etrayalogs | MISSION 004 (part 1)

MISSION 004 (part 1)

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: July 19th-July 27th.
WHERE: Moorecroft Village
WHAT: Enjoy life in your new suburban neighborhood!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential death.

⏵ welcome home ⏴
Welcome to Moorecroft Village, where the sun casts a gentle glow through soft white clouds. Pavement paths wind around the village, adorned with wildflowers in every hue. Birds sing a soothing melody, while a few content cats lounge in sunspots or on benches along the streets. Cars hum by, ferrying residents to work, the store, or back home after a busy day.

It looks almost perfect. The ideal little village, occupied by individuals from all over. Orcs, elves, faeries, werewolves, vampires, and dhampirs coexist harmoniously, each contributing to their quaint little town. Despite their varied backgrounds, they appear to embrace this place as their own. They take their baby carriages out during the day for a stroll, chatting with friends and neighbors about current happenings, discussing their most recent mission (a ‘game’ of Whodunit, in which one of theirs, Theo, was tasked with killing one of their own each day and they all had to figure out who had killed them before they could come back to life) and the difficulties therein, new job assignments, weird things the teens in their houses are getting up to... generic, neighborly conversations.

The village is full of life. There are numerous facilities to wander and things to do! The library houses a vast collection of books spanning history from countless other worlds and whimsical children's tales. Teens gather at the ice skating rink, while the movie theater screens films spanning generations. An aquarium full of wonders: glowing rainbow fish, miniature great white sharks, a colorful octopus with patterns running over it that almost look like ivy, and numerous others.

In the daytime, everyone can explore clothing stores, indulge in gourmet cakes from the grocers, and partake in leisurely pursuits without financial concerns; just like on Etraya, money does not exist here.

⏵ help wanted ⏴
Moorecroft surpasses Etraya in its development, offering attractions and activities to engage its inhabitants throughout the day. But with these advancements come additional responsibilities. By day, at least one adult from every household is expected to fulfill their shifts at 'day jobs', lasting anywhere from four to eight hours. Meanwhile, the youth are expected to go to school, absorbing knowledge in various disciplines.

Each job duty requires different skillsets, but whether or not those required skillsets are matched to those who are expected to work them... well. They’ll have plenty of time for training, won’t they? Or perhaps they’ll get dropped right into their job and be expected to figure it out all on their own.

For the younger residents, education is structured into two main institutions: "Sandalwood Lower" for those twelve and under, and "Maplewood Upper" for older students. These schools offer a broad curriculum encompassing Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Technology, Fine Arts, and a diverse array of Foreign Languages. Electives range widely, from specific sports to Survival Training, Creative Writing, Journalism, and Sociology.

At lunchtime, the school cafeteria presents an array of choices. Options range from standard fare like school pizza to other offerings such as vampire's blood, brains, and hearts—just in case an unexpected guest should drop in. After all, one never knows who might show up in Moorecroft.

⏵ honey do's ⏴
But life extends beyond work and school. A structured routine of what is expected of each household is kept on digital calendars, and installed on the wall in the kitchen of each house. These calendars update daily with smaller tasks, and weekly with larger ones, detailing what is expected of those residing within its walls.

Typical tasks include simple activities such as:

Take the child(ren) for a walk outdoors.
Visit the local park.
Bake a pie for the neighbors.
Tell your spouse(s) how important they are to you.
Share a secret.
Shop with your child(ren).
Mow the lawn.
Don’t forget to attend your child’s school’s PTA meeting!
Help with homework.
Take family photos.
Go on a date.

More complex tasks are found under weekly checklists, and may involve:

Host a neighborhood barbeque competition.
Volunteer at the hospital.
Teach your child a sport.
Start a soccer league.
Create a garage band.
Get a part time job.
Join a club.

Eos will check off each task as it is completed. At the bottom of each calendar, a tally records the completion of tasks, providing a visual measure of productivity and community involvement.

⏵ night watch ⏴
As the sun lowers over the horizon, everything shifts. Every long-term resident understands the consequences of curfew and the threats within. They retreat to their homes, urging those unfamiliar to them who may not understand the rules just yet that they, too, need to return indoors for the night.

Within the confines of their houses, life continues under a fragile veil of normalcy. A peek into some of the homes of long-term residents will find them playing board games with their family units, completing homework or work assignments they were unable to finish during the day, watching a few family-friendly shows on their couches, or enjoying a late dinner. Eventually, they’ll return to their beds and wait for the sound of their alarms.

In Moorecroft, no friendly companion bots roam the streets during the day. In their place, highly advanced robots emerge to enforce curfew once the time comes. They silently make their way through the streets, sweeping away anything that isn’t part of Eos’ design: trash left out on the street, bugs left by suspicious men wearing cowls that have ears on them, graffiti, new decor that Eos decides she doesn’t like. No winds shake the trees, there are no cars on the road, but noises can be heard coming from outside that don't sound... normal by any means. Croaks, whispers, scratches against doors and walls alike.

