MAY MINGLE

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: May 17th-31st
WHERE: On Etraya
WHAT: A mingle log!
NOTES\WARNINGS: N/A, please note any needed warnings in threads.

⏵ a hero's return ⏴ As champions exit the Labyrinth, they’ll find that their environment has gone through some fairly drastic changes. Where there used to be larger bodies of water is now thinner rivers going through land; the amount of bridges connecting landmasses has decreased, given what had been individual islands are now much more connected. In addition, Etraya is significantly more green; flowers bloom, birds chirp cheerfully, and there are numerous additional species of insects, mammals, and aquatic creatures throughout the lands. Baby foxes roam through forested areas, bees pollinate the flowers to spread them more thoroughly around the inhabited areas, and it feels brighter. Or perhaps that’s just in comparison to how the Labyrinth had been. There are more areas to explore, new facilities, animals, and Etraya feels significantly more settled than it had before. Aurora’s promise of renovations had been true. And if one looks up, they may notice a city bubble visible on the closest planet that hadn't been visible before. ⏵ coffee break ⏴ After hearing Clarke’s suggestion, Aurora sets up a new cafe close to the apartment complex, and sends out notices to individuals with mandatory coffee hour times listed for them to come to Corrine's Cafe and make a few friends. While the note does state that it is mandatory, there will be no follow-up from Aurora nor the companion bots to ensure those who receive notes do show. Given this is Aurora trying to take suggestions in mind and see how successful they are among the citizens of Etraya, however, following directives may not be a terrible idea. It's up like a modern-day, smaller cafe. One walks in through the front door, and is greeted by a companion bot behind the counter who offers a wave of their hand and a friendly “Welcome! Let me know when you’re ready to order”. The menu offers lattes, mochas, espresso, black coffee, several different kinds of teas, and a few drinks that are a little odd to find in a cafe; ale, canned sodas and coffees, numerous bottles of wine, but only pinot noir. Soft music plays in the background, impossible to place but it sounds as if it may be based on tracks that were popular in the early 90s. Tables and booths are set up to seat two to four, with packets of sugar and small containers of creamer set out towards the middle. There are charging stations set up at every table, which may seem strange considering phones and laptops aren’t widely available, but Aurora’s doing her best. There are also a few bookshelves full of the classics, a few historical fiction, and several written by H.P. Lovecraft. Each seat has a placard in front of it, with a name, and a ‘fun fact’. One might say “Hello! My name is Joe, and I like to paint!” Another may say “Hi, I’m Jill! My sister died tragically in front of me and I’ve never gotten over it.” ⏵ new horizons ⏴ Several of the new bridges found in Etraya now have signs posted just outside of them, and on those signs is a QR code that the earpiece’s HUD can scan. Scanning this with the HUD will bring up a scavenger hunt, listing several items and circling areas where they can be found. Some of these objects will be obvious: find Corrine at Corrine’s Cafe - the companion bot who runs the counter, find a delicious meal at Bangsan Market, break into S.T.A.R Labs, or find room 87 at Point Blanc Academy. Some will be less obvious, like locating a bat, becoming friends with an archer, find a pink shirt, open bagged milk without making a mess, or get a drink at the mutant-friendly pub. Please feel free to make up your own items to find around Etraya! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Welcome to our mid-month mingle! Please feel free to use this to explore Etraya, put up wildcard prompts (you don't need to use the above!), or use the open prompts to assist in jumpstarting cr. This mingle covers the period from May 17th to May 31st. Our next mission (and next mod log) will not go up until June 7th. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

damian wayne | dc comics

[brat]

⏵ coffee break ⏴

( sitting at one of the tables in the cafe is a boy - one who is leaning forward so his chest is pressed against the table, arms stretched across it and hands holding what appears to be an old gameboy color.

which is all that is visible of him, given his hoodie's pulled up over his head, cheek squished against his upper arm, and eyes narrowed as he focuses on switching through the attack menu available on screen. it's pokemon yellow; those familiar might notice he's still very close to the beginning of the game, still fighting a pidgey close to pallet town.

further in front of him is a placard, that reads:

"Hello! I'm Damian, and I have no social skills."

or

"Hi, I'm Damian! I'm a polyglot."

unless he's already removed it and ripped it to shreds, in which case there may be no note, and simply the hot chocolate he'd settled down with to the right of his arms. either way, he's not exactly inviting conversation, but he probably won't growl at anyone who decides to settle in front of him.

probably. )

