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

feel the fire!

[hothead]

[ Bakugo isn't nervous. He looks annoyed and impatient, leaning back in his chair and reluctantly splitting his focus between the strange orb and the guy who takes a seat across from him. ]

I don't care.

[ Which is true, but passive isn't really his default setting. After a short beat: ]

I don't know him.

[ That's the most honest answer the orb's going to get. If coming up with one thing he likes feels like a stretch, then it's basically a lie. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Lance's partner seems--younger than him, in attitude if not in age, armed with that spiky carapace of aggression that lets Lance know he's in for a rough time.

Normally, Lance is pretty patient. But right now his fuse is pretty short. He leans back a little in the chair, crossing his legs, figuring he'll get comfortable. ]

I'm Lance, [ it's said in lieu of a proper introduction, though he does offer the guy a more earnest smile, ] and you're...Katsuki, right? [ He doesn't want to try the last name because he's pretty certain he'd get that wrong, he went over the files like, once. Whatever was actually in Katsuki Bakugo's file is completely out of his memory by now. ] I like your hair.

[ The orb flares just a little bit brighter. See, that wasn't so hard, Lance's expression seems to say. ]

[hothead]

[ Bakugo frowns at the use of his name, but it isn't really because of the informality. They're in space; new rules. He's annoyed because this guy clearly did a better job of studying the files than he did. Bakugo's read them over, but he was more interested in abilities than names and faces.

And despite the fact that the orb's flare is hard proof that Lance isn't bullshitting him about his hair, it still feels weirdly like an insult. Bakugo doesn't reply, silently waiting for another question to appear in his field of vision.

Are some people’s lives worth more than others? Why or why not?

Well, that escalated quickly. His first instinct is that no, of course they aren't — but it isn't that simple. If it came down to an innocent bystander versus a villain, he'd make a choice. Still— ]

No.

[ He doesn't sound indecisive, but he does sound slightly less aggressive than before. That's close enough. The orb flickers slightly, but it doesn't seem to change much in either direction. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Okay, strong silent type. Lance isn't really a philosopher, but the question asked for specifics, so he'll take a crack at it. ]

I think every life is valuable. [ It feels important to start there, because it's true. ] But I think there are definitely some people who are bigger players on the board, you know? Like, where I'm from, we're trying to get rid of this galactic dictator who's been around for ten thousand years. We've got this rebel group called the Voltron Coalition set up, and we've taken back hundreds of planets from his control. [ He explains this to Bakugo using gestures as he speaks, because he has nothing but the orb between them as a prop. ] Princess Allura's the face of the Coalition; if anything happened to her, [ his index is now 'Princess Allura', and he mimes a tightly-clenched fist to symbolize her 'death', then releases it as if an explosion ] then the whole structure would take a pretty big hit. She's a symbol of hope for a lot of people.

[ Him included, but you know, they're not there yet. ]

So in that context, yeah, some people are 'worth more'. [ He looks at Bakugo directly. ] Does that make sense?

[hothead]

[ And the type that never shuts up. Great. Bakugo frowns through the entirety of that very thoughtful answer (and it is thoughtful, even if it is annoying), immensely irritated. It isn't like it's a bad answer. It's a good one, and not far off from what he might've said if he'd taken more time to think over his own — minus all of the strange context.

On which note, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about half of it. Galactic dictators, hundreds of planets? It sounds badass. ]

What the fuck are you asking me for? [ And a beat later, this time about as chagrined as it is hostile: ] Yeah, it makes sense.

[ The orb glows faintly brighter, giving its own answer. ]

[ceruleo]

[ This is why they'll make a good team, someday. Maybe. It's possible. Stranger things have happened.

Lance's mouth pulls downwards at Bakugo's hostility, but he tries not to let it get to him; his tolerance for obvious baiting has, shockingly, gone up, even if overall he's more annoyed by it than he should be. ]

Uh, because you're my teammate, dude. That means I care about your perspective.

[ His tone implies very strongly that he wishes it were not so. ]

is this question voltron spoilers or

[hothead]

Yeah, well I don't care about yours.

[ A great team. Bakugo's half expecting the orb to react to that statement — it's more honesty, at least — but it remains neutral. He sits forward slightly, leaning onto his elbows, impatiently moving onto the next question.

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?

Or not. ]

What the hell kind of question is that?

we don't know yet ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ kill me

[ceruleo]

[ Lance debates just going along to get along, but you know what? Quiznak this guy, seriously. ]

You don't have to answer it, y'know. We're not locked in.

[ Reclining in his seat, he crosses his legs, motioning to the door with his thumb flippantly. ]

Why did you even agree to do this?

rip

[hothead]

[ Great question. He's losing track of his reasoning by the second. ]

For the team.

[ It's... sort of true, even if that's boiling it down to the best possible interpretation. He wants to do a good job, to look good in front of the people in charge. But he gets that teamwork is important, too. ]

You want me to tell the truth? Fine, whatever. I just wasn't expecting such stupid questions.

[ceruleo]

Yeah well, I'm 'the team', genius.

[ He huffs, then makes an effort at reining it in. His experience thus far has been that teamwork can mean the difference between life or death--but he hasn't exactly been a paragon of virtue himself lately, not to mention this guy doesn't seem like a 'kumbaya' type. ]

I don't want you to do anything. You volunteered for this. [ He does not, in fact, motion to the fire in front of him; rather, to the entire room, the entire complex. Hathaway in general. ] So why are you wasting your own time?

[ A beat. ]

You scared, or something?

[hothead]

[ The most obnoxious part about all of that: it's completely right. Minus the scared part, obviously. Bakugo scowls at him for a beat, briefly entertaining the idea of breaking the damn orb.

Which would be about as useful as what he's doing now. He wants to leave, but he can't fail the exercise, so after a very intense pause: ]

No. When someone's dead, they're dead. A copy would just be a cheap lie.

[ He's not answering your question because it's even dumber than the orb's question, thank you very much. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Wow, rude??? Lance lets that tension hang in the air, visibly frustrated, then finally relents. ]

Depends if I knew they were a copy or not. If I did it--might be weird. But if they were a perfect copy? Maybe that's selfish, but I'd be happier to have them back. [ He doesn't feel particularly ashamed of his answer; he's an emotional guy who thrives on attachment, so.

Next question: If you died today, how would you be remembered?

Well. ]

Know what? I'll let you go first.

[hothead]

[ Bakugo's expression turns more plainly unimpressed, clearly in disagreement with the weak answer. But it's Lance's answer, not his. The orb flickers, clearly fine with it.

The next question—

Well.

The anger falters for a second, giving way to pensive indecision. What do people know him for right now? It isn't like it's a hard question — he hears it from strangers every time they recognize him on the street, from the other classes, if he makes the mistake of catching certain reports on the news. They think he's an asshole, which is whatever. He's the victim in the Sludge villain incident, the winner of the U.A. Sports Festival, the U.A. Student who got kidnapped by the League of Villains—

His gaze shifts towards the floor. His answer's clipped, aiming for nonchalant but too frustrated to pull it off. ]

As one of U.A.'s top students.

[ It's true. It's also totally sterile, removed from all the other qualifiers. The orb can tell he's holding back, and the uncertain flickering doesn't leave it any brighter. ]