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

[shoplifter]

[Well, she has no idea what Afghanistan is, but she'll just imagine it's somewhere that is not North Dakota or Mexico.]

... I smell a lot of things. [Which is such an underwhelming way to put it, but it's always been her normal, so she doesn't particularly think or care to explain it in full.] It's why I came over here. Something smelled bad under the smell of coffee, so I followed it.

[She is not trying to intentionally diss you, buddy, it's accidental.]

Will you try to kill more people here?

[fortitudosalutis]

[ That seems impossible, being able to smell all that shit from across the room. Carver narrows his eyes slightly. Then again, magic is apparently a thing now. So are buildings appearing out of thin air.

That, and he knows he's rank. He hasn't had a hot shower in more than six years. There's one in the apartment he's taken for himself and never once slept in, but Carver hasn't done more than test the water and stare at the thing with paranoid suspicion. ]

If I have to, [ he replies softly. He tries not to lie to kids. He doesn't lie much in general. ]

[shoplifter]

[Narrow your eyes, buddy, it will not faze her. In fact, her stare remains ever intense in its earnestness. Frankly, she hasn't been told it's unusual to maintain it for so long.]

And when do you have to?

[Sure, 'have to' is a nice answer, but she is aware that people's concepts of having to do things are very skewed. If he feels he has to kill someone just because they give him a dirty look, then she'll be on the battling side with him for as long as she's here?]

[fortitudosalutis]

Them or me. Them or my people.

[ He doesn't shy from her gaze. They stare at each other across the table, unyielding. He likes that, Carver realizes. It's familiar in a way that almost comforts him. ]

[shoplifter]

[She looks left of him. Right of him.

Very empty space, the seats around them.]

And who are your people?

[fortitudosalutis]

[ His eyes narrow slightly. Unbidden, he wonders how many of his family are dead now. ]

My family. Who're yours?

[ Either she has people, or she's alone. There's little in between. ]

[shoplifter]

[An interesting thing to consider.]

I have friends. At home.

[But they are... complicated. They've only just been allowed to truly be friends; they'd spent too much of their lives not being much of anything. They were weapons — guns don't make friends with other guns. But now? Now they can start again. Be anything.

... Here, though...]

I have friends here, too. They help me.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Interesting that she doesn't mention family. Orphans are common as dirt and bone marrow back home, but Carver hadn't assumed that was the case here. He tilts his head, doglike. Watching her oh so close. ]

That's nice. Who?

[shoplifter]

[She watches back, just as closely.]

Why?

[fortitudosalutis]

Why not? We're having a conversation.

[ Suspicion is good in children. It keeps them alive. ]

[shoplifter]

[... Hmm.

After a moment, she shrugs.]

I was locked up for a very long time by bad men.

It makes it hard to tell who the good men are.

[... and Carver may just remind her of the reavers, whether he'd be one of them or not.]

[fortitudosalutis]

I bet it would, [ Carver agrees. He doesn't try to claim he isn't like those bad men. It'd just make her more suspicious and he tries, in his own way, not to lie. It's one of those very few lines in the sand that he's written for himself, that he tries to hold onto even after all these years on the road, after the end of the world. ] Why'd they keep you locked up?

[shoplifter]

[She bites and chews on what's left of her current doughnut. Well... she can be honest. Even without the specifics. It's not like he won't figure it out later, if this place is as dangerous as some have suggested.]

They wanted me to kill people for them.

They kept me in a room, and I only left it when they wanted to teach me.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver tilts his head. There are better ways to teach someone to kill, even a child. It begs certain questions, doesn't it? ]

Why?

[shoplifter]

Maybe they don't like to do dangerous, bad things for themselves.

Maybe they wanted to make someone that can do it instead.

[fortitudosalutis]

Maybe.

[ Whole lot of hypotheticals there. He watches her intently. ]

What'd you think?

[shoplifter]

[She stares at him, and her words include him and anyone else here:]

Nobody is going to use me for anything.

[fortitudosalutis]

Mhmm. Good for you.

[ It’s a good line to draw in the sand. Maybe she’ll even be able to hold it. Carver doubts it, though. Everyone gets used. It’s the most fundamental piece of human interaction. ]

How’s that going for you?

[shoplifter]

[A shrug.]

Good. I eat what I want, and I go where I want.

Like people should.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ He shrugs, too. ]

Sometimes you have to eat what's in front of you. It's not always like here. Enjoy it while it lasts.