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

[sortie]

[ He couldn't miss that tone if he tried, brow quirking at the severity of it.

Well, not like he'd disagree that laziness is a negative, especially if they're on the job. ]

Don't know enough of them to say.

[ A social butterfly he is not. ]

But it'd be nice, planting flowers instead.

[leewards]

[Ithaqua gives a shrug.]

Then perhaps go try it, and then you'll feel the same thing I feel seeing this poor flower with its cut stem.

[sortie]

I don't know... I've seen so much death already.

[ He has no idea whether he'd react, or how. ]

Saw a field of them go up in flames, once. But it's...it was what they represented, the death of all those fragile hopes.

[ All those sunflowers, planted for children lost to infant-stealing warmongers. One of them was for him, he knows. He doubts he'll ever forget.

But that's of no consequence to the masked guy, so he shakes his head, as though it might rid him of that rumination. It doesn't. ]

...Nevermind. Better get back to whatever this is.

[leewards]

[Ithaqua crosses his arms. It's almost as if they went down an entirely different conversation for a moment there. Now, he has to ask himself, does he care? The answer might be "no". He doesn't know this boy that well after all, and he doesn't give himself over so easily, even if he knows the other person.]

Then don't plant a bed of flowers. That's not so difficult to say.

[sortie]

[ Lars has a lot of thoughts about flowers and is given to rumination, but it's more than he needed to say. War is war. The slaughter that took place in that border town will always remain with him, but no one here knows that story, and he certainly doesn't expect them to care about ancient history. ]

I'll think about it. [ He shrugs, that he might shed the weighg of his own digression. ] Wouldn't be the same, either way.

[ For more reasons than one. ]

If you don't like what the bots are doing, maybe you should take it up with Aurora. Might count for "sharing your feelings" or whatever too.

[leewards]

Blech. Sharing feelings? [Somehow he manages to sound both insulted and disgusted at the same time.]

Why would I ever want to do that.

[A rhetorical question, he doesn't even add the typical lilt that signifies a question on tone alone.]

[sortie]

Your opinion, then.

[ Lars punctuates his revision with a shrug. Not like he doesn't get it. Sort of. ]

She seems to care about that kind of thing, inasmuch as anybody does.

[ If seeing flowers cut displeases him so, it may as well be brought up. ]

[leewards]

[If he could only see the sheer look of disgust on Ithaqua's face, but alas, the mask continues to stay on.]

Then she'll just have to suffer with not getting a word out of me. And you can leave, if you're going to continue talking about her to me.

[sortie]

Don't trust her, huh?

[ The tone and dismissal tell him what the masked face can't. So he thinks, anyway, as he folds his arms. ]

Wouldn't be smart to, with most anyone in positions of power. When they want to look good, you can make use of it. Or not, your call.

[ Lars shrugs. Aurora caring about their comforts is most likely a means to an end. He's not fool enough to think it's anything more or less. After all, this isn't his first time in a carefully constructed environment. ]

[leewards]

[Now he's beginning to get aggravated.]

I have no interest in using her even when whe's being generous. Do not make me repeat myself.

[sortie]

[ Well, now he knows. ]

So what'll you do, then?

[ Jump people for cutting them or something? The guy could easily do that, seeing the way he moved around in the library. Maybe he wouldn't do anything at all, though.

Lars hardly knows him well enough to guess. ]

[leewards]

[Ithaqua gives a snort.]

Nothing I care to share with you, lest I invite more unsolicited advice.

[sortie]

Fair enough.

[ Lars has been the recipient enough times to know the feeling, anyway. So he shrugs it off. ]

Good luck with... [ He trails off, frowning in thought, and flaps a hand at the air. At their surroundings. At all of it, really. ] This.

[ Whatever this is. ]