etrayalogs | APRIL MINGLE

APRIL MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: April 25th - Early May
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, spring activities, and feathered friends!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

However, if they are arriving from Aphaia, it's a little different, though mostly through means and familiarity. They will still show up in the hospital of course, but how can vary. Either through Aurora offering a portal for escape, their own demise (however it might have happened), or even a simple blink of their eyes and they're in the hospital. They had been given the briefest explanation last time they were here, but at least Aurora can better answer their questions now. No time constraints nor rushing them off to a dying world, this time!

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, spring is sprung, it is warm and comfortable. Flowers have bloomed, and everything is in a sharp contrast to Aphaia—there is life within the bubble, and even the myriad wildlife seems to be basking in the glow of it all. Almost as if a celebration of that life itself.

Bees are buzzing, birds are—warking?

⏵ Birds of a Feather ⏴

Etraya has always had its interesting assortment of critters, but there seems to be a particularly colorful array of birds wandering around. Those familiar would know they are named Chocobos, those less so familiar, well, these are some strange looking ostriches, or whatever large bipedal bird equivalent fits. While the birds all seem to be of the same species, there are certainly some variety in their features. Some with friendlier faces and others looking a bit more eagle-like.

They are not particularly congregated in any one spot within Etraya, seeming to stick to groups, while others don't, yet even some are accompanied by newly hatched chicks. The observant might be quick to notice that their colors dictate some level of behavior, or even where their little groups mingle:

Colors	Behavior and habitat
Yellow	Can be found just about anywhere in Etraya, they don't necessarily stick to self-made groups, and typically are more likely to be friendly to people. However, if they are in the company of a newly hatched chick, they can become wary, though easily won over with some greens.
Green	These Chocobos are mostly found in grassy or woodsy areas, almost always in pairs, and sometimes found in the trees themselves. They are more wary than their yellow brethren, though if they see someone struggling or in danger, they are quick to offer assistance in what way they can. Doting like motherhens.
Blue	Most often found by bodies of water, these Chocobo seem content to keep to themselves. Three to a group, they are not so easy to approach without being noticed. Their skill and love of water is clear, however, and it's not unusual to find them flapping about or swimming. Though they may flee to the water if you spook them.
Brown	The most skiddish of the Chocobo, they can be found throughout Etraya, though further away from anything occupied by people. They stick to groups of four, though they have a clear leader who sports blue and green feathers, but seemingly is not of the other two types. Should they catch sight or sound of someone approaching they are like to run off, or they might attempt to defend themselves.
Red	There seems to be only one of these running around. Highly aggressive to anyone who dares to approach it. Best to avoid it. Very likely to hurl comet-like balls of fire your way. Untamable.

The birds all favor these strange cabbage looking plants that can be found out and about in the wilds of Etraya. Some proving a little overeager in their voracity to eat the leafy greens. One should be careful, with those large beaks of theirs.

⏵ Gift Hunt ⏴

It isn't only the birds that have shown up out of nowhere. Small to medium sized boxes, wrapped as if they should be under a tree, and maybe not hidden in a tree, have also appeared. For whatever reason (possibly the same reason eggs were given out over winter) there seems to be gifts hidden all over Etraya! Some in more difficult to find locations (in trees, on top of a roof, on snake island), while others look as though whoever "hid" it gave up halfway through and simply dropped it on the ground and put a leaf over it.

For those who need a little extra help, well, certainly your fellow Etrayans could lend a hand, however there are also perfectly capable birds about for those still left wanting. Certainly that blue chocobo could assist with crossing the river to obtain that perfectly balanced gift on a rock! Or what about that green chocobo roosting in a tree not too far from that gift stuck in the branches because it has entirely too many ribbons?

With that said, there might also be some dangers in trying to take one of the myriad gifts from a chocobo's nest, especially if there's a chick presently sleeping next to it. Perhaps befriending them would be a good idea first, besides, isn't friendship with a big bird the truest gift of all?

On the tag of each and every gift box says the same thing:

To: You
Love: 💋

Each gift has a random assortment within. Some contain candy, others contain alcohol, make-up...maybe even a pair of socks, very perfunctory gifts with very little thought or feeling put into them. However, there is at least one gift that is personally relevant to each character in Etraya. This item will be the equivalent of a 5 point AC reward, and does not have to be found by the person it is intended for.

What better way to break the ice than to give someone their gift which you opened!

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome to Etraya newcomers and happy spring to everyone!

It appears that someone is trying to correct her previous mistake of handing out eggs during the winter holidays, and now there's a hunt for gifts accompanied by a bunch of lovely birds to help out!

Some notes in regard to Chocobos:

-Each color can be tamed except for the red one, he's a free spirit. Should someone wish to harm or attack this chocobo, let us mods know. There is only one of him, after all.

-The others will just take various amounts of work to win over, however, but they are loving and cute companions for those who are willing to put in the effort! And who knows, maybe more colors could arise with time and patience...

-Feel free to pull from all the designs of chocobos throughout the Final Fantasy series. If you fancy FFXII's, for example, there are some that look like that. Variety is the spice of life!

Concerning the personal item, be sure to plot out and get permission when finding someone else's item. This is meant to encourage possible new CR and mingling, but the choice of the item should ultimately be within the hands of the player who is receiving it.

If you are uncertain if your item is appropriate for the reward cost, feel free to ask here!

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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[Laura looks surprised at first, one she realizes what she's looking at. Sobered and quiet, she kneels down as if she has to be closer to Fio's drawing or she won't see it fully. With a little awe that probably seems ridiculous in any other situation, she says:]

Nobody's ever drawn a picture of me before.

[None she's seen, anyway. The idea of someone else perceiving her and replicating her like this, in a way that is gracious? It makes her feel... content. Somewhere out there, there's boxes and boxes of files about X-23-23 that doesn't matter anymore.]

[ Huh. It's strangely not the first time somebody's ever said that to him...! ]

I don't know. [ His brows furrow. ] I asked Aurora if she could ask her sister AI, but I didn't hear anything back.

...about the monster, [ he clarifies. ] I think the city's still there.

[ Presumably. ]

[As he continues to sweetly pet the giant bird:]

Then why'd you intentionally stop a panicking chocobo if you wanted it to leave you alone?

[CHECKMATE, NERD]

Moms are usually pretty cool like that.

[A wise, sage nod in agreement with himself. May Parker was a saint, and he wouldn't be nearly as good a person as he is now if she hadn't been in his life. But now that he's content with the encounter, he gives a little wave-salute gesture with a hand before he zips off through the air.]

See ya!

[There are yellow sparks in his left hand.]

I'll make it panic again. [And you can deal with it by yourself this time.]

[Jason wouldn't be proud to be a bird expert either.]

I don't know what a bird expert looks like. [He pockets his hands.] Just how dumb are we talking?

[ The chocobo seems unperturbed by the nickname, rapt interest focused instead on the greens she procures. Dion's smile remains. ]

A pleasure to meet you, little lady Fio.

[ Dion acknowledges her introduction first, as smoothly polite as he so often is. Yet the words sound no less sincere for it. She is a little lady so far as he need be concerned. ]

My name is Dion.

[ He leaves off the rest for the time being. Rank and title weigh so little on the scale of worlds, of universes. It matters not what he was, for he is fighting for his world in this place, just the same as anyone else. ]

I feel much the same. My place has ever been in service to my people.

[ Such is the role of Bahamut, as it has been for generations. Even were he neither prince nor Dominant, Dion would still desire to better the lives of his countrymen.

That none should step forth to save Aphaia, that they are barred from volunteering their own strength, is nigh unfathomable. ]

It begs so many questions, as well. I wonder whether we might not like the answers.

It does, but --

[ And he holds his index finger up. ]

-- that's for us to know and no one else to find out.

[ Heavy metal sounds. Dion can well imagine these, though what his mind conjures are Mid's large-scale projects and Blackthorne hammering away at the ancient materials she required to be modified just so.

Decidedly, Dion had never considered these particularly melodious beyond a steady rhythm, a chorus of sleep-denying racket.

Candy is a word he understands, however. ]

I may not be familiar. [ He prefaces with this, having seen a few examples of confections he'd be pressed to even guess at the taste of. ] What are they?

Edited 2025-05-24 04:54 (UTC)

[ Please don't try to eat those raw, Dimitri... ]

It would be strange indeed to hand you something I'd begrudge you.

[ He intones the words with some humor, a faint smile on his lips. It would be most peculiar to give someone anything he didn't mean for them to have if they so wished. ]

You'll find chocobos will pursue you for it.

...

[ is that what she thinks this is, him being considerate on whether she's tired or not? it's nothing like that, and he even looks at her as though the response doesn't make sense to him. ]

Mm.

[ he doesn't explain himself much like most situations, instead he returns to standing properly. ]

Start running.

[ they can still save time, and maybe she'll be able to make it just before the breakfast portion of the diner turns into lunch. ]

I'll be behind you.

[She gives him a look that says she disagrees, but after a moment sighs.]

Very well. You have been here longer; I'll do as you ask.

[ Unless she's in life threatening danger, she doesn't see the need to run right now. If her legs can still work, she can walk with her own two legs! Even if she had a limp too, she'd just keep dragging herself along...

She doesn't know how a diner works because she's never been to one. He just said there's food there... they have pancakes, eggs, bacon? To her, that sounds like food for the rich! Probably not as glamorous as some of the food she's received in Aphaia because of her rank at the time. It's still much more above the food that she's used to eating.

She continues towards the same direction, at a leisurely pace. ]

But I'll get tired a lot quicker if I run...

...Dusky?

[ Just as he vanishes, Fio finally pushes herself to her feet, whirling around frantically, searching for the hedgehog. She doesn't understand what just happened. Shadow's no longer in sight, not anywhere nearby anyway. She doesn't see a trail to follow. At a loss on what to do next, she bends down, picking the crumpled flowers left behind, gently holding them in the palm of her hands. After a moment, she decides to tuck it away between the pages of one of her books. Judging from how defensive he was, she begins to wonder if she's finally learned something—that he truly is afraid.

