etrayalogs | MAY MINGLE

MAY MINGLE

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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Just putting a starter under here! If you'd like one/would like a tag-in, just hit me up and let me know xoxo

[ When Krouse comes to the coffee shop and finds his placard - whatever embarrassing or horrifying thing it may have to say about him - he'll find that whoever owns the placard across from him is similarly doomed to have his secrets spilled by whatever entity is in charge here. In crisp black font against the expensive cardstock, it reads: Hi! My name is Riz Gukgak and in Freshman Year I shot off my classmates fingers!

Almost on cue, one of this place's few visible non-humans enters the coffee shop; it's difficult to miss Riz with his green skin, short stature and large ears, though his more animalistic qualities seem more or less balanced out by the fact that he looks even more civilized than many of the humans here, his tidy little outfit of a tie, waistcoat and trousers complete with a briefcase swinging by his side, dress shoes clicking against the linoleum flooring. He has a sword swinging by his side and a gun tucked into his shoulder holster too but after the labyrinth, Riz thinks that should be customary in everyone's kits by now.

He goes to the counter and gets a frankly unwisely large cup of coffee - clearly big even for a bigger race; he can barely wrap his hand around it - and as he scans the room for a place to sit, his eyes flit over his name card and what's written on it.

His mouth turns down in a fanged grimace. ] Aw, man. [ He doesn't look too horrified, honestly. Just inconvenienced. ] That's rude.

[ He sets his coffee down and reaches over for the card. ]

Here, I'm just gonna...

[ Crumple that up and stuff it into his pocket. He's not nearly as ashamed of what he did as he should have been, but he's not about to advertise it either. ]

[ Krouse has erred to the opposite end of the sartorial spectrum from Riz for this round of mandatory coffee chats. A conspicuously oversized dark red hoodie that bunches up at his wrists, dark jeans just shy of the descriptor of 'skinny', and a scuffed pair of black canvas sneakers make up his outfit, set off with messy overgrown bangs, a scraped cheek, and a still-split lip. He's deliberately ordinary, down to being unarmed, and nursing a cup of cream diluted coffee as he waits for 'Riz Gukgak' to make his appearance.

To kill time, he's been trying to picture who could be attached to the name. It's pretty much pointless, considering the diversity of the local population, but it's something to do. He's conjured up an image of a gruff, stoic extra from an action movie, probably with piercing blue eyes and an indeterminately Eastern European accent, by the time the short green guy walks into the cafe.

That's mildly interesting, and becomes progressively more interesting as his eyes fix on the card across from Krouse and he comes over to the table. Krouse studies him with slight surprise, his idle speculation about as far from reality as it could get.

He's not the strangest looking person Krouse has ever seen. The odd thing is how much he looks like any number of generic NPC enemies from the early levels of various games, except in a dapper little outfit with matching briefcase.

But he can contemplate whether or not that's offensive at some future point. Right now, there's the issue of the card and its contents, which he can't help but connect to the gun Riz is wearing at this very moment. ]

They're not big on discretion.

[ He offers Riz a faded half-smile, aiming for reassuring casualness. If he was going to start getting judgmental about other people's life choices vis-à-vis violence, he'd have a lot of catching up to do.

Hi! his placard reads, My name is Krouse, and I deserve to be in prison! ]

I'm sure it's not what it sounds like. Mine's not. I mean, it's true, technically, but that's only because I'm here instead of in juvie. [ He nods at the empty chair. ] I stole a car. Extenuating circumstances, but it's not like it matters. My point is - don't worry about it.

[ Honestly? That's not the reaction Riz was expecting. It stands to reason that people around here are pretty used to violence, but blowing off Biz's fingers like that had been extreme, even for him. A part of him regrets it, a little. Not as big as the part of him that had relished it, that lurks in the corner of his mind and says, didn't it feel good, to give that guy exactly what he deserved?, but a part of him nonetheless.

