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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[This bird doesn't know when to quit. Once something or someone has been marked as it's target, it will pursue until they are immobile. It was allowed to get to this point though, be it with or without Shadow's interference. Their fury, probably the inevitable.

The red chocobo certainly caught sight of him once it was up, but the older hedgehog forces it's attention on them. Making themselves the more immediate threat. It proves successful as the bird starts to give chase after their original target. It leaves Shadow at another predicament. Surely, that was more than enough for the other to finish the job. Did he still need to follow through?

...

As the two continue further south, the red chocobo is keeping pace with the older hedgehog. Not quite fast enough to catch up to them, but not losing sight of them either. It does start to get annoyed by the constant barrages of chaos spears though, have to weave around to avoid them. It lets out a cry. Those familiar gylphs appear in the sky once more. The same large meteors coming down to either crash into the hedgehog or disrupt their movement from the constant debris getting tossed everywhere.]

[ he skids to a stop when a large meteor comes down, jumping up to run on the curve of it through the fire. it's better than going around allowing for any time to slow down, because that's what's the bird wants. fire clings to his fur, he knows that it's burning at him, but he doesn't stop just yet as his speed will peter out the flames in an instant afterwards.

turning around, shadow stops to find where the chocobo is, hoping that it'll come across the meteor much like he did. if it does, he wastes no time running towards the mass, spin-dashing into it straight through the middle so that the meteor explodes with the bird on top of it, and if he's lucky maybe it'll be buried underneath the rubble. ]

[The bird is certainly navigating the rough terrain without much issue. Quite used to the carnage it's capable of causing. Any approaching debris, it simply kicks and headbutts them away, hoping to perhaps land a hit on it's adversary. As a meteor comes close, it starts to climb up along it's curves. The flames causing it no harm.

As it hops onto the next, it starts to crack beneath it. A curious wark as the meteor starts to come undone. It flaps it's wings to keep itself upright as the shockwave from the explosion sends it flying upwards. Debris smacks into it, but easily brushes it off, swinging debris back in the direction of the small hedgehog that caused the meteor to explode in the first place.

The land below is bruised by the falling meteors once more. There's hardly any civilization out here though, just a few station buildings and a rail system that travels this far down. Unfortunately the wildlife did not get as much of a warning like those in the forest. Some will not make it through this.]

[ because he's the target, it's best kept that way, any other person involved will make this tedious. shadow doesn't do coordination with other people aside from one person, but he isn't here, and it's not like shadow needs him in the first place. what he needs to understand is what's wrong with this bird. his wounds are healing along the way, shoulder fine, but his side still drips along the ground, but he doesn't worry about it.

he has to keep fighting.

he takes a quick turn towards the rail way station, skating to where he doesn't see many people because as far as he's concerned... only so many individuals live in this world, and there are rarely any locals aside from the robots. there's one three part train he acknowledges, dashing over to it, and giving a strong kick of his foot in direction of the bird. whether it dodges the train or not, shadow made sure to hold onto the vehicle to be sent along in the creature's direction so when he jumps out from behind, chaos spear in hand, he's going to try and stab that bird in at least one eye to blind it. ]

[As long as the hedgehog breaths, the bird will continue to fight as well. The bird gives chase, avoiding the other's kick. Claws dig onto the incoming vehicle, keeping itself afloat. It runs along the length of the trolley until it's met with a bright glowing spear coming at it. With a wark, it lets the spear strike at it's head, coming forward to grab the hedgehog's arm with it's beak. Continuing the forward momentum and using the weight of gravity, it drags Shadow backwards, falling back onto the earth, a clawed feet pressed onto his chest, effectively pinning the hedgehog.

It's right eye is closed, singed by the spear attack, but it doesn't seem detered by this. It doesn't wait to continue it's assualt, knowing this hedgehog will not simply stay still. It readies to strike with it's beak, until it gets punched from it's blindside by the younger hedgehog suddenly appearing again. The red chocobo goes tumbling away, eventually able to grasp the ground with it's claws to steady itself. It warks in fury, stomping angrily in place. Two targets, it has two targets now.]

