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

Natsuno Yuuki | Shiki

[neverleave]

A. Coffee break

[After the labyrinth, Natsuno is tempted to ignore another mandatory activity and skip the cafe altogether. However, this was Clarke's suggestion, and Aurora does seem to put in more effort in considering their wishes, so eventually he decides to attend. It's all set dressing, of course, and they're still trapped in some egomaniac's game. But if he plays along, maybe they will look more favorably upon his suggestion to exchange points for perfect revivals.

Natsuno is always there in his designated hour, reading a detective novel or a collection of H.P Lovecraft's stories over his drink. He seems determined to ignore his placards, which read:

Hi, I'm Natsuno and I hate my name(s)!

Or:

My name is Natsuno, ask me for tips on grave desecration!

Or:

Hi, I'm Natsuno and I have no idea what to do with the rest of my immortal existence!

There's also a stuffed doll floating behind and above him. If follows him as he gets up to get another book. He definitely didn't have it when he left the labyrinth.]


B. Scavenging... for something

[You might think Natsuno is simply highly invested in the scavenger hunt. He's scanning every code he comes across, and can be found exploring locations all over Etraya, both older and newer addition. Should one pay closer attention, though, he doesn't seem to be trying to fulfill any suggested tasks.

If it's a particularly massive building, he's looking for fuse boxes or electrical boards, and will try to mess with them. Maybe he's examining a glowing neon sign in the Bangsan Market market or a big projector in the Clubhouse. And once he succeeds in the "break into S.T.A.R Labs" challenge, he's definitely poking around anything weird looking to see what he does.]


C. Shine a light

[It doesn't look much at first, just small lights flickering in Etraya's darker areas in the night. But if you know morse code, you might notice a few patterns, like:

.... .. ("HI")

or

.... . .-.. .-.. --- ("HELLO")

and after a few days:

.. ..-. / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. / .-. . .- -.. / - .... .. ... / -... .-. .. -. --. / ..-. .-. .. . ... ("IF YOU CAN READ THIS BRING FRIES")

(Look, if he's gonna check how many people get it, he might as well get something out of it)

Investiage, and you will find Natsuno is a dark patch of trees or a construction site, shooting small glowing spheres from his palm into the air.]


D. Wildcard

[Hit me up at sillysymphony or on discord. For prompts B & C, Natsuno's thinking about ways to communicate with the new bubble city.]

b. bangsan market

[equivo]

[ There wasn't any indication if the scavenger hunt was related to points or not, but being given the challenge of 'finding a delicious meal' is really its own reward after weeks of subsisting off packaged and scavenged food in the labyrinth. The tteokbokki he walked away from the Rabbit Hole with is spicy, warm, and obtained without having to kill anything, which puts it right at the top of recent culinary options.

To-go container in hand, he wanders the market as he eats, not looking for anything else in particular. There's no telling if or when he might stumble across something useful.

Natsuno, on the other hand, seems to have honed in on whatever he's searching for. Krouse weighs leaving him alone and heading in another direction, but ultimately settles on sidling up to a reasonable distance to his left as he also eyes the neon sign. ]

Thinking of redecorating your apartment?

[neverleave]

[He can tell someone's coming, a human carrying something spicy and appetizing. He really should come back here later and actually eat.

He only turns to Krouse when he stops by to address him.]

Something like that. [Natsuno looks back at the sign, tilting his head.] Any idea how to take it off so I can connect it somewhere else?

[equivo]

[ On the one hand, vandalizing the bots got Krouse a verbal warning before. On the other, there's a sizable difference between a robot and a sign. On both hands, Krouse hasn't been in the most compliant mood since he staggered out of the labyrinth. A little victimless accessory to what's more of a prank than a crime isn't the worst way to blow off steam.

He makes an ambiguous humming noise around a mouthful of rice cakes, moving closer to the sign and angling to see around the back. ]

It looks like it's plugged in, not wired.

[ He squints at how it's mounted, which is slightly hard to make out with how close it is to the wall. ]

And I think it's just bracketed on. Ten minutes and a screwdriver should do it. You're going to want something to carry it on, though. Foam pad in a box?