⏵ wildcard ⏴

( outside of the cafe, damian robin can be found lurking on top of the rooftop of the apartment building, or perhaps exploring shinra hq, or catching fish just off the border of ramsey farm. damian can be found inspecting the snack shelves at kwik tripp, eyes narrowing at the selection before he throws several into a dark backpack thrown over his shoulder. he's often in wayne manor, keeping an eye out for anyone who decides to be reckless enough to try exploring around his home. )

( ooc: hit me up at crowbars, or throw whatever at me and i'll run with it! )

➵wildcard, apt. rooftop

[westcoasts]

( the newspaper headline that clint had read shortly after arriving, the one he can't remember the exact phrasing of but definitely mentioned a flying, brightly coloured toddler, had stuck with him. it'd stuck with him because it was hilarious and ridiculous, and up until now, he'd assumed there was zero basis in fact.

up until now, when he goes up onto the rooftop of the apartment buildings, the one he still spends some time at despite his own building having mysteriously, uncomfortably turned up while they were all stuck in the labyrinth.

his gaze settles on THE CHILD and all at once, it makes sense. all at once, he laughs. it's simultaneously delighted, pleased and smug, and it therefore takes a moment for the 'R' on the outfit to register. when it does, his eyes widen, a question sitting in the lines of his face before his lips curve up into a grin, and— )

You're the kid that wants to shoot me! ( he's so small! ) You know you're famous, right?

[brat]

( he has places to be. his grapple hooks onto the edge of the rooftop of the apartment building, and when damian tugs once, it quickly starts propelling him upwards. it gives the illusion of flight for the few moments he's in the air above it, before damian drops into a roll and pulls himself up to his feet. rooftops aren't an uncommon place to meet or find others, so the presence of this other man doesn't throw him off any. instead, he's running towards the edge on the other side, intent on getting to the apartment just below so he can complete his mission of bugging it before anyone notices only to pause when the man laughs.

and robin stops several feet away from him, raising a brow. waits for the laughter to calm down, the you're the kid that wants to shoot me comment, and the almost curious expression quickly twists into something closer to a scowl. )

Hawkeye.

[westcoasts]

( clint's used to displeasure being thrown his way — his early years in the avengers was built off the back of him being uniquely frustrating to deal with for nearly everyone (but especially cap) thanks to a stunning mix of hot-headed stubbornness mingling with a desperate desire to prove himself. these days, some of that might have mellowed, some of that might have evened out, but he's never quite outgrown a want (need) for attention.

usually, it's an adult — a peer — that finds themselves annoyed with him.
normally, it's a peer that tells him he needs to check his attitude.

he doesn't think he's ever seen a scowl quite that impressive on someone he's said about five words to, and is maybe three-foot.

still.

first time for everything.

completely unbothered, then— ) I'd say the one and only, but we both know that's not true, Robin.

manor.

[batsymbol]

( he's not sure what time it is when he finally wakes in bed, but. with his sleep schedule, he figures it's the afternoon, more than likely. being here, back in the manor after all that time in the labyrinth... it's another adjustment he has to make, but. thankfully one that takes only about a day or two.

he sits up in bed, takes a moment to shoot a message off on his device, cards fingers lazily through his hair, then heads for the bathroom before deciding to find damian. they've been back for a little now — back in the manor like this and yet, while it wasn't too difficult of a time for him, he knows damian had it a lot rougher than he did.

black long-sleeved shirt in hand, he's pulling it on as he makes his way down the halls of the manor, barefoot and quiet with his steps, looking for damian as he goes. when he spots him, he stands there. takes a second. presses his shoulder against the doorframe and licks over his lips. )

You eat anything yet?

[brat]

( damian slept when they first returned.

less out of wanting to rest, and more because his body decided it wasn't going to keep going anymore. and unfortunately, no amount of training can overcome the amount of exhaustion that he'd felt. it had caused him to fall long before getting into the manor, and damian hadn't woken up until hours later.

once he had gotten up, damian hadn't let himself fall back under. instead, he'd gotten the grime of the labyrinth off of him under burning hot water until it'd turned cold enough to dissuade him from staying in the shower any longer. he'd changed into civvies, reorganized his gear, made sure to hide several sharp objects within his clothing just in case something happened, and - sat down in the foyer, eyes focused on manor's main door. just in case someone decided to try and let themselves in.

in his hand is a gameboy, but the screen's off. the cartridge sticking out of the back is red, but it's nothing that's currently holding his attention. not like the door, which he doesn't turn away from when he hears bruce address him. )

I'm not hungry.

[batsymbol]

( arms coming to fold in front of his chest, he stands there still. quiet. hm. )

Did you want to investigate the things that have been popping up around here?

( locations, shops, places. once again, they're met with things being here that once weren't. some possibly from the worlds of others, some not. )

shinra hq.