Still, he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially if it means meeting someone else who is as uncannily used to unfathomable amounts of violence as he is. He gives him a small smile and hops in his own seat, legs tucked up underneath him to accommodate for his height. ]

I think extenuating circumstances matter. And stealing a car isn't exactly the worst thing you can do, especially if you needed to get away quick.

[ His mind immediately jumps to emergency situations, of course. What else could it have been? ]

Congrats on getting out of juvie, Krouse. Sorry you wound up here instead, though. [ He frowns down at his coffee (black, like he always takes it; he'd forced himself to like it a few years ago much to his mother's despair) and toys with the idea of explaining himself.

Yeah, he decides. Even if Krouse is being weirdly understanding of it, he'd like to at least provide a little context. ]

Uh, to be honest dude, it's exactly what it sounds like. This dude, he kidnapped seven girls, and kept them hostage for a year? Largely because he was upset that girls didn't wanna, you know, have sex with him. It was a whole thing. [ Riz flexes his own tattooed fingers and looks down at them, as though imagining what getting your fingers shot off would feel like. ]

I figure he's just lucky I didn't aim lower. So, um. Yeah! [ He clears his throat and offers Krouse an awkwardly pained looking smile. ] Nice to meet you?

[ His casual smile quirks up as Riz manages to hit the nail on the head on his first guess about the car theft situation. Of all the things Krouse has done, that's one of the ones he never regretted. Compared to some of the assumptions people have made about his criminal history, this is one he can appreciate, especially paired with that congratulations.

The upturn doesn't last through Riz getting into his own extenuating circumstances. His expression drops into a grimace of disgust that hardens into contempt, which he struggles to smooth back out as Riz tries to move them along. He manages a thin half-smile, but his eyes stay sharp as he lifts his coffee to his mouth. ]

Or higher.

[ It's a light remark on a dark topic. Riz could take it as flippant, if he feels like it. Just some further defusing of the tension, and if there's any undercurrent of seriousness, well. Krouse has never had a lot of sympathy for entitled assholes. ]

Nice to meet you too, despite the incredibly weird circumstances and mandatory oversharing. Hell of a way to open a conversation, huh? [ Now he does ease up, leaning back in his chair with a touch of arch wryness in his tone. ] Now, where do we go from here? Want to talk about your worst nightmares, maybe? Greatest regrets? Most embarrassing childhood memories? Then we could really make this awkward.

[ Riz's answering smile is entirely too gentle, entirely too earnest as he shrugs and gives his honest answer, tone as light as though they're discussing the weather: ] Couldn't. Can't answer any questions without a head.

[ If he didn't need Biz alive, would he have executed him on the spot? Riz thinks he might have, though there's no way to tell for sure. Either way, he feels no shame for having that thought cross his mind, just as he feels no shame for killing Daybreak, for killing Kalvaxus. He takes a long drink from his coffee, a little relieved to have (more) caffeine hit his system.

He grins at Krouse, relieved that he's just as invested as Riz is to keep the conversation trucking smoothly along. ]

I think we can wait on those until this place forces us to. It's really weird how they went from a deadly maze straight to hey, come to the company-wide meet and greet!

[ Well, at least they've got free coffee. He kind of wants to ask this guy how the maze went for him, if he died (he's really interested in the whole revival mechanic business), but even he knows you can't just up and ask people if they died. So he doesn't. Instead, he says, ] You make it out of that thing okay, by the way? I wasn't expecting it to take so long, personally.

[ Krouse's smile softens slightly in the face of Riz's calm, gentle one. He tilts his head to the side and down in amicable acknowledgement of the reasonable point: dead people rarely have much useful information to give.

The more Riz speaks and moves, the less Krouse's brain hitches on how visibly not human he is. Besides being green and sporting a set of ears that can probably pick up on satellite signals, he's almost weirdly normal - for a variety of normal that includes showing up with open carry at a coffee meet and greet and shooting off fingers. Not things Krouse is going to get hung up on at this point in his life. ]

I'm starting to have some questions about where our benevolent overseers are getting their concepts of 'hospitality' and 'bonding'.

