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

[secondnature]

Up until recently, my home planet hadn't even traveled outside of our solar system. That's not to say they didn't want to. They just didn't have the tech. I bet that's the same for most Earths, actually. [But then there are flying cats and other such things that complicate things. Keith's own alien heritage is another complication, one that he hasn't fully figured out yet.]

So—I mean. Uh. It's not just you. Would a castle be more familiar for you?

[reposing]

You may be right. I thought I knew so much of science and magic, but in turn working for HATHAWAY has simply taught me that I still have much more to prepare for.

[The question gives Alucard some pause, then he folds his fingers together.]

...In a manner of speaking. My father has a castle like none other, bearing centuries of knowledge within. It is both his home and a vessel of travel.

[secondnature]

You have a castleship, too? Or is it more like a castle ... train?

[That definitely gets his attention, considering ... well. The castleship.]

[reposing]

Not exactly like a train, but closer to that than a ship. The castle can appear wherever my father wants, through both science and magic. It is confined to his will.

You've heard of something like this before?

[secondnature]

Do you know Princess Allura? She pilots our Castleship back in our universe. [Well, that's not entirely accurate. She's also a paladin now, so Coran typically takes care of it when they need to be in their lions. But Keith isn't going to offer that amount of complication here.]

[reposing]

I have met her. She is quite noble.

[Frankly, he has nothing but good things to say about her. She is polite and curious; he'd enjoyed their trust exercise quite a bit.]

I see. In what manner does she do it? Unless you think I should speak with her directly about it. But it sounds... familiar, in a way.

[secondnature]

It sounds similar. The castleship is connected to her quintessence. Her, uh, life energy? She can explain it better than I can.

[All of that is Science and everyone knows that Keith isn't great at it. He could probably be better, but ... Keith.]

[reposing]

Fascinating. I'll save the questions for her specifically, but thank you for sharing that.

[It's a small thing, but it does oddly comfort him, in a way, to know that some things aren't so different in other worlds.]

There is something I wanted to ask you specifically, if you do not mind.

[secondnature]

Uh, sure. What is it?

[The good news is this: if Keith doesn't like the question, he'll just say no.

Even in a meditation cave.

Or especially in a meditation cave?]

[reposing]

I apologize for this, but I was informed that you were not entirely human. When I first met you, I could smell this -- and it was confirmed as true for me when I heard your name.

I wanted to ask you about it, if it was not too invasive.

[Which it very well could be. There is a part of him that knows it's a hopeless attempt to have some empathetic relation to someone who was considered a half-breed as well.]

[secondnature]

I don't mind. Though depending on what you want to know, I can't tell you too much about it. It's ... all pretty new to me.

[Many people who have this kind of heritage probably know about it before they're eighteen going on nineteen.

And then there's Keith.]

[reposing]

[New?

Alucard looks puzzled for a moment, then frowns thoughtfully.] ...You weren't aware of your heritage until very recently, then?

[secondnature]

No. My mom was gone pretty early on. So I had no way of finding anything out. And I wasn't told anything, either. All I had was a knife that she left behind. And I'm not even sure it's her knife.

[It could easily be someone else's knife, and she took it. Keith has never really asked Kolivan for the particulars of how the knives work. It strikes him as something that wouldn't have a definitive answer, or that the Marmora just wouldn't say.]

I know what I am, but anything else is kind of ... [He shrugs.]

[reposing]

[There are a flit of thoughts that float in his head. How difficult it must have been to be without one's mother, to not know such an important aspect of oneself until then -- but he expresses none of it.

It's not his place to dig, and though he will not gain what he'd hoped to seek, Alucard is still glad he'd asked.]

I grew up, knowing who and what I was. My mother a human, my father a vampire. Even then, at times, one can feel lost.

Discovering who you are is a difficult thing.

[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?

[reposing]

I do, to a certain degree.

[Attempting to seek out and bridge any connection in regard to heritage seems a bit silly now. Their lives are very different.

But in the end, he is glad he brought up the topic.]

...I think that you have answered that question for me already. [To a degree, but he sees no reason to plague Keith with more of his thoughts.] Thank you, Keith.

[secondnature]

Got it. You can stay here and meditate if you want. It's not like we have to talk to do that.

[Plus, thanks to Zenyatta, he's used to doing it alongside someone else. Alucard doesn't seem like the type to distract him while they're both mentally focusing and centering themselves, or whatever.]