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⏴

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

...I'll ask for company next time.

[ She's been mostly reliant on fleeing and hiding. Mostly doing whatever a regular human can do. (And though there is... another option, a more unusual means of defense, she's been avoiding it.) She doesn't expect anything to get easier. In fact, she expects her life here and journey to have tough times ahead. Life has always been full of pain and sadness. She knows it very well...

Anyway, she did say her decision is that she wants to talk to him. For how long? Who knows. As much as she can. Not just him, she wants to spend as much time as she can with others, until the day she's able to return. Make more friends. More memories. To have stories to tell to the administrator and whoever might be left on her Earth.

She follows the hedgehog's lead, audible steps crunching through the grass, following from a short distance away. ]

So, what were you doing out here?

[The pleasant scent reaches his nose as he moves the pieces in his hands to produce more foam. He made soap. He can make soap now. He's unable to hide the growing smile on his face, how his features would soften. He's...happy. It shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is to him. Knowledge he can use for himself, far separate from what he was learning back at the base.

He looks up to the other. The brightness on his face going slightly dim. Uncertainty. Hesitant to say these words at the tip of his tongue.] Can you...show me other things? Like this? [It doesn't have to be now, just, if they felt like it.]

[Vander knew someone like that. That person happened to be here, which was starting to raise the hair on the back of his neck.]

Ah, tough person to deal with at the best of times.

[And there it was. He stilled in his seat, feeling dread crawl up his spine. This place was going to shit, wasn't it? Just when he was starting to settle in.]

Great, another drug. I assume he'll find the means and ingredients to manufacture it, so he needs a distributor. [Silco.] There's a drug from where I'm from that I'm watching out for too. Those two effects in combination could be deadly.

...To think. [To get away from the city. That's all she'll get out of him though, because it's not her business to know what he's doing out here. His pace slows a few times when they reach parts where the underbrush is thick. Checking to be sure she can get through them without issue.

Their destination, another small clearing in the forest. The trees are still dense here that just pockets of light come through the area. Growing here were patches of flowers. There were some variety here, white ones, purple ones, bushes that are growing tinier flowers on them. Flowers that can survive under minimal lighting.]

[ He stills, cocking his head. ]

They could bother someone else, [ he replies, more annoyed than truly angry. But sometimes it's the little things that set him off. He hasn't been sleeping much. ]

I don't even have any food! Go away!

[ Carver just exhales through his teeth. He holds still, even though it aches in his soul. He wants so badly to pace, to do something. ]

It was. For a while.

[ He gives John a sharp look. ]

Until it wasn't anymore.

[ Carver exhales through his teeth, putting his hands on his hips. There's no real threat here, just annoyance. ]

Yeah, you know what? Have at it.

Dude, where are you even from?

[...Granted, before he started living in Xavier's Institute, he never encountered New York. Or a farm. Not the point though!! Conveniently, he's just not going to mention that.]

But I haven't given him a name. I guess we should, since he's hanging out with us. [Another content noise leaves the chocobo, almost like it's agreeing, but it's probably not likely that it understands either of them.] So, something like Feathers?

[Don't let Scott name anything--]

[He doesn't explain, not as the topic shifts and focuses back on Aurora.]

She didn't mention that in detail to me either. Mostly just how our actions here might earn Echo's favor, thus saving our universe.

[Does he really believe all that? He's not sure. It's a lot to even fucking think about and he really hasn't until now. Still trying to adjust to this world, being separated from his friends, all that. It's just been a whirlwind of events since he got his powers, a part of him just wanting to lie on the ground and close himself off from everyone so he has some time to deal with everything.

But instead, he's walking along with Shadow. He shoves his hands inside his pockets, frown increasing as he thinks about Aphaia.]

I doubt that planet survived. She kept on mentioning that it was a dying planet and I felt like I didn't do anything to help it. Unless you did. [Not that he wanted to stay there, but thinking that it's just going to be destroyed or whatever... it's not a great feeling.]

Your brain must be tiny so I can see why you think so small.