[ He's more than fine with skimming all the way past their conversation starters with wry levity. He's not entirely unserious about the questions he has, but they're a little out of scope for two people stuck in the same cafe-shaped boat.

After action analysis of the labyrinth is a subject more likely to make productive use of their time here. He sits up straighter, interest sparking in his eyes. ]

And I'm reevaluating how much to pack if we go on any more field trips, but yeah. I made it out all right. No impromptu dirt naps, all limbs attached. What more could you ask for? [ He shrugs loosely, smile quirking up with irony. ] Besides a user manual or a walkthrough.

That's good. I haven't heard anyone say that they died in there, but it could just be that's not something they're eager to share with the class.

[ Riz would, personally, but he realizes that his own thirst for knowledge isn't strictly ordinary, all things considered, and that others are discomfited by his more academic approach. A part of him is almost tempted to put himself in that sort of position just so they can get more data on how the resurrection system here works, but then Fabian and Adaine would probably get super mad at him. Which is fair, because he'd get mad at them if they pulled the same stunt, but his thirst for knowledge has been snapping at his heels ever since he had that conversation with blackhat on the network. ]

Next time, I'm packing more. I thought traveling light and getting through it as quickly as possible was the move, but it turns out I like a full stomach more. Pity I don't have my briefcase here with me. [ God, he hopes that his friends back home picked it up for him. Losing his hat wasn't a tragedy. But if he's lost his suitcase for good, he'll cry. ] What really caught my attention in there is the fact that they seem, like, super invested in us all getting to know each other.

[ He leans further in, his elbows rudely anchored on the table, though the etiquette of that is questionable when he has to sit on his knees to be able to comfortably reach it. (There are technically seat boosters for small children in the back. He absolutely refuses to use them.) ]

First, they make sure we can't stick with the people we went in the maze with, now... [ He smirks a little, holding the placard between his index and middle finger. ] Some really weird speed-dating. You got separated from whoever you went in with too, didn't you?

Yeah, well. Some people like to keep that kind of thing close to the chest.

[ He's never quite sure how much of the network people connect to the real world, so he errs to assuming his identities are publicly linked. It's one less thing in the air to keep track of, but it doesn't mean it's always true, or that everyone keeps as much of an eye on the online half of their little world as he does. All of which is to say: it's a little funny to have the subject come up again with someone who doesn't seem to realize who he's talking to.

But he's not in a hurry to interrupt the rest of what Riz has to say to get into that. He listens with his head slightly cocked to one side, focused and intentional. ]

I did. [ A slight stretch of the truth; he didn't go in with anyone, but he did get separated from the people he met often. ] And from everyone I ran into after that. I never managed to stick with anyone for more than a couple of hours.

It was like this before, too. I'm assuming you're a newer arrival - I try to keep an eye on who's here. I was in the first batch. We got 'getting to know you' bingo cards and scavenger hunt secrets falling out of the sky. Then there were the doubles we had to get someone else to kill for us, which is definitely one way of promoting some information sharing.

But what I still don't get is the point. [ He shakes his head. ] No offence to present company intended. I'm just saying, if this is a competition, what's the focus on cross-universal mingling? And why do it like this?

[ He's leaned forward himself without paying attention to it, and once he realizes it he draws back a little, smile turning self-deprecating as he blows a loose strand of his bangs out of his eyes. ]

Not questions I'm expecting we're getting a straight answer to any time soon. That's probably more of a mid-season twist from the producers. [ A soft laugh, kept mostly in the back of his throat. ] Sorry. Reference. Do they have reality TV where you're from?

[ Riz snaps his fingers and, rudely, jabs his finger right in Krouse's face, eyes alight with the delight of realization. ] Blackhat! From the network! Right? Good to see you made it!

