MISSION 009

[etrayamods]

⏵ 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⏴

Comments

[fortitudosalutis]

At least.

[ Carver shifts, resting his hand on his knee. Watching her curiously, trying to read her mood. She's more stoic than most. It never felt like a mask when he's watched her. Just the way she is. ]

Maybe next time I will be. Helps to have a target in front of you, doesn't it?

[cactusy]

[Her face is indeed as impassive as it usually is. She looks a bit worn out, but not unpleasantly so; she has more of the vibe of someone who's just finished a good gym workout than someone who's just finished a harrowing mission.]

It helps to have a game plan.

[She picks at her stick with a fingernail.]

Which I guess is what Aurora would call this, but it feels too much like spinning my wheels. Solmara sucked, but I operated better there.

[fortitudosalutis]

You knew what you had to do. The rules were clear.

[ So where the stakes. He almost wishes he could have gone. It would have suited him better.

He puffs out a breath. ]

I'm not good in a place like this.

[cactusy]

You and me both. But I guess we're doing okay so far.

[In one smooth movement, she snaps her stick in half, offering him one end.]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver huffs at her. But he takes the stick because what else are they going to do here, really, except play along? ]

We could be a whole lot worse, [ he agrees playfully. ]

[cactusy]

[Oh hey, she got him to smile a little; she thinks that probably counts as a win.]

You guys ever make s'mores in the apocalypse? Marshmallows last for years if you store them right.

[fortitudosalutis]

Nah. Not that we didn't look sometimes, [ Carver adds, because they had. They'd wanted to do something nice for Matthew so he could be a kid around the campfire and not just another smaller soldier they were training. ] We just never found any. Scavengers probably picked 'em all off early.

[cactusy]

Come on, then. Make up for lost time.

[Shaw does not want to fully join the group - she'll pass on campfire songs and ghost stories, thanks, even if she's been half-lisening from their little corner in the back - but she'll approach the firepit from the side, attempting to look unobtrusive as she wiggles in between two people. Follow her lead, Carver; she'll do her best to keep anyone from giving them a second glance.]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ There's a long pause. Carver watches her, glancing back down to the stick in his hand, wondering if he shouldn't just shrug and head back into the woods. They don't want him here, not really. He knows he's a killjoy. That he makes people uncomfortable. But -

Carver sighs.

Then, after a moment, he follows after Shaw. ]

[cactusy]

[Shaw uses the same strategy here that she uses in the city: she keeps her eyes forward and moves with purpose, giving no good opening for anyone to start a conversation and giving no indication that she'd be open to it if they tried regardless. She scoops up her s'mores ingredients without pausing for deliberation, preemptively sliding two marshmallows onto her stick and smooshing three chocolate squares between the graham crackers. She is going for King S'more here.]

You look like a prisoner of war.

[She mutters to Carver out of the corner of her mouth.]

If you look too uncomfortable, people are going to ask if you're okay.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver sighs, but he doesn’t snarl at anyone or flinch away from the crowd. He follows Shaw’s lead and gathers up his ingredients. ]

They’re all focused on each other. And sticky.

[ S’mores are a messy business. ]

[cactusy]

[He's not wrong on that front. But still, she continues under her breath--]

You're underestimating mother hens. Some people take one look at a guy like you and see him as a challenge.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver makes a face at that. ]

Why.

[cactusy]

[That should not be as funny as it is, so she doesn't grin. But she does shoot him a wry sidelong glance.]

Seriously, have you never run into these people? I guess everyone really does have better things to do in the apocalypse.

[fortitudosalutis]

Usually, people just try to kill each other back home, [ Carver mutters sourly. ] Or rob you, at least.

[ It’s all very simple. Everyone knows their place in the scheme. Here—

Well.

He sighs and stabs a marshmallow on his stick. It’s what they’re doing now, apparently. ]

People are treating this like vacation.

[cactusy]

Technically it is. A vacation with high stakes.

[Her own marshmallow is starting to brown in the fire; she leans forward and squints at it, but doesn't pull it out just yet.]

I'd take the train again over this; what about you?

[fortitudosalutis]

Always.

[ Even with his unfortunate freak out in the storage compartment, he at least knew what his purpose was there. There was no doubt about what was required of him.

He holds his stick out to the fire, watching the marshmallow slowly start to burn. ]

I don’t miss Afghanistan. Except for the parts when I do. Everything was simpler then.

[cactusy]

This is pretty simple.

[She says, jerking her chin at her marshmallow stick.]

But on the train we were actually doing something.

[fortitudosalutis]

This is a holding period.

[ And at the end, an unknown element. It doesn’t feel simple to Carver, though he’s beginning to realize he shouldn’t say that out loud. That one of these days he’s going to start looking paranoid and even twitcher than usual and people might start asking whether he’s worth keeping around. You have to think about these things.

Carver shakes his head. He watches the fire and his stick. ]

Doesn’t matter. This is what we’re doing now.

[cactusy]

[Shaw agrees, technically, but she cuts her eyes to him all the same. Carver isn't exactly an open book, but he's shared enough of his mindset, assumptions, and expectations that she has a good idea of the motivations behind those words. She pulls her stick away from the fire, blows on the smouldering, charred marshmallows, and remarks:]

People-pleasers are annoying.

[Though she doesn't actually sound annoyed; she means it as a little nudge, not as a reprimand.]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ That stills him. He watches his marshmallow toast in the fire, going brown around the edges. And he watches Shaw in turn. Wary, now. ]

That how I sound?

[cactusy]

[Shaw makes a noncommittal sound, waggling her hand back and forth. Technically, yes, but it's also not the term she would have used if she weren't teasing him a bit.]

I know you think you've got to toe the line, that's all.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ That’s not a good thing. It’s a step away from suck up, which nobody likes. Pope despised that shit. Fawning is a sin, he used to say.

Respect is different. Respect is earned.

Carver twitches. He pulls his stick out of the fire and watches the marshmallow. ]

Bad things happen if you don’t.

[ Maybe that’s paranoia here. Back home, it wouldn’t have been. ]

[cactusy]

I know I can't convince you that you're wrong.

[So she won't try. Harold is the one with the patience; the one who might, eventually, be able to talk Carter around. But Shaw has already told him how their team operates, and if he doesn't believe her, that's his business. Either he'll come around on his own with enough evidence and experience the way she had herself, or he won't.]

It's just funny to think of Harold captaining the kind of ship you think we're sailing. I was insubordinate as hell. I tried to shoot John the first time I met him.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver twitches, gaze focused on the fire. He wonders if this is a weakness in him. It feels like one. ]

Tried or succeeded?