etrayalogs | DECEMBER MINGLE

Entry tags:

DECEMBER MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: December 21st - Early January
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: Newcomers, a surprise gift from Tatianna, and a visitor!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

The lobby is filled to the brim with tables of freshly baked goods. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banners are taped to the walls, and several other typical birthday decorations can be found in this area. A few of the baked goods tables are lined with massive cakes covered in unlit candles, just waiting for someone to grab a lighter and sing off-key. Is it anyone's birthday? Who knows! The companion bots seem to believe it's every new arrival's birthday and will greet them as such - with friendly waves and cheers as they make their way to the lobby.

A coat rack is situated by the doors leading out of the hospital, covered in warm clothing that fits the new arrivals just right - whether it's to their preferred style or not is something else entirely. Some of them appear normal enough. Others? Well. They can't all be perfect, now can they?

Outside the windows, the grass is covered in a couple of inches of loosely packed snow.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ an unexpected gift ⏴

Out by the hospital stands a tall, decorated tree covered in candles and golden pinecones with a handsome, red velveteen tree skirt. In front of it are a few oversized wrapped gifts for show- and atop one of those sits a familiar woman. Or unfamiliar, if this is your first time.

It's Tatianna in a slutty Santa outfit with a big ol’ burlap sack.

“Hey, I got something for you,” she says, digging into the bag and rummaging for a moment.

She produces a painted egg and holds it aloft.

“It’s your Winter Solstice Egg! This is the egg holiday, right? Wait, shit. I’m mixing them up, aren’t I? ...Well. It’s a little late to change it. Here you go!”

How one treats their egg is fully up to themselves. They can choose to ignore it entirely, or destroy it and leave the yolk and innards to rot on the ground. They can hand it over to someone else or care for it as if it were something precious. No one will prevent them from doing whatever they please with it!

⏵ naughty or nice ⏴However, how they treat the egg will define how the egg treats them in return.

Those who keep the egg and tend to it will get the benefit of being able to watch it hatch seven days after they are handed the egg. Eggs that are treated with attention and love may yield a loyal companion, or a weapon of choice that always returns to its owner, while neglected eggs may yield a curious, cursed trinket or an animal who treats its new owner very much the same way its owner had treated it before it was born.

Please submit an egg request below for what items you would like your character's eggs to hatch into! Please note that these cannot be things that would be applicable in the game.

Those whose eggs are destroyed or forgotten will simply get the gift of... nothing!

⏵ free your spirit ⏴

With the winter chill gripping the air, a mysterious figure makes their presence known in Etraya - a towering, horned creature dragging a massive sack behind them.

𝓐 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖇𝖚𝖎𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖓 𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖆 𝖜𝖊𝖆𝓴 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.

Regardless of a character's strengths or weaknesses, they will find that when Krampus raises his massive sack over their head, they are powerless to stop him from catching them. Those capable of great magical feats or other supernatural abilities will sense something... otherworldly about Krampus, but will not be able to place the source of that sensation.

Once within Krampus' sack, they are welcome to fight, but escape is impossible. It will feel as if Krampus is dragging them over every rock possible, dragging the sack in through the rivers to the point it soaks through and drenches them - potentially almost drowning them.

When the sack opens, they will find themselves in an impossibly dark space. Around them are others who have also been captured and dragged here by Krampus, trapped in small cages hanging from a massive, wiry tree.

Krampus will return often, banging clawed hands and birch rods on the walls of the cages and knocking them into one another.
𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘.
The whisper resonates through the darkened area, regardless of Krampus' presence. Confess your secrets, and be freed. Otherwise? You'd better hope someone figures out where Krampus has set up base; those who refuse to confess may find themselves stuck here forever.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Krampus' base is under Etraya! Deep within the catacombs, he has set up multiple cages to capture those who inhabit Etraya to punish them for their naughty habits. Fighting him is possible! Defeating him by means of combat is not, however, possible. Think of it like fighting a god: Krampus creates the rules in the space around him, including who can use what ability.

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Nice to meet you, Kirk!"

She flexes her fingers a few times, nervously. If Sirius was with her, she's sure she'd feel a little braver, but Kirk has listened to her kindly all this time. He had some questions about her odd comments, but overall he's been a nice guy about everything. She feels a little bad about bringing up kill counts to him, but - well, there is no but, right? An average person doesn't want to be thought of as an assassin.