Those who defy curfew will be asked, once, to return to their homes. If they opt not to listen, they are met with force: physically restrained, subdued, and dragged back to their homes. If they decide to fight, the bots are not above killing them and dropping their limp bodies just inside the front door of their houses. They will revive after 48 hours but not without cost. Each return carries an absence—a missing memory, a lost skill, or a fragment of their very essence, stolen away in the process of their revival.

Even those who manage to evade capture will awaken in their beds with no recollection of their death or what they may have witnessed before dying. They will instead have a vague feeling that something horrifying happened.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Daily and weekly tasks can be chosen by players! We won't be listing these out for each household, but relying on players to choose what's most fun for them to play with within their households.

As noted on Mission Plotting, we're open to one group successfully staying out past curfew, but would like to keep this to one thread.

We have a separate log for NPC interactions for this mission!

For any questions relating to the contents of this log, mod queries thread on the initial plotting post to assist us in keeping all mission-related information in one place. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, I might not usually care so much, but...you know. We have the mission and all that.

[ If she lowers her voice conspiratorially, it's because she's not 100% sure she remembers what is, and isn't, a secret in this place. ]

Oh! Wait a sec... [ Who else had talked about this... ] You're not friends with Fabian, are you? He mentioned something like that once. We were talking about our parties. [ beat ] Y'know, the...adventuring kind. We don't have a school like that back home, but I guess the group I'm traveling with sorta fits the bill?

[ Maybe in not so many words. Particularly considering some (Shinra) would sooner refer to them as terrorists. ]

[ Wow--this is happening again, huh? Or so that's what Gorgug thinks upon hearing the mention of Fabian, Gorgug's eyes noticeably widening some at the name. The rest of that would be a point of interest too, but she's certainly gotten it early. ]

Oh, yeah? That's-- that sounds cool. [ That surprise has him stumbling over what he wants to address first, give him a second. ] Fabian and me-- we're part of the same group. You...travel around and do whatever jobs come along?

[ He wants to know!! Especially if there's worlds with something familiar to what he knows, even if--again!--they apparently don't go to school for dealing with extraordinary problems. It sounds less secretive than the superhero thing going on in other worlds, so far. ]

I'm not sure about "cool," but...appreciate the enthusiasm. [ There's a weak chuckle. ] It is cool that you and Fabian are both here, though! And - d'you know Adaine, too? And Riz?

[ Has she been inadvertently 'collecting' the whole group? Seems like! ]

Um...pretty much, actually! We have a real goal, but along the way, we try and help people when we can. Which is...a lot, now that I think about it.

[ Which most of them are happy to do (and which Cloud can be persuaded into). ]

[ Not a point of pride? Gorgug thinks, and--maybe actually adventuring isn't. Doing odd jobs, not always world (or land) saving. But he nods to Adaine and Riz's names, figures she doesn't know the whole picture about them, maybe?

Strange, when Fabian's such a talker. He might've just talked about himself. Also possible. ]

So everything you do that's not your main goal's just to help on the road. [ It's a question, even if the inflection is not there. Not exactly the same as what he and Fabian and the others would be, but hey. Close enough--the closest he's heard since being here. ]

Me and Fabian and everyone take on jobs for others-- I mean, [ well, ] we do what you do on the side. Adaine and Riz, too. That's what we would do.

[ If they were a permanent, travelling adventuring group. If he's even explaining that well. ]

Guess that sums it up. We're making our way from point A to point B, trying to accomplish something, but we help where we can. And since that main goal can change, take us to new places...there's always a lot to do around that.

[ She shrugs, setting her hands atop the (currently forgotten) architectural plans. ]

Sounds like our groups've got a lot in common. [ Hopefully only the good parts, though. Aerith's smile is warm, and earnest, as she looks across the table at Gorgug. ] You've got a great team... You're lucky to have each other.

[ Not to say that she doesn't like her own little party, because that's not true at all. Aerith knows how fortunate she is to be with the people who travel at her side across Gaia. She's gotten the sense, though, from others in Etraya, that everyone isn't in the same boat. ]

Yeah. [ It's a simple, small answer, but with a pull of his lips and a little nod, it's all in agreement: they are lucky to have each other. Gorgug knows he's lucky to have his friends--that he's been lucky to have them since day one (even if there were bumps that, well...they don't need to think about the corn cuties anymore).

But he's also lucky that any of them are here, and he thinks to ask, with his own luck apparent: ] Are any of your team... are they here?

[ It's sometimes 50/50 -- or it's more like 20/80, from yes to no. Some people have gotten unlucky in the known company department. ]

Yeah. [ That she feels lucky in having her own friends from home close is apparent in Aerith's face. ] My friends Cloud, Yuffie, and Vincent. If you meet them-...hm. Cloud's got spiky blonde hair, and he's really grumpy. Yuffie's more like your age, and she's a ninja, and...she's got a lot of energy. Vincent... [ There's a pause, then a little laugh. ] Well, I've actually never met him [ only kinda true ] but he's a friend from my future. Keeps to himself, wears a long red cloak...?

