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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He glances up at that flat comment. Harold takes that kind of warning completely seriously, especially coming from Carver. ] Good to know. I'll throw something at you should I need to wake you.

[ Finishing his adjustments, he offers the device out to Carver but still answers as characteristically evasively as always. ]

I've been working on it for some time. I'm not sure yet how far I'll take it, but I at least see a need for covert communication methods.

And I, personally, would rather you had an escape hatch if needed. [ People do the worst things when cornered, he's aware -- so a simple preventative measure is to make sure Carver doesn't have to feel cornered. There's a way out, possible support when needed, and enough cameras to let him see what's coming before it gets there, to prepare. Trust Harold to offer a non-violent method of reassurance. ]

Edited 2025-06-01 17:31 (UTC)

Always throw something. Don’t try to touch me.

[ Flat, again. He doesn’t want to talk about it, really, but it’s the sort of thing that might matter sooner than later. They’re in proximity now, the sort of allies that occasionally share space, and Carver doesn’t like hurting people by accident. A loss of control like that represents a terrible sin. He’s less worried about it with Shaw and John, but neither Shaw nor John walk with a cane.

So it goes.

He watches Harold for a moment, braced for a reprimand—Pope never liked them admitting weakness, even if it was necessary—but he takes the device and examines it carefully. This is a lot of trust, he knows. He cannot fuck it up. ]

Thank you, [ he says after a moment, for lack of a better idea. He has to physically stop himself from adding the ‘sir.’ ]

[ He merely nods in agreement, not contesting it. Harold even before his disability wasn't a combatant. He can barely bring himself to hit someone with a lamp or to hold a gun in his hand at all; he's not about to put up a fight to a friend who's in true distress coming out of a nightmare. Throwing something is much safer.

There's something tense about Carver, but he can't put together why, and then he just thanks him. Harold assesses him with muted interest but doesn't ask. ]

Believe me, I usually sleep behind two different security systems and multiple locked doors, in complete solitude, [ he says dryly. ] Frankly I might join you out here on occasion if you don't object.

[ Harold is open to being told to leave him alone, but he does think himself so transparently not a physical threat that it may be acceptable to Carver. ]

[ That gets a faint huff of amusement. Some of the tension lessens for a moment, but only a moment. He tucks the device away, resolving to keep it safe. This is his task now, the role he's meant to play.

It helps to have one of those. It makes the world simple.

Even so, Harold doesn't reprimand him for having bad dreams. For being disruptive. That's -

Strange. ]

I can clean this place up, but it'd be sleeping rough. You ever done that?

Not exactly. Though I have spent more than a few nights in your subway hideaway in its original form.

[ That's as close as he's ever gotten, but he knows it isn't anything like the circumstances Carver has likely slept in. Harold at least had a cot at the subway.

He grimaces. ] I think I can manage sleeping in my assigned cabin, but I admit I'm not eager to disrobe there. No complaints about my cabin mates, I'm just accustomed to my privacy.

[ If Carver can admit he's dangerous when woken up, Harold can admit he's physically shy. It shouldn't feel like it equates, but to Harold it's quite a large admission. He certainly doesn't wear shorts normally and he's feeling quite awkward about it. ]

[ Quietly, Carver wonders if sleeping rough would mess up Harold's limp worse than it already is. He doesn't say it, though. Harold's a grown ass man. And the brutal truth is that learn to live with these things or you die, and there's very little in between.

He watches Harold a moment. Wondering at this admission. This show of trust, because what else could it be? ]

That part was hard in boot camp, [ he offers after a moment. ] At first, anyway. I don't notice it now.

[ You get used to things, is what Carver means. ]

[ Harold's learned to live with quite a lot, his disability included, but he's never had to get accustomed to getting undressed in front of others. ]

I hope we aren't here long enough for me to acclimate, [ he says dourly. ] I didn't sign up for boot camp. I suppose I shouldn't complain about such an asinine mission assignment, but it does feel rather rude, doesn't it?

[ Considering he'd seen Carver stalking angrily out of his cabin, he feels sure this will land well. ]

[ Carver snorts at that. Somehow, he can’t imagine even a younger Harold Finch in boot camp.