[neverleave]

[He frowns slightly.] I don't have a screwdriver.

[An oversight he'll have to rectify. He might have to assemble a toolkit for the project he has in mind. Natsuno goes through the pockets of his cargo pants for a pair of scissors, which will have to do for now.

It's easy enough to scale the booth. He balances himself on the roof carefully, settling on a better angle to examine the sign from.]

You're right, it's bracketed on. Think there's something like foam pad around here? I'm not leaving it for the bots to fix.

[equivo]

Hang on.

[ Krouse pops his chopsticks into the to-go container and rummages in his jeans pocket, producing a Swiss army knife. He fiddles with it one-handed until he flicks one of the small screwdriver attachments out and comes closer to reach it up towards Natsuno, interest flickering.

The change in angle makes the shallow scrape on his left cheek visible and reveals the dab of dark red on his lower lip as a scab, not stray sauce. They're not on his mind at the moment; just the typical wear and tear of a dangerous lifestyle. ]

I could go take a look. If they're faking the whole thing, there's probably some decorative shipping materials around. [ It's not like he has any better immediate plans. ] But first, satisfy my curiosity - what's the rush?

[neverleave]

[Natsuno notes the injuries, but doesn't comment. Considering what they had to endure recently, scrapes and bruises are to be expected. He simply accepts the swiss army knife with a hummed thanks, thinking he should get himself one of these. Natsuno starts on the first screw as he considers whether he can trust Krouse with this.

He doesn't know a lot about this guy. Some kind of criminal record, screwed his friends over nerd drama - neither are much of a problem as far as Natsuno's concerned. Rita doesn't like him, but she doesn't like most people. He might get competitve to ensure his universe survives, but that's expected. Honestly, the only question right now is whether Krouse would try to stop his current plan, and Natsuno doesn't think he will.]

Did you see the new city? I wanna talk to them. Thought that maybe if I plug enough lights and flash morse code, they'll see it from their planet.

[equivo]

[ Ah. Krouse glances skyward, which gets him nowhere. The other city isn't visible at this angle, the dome of the covered market not quite aligned with the right patch of sky.

He weighs the proposed plan. There's no actual property damage involved, at this point, and Natsuno is the one putting the plan together, so whatever limited culpability is involved would probably fall on his head. He doesn't have a personal interest in communicating with the other city, but he can think of a variety of reasons other people might. Low risk, low reward, but also low effort. ]

Why not?

[ He can also think of some pretty good reasons why not, assuming the other city is 1. populated 2. with other competitors. But just like he doesn't have a reason to be interested in friendly relations, he doesn't really care about potential misinformation beamed down to them from probable opponents. ]

I'll go see what I can find. Try not to break it before I get back.

[ And unless Natsuno has additional instructions, Krouse will wander off in search of something soft and large enough to support all of that humming glass. ]

C

[thorncrown]

[Hayan doesn't note the flickering lights for a day or so. One evening she's standing on the balcony of her apartment munching a big bowl of seonji when she pauses as her eyes catch a light. It doesn't last long, coming in bursts. It doesn't occur to her for a few more bites that the bursts seem to be short at times and then longer -- and definitely deliberate.

That's why she's investigating the next night. She's not quite sure exactly where the lights are coming from but running through the treetops lets her poke out now and then to try and pinpoint whatever is giving that light off.

So at some point one dark night Natsuno will be confronted with Hayan poking her head out of the nearby dark tree branches, her white hair giving her away quickly if the rustle of leaves or her unique scent don't do it first.]

... Oh!

[She's hanging upside down too so she waves upside down.]

Hi!

[neverleave]

[The scent is the first hint. Natsuno hopes that one day his first thought will be Hayan's here and not power, danger, apex predator. He sets outside the copy of Frankenstein he took from the cafe to pass the time and weights for her to show up.]

Hey.

[When she pokes her head out, Natsuno snuffs out the sun sphere. He can see perfectly in the dark and assumes that Hayan can as well.]

What're you doing in a tree?

[thorncrown]

[He's definitely assumed right! Hayan's head pops back up but only long enough for her to swing down off of one of the tree's branches and plop down onto the ground.]

