epidemiology | EVENT ▸ RETURN TO HQ

EVENT ▸ RETURN TO HQ

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's only been recently that he's been exposed to thoughts outside of the "Roman way" and even that would probably still seem a little rigid compared to what he's experienced through the guild so far. At least he's flexible enough to want to learn more.]

Wow. You really did do your research. [Not that he'd really had doubts, but it was different hearing her explain it so eloquently and in person. He pops more of his brownie and chews it before adding.]

Have I already mentioned how impressive you are?

[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.]

We all have our strengths to play to. You didn't want to be on the front lines so you found another way to do something. Although, if you want, I can help you learn to fight if you'll keep helping me with the diplomacy and negotiator angle.

[The offer comes naturally, like he doesn't even think about it much before suggesting it. He can tell Veronica hasn't fought much, not in the way that would have kept her safe during the ambushes and rioting that happened back on Hanabira.]

While that's a fair offer, I'm training in utilizing guns—which I suspect is outside your talents. It's not that I'm afraid of the front lines. It's that I would prefer to remain as far from them as possible. [It won't be the last time she receives such an offer. So many people here are inclined toward self-defense in a more traditional sense that she isn't surprised.]

And where I'm lacking, I have Lucina to back me up.

[He grins.] Just a little. I have decent aim, but we didn't really have many guns back at camp.

[Mostly because making bullets out of Imperial Gold would have been a big waste and very likely to explode in the gun as much as be useful. But he nods, because he understands and doesn't want to see Veronica get hurt, especially if it can be avoided. But, he's glad she's taking the initiative to learn a way to defend herself.]

But I tried. Maybe I can figure out some other way to pay you back for diplomacy help. [He holds up his cup of coffee.] I guess we can always start with coffee and baked goods as a continued thing.

Me helping you helps everyone. You have a level head, so learning how to apply that won't be a bad thing. [It definitely stands in sharp contrast to how Veronica handles things. She can be levelheaded and even-tempered, but she can also get heated and lose it, just a bit. Just a bit. Jason doesn't strike her as someone who tends to do that.

That said, there is something else she needs to add:] As for the end arrangement, I'm always up for coffee and baked goods, but I ... should make it clear that I'm not looking for anything serious right now. Coffee dates are cutting it a little close as it is.

[Jason processes that statement for a moment: I'm not looking for anything serious right now...Coffee dates are cutting it a little close. It clicks. Oh gods, did she think he was trying to flirt with her? How did this keep happening to him? Piper had tried to tell him this once, that he was a little too friendly, but he'd always just blown it off. She was going to kill him. He thinks back to some of their previous interactions too. Maybe he really did need to pull it back a little. He really didn't want another miscommunication like what had developed between himself and Reyna.]

Veronica, I'm just suggesting purely friendship based coffee and baked goods. I have a pretty serious relationship back home with my girlfriend, Piper.

... Then it's a good thing I chose to ask Scott to the wedding instead of you. [There's a natural way of rolling with things that Veronica has, and she's definitely rolled with this reveal. At least she was aware that her attraction to Jason had everything to do with missing Archie (he's a good boy, like Archie, so it was a shallow comparison to be fair).]

That just means we're on the same page. [Veronica relaxes with a smile, bringing her coffee up to her mouth.] No complications.

You went with Scott to the wedding? [Jason, that's not the point. You played guard most of the time anyway. It should be noted that the question is less out of jealousy and more just surprise at the idea. Jason liked Veronica as a friend and that was that, as he had already stated.] I hope you had fun. I was on guard duty most of the evening...at least when I wasn't beating Urahara at that one game...I can't remember the name of it, but it was sort of like ping-pong without the table.

[He's glad that there don't have to be any complications though. He'd had enough of that thanks.]

Yes. And, shockingly enough, we had a good time of it all. He tried to have fun and even succeeded. [Large details are left out of it all. Veronica doesn't think that Jason needs to know about an intense makeout session. And the fact that Jason knows of Scott tells her that she made the right choice in picking a date. Asking more than one person would've been embarrassing.]

Regardless of that, I wasn't exactly going to attend a wedding solo.

That's good. He didn't seem to be enjoying himself in Hanabira, hopefully the wedding changed that at least a little.

[Granted, they hadn't met under the best of circumstances, so that might have skewed his opinion on Scott's views of Hanabira. After all, it wasn't like he had specifically asked.]

I think I've offered him some ... perspective on matters. He was a little touchy at first. I assume it was the same with you? [Touchy. Sensitive. Easily riled up. Scott had a lot of hair triggers as far as Veronica could see, and it wasn't on them to avoid what they didn't know. But it wasn't on Scott to understand that entirely, either, so she's made peace with it.]

[Jason wasn't sure why Veronica would think he was touchy about things. Granted, their first conversation had been about sugar and sneaking some around in a flask. Wait...was that why?]

Maybe a little...but we were there on a mission so I thought I was supposed to take it seriously. Of course, by the time of the wedding things had wound down a bit.