[unionized]

[Much in the way that Damian keeps vigil over anybody who might be crossing over the boundary line onto the grounds of Wayne Manor, it's only to be expected that Rufus notices when a little masked kid in a cape makes his way into the lobby of Shinra Headquarters. That, in and of itself, isn't worthy of much notice; the lower levels were open to the public even back home on Gaia, and the only thing that anyone who happens to be exploring there is likely to find is a whole lot of monuments and pageantry dedicated to the glory of Shinra.

What is curious, moreso, is the fact that Darkstar perks up a little as he zooms the surveillance cameras in on the explorer, her chain collar jingling as she — of all things — wags her tail.

And wouldn't you know it, that's just curious enough a reaction that Rufus decides to investigate it further, and goes to catch one of the elevators down to intercept the enigmatic visitor somewhere around Skyview Hall. It's almost funny, really. That's the traditional place where the tour groups begin, after all.]

[brat]

( shinra hq is situated close enough to wayne tower that damian is fairly certain he could grapple between them. the similarity tall facilities being put so close together can't be a coincidence if one takes into consideration how the rest of the facilities around etraya have been spread out. it makes him suspicious and curious all in the same breath, and it's enough to want to know what this building is hiding behind it's walls.

normally he would be tempted to skip the elevator entirely, and instead open the doors, use his grapple and other tools to get himself up the elevator shaft and avoid being blocked off from entering floors that are inaccessible by the elevator itself. normally. but it doesn't take long for damian to notice the significant amount of cameras set up around the lobby as he explores it even if he doesn't look directly at them. and instead of opting to sneak around like the bat he is, he walks directly into the elevator.

clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he presses the button to move up to what appears to be one of the more frequently accessed locations (by wear and tear on the buttons, he's a detective, it's not difficult to tell which key has been pressed most often.

it doesn't take too long after that for him to run into someone else. he's on the 59th floor, idly looking across the way to wayne tower with his head tipped to the side, investigating what they're able to see from here, when he hears the footsteps of the man behind him. doesn't turn around to face him, even if he does address the man. )

Is this your tower, or are you also visiting?

[unionized]

My name is on it.

[Darkstar made an acquaintance, Tseng had said, of someone else's guard animal. That could explain the interest, and the recognition. He'd wondered a little at the remark, honestly surprised that she hadn't simply leapt to attack and kill the other creature; perhaps the saving grace had been that she'd been with Tseng then, rather than with him, and so her instincts to protect were tempered somewhat from the comparatively less ingrained connection. It's not as though she would've hesitated because this stranger is either an incredibly short adult or an outright child; her teeth don't discriminate on that basis.

Of course, there's no telling whether this is that acquaintance. It could just as easily be someone nosy enough and intrepid enough to walk right in and come exploring. But she is a little more subdued than he would've expected her to be, otherwise. The likelihood that she's at least met this individual before is a reasonable assumption to make.]

Are you trespassing, or just visiting?

closed ⏵babs

[brat]

( it takes damian a bit of time to make it her way. he's exhausted, tired, his body hurts, he'd fallen asleep for hours after exiting the labyrinth, and spent a significant amount of time after that scrubbing all the grime from being stuck in it for - a while off. he'd gone out with bruce for a while, investigated the new locations strewn about.

normal bat activities to balance everything else out.

but when he does get over towards her apartment, or their apartment as he understands it, it's - by dropping down onto the balcony outside of it from the rooftop, fingers pressing against glass for a moment with a scowl twisting his mouth down as damian's eyes narrow.

looking for security measures he knows she has implemented. he would have gone through the air vents, but sneaking wasn't as necessary this time around. )

[her_own_rules]

[ The apartment is quiet and empty, though she knows Dick will be back against soon enough. She hates that it is easier to let go of the tension in her shoulders, in trying to hold herself as straight as possible, now that he is——and the mirroring one that can't unknot her gut from hating that now he's back out of her range of vision.

He's fine.

(He isn't. But.
He will be.)

(She will be.)

Barbara's managed to close her eyes again, head against the back of the couch because even alone, she hasn't—resorted? surrendered?—to lying down again. (Yes, she can hear Dick worrying about it from here; but his vote only counts for half at the moment; maybe three-fifths if he brings her back something nice). She'd only just stopped counting the pulse of her heartbeat through the raging muscles across her lower back again when a small beep sounded.

One not followed by the glass door opening and Dick's voice bouncing around the room. Nor a jiggle of the glass door handle or the glass itself. Or any overt sound of movement. Whichever of them it is, they're being smart, at least. Barbara reached out with a hand to tap a key on the laptop that was not far from her. For the moment, it's just sound. Her voice modulated almost (but not quite yet) to the right sound from home, announcing itself from nowhere on the balcony porch area. ]

You could have just knocked.