[ Then he seems to remember himself and his manners and sheepishly lowers his finger and settles back in his chair, giving the guy a small grimace of apology. Still, it's nice to solve at least a small mystery, considering the fact that he's batting zero these days. ]

We already talked about all this stuff before. You probably figured this out by now, but I'm The Ball. [ And it's probably not a surprise to either of them that they're willing to rehash it, he thinks. Krouse seems to have the spirit of curiosity about him, or at least the self-preservation to know that it's better to try to get ahead of the game instead of letting yourself be buffeted by the winds of what could very dubiously be called fate. Riz isn't a kid who's ever had much control in his life, so whenever he can find it, wherever he can find it, he wraps his hands around it and grips as tightly as he can, even if his palms bleed with the effort. ]

We do have reality TV. I think suggested that one too. We've got reality TV. It's pretty fun, in a trashy kind of way, but it stops short of keeping any actual hostages. Except financially, I guess. But that's a different thing.

[ Krouse lights up faintly when Riz thrusts his finger in his face, mutual recognition overcoming potential minor annoyance. Much like with the name placard, Riz doesn't exactly fit his mental image of The Ball, but he's a lot closer to it - just shorter, greener, and better dressed. ]

That was you. [ He lets out a short, quiet laugh, shaking his head as he runs his right hand through his hair. ] And now you've caught me lifting your bit.

[ He doesn't think it's the worst possible transgression. It's just funny that he ended up repeating it right back to the guy he got it from, brought up through almost the same conversation. ]

If only financial hostage taking was our problem. [ He lets his hand fall back down to the table, tapping his index and middle finger in a quick alternating one-two beat. ] But seriously. Good to put a face to the handle. Now I just need to meet Furious Fists in person, and I'll officially know a whole real life adventuring party.

Did you guys reconnect later? I ran into Fabian inside.

[ Riz grins, expression bright and unfettered now that he's connected the dots. He liked talking to Blackhat on the network. He seemed smart and cool, capable of holding his own in speculative conversation and able to dissect the situation in much the way Riz had too. Plus, he did really want to try playing crystal games with him. ]

You'll know half of a real life party. We're still missing the other three. But if you already know me and Fabian, you'll meet our Wizard soon enough.

[ Adaine doesn't need him to disguise her name. At this point, it's just more fun to play up the whole Wizard thing. ]

We met up after, yeah. Adventuring rule number one is never to split the party, but that stupid maze had other ideas. [ He decides not to mention the nature of their reconnection, on account of the fact that they'd had their most embarrassing fight yet and stumbled into a pool of monsters, like idiots. ] What'd they have you and Fabian doing?

[ Krouse hasn't gotten used to the weird second take rush of having people be happy to see him. Sometimes it feels like he should glance over his shoulder for whoever they're actually talking to. Happy to see him and interested in having him meet more of their friends is one step past that.

Still, it's not like they're weaving each other friendship bracelets. He's not going to make more out of it than it is. But for a minute, he's willing to let himself get caught up in it - for the sake of the mandatory meet and greet, of course. ]

Oh, you know. Random encounter in the procedural dungeon, some light monster slaying, losing him around a corner.

[ He thinks he did all right, even though he knew the first time Fabian moved that he was never going to be able to keep up with him in that arena of skill. ]

It's too bad you were split up. I'd really have liked to see you all in action. Even three people down, it'd be - [ is he talking too fast? he feels like he's talking too fast ] - I'd just be interested in seeing how it actually works.

Not that I'm in a hurry to get a demonstration now, though. Fine with putting that off, let's say indefinitely?

Yeah, I don't think that'll fly. They're definitely gonna have us fight more stuff sooner rather than later. And even if our party synergy's not quite right - [ it puts too much pressure on Fabian is what he doesn't say out loud, just because it's bad form to broadcast the weakspots in your party; without their Bard and their Barbarian, it's up to Fabian to both handle close-combat and protect Adaine as she whips out her heavy-hitting spells ] - we're still pretty capable on our own. I mean, you must have seen Fabian fight! He's a fantastic swordsman, one of the best at our school.