[ just an observation, don't take it as an insult considering shadow only says facts and nothing else. an honest hog he is.

he turns from max, glancing off to where the two chocobos left at to see them sticking their heads out around a corner.

this guy shouldn't have fed them. ]

[ shadow watches as the bubbles form in the hedgehog's hand, the pieces break apart, but that white foam continues to build. they're able to lather their hands to see how much use they can get out of it, and it's not a sad amount at all.

when he hears their voice, the hedgehog lifts his head having missed the glow on the younger hedgehog's face and can only see the uncertainty that's upon it. from the look, he doesn't know if they want this really or not, but it stands out simply because the other normally isn't going out his way to share space with him unless there's a reason. ]

...

[ he gets up, it seems like glass is over. while he didn't show the cordage or how to make it with the leftover leaves, he will continue. ]

Cut off the sharp tip and the base of the leaves. Scrape off the flesh of the leaf, you'll feel a sticky substance, and stack the leaves together with the shavings on top. Have a bowl of water and rub the leaves together, the liquid will foam up.

[ he's already making his way towards the forest as if he's going to leave, he probably is considering the lesson is over. ]

We do, don't we? [she says as she pulls back from the hug and smiles down at the drawing again.]

How are you doing after that mission? Clearly you were inspired.

"I will understand if it will take some getting used to."

There had been quite a bit that Shaan had to be privy too for this to make any sense, but there was a sense of secrecy about it as well, a secret that Shaan had to keep close to his chest; a secret that not anyone except for him, Bea or Pez should know. In that, you could say that the trust between Prince and Equerry was great.

"I am settling in, or trying to rather-- I have to relearn so many things, though I know that I likely come across as exceedingly awkward."

But Alex is here, and they have a tentative alliance.. of sorts.

She will say that they are not from her and her bots, yes!

If a box is scanned, any abnormalities it may show match what's within the box. IE, if one gift is an enchanted item, it'll scan as "enchanted". Outside of that, there's nothing off about the boxes themselves.

Great, go ahead and look into it too like everyone else. [Because it's free real estate--

He can't help but tense a little as Loki remarks about reading into his mind, actually taking him seriously because he knows at least three telepaths here and why wouldn't there be more. Loki isn't even a mutant, which he isn't sure is better or worse, when it comes to reading his mind. At least there's less baggage when it comes to knowing another version of him? But. Not great.

Hence, moody staring at the the field in front of him.]

So, are you going to try and convince me that this place really isn't so bad? You might be sitting next to me for a while then.

[There's a momentary look of surprise, hearing that from Shadow. Maybe not the most enthusiastic comment, but it's not like he had to say something like that either. Perhaps it talks of his own feelings about this place, how he's been feeling kind of lost and alone, because Scott finds himself smiling just a little in response.]

Thanks.

[But that somewhat warm feeling dissipates as Shadow chucks that box right into the lake and it's not like Scott can do anything about it. He watches as it hits the water with a splash, the mutant staring out at the lake with a small frown now. Well, hopefully Shadow won't come to regret that.]

You sure about that? Because look, regretting shit sucks.

Obviously.

[His tone is neither dismissive nor affectionate as he studies the possession he had locked away back home. Unable to enjoy it, unable to part with it by offering it as a donation or throwing it in the trash. So it had been placed in storage and gathered dust.

His fingers gently thread together as he keeps his hands on his side of the table. He noticably avoids explaining why. Not out of fear but simply because it is nobody's business. Whether he tells anyone is something he controls.]

One needs to be able to play if offering it as therapy.

[Do you need therapy, old man?]

[Scott barely stops himself from wildly startling as the chocobos nearly rip the greens from his hold, though a sharp flinch still manages to pass through him that they luckily seem to ignore in favor of having their favorite food nearby. It's just that really came close to his fingers! Is this what it's like to feed horses? The teen can't help but remain just a little more tense, slowly adjusting his hold so that he can avoid an accident in the making.

Man, these birds, he can't say he's a fan.