[ claws have clipped into the chest of the older hedgehog, but he gets up without any hesitation. what blood creeps from his chest doesn't bother him at all, it'll heal all the same much like his side that's returning to the point of never being damaged.

again, they're here again. is this hedgehog following him? they probably believe he's incapable, staying here not to reap the benefits, but probably to have the advantage of what shadow can and can't do without them. it's annoying to think about, he doesn't even look their way, only knowing that they exist answers a previous question, but it doesn't answer his other.

the older hog closes his eyes, taking a deep breath while moving forward, and it's with one of those meteor pieces that he curls in on himself, hitting the ground to strike it towards the bird who is trying to catch its bearings while stomping angrily. doesn't matter to him, keep it preoccupied, and he hits on another sharp, jagged rock towards the blindside of the bird.

if the other hedgehog here wanted, they could close the distance since shadow is more familiar with the rotation of using his body in spindash strikes. ]

[He doesn't know what the other is thinking. He doesn't care if they're pissed off at him. This bird cannot keep raining destruction everywhere, and the other has to make it back. That's all that matters. He gives the other a wary glance, their attention remain on striking the chocobo with projectiles. Were they not fighting a bird from hell, he'd make further observation of the other's spinning attack. For now, long as the other doesn't come at him, he needs to strike while the opportunity presents itself.

The bird gets pelted by pieces of meteor, disorientated. It swings it's leg to try and deflect back what it could. It eventually turns to see with it's good eye in the process, and they'll see the younger hedgehog speeding towards it. Favoring it's left side, it comes at him without fear, head rises to try and slam it's beak down onto him. He swings around to their blind side as their head comes down. Claws come out to try and kick him back.

Dropping to his knees, laying himself as flat as possible as he slides right underneath the leg, feeling their claws scrapping his quills as he passes. He grabs hold of their other leg instead, effectively pulling it off it's feet. As the bird slips, the claws from the other foot catches his back. He'll bare it, especially if it keeps the bird off it's feet.]

[ excellent precision with every hit against the pieces of meteor that's part of the ground, it gets thrown back in the direction of both the chocobo and the other shadow. one after the other, he wastes no time in trying to snipe the bird from a distance. even if some may hit the other hedgehog, that isn't the problem here, he may be aware to guide the bird as a meat shield to deflect some of the attacks.

as soon as each broken piece is used, the older hedgehog revs up on the ground, shooting off towards both of them to spindash right into the chest of the bird. ]

[The strikes from the those meteor pieces don't mean anything to him as long the bird finally goes down. The bird continues to try and free itself, managing to get itself back up, trying to strike Shadow with it's one free leg. Shadow dodges them while redirecting the bird to get hit by as many projectiles as it can. Attention divided, it's unable to properly counter either of them.

Shadow then spots a familar golden blur fast approaching them. He forces to bird to stay in place, even at it lands an attack with it's claws, a deep gash on the side of his face. The other's spindash will land on it's mark and sends the bird, along with the younger hedgehog flying with it. This was intentional, as Shadow starts to spin, taking the bird along with him for the ride. After a few cycles he proceeds to slam the bird into the ground, causing cracks to form into the earth.

The red chocobo lets out a feeble wark, completely dazed and caught sideways by the two hedgehogs double teaming it. Shadow will land on his feet nearby, his right eye twitching as the wound it had inflicted on him makes it hard to keep it open. Even after all that though, the bird still lives. Though it's cries were less confident, more of a sombering wark as it wobbles to get itself back on it's feet.]

[ shadow growls deep from his chest, annoyed, his irritation only growing with as long as this persists. the creature may warble, and appears to be holding its ground, but shadow takes a step closer.

does it still want to fight, is it tired? shadow doesn't show that he's tired, he could keep going if the creature so chooses to, but with the amount of destruction to the railway due to the amount of meteors that have come down.

that said, his eyes finally look over to the other hedgehog, analyzing his stance and trying to figure out why he's still here. he could pull back, this isn't his battle, he doesn't have to get hurt at all, and he remains. even though the question remains in his head, he knows better than to ever ask it. ]

Haven't you had enough?

