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

[ornithologist]

[ What did Harold mean by that? There's no one else at all in any dimension that Harold would feel comfortable speaking about Grace to, so there is an element of just wanting to share, to talk at all about someone who still resides so persistently in his thoughts. But he also thinks he's trying to explain something he'd learned from Grace that can't be taught in words alone: what it means to be unconditional. To only want good for the person you love, unequivocally.

He doesn't press for anything closer with John because he's seen no signals that John is looking for that. He won't infringe on what little space away from his influence John has left, physically or mentally. At least... not without being invited in.

Harold offers him an easier, welcoming smile, relaxing subtly at John's acceptance of the offer. ] I hope so, because I certainly do not. Grace is a coffee snob and I'm afraid she passed that onto me. [ So he only drinks good coffee now, but when he does, it reminds him painfully of Grace. Just like he can't imagine talking to anyone else about her... he can't imagine having coffee with anyone but John. ]

In the meantime, I think we'd best get through some of these other tasks.

[ He picks up another slip that says, Give a gift. Conveniently, he does have a gift for John, but he doesn't want to spoil the surprise. He mutely sets it down in the shared pile. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John goes and does his tasks with Harold's prompting. He gives a book to Gorgug and flowers to Shadowheart. They're... good things. He comes back to the library in a better mood. This was different than just giving away his paycheck. More personal. Getting to see the smiles, getting things in return. He also picked up a box of chocolates on his way back and places them on the table when he enters. ]

All I have left is sharing chocolates.

[ Harold said he would compliment Maria, but he has no clue what Harold's act of kindness was or his gift. That's not the kind of thing he can ask, however. Even though they're living together Harold gets to have his personal life, his private moments. It's the least John can do to give him what little space they get these days. ]

[ornithologist]

[ Sure enough, Harold is probably well aware of all of John's exploits but has shared none of his own. He promptly reaches out to take a chocolate and knock that one off for John. As he chews he leans over his keyboard and hits a few keystrokes.

He swallows his chocolate and explains, ] I'm sending you coordinates. Could you go there and pick something up for me, please? My last one is giving a gift.

[ Harold had recovered a pair of cell phones from the junkyard and reprogrammed them to run off of his own wireless mesh network, though it doesn't extend all across Etraya. Installing additional nodes has not been a high priority. He has one and John has the other, and he's working on a third for Shaw. John's receives the coordinates and a helpful triangulation onto the map of Etraya recently provided by Aurora: a nearby coastal spot. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John grabs his own chocolate and looks at the spot on the map that Harold has indicated. There's nothing there that he knows of, but if Harold says there's something there then he believes him. ]

Sure, I'll go get it.

[ Harold hasn't told him what he's looking for, but he thinks it'll be obvious when he gets there, and if not he can just call. This isn't the first mysterious errand he's been sent on.

It's good to get out again, to stretch his legs, to be given something to do. When he arrives... there's a small dock and a boat tied up to it.

He thinks he understands what this is. This is like his apartment, like being given a key and a location and showing up and finding something so grand, something beyond his imagination. He's glad he's here alone so he can take deep breaths and calm himself before opening his line with Harold. When he was given the apartment they weren't close like this, they weren't living together. This feels more significant, more special. This isn't Harold's limitless money, he's sure Harold spent his precious points on this.

But still, he has to ask. ]

Harold, what's this?

[ He should have called him Finch, should have put some distance in this moment, but they're too close now for that. ]

[ornithologist]

[ Harold might be over-the-top generous, but he's always careful about how he gives his gifts. He's sensitive to the recipient's pride and privacy, never wants to give something that will come across as high-handed or presumptive. Over time he's learned he can push that line farther and farther with John, to the point that now he thinks practically nothing of spending his precious points here. Currency is meant to be spent on things that matter.

He tinkers with the third phone while waiting for John to inevitably call him. When he does, he has a response ready, smooth and unconcerned. ]

It's a fourteen foot wooden catboat. Easily manageable by one person, quick and agile, good in coastal waters. Suitable for racing, fishing, or passenger transportation.

[aimsforknees]

[ Of course Harold would get him a boat. Well. John can't imagine that's not what this is. He's standing on the dock in the chilly February air, water gently lapping against the hull, and Harold's voice in his ear. ]

Is this your gift?

