etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: February 14th - March
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, a mini mission, and some new city features!
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.

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, the last remnants of snow are melting in the sunlight as the weather begins to warm up. It's still chilly enough one might want to put on a coat, but not so cold a jacket is necessary for wandering around without freezing off one's fingers.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ heroes return ⏴

As the Quantum Rail train glides to a halt, returning passengers step out onto familiar ground - the train station, right where they had initially begun their mission. When exiting the station, their earpieces vibrate, indicating the automatic download of a detailed map which highlights key locations, transit paths, and notable landmarks. As Aurora promised, she had been working on a few renovations around Etraya! A sleek trolley system now winds through Etraya, following clearly marked pathways through the city bubble to make travel across the city smoother. However, the trolley only moves one way, eternally following the loop Aurora has set it on. And because of this, it takes six hours to complete it's loop all the way around. Don't miss your stop!

Pets and animals have been returned to their usual preferred areas, some awaiting the arrival of their owners, and others keeping to themselves in the forested areas throughout Etraya.

Beyond the small upgrades, things seem relatively unchanged - until one familiar sign catches the eye. One marked by four vertical lines, methodically crossed out one by one: the final slash has now been drawn through. The tally is complete. What it indicates has yet to be made clear, but it has to mean something, right? No one would go through the effort of making an ominous-sounding sign without following through.

⏵ love in the air ⏴

This Valentines Day, Aurora and the companion bots have opted to try something a little different: they have scattered mystery valentines across the city. Hidden within mailboxes, tucked into cafe menus, slipped under doors, on the outside of high windows for those wall-crawlers to spot. There are countless of these little slips of papers, strewn throughout the city. And within each valentine, is a challenge or gesture to complete. Please feel free to make these up yourselves as long as they fit in with the theme!

Some examples include:

Deliver a flower to a stranger.
Write a heartfelt poem for someone.
Share a box of chocolates!
Confess your feelings for another.
Play matchmaker for two people - this can be platonic, or romantic!
Gift a friend with a stuffed animal.
Give five different people a genuine compliment.

While not mandatory, completing five tasks will earn an individual an additional ten points to use towards anything they would like!

Each little Valentine is signed "Your Secret Admirer. ♡", and some of them may even be addressed to specific individuals. Don't be surprised, Eddie, if you see one or two that are specifically addressed to you lurking around your collection of chicken friends!

And while most of these are harmless, some of the valentines cards come with effects for those who come into contact with the paper. Perhaps they thought it was a piece of garbage, or were just kicking it out of the way rather than intending on taking part. It doesn't matter! They get to join in on the fun, too.

Heart Eyes - your pupils literally turn into hearts for a few hours, making it hard to focus on anything other than things (or people) you find attractive.
Love-Struck Stammer - You can only speak in poetic compliments or romantic declarations, regardless of whom you're speaking to.
Chocolate Bliss - Everything feels good. Simple. Easy. As if there's nothing in the world to concern yourself with. You feel happy, without any concerns or worry.
Rose-Tinted Vision - everything looks soft and romantic, as if you're in a romance novel. You know the ones.
Magnetic Attraction - regardless of what you had been doing, you suddenly find yourself unable to leave the side of the person closest to you. Had you been eating chocolates while walking down the street? Well, have fun getting stuck to the guy who'd been out for a jog!
Serenade Syndrome - you find it impossible to resist the urge to sing your words, turning all conversations into love ballads.
Heartstrings - A thread appears, connecting you to someone close by who you share many similarities too. Perhaps you had never met this person before, but the threads tied around your pinky fingers that refuse to let go until you allow yourself to open up to them clearly means you should be a little more familiar with them.

Love is in the air—or maybe just a bit of well-intended chaos! 💕

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome back from the mission, and welcome to Etraya for our newcomers! We've tried to keep this log simple for an easy introduction, as well as some downtime for our mission-goers who worked hard to solve the Quantum Rail mystery.

There is something else going on, but. . . well, no one seems to know what! The computer that had been on the lower floor of the hospital is now missing, and Aurora may seem a little flustered as she flits around Etraya, in search of something.

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

Well- [Thoughts of his own complicated thing flash in his mind before he has the wherewithal to stop it.]

Of course there are. Wherever there are bored adults, there’s bound to be some of that.

[He smirks at her, then looks down at the rat, turning it around in his hands. Had he ever been gifted a toy like this, even once in his life?]

But more to it, there’s no one around you fancy, eh? The lads your age can be a bit awkward. It takes time to learn to talk to the fairer sex, I’m afraid.