[ He feels obliged to talk Fabian up a little -- and privately hopes that Fabian didn't, say, fall off any tables during his and Krouse's time together or else he's gonna look like an idiot. The guy's coming off of a hard few battles and his ego is surprisingly fragile for a guy who has Maximum Legend tattooed across his neck. Besides, Krouse is speaking with a genuine interest and excitement it's rare for Riz to receive. ]

So, you know, maybe you can watch sometime? But only if I can watch what you've got going on with -- what did you call it, e-sports?

[ Yes, Riz has assisted in murdering a dragon. No, he doesn't actually know how to play crystal games very well. Yes, he still thinks Krouse's burgeoning e-sports career is cool. Sue him. ]

They've got a system at that "teen hang-out", [ he says, using air-quotes as he says it. ] Which I feel like is kind of a weird thing to set-up here? But they've got games and a training room and an armoury and stuff, so.

[ The upside of having this conversation in person is that Krouse can tell that if Riz was humouring him, he'd have to be uncannily good at it, because he can't pick up on a single false note. ]

E-sports, yeah.

[ It's flattering that Riz paid enough attention to remember, almost embarrassingly more so that he's actually enthused about it. If Krouse didn't know he was still good enough to pull off some moves despite being out of practice, he'd probably be nervous. Making a personal note to spend a little more time on the controllers when he has it to spare is just about making sure he's polished. ]

And it's slightly weird, but Kate's cool. I think she mostly wants to keep us from falling straight into shiftless deliquency so that she doesn't get an earful about not setting a good enough example for her fellow youth.

[ He's not defending her, exactly. It is weird. But she's been decent enough to earn some contextualizing. ]

Anyway. Definitely. Even if I think I'm getting the better end of the deal, here. [ He rotates his coffee mug between his hands as his grin brightens. ] Especially because I'm getting the better end of the deal, actually.

And don't tell Fabian I said this, but he's something else. I've never seen anyone use a sword like that before outside of a movie.

[ He wonders where their synergy is falling a little short. It's a major adjustment to adapt to losing half of your team. If he gets a look at it, maybe might have some ideas - but that's getting way too ahead of himself. ]

It's not a bad thing. Just a weird thing. It's a pretty cool place to hang out.

[ Caring about the welfare of the youth is, to Riz, an absolutely bizarre concept. They're already here -- and if they can't get into trouble when trapped by themselves on some godforsaken liminal space, then when can they? But he's not about to argue against having a hang-out space. It's not such a bad thing. It's just --

Well, he's the guy who got hopped up on snuff and proceeded to plaster poorly thought out tattoos across the entirety of his body. He's not exactly the poster child for staying out of trouble.

What's much more entertaining to discuss than the validity of being in or out of trouble is, however, Fabian's swordsman skills. Frankly, Riz will talk up the Bad Kids any chance he gets. They're incredible, the lot of them. It's hard not to be in awe of his friends after seeing the kind of shit that they're capable of on a regular basis. He leans across the table himself, nose disappearing into his coffee cup as he takes another healthy swig. ]

He's pretty incredible, isn't he? [ Riz enthuses. ] I use a sword too, but nothing like the way he can do it.

[ He doesn't have to. He's a Rogue. It's not his job. ]

He's so fucking fast. And his footwork's only gotten better after multiclassing in Bard. [ Riz had thought that Fabian was just -- so cool, that first day of school. He still thinks Fabian is cool, just in a different way than he'd initially thought. ] And our Wizard's at the top of her class. You'll probably see her spellcasting at some point, but the stuff she can do is just insane.

We're missing our Barbarian, our Bard, and our Cleric, but honestly, dude, all my friends are super cool. Doing actual, practical fieldwork taught us way more than we could have learned in class.

[ Riz and Fabian are really friends.

It's not something that should be hitting Krouse like a revelation. They've been nothing but enthusiastic about talking up each other's skills to date, and the same has gone for their wizard. He knew they liked one another, that they'd call each other friends as well as party members, that given how they've talked about their school they've no doubt been through some things that would raise even his eyebrows.