On the actual door.

[brat]

( rule number four of being robin: never use doors.

he hears her voice though, knows who it is, and knows that she knows who it is, which means it's relatively safe for him to break in now. a wire gets slid under the glass balcony door to lift the lock. slowly. as soon as the glass door opens, damian takes a slow step inside, still careful to watch out for any potential traps that she hasn't disabled yet, but - chances of that are unlikely. )

Why would I use a door?

( does he look like a plebian to you, gordon. the cloak gets shoved back over his shoulders as soon as the glass door is closed behind him, and damian moves to push the curtains closed, too. blocks out any outsiders from taking a look inside, just in case. )

manor.

[riskfalling]

[ He's been trying hard not to think about it too much. Dying. It had been bad enough revisiting it long enough to tell Barbara; it had been worse being back in that chair again, back to back with the other Dick Grayson, knowing it could happen all over again.

It's the sound he can't forget, the wet scream of metal against bone, Damian's heartbroken wail behind him. He knows he was screaming, too, but he doesn't remember anything but the way his throat felt like it was ripping apart exactly the same way his chest was. It's— too much. And he hadn't known until he blinked his eyes open again how afraid he was that he'd lose himself again.

The last thing any of them need in this place is a Nightwing with an identity crisis. He's had enough of 'Ric Grayson' for a million lifetimes.

The other thing Damian didn't need was Dick dying in his place. He wasn't there when Dick woke up, which was good, but he's continued to be not there and that means avoidance. He can understand that, he'd known it would probably happen, that Damian would be furious with him. But they hadn't had time. Everything they'd gotten out of before, everything they'd managed to escape— they'd been Batman and Robin, and if they'd had twenty more seconds they would have gotten out with ten seconds to spare.

But they hadn't. So instead Dick's letting himself into the manor and heading toward the cave, dressed in comfortable civilian clothes, to force the conversation he probably ought to let marinate for a while.

But — once again — they don't have the time. This place is only going to keep throwing everything it's got at them. Whatever Damian wants to get off his chest, they need to starting working at it now. ]

[brat]

( damian has been thinking of it too much. grayson's scream runs on repeat in his head, as does the sound of bones giving under the drill as it pressed in deep. he remembers his forehead pressed in close against flesh, tears dropping from his eyes onto the body below him while he - wished grayson was faking it, that this was a game, instead of the very real sacrifice he'd done to save damian from having to go through something similar.

he's angry. but it's the kind of anger that doesn't feel like anger much at all. the kind that burns in his chest, causes his heart to beat hard against his ribcage, leaves him fighting back the urge to cry when he thinks too deeply about it. he can't ever let that happen again, can't let dick sacrifice himself for damian, and thus he instead opts to - tell barbara to tell dick to never come around him again. as if that would work.

(of course it doesn't)

the manor is where he's been staying along with the younger bruce and his pets, and he knows grayson knows that. it's where he stays when he isn't wandering about as robin; he's dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a dark button-down in an outfit that looks a little too much like something one might find in bruce's closet.

grayson heads towards the cave, but damian's at the top of the staircase just outside of the foyer, lingering in the shadows until just the right moment when he can reach over the railing and leap down from it, moving to jump from the second floor down to the first and straight onto dick grayson himself. not in an affectionate hug like he might have usually after long absences. no, this is an attempt at tackling him down onto the ground, hard. )

[riskfalling]

Oof—

[ He goes down like a sack of potatoes, Damian's weight collapsing his knees and sending him to the floor. Dick goes limp at first contact, then lets himself fall, rolling to keep from hurting either himself or Damian.

Not that Damian is likely to get hurt. He's got the upper hand— at least, for the moment. Dick twists, trying to get away more than trying to grapple, and, barring that, trying to keep from getting so tied up he can't move. (Again. Like in the brand new set of nightmares he's developed. ]

Well, I'm glad it was you and not Goliath.

wayne manor

[notthatstraight]

[Kate's not exploring the weird mansion that showed up recently. She's got other things on her mind than checking out someone's house. The only reason she's around the place is that she's looking for someone.

A particular someone.

A particular someone who actually has four legs, fur, and loves pizza but went for a walk in this strange place on his own and now isn't coming when called.]

Lucky, please don't make me have to explain to Clint how I lost you in this impossible place.

[Turns out she has a small pizza box in her hands that she holds up for anyone around her to see.]

Oh come on. I have your favorite.