[ what sounds like it's directed at the other hedgehog is actually for the red chocobo who hasn't missed a beat yet.

far from home, lingering at the south side of this place, what is even here. ]

[The Red devil bird flaps it's wings to keep itself balanced once it was back on it's feet. This is a disgrace, an outrage! So few have ever kept up with it. A single meteor attack is usually more than enough to immmobilize it's enemies! Could be one, two or more foes, didn't matter once the red chocobo locked in. It stares down them both, panting, still unable to use it's one eye properly. Both sides remain at a standstill for what felt like quite some time until...the red chocobo lets out one last wark and turns around. It proceeds to run back up towards the north without any further incident. "Next time, hedgehogs, next time."

Shadow remains standing there for a moment, watching that red chocobo finally give in and retreat. Once he's certain the fight was actually over, without giving the other a glance, he'll start speeding off himself. It is no longer necessary for him to be there. He knows better than to linger while the other was around and they can handle themselves from here on.]

[ blood.

it's made a pool on the ground, left in place with no one there anymore. all's left is the tremble of grass left in its wake. it's with a dash and a yellow trail that one hedgehog changes its hunt to another, effortlessly dodging whatever in his way to catch up to the other.

... ]

[...It was too much to hope they wouldn't chase after him. While he hasn't been fighting for as long as the other, he's still at a disadvantage with his right eye still healing. Nothing he can do about that, and there's no point in continuing while the other has decided to pursue him.

He turns to face the approaching hedgehog, firing several chaos spears in their direction as he disappears. Reappearing again from their left to swing a punch. He doesn't expect it to work, but better than letting them have the first move.]

[ each one thrown in his direction are easily dealt with, one fizzes out once shadow hits it hard with the back of his heel, another is grabbed with one hand to snap it in half that the energy phases out and another he grabs just to siphon into his body with ease as he closes the distance on the other.

it's when he disappears and returns for the punch, shadow's senses are sharp, and he leans back dodging the swipe only to grab the other's wrist with his hand so that they both go rolling onto the ground. he doesn't let go at all, when he feels the ground on his back, and then he has the other on his back... the rolling only subsides once he has the other hedgehog against the ground in place.

drips of blood fall from his chest onto the other. ]

You.

[ a fan favorite everyone, the only word shadow tends to call anyone, but it doesn't hold the tone of him being slighted. there's something else to those words.

his eyes meet with theirs, he notes the length of the bird's talons that scratched along his face appears to be deep, but it should heal. ]

We have business.

[Will he just not-. If they think he's going to just take this laying down, they are mistaken. "Business" he says. What if he doesn't want anything more to do with this bastard? And he has his doubts this won't end with another attempt at his life. Regardless, he does not want to talk while pinned down like this.]

Get. Off! [He shifts his leg so he could try and kick the other one off.]

No.

[ he fled initially, he's not to be trusted at all. that attitude is an annoyance, it's why he shifts his body up to press his knees down on the other's legs to stop the hedgehog from using them. ]

You'll flee, I don't have anymore time to waste.

[ shadow won't force him to say longer than he has to. ]

It's a "yes" or "no" question.

[ ... ]

[WONDER WHY HE DOES THAT? IT'S NOT LIKE THIS GUY THREATEN HIS LIFE OR ANYTHING. It's this guy on top of him that can't be trusted, not the other way around. He grits his teeth, still struggling despite the other having him completely locked down. A scowl, he doesn't care how simple answering the question is. He will refuse while like this.]

Give me your word you'll let me go and I won't. [Despite his hate, the distrust, somewhere deep down, this other Shadow has to at least be able to tell he means what he says.]

[ he can't help but destroy what's in front of him, leave him alone.

still the same, a naive child that thinks he can take on the world. just like he left him at that little game of theirs. ]

Hm.

[ as if he's thinking over the pros and cons of listening to him, but what does he have to lie for. the other has stayed out of his way this far, hell, the older hedgehog didn't even know he was still here.

... ]

You have it.

[ shadow pushes himself off to the side, slowly getting to his feet as he watches the other.

... ]

[He lays there for a moment as the other moves. A look of suspicion, despite them accepting his terms. His eyes remain on them as he moves to stand. Dark spots in the dirt from the wounds he sustained when the bird struck his back. They have almost healed up.

