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

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Imogen has also invited recruits to assist her with filing Guild Ophelia's paperwork, a truly arduous task. Much of it involves money in the form of a currency no guild members have ever heard of, although the numbers are quite large.

Tags from Imogen will be prioritized and boomeranged for the next 48 hours. Afterwards, tags may be slower or threads may get dropped. Due to mod time constraints, we ask for no new tag-ins after the 48 hour time period has elapsed. If you are unable to tag quickly during this time period, it is suggested that you wait until a more opportune time; there will be others, so don't fear if this is not the best time for you!]

[Khalef, a tall human man, can be found using various exercise machines in the training room. He will assist in using equipment if asked, and will join in any training simulations if invited.

Tags from Khalef will be prioritized and boomeranged for the next 48 hours. Afterwards, tags may be slower or threads may get dropped. Due to mod time constraints, we ask for no new tag-ins after the 48 hour time period has elapsed. If you are unable to tag quickly during this time period, it is suggested that you wait until a more opportune time; there will be others, so don't fear if this is not the best time for you!]

[Zari's still got her suspicions about Hathaway, even if the first mission went reasonably well. She has a lot of questions, and Imogen seems to be in a position to answer them, so off she goes to be nosy.]

Do you have a minute? I know you're busy so I'll try not to take up too much of your time.

[Imogen raises her eyes from her paperwork, smiling.]

Of course; sit, sit. I could use the companionship as I drown in forms. [She extends a hand to shake.] Zari, isn't it? I've spent the last mission memorizing all of Ophelia's files.

That's me. And that's ... a lot of names. My condolences.

[This is definitely a way bigger team than Zari is used to working with, and she doesn't even know everyone's names yet. She'll probably start working on that in the downtime before their next mission, but that isn't why she's here.]

You mentioned not spending your resources. You're putting your own money into Hathaway?

Ah, yes. You'd be correct.

[She tucks a pen behind her ear for a moment, brushing her hair out of her face.]

I've quite a large trust, and -- well, to be honest, wealth unimaginable to most common folk. [She laughs.] There are only so many volgandrite-encrusted cruelty-free rock wyrm silk scarves one woman can buy before she looks to more altruistic ways of spending her funds.

[here comes poe dameron, barging over to imogen with all of his grace and respect for authority. spoilers: he has very little respect for authority. but he's trying real hard in this moment. especially when he's feeling so called out. which is why he's here, apparently since he skips greetings and just launches into:]

Were you talking about me? In that message. Was that about me?

Fair enough.

[And that makes her smile a bit, because while she doesn't know what half of those words mean, she can at least appreciate the spirit of it. That being said, however ... ]

What made you think they were trustworthy enough? From what I understand Hathaway's a fairly new organization.

[Imogen pauses her writing, glancing up, before setting down her pen and lacing her fingers together.]

You're... Poe, yes? I've been spending the duration of your time in Hanabira putting the photos in your files to names. [She presses her lips together.] I can't say it was about one individual in particular. If you felt it was about you, however, perhaps that speaks volumes about how you feel about your conduct. As my dear friend, the crown prince -- it doesn't matter which one -- always says, our moral compass is eternally pointing us true north.

❧ i. secrets

[Alucard is in complete belief that he is capable of cooperating with most if not all of the members of their guild. That doesn't mean, however, that he can't show that he is no danger to them.

Especially considering he's publicly made his heritage known to the rest of the team.

As he sits and glances over the crystal ball, he gazes up at his partner.]

I look forward to working with you through this exercise. Should I begin?

❧ ii. rifting

[Calmly, Alucard is shrugging off his uniform coat, folding and setting it aside. He turns to his partner for this exercise.]

I can move swiftly to catch what we can.

Tell me best how to work around you, and I will see it is done.

[teamwork!!]

❧ iii. composure [closed to 1]

[Of course it would only be so easy. Alucard lets out a slow sigh, closing his eyes before he turns to address the person in the elevator with him.]

We should be able to find a way out.

But I would listen to your thoughts before I try anything.

❧ iv. closed to jhin

[Alucard sends a brief message to Jhin:]

Jhin, I hope you are well. I was wondering if you had any free time?

Purely a social call.

❧ v. wildcard

[Please consider this an invitation to make up your own starter, or message me if you would like something more custom.]

Edited 2018-03-18 02:23 (UTC)

The organization in this form is new, yes. But it grew out of a much older organization, one with a solid reputation. You may have heard of it -- some of your guild members once took part in its activities before its dissolution, or so the files say. They called it ALASTAIR. It stood for many years. Thousands.

[She cocks her head, grins cheekily.]

A rather steady track record, I would say. I and my father have had dealings across the multiverse, and many of our dear friends were affiliated with the organization in some form.

I'm not terribly busy at the moment. What can I help you with, Adrian?

