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

[forcevisions]

Find a better way.

[ She cannot give him all the answers when she doesn't have them herself, but she does know that what he has described is … wrong. Can't he see that, too? ]

[predomination]

[Yhwach like

killed God, Rey.

He literally killed God.] If you had been there, I think you would have realized we were running out of better ways. But... I imagine Kurosaki-san will find something. He always does.

[But that doesn't absolve him. It doesn't absolve all the other shinigami.] I warned you that you'd be angry.

[evenslimmer]

[ He doesn't push. He doesn't want to hear any more. Scott bites down on the words that come to mind: you're not replaceable to me. Even if he doesn't know her that well, even if they're not that close yet. But he can't decide if it's the wrong thing to say.

His own face becomes stone. Where she's sour, his tone comes flat and heavy. ]

Yes. I'm not supposed to be in the time and place I ended up. [ It doesn't matter if saying that doesn't make sense, if he hasn't told anyone that he'd been a time-traveler long before Hathaway ever came to his door. ] It's not me most people want. They want the Scott who belonged in their time. The man I was supposed to become.

[ His arms fold tighter; beneath his biceps, his hands have curled into fists. Teeth clench, and his jaw works with the effort of putting all this on the table. ]

Not everyone. But enough. Enough people willing to force what they wanted from him on me.

[evenslimmer]

You bet I do.

[ And Scott smiles for real, like a kid who's just been given an unexpected gift. Some of the stiffness he's constantly carrying drains a little from his shoulders, because this— this is his element, this is what he's good at. This is where he feels comfortable. ]

We used to have physical equipment, like a really strange specialized gym. [ Playing with the controls now, trying to decide on scenarios. ] Then it got upgraded to hard-light holographic technology. Not real, but it feels pretty real. And then somehow our Danger Room also turned out to be a sentient robotic being, and since she knows basically everything about you, you don't even necessarily need to tell her what you need to work on. She knows how to kick your ass until you get good.

[ And of course Scott, unlike some of his teammates, finds more that's exciting than terrifying about that prospect. Except for the potential abuse dealt to his ego. And also the inherent danger of Danger knowing...well, literally everything about all of the X-Men. ]

[fourscores]

You're very skilled on the battlefield, so it certainly worked.

People learn differently, which unfortunately not every teacher realizes.

[forcevisions]

[ It occurs to Rey that this sounds a great deal like Keith's struggles. Everyone wants him to be the leader of Voltron. Everyone wants Luke to be the person he used to be, the myth. And what about Rey? She just wants someone else to be those things for her, so she doesn't have to. She refuses to accept that the mantle is even hers in the first place. ]

I'm sorry.

[ This feels thin, threadbare. Useless. She tries again. ]

I didn't know the other one, obviously. But if I were your teammates, I'd say we were lucky to have you. Anyone would be. [ Reluctantly, she lifts her eyes to his face. ] You're wonderful. [ Said as simple truth, like she's noting the weather. ]

[secondnature]

What do you have in mind? [Keith: also not against breaking the rules. Half the time he doesn't follow the rules unless a mission is important, and he barely passes the "fit in" part of missions.

In fact, he hates that part.]

[secondnature]

Uhhh ... most people would say murder, right? Human's a funny way to say this, though. [That's not an answer. The orb neither dims or brightens, meaning that Keith hasn't thought it through.]

I think ... taking over countries, forcing people to do things against their will—that's the worst. It's not murder, it's just ... long-term suffering.

[And while the Galra did it back home, he knows that behavior isn't unique to them. Humans can do that. They do it in Rey's part of the multiverse.]

[secondnature]

You're not wrong, but ... there are better ways to do this. I'm not saying I haven't been in this position before. Even outside of the elevator—I have been. It was good for me and my team. But we're a much larger team. Not everyone would be able to get out.

[Five people versus sixty or so—part of Keith's entire avoidance of leadership is because no one could possibly lead this guild. That is, except this woman Imogen, who now reminds him a lot of Allura. He wonders what she thinks of the woman.]

