EVENT ▸ RETURN TO HQ

[futurologists]

RETURN TO HQ After a tough mission, it's time to return to Headquarters for a well-earned rest. Hathaway's medics and healers are there to patch up any lingering injuries (as are any teammates with healing abilities!), everyone's room is tidied up for them, and the entirety of Hathaway HQ is ripe for exploring. Take your time -- you earned it. Also sharing downtime at HQ are Guilds Horatio, Montague, and Watchman, composed of humanoids of various shapes and sizes. Temporary pop-up shops down in the promenade include a spa where one can get a manicure, pedicure, or other beautifying procedures; a yoga studio; and an imported salt cave for meditation. After a few days of silent relaxation, members of Guild Ophelia will all receive a text message on their magitek from Imogen -- their Guild Master, if they don't remember. Imogen, while not directly involved in any world-saving affairs, has a rather sizable amount of inheritance that she puts towards the Hathaway cause. Specifically, she uses it to finance Ophelia's endeavors. This sort of makes her in charge, or as much in charge of this rag-tag team as any one person can be. Hello, Ophelia! Once again, allow me to congratulate you on your successful mission in Hanabira. I hear the wedding went smashingly. Hathaway's analysts should rift down someone to check in on your success in several years, but the mathematicians are confident your solution has brought peace to the region. One should never rest on their laurels, however. From what I've seen in magitek messages, this guild is sorely lacking in the ability to work together and trust all guildmates, regardless of who they are. I've spotted more than a few barbs exchanged. Hanabira will be only an exception if you continue to behave this way. We'll be conducting guild bonding exercises today. While they are not mandatory, I assure you I've procured incentive for you all to participate. It isn't cheap to finance your exploits, and I won't spend my resources on a group of ruffians slinging insults at each other. Meet by the memorial fountain in one hour, and do try to bring a positive attitude. Your Guild Master, Imogen Those who choose to participate will find Imogen, a very prim and graceful elf dressed in elaborately embroidered robes, standing near the fountain. She greets everyone by name -- "nice to see you" and "glad you could make it" -- before directing them to the training rooms on the upper deck. The training rooms include run-of-the-mill exercise equipment and the training simulation room, both of which are free to use by participants and non-participants alike. A tall, strong-looking man whom some may recognize as their recruiter is making use of the equipment. His name is Khalef, and he is happy to answer questions about the training facilities or anything else about Hathaway. Between exercises, Imogen is available at the memorial fountain to chat but she's otherwise busy with paperwork. ▸ SECRETS Two partners sit in a room furnished only with two (very comfy, if it matters) chairs and a table between them. On the table sits -- floats, really -- a colorful orb, softly glowing. It is comfortably warm to the touch. The instructions automatically flash across the participants' magitek, thanking them for participating and asking them both to answer the following questions with complete honesty to gain the most from this exercise. Then, the first question pops up: What is something you like about your exercise partner? It seems simple enough. If a participant tells the truth, they will notice the orb's glow brightening, almost as if it is starting to flame. If a participant lies, they will notice the orb's glow dimming. Otherwise, there is no penalty for lying. The questions slowly get more personal, with the aim of getting the two partners to open up to each other: If a crystal ball could tell you the future, what would you want to know? What’s the one thing you would like to change about yourself? What are you most proud of accomplishing? What do you think existed before the universe was created? What do you think is the worst crime a human could commit? Do you think jealousy has value in driving people to improve themselves, or is it a purely negative emotion? If you could start your life over, what would you do differently? If you were given only one week to live, how would you spend it? Who had the greatest impact on your life? What was it? What’s the difference between justice and revenge? Is it possible to live a normal life and not ever tell a lie? Do the ends justify the means? Are some people’s lives worth more than others? Why or why not? Complete this sentence: "I wish I had someone with whom I could share..." If a loved one died, but someone created a perfect copy, would they be the same person and would you love them just as much? If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know. ( Mod note: the above are just ideas! You can pick and choose, or come up with your own. Whatever is most fun for you! ) If the two partners truthfully answer their questions, the orb will eventually catch fire, although it will curiously still remain only pleasantly warm if anyone attempts to touch it. It will blaze until it burns out, leaving two small marble replicas in its place. When one of the partners grasps it in their hand, they will be able to see through the other partner's eyes for one minute (although they will not be aware of their own surroundings, so you might want to be in a safe area). The other partner will be aware of this and able to sever the link by removing the marble from their person. These items are bound to their owners and cannot be used by others. If one or both partners lie, the orb will eventually fizzle out entirely, and the magitek will inform them that the exercise was failed due to deceit. ▸ RIFTING Next, guild members are directed to the rifting pad located on the upper deck. Technicians scurry about in the rifting area, spinning dials and taking readings, as volunteers are