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

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Hank sighs. It was bound to happen, obviously — what were the chances Hank was the first to come across him, anyway? — but still.

Does he name names? Warn Connor?? God, where to start?]

Be careful around... Vincent. Weird guy. Blond hair. Glasses. Got a laugh that sounds like — well, you’ll know it when you hear it.

[As much as Hank appreciates Vincent’s “services,” he still hasn’t got the guy totally figured out.]

[instabilitatem]

I’ve met him, actually.

[Going into details? Not this moment.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Not surprised. He’s the kind of weirdo who seems to like getting his nose in everything.

He... bug you? Do anything weird?

[Hank doesn’t really think Vincent would try to hurt Connor, but... Hank’s going to worry. Now that Connor’s here, that’s just his thing.]

[instabilitatem]

We followed the instructions on the valentines.

[Which sounds tame from the outside.]

I’m sorry I missed the notification for this 😣

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Oh, yeah? And what did the Valentine’s tell you to do, huh?

[Hopefully nothing painful, like the whole piggyback debacle.]

All good!

[instabilitatem]

To show my devotion.

[Because that isn't ominous.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Oh, no. That sounds very Vincent.]

Connor… why the fuck are you being so vague? I tell you to be careful around this guy, and you just go and say… that.

[That weird fucker. He’s gonna get a piece of Hank’s mind the next time they cross paths.]

He didn’t make you worship him or anything like that, did he?

[instabilitatem]

It's what the valentine said. I needed to show my devotion to him.

[Connor shakes his head.]

No, nothing that extreme. I gave him a piece of me.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Hank splutters, and if he’d been drinking something, he would have spit it all over the floor.]

Connor, what the fuck? I’m going to — I’m going to kill him.

[He’s not, but god. GOD!]

Tell me you didn’t hurt yourself to appease that weird fucker.

[instabilitatem]

[Connor waits for Hank to finish his indignant response before shaking his head.]

It was a piece of plating already loose and about to fall off.

[Connor gestures on his left hand where there are sections of missing plating.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

About to fall off, yeah? But it hadn’t yet.

[Hank grimaces. Tries not to think of the pain, whether slight or not.]

You don’t gotta go around ripping yourself apart for weirdos like that, even if the plating-whatever’s about to fall off.

[Not that it’s any business what Connor does with his body, broken parts or not.]

I just… fuck, I worry, Connor. You just got here and I’m already —

[But again, Hank’s feelings are so irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. After everything Connor’s told him.]

[instabilitatem]

You're worried I'll leave again. [Connor has gathered enough context clues to learn he's been here before and disappeared as well.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

‘Course I am.

[Hank’s expression softens.]

I’m worried about that, and lots of things. But — fuck. Yes, Connor. I don’t want to go through that again. I can’t. You weren’t here. You didn’t see what I was like.

[The man he became.]

[instabilitatem]

Perhaps you can talk through it with me. Or, if you prefer, I can make you some dinner while I tell you how to turn on my tracking device.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Dinner, huh. I’m gonna tell you that you don’t have to do stuff like that, but — if you want.

[He shrugs. Meanwhile Sumo’s head jolts from Connor to Hank at the word ‘dinner.’]

Dunno what you mean about “talking it through,” though.

[That’d just make them both feel horrible, probably.]

[instabilitatem]

I enjoy doing new things. [He has never cooked once in his short life and it's a handy skill when existing amongst humans.]

Perhaps if we talk through your feelings of the previous Connor, it will make my eventual departure easier.

[Where is that social relations program gone?]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

You’re not leaving. You know, you saying that just —

[Makes me feel fucking worse, Hank doesn’t say. Because it’s probably obvious, and again: is just making him feel shitty.

At least Connor is being honest with him. Admitting that that he thinks he’ll be leaving. Because he could be here lying instead, and Hank isn’t sure how he’d feel about that.]

Whatever. Dinner, yeah. [A pause, then:] Tell me about your tracking device thing.

[instabilitatem]

I apologize, Hank. I won't mention it again.

[Connor retreats into the kitchen to find something that he thinks Hank will like. Ground beef, cheese, buns. Close enough to a burger.]

All Cyberlife android have a built in tracker. Usually you would need to visit a Cyberlife store to reactivate it. However, I haven't seen a Cyberlife store yet.

[Connor starts to make a patty in his hands.]

You can manually turn it on so it's always on and we can likely use your phone to track mine. Or we can make a transmitter to activate it only when needed.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

That’s not what I mean. [Hank crosses his arms.] If something is true, or you think it’s true — you tell me.

[Which probably sounds contradictory. It’s just not the truth — or what Connor sees as the truth — that Hank wants to hear.]

Makes sense. [Following Connor into the kitchen now. Sitting at the small table, which feels weird — just letting Connor putter around the kitchen, making him food — but Hank is tired. Exhausted.] The old Connor did something to my earpiece — made it so he could track me. Not that he ever got to use it, but…

You’d really let me go and just track you whenever?

[instabilitatem]

You could possibly reverse the signal so you could track me as well.

[Connor pulls a pan out from under the counter and makes a mental note that pots and pans are available in Etraya.]

I say that I know I'll have to leave, but I don't want to. Not really. You're supportive of me deviating and... I hope that you'll be able to help me with that.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

We’ll get you there, Connor. At the end of the day it’s gonna be you who has to do it, obviously. But I’m here. Always — [Hank leans over the table, head in his hands; mumbling] — always gonna be here.

[He imagines himself sitting at this very table, all alone. Connor gone, back to Solmara. Taking everyone else with him.

Maybe that’s what Hank deserves.]

We can do your little tracking thing. Can go ahead and make it mutual. I’m not worth anything, but you deserve for this shit to be fair.

[instabilitatem]

[Connor sets the pan on the stove and the patty inside. He starts pushing it around with a spatula for a few minutes before turning back toward Hank.]

I'm... afraid the efforts will not be enough or fast enough. Or I may not be ready enough.

[It's a lot of pressure on Connor to find the right moment before he's triggered to complete the mission.]

Tracking will allow you to try and stop me.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

I know. Christ, I know.

[Hank sucks in a deep breath through his nose. Out through his mouth.]

I know you’re trying. Even offering the tracking thing — just mentioning it — shows that. But like I said, at the end of the day... it’s you, Connor.

[The food smells good: something for Hank to focus on other than the panic. The pain that gnaws at him... everywhere. His head. His stomach. His heart.]

But you said you’d take everyone with you, if... you know. So, not that bad, right? You could deviate on Solmara, too. I mean, you don’t need...

[Me. But Hank isn’t going to say that. He just groans, tossing his head back.]

[instabilitatem]

I'm not sure I could deviate in Solmara. [The way Hank trails off catches Connor's attention.] I would need you with me.

[Connor flips the patty in the pan before adding both of the buns face down.]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[That takes Hank off-guard, and god if there isn’t a crick in his neck now from how fast his head snaps up.]

Don’t say that, Connor. [But then remembering before, about Connor offering to sugarcoat the truth:] I mean, don’t say it if it isn’t the absolute truth as you goddamn know it.