[Paperwork is...not really Amado's strong point. But, well, the Guild Master asked, so, he's here and he's giving it a shot. He's got a calculator app and a notepad app permanently opened up on his jewelcomm just to keep all the numbers straight. He is, at least, able to figure out that it's mostly forms dealing with more money than he's ever seen in his life. So. Ophelia has deep pockets? That's pretty cool, he guesses.

Eventually, he finishes up a stack of forms and blinks a few times to clear his eyes, dismissing his apps to just take a break for a minute. He glances in Imogen's direction. He actually had something he wanted to ask her, but first--]

...so, uh.

Are we on, like, a first name basis, or should I be callin' you by a title or...

[He's still figurin' out the rules.]

I have heard of ALASTAIR. But from what I was told, while Hathaway recruited some of ALASTAIR's agents, it wasn't a complete transfer. It wasn't being run by the same people.

[She hasn't made a decision one hundred percent one way or another on ALASTAIR either, it at least makes sense that the longevity of the organization lends some weight to Hathaway's validity.]

[Imogen laughs a little, smiling politely.]

Just Imogen is fine. Consider me a teammate, the same as you. Only absurdly wealthy beyond your wildest imagination.

[man, no one was calling him out. he called himself out. that ... yeah, that sounds about right. he takes a moment to glance down and swallow his embarrassment.]

Yeah, that's me. Poe Dameron. I was — I know I said some stuff that was out of line over the magitek. But I know it was out of line, and I'm trying to be better. ... I just wanted to say that.

[that mood when you were expecting a confrontation but there was nothing to confront so you just sort of deflate. that's what's up.]

I. Discover - Very Open
[Considering there hadn’t been much down time between the Viridian Sea and Hanabira missions, Jason hadn’t really had the time to explore and check out most of the HQ where he was now living. It struck him as odd that he now felt more familiar with the territory of a foreign world than the place he was supposed to be calling an HQ. It was time to remedy that.

His first stop is to explore the middle deck, since that is where his own room is and the other amenities on the ship. If he isn’t in one of the gyms checking out the facilities (for general working out, sparring, or some kind of ball game), he is making his way around the different restaurants/cafes on the promenade. Hey, a teenager’s got to eat and Jason is ready for something that isn’t a rice-based dish. When he’s seated, he tries to get near a window so he can watch the bustle of the crowds -- curious about all the various species and creatures that are employed by the organization. He’s not too shy, so it’s not uncommon for him to strike up a conversation with a stranger or if he recognizes you he might even wave you over to join him. Otherwise, he wanders past various shops and while he doesn’t seem too eager to buy things is definitely taking it all in and getting a feel for where everything is.

While it’s not unlikely for him to also wind up on the upper and lower decks, the middle deck takes up the bulk of his exploration and time before they receive the message from Imogen.]

II. Secret - Very Open
[Jason sits comfortably in the chair and doesn’t seem too nervous about any of these trust exercises. He doesn’t know what to expect from the floating orb, nor the person across from him, but he’s actually fairly excited about the prospect of actually getting the team to bond better. He couldn’t agree more with the summation that they need to learn more trust and he’s ready to make that happen or at least contribute to it.

When the instructions are given he raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t seem too concerned. Once the first question is posed, he looks straight at the person across from him, considering his answer.]

Do you want to answer first?

III. Rift -- Very Open
[Jason takes advantage of the tall grass and ducks down, looking sideways at his partner before turning his focus on the nearest of the willow trees.]

The easiest way to do this might be to have one person distract the tree and the other person to gather the seeds. What do you think?

[He prefers to have at least a little plan before rushing into a situation that will likely require fighting. He's used to making battle plans, but doesn't mind hearing some input from someone else since he might not know what they can do.]

IV. Compose -- Limit Two
[After trying the button again, Jason sighs and leans back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.]

Well, this is a first.

[He lowers his eyes to look over at whoever happens to be stuck in the elevator with him.]

You okay?

V. Wild
[If one of the above doesn't strike your fancy, feel free to come up with your own starter to use with Jason or message me to customize something! I'm open for anything. Plotting Post Here. ]

Edited (link to plot post) 2018-03-18 02:52 (UTC)

one | secrets

[maybe imogen didn't specifically call him out but he knows he is one of the people who could stand some time in a get along shirt. so here he is for this bonding exercise. he's sitting there before the other person (i.e. you) shows up, looking vaguely uncomfortable.]

So, uh, this should be easy, huh?

[poe dameron would never lie about anything. ever. except when he occasionally does.]

two | ~~rifting~~ love ferns

[poe is like indiana jones about snakes with trees at this point. can't believe it had to be trees. i'm kidding it's fine. he stares off at one of the aggressive willow monsters in the distance. why can't he just blow it up? that's a valid, on-brand plan for poe dameron. blow up the tree, gets the seeds. but that's probably … yeah, no one else is going to go for that plan. and he doesn't even have anything to blow it up with.]