directed to stand on the rifting pad and wait. It's just like rifting to a different universe for a mission -- the world goes bright and then, in a flash, you're standing somewhere else -- except the technicians emphatically explain this is not a mission. It's still part of the training exercise, you see! Participants have been rifted to an unpopulated garden planet, in the middle of a forest clearing. The grass is tall -- nearly 150 cm in height -- and is surrounded on all sides by forest. A notice pops up on your magitek that informs you there is no aggressive local wildlife, but there are aggressive plants: including, unfortunately, your goal for this part of the exercise. Spread throughout the forest are aggressive willow trees, sentient flora that will lash out with sharp, clawlike branches at anyone who comes too close. The branches have incredible reach, but the trees have no other defense, and are rooted to the spot so they are also unable to maneuver. The goal of the exercise is to gather as many willow seeds as possible, ostensibly without hurting the trees themselves. Willow seeds are around the size of a small marble and have a fluffy attachment that will allow them to blow away on the wind; you can scour the forest in search of them, of course, but the highest concentration is below the willows themselves. Once participants feel they have gathered enough seeds -- or if they simply want to give up -- they need only speak to the rift technicians via magitek and they will return back to Headquarters immediately. The participants will each receive a pot of soil and a seed to plant within it. The plant that sprouts from it will be no ordinary plant; it will require no water to sustain itself, but it will require something else: friendship. As the relationship between the two participants strengthens, the plant will grow, its appearance representing how the other participant feels about the plant owner -- pink and red blooms may represent romantic love, whereas bright, multi-colored petals may simply represent a strong friendship or budding blooms may represent... well, a budding friendship. (Of course, there's no "flower guide", so it's up to them to decide how to interpret this.) As the relationship weakens, the plant will wilt and, if the relationship turns sour enough, die. So take care of your relationship and take care of your plant! ▸ COMPOSURE This exercise completed, participants are free to return to the first deck and go about their business. But on the elevator back down from the rifting pad, the elevator suddenly jerks violently and then stalls. You're stuck! The emergency button doesn't seem to be working, no matter how many times you press it. And for that matter, no messages seem to be going through the magitek, either. You're effectively trapped in here with whomever you stepped aboard -- a friend, an acquaintance, or even a stranger. But don't panic -- surely Hathaway hired you for your ingenuity and not just your pretty face, right? The elevator can be broken out of in a number of ways: If you brute strength the doors open, you'll find that the elevator is stuck halfway between floors. This means that you must either climb up or down to escape the narrow opening, and, if your partner isn't the athletic type, help them out as well. If you hack the elevator's control panel (prying the panel door off first, obviously), you may be able to guide it up and down the shaft. Depending on your expertise in this sort of thing, the ride may be jerky and uncomfortable, and there's always a risk of the elevator plummeting down to the bottom if you lose control -- although strangely, there's never any impact if this happens, only the elevator springing back up the shaft after the fall. Either way, you should be able to figure out how to get the doors open. If you open the access hatch at the top of the elevator, you'll be granted access to the elevator shaft. It's a dimly lit tunnel of cables and wires, and unless you're lucky enough to find a service ladder in the midst of all of it, you'll have to use the cables to climb. It's dangerous -- you could lose your footing at any moment and slam back down onto the elevator below -- but you should be able to find a door eventually. And then it's only a matter of figuring out how to get it open. Or you could try a combination of these, or something entirely different! No matter what method you choose, once you find your way onto solid ground, your magitek will light up: Congratulations! You passed the final exercise. Rest assured, you were never in any real danger, I promise! Your Guild Master, Imogen Indeed, if you found yourself falling too far down the shaft, you would have found yourself instantly buffeted by invisible winds to keep your landing soft -- and if you found yourself unable to find a way to escape within two hours, the elevator would automatically start up again. Those who succeed will receive a flashlight that does not seem to work at first; however, it is capable of taking and storing light from its immediate surroundings, which it can then release into similar light sources or, in the absence of those, floating orbs of light. It is incapable of taking light out of an entire building, for an example, but can darken a room. ▸ OOC NOTES If you have questions about this log, please direct them to this comment on the plotting post. Questions about the game in general can be directed to the FAQ. ▸ Up now: Hanabira Bounty Board is still open! Bounties must be turned in by the start of the next mission on 15 April. Congratulations, Guild Ophelia now has an official uniform! The uniforms may be modified in any way characters like. The FAQ and Headquarters pages have been updated to include the uniform information. ▸ Coming next: 25 March: Mandatory How's My Driving meme. Participation is required to pass March AC. 28 March: April calendar, including news about apps. 01 April: March AC begins, ending on 5 April 23:59 UTC. ▸ Plotting ▸ Hathaway Headquarters ▸ Hanabira Bounty Board ▸ March Calendar

