etrayalogs | MISSION 004 (part 1)

MISSION 004 (part 1)

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: July 19th-July 27th.
WHERE: Moorecroft Village
WHAT: Enjoy life in your new suburban neighborhood!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential death.

⏵ welcome home ⏴
Welcome to Moorecroft Village, where the sun casts a gentle glow through soft white clouds. Pavement paths wind around the village, adorned with wildflowers in every hue. Birds sing a soothing melody, while a few content cats lounge in sunspots or on benches along the streets. Cars hum by, ferrying residents to work, the store, or back home after a busy day.

It looks almost perfect. The ideal little village, occupied by individuals from all over. Orcs, elves, faeries, werewolves, vampires, and dhampirs coexist harmoniously, each contributing to their quaint little town. Despite their varied backgrounds, they appear to embrace this place as their own. They take their baby carriages out during the day for a stroll, chatting with friends and neighbors about current happenings, discussing their most recent mission (a ‘game’ of Whodunit, in which one of theirs, Theo, was tasked with killing one of their own each day and they all had to figure out who had killed them before they could come back to life) and the difficulties therein, new job assignments, weird things the teens in their houses are getting up to... generic, neighborly conversations.

The village is full of life. There are numerous facilities to wander and things to do! The library houses a vast collection of books spanning history from countless other worlds and whimsical children's tales. Teens gather at the ice skating rink, while the movie theater screens films spanning generations. An aquarium full of wonders: glowing rainbow fish, miniature great white sharks, a colorful octopus with patterns running over it that almost look like ivy, and numerous others.

In the daytime, everyone can explore clothing stores, indulge in gourmet cakes from the grocers, and partake in leisurely pursuits without financial concerns; just like on Etraya, money does not exist here.

⏵ help wanted ⏴
Moorecroft surpasses Etraya in its development, offering attractions and activities to engage its inhabitants throughout the day. But with these advancements come additional responsibilities. By day, at least one adult from every household is expected to fulfill their shifts at 'day jobs', lasting anywhere from four to eight hours. Meanwhile, the youth are expected to go to school, absorbing knowledge in various disciplines.

Each job duty requires different skillsets, but whether or not those required skillsets are matched to those who are expected to work them... well. They’ll have plenty of time for training, won’t they? Or perhaps they’ll get dropped right into their job and be expected to figure it out all on their own.

For the younger residents, education is structured into two main institutions: "Sandalwood Lower" for those twelve and under, and "Maplewood Upper" for older students. These schools offer a broad curriculum encompassing Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Technology, Fine Arts, and a diverse array of Foreign Languages. Electives range widely, from specific sports to Survival Training, Creative Writing, Journalism, and Sociology.

At lunchtime, the school cafeteria presents an array of choices. Options range from standard fare like school pizza to other offerings such as vampire's blood, brains, and hearts—just in case an unexpected guest should drop in. After all, one never knows who might show up in Moorecroft.

⏵ honey do's ⏴
But life extends beyond work and school. A structured routine of what is expected of each household is kept on digital calendars, and installed on the wall in the kitchen of each house. These calendars update daily with smaller tasks, and weekly with larger ones, detailing what is expected of those residing within its walls.

Typical tasks include simple activities such as:

Take the child(ren) for a walk outdoors.
Visit the local park.
Bake a pie for the neighbors.
Tell your spouse(s) how important they are to you.
Share a secret.
Shop with your child(ren).
Mow the lawn.
Don’t forget to attend your child’s school’s PTA meeting!
Help with homework.
Take family photos.
Go on a date.

More complex tasks are found under weekly checklists, and may involve:

Host a neighborhood barbeque competition.
Volunteer at the hospital.
Teach your child a sport.
Start a soccer league.
Create a garage band.
Get a part time job.
Join a club.

Eos will check off each task as it is completed. At the bottom of each calendar, a tally records the completion of tasks, providing a visual measure of productivity and community involvement.

⏵ night watch ⏴
As the sun lowers over the horizon, everything shifts. Every long-term resident understands the consequences of curfew and the threats within. They retreat to their homes, urging those unfamiliar to them who may not understand the rules just yet that they, too, need to return indoors for the night.

Within the confines of their houses, life continues under a fragile veil of normalcy. A peek into some of the homes of long-term residents will find them playing board games with their family units, completing homework or work assignments they were unable to finish during the day, watching a few family-friendly shows on their couches, or enjoying a late dinner. Eventually, they’ll return to their beds and wait for the sound of their alarms.

In Moorecroft, no friendly companion bots roam the streets during the day. In their place, highly advanced robots emerge to enforce curfew once the time comes. They silently make their way through the streets, sweeping away anything that isn’t part of Eos’ design: trash left out on the street, bugs left by suspicious men wearing cowls that have ears on them, graffiti, new decor that Eos decides she doesn’t like. No winds shake the trees, there are no cars on the road, but noises can be heard coming from outside that don't sound... normal by any means. Croaks, whispers, scratches against doors and walls alike.

