etrayalogs | MISSION 009

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MISSION 009

⏵ CAMP ETRAYA ⏴
On May 16th, Aurora and the companion bots direct those not heading off to Solmara to make their way to Camp Etraya.

Nestled away from everything else in a large clearing full of wildflowers and redwoods, Camp Etraya is a nostalgic summer camp experience put together just for it's residents! Cabins are assigned, scary stories are told around campfires, gossiping happens among friends on the trails surrounding the cabins - and don't be surprised when something goes awry. After all, this is still Etraya.

While the rest of Etraya is still accessible and will not be blocked off, characters are discouraged from venturing far from camp for too long: Aurora will specify that they are on a mission, and that missions do require participation, but she has intentionally left them the freedom to wander. Not sleeping in their assigned cabins, not participating in events, and staying away from Camp Etraya will end with her having to take more extensive security measures, so please be on your best behavior! The last thing she wants to do is start enforcing boundaries, but she will if she has to.

Camp is set up much like your generic summer camp! Each cabin is named, housing is assigned to characters as they arrive, there are camp counselors, and rotating daily tasks and chores. There are also multiple activities that characters are expected to participate in, and each activity is worth points that goes toward their camp graduation score. This score will be visible on their earpiece, and follows the A-F grading system. We are not be monitoring this, and are leaving character scores up to players. We do, however, ask that you please report your characters' camp grade HERE for rewards and demerits to be handed out after the mission itself.

Cabin assignments can be found here, which also has their roles, and chores assigned to that cabin. Those who are participating in Solmara have received an assigned cabin, too, but their absence toward the beginning will not harm the cabin's ability to compete given how spread out their assignments are.

⏵ WELCOME TO CAMP ⏴

Camp life is meant to instill a sense of belonging, connection with nature, encouragement towards the creative, all on top of a firm foundation of responsibility. Upon arriving, campers will be escorted towards a table of white t-shirts and countless buckets of dye!

Each Etrayan will be invited to make three Tie-Dyed shirts- as well as required to wear one as part of their summer uniform. Camp counselors must wear 80s basketball shorts or cut-off jeans. Campers may wear cargo shorts or a skort. For those with physical limitations to what they can wear, accommodations will be provided.

Here, bonding is the camp runners' priority. They will be pushed into various ice-breaker activities, such as trust falls, two truths and a lie, and Never have I Ever. As the sun goes down, there will be weenies roasting over the bonfire, followed by s’mores and a sing-a-long! With the stars well-visible, it’s off to bed with campers.

Each day after will start much the same: with the ringing of the bell and raising of the flag (Aurora, while unfamiliar with flag designs but an understanding of the concept, has chosen a rainbow flag for the camp. Rainbows make people happy, right?), followed by a meal at the Great Hall, morning assembly, activities with counselors, chores, free time, and then an evening winding down by the great fire. An hour after sun down, campers will be escorted back to their cabins for curfew. Camp Counselors are expected to keep track of their campers, and ensure they're all within their cabins for bedtime. This is part of their grade, too! Curfew lifts an hour before the first bell.

⏵ CAMP ACTIVITIES ⏴

As with most summer camps, Camp Etraya offers a wide variety of activities to participate in. While some of these activities may be mandatory, others are optional. We'll be leaving this up to individual player discretion: perhaps Viktor is mandated to report to arts and crafts, whilst it's optional for Silco to show. Silco, on the other hand, may be mandated to report to the archery contest. Characters are encouraged to participate in a minimum of one camp activity per day.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of camp activities.

