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

[aimsforknees]

[ That stumps John for a few moments. What are the main elements of the world? What kind of question is that? He's pretty sure there's religions who have core elemental properties like earth, wind, etcetera, but that's probably not what Vincent is getting at. Right? Finally John settles on an answer. ]

People are the core element of the world.

1/2

[banworthy]

[ Vincent stares at him for a beat.

The desire to swing his leg back so he can kick his shin is strong. ]

[banworthy]

[ But he accepts that he'll end up hurting himself.

Shifting to the side, he holds his hand up to indicate he will ignore the answer given so that he can continue with his explanation. ]

Blood, steel, and darkness are the true elements of the world.

[aimsforknees]

[ John had no clue. He sometimes feels like Vincent is speaking a foreign language. ]

Sounds pretty pessimistic. What did you do with the blood?

[banworthy]

If people are the real elements of the world, I think that's far more depressing, John.

[ His face scrunched up in confusion. ]

Do? Well -- nothing. [ Nothing with that blood, anyway. ]

It was a miracle. There isn't much for us believers to do beyond accept God exists.

[aimsforknees]

[ John almost says "Seems like a waste of good water" but catches himself. That's probably not the right thing to say to a priest talking about a miracle his god performed. ]

There's a lot of things here that I wouldn't believe if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

[ Magic, for one. Seeing Shadowheart actually do magic washed away the last of his doubts. ]

[banworthy]

So, there you go.

[ He holds his hand out to him. ]

I believe but they only know God exists.

[ His shoulders give a quick shrug. ]

It's irritating but it is what it is.

[aimsforknees]

[ Is there a difference between "knowledge" and "belief"? Probably, in a religious sense. Belief is probably more like prayer, like wanting god... or something like that. John isn't a spiritual person and has spent little time contemplating religion. ]

Are there other gods where you're from?

[banworthy]

There are other religions.

[ A diplomatic answer, he supposes. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ So... maybe. But Vincent wouldn't believe in them because they're not his god, so he wouldn't readily agree that they exist. Makes sense. There's an awkward moment where John doesn't really know what to say. He always feels on somewhat shaky ground talking about religion with someone who is, well, so devoted (or at least, so he presumes). Well, Vincent doesn't seem keen to pursue the topic much further, so John is happy to switch. ]

Are you enjoying the holiday?

[banworthy]

[ He blinks - shaken out of the previous topic to this new awkward one. At the very least, Vincent can tell the man is trying to get along with him. His immediate thought is how he would like to ruin those efforts. His second thought is how he shouldn't because it would affect negotiations and continued relations with Heather and Maria.

He allows his face to go on a journey as he mulls over what is more important to him - unfortunately, his investments are always more important. Business relations need to be maintained to live a comfortable life. ]

Sure. It's fantastic. [ A brief smile. ] Have a sweetheart that you're -- [ He squints and doesn't finish his question but holds his hands out like a "choose your own adventure" in how John wants to believe that question ends. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John doesn't believe him at all, and the second part of his comment gets raised eyebrows. Really, Vincent? ]

No. What about you?

[ He's purely in this for the points, actual romantic feelings for Harold aside. He's sworn never to act on those (unless Harold does first, but that would mean Harold would have to— he's been down this road before, no need to travel it again). ]

[banworthy]

No. I want to die alone.

[ And he did. Twice. So total success so far. Congratulations to him. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ That's... a bit unusual. People don't usually just come out swinging saying they want to die alone. John wants to die alone in so much that he hopes whoever he's fallen protecting is safely away. He's not sure if that's what Vincent is getting at here.

And yet... and yet, he had let Harold diffuse his bomb vest. If he'd failed they likely would have gone together. He'd accepted Harold in what could have been his last moments. ]

Most people would say that's a lonely way to go.

[banworthy]

Most people are irritating.

[ He waves his hand dismissively. ]

And that's that word again: "lonely." I'm afraid I've never experienced it.