But there are friends you know because of something you do together, and then there are friends where it stops being about whatever brought you together in the first place. Not a difference between fake and real, like some people might put it, but a difference of degree.

His expression doesn't really change as he listens. He keeps smiling, and it's not like he's concealing some drop in his mood. It's just a faint, bruised wistfulness that starts to creep in at the corners of his eyes before he blinks it away. ]

It's a little annoying when someone lives up to their own hype. [ Annoying in a good way, praise delivered via backhand spin. ] I hear what you're saying about practical experience, but it's not just that. You've put the work in.

[ There's getting competent, and there's getting good. ]

Maybe that's why there are only the three of you. Had to nerf you somehow. [ He catches himself, shaking his head and lifting his fingers off the side of his mug. ] Nerfing means making something less powerful. It's from these foam dart guns on Earth. Foam darts instead of real bullets is a nerf, which I'm realizing sounds much more violent than I thought when I'm saying it out loud.

I think I have to stop making references.

If we got practical experience without putting the work in, we'd be dead, [ Riz says with a crooked grin. He's not lying. While they do tend to have Clerics on hand to revivify anyone they can, Aguefort doesn't have an Obituary section at the end of every yearbook for nothing. Shit happens. People die. And the Bad Kids, sent traipsing towards world-ending monstrosities instead of just killing a bunch of monsters over in the Mountains of Chaos, are a little more liable to wind up full-dead than some of their peers. ]

You can keep making references, so long as you keep explaining them. I probably don't get half the references back home either, [ Riz says blithely, plowing through every single implication of that sentence (which, coupled with his genuine enthusiasm for e-sports, probably says a lot more about him than Riz necessarily thinks that it does). ] We've got toy guns like that too, we just call 'em something else. They weren't allowed in my middle school 'cause they're "too violent" - [ he says in air quotes ] - but now I have to shoot things to get a passing grade, so who's laughing now?

[ It probably shouldn't be Riz, who had not so long ago been shot point blank in the face. ]

Speaking of which, have you gotten your hands on a weapon yet? You said you weren't much of a fighter, and between you and me, fighting some of those monsters in the labyrinth sucked.

[ Krouse scoffs dutifully at the idea of Fantasy Brand Nerf Guns being too violent for middle school. A slightly surprising thing for a fantastical realm and the Wisconsin school system to have in common, and equally pointless in both. Krouse never found the absence of toy weapons prevented middle schoolers from finding ways to be enthusiastically violent through other means.

And no one at his middle school had the option of heading to Practical Application of Guns With Genuine Possibility of Death High School, which makes Riz's educational restrictions sound all the less reasonable.

Which, while they're on the subject of weapons: ]

I found a gun.

[ A technically accurate statement. He found it because it was delivered to him by request. ]

Thought I'd lost it for a while, but someone was nice enough to return it to me. [ A glimmer of fondness crosses his face. ] I'd have been fucked without it, if you'll pardon the language. Turns out all the times my uncle dragged me to the gun range were good for something after all.

[ Krouse doesn't think his uncle even owned a gun. But it's a nice fake memory, if he lingers on it, imposing a different activity on all the times his uncle did make time to teach him something. ]

And deal on the references, as long as you explain yours to me. I genuinely want to know more about reality TV featuring wizards. Give me the drama over familiars and orbs, the whole shebang.

Oh, sweet!

[ Riz is, unfortunately, entirely pro teens-with-guns, which is an unfortunate quirk of his homeworld that he'll never be swayed from. As much as others may have qualms with giving children lethal weapons, Riz's impression of giving children lethal weapons is that it's the best way to protect them from other children with lethal weapons, which has historically been the case over the past two years. ]

We can practice our aim together, if you like, [ he offers. ] Someone else made this kinda shooting range out of tin cans and stuff, and I'd like to see how different your gun is to mine, too. She had a blaster. It shot these -- energy bolts? Super cool stuff. But guys like us - [ guys that probably aren't going to be able to punch down a building; sorry for being lumped into Riz's crowd, Krouse ] - really need something like that. Fight smarter, not harder.