Comments

Scott Summers | OTA

[evenslimmer]

i. danger (room), will robinson!

[ Hell yes, training simulator. Scott's obsessed with training, with preparation, with repetitive learning of skills unto the point of unhealthiness. In all this strangeness, it's a trace of familiarity, and better believe that any second he can get he's playing around in there, living his own particular brand of fun.

Which mostly involves practicing his aim with his optic blast. But don't worry, he's got others in development: sword-fighting, hand-to-hand combat. Maybe negotiations with talking wizard cats. He never lacks for ideas. Scott's gonna be in here a long time. ]


ii. everybody's got a little piece of something they hide

[ Scott's used to teams. Trust exercises, sorta, but with people he'd at least had some prior knowledge of, people whose ideals and world he at least understood. People who didn't require that he explain anything about his life.

But after he'd basically criticized their team comp and capacity to work together to Veronica, it'd be hypocritical to back down from this. Even if she's the only person who might call him out on it; even if he'd know. Scott's developed some strong feelings about hypocrisy now. So he sits with kind of tension in his shoulders that gathers when he expects the worse. ]

I can go first, if you want.

[ He doesn't want, but somebody's got to do it. He can take first blow. ]


iii. whomping willow

[ This whole thing seems straightforward enough, up until the point a tree lashes straight for his face. Scott's particularly sensitive to having things up in his face, and the response is automatic: light the whole place up. ]

Back off!

[ There's a scarlet burst from his visor, a quick arcing blast that knocks the branch back. The eye-beam equivalent of slapping someone's hand when they go in the cookie jar. It recoils, but Scott backs off a little, out of reach while he reassesses. ]

I didn't think they'd be that fast.


iv. [cue mission impossible theme]

[ The first thing Scott thinks when the elevator jerks to a stop: thank god he's not claustrophobic. And that he's Boy Scout enough to apply the "Always Be Prepared" motto to totally outlandish scenarios— like fighting sharks with fricking laser beams, or having to escape from an enclosed room. Or climb his way out of danger. Surprise test, or accident? Either way the outcome is the same. ]

Any chance you know how to rewire an elevator?

[ Because otherwise, it's out through the roof. Unless they want to muck around with the controls, which might be...dumb. ]

[followhim]

[there were other people using magic on hanabira and he was like oh i guess that's kind of like the force!! don't judge him omg.]

Yeah, actually, I have.

[funny how the most memorable occurrence of that in recent past for him was when the first order took his prisoner. that sure was ... a fun time ... ]

ii un: cyclops

[evenslimmer]

How do you not know if you were rude?

[futurologists]

[ Leaving the bench press, Khalef moves closer and motions to the sandbag, silently asking if Kylo Ren would like him to hold it for him. ]

Not exactly. I recruit for Hathaway in general, not any guild proper. I go out and look for potential across the multiverse, and from there they get sorted.

IV

[evenslimmer]

[ Scott's irritation at being cockblocked from using the training simulator gets stifled at the thought of a challenge. Could he resist a challenge? Not this kind, for sure. Even if it looks relatively unassuming so far: standard sketchy New York neighborhood, or maybe Jersey. ]

What's the premise?