[ If Gorgug's run into any of these people, he'd probably know. They're all...very distinctive. ]

There're two other people from back home, but...they're not exactly friends.

[ Things with both Rufus and Tseng are-...complicated, to say the least. Lately more than ever. ]

[ None of the descriptions or names stick out to Gorgug, but something else does, even from the people not named. It has him looking at her with some surprise. ]

That's a lot of people. I know about... [ ...well, he's thinking about it, but actually: ] ...the same amount, nearly. Five. But most the people I know have met one person or they don't know anyone.

[ Is it luck? It feels like luck, but it also makes Gorgug curious about what it means--why it happens like that. ]

Yeah. I've heard the same. [ Her brows furrow in the big question of it all: why? Why do some people have to go it alone, to act as their world's sole representative, when others have half a dozen residents to advocate for it? ] I don't get it, but...there's gotta be a reason. If we're being chosen, then...there's some weighting to it, maybe. If it's just...random, or 'luck'...

[ She trails off, frowning into the distance and looking decidedly troubled. ]

...I know there's maybe not a lot of point in speculating, but it's weird, right?

[ He nods, because even if there isn't much of a point speculating, it is weird. And not only that- ]

It makes me feel bad. I don't know if it means our worlds are being scrutinised harder and it's better if there's just one or two people from the same world, but- [ a small beat ] I don't know that I'd wanna be here alone. I wouldn't do great if I didn't have my friends--I'm used to working with them.

[ And it would be weird without them, like having no life raft. Could he do it? Probably, but having your people is...nice, and perhaps even Aerith recognises that, with the amount that's surrounding her. Fellow teammates, even if it's in a shared goal.

But then, she is older than him. She's probably more experienced and used to unfair situations. ]

There's more, though. [ Aerith frowns faintly, moving her hands to her lap. ] I've met someone who was the only one from her world, and...I'm not sure she wants it saved. That's basically what she said, anyway. She's tough, but it seems like she's been through a lot, and back home...sounds like it might be a bad situation.

[ Asuka is young, but there's no denying her spirit. There's also no denying the feeling that Aerith gets from behind the girl's words when she's spoken - briefly - about her home. ]

I wonder if there are more people like that. Who...might not actually want to go back. [ There's a pause, and then, as she returns to Gorgug's words, a little smile. ] I'm with you, though: I'd have a hard time on my own. It's a lot for one person's shoulders.

[ Huh, that's--surprising. It should be obvious that someone wouldn't be interested in saving their world, but not to Gorgug, and he shows his surprise as Aerith speaks about this person. He's gotta wonder what kind of world they're even from to have doubts. Does it suck that bad?

Are people also here to make a case for worlds that shouldn't exist? Not that anyone's ever spoken up about that. ]

If some worlds or universes out there are bad, why don't we just move the people into others? They're already doing all this. [ For this test. He shrugs, knowing there's probably logistics and shit to be considered but: ] I don't know. Some universes probably suck that the people there would be happy to move to a better one. And universes are pretty big-- they could be doing a lot better than making us play families and building designers right now.

That's what I'd like to know. If it's possible, and they want to... [ Clearly someone has the ability to pluck them from their worlds, so...why not return people to those worlds who maybe hadn't been there to start? ] People should be able to choose.

[ Whatever 'reason' there may be be damned. ]

I just feel...pretty lost about it all. [ And not just because she's being compelled to work in a field she's got no experience in. ] Can't wrap my head around it...

[ Etraya - its workings and its natives - are truly "alien" in every sense of the world. ]

[ Gorgug gives Aerith a nod. He knows that feeling, and that tone. ]

When I start feeling lost, I stop thinking about it. Someone else who likes puzzling and solving things out is probably thinking about it for us, and that usually works out for me. That's how it goes. [ He's not the team puzzler. He has a point that he doesn't mind his thoughts going, and then as soon as they hit that wall?

Switch off time. ] We can be too stupid to figure it out together. Everyone's stupid at something, but you know? You know flowers. [ A beat, and he nods again. ] You're not stupid at flowers.

[ It's Gorgug's way of being encouraging about the concept of not knowing everything, completely honest before even joking. It's a comforting thing for him. ]

[ There's a little chuckle at that, and though she nods, she says: ]

That's the thing, though: I like to try and figure things out like this. It's just...never been this complicated.

[ Somehow. Despite how complicated her life back home had been, it doesn't compare to...whatever's going on in Etraya. ]

But I agree: I'm not stupid at flowers. [ That makes her grin, and she straightens up a bit in her seat. ] That's just one of many areas where I'm a genius. You'll see!

[ They've just met, yes, but she clearly has intent to continue the friendship. ]

And - point taken. Best not to dwell on it if there's nothing to be done. For now, anyway.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

MISSION 004 (part 1)

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