[ They probably shouldn't. He's already running around with a gun strapped underneath his arm and a sword hanging by his side. The last thing he needs is more weapons. ]

But yeah, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know about my world. [ A beat. ] But I don't know that much about the Real Housewives series. We only got, like, two channels on our TV back home. Fabian's the guy with a million of 'em. I've still got a bunch of podcasts loaded up on my crystal, though.

[ Hope you like Fantasy NPR, Krouse. ]

Yeah. Absolutely.

[ He's very interested in a cultural exchange on the subject of weaponry, especially when it comes to potential fantastical expansions of possibilities. Energy bolts included, even if that's not something Riz is personally bringing to the table. ]

Back where I'm from, picking up someone's energy weapon is more likely to blow you up than it is to do you any good, long term. But the rules are different here, apparently. Maybe we should write to Aurora for wider distribution of laser guns, since we've been such good little boys and girls.

[ Krouse also, unfortunately, believes in the proliferation of new kinds of ways to blow other people up. 'Smarter, not harder' is a slogan he'd proudly wear on a t-shirt, but intelligence has only a middling correlation to wisdom. ]

And I'd also be extremely up for magical podcasts. My mom - [ a tiny, fleeting look of regret, caught and retracted before it can go anywhere ] - cable's expensive everywhere, I guess. Or crystal wire, or whatever the equivalent is.

[ He will like fantasy NPR. Superheroic NPR was one of the neutral stations they could default to on the road when no one could agree on what music to listen to, and Krouse was sick of fighting over the dial. ]

[ Riz catches that look and, perhaps inaccurately, thinks to himself: Krouse must miss his Mom. It would make Riz feel better about it. He misses his Mom terribly, an ache coming to roost in the hollow of his chest as he keeps inexplicably checking his crystal as though something will suddenly start working, and he can talk to her. But nobody else here seems to be saying anything of the kind, so the thought just makes him feel juvenile. He does what he'd want someone to do to him, though: he doesn't mention it.

It makes him feel a little better, too, to be recognized in that brief moment. He adores Fabian and Adaine to bits, but both of them grew up richer than god, and aren't as immediately understanding of these things. ]

Cable's expensive, [ he echoes, expression wry. ] We mainly just had Raven Reyes reruns -- uh, just this daytime cooking show, hosted by this Aarakocra lady. It was mainly aspirational.

[ Is that just Fantasy Rachel Ray? Of course it is. And just like in many other worlds, Riz and his mother often parked themselves in front of the crystal to watch and criticize it over a lukewarm frozen dinner. ]

...but we can listen to the podcasts. I'm in the middle of this really interesting one about the way they use arcanotech to deal with waste in Frostheim? It's this whole thing. [ It is deeply, deeply boring. Riz loves it. ] Have you got any of yours still loaded up on your -- whatever you'd call your crystal? I assume you've got one.

[ Riz has it right. Krouse misses his mom in a way that he skirts around at the edges of his thoughts, never letting himself linger on anything that has to do with her for long. He can't let himself go there after all the time he's spent working away from the worst, sharpest pangs of wanting to see her. He's past it. Past having the kinds of problems she could fix, even if he could talk to her.

He wants to be past it. It's just sometimes he brushes up against it again, a live wire mostly tucked out of mind until bumps into it by chance.

There are arcanotech waste disposal techniques to think of, coffee to sip, a bot moving behind Riz to watch clearing a table. The moment passes, like it usually does. ]

From what you're describing, probably a cellphone or an iPod. Long range communication device with some other features, or a device that stores music and other audio files. And I'm afraid mine didn't come with me.