Her head dips down for a second. Flexing her fingers a few more times, she finally works up the courage to take two big steps so that she's in his space. Reaching out, she attempts to take one of his hands and hold it close with both of hers.

"Thanks for being a great guy! I already feel at ease knowing that I met someone so nice! And like I said, you can rely on me! I'm pretty amazing! I said that from the start, you know?"

Today is apparently a day of many firsts. "Nice" is not what most people would call Kirk. Hell, Kirk wouldn't call himself that. The very nature of being a vampire firmly knocks him out of that category. He wonders if Kimie just hasn't met a lot of actually nice people. Her openly talking about assassins and body counts seem to suggest that.

Further surprising him is Kimie moving right in his personal space and taking his hand. But he doesn't see her as a threat so he goes along with it for now. It helps that his gloved hands are hiding the fact that his skin is abnormally cold for a human.

"I remember," he calmly responds. "You're surprisingly chipper about this."

She continues to hold his hand as her chin drops a little. Her fingers twitch around his gloved one, but she tightens her hold more.

"Well, there are people who would be worried about me if I didn't smile." Kimie decides that she should be honest with Kirk. They're going to be saving their worlds together, so it seems wrong to hide things. "They aren't here, but even if they aren't, I wouldn't want them to worry."

As scared and uncertain as she is, she can do one thing. She can make sure the people who care about her have one less thing to worry about. "Smiling is the hardest and easiest thing to do, you know?"

What Kimie says is quite the opposite of what Kirk usually is. More often than not, Kirk is guarded and keeps things close to the chest. He's used to sticking to the facts and trying to be logical. It makes navigating the world easier, even if he comes off distant at times. It became especially important after his transformation and being forced to adapt to his new... diet. There are very few people he would trust when it comes to emotionally opening up and in the aftermath of Will's betrayal, that trust was even more conservative.

"Just be careful and not lose the facts of the situation," Kirk calmly replies. "Even if they're grim."

"Are you worried about me?" She peers at him with wide eyes before smiling even brighter. "Don't worry. I'm always aware of the facts, but that doesn't mean I won't hope for something a little better."

It may be that such a hopeful ending is impossible, but if she stops hoping for it, doesn't that mean what is near impossible becomes impossible?

"So, Kirk, don't lose your heart no matter how grim the facts are, okay!?"

Kirk's red goggles hide part of his expression as he remains poker-faced. He's not as quick to take on such a hopeful outlook yet as Kimie. The funny thing is that her confidence somewhat reminds him of Hernan. Sheer undiluted confidence despite certain odds. At least he's used to it by now.

"We'll have to see," he says. "Do you happen to have any hamsters with you?"

Maybe that can help give them a better idea of Etraya's layout.

"Oh, uh, no."

Kimie deflates a little at admitting she is without her hamsters. But her lips press into a thin, determined line.

She perks up. "But I intend to make friends with the rodents here. I hope they don't have too different a language from the hammies back home."

"Your abilities can apply to rodents in general?"

Kirk still finds Kimie's ability very unusual but it applying to rodents as opposed to just hamsters does make it more useful.

"Yup!"

Course it isn't controlling bit asking for help. Sometimes, she has to bow her head to request assistance from certain rats due to their territorial or prideful natures. Still, they usually always come around to being willing to listen to her.

Because the smallest creature just wants a little respect and understanding.

"That might be useful for here," Kirk muses. "Easier to get a lay of the land that way."

He's thinking of the potential practical applications. He always wants plans upon plans ready. One can never be too prepared.

"For sure!"

She agrees since they generally know the layout of a city than she ever could. It is why she never worries about getting lost. Hopefully, the rats here will be reasonable.

"Anyway, Kirk!" She smiles wider and tugs on his hand. "Ready to go outside?"

Kimie's comfort in dragging a stranger around still boggles Kirk he'll play along for now. It's easy for him to say no once he feels like he's had enough.

"Might as well," He replies.

He had been wandering around the hospital for a while and nothing useful has come up.

"Great!"

Kimie gives him a little tug before heading toward the entrance she saw earlier. Tipping her head up, she comes to a conclusion and she doesn't let go of his hand as they walk.

"Kirk, we've only just met, but," She wonders how to bring this up to a stranger, "I dunno. It's just a silly thought, so don't worry about it! I don't even know if I can put it into words yet since it's more like a feeling?"

Babbling, she tries to explain herself as they walk down the hallways to the exit.