[ But he's already loosening out of his usual stiff posture into something far more natural. Ready to go whenever. Ready to go right now, if he wants. ]

i. danger room

[notthatjason]

[Jason likes the idea of learning different ways to fight. He's not with the Legion or the Greeks and so most of the fighting styles here are foreign to him. He finds that interesting enough, but what's more exciting is the idea of finally getting a training scenario that will hone teamwork without necessarily risking life and limb.

Not that he isn't used to that type of training as well.

He isn't sure who he will find when he heads for the training rooms, but that's sort of the whole point. He notices Scott and heads over.]

Hey, were you about to try one of these out too?

[sololoquy]

Then I do not see the difference. Unless, that is, you do not trust me to defend you.

[Hint: that's a reasonable concern to have.]

[futurologists]

Right you are. Learning to trust one another ought to, though. [ Hence the trust falls he's used to. ] Respect and all that.

[followhim]

You don't — [oh whatever honestly.] If I remember right, when we were on Hanabira, it was me who helped you. Not the other way around. Relying on each other's probably part of all that teamwork we need to work on, don't you think?

[forcevisions]

[ Her hand clasps around his as the settle together, seizing upon the electric current that she feels lap between them. Her eyes drift shut, but not peacefully. There's something searching in how she settles in. Probing at him, even as she ostensibly seeks some kind of peace in meditation.

(Notably, this is precisely the reason she thinks it necessary to try to achieve something more tempered in his company: to achieve dominance over the impulses that seize her when he is near.) ]

Do you? Hm.

[ Some part of her, however significant, doubts that, and it's evident in the way she poses the question. After all, he'd still taken her hand without further haranguing. ]

[sololoquy]

I see.

[For a second, Kylo Ren doesn't Get It because he has the social awareness of a rotting toothpick, but he picks up his intent easily enough after a moment of contemplation, and nods in return.

He rolls his shoulders and stretches his large arms out, pausing to think of what he wants to say next before he takes a stance in preparation to start.

Hopefully this guy is as strong as he looks.]

What sort of potential?

[sololoquy]

[Kylo Ren tilts his head, like a predator sizing up his prey, before gesturing to the door to the left of him.]

Then step in, and put your credits where your mouth is.

[The simulation is fake, but that lightsaber? Very real.]

[forcevisions]

Revealing yourself to others doesn't always lead to greater trust. Sometimes it means less.

[ She doesn't know about all this, in other words. ]

It just seems ... besides the point.

[sololoquy]

[Kylo Ren swallows when she poses her question, but he opts to keep his thoughts on the subject as much to himself as he can. That's what he'd always been told after all -- the Dark Side was the easy way, the coward's way, but undeniably his way. Nothing else fit quite like the Dark in his palm, just as he imagines how well the Light must fit in her's.

The Light -- that was harder to confront. His constant companion, yet lorded above him like an unreachable fruit on a tall tree.

His eyes slide open when she continues to press at him, and he squeezes her hand a bit harder to get her attention.]

You came here to meditate, yes?

[Because that's why he's here, if that wasn't clear. He can't tell with how all of her focus falls upon his shoulders.]

[forcevisions]

While collecting seeds?

[ Rey maybe doubts the effectiveness. Her nose scrunches slightly. ]

You'd be splitting your focus. Dodging stray limbs that don't come after me and your decoy, maintaining your decoy, and picking up what you can find.

[kisha]

[There’s a moment where Hayame almost doesn’t respond, almost stays quiet and pretends she is not there... but the damn Magitek is with her, and she knows it gives away her location. At least Rey says she is alone.

She does not think she could bear much more than one, now. As is...

Eventually, she appears in the open doorway, almost too tall for the frame, her expression drawn and... if one were the speculative sort, bearing hints of a cold. (Because that explanation was surely far more likely than emotions like sadness or loneliness or fear, truly.)]

... have you some business with me?

[Hello.]

[forcevisions]

Yes. Feel free to stop talking any time.

[ This she says as if it were him disturbing her and not the other way around. An interesting interpretation of events. She reaches up to take his other hand, closing the loop between their hands. She funnels air in through her nose and out through her mouth with such deliberation that it seems forced.

As it turns out, meditating becomes more difficult when in the presence of key distractions. She's too keenly aware of his presence in front of her to really step her mind aside and distance herself in some serene trance like she wants to. Grasping for the Force like this, trying to put herself in tune with it, is hard because she's busy putting herself in tune with him.

Their breath synchronizes. ]

[forcevisions]

Yes.