Fair enough.

( she doesn't really need to know about the complications involving consenting adults and their affairs by any means. it was just an idle thought she heard someone else ask once before, and although she was sure there was at least something brewing....

she just didn't need to know. )

It's not like that....I mean....I find boys and girls cute sure but...I just...anything beyond just holding hands or a kiss seems stupid.

( she isn't sure how to verbalize it really, but she's really just here to make friends. she won't turn her nose up at a date but... )

I just mean this whole holiday is dumb you know?

Anything beyond the hugs and kisses usually happens because people are in the mood to be a little stupid. It’s hardly ever rational thought that drives us forwards, eh?

[He tucks the rat into his leather jacket for safe-keeping.]

All holidays are a little dumb. But what they are is to serve as reminders. You get older and the years just slip right under your nose. Lift your head and it’ll already be summer if you aren’t careful. Gives people an excuse to check in on you.

[He gives her a little smirk. Romance was overwhelming, certainly- and he’d made plenty of mistakes in pursuit.]

…Though I can’t speak to this holiday in particular. It’s new to me- seems a little early for spring fertility rituals and a little late for a winter feast. Maybe it’s just to add a little color to our dreary environs, eh?

[He gestures around them. ]

Well, what’s a holiday you do like?

You make a good point.

( she's not one to really argue when good logic is presented to her, even if she was still feeling a bit miffed about all of this. he was being reasonable with her, presenting a different point of view and it was enough for her to accept.

as he spoke on, she nodded her head a bit, expression easing from highly annoyed to a more neutral tone. it was finally when he asked her what holiday she liked that heather thought for a moment before answering- )

Well I guess you're not wrong about that...I just can't tolerate it myself. As for a holiday, I think....New Year's day is my favorite. New beginnings, new feelings and a sense of being able to step out into the next year with a fresh outlook on life.

Well, it’s already passed us and the world’s already bullshit again, eh?

[He gives her a wry grin. ]

We’re going to have to trudge on through the rest of the year somehow.

[He pats the rat poking out of his jacket.] You got me this lovely rat. Perhaps I could return the favor. What are some things other things you like? Maybe I could treat you to a slice of pie, perhaps?

You make a fair point, the world will never stop being bullshit.

( but really, she's trying here to be better for herself, for others.

even if she'll still resent this stupid holiday all on her own. )

Trust me, I'm not going to be too negative about this tomorrow once the cards and candy boxes are all in the trash. I don't usually expect a gift in return but...

if you're offering a slice of pie with a nice scoop of ice cream on top, I'll take you up on it.

( truly, it was easy to win her over with some delicious and safe, free food. )

And yet we persist.

[But he gives her space to feel however she wants about this, too. They all had much to deal with here, and he had the sense that the younger folks had much less to make sense of it all.]

I sure am. The diner’s not far from here. Let’s get out of the cold, eh?

[He comes around to her other side and puts a hand on her back, leading her towards the Diner with its promises of pie and hot cups of coffee.]

So, you make any new friends here yet? …In spite of that bullshit on the train. [By the sound of his voice, he clearly fucking hated that shit. ]

Sign me right up—

( and on she went, taking each step slowly as she walked alongside him with the excitement of free food filling up her voice with a more positive intonation. whatever remaining gifts she had were tucked away into her left arm. )

I've made contact with a few of the new arrivals, I was actually surprised to hear some of them came from another world like Etraya before arriving here? Like not their actual home.

( whatever that really meant, but the idea of that was a bit nerve-wrecking for heather. )

As for the train, what the hell was that anyways? So weird.

I don’t know, but I didn’t fucking like it. It was a reflection, barely a perversion of what’s wrong with the world. The close quarters only added to the irritation. But it’s all a test, clearly. I can’t help but wonder what the pont must be. Is my interpretation in line with our captors?

[Cid pulls out a cigarette and a lighter, flicking it a few times until the cigarette actually catches.]

…Another world like this but before this. [Cid does not like the thought of that, though this place has certainly opened up that possibility. Why should Etraya be the only one?]

Make any new friends with ‘em?

Most likely, just another test.

( there was quite a bit she wanted to say about how she wasn't a fan of this world, the captors and of aurora herself but even heather knew better than to bite the hand that fed her—

especially since she had big goals in mind and needed to rely on her captors for help. so she simply shrugged and focused on the next question. )

At least two of them, they seemed nice. There were also two others I met that had been here before so that.....was a bit of a shocking revelation if I'm being honest.

FEBRUARY MINGLE

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