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

[instabilitatem]

I am not fully facing the quadry yet. Though I intend to follow my programming, I haven’t met that critical moment yet.

[Though he has been struggling. The thought of leaving his friends, leaving Hank. The thought of them starving or facing similar hardships as Solmara does result in a clash with his programming.]

You would likely die, Hank.

[Connor’s hand stills on Sumo’s back.] I don’t want you to die, Hank.

cn: suicide ideation

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Yeah, well — fuck your programming. I know you can push through this. You can beat this. You’ve done it before, and you can do it again.

[Hank’s voice softens when he says:] And I don’t want to die, Connor.

[He hasn’t really wanted to die in weeks now. Weeks since Hank lost the last Connor and started hoping for something, anything more. Because there has to be more than loss and grief and suffering.]

Don’t want that on your conscience, either. My death, or anyone else’s.

[Hank sighs. Rubs a hand down his face.]

Would it be too much to ask you to stay here, or would that go against your programming, too?

[instabilitatem]

[At Hank’s quiet confession, Connor’s head snaps around. The programming presents itself between himself and Hank, tries to segregate Connor from the emotions surrounding Hank. It’s bright red, solid except for the cracks.

I do not want Hank to die. presses back against the programming.

I do not want Hank to die.

Connor pulls and pulls at the programming but faces rejection.

Not yet.]

There’s nothing against my programming against finding a plce to live.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Good. Was half expecting you to, I dunno, vault your ass off the couch and bust out the door, as if I were some kinda —

[“Enemy,” he doesn’t say. But it’s true at a base level, regardless. Connor’s programming is telling him to get the whatever-thing that would damn Etraya.

And Hank just wants Connor safe. Happy. Is that too much to ask for? No, he thinks. Not at all.]

Then me and ol’ Sumo — [the dog relaxes at the sound of his name, resting his head on Connor’s thigh] — can watch over you.

[Although Hank isn’t sure what to do about the fact that Connor is effectively trying to kill him, albeit unwillingly. Trying to kill everyone here. And Hank actually gives a fuck about some of the people here, and all the rest might be strangers to him, but it’s just like his dilemma with the whole “save your Earth” bullshit. It’s too much of a burden. There are too many lives at stake.]

[instabilitatem]

[Hank isn't wrong. The programming does have Hank labeled as an enemy, a person of interest, someone to watch in case he tries to deter Connor from his mission. Still, with Sumo on his lap and Hank present, maybe Connor will be able to push.

Simply not today. Androids can't get tired, but Connor's programming has had enough with the fracturing of important parameters.

There's one more thing, too. His appearance.]

I apologize for my appearance while I'm here.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Hank squints. Shakes his head in disbelief.]

Why would I...? You don’t hear me apologizing for my appearance, do you?

And besides, that’s not your fault. I’m just worried. Don’t want you to be in pain — that’s what matters. You could look like that everyday, Connor, and I wouldn’t give a fuck.

[It’s unsettling, sure. But Hank would get used to it. Because it’s Connor.]

As long as you weren’t hurting.

[instabilitatem]

I'm not hurting at this moment, Hank. [Connor pats Sumo's head with his mismatched fingers.] It would make me happy to stay with you as long as I can.

[Connor pauses before tagging on,] Before I have to leave.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[The squeezing in Hank’s chest eases somewhat when Connor says he’s not in pain.]

That’s good — that you’re not hurting. Real good. It’d make me happy to have you here too, Connor.

[Happier than you could ever know.]

And what did I say about all that? You’re not leaving. Jesus.

[Hank isn’t irritated, really. But if he says this enough, maybe Connor will accept it. Push him toward deviancy. Helping him realize how wanted he is.]

[instabilitatem]

[Connor nods, glad that he has a place at Hank's, with someone he knows. Even if it has been a year since he saw him. It will be nice to catch up, to feel like a unit again before Connor activates for his mission.

He just hopes it doesn't happen too soon.]

I don't want to leave, Hank. I would rather stay.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Fucking hell, Connor. You’re not gonna...

[Hank wishes he could hug him. Knows he can’t.]

This is your home. Sumo’s your home. I’m your home — [looking away now, rubbing the back of his neck] — if you want that, anyway.

[instabilitatem]

I want that as well.

[He wants it so bad, Hank. He wants to stay here, with Sumo, with Hank, living together. There's something about Hank's posture that tells Connor he's practically on his toes.]

Would you like to see where it is safe to touch me, Hank?

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Hank looks back at Connor. Nodding.]

Yeah. Of course. I remember you saying something about where your skin is still intact, or something — right?