Those who defy curfew will be asked, once, to return to their homes. If they opt not to listen, they are met with force: physically restrained, subdued, and dragged back to their homes. If they decide to fight, the bots are not above killing them and dropping their limp bodies just inside the front door of their houses. They will revive after 48 hours but not without cost. Each return carries an absence—a missing memory, a lost skill, or a fragment of their very essence, stolen away in the process of their revival.

Even those who manage to evade capture will awaken in their beds with no recollection of their death or what they may have witnessed before dying. They will instead have a vague feeling that something horrifying happened.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Daily and weekly tasks can be chosen by players! We won't be listing these out for each household, but relying on players to choose what's most fun for them to play with within their households.

As noted on Mission Plotting, we're open to one group successfully staying out past curfew, but would like to keep this to one thread.

We have a separate log for NPC interactions for this mission!

For any questions relating to the contents of this log, mod queries thread on the initial plotting post to assist us in keeping all mission-related information in one place. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ororo knows the concept of days off, but having them enforced on her like this is even newer than the day job she has to take. What do you mean people just take the day off?

Needing things to occupy herself, she's up early and studying the daily tasks in their calendar, wondering why don't forget the milk has yet to clear from her list and weighing it against grab coffee with a friend, when the phone startles her. No one's used it yet. ]

... Hello? This is Ororo speaking.

[As if the moment wasn't spooky enough, the rap-tap-tapping is joined by another eerie sound - a creak, low and then high, coming from down the dark hallway behind Chrissy. It's joined a moment later by a footstep, and then another, squeaking on old floorboards. Closer, and closer still, and then-

The hallway lights flick on overhead, flooding into the front room.]

Hey, did you get more milk?

[Mike's hair is somehow even messier in the middle of the night, sticking out in at least seven different directions. He pauses, rubs at his eyes, and frowns.]

... What are you doing?

Edited 2024-07-21 14:36 (UTC)

["Friendly" isn't quite the word one could use to describe the face Logan receives in response. The kid gives him a judgmental once-over, from the weird facial hair to the baby strapped to his chest, before heaving a sigh. Having a baby sister at least taught him a thing or two.]

It probably just has gas.

[He sets down his grocery bags - filled with junk food, of course - on the path and holds out his arms. Big brother skils, reluctantly kicking in.]

Give it here.

Arriving to the gym in a cheerleading outfit, Nuvia couldn't help but decide to hide in the gym from the rest of the squad currently searching for her. Unfortunately, she was roped into it by the girls having guilt trip her to join when she originally wanted to be part of the gardening club.

She had hoped the gym would be empty for the most part while tactfully believing if she hid under their noses, then they'll have a tougher time finding her. Well, it turns out there was someone at the gym, someone she knew and didn't expect to see.

A welcoming smile will appear on Nuvia's lips upon recognizing Izuku, she'll wave at him, "Hey! I didn't know you were into working out." Watching him working his arms out with the weights, she'll slowly realize he is buffer than she originally thought. She knew he was athletic because he has the body of one, but she didn't know he had trained for it.

[Even if Rita hadn't already resented being forced to go to school, any novelty represented by the experience would've worn off quickly. The classes are dull, the teachers are boring, the rooms stuffy and crowded, and they expect her to attend all day? As if.

--Especially when it's a useless class like English, or whatever other Earth language she was supposed to be in (was it Spainish? Spinish? Whatever.). What's the point of learning that when everyone here understands each other anyway?

This leads to Rita readily ditching class. Sometimes she's gone to the library where she can read in peace, but today she's with Natsuno, and they've decided to head outside instead. The bleachers offer somewhere they can avoid being spotted for a while, though Rita wrinkles her nose as the acrid smell of something burning reaches her nostrils. It's particularly unpleasant, yet familiar, though it's only once she spots the person responsible that it clicks.]

YOU-?!

[Her voice raises in a furious accusation, because how dare Krouse exist at all after the stunt he pulled, let alone be here of all places!!]

[Maybe a reasonable person would encourage Asuka to listen to the adults in charge of her, but this is Accelerator and frankly, he's feeling the same way about the dudes assigned to him.]

I don't know. Two bastards I've never met before.

[Which... does not mean much. Accelerator isn't a sociable person, so there were plenty of people in Etraya he's never spoken to. He hasn't even introduced himself to them.]

You don't have anyone sketchy in your house, then?

[She's getting a called a moron? A moron? Her?!

In other words: Rita scowls and snaps right back, being not at all petty or anything!!]

Don't act like agreeing makes you agreeable, idiot!

[The return of her earlier confidence will give Nuvia hope. She's glad the other girl was feeling better. Even seemed excited at the idea of going to the dressing room which Nuvia will follow closely behind. As they are heading there, Nuvia will begin to wonder outloud.]

Do you want to search for shoes and accessories afterwards?