[ It's not a thing he can really transport, so he has to assume that Harold really did get this for him, but it's a cautious question anyways. He shouldn't just take for granted that Harold wants to give him these things, like so many things he's given along the way. And what does he have to give back? What can he give Harold in return? He has a sudden idea, remembers his conversation with Maria, but he wants to hear Harold's reply first. ]

[ornithologist]

[ Does this really need to be clarified? Is John feeling insecure or suspicious for some reason? Harold finds his patience but still sounds droll as he answers. ]

It's your gift, but yes. I thought you could use a new hobby.

[ Typical for Harold, he'd put considerable thought into the gift and thought it was both practical (transportation in Etraya was still dodgy) and something he might enjoy. It was physical and solitary. He also got Bear a life vest and stashed it under the seat whenever John eventually looks there. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John keeps the line open but doesn't say anything for a while. There's the sound of him climbing aboard, looking things over, opening this and that, seeing what his new boat is like. It is his. A new hobby, as gifted from Harold. After a little while he steps back on the dock and speaks quietly in the winter stillness, alone by the water except for Harold in his ear. ]

You know, Harold, I've never thanked you for any of it. The suits, the loft, the boat. You've done a lot for me. Thank you. You're a good person.

[ He's not telling Maria he said it, but. He said it. He means every word of it. ]

[ornithologist]

[ It takes long enough that Harold has gone back to working on Shaw's private phone and starts to get lost in his work again, assuming John is exploring the boat and keeping himself occupied. He's not expecting such outright gratitude and he fumbles a tiny wiring connection before he sets his tools down. ]

Oh, for-- [ Harold huffs, feeling his face heat. Where is this coming from? They don't normally talk about this and Harold prefers it that way. It's mortifying, being recognized. ]

I assure you that it's mutual. [ He sounds stiff, caught off guard, but it's sincerely meant. ] Did you eat something apart from the chocolates? Where is this coming from?

[aimsforknees]

[ He can't help but smile to himself, standing alone on the dock. It feels... good to have said it. He's pretty sure that's what this feeling is. He feels a bit warm in a way he hasn't in years. ]

Just the chocolates, though I was thinking of making some pasta when I get back. There should be enough leftover sauce for two.

[ "Where this is coming from" is John getting to experience somethings that normal people do. It felt good to be thanked when he gave his gifts today. Gratitude was a thing that he saw and suddenly realized he was woefully lacking. He felt it, but he never let it go anywhere when maybe he should have.

He doesn't need to dwell on it overly much. Harold is right that this is outside the norm. Instead he can fall back on... well, it's the new way things are. A new sort of closeness they've developed here, living in the library together. It's something he cherishes. ]

[ornithologist]

[ Thank God, John swiftly diverts them back to their usual dynamic. Well. Their new usual. Somehow Harold has gone from uncomfortable and self-conscious at having a roommate to entirely at ease over the past several months.

John, of course, makes it easy: he knows all of Harold's important habits already, respects the computers, takes care of the dog, tidies up after himself and even cooks. And Harold would never say it aloud, but he does get some peace of mind from knowing John is so close nearby for safety reasons. Etraya still prickles his paranoia no matter how relatively settled in they've gotten. He... likes living with John, weirdly.

It is a bit like luring a wild bird to eat from your hand; Harold becomes acclimated very slowly to having others in his personal space. But now he finds he has, well. Acclimated. ]

Yes, alright, [ he sighs in response. ] Please be careful on your way back. I'd like to avoid any unfortunate mind-altering effects for this holiday.

[ The possibilities there are too much to say out loud. However mortifying it might be, it's far more important that, as he'd said to Accelerator, no one and nothing pressure John about their relationship. They have exactly the relationship John indicates he wants and nothing more. ]

[aimsforknees]

See you soon, Harold.

[ John has been calling him "Harold" more, when it's just the two of them. He still refers to him by last name in public, something he doubts will ever change for reasons completely outside their relationship, but these private moments are more often "Harold" than "Finch". Their new closeness makes him bold in some ways. He has never been so aware of the distance they have than now than it's lessened some, now that they're closer. Distance he feels he cannot push past, cannot be overt with his feelings in a way Harold might understand, that Harold might reject him for. John couldn't stand that; keeping this secret is better than rejection. He's kept worse secrets before, secrets that ate him from the inside; this one is a treasure he can take out and look at occasionally, can hold delicately in his hands when he needs it the most. ]