"I guess I just worry. Maybe I've become a worrywart?" A slight pause. "That is... I'm sure you're not okay with all of this going on, but you've been so calm that it makes me worry more about you. That's what I mean."

Kirk patiently listens as Kimie leads him to the exit. It's a strange position to suddenly be in.

Outside of his vigilante work, he rarely interacts with people who aren't fellow his Justice League members or his (now former) best friends. He's gotten very used to keeping a poker face. When he was human, he tended to feel socially awkward and would retreat to his scientific pursuits. After his vampiric transformation, the social awkwardness hardened into stoicism. A necessary defense to keep himself from being a mindless beast who just kills anyone he comes across. He interacts with people infrequently enough that no one has pointed out his mannerisms unless they already knew him. Until now that is.

"I'm fine," Kirk calmly replies. "It's more helpful to be calm than not when you're in a serious situation."

Like being kidnapped.

"That's true."

She's been kidnapped a few times already and it's best to remain calm rather than lose one's head. But at the same time, it's good to belt out something so that it doesn't all feel couped up in her chest.

"But Kirk," Kimie tightens her hold on his hand. "You don't need to quiet your heart to keep a cool head."

A few steps and they're out of the hospital - she lets go of his hand and throws her arms open. Taking a deep breath, she tips her head back to yell, "I'm Kimie Arashiyama! And I'm amazing! There may only be so much I can do! But I'm going to do it!" A beat and louder, "JUST WATCH ME!"

Breathing heavily, she smiles wide and points to him. "Your turn!"

The funny thing about Kimie's comment on keeping a cool head is that Kirk's skin is literally cold to the touch. But that's a piece of information he doesn't think is necessary to share for now.

He looks at her with a mildly bemused expression.

"I'm fine for now. Maybe another time," He says, though he doesn't plan to actually take her suggestion. Then after a beat, he continues.

"Thank you anyway."

Though she's more exuberant than what he's used, he sees she's trying to be well-meaning. He'll give her that much credit at least.

"Oh, but--"

Kimie accepts the thanks that she's been given but continues to give Kirk a worried look. Maybe it seems like she's underestimating him? If Hikaru Gero was here, he'd also be able to keep his calm; he'd figure out what the next step would need to be and what step was needed after that, and so on. But he's also human.

She knows the man in her mind isn't as perfect as she thinks, but she believes in him so much. That's why, she doesn't want to let him down, either.

"--I did something embarrassing, so you can do something embarrassing without worry." A small smile. "So you can blame it on me, if you like?"

Kirk hadn't given much thought to how off-putting his stoicism is to other people. It's partially because he doesn't need to interact with too many people these days and partially because he usually doesn't care. This was awkward.

"It's nothing like that," Kirk says, trying to reassure her. "I'm just not one for yelling. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Okay." She nods, feeling a little more reassured.

"Next time, or um, when you feel like yelling and don't feel up to doing it! Just call me and I'll come yell with you, okay, Kirk?"

"Fine," Kirk says. He doesn't know if he'll ever take up her offer but just like her suddenly taking his hand and leading him outside, he won't say no for now. It's silly but not worth fighting.

"Maybe when I'm having a bad enough day."

"Great." She beams up at him. "Well, not great, but great."

Cupping her hand around her mouth, she stage whispers to him. "But also, you can yell when you're having a good day." Pausing, she smiles big and wide at him. "I hope you can do that one day, too! 'Cause that means, you're winning, I think!"

"Winning?" Kirk asks, not sure what Kimie means. If the answer is "winning at life" then there's a deep sense of irony given just how he needs to live.

"Yeah, winning."

Kimie isn't quite where she wants to be, but she's one step further than she was. She can yell loudly about how great she is and hope one day that it'll be true. But she isn't sad because she has so many people she cares about and they care about her. Since she loves so much, she takes one more step to be a little better than the person she was yesterday.

"Doing a little better than before!" A beat. "I don't think you're sad, Kirk. I don't know you enough to say something like that, anyway. But, to yell loudly, in good days and bad, I think means that you're winning against whatever day it is."

It's a hopeful message and maybe one Kirk needs at times. Over a decade of being a vampire and he still has his days when things seem grimmer than usual.

"Like a release valve I suppose," Kirk says. He knows he's more inclined to bottle things up than just shout them out. It tends to feel like the safer option.

"You got it!" She rapidly pats his shoulder and back as she's happy that he follows her line of logic.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject