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

[refashioned]

Yes. That's Betty Cooper in a nutshell. You have to keep in mind that she's actually quite successful at the detective thing. I don't just mean solving mysteries, I mean—she has zero qualms breaking into places she doesn't belong to find the truth. Kind of like—well, kind of like vigilantes.

[Only she isn't a ruthless vigilante out to kill everyone. So, it's the kinder, more pristine version of it.]

Perhaps "superhero" would be more adequate. What would you say?

[evenslimmer]

I mean, if you're asking if I or somebody I know has ever gone on a relentless quest for truth and justice that involved breaking and entering and other technically illegal activities, the answer's yes.

[ He rather thinks he'd like Betty Cooper quite a lot. Based on Veronica's loving, glowing description of her, if nothing else. ]

You try not to, but— [ He shrugs. ] Bad guys don't play by the rules. The rules aren't always right. With a costume and a code-name and a well-thrown hook, she'd fit right into my crowd. Superpowers not required.

[refashioned]

I think she'd be very open to what you do. My ... ex. Archie? He would be, too. He started a whole ... group for that when he was afraid, though he kind of got pushed into it by my father. Long story, but let's say that I had to do some damage control after that.

[That ellipsis before mentioning Archie is palpable. She talks on like it wasn't there, like she isn't forcing forward a smile to bring about normalcy, but there is ... still a large, Archie-shaped hole in her life.

And there's nothing she can do about it.

Talking about him helps, though.

She shifts her leg where she's sitting. Having a picnic is probably easier when you don't insist on wearing skirts all the time.]

[evenslimmer]

[ Scott hears that pause. He's not unobservant, only unsure. There's a curious little sideways lurch somewhere in his chest as the implications fully sink in, but he doesn't really know how far into that he should read. Or what he should say about her stumble. If he should say anything at all.

There's an itch to ask. It's an itch that catches Scott off guard. Because...but he didn't think it meant anything. Would it be weird to ask?

He decides not to ask. ]

What happened? If you don't mind my asking. [ Wait, too open-ended. ] With your dad and Archie.

[refashioned]

[Meanwhile, Veronica is well aware that such a lurch of emotion would be normal for anyone in this scenario. They are definitely two people who count as "anyone." It's hard to describe Archie Andrews without making him sound like a saint. As far as Veronica Lodge is concerned, he is one, even if that's partly the filter she views him through. She knows it's not reality, but compared to her, his inherent need to just do what feels best trumps everything.]

You need a little more context to understand. [This introduction helps, because it means she can steer things away from the Archie Question and return to it later.]

Riverdale was the site of the movement of a great deal of heroin, masked as maple syrup. The Blossom family was fielding this business for decades, complete with a sketchy man called the "Sugarman," who was meant to ensure that the drugs reached the streets. [The Sugarman is only one facet of this, but she's trying to dress it up as an organization.]

Cliff Blossom was the patriarch of this family, and when he began to train his son to follow in his footsteps, Jason rebelled. Cliff killed him, and it began the first real mystery of Riverdale. It also cast a very dark shadow over the town. As you can imagine, it made people feel unsafe. The fantasy of being a good smalltown in America had been banished, replaced by ... well. This. There were already gangs in play, so naturally, that fear began to be projected in that direction. If anyone else were to cause problems, where would those problems come from?

[Veronica's hands come to rest on her knees.]

Frustrated by the way that things were going in Riverdale, Betty gave a speech preaching for unity and acceptance. For reasons I still don't understand, this speech inspired a serial killer by the name of the Black Hood. [She pauses there, to give Scott room to ask questions.]

[evenslimmer]

[ He listens patiently, filing away a significant number of thoughts for later perusal. (Like how there's no mention of Archie in this context.) Drugs in small town America— gothic family drama; gangs. All that before you get to serial killers. Never a dull moment in Riverdale.

Of course he's got questions, but he uses the excuse of finishing off his sandwich to think of which ones precisely he wants to put forward. Some of them seem less relevant than others. ]

If it wasn't her, it would have been something else. Serial killers will find an excuse to kill. [ Speaking from experience? Not really. He's relieved to not know that many yet! A problem for Future Scott. ] Did she blame herself for it?

[refashioned]

Yes. And she also did her best to control him. It was a feat that was much more easily proclaimed than actually accomplished. The end of this story is that she did manage to catch him eventually. [That's important to cover. Betty's struggle for control isn't irrelevant to this story, but it isn't the part that matters most to her. She's explaining this to put Archie's behavior into perspective, after all.]

But the Black Hood first struck the following morning of the town jubilee—where Betty gave her speech, for reference—by going after Archie's father for his adultery. It was ... it remains a rather odd thing to do to a man like Fred Andrews, but it set Archie off. It made him feel like he had to be the one to stop the Black Hood. He was ... determined to do everything he could to protect his father. Anything.

[evenslimmer]

[ It's no great stretch for Scott to imagine what that could be like. Or what he would do in a similar situation. How far would Scott go to protect someone he loved? He's infiltrated pirate crews and threatened to burn down empires already. ]

Yeah, I bet. I'd feel the same way. [ And Scott doesn't really know how he stacks up with Archie Andrews on a number of levels, but he knows what he would do. ] So how far is anything, for Archie Andrews?

[refashioned]

Not as far as he might have believed he could go. Not initially. Hopefully not ever. [Veronica recalls trying to keep him in check, but never realizing what forces were at work until it was almost too late. Archie and the Red Circle, Archie and the gun, Archie forcing her hand when it came to shooting the gun—

But then, he had never shot it himself. He could never do that.]

To name a few things: he started a vigilante club to patrol the streets. He got himself a gun. He began going with little sleep so that he could sit down and watch the two doors on his house. And my father, being my father, took advantage of Archie's fear and pain and encouraged ... some of this. Made it clear that Archie had to go as far as he could.

[There's something raw and bare about the way that Veronica is when she talks about Archie. A little swell of belief rises in her voice when she refers to him. Even broken up, Veronica can't pretend that Archie is any less of a light in her life, and a guiding reason for why she's here. He's hardly the core reason. But he is one of them. An ended relationship would never change that.

Possibly because she knows how she feels, even if the words could never come to her as easily as she had needed them to one day.]

Archie isn't ... the type to do that. He can't do that. But he's impressionable and emotional and ... well. You get the picture.

[evenslimmer]

Yeah. I do.

[ It's the way her voice sounds when she speaks about him that makes Scott wonder: is this what he sounds like, when he talks about Jean? Something that feels too big for words to fully contain, something that makes sense when nothing else does.

(He still misses her like he'd miss a piece of himself; phantom limb of the mind.)

He understands the thing she's not saying more than he could ever express, which ironically makes it slightly less awkward to hear a girl he recently kissed talk about the ex-boyfriend she still loves. ]

So what did you tell him, about your dad? About how your dad was trying to pull his strings?