I was following the lights. I figured it would be easier to track them via the tree tops where I could actually see them than down on the forest floor.

[Now on the ground she reaches up to pick a leaf from her hair, brows perked.]

So you're the one using those?

[neverleave]

Yeah. It's morse code.

[Alas, Hayan has no fries. He should stick to short sentences and simple words when he comes up with his message to the other city.]

How far were you, when you noticed it at first?

[thorncrown]

I noticed it from the apartments actually. I've got pretty good eyesight though.

[Particularly in the dark. She makes her way over and indeed she is sadly sans fries.]

I thought it looked like it had a pattern to it! Who are you messaging?

[neverleave]

[He nods. Of course a vampire as powerful as her would have good eyesight. He can't draw conclusions about the average resident.]

Right now, anyone who would notice and hopefully decipher it. Seen that new planet city? I want to talk to them.

[thorncrown]

... What, really?

[Okay, her bad for not doing any stargazing. She whips around though to peer up at the sky, all wide-eyed wonder.]

So you're testing to see if they know morse code then?

shine a light;

[agoddessonce]

[ Her knowledge of morse code is admittedly a little rusty, but she can recognise it once she notices that those blinking lights from the past few nights have followed a pattern.

Or, well, they used to follow a pattern until they got longer and more complicated? What happened to just hello?

She flies on over to those trees, concerned and looking around for the source of flickering light... Notably, she has no fries in her hands. ]

... Hello?

[neverleave]

[Oh hey, a flying lady. That means people can see his lights from a distance.

He doesn't call back. Instead, he signals:

HI
COME DOWN

Maybe she can see his face when the lights flicker - a pale teenage boy.]

[agoddessonce]

[ Whether or not she understands, Ororo is coming down anyway. She lands with a whisper of wind that stirs the grass gently. ]

There's no need to be afraid. I was just wondering who was out here, and if you need anything... [ She trails off abruptly when she catches light of a face. ]

Ah, there you are. Hello.

[neverleave]

Hi.

[When she lands, Natsuno floats a glowing sphere and lets it hang over them like a lamp. His night vision is perfect, but it'd be rude to leave others in the dark.]

I don't need anything in particular. I just wanted to see who will notice the light. You know morse code?

[agoddessonce]

[ Her glowing eyes fade as she powers down to land on the grass. She doesn't have night vision, so the glow gets an appreciative nod. ]

A little. But I've not practiced in so long - I only caught and parsed the earlier, shorter messages. [ Hello, hi. Then something very long and complex... ]

What was the morse code for?

[neverleave]

[He shrugs.] Just asking people to bring food over. If I'm already sitting here through the night.

[No shame at all.]

Were you flying when you saw it? What's the highest you can be and still see?

[agoddessonce]

I was not initially-- I was on the ground, setting up a camp. But it was visible to me from above as well - about five stories? Perhaps twenty or so meters...

[ And since he's mentioned food, she procures a very boring, healthy-looking granola bar that she'd secreted onto her outfit somewhere. ]

There are other, more reliable ways of asking for food, you know. Why are you sitting through the night in here?

C

[prevail]

[ He's in late, but he is Starbucks?

Sandalphon doesn't show up with fries. He does show up with a thermos full of coffee to give this light show a closer inspection, however, peering up at those drifting spheres of illumination in thoughtful silence for several long, drawn moments. ]

...So is your elemental affinity light?

[ How strange that he couldn't sense it. ]

[neverleave]

[Damn, no one's bringing fries. Natsuno notes that he should keep his eventual message to the other city simple and repeat it slowly, and that's assuming those residents know morse code at all...]

Mm, sun to be exact. It's not natural, though. I absorbed it on accident.

[More like "injected himself with mystery liquid his friend stole from a deranged mage so she won't use it on herself," but whatever.]

[prevail]

That would explain it.

[ Why he couldn't sense anything from him. Perhaps he can't pick up on elemental energy that isn't native to his own realm, but he has no way to test this in the moment.

The absorption he doesn't question. Seems normal to him. ]

What purpose does dispersing it serve?