[instabilitatem]

[Connor nods in return and then pulls off his jacket. Then, as he begins to remove the starchy white shirt underneath, it's easy to see where the plates end and the black underwiring begins. There are spots on his shoulders, a large swatch on his back, and the mismatched sections of his fingers run up his arms in places.]

Is this helpful?

yodeling irl

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Yeah. It’s real helpful, Connor.

[Hank sucks in a breath. Swallows thickly. Connor’s damage is even worse beneath his clothes, understandably. But it hurts to see.]

Jesus fucking Christ. Those stairs really did a number on you, huh?

[Trying to crack a joke because this is just so much. Too much.]

I’m sorry I wasn’t... there to protect you, Connor.

[As if Hank could have done anything, probably. But at least he would have been there, by his side, and now Hank is mad at Aurora-Echo and Solmara’s whoever all over again, because why did they make Connor suffer like this? Why couldn’t they have been together, at least? When Connor needed him most?]

[instabilitatem]

They did, yes. [Connor watches Hank and frowns when he apologizes.] You couldn't have done anything from here, Hank.

[Not when he fell. Not when he was crushed.]

There are no more resources for parts.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

I know not from here, but if things were different, I could’ve been with you. Why did you have to be there? Why did I get to live in all this bullshit bliss here?

[Hank rubs his forehead. Feeling a headache coming on.

He isn’t really thinking as he gets up. Moving to stand in front of Connor.]

Look at me, Connor.

[instabilitatem]

[Connor silently runs a simulation of Hank in Solmara, one depicts Hank falling to his death and the other shouting for Connor before his destruction. Neither paints a pretty picture.]

I do not want you to have been there.

[As directed, Connor looks up at Hank with his mismatched eyes, his missing face plates, he's a terror.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Yeah, well, I guess you win that argument. Seeing as how I wasn’t there.

[Hank’s eyes twitch as he looks down at Connor. He can imagine what other people might see. Might think. And Hank couldn’t blame them. Connor’s damage is a harrowing sight.

But that’s not what scares Hank. No, what scares him is knowing that Connor’s been in pain. So much pain. And there isn’t much they can do about all that unless Connor gets that thing, or they find help.

He feels shitty, standing above Connor like this. Wanting to do something. Anything. But there’s nothing that could help Connor, really. Nothing he could say or do to magically make everything okay. Hank knows that all too well. Healing is a hell of a process, both on the outside and inside.

But he’s selfish. Always been selfish. So Hank kneels, and Sumo is kind enough — startled, really — to give him room. Hank leans forward, palms against the couch, pressing his cheek to Connor’s chest. Avoiding the damaged parts. Just wanting to feel him, because:]

I never thought I’d get to see you again, Connor.

[instabilitatem]

[Connor's thirium pump pumps away, not dissimilar to a regular heartbeat. He hesitates a moment before curling his arms loosely about Hank's shoulders. Connor can only hope that it's comforting for Hank.]

I didn't think I would see you either, Hank.

[A year is a long time away from his partner and family.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Can’t get rid of me that easily, Connor.

[Not that either of them had power over that, really.

For a while, Hank just listens to Connor’s heart. The pump thingy, sure. But it’s his heart.

Then he’s sighing. Pulling back because he shouldn’t be so goddamn selfish. What if his hands slipped and he hurt Connor again? Stupid.

But it was nice. To let himself feel for a moment. To let himself breathe.

Now Sumo is reclaiming Connor’s leg as his headrest, slobbering to stake his claim.]

Sorry. [Hank’s knees ache a little as he stands, and — Christ, he isn’t that old. Just out of shape, he swears.

A little of both, really.]

Didn’t mean to get all weird on you. Anyway. [Hank looks away. Gesturing down the hall.] There’s a second bedroom. Isn’t furnished, but we can — I mean, I’ll do it. You can pick out whatever sometime, and we can get it all ready for you.

[instabilitatem]

[Connor doesn’t mind the odd gesture and is well aware that different things can soothe humans.]

I don’t need to sleep. [Pause.] But thank you, Hank.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Still need your own space, Connor. To keep all your things. And just... relax, I dunno. Get away from me. That sort of thing.

[And Connor will have things!!]

[instabilitatem]

I don’t have any things.

[Connor starts re-dressing, pulling the starchy white shirt on first.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Yeah, well, we’re gonna get you things, Connor.

[Hank looks away again as Connor redresses. Giving him a modicum of privacy.]

Starting with... hell, I dunno. What do you want, Connor?

[instabilitatem]

I want to stay here. [Which Connor knows isn’t possible.]