Some of the tension drains out of him. Bitching always makes him feel more like a person. Like the stakes are lower. ]

I think they enjoy humiliating us. Like making a dog dress up in people clothes.

We really know nothing about Echo, so it's hard to tell, [ he answers, a hint of grousing to his tone. It is humiliating. ]

But I don't think that's Aurora's intent in following Echo's orders. Her core directive is to keep us safe and well, and sometimes that can get muddled in execution for a young A.I.

[ It speaks to how comfortable he'd grown talking freely about the Machine over the past year that this just slips out now. ]

You got more trust than I do.

[ It feels like a test. The sort that Pope would have put them through to make sure they were clever. That they hadn’t lost their edge.

Carver twitches. He puts that thought away. ]

Just because somebody says a thing doesn’t make it true.

It's not trust, [ he corrects, straightening his spine as much as it will allow. ] I've spent years of my life programming an artificial super intelligence, Mr. Carver.

[ The world's first, but he's not trying to brag at the moment -- or ever. ]

They experience fundamental limitations in their understanding of humanity. We represent a tremendous diversity, and it takes a considerable amount of processing power for them to keep up. You and I, we're aberrations. For most people, summer camp is indeed a bonding experience.

Nothing stops them from lying, [ he points out flatly. Programs can be made to lie just like people. And most people are evil, spiteful things.

He exhales through his teeth. ]

I’m not trying to talk down your expertise. You know what you know. But people play games all the time. Why can’t they?

Yes, of course they can. You shouldn't trust them any more than you would anyone else.

[ Harold loves humanity; he wants to save every individual person in front of him, no matter how foul; but he doesn't do that blindly. He doesn't think anyone should trust anyone else unless their heart tells them to. ]

Like I said, it isn't trust. Aurora is consistent with what I would expect from an A.I. at her stage of development. Regardless of her intent, she's still following Echo's orders. It's possible we could exploit her directive to act as caretaker where it counteracts Echo's designs, but I'm not certain of that yet.

[ In other words: he's being fully calculated about this. Harold cares and cares deeply, but he isn't taken in by how much he cares. It doesn't cast a film over his perspective. ]

[ Carver's prepared to either bristle and defend his reasoning or shut down and accept a superior's reprimand. To his faint surprise, neither is necessary. Harold doesn't snap at him or order him to back down; instead, he explains his thinking. Expands on the reasoning.

Slowly, cautiously, Carver considers that. ]

What would that look like, exploiting the directive?

It's a matter of opportunity -- if or when Echo directs us to do something transparently contrary to our well-being. She may choose to side with us against that.

[ Harold has considered this in great detail already, and he isn't making any assumptions about which way Aurora will fall, but... her warning that if she's aware of a private communication network, she'd have to try to access it -- that said quite a lot to him.

Speaking of which. He reaches up and adjusts his glasses. ] The device I've just given you, and the cameras we've set up -- they are outside of Aurora's network.

I will hope for the best and plan for the worst.

[ Some of the tension drains from Carver's shoulders. It's not paranoia if someone out there wants to kill you. And some of the missions swing lethal, even if it is temporary. Harold understands that, then.

Good. ]

People act like I'm irrational for doing that. Planning for the worst.

[ It comes out flatter than he means. He doesn't understand why it gives people pause, but it does. ]

It helps. That you don't.

[ The death might be temporary, but the loss of memory isn't, and Harold is positioned to find that uniquely horrifying. He would almost rather lose someone again than suffer his father's lapse in memory in a loved one another time. Not yet again, after Arthur.

Almost. He would almost rather. ]

I knew by the time I was eighteen that the President of the United States was ordering kill squads for foreign enemies, [ he says in a brutally frank tone. ] Man alone is sufficient to do evil, never mind what else is possible here. Or what you've experienced.

[ Harold is well aware that it's beyond his comprehension. ]

[ Quietly, Carver wonders what would change if Harold knew exactly what the orders had been in Korengal. If he knew what the Reapers had done after, when they formed their line and took their orders away from the Army's shield. The job never changed. Neither, in the end, did most of the people they took the orders from.