[aimsforknees]

[ Is John lonely? Has he ever been lonely? He's always been independent, never had any close friends even from a young age. He's already decided he won't do the numbers without Harold, he won't live without Harold, but he's not sure what spot in his life that's filling. He doesn't think it's the "loneliness" spot. ]

Why pine for what you don't miss?

[ He doesn't think he agrees with Vincent on that one. There are irritating people, yes, there's some numbers he can't believe he's protecting, but the majority of them... he doesn't mind. ]

[banworthy]

[ Vincent is sincere in saying he doesn't know what loneliness feels like, because the life he's lived has always been the life he's lived.

Be it here in Etraya or back in Silent Hill, nothing's ultimately changed. He makes his alliances; he works with others so their mutual goals see fruition. However, he fully believes everyone will stab him in the back (literally or metaphorically, it doesn't matter) if betraying him is far more lucrative than not.

He's effective at what he does when he puts his mind to it; he's capable at what he's capable of, but he's not worth anything beyond that, unfortunately. And if someone were to hear or experience something unpleasant from him, they may betray him due to whatever sensibilities they have. ]

Exactly. There's nothing to miss.

[ Because such closeness doesn't exist. ]

[aimsforknees]

What about Heather and Maria? Are they irritating?

[ John can't help but poke at that, just a little. He thinks Vincent is being a little contradictory and they're not close enough that he feels the need to hold back for Vincent's sake. He doesn't necessarily like Vincent, but he doesn't feel like Vincent deserves to be alone. ]

[banworthy]

[ Huh?

When the question is first prompted, Vincent has no idea where John is going to go with it. However, it doesn't end where he thinks it will. Are they irritating? ]

Yes.

[ He can't help but give him a baffling expression like that wouldn't be readily known just due to how he is as a person.

Heather refuses to listen to him regardless of the warnings that he gives her. She also wasn't able to close the deal with Claudia which has lead to a lot of the decisions he makes now! She holds her hand out to others and one day it's going to get lopped off! And who will have to figure out how to get revenge? Him!

Maria's worth is tied into how she will be able to assist him with the state of their world. She doesn't seem to be as easily manipulated as others, which makes her a little bit of a liability to his plans and schemes. (Granted, his tone changes a little when he knows she's tied to God.)

He wouldn't be troubling himself with either one of them if it wasn't for the fact he needs them both. ]

Why would you think otherwise?

[aimsforknees]

[ And yet he died for them. It's always more and more obvious how little he understands Vincent. His reaction seems genuine, like he really does find them irritating. ]

No reason. They just seem nice and you died for them.

[ It's said casually, like it's a lighthearted topic. John is willing to die for strangers because that's what he owes the world, but he doesn't think Vincent is the kind to offer such penance. But then again, he clearly knows nothing about the man. ]

[banworthy]

You can die for people you don't like, John.

[ He decides to be as equally lighthearted about the topic, but he does mean what he says. If the payout or potential reward is higher than the fear and pain of death, he sees no reason why he shouldn't die. Especially since he'll be brought back.

(Actually, he sees a lot of reasons why he shouldn't die. His aversion to it has skyrocketed lately and he is attempting to scheme his way out of scenarios where he actually might die. But details.) ]

[aimsforknees]

[ And yet, Vincent truly does not strike him as the type. Another mystery he thinks he'll never solve. He's good at figuring people out but Vincent? Not at all. ]

I didn't take you for such an altruist.

[banworthy]

Who's altruistic?

[ What nonsense narrative is John creating in his head? ]

You die for a person - especially those type of people - and they owe you.

[aimsforknees]

[ Ah. Aha. ]

Seems like a high price to pay just to have someone owe you. Couldn't you just ask nicely?

[banworthy]

[ Vincent stares at John. ]

Anyway --

[ He's moving on from the ridiculous line of question. ]

-- do you have anything else to ask me?