He glares at the other, keeping a guarded stance with his good eye on them. Not running as agreed upon.]

What is your question?

[ he's asked very few people, not enough to warrant various individuals to search for her, but enough to see if she's made her presence known. there's nothing that confirms her whereabouts, but there is one thing about her. she's drawn to impossible scenarios, and the hedgehog across from is one of the many. ]

She liked you.

[ that much is true, it will always be true.

a bit of silence, but the other should be aware who the topic of discussion is about. ]

Has she been with you any during your time here in Etraya?

[...A name didn't need to be said for him to immediately know. Maybe he already had an inkling of what the other wanted to ask. He felt it, or lack there of, of a presence since he was brought back here. Though he didn't go out of his way to look for her, after he went his separate ways from the one before him in that other world, she would always try to message him. Like clockwork, wanting to make sure he was ok, despite not being her Shadow. In a strange way, there was comfort in knowing she was still there through those attempts to reach him.

Those calls suddenly became silent once he came here. He tried not to think about it, maybe she finally got it through her head to not trouble herself with him anymore. Who is he fooling to think that though? Not with how she acted with him would she ever stop. Though he didn't fully trust it, her name had been searched through the earpiece. All of her messages, her username. Gone as if she was never with them.

Those worrisome thoughts have reached the surface of his mind, brought there because of the other's question. A question he feels they should already know the answer to.]

...No. [Even before he said a word, his posture is telling. How his shoulders slack, his gaze falls slightly. A glance to the other. The question felt like they were just asking out of formality. Maria would never stay separate from their Shadow for long. They probably already worked out the truth.]

[ on premise of maria liked him, she cared for him, she gave the same amount of attention towards the older hedgehog to the younger one. it's why he held that hope that maybe, even if she didn't end up by his side at the start, she found a side that made her happy. he had hoped, that's all he could do was hope that maybe.

...

and yet, he can't even look at the other hedgehog when his posture shifts.

he heats him, but if that's the case then, then... yes, that must have been the case. that is what happened. when he said he would take them home, he never meant she would go alone, or maybe that is karma, his mistake building up to hurt him in ways he knew possible.

it's not the first time, it's not the second time, but it does begun to weigh om him. how many times can he lose her and stand like this? he knows the other isn't lying, he has no reason to, no matter the indifference they share there is a code they work by at the end of the day.

there is honesty when it comes to topics like this, and the other confirming this only serves as a scorching reminder of how he should have done things differently. for her sake.

there's a crackle of green light around his fist, it fades in and out, and squeezing his fingers a little tighter he attempts to cancel the feeling. not now, now is not the time no matter how much he feels at this time. it's that pain and frustration. ]

Unlike you. [ it sounds negative, blaming. ] I didn't do enough.

[ that will have to change, even saying that aloud is... he did enough, but not in the right spots.

it's all he has, all he seems to be willing to say, because if the other left now then he could. shadow won't chase him, shadow doesn't want anything at all. ]

[He honestly anticipates the blame to be put on him again, hands balling up into fists, ready for a fight. It's their favorite thing to do when things go wrong and he's around. But they instead confess it was them that didn't do enough. An admittance? Whatever he had planned to say gets lost as keeps staring at the other. That really came out of their mouth.

That really pisses him off. How many times did he try to tell this idiot, to stay with her, spend whatever time he had with her. Why was he the one who had to comfort and stay with her? All that time they wasted doing what? Might have not even matter in the end, if he understands the decision of who leaves or stays has always been out their hands. What he'd do, just to have another moment with the Maria he knew....Sure, this one's Maria cared for him, but it only made him miss his even more. Now left with these unwanted thoughts and feelings that should have been meant for the one before him.]

Finally realize after it's already too late? [He didn't need to add insult to injury. He knows the other will beat themselves over it without his words, but his hatred got the better of him. What did he have to suffer for? He could say more, he wants to say more, hands shaking in rage as he tries to contain it. But he just lets out some air instead, turning away as he starts speeding off again. There is no point in insulting them further. They got their one question answered and they can wallow in the suffering of their own making.]

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APRIL MINGLE

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