[People trying to crash it and attempted riots aside. Hey, he said 'a bit']

[She meant that Scott had been touchy and sensitive with Jason.]

He did calm down a little after I helped enlighten him a bit. Something tells me that those shades of his can also act metaphorically for him. As in, they give him blinders at times.

[Ah the joys of miscommunication, Jason's been dealing with that a lot lately. ~~Or it might just be someone misreading a tag, who knows~~ Jason considers that assessment as well, now that he realizes this is more about Scott.]

Maybe. We didn't get too personal in Hanabira, but that was sort of the sense I got during our conversation. That he is very critical of everything he does but that he really wants to look out for others in the process.

[Jason picks at the remaining pieces of his brownie.]

I think...we might be similar in that regard. We both have teams back home that we're so used to working with and so we've fallen into a way of thinking that only really works with that team. I don't know about Scott, but being here has definitely been pushing me out of my comfort zone and what I have experience with. So we fall back on what we are familiar with, but unfortunately that can mess us up when it comes to actually seeing what's in front of us.

I'm inclined to agree. I suppose I'm fortunate in that the only team I had before this was a dance squad and a cheerleading squad. Very different scenario, all in all. [That also means that she has more of a tendency to stomp all over anyone else's concerns or worries, all to put herself first. Veronica doesn't say that, though. This isn't one of those exercises.]

Unfortunate in other ways ... [Like a complete lack of experience on missions.] But I believe we've covered them. Are you telling me that you're secretly neurotic, Jason?

[Experience is easy to make up for though. Sure, she won't have years of it like some people in the guild, but surely she isn't the only one among them who isn't used to combat. Jason bites back a chuckle, raising his eyebrows at Veronica in a 'I can't believe you just asked that' expression.]

Honestly? I think if you make it to a certain point as a demigod you can't NOT have some sort of neuroses.

[Anxiety, paranoia, and obsession being a few he could think of off the top of his head. Not to mention a rather morbid sense of humor at times.]

I would give a lot to have what you have. At least some of it. [Having superpowers and a god as a parent? It definitely could beat the whole "Hiram Lodge" problem.

Then again, it could be an evil god.

It would be an evil god.]

I just definitely don't have the whole picture.

[Jason can understand that, but he thinks Veronica is only seeing the powers and abilities, not the responsibility and destiny that comes with that. Let alone the gods, oh the gods. It isn't even really that one is more evil than another, they all have their poor traits, but they definitely see mortals as things to use. He leaves it for now though, it feels like it would be hollow to tell her not to wish for something like that. As for the 'whole picture.']

Do any of us?

[It's meant as a general statement about their circumstances, but he realizes it also applies to them as individuals. The way he says it isn't accusatory, more of an off the cuff observation.]

No, I guess not. At least—not overnight. [Not that Veronica has been terribly forthcoming. As dumb as it is, telling people she agreed to join the mob only to back out instantly has been ... a slow thing coming.]

And that's the weird thing, right? We've been here for a while. But we're so caught up we don't really know each other. [She sighs and leans back.]

Hence the myriad ice breakers, I guess.

I don't think it's necessarily weird. We spent a few months in another world and got wrapped up in the politics there. There wasn't exactly time to sit down and have get-to-know-you activities. But, I wouldn't say we didn't learn anything about each other...just not really the personal, backstory stuff.

[There was something about being out in the field that could teach you a lot about a person that a nice chat over coffee wouldn't exactly reveal. Thinking of Veronica for instance he knew she was stubborn but still friendly. She was also passionate and could get flustered but wouldn't let other people see that they had riled her up if she could help it.]

Yes. Though given my reluctance to be found in a room with certain parties despite our disagreements, I believe the backstory may have been helpful. I should do my homework and creepily peruse everyone's profiles to ... try to avoid some things. [Not that any of them are about to sit and write everything about themselves up there, but it might be a start given some people's tendency to take offense to her not magically knowing.]

Trust me. It's not the most interesting reading. And then I feel weird talking to people even though I've read their files. It gives a good sense for what people are capable of...even if I find it easier to see it first hand and not just read about it.

[After all, what did it mean someone was a good fighter or could pilot a variety of space-craft? It wasn't exactly specific enough and it wasn't helpful unless Jason had a specific plan in mind. Still, he felt like it was a start. He just preferred learning about people the old fashioned way.]

It feels a little like the version of Facebook that none of us ever wanted. I'm glad I had a profile in place, but you have to wonder if that's really the best thing for the team.

[Then again, if someone makes an enemy, they can find out if said enemy can shoot them from across a room with just their mind.

Not that Veronica says this, but she has definitely begun to think about it.]

Probably not. But it's what we have. I guess we can add that to our to-do list? Come up with something better.

[No use complaining about it if they weren't also willing to try to come up with a solution. Of course, given the number of problems they were facing it seemed relatively minor. Jason looked down at their empty plates and cups.]

Speaking of which. I should head out. I was going to see if there were more people who needed an exercise partner. I'll see you later?

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refashioned - 2018-04-17 03:46 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ RETURN TO HQ

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let's wind down!

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