[ Rey says this bluntly, staring up at her, taking in her expression. It's only the Force that tells her there's something more to the indications of a cold. Motive. Emotion, read across the energy in the air. Rey's frown deepens. ]

It's called spending time with my friend. Are you going to invite me in?

[secondnature]

I don't know. I think getting all of us in here wouldn't be a bad idea. Especially since you're now making it sound like I'm trying to stab you.

[Was he ready for this? Maybe he would have been, if it weren't for certain details reaching him. He's frustrated as he sets his jaw and looks at her avoiding the truth again.]

But I guess your version of the truth is the only truth that matters. You don't have to do it if you don't want to.

[sololoquy]

[He is a little surprised when she reaches to take his other hand. That does not help her case in his eyes.]

Then stop focusing on me and reach farther.

[But if he's going to scold her, then he needs to lead by example, and prove that he can do it better which he can't. He closes his eyes again and finds that their breathing has synchronized.

Kylo Ren seeks to reach farther, but Rey is a bright light blocking his vision that he can't seem to turn his back from. Like everything else he does, he tries to push past it, to reach beyond her and for the embrace of the Dark he finds so comforting.

Instead, he somehow becomes even more aware of the way she prods at him, the way she seeks him for understanding, and it makes his hair stand uncomfortably.]

[kisha]

[There is another long moment when Hayame almost says “you are no friend of mine”. A moment when the words are heavy on her tongue and she almost lets them loose if it will mean that the girl will leave her in peace. But she’s tired, tired of fighting with everyone she meets, tired of ruining what little decent she had, as she always did. Missing the person who had promised not to allow her to feel alone while he was there.

So the moment passes, and Hayame turns to go back into the room, clearing the way for Rey to enter behind her.]

I will not have it said that I lack in hospitality to those who pay visit to my stall.

[The idea of a room, a home, that was her own is yet so foreign that Hayame can’t even say the word, reverting to her usual as she clops into the kitchen, on the way pulling a cushion out and laying it down at the strange height table. At least Hathaway was considerate- the kitchen counters are high to account for Hayame’s height, the table lower to account for the way jinba sat, the bed much thinner and placed upon the ground for how they sleep.

Maybe not the most comfortable for humans, but.]

Tea?

[She doesn’t keep many things. In one corner, a pile of clothing she obtained in Hanabira. In another, her weapons. On the table, a bundle of sea eagle feathers and half prepared arrows she had been working on. The only personal items, a half empty jar of what looks to be sugar candy, a whittled wooden bear, and a ring, grace the center of the table.]

[secondnature]

Uh, well ... we're back here. [So, that's something. Keith doesn't know what to make of the HQ, except for the part where he vastly prefers it to the old Oska castle.]

Our old HQ was a lot more boring. It wasn't a ship, and there weren't as many things to do.

[Frankly, Hathaway has it together. But Keith will always prefer space.]

[forcevisions]

[ She cracks one eye open to glare at him for that, dissatisfied to find that he isn't looking at her after all like she'd thought he was. That intent, she supposes, was something distant and abstract. He's looking through her. That should be probing and uncomfortable, feel the same as it had in the interrogation chair, but it doesn't. This time it's welcome.

When Rey's eyes shut again, she tries not to ignore him, but to integrate him into the scenery of her mind. To accept his presence and move past it. Instead it's like his shadow only swells to take up more of the space. She tries to shrug it off, to consider the space around him instead.

There is more than his shadow. She concentrates on the smell of salt, the prickle of her skin, the wide open spaces around them. And then, the energy between them comes into clearer focus, as if ionized by the minerals. The Force. ]

[secondnature]

Yeah, though keep in mind: if the elevator's down, the rest of the ship might be malfunctioning. We might need to be careful getting out of the shaft. I've seen what happens to this ship when security goes haywire.

[Does Jason know that they took over this ship? Keith's handled some of the control panels, which is why he's surprised this is happening. He's just intending to handle it like he handles most things: adapt and go.]

[forcevisions]

What would it take before you did?

[ Stab her, that is. She ignores the rest. Loki has made it more than apparent to her that wielding Gram as a weapon rather than a choice is a real possibility. Given Keith's vehemence, she doesn't see that as off the table. That he had even gotten it out at all was an overstep from her perspective, a gesture of bad faith. ]