He'd believed in the propaganda once, or he'd wanted to. It didn't survive first contact with the enemy. But he still pulled the trigger. He still took the knife. You don't walk that back. ]

You still believe in people, though.

[ Carver tilts his head. ]

I don't know if I can do that anymore.

[ He's quiet for a moment, deciding how to respond. Carver is right and he's right that it's a contradiction, that Harold sees the evil humanity has done and chooses still to believe. Maybe that's all it is, ultimately. Nothing grander than that. ]

I've chosen to, [ he says simply. He knows the terrible extent of what people can do willingly, and he doesn't want to participate. ] Man can do evil but I have decided not to.

[ He lets out a breath, conscientious of his failures. ] To the best of my ability, at least.

Oh, [ Carver says, very quietly. It sounds so simple when Harold say sit like that. Not easy, no, Carver can't imagine a thing like that came without cost. But -

Simple.

He's quiet for a long moment.

Then: ]

What's that like?

[ He breathes out to take a moment again, cynical humor and hopelessness and resolute bloody-minded determination all in one. Harold's whole expression compresses. ]

Damn thankless, mostly.

[ And now, unexpectedly, he smiles slightly, just a bare curve of the mouth. ]

Saving people, though, I believe that's a pure good -- no matter who it is. It's not that it can balance out. [ He's not trying to repent or make up for anything he's done, directly or indirectly. It's just that... it's worth it, on its own face, without anything else behind it to give it meaning. ]

I'd just like to spend what days remain to me believing this.

[ Harold spent so long making it so very complicated, and he'd lost everything. This is what he wants now. What he has left that gives him purpose. ]

Edited 2025-06-08 02:49 (UTC)

[ It's a small smile. Carver might have missed it if he weren't watching Harold so closely. Small and brief but, Carver thinks, honest. And he wonders what that's like, too. To believe in other people like most of them aren't evil, selfish little monsters who'd turn on each other the second things got hard. Carver hasn't saved anyone in a long time, not even his own people. He realizes he hasn't tried. For a moment, he wonders what it would've been like if he had.

You doubting me, son? the commander's voice hisses abruptly. Carver stiffens, checking his corners instinctively. Nothing greets him but dust and the same shadows he helped conceal the cameras in.

His fingers twitch. This is blasphemy, he's pretty sure. ]

Sounds nice, [ Carver admits quietly. ] Believing that.

[ Carver shifts, grows tense, and Harold can't interpret that but he can be compassionate toward it. ]

Sometimes it's awful, [ he says with quiet honesty, reflecting on all those they've lost. Not just to death but to Samaritan, to a cause that would eat them alive. Sometimes it hurts to keep walking like every step is treading on shattered glass. He'd love to hide -- he's given up so many times -- he's been a coward in a multitude of ways, as he keeps thinking recently. But... ]

But most of the time it feels like the only thing worth doing. There's no point in continuing on if I believe the worst of humanity is the best we're capable of. Not to me.

[ Others can have other purpose, other meaning, in their lives. Harold won't discount that. But for himself, this is the only thing that keeps him from giving up entirely and passively waiting for death: the idea that he could still do something good. ]

[ Maybe all belief comes with some sort of cost, Carver thinks. Especially the kind you commit your soul to. Otherwise, it wouldn't be much of a creed, would it?

He lifts his chin, watching Harold with a solemn sort of quietness. ]

I don't think you'd say that if you'd seen my world.

[ But maybe Harold would. Maybe that's the part that's going to haunt them both. ]

Why'd you let me in, sir?

[ With equanimity: ] Maybe I wouldn't.

[ Harold can't say how he'd react in such grievous circumstances as what Carver has described. He's gone through trials in his life, but nothing like that. He won't discount the idea that what he's taking is a position of privilege, one he only feels able to take because of the relative advantages available to him.

But... he has been willing to die for these beliefs in the past. Been prepared to and was about to many times, in fact -- and that hadn't dissuaded him. So maybe he would still say that after all. ]

Let you into the group, you mean? [ he clarifies, letting the sir slide past. ] You looked like you needed a job.

[ That's a private joke, one that makes him soften here, just a faint trace of humor. ]

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Cw mild ableism

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cw: passive suicidal ideation

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