But as the two chocobos begins to consume the gyshal greens with a certain enthusiasm, only really eating the greens and not picking at him at all... it's a little nice. Enough where Scott slowly raises a hand to one of the birds to place his palm against a feathered neck. Okay, maybe this part isn't so bad.

...

Oh right, what about the present? He glances over at Dion, making a slightly helpless face. He's stuck with two birds that he doesn't want to fully leave now. Err, can't leave, right.]

What--?!

[ Dissolving child is kind of off-putting, wow. Sevika jerks back from the fog, only to stare in shock for all of three seconds when Knife reappears far out of reach. ]

Hey! You little shit!

[ But she doesn't chase after this time. She's quick to step out of the way of the scalpels, which fly past and clatter pointlessly on the ground, but after that magic trick? She's less inclined to follow. Why is it always magic? Absolute nonsense, she mutters to herself as she watches them dart away and, eventually, out of sight. ]

...that better not have been the damn card.

[ It wasn't, she'll discover to some relief later that it was not Aurora's access card, but upon realizing the little board game trinket is gone, she'll have to wonder. Was that some kid's toy? It had been in a gift box, after all. Weird. ]

Hm.

[ It was neither an agreement nor a disagreement on that point.

Only a noise, an acknowledgment. Maybe she was the best person for the job... at the time, anyway. There was a younger generation to look to eventually, but that would be a problem for her future self, who she had no words of thanks for after the mess she'd gotten her into. Sevika couldn't even recall what her future self had spoken of, yet she still held the blame, apparently. It may have all been made-up bullshit considering the world they'd been on. ]

If he would just talk to me about it... But he won't. He thinks everything he fought for is for nothing now, all because he checked out. [ Not by choice, but it never is. ] Or that no one cares that he died. Asshole.

[ She finished prying the package open and found a familiar bit of home inside: a rebreather, exactly like the one she's used in the past, exactly the kind seen around Zaun so often. Huh. Useful. She was quiet a moment, looking at it, and then she put the box top back on and tucked it under an arm. ]

As if I wouldn't give anything for him to come back. As if Jinx wouldn't.

[ Although, Jinx would feel the same about Vander while Sevika hardly did. She couldn't take back what had happened any more than she could the bullets that had killed Silco. ]

I might have to.

[For now, she thinks it's best to focus on these missions Aurora sends them on.]

Have you spoken to Aurora, then? I've only had the one brief conversation with her, upon my arrival.

[Vander regarded her for a quiet few moments, assessing her expression and body language as she spoke about Silco. Her loyalty and her buy-in to the other man was obvious, and he felt a momentary flare of frustration that, as usual, Silco was so far up his own ass to see it. Typical though.

So, instead, he shrugged his big shoulders.] He checked out when it wasn't his choice and outside of his control, if what I've been told is true. And he can't blame Jinx for it, so it becomes everyone else's problem. It makes him intractable and entrenched.

[He watched her open the package and said nothing about the item that he saw her produce. It would come in handy in certain situations, and it was better than another biting pet.

He took no offense to her wanting Silco back. Nor the idea Jinx did. He had made - somewhat - peace of his own demise and that his legacy did not require a wish for his return. It didn't matter, and he wasn't here for a popularity contest.]

Jinx can grow into her own person when out from under him. I have no doubt she misses him deeply, but the point of parents is to let their children grow up and move on to live out their own lives. Silco doesn't seem capable of allowing that with her.

...I'm sorry. I know of a similar place.

[The Wish House had been like that, before it had burned down.

Though it sounds like what the girl experienced may have been different.]

Were you able to escape?

Wow... I've seen some otherworldly kind of stuff back home, but I definitely never visted anywhere else before Etraya. [And then, almost an aside-] I barely even just got to leave New York City...

[But back on track!]

What do you think of it? The whole 'proving your world should survive' thing?

[Her expression is relaxed. Her lips are upturned more than she's smiling, but it's clear she's delighted by the reaction. She reaches out to pet at the flank of the chocobo curiously, delighted by the coat of feathers.]

What fascinating animals.

[Claudia is quick to offer out another of the gysahl greens to one of the other birds.]

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APRIL MINGLE

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