etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

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FEBRUARY MINGLE

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⏴

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I'm fifteen, Father. I'm old enough to drive in numerous countries, and old enough to have a learner's permit.

( not that the law has ever been permitted to tell damian what to do regardless. )

( At that, he gently smiles, a little more to himself. )

Right. Not so little anymore.

( look at this nice piece of scrap metal he has in his hands. or had in his hands, because he's tossing it straight at bruce with a scowl on his face. )

I was never little.

( It's easy enough for him to dodge and he does so with that gentle, just barely there, smile on his face. )

I could always ask Dick.

( Teasing, obviously. )

I grew three inches between the ages of ten and thirteen, and an additional three between now and when I had last been here. I was half a foot shorter when I first met Grayson.

( he'd add on a line about how he had been significantly less nicer when talia had first left him in bruce's care, but bruce is smiling and damian is relatively certain he's teasing, so he'll - avoid spoiling that for him. for now. )

( The amusement he wears is gentle and slowly fading, but. It's there. Fleeting as it is. )

You really keep track of everything, don't you?

( Looking over to him, he offers him a quiet smile that disappears almost instantly, making his way down the pile towards his backpack. )

That's enough for today.

Of course I do.

( he won't specify that he keeps track of his height with purpose, given his - smaller stature. damian has no problem with being on the smaller side; he's mastered fighting enemies several times larger than him, and uses his stature to his advantage. it's the comparisons that irritate him: his mother is on the taller end, his father is tall, and damian is -

well. damian.

bruce says it's enough, but damian grabs onto what looks like part of a car door, and also a crank handle from the pile. the car piece is - for what it looks like it should be. the crank? damian spins it idly while he walks his way back down the pile. )

I met Father's parents. They were fond of Titus and Alfred the cat.

( If there were ever a sentence to completely confuse him...

He's dropping the strap of his backpack onto his shoulder when Damian goes and says that and he stares to him. Dumbfounded. Until he can find the means to say words that make even an ounce of sense. )

What do you mean? How?

Time-travel. They were pleasant. And surprised. They told him they were proud of the man he had become.

( that's the comment he wanted to share. but damian opts to - backtrack a little, too. so bruce isn't left with that being the last spoken word between them. ) Grandfather stated the family name will thrive with me as it's future. He's right, of course.

( Time travel. It's a concept that feels more science fiction than possibility, especially back in his Gotham and he... doesn't know how to feel about that. That Damian had met them— that his other self got to see them again.

So he falls quiet, adjusting the strap of his bag some and makes his way towards the car. )

I, uh... I'm glad you got to meet them.

It was pleasant. My other grandfather had died not long before, and still appears to be deceased. So it... was nice to see ones who had been alive. For the moment.

( and he's still swinging around the crank handle. in the absence of knives, damian will find other things to toss around. )

Ra's al Ghul had also been a physician, early on in his life.

Must have been nice.

( It's a little distant, the way he says that, but. It's no secret that Bruce misses his parents — that he carries their deaths with him every. single. day. He can't help but feel a little jealous some other version of him had been able to see them again, but. How would he have even reacted to it? He doesn't know. Maybe it's best he doesn't.

Stopping for a moment, he looks back to Damian — makes sure he's following along to the car. )

Did you eat yet? Or should we pick something up on the way back?

( it was and wasn't, for bruce. he'd left in a rush when they had first appeared, determined to not look at their faces because he was certain they weren't his parents. he'd come back, only to have to lose them again. damian said he wouldn't have minded, if they kept his parents and damian ceased to exist in exchange.

but he knows it goes deeper than that. that it isn't only damian's life that would be forfeit, but the direction of gotham as a whole that would have been changed.

would it have been for the better? or would it have made everything worse? it's a subject he - hasn't dwelled on all that much, because there is no way to get an answer. they can't go back in time to the moment they sent the waynes back in time. )

I could cook.

( The suggestion has him slowly staring off for a moment. Considering it. Because, while not against the idea, it's not as though they tend to keep much on hand in terms of cooking up a four course meal or anything that could be considered on par with what Alfred was capable of whipping up. )

Cook what?

( the spinning of the crank stops while damian - contemplates the question. )

Tempeh.

( Standing by the Batmobile, he raises a brow over to Damian. )

We have that?

No. We have soybeans.

( because a nutritionally beneficial meal doesn't need to be tasty, and soybeans make a great starter for packing in micronutrients. it's not what damian's going for, but. he knows they have them.

the passenger door swings open, and damian throws himself down into the seat. along with his random piece of metal and the crank, which he stops twirling around if only so he can start trying to undo one of the bolts in it by hand. he has a multi-tool on him; the inefficiency is by choice. )

( The Batmobile comes to life — engine roaring and the dashboard lighting up. Pulling his scarf up over his nose, he leads them out of the junkyard then and makes his way to the Manor. He throws a glance over at Damian, fleeting, eyes going back to the road while the heel of his palm rests atop the steering wheel as they go. )

You should let Laura know. ( He says then, still looking ahead. ) I'm sure she'd like to know you're in one piece after everything.

The details of the last few years aren't relevant to her.

( she doesn't need to know about the robin king, or damian's multiple deaths, or alfred. or any of the other nonsense. there's no need to fill her in, because all of it is just - terrible regardless.

things with bruce had been better, for a while. they're still - better now than they had been, despite their recent argument. but better doesn't necessarily mean good.

when he manages to remove the bolt, the piece gets shoved into a pocket and damian moves on to removing another. )

I meant more about how you're a little older now.

( Since, well. It's rather obvious he's aged some. Glancing over to his son, he looks back ahead. Quiet for a moment. )

You and her are... close?

( damian would point out that he aged between her disappearing and re-arriving, too, but he understands that's not the point. months don't weigh as much as years, and damian has noticeably aged. he's older, he's gained a few more scars that are difficult to miss (one over his brow, from when shrapnel barely missed his eye) and he knows he's - different enough she'd notice it in moments.

but he dislikes the way his father words that question. )

She is my friend, yes. We have many things in common.

( Eyes ahead, he hums in response to Damian's answer. )

It's good to have friends. ( A beat. ) It's good you've found them here, too.

Having companions is important.

( damian isn't one who enjoys being in others space an excessive amount, but he still understands the importance of having people around him. )

I - something similar had happened to Jonathan, back home. ( in a way. but he further specifies: ) He had taken a trip into space, and six years had passed for him, whereas it had only been weeks for the rest of us. He was eleven, when he had gone missing. ( and seventeen when he returned, having already grown into his frame while managing to escape anyone catching him during his awkward years. damian had been mildly jealous of jon, having gotten to a stage in life where others would take his words with significantly more weight than they had before.

jealous, angry, but most of all sad because it was yet another failing on damian's part. he hadn't noticed jon was missing longer than he should have been, because he wasn't according to their timescale. except for him, it had been six years of torture and torment. and he outgrew damian. )

But I haven't changed in any way that matters.

( He glances over idly when Damian brings up Jonathan... Jon, his friend and the son of the Clark Kent from his world. Licking over his lips, he looks ahead again — makes a slow turn as they head up to the Manor. )

You seem a little more serious.

I have always been serious.

( he's relatively certain he was worse when he was younger, not better. then again, the damian that had been here previously had just gotten his own teen titans together. had just saved kent from drake, too. it was a small period of time when things had felt lighter, and despite grayson's death, things on etraya had been relatively quiet, too. )

But I suppose I did arrive back here at a... rough moment.

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