Who knows what would happen to those who didn't. Or will happen.

[secondnature]

Yeah, I guess. But it also made everything make ... more sense. Like I suddenly felt like I knew why I couldn't connect with people. Why everyone felt so different from me. It's hard to explain. I guess you might get it, though.

[If he's part human and part something else. Aren't vampires supposed to be more hidden from society? Pariahs or whatever? Keith doesn't consider himself an expert in the supernatural.]

There was something you wanted to ask?

[refashioned]

But even though it wasn't on you—you still feel it was, don't you? Survivor's guilt, amplified by waking up in a creepy laboratory in the future. [Someone dying that way definitely loses all element of choice. They die. They wake up in a different body. There's dysphoria involved. Veronica recalls him explaining stuff to her on the ship before, and how things stand now between them.]

As for the rest—if you do get a body here, I'll start you on a proper exercise regiment. I think it'd be good for you.

[dbag]

Um, yeah, sure.

[ "Perfectly serviceable" isn't SPA-WORTHY, first of all, and Fiona expects reciprocation and horrible things like that. Masseuses never go, "Okay, my turn" when it's clearly still your turn. Just saying.

(Also, she's kind of manly. Just saying x2.) ]

Okay, you pick the activity. You're the country mouse who's getting a taste of big city living.

[refashioned]

[Naturally, her response is a smug expression as she sips her coffee with ease. Is she impressive? Of course. Part of that comes with the confidence to succeed. If nothing else, this will be like a well-timed career training move for her. When it's all over, she'll have a definite idea of what her future will be.]

Thank you, Jason. Honestly—my intentions were a little selfish. I hoped to keep off the front lines while people interacted with the nobles and otherwise. I set my plans in motion following the festival attack, and worked from there. [While she had been ruffled by the attack, it also set her in motion. She hated feeling weak, and knew she needed something to shield her. A literal shield from a teammate wouldn't do; she wanted to prove she could handle this mission despite the violence.]

[refashioned]

Of course. We'll be a touch too occupied to talk, but I believe we'll have our moments. [Veronica reaches for his hand to pull him along, not caring terribly about any decorum. He might be the enlightened version of a vampire, but she's eager to see how he enjoys this experience.]

[justbeingknife]

Yeah, whatever. Hope we never have to switchback outta the Space Olympics, 'cause I bet you drive like a granny.

Cats.

[ The orb brightened merrily. ]

[conqueress]

I thank you for your wisdom, [ she answers sweetly, removing her gaze from the trap door long enough to catch the flicker in Ahad's dark eyes. They do not seem so fathomless when he teases.

She tries to picture herself being lifted through the hatch, as though being lifted onto a particularly tall horse. The image is unbecoming.

She is truly going to be lifted up, isn't she? Wordless, save for a sigh, she goes to him and reaches up to entwine her arms around his neck, rising onto tiptoe. It's an easy, affectionate movement. ]

There is no other way.

[ Is that an apology, or a pronouncement? The queen has spoken. ]

[theseuschip]

[ Something about Veronica’s approach comes as a relief. Simon can’t avoid having to explain the robot thing, but the accident was in the news, and spending your last few weeks on (a recognizable) Earth as ‘guy with brain damage and walking reminder of mortality’ meant a lot of awkward interactions with well-meaning people who didn’t know what to say. Veronica... feels like she’s outside of that cycle of guilt and isolation and resentment, where he felt as if he was imposing on everyone who had to react to his existence. Which is actually a big deal. ]

Sounds about right. [ Despite all that, he keeps his answer to her question short, hunched over the table with his shoulders hiked up and examining his hands. It’s nice to have not gone immediately into full It’s Not Your Fault territory, because everybody comes out of those feeling worse. They can smell the ‘sounds fake but ok’ on you.

but then he looks up, sounding slightly incredulous. ] Do we not get enough cardio on missions?