Three-Legged Race - You and a partner are tied together at your ankles, and you must race others to the finish line. Those with abilities that would give them an advantage will find that the rope that ties them together hinders those abilities from functioning.
Archery - This can be more traditional, magical, or include moving targets! If you're particularly unlucky, your target may even shoot back.
Softball - What instills a sense of camaraderie better than a bit of team sports? Games will be held on Wednesdays, the field is otherwise available for practice.
Dodge Ball - Standing diametrically opposed to Softball is dodge ball, the bully’s sport. This is a great opportunity to claim dominance or be sent to the Nurse’s Office.
Obstacle Course - You are directed into a large maze with multiple obstacles for them to overcome, such as rock climbing walls, ramps, tires, and nets.
Capture the Flag - Small teams are put together in order to take the flag from a particular bot, whose entire goal is to avoid being caught.
Canoe Race - Canoes are placed into the rivers just off of the camp, and characters must race to the finish line.
Chocobo Riding - Learn how to care for and ride these magnificent birds! Newbies will be taken around the corral, whereas more experienced riders can take the trail around the lake.
Arts and Crafts - Make friendship bracelets, bead lizards, paint rocks, learn origami! Or perhaps you're tasked with putting together an enchanted necklace. Don't know how to do enchantments? Now is as good of a time as any to learn.
Campfire stories - Share scary stories amongst yourselves around the campfire late into the night. If you're particularly unlucky, you may just hear the thing you were just warning others about..

⏵ NIGHT TIME ⏴

Once campers have been put to bed, the counselors can still stay up. Unwind with hidden beers and the strumming of a guitar. Don’t get too comfortable, though, since without supervision, no one is keeping the campers in bed.

After dark, should campers evade their counselors, they can go exploring in the dark. Eerie lights glimmer from the lake. There’s rumors of a headless spectre walking from the archery field to the edge of the forest. Should you behave, you still might hear a scratching at your bunk house window.

And on the very last night of camp, there will be a talent show. Show off your hidden talent and bask in the excitement of wowing your fellow campers!

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome to Camp Etraya! Please enjoy the s'mores and campfire songs. :)

Camp will last approximately two weeks, going from May 16th to May 30th.

For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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[That's... huh.

It's disconcerting in how different it is from anything she's heard before. She watches him for a long while, uncertain of what to say.]

It sounds frightening.

[She's not sure what else to say.]

Too many. That's how many.

"Not really," Jason frowns at Kirk. "All they did was blame me for shit I didn't do."

"And then getting fired," Kirk says evenly. He's well aware he's only getting one side of a story. Perhaps there's more to it than what Jason is saying. He decides not to prod too much into that part for now since it seems to still be a sore topic for Jason.

"Where I'm from, the idea of using a sidekick is odd."

That's really nice of you. Thank you.

[As it turns out, supervising the arts and crafts involves a lot more doing nothing than she'd anticipated, and so she'd taken advantage of that to make a handful of bracelets for people, hoping to surprise them. Instead of taking the offered bracelet right away, she unwinds one from around her wrist and swaps it out for the one in his hand.]

That's okay. I can see it later.

"Yeah? Well where I'm from, they're fucking everywhere," Jason replies sourly. "There's a whole fucking team just for sidekicks."

Which hated him for, well, doing some shitty stuff.

[Jason looks down at the bracelet in his hand. He smiles slowly as his fingers trace the color patterns. This is the first gift he's been given in a very, very long time.]

I... thanks. Really.

[He ties it around his wrist and his face scrunches up as he tries to hide how much the gesture means to him.]

[ Okay, then. Carver watches Eddie go, calculating, and then shrugs. He pulls his hood up and then he follows at a distance. This was one of his jobs back home, stalking from a distance, hunting in the dark. He's been doing it for years. All those skills he learned as a kid poaching with his mom, with his grandma and all the uncles, they developed over the years. From the Army to the end of the world and now here.

He follows. He's quiet about it. ]

'Kay. Thank you.

[ A nod, remaining completely still as John secures the buckles. Now she's ready to go, hopefully. She should probably learn to swim someday too. That's for another time. ]

...This will really let me float? [ Her hands grip the edges of the vest, feeling the material and wondering how it even works at all. It sounds like magic. ] How?

No, the-- movie-thing. Movie? Moving? What?

"There's a need for that many?" Kirk asks curiously.

And who are these other heroes who apparently need sidekicks? Besides Batman apparently.

[...He gives a glance around at his options. Limited. He could also just, eat somewhere else. But he's already been sneaking out pass curfew. And since this is the designated place to eat, he will...just comply. A quiet sigh as he sets his tray down across from her, proceeding to sit. He's here, because she is familiar and nothing else.

And if she's expecting a riveting conversation with him, she will be greatly disappointed. His focus is on the clearly very interesting meal before him. Hamburger. This was one of Maria's favorite apparently. And then there were fries, and something called coleslaw? ...He's never eaten any of these things, just seen them on the television or learned through Maria.

Food consumption, as the scientists discovered, is not something he requires. So he can eat how little or how much he wants. It has it's perks, but he knows how unnatural it looks for others if he didn't eat. So he will have to eat the meal before him. At least he's curious enough, since the humans find these kinds of food enjoyable. It has an alluring smell at least. He'll pick up the burger first, feeling the heat come through his gloves. Soft, kind of squishy in his hands. He watched enough to at least know how to hold it and after a sniff, takes a bite.

Brows furrow as he processes the new flavors hitting his taste buds. Words, he doesn't know how to describe what he is tasting. Salty? Savory. Juicy. Tasty. It's tasty.]

Hm. [He sees why humans like this. After savoring the piece and could chew on it no longer, he swallows and then takes another bite. Just to be sure he got all the taste out of it again.]

[ Vax takes the dagger from his belt to hand it over, then grabs the ropes, expecting he might fall if he's not holding on once the ropes are loosened. ]

Nothing some ice won't fix.

[ And there seems to be plenty of that. ]

It's been a few days out since everyone's arrival at the camp. Shadow is, more or less being compliant to do as instructed, as long as it keeps his interest. He is refusing the wear the tie-dye shit through and has it tied around his waist instead. That's still wearing it, right? That aside, it isn't too difficult to partake in things when everything about camping is new to him. He wants to learn about these things he has only seen in films. Some of it was enjoyable, others, clearly romanticized to seem cool.

Archery is somewhere inbetween. Or maybe camp just makes it seem lamer than it should. He's learning one does not just simply pull back the string and the arrow will fly. The arrow needs to sit a certain way, his hands need to be position in a way to not hurt himself, and also keep the bow steady. So his first few attempts are making sure the arrow even stays put. Once he gets to that point where the arrow doesn't just drop, he can finally try to take aim at the target ahead.

Bowstring is pulled back, bending it possibly too much that it could actually break. This thing is filmsy with his strength. So he has to turn it down a notch. The arrow wobbles, threatening to drop again and as Shadow tries to stop it, there's a fwip! sound as his fingers leave the bowstring, forgetting he had pulled it back. It smacks him and also set loose the arrow. It flies forward and higher than intended, going over the target entirely and hopefully not towards any unsuspecting individual.

Hm? It's not a monster. It's a mammal.

[ Fio doesn't look perturbed one bit that he calls it a "monster" though. Her best friend is a monster. Anyway, she might be the wrong person to be asking about this, but she'll tell him what she can about giraffes from what she's gleaned in books. On her tiptoes, she motions with her hand, high above her head. ]

And they're much, much taller than horses! Maybe several horses tall! They have long necks so they can eat food from the trees... um, that's what I read in a book, anyway.

[ So far, he may be the second person she's met that's shared their title. Though labels don't hold the same weight as back home, she does find it to be a relief that he's unlike the royal and noble ranks that she's familiar with. Especially since she was born in a country where those on the highest social ladder would use their superiority to walk all over the lowest of the low, including children.

Anyway, since he doesn't make any further mention of his title, neither will she. Barnabas is just Barnabas to this little girl. (Or just "Barnie" in this case...) Fio keeps up the same friendly, expressive smile, and casually chatters away. Like a bright little sunshine in large contrast next to the rather quiet man. ]

Uh-huh! You know, I never knew what origami was until now. I'm glad I learned 'cause you can make all sorts of pretty things.

[ As she speaks, she comes up to the highest step and sits, setting down the container of supplies by her side. Inside the box is a small portion of materials borrowed from the art and crafts corner, yet enough supply to put together a decent number of new paper creations. There are also little booklets that contain easy step-by-step instructions on how to fold a variety of different origami, including flowers.