[brat]

( there is never a shortage of animals around the manor. goliath had been the first to be called home, followed by titus.

while this third animal hadn't been an intentional, find, damian wasn't going to tell lucky(by the name on his tag) that he had to leave just because he wasn't technically supposed to be there. what's one more to add to the menagerie?

while lucky won't be found in the foyer, he will be found in one of the family rooms curled up on a dog bed beside titus and damian while the dogs idly chew through their bully sticks and damian lays on his stomach between them, a sketchpad laid out in front of him while he idly doodles.

and calls out to kate when he he hears her voice. )

Your friend is this way.

[notthatstraight]

Sorry, didn't mean to just walk in unannounced.

[Kate enters the room, takes a quick look around but doesn't look all that impressed with the fact that there is a whole fancy family room in the manor. Or that there's even a manor to be impressed with.

Kneeling down next to the animals, Kate rubs a hand over Lucky's head.]

This isn't home. Please don't go looking for pizza on your own.

[She offers Damian a smile.]

I hope he wasn't bothering you. He has a habit of walking around the block at home, so all the shopkeepers know him and send him back when he gets out.

But do you speak Russian?

[waytodie]

[The place is kind of packed, but she doesn't mind that. Makes having conversations easier. What you're saying to anyone except the people physically closest to you gets lost in the chorus of voices and chatter.

With her coffee in hand, she spots a boy–– and she's pretty sure he is a boy, not quite tipped out of his teenage years–– sitting alone and looking pretty bored.

She sits in the booth across from him and leans back, sipping her coffee once she asks: ]

Но ты говоришь по-русски?

hovertext!

[brat]

( he's still leaning down against the table. doesn't bother looking up as she makes herself comfortable, but her sitting down and getting closer to the same height he's sitting at does make it clear that damian is - definitely young. barely into his teens, even if he's a good bit smaller than most thirteen-year-olds would be. and focused on directing his character through the grassy areas, to find... yet another pidgey. )

Конечно.

( his accent isn't perfect; russian isn't a language he uses often, but it's one he'd picked up from a tutor long ago. )

Was it part of your studies growing up, or do you just like languages?

[waytodie]

[She laughs, one loud, amused, HA! and will continue in Russian until he decides he's bored of it.]

Это было частью вашей учебы в детстве или вам просто нравятся языки?

coffee break }

[matermali]

[ Even the most supernaturally astute have struggled to catch her before she's snuck up near them, but should the boy take notice, a woman is looming behind him, about a table's width away—only, she does nothing but stand and stare. Not at him or the placard, but the little screen of the device he holds. She can't make out much detail on it, not from this distance, but the flicker of movement is enough to capture her attention and hold it—almost as though in a trance.

By comparison to his garb, hers is distinctly vintage, with intricate lace decorating the black silks of her bodice and skirt. That and the dark hair so perfectly pinned back accentuates just how pale she is, as though not knowing a day of sun in her life. Though, at the moment, she is nearly ashen.

However faint Vanessa may feel, an inhuman willpower is enough to keep her on her feet, even as she seems frozen like a deer caught in headlights. She doesn't even blink.

She may be looking at the flicker of lines on the little screen, but she is seeing something entirely different, transported to a time and place nowhere near Etraya or its cozy little mimicry of a café. ]

[brat]

( damian is not supernaturally inclined, but he is extremely observant. still, his attention remains on the game in his hands for several more moments, idly playing through the mechanics of taking down a pidgey with his pikachu. until it goes through the wild PIDGEY fainted! screen and moves back into the grasslands and his shoulders stiffen. the hair on the back of his neck stands up, goosebumps rising along his arms, and he slowly, slowly inclines his neck to look behind him out of the corner of his eye.

she's caught him off guard, which doesn't happen often at all. he tries to disguise the reaction, tries not to make it obvious by offering a disgruntled, irritated, )

What do you want?

[matermali]

[ It's her turn to be caught off guard, despite being the one to have crept up just so. The inquiry has her pale gaze darting towards him so quickly that he may as well have shot a gun into the air. It takes her a moment to register just what the child is asking before her proverbial hackles lower.

It had been there, again. That scratching sound.

His voice seems to have intercepted it.

This time, she pointedly keeps her attention on him rather than the device he holds, with her expression having settled into something more neutral. While it may not have been an invitation, exactly, she still draws closer, finally having a glance to the placard on display.

Polyglot? The terminology is not common for her, but she understands its meaning enough to appreciate the claim. If it's true. ]

I did not expect to see one so young here.

[ It isn't said derisively. She knows better than to underestimate youth, nor does she think it worth her time to coddle if a child can handle themselves. But there is something to be said for experience, and so she can't help but wonder at their captor's intent in this matter. ]

Did you learn your languages through passion, or pressure?