Why do we even need these seeds anyway? We oughta just … go in with a net or something.

[what net, poe? do you have a net? no, he does not.]

three | composure

[NOT THE ELEVATOR. don't worry. he's got this. regardless of whoever you are trapped in here with him, he immediately starts his own creative problem solving and goes to work on opening the doors. all by himself. he's…??? strong enough, but not superhuman or anything. but he's also a stubborn jackass, so … he'll just keep at this until he dies. feel free to help him or make fun of him or come up with a superior plan.]

four | exploring

[honestly poe is just super excited to explore headquarters more thoroughly. you could probably find him in just about any places listed at any point in time — restaurants, shopping, the promenade, whatever — but as soon as he finds his way to the hangar, he's truly in his element. asking five million questions, looking at the fighter ships especially like a kid at christmas. what a nerd.]

'Run' is... a complicated word when it comes to Hathaway. To ALASTAIR as well. You see how Ophelia as a guild works almost as an independent contractor?

[She gestures to the paperwork in front of her.]

As your beneficiary, I fund your missions. I suppose this makes me in charge of you, but there isn't anyone in charge of me -- the others are on my level. The other guilds are the same way. You can think of Hathaway as a collection of guilds, working together. It's 'run' by all the guild masters. It's my understanding ALASTAIR worked a similar way.

That's quite all right. You aren't the only one, and we all struggle to get along sometimes. That's the purpose of these exercises, after all. To improve everyone's ability to work as a team.

[She gestures to the seat beside her.]

Would you like to sit, or have you somewhere you need to be?

So it's more of a collective than a bureaucracy.

[Which ... is comforting in some ways, but worrying in others. If there's no one above her, or managing the different guilds, then certain aspects that don't connect back.]

Do you also pick our missions?

Sometimes. In the case of Hanabira, I was able to pick it out of others since it wasn't a world in an immediate crisis. But I've been told by those who receive the distress calls that there may be times when there's a world in immediate crisis that we're assigned as well. Ones which I have no say in.

[She purses her lips.]

I do hope those won't be too unpleasant for you all.

I dunno, I can imagine some pretty absurd wealth.

[He rubs his chin.]

Like...eleventy bajillion dollars.

[[ ooc. I'll take a maximum of 3 threads for the trust exercise, and two responses per prompt for the other ones, to keep my tag load manageable. If you'd like a custom prompt or want me to tag your toplevel, pm this account or hmu on plurk @ lunation! ]]

▸ MIDDLE DECK

[ He's getting pinged so hard for the space mall it isn't even funny. In a way, it's a bit sad, because Lance wished he could muster up more enthusiasm than he's feeling. He's still trying to to think about...things. Things he isn't thinking about, every second of every day. (It isn't working.)

He's standing in front of a shop advertising [CHOOSE ONE: fish pedicures, year-round Halloween costumes of all shapes/sizes, or audio/video recordings ] for sale when he sees a guildmate walk up and offers a wave. He'll take the company. ]

I'm checking this place out. You in?

▸ FEEL THE FIRE

[ He's immediately a little on edge when he sees the bare room. He's in his casual clothes, and feels a little vulnerable when he slides into his chair. As it turns out, he didn't need to worry, because the instructions on the magitek are pretty clear. He gives his partner a rueful smile. ]

Uh, well, this is a little...intense. But sure, okay. [ Cough. ] You wanna start, or I'll go?

[ His tone makes it clear he's amenable to either--Lance isn't the type to be completely closed off, even when he's upset about something. Probably especially when he's upset about something. ]

▸ I WILLOW YOU ONE

[ Okay, so the instructions said they should try not to hurt the trees, not that they couldn't, ever, at all. Which means Lance has his Bayard at the ready once they hit the ground, even if the chest-high grass limits visibility somewhat. ]

I can cover you, if you're game to get up close. If not, we'll figure something out.

[ He's most effective at a distance, but hey--he considers himself a pretty flexible guy. ]

[Jason can't believe his luck. He'd just been talking with Veronica about meeting with Imogen before the wedding and here she was filing paperwork. He doesn't envy her that, he remembers having to do similar tasks as part of being a praetor with Reyna. It wasn't fun, but he realizes this might be a good opportunity all the same.

Of course, since he's thinking about his conversation with Veronica the first thing he blurts out is:]

So there is paperwork in all of this.

[He realizes this is a dumb comment and adds.]

I had some questions...but also I can help if you'd prefer to work and talk.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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EVENT ▸ RETURN TO HQ

IMOGEN.

KHALEF.

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Adrian "Alucard" Ţepeş

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FOUR

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Jason Grace

poe dameron | ota

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Lance

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