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

[thorncrown]

[The front doors opening garners Hayan's attention first. She'd only just come across this church a few days ago and had yet to run into anyone else while she was here. Poor timing probably! Now she seems pleased to see someone else, a ready smile rising on her lips.]

They're very ... um, lively? Colorful? Healthy!

[How do you describe flowers looking well beyond them looking well? That seemed an awfully plain way to put it though.]

Is this from your world then?

[She'd already heard the talk of places from 'home' cropping up here during that first month here. This much be somewhere from this woman's world them, so she assumed.]

[anciently]

[ The response makes her brighten even more, and she nods affirmingly. ]

They get all the light and water they need, usually. [ At which point she glances up to indicate the massive hole in the roof, located just above the flowers. ] Pretty convenient, right?

[ At the question, there's another nod, and her smile softens with fondness, and...maybe some nostalgia, too. ]

Mm-hmm. I heard something like this might be possible, but I was still surprised. It's really nice to have it. [ Especially since, if she can't do her job, the real thing back home may not exist for much longer.

There's a pause, then: ] I'm Aerith, by the way.

[thorncrown]

Hayan.

[She tilts her head back some to look at the hole in the roof. She had noticed it before of course and maybe connected it to the flowers there but she hadn't really looked at it too in-depth. Now she huffs out a laugh.]

I guess it is. The hole in the building is a shame but I guess if it led to the flowers it's not as bad.

[Beauty in destruction or something like that?]

[anciently]

Nice to meet you, Hayan. [ Aerith follows her gaze, and as she does, she grins. This isn't the first question, or comment, about the hole in the roof, and it won't be the last. ]

It does help the flowers out. [ She concedes, dropping her gaze again, linking her hands behind her back. ] But it wasn't intentional. Two people - at different times, actually - fell through the roof and landed right here!

[ There's a gesture to the ground around the flowers, where the sunbeams tend to fall. ]

I could never have it patched up or anything, though. Even if it didn't offer convenient plant care, it's too good a memory to erase how it all happened.

[thorncrown]

... That's an awfully big coincidence, isn't it?

[Yeah she can't help but looked surprised. Who would think two different people at two different times would go through the same spot? Hayan's went through her share of ceilings and walls and floors and it never seems to happen quite that conveniently.]

[anciently]

Sure is. [ Hayan isn't the first person to make that observation, and she won't be the last. ] Guess I should put a big cushion right here in the middle for the next time, huh?

[ There won't be a next time back home, but maybe here someone would find a way to follow in Zack and Cloud's footsteps? ]

[thorncrown]

It would certainly make the landing a little easier!

[The surprise on her face gives way to a grin.]

Or maybe a net? So they don't crush the flowers?

[anciently]

[ Aerith grins back when Hayan voices the idea, glancing upward to where an imaginary net might hang. ]

Even better! Wow, can't believe I haven't tried that yet. [ There's a pause, then a laugh. ] What's the saying...? "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me"... But what about three times?

[ 'Three times: you'd better have a net?' ]

[thorncrown]

Three times and I probably should have known better? At least for me anyhow. Not that that's stopped me before though.

[Or maybe it's more like she's never had the choice to stop.]

[anciently]

I think that's what happens at "two times." [ There's a laugh and a helpless shrug. ] But, what're you gonna do? I'm just glad they land safely. Somehow...

[ SOLDIERs are tough, and all that. ]

The net would help, though. I'll have to look into that.