She rummages through the box, trying to decide which colors to use next. Should she try something different or go for the same white that she's decorated the door with? ]

Have you tried making anything yet? I can show you how.

[ She steps further into the clearing, walking towards him. And stops before getting too close. It's the same as before when she would give some distance between themselves among the flowers underneath the sunlight. It's not because she's afraid of him. Not at all. Just giving him a little extra space. ]

I'm a counselor, so it's my job to keep an eye on you.

[ If she wasn't though, it's unlikely this interaction would be any different. She would continue to follow. ]

...No?

[ A confused tone, wondering how he could make this mistake. Here she was, trying to avoid mention of the other hedgehog, especially after seeing the annoyance from "Dusky" for mixing him up for this Shadow. Bringing the rock close to her face, she checks if she somehow made any errors in her work. She examines it a few times, turning it over repeatedly.

With both hands, she holds it back out, expecting Shadow to accept her gift and also to allow him to take a better look. Look, look. This rock is clearly a spitting image of "Darkie". Trying very hard not to look distressed that Shadow can't seem to tell... ]

It's you, see? Can't you tell? Dusky is fluffier!

[ And this one isn't. She says like anyone would very easily be able to portray the difference of a "fluffier" hedgehog on a rock. ]

Chu Wenshan tilts his head ever-so-slightly at...well. Pretty much everything Wade just said. "Is wine fancy, where you're from? I always thought it was a pretty common drink. Nobody ever seems to drink it in tubs though."

Just straight at the target...

[She brings the arrow up. His patient advice is very good. She ought to be following it. But for someone usually so deliberate, she starts to feel antsy.

She draws back and releases, trying to shake that feeling. The arrow flies straight, but only makes it 3/4th the way to the target.]

Ooh, that's... that's something, I guess?

[ Huh.

The muffled words of Claudia slip into one ear and out the other. However, he tilts his head more in her direction, focusing on what she said. His eyebrows coming together as he replays the part of the conversation he missed but his hearing apparently didn't. ]

It was.

[ He holds his hands out, gesturing weakly, before letting them drop back down on his knees. ]

But ... I'm sorry to scare you with these stories... I hope you're okay.

They are. But not always by the bearer’s choice. [He would know. His family name is a chain around his neck. He pets the bird’s beak as she coos and preens his hair. He reaches into a pouch on his belt and gives her the fresh greens within. She happily munches as he takes a set of special brushes out of another belt pouch. He gently brushes her feathers while she has her dinner.]

Frida isn’t going to harm you. You’re with me. [The bird leans into his attentions.]

[He handles the dagger like someone used to using one. He waits, studying the blade’s edge. The moment Vax has a good hold on the ropes he grabs another section.

The ropes leading to the tangle around Vax’s leg get slashed in one sharp cut. He cuts a hole for Vax to escape through. The dagger is tucked into the sheathe on his belt. He sets himself to help Vax down.] I think ice won’t be that difficult to get. I’ll give your blade back once we’re off my ice.

"We can't have that." Not if Hob can help. Loki is going to get a proper camp experience if that's what he wants.

"It's actually pretty easy. First, you take this stick." He picks one up from the table and offers it to Lok. "Then, you place the marshmallow at the end, like so."

He holds Loki's hand, which holds the stick, and carefully skewers the white treat onto the end of the stick.

You didn't frighten me.

[She's seen her fair share of frightening things. What happened to Alessa, when the ritual failed 21 years ago. 17 years ago. Her own father's angry face before he hurt her.]

I'm worried about you. What it must have been like to go through all of that.

[His hands ball up into fists as she continues to come forward. Of course she doesn't listen. And she's a counselor. Who allowed that??]

I don't need watching. Just leave me alone. [Nothing ever happens when he manages to sneak off. He can handle himself. He always comes back. He behaves for the most part during the day. So why isn't he allowed a moment of peace? He scowls, stomping further away from her, but doesn't leave the clearing.]

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MISSION 009

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Wildcard

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a gift that he can throw :)

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cw: child abuse

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