And then another surprise after the next. She jumps, hearing the explosion in the distance and the shaking of the trees from the impact. It would be wise to seek out shelter or follow the direction of the fleeing animals. No matter how shaken she is, she decides to do the opposite. Shadow could still be nearby. What if he's in danger? ]

Dusky!

[ She'll call out his name a few times. She isn't fast. No special abilities to allow her to move any quicker. But she'll keep wandering through the woods towards the source of the explosion... it's too far for her. And exhaustion will eventually force her to stop and rest before she reaches the crater. ]

Since I first came here. We didn't know about our connection for a few months.

[and he's nuts and it always feels like a balancing act with him! she doesn't share that.

should she mention the human sacrifices thing...?

probably not. ]

He has some ideas about how our universe should be handled.

[Vander was not Vi; his style was different regardless of similarities between them. He had a bigger and wider stature, and he relied on power and natural talent to best most people as well as his ability to soak damage. He had also had been watching Sevika scrap for a long time, though the chem-tech arm a new and unknown factor in her style he would have to learn through experience.

And boy was it an experience. The quiet courtyard allowed him to hear the sleek slide of metal on metal as the sword was discharged from the forearm. It was too bad he didn't have time to be impressed by the technological advancements of prosthetic limbs. He thought she played her hand too fast though.

Vander moved to avoid whatever metal she was discharging, grappling her non-metal shoulder and trying to slid his other arm around her neck as he moved into the spot behind her so he could try to control her head and thus some of her body motion but also making it hazardous to swing wildly behind her where he had moved to reposition himself.

He came to know how dangerous it could be, which meant he had to deal with it promptly if she was going to try to gut him already. His hand reached to try to control the mechanical arm at the elbow if he could.]

It certainly sounds like that place is in a bad way.

[Between the controlling AI and a monster. It's disturbing to think about.]

Was this part of a mission?

Yeah. We had to blend in and act like we were new people, and not from another city.

[ Which wasn't that hard, really. Especially since Gorgug was new at the time. ]

You know about the missions? Yours sounded like a bad one to start on. I dropped in on a mission, but it wasn't entertain or die like Aphaia.

[ Harold starts to realize why Accelerator has taken Laura under his wing with a dim kind of dawning horror. Just how many children here have been raised in abominable, dehumanizing circumstances? He's not sure whether he wants to ask Aurora to stop bringing them here, or to bring them all here. ]

I detest the practice, [ Harold says distinctly, unable to totally hide his moral aversion, ] of calling anyone by a number or by an ability.

[ But she's young enough that he isn't going to try to open a whole conversation with her about it, so he deliberately pushes past it, taking a lighter, conspiratorial tone. Inviting her in on the plot. ]

How do you think we could get him to pick one? Just asking I think would make him grumpy.

That's not the point, you'll lose time.

[ as much as he doesn't want to elaborate, he feels as though there's no choice. ]

There's only certain times they have certain foods, aren't you aware of that?

[ he thought she'd be familiar, that would save some time and orevent them from having to come the next day. if they're going now, then they have to go. anything else in the way and she'll lose out on trying what he's suggested.

shadow's already looking towards her for an answer. ]

[ That's a conversational swerve away from chess and to books instead. Harold notices, but since he doesn't actually enjoy chess all that much -- and he does greatly enjoy books -- he's not about to gainsay it. It just makes him wonder further about what this chess set signifies for Crane. ]

It's comparable to a 2000s era New York City public community library, [ Harold clarifies. ] No special collections, but you'll certainly find the classics.

[ He isn't all that inclined to socialize himself, but Harold has been forced to get comfortable with it over the past several years, playing a myriad of undercover roles and trying to save the lives of complete strangers. At this point, Harold is not so much awkward as reserved. ]

[ Does he count as a seasoned veteran by now? Something of a depressing thought, even though he'd recently decided to stay here permanently if he can. That decision has implications and repercussions he hasn't totally come to terms with, and Harold isn't rushing himself through those realizations.

He's a little flustered at the implied compliment -- aren't you full of interesting hobbies -- and accordingly becomes a bit stiff in his reply. ]

There's more downtime than you might expect, [ he answers, diplomatic. ] My first mission here was building cars for a road race. It's not all mortal peril and dramatics.

Oh, I did. I wouldn’t necessarily call what it was a gift. [He shifts to the left. The branches hold his weight easy enough. He leans out and snags the box.]

In case you were wondering you can get things from home out of these.

[ Dimitri’s cheeks tint and he breathes out an embarrassed laugh; still there is a slight smile on his own face as well. ]

Ha, when you phrase it as such I suppose that sounded a bit silly.

[ Despite Dion’s words Dimitri’s eyes have left the pack in front of them as he stares curiously at the greens, pulling one leaf from the bunch. ]

How much is the recommended amount for feeding?

[ After raising the leaf for a sniff Dimitri leans away from it. Quite the pungent odor. It escapes his notice the way the Chocobos down the hill have all turned towards the two of them. Instead he leans in for another sniff and takes a small bite. His face never shifting from a thoughtful expression as he chews and swallows it. ]

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APRIL MINGLE

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