[ He'd only had a burner cell, anyway, which he has to assume was either destroyed or confiscated. If it was here, it wouldn't have anything interesting on it. For the first time since he showed up, Krouse wishes he could log back onto the PHO forums and track down some of the more informative postings there. ]

I could try recreating some from memory. [ He's kidding. Mostly. ] I think I remember about...half of one about the Nova Scotia diaspora. Seventy five percent of that was about lobsters, in this excruciatingly tortured metaphor for the resilience of the survivors via crustacean behaviour. Or they were actually just extremely concerned about the impact on lobster habitat, I guess.

Did you know lobsters are pretty much immortal? Our lobsters, anyway. Which are not crabs. Crabs are a whole different thing. Apparently more related to spiders, if you can believe it.

[ There is a long moment in which Riz seriously contemplates telling Krouse that he knows an abundance of shellfish facts in particular, and that his friend Gorgug is the undisputed (okay, fairly disputed) crab king and that he's the little shrimp of the crew -- and then he remembers that he's trying not to seem like a total loser, and going around telling people that you're a little shrimp has certain connotations that he's trying to avoid. So he keeps that little fact to himself.

Even if Krouse would probably be kind of good for it? Riz thinks he's cool, which means he's also kind of a loser who'd listen to the Dry Guys during roadtrips and thinks that learning is fun and probably isn't going to be winning any push-up contests anytime soon. Still, he's trying his best to make a friend here. He can practice restraint. ]

Yeah, you got it. [ Riz digs his crystal out of his pocket to show it to Krouse -- not for Krouse to hold, but enough so that he can see it. It looks like a modern day smartphone, complete with several apps (camera, podcasts, messages, two separate e-mails, a couple of games, a couple of dictionaries), just on a flat plane of crystal. The background is a group shot of the Bad Kids, but it's pretty difficult to make any of it out with the rest of the visual clutter. ]

I've been checking it every time stuff here changes, just in case I'd be able to pick up a signal from somewhere, but no dice. [ He wants that for more serious reasons than downloading more podcasts -- but he plants a smile on his face, determined to keep it light. ]

So all of our shellfish facts have to come off the top of the dome -- which we do have on Spyre, by the way, but I don't think I have any fun shellfish facts. [ He pauses. ]

Circling back to the cellphone thing... I was talking to someone, and they had the suggestion of asking for the chance to contact someone from back home. I doubt they would, but they gave me back my briefcase, so they're at least granting some requests. I'll let you know if they do.

[ A small implication being: so that you can call home. Call your Mom too, let her know that you're safe. On a purely emotional level, he has to imagine that calling their families is what most people would do. ]

[ Krouse leans forward on both elbows to examine the crystal, his eyes sharpened with interest and then widened with mild surprise at how familiar seeming it is. Not just like a cellphone, but like one of the newer, more expensive models, the kind of thing people whip out as a status symbol.

It's cool, and it's contextualizing. Krouse makes another revision to his concept of Spyre, which is already starting to hew closer to the reality of the place than he has a real barometer to judge by. He's preoccupied enough by that to not see what Riz says next coming, and he pulls back slightly to shoot Riz a rare unfiltered look of surprise.

He wouldn't have made the request on his own. He wouldn't even have really thought about it as something he could ask for, which sends a sliver of shame down the back of his throat. But that's soon swept away by the soft yet insistent tug of want, coming on without reason or caveat. ]

Cool.

[ He settles back into his seat, picking at his hoodie sleeve to pull it over his thumb in the spot where he's already working on worrying a new hole. His smile flickers like a candle flame, small but warm. ]

That'd be - reassuring. [ Not quite the right word, but he doesn't know what to substitute. ] Probably. I guess it'd depend on who you'd be calling. I... [ He tucks his chin as he lowers his eyes, huffing a dry exhale that crackles short of laughter. ] My mom would have some strong opinions about all of this.

[ He extends the admission as a sort of reciprocation, a sideways acknowledgement of something that he hasn't heard come up much in the circles he tends to travel in - of course, there's no way of knowing how much of that has been him avoiding the subject in the first place. ]

riz gukgak | fantasy high

for krouse

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