[ no.... this is the information he shouldn’t have trusted her with

it was this all along ]

[tormado]

Wh -- yeah! I'm feeling fine. Why wouldn't I be?

[He did not anticipate this reaction. Perhaps in the same way people minding their own business wouldn't expect to be randomly complimented as they go about their day.]

[ceruleo]

[ He shrugs. ]

It's not a thing for civilians where I'm from, either. I was training at the Galaxy Garrison before the Blue Lion picked me, though--it's like, astronaut school, basically, though it's also paramilitary...?

[ He hesitates to use the word 'military' because the Garrison isn't really training soldiers, though many do graduate to the Air Force instead of the space program, since numbers are limited. So far, Earth hasn't really needed a space militia, and Lance hopes it stays that way.

Realizing he may have assumed too much, he tilts his head. ]

Have you guys landed on the moon...?

[boxedcrook]

I don't care! Just shut up and tell me! [It doesn't matter what the stupid orb has to say, he thinks. If he asks a question, he expects to get an answer!]

A demon? You fight demons? [His eyes narrow.] Are you some kinda demon hunter or somethin'?

[boxedcrook]

I'm not a dumbass!

Why do I gotta answer the question if you've already answered it?! The next question should be for me! It's stupid we have to answer the same questions! [inuyasha it's not a fucking school test

fine whatever] Revenge is what I'm gonna get on Naraku for sticking his ugly, creepy nose into other people's business and trying to steal the Jewel shards for himself!

Justice is gonna be what happens when I'm finished with him.

[ceruleo]

[ Lance listens, feeling the corners of his mouth turn up at Jason's earnest tone. It's hard not to feel motivated, even if Jason's an outsider on the situation; in a way it reminds him of Shiro, if Shiro were younger and more idealistic. He wonders if Shiro had been, before the Galra, before everything. ]

Thanks, man. I'm making my place. [ He offers his cupped hand, bent at the elbow, for a very bro-like hand clasp. ] I appreciate it.

[ And he does. Between Keith, Allura, and now Jason--it means a lot to feel valued like this, even if he feels a bit drowned out in a team this large. He doubts he's the only one with some insecurity in that regard. ]

[boxedcrook]

What're... standing... around for?! Hurry up!

[Inuyasha ends up following, but naturally not as intended.

He gives the thick, twisted branch another shove to get rid of the fighting pressure, hopefully opening an opportunity for him to book it, but the thing sweeps back too quickly and swats him with about five times as much force as Alucard probably could.

His yell crescendos as he zooms through the air near just the top of the wavering grass, narrowing missing Alucard who turns back to wait on him. He beats the dhampir to the outer edge away from danger, crash landing in the grass and cratering the dirt into soil.

His groan is less pain-filled and more irritable and exasperated.]

Just... get us... out of here... Damn...

[evenslimmer]

[ Sometimes, he's grateful for the glasses that obscure half his face. It's not a feeling he's proud of. He'd much rather make eye contact with her for real, to have her know he sees and understands. But it helps give him enough semblance of cover as he struggles to process her compliment. ]

It's not my team. [ He says it quietly, but it feels important that she doesn't think his X-Men, the Champions, his friends, think that way about him. They're not that kind of people. ] It's...the others. Sometimes.

[ He still doesn't know what to say. But he unfolds a little. ]

You know you are my teammate now. [ He's watching her face. This, too, feels important to say, even as he dodges her praise. ] That's how I think of you.

[forcevisions]

You're right. I am angry.

[ No sense denying it. Even if his reishi is different than the Force, he can probably still feel it. And more to the point, she's angry that he's dismissed her anger and inevitable and used that inevitability to absolve himself of engaging it. ]

I'm angry because you're treating me like a child. You think that it's naive to treat the people you executed with compassion; it's not. [ It's not just Urahara. In his defense, she's taking out a lot more than that on him in her anger, but it's been consistent. Everyone thinks her optimism and compassion are just naivete; it's not. It's not. ]