bury their bodies. And when that's done, I'll join my sister and avenge them. [ He meets John's eyes, resolute. ] That's why I'm doing this.

[ His world isn't worth saving. But the dead will be buried, and avenged. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John pours again, and just the edge of generously this time. Maybe he's a bad person to be doing this, it's rather hypocritical, but sometimes that's all you can do to make it through. He'd started in his CIA days, not as much as after he got out. After he had nothing left. There's some things you can't live with.

He drains his glass in solidarity and pours himself some more. ]

Sometimes that's all you can do.

[ He's repeating himself, but it's true. Sometimes that's all you can do. He remembers making Peter Arndt disappear. Sometimes that's all you can do. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver hums, lifting his glass in grim salute. In the end, he knew that John would understand the shape of it. Maybe only another soldier could.

He drinks long, and deep. He lets it settle in him, knowing he's going to be well and truly lost by the time this is done. Maybe he'll be able to sleep for a few hours. That'd be nice. But he watches John, solemn. ]

If the commander marks you, [ he offers, very softly, ] I'll kill you quickly.

[ This is, perhaps, the only kindness he's still allowed to give. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ That sounds like grace, coming from Carver. John thinks that means he likes him, just a little. And honestly, that's probably the best he'll get. ]

I won't make it easy for you. And death isn't even permanent here. But I owe it to Harold to try.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver just smiles, lifting his glass in salute. No, John Reese won't make it easy. That's good. That means God loves him, even though he's not a Reaper. ]

Good. That's good.

[aimsforknees]

[ John gives his own little smile. ]

Now I need to hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want to fight you.

[ A genuine sentiment. And John doesn't want to find out what Carver looks like when he's being used like that. He worries that after Carver's finished with John that he'll turn on Harold, and John would never let that happen. Ever. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

It's not up to us, [ Carver explains serenely. If the commander marks a target, then it's like God chose them to die.

He tips his drink back and sighs. ]

This is nice.

[aimsforknees]

[ All of this was worth it to hear Carver say that. ]

What's not to like about good food and drink.

[ He wants Carver to find happiness, whatever he can get his hands on. John knows what it's like to come from those dark places and find goodness, what a salvation it is. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

Nobody rations here.

[ He's feeling the sake enough that it comes out almost thoughtful instead of a condemnation, a sin that will surely come back to haunt them all. He grins at John, feeling warm and ever so briefly content in his own skin despite the melancholy talk. ]

You know?

[aimsforknees]

The land of the plenty. Feels strange to just walk in and take things.

[ He has more than he can use at home, though. Harold pays him so well that he just gives away 90% of his paycheck. And that's besides all the things Harold has given him: his loft, the very clothes on his back. Harold is endlessly generous with him. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver hums, swirling his glass just to watch it shine. ]

It won't last, [ he explains serenely. He knew this since the beginning. Nothing good stays good unless you buy it in blood and even that's temporary. ] But this...this is nice.

[aimsforknees]

Maybe it will. We left, came back, everything got rearranged, but it's all still here. I keep getting told that Aurora is nice.

[ He still needs to talk to her, but he isn't sure what he would say. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

It won't, [ he repeats, just stating a fact. He takes another drink and slumps back a little in his chair. He wonders if he'll make it back to the subway station before getting really wobbly. Maybe he'll sleep in a tree again. ] The moment we step out of line, it'll all go away. Or maybe just because.

[aimsforknees]

[ Maybe Carver is just drunk enough that John can say this without pissing him off. ]

Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But sometimes the other shoe doesn't fall.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver hums and finishes his glass with a sigh. His tolerance for real alcohol is still terrible. This will put him down hard, he knows. Maybe he can allow it just this once, just for a little while. Maybe he'll even be able to sleep. ]

It always does. Always.

[aimsforknees]

[ John can tell Carver is nearing the end of things. He's gotten enough people drunk in his time. ]

You can stay here if you want. I won't come back for a couple days.