[Now she sounded confident the sundress will fit the other girl perfectly especially when she was so pretty.]

[ For the supposed star-spangled man with a plan, Steve hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about the future. There had been some been some thoughts about settling down with Peggy after the war, maybe even starting a family. Then he had been thrown into a future where everything was even more unpredictable and her dying wish was for him to live a full life. It feels incredibly pointed for him be paired with Sharon for this mission, considered how that had gone for him back home.

He meets her at their designated house, which has an honest to goodness white picket fence. Aurora still seems to be learning, but maybe this city's AI is further along and understands irony.

He picks up the tag in the basket because that can't be possibly be the extent of their instructions. There's more text on the back."This android was created for: Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter." He hands it to her. ]

It's not real.

[ It's doing a damn good job of looking exactly like a human baby though. A tuft of cornsilk blond hair sticks out of the blanket, and if he looks closely, the chest rises and falls like it's actually breathing. Against his better judgement, Steve reaches down to touch that tiny little hand. The whole bundle shifts and big blue eyes blink open. ]

Well, shit.

Meh. Not really, as far as I can tell. I know a couple of them.

[ She seems pretty dismissive of the whole thing, honestly. She folds her arms and sighs. ]

It's not gonna be a problem.

Just take the fact that you're right for once and be grateful! Or is that too much to ask?

[ She doesn't have to take this. ]

I wasn't planning on it, but... sure. Why not?

[ Asuka is, as always, a little reluctant to let herself get drawn in too much. She still has wounds, she's still wary of other people. But this still feels like a bit of normalcy she can think about and hold onto for a few minutes. That's worth something.

She pauses as she reaches the dressing room entrance and gives her new companion a curious glance. ]

What's your name?

I'm Nuvia.

[She'll respond without a second thought excited at the prospect of doing something very normal for once in her life with someone who isn't afraid of her. This all feels very nice to do, even if it is for a fleeting moment. Who knows what this mission will have in store for them. Nuvia has heard the rumors about the way this world works, so she will enjoy every minute of this new adventure.]

What about you?

[He walks casually besides her, but keeps his ears and nose peeled for signs of unwanted attention.]

I thought about putting something up in a public space and see if it makes it through the night.

Asuka!

[ She responds brightly and then ducks into the dressing room. A minute or so later she steps back out with the sundress on and gives a little twirl. ]

Well? What do you think?

What? Like a sign or something?

[ She gives him a curious glance as she carefully slides open and exterior door and steps outside. Almost there... ]

[ Krouse breaks into a small, lopsided smile, one that might be disarming if it didn't come with a sharp glint in his eyes. ]

Deciding if I'm also leaving.

[ There's no harm in admitting to a potential crime she's in the middle of, if he even really cared one way or the other about getting in minor trouble at high school. Either delinquency doesn't matter, and he's off the hook, or it does matter, and he learns something new about the game they're in. ]

You don't owe me anything. I wouldn't snitch even if you didn't ask, so just consider that a freebie.

[ She might take him at his word; she might not. Either way, it's a better look to decline enforcing obligations where he can get away with it. He's also telling the truth, for whatever that's worth. ]

But before you head out - mind if I ask how they're giving you a hard time over your dad?

[Rita's of a similar mind, finding the setup like the Village all over again--except worse, in some ways, because at least in the Village, they weren't expected to play family. Still, the environment has the same obnoxiously perfect, too-manicured appearance. It's not just a fake movie set, but a dull and uncreative one.

The residents act so content to play along that Rita wonders when the brainwashing will start.

Instead of staying "home" with her fake family setup, she's out and about, seeing what else they have to work with here, when she spots Natsuno approaching on his bike and waves.]

Hey. You have a bike?

[She's seen them in his movies, but this is the first time in person, and she eyes it curiously.]

[Her smile will deepen upon noticing his own. The glint in his eye will go unnoticed (or outright ignored) because she was starting to feel comfortable around him. It would seem he was on the same mindset as her. Hopefully for a different reason than her own because she wouldn't want the teachers to pick on him like they were doing to her.]

Have you decided yet? About leaving?

[It was an innocent enough question because she was curious to see more of his reactions towards her. The remark about the freebie will get a softer smile out of her because she honestly did believe him. Not to mention the way he acted reminded her a little of her mentor too. He would give her a couple of freebies for services he didn't sign up for. He was already winning points with her from the remark alone. That's the reason why she'll shake her head.]

No, I insist. You're doing me a very big favor. I owe you one even if you don't believe so.

[As for his next question, Nuvia will lower her head while bringing her hands together, her fingers playing with the other to try to calm her nerves because...]

They've been picking on me by announcing my low scores to everyone in class. All of them have been scolding me about doing better all because of my dad. They make it sound like I'm supposed to be super smart...or whatever.

[The way they hold Barnabas's job over her head doesn't sit right with her. As much as she likes their respect for him, it also feels like they were being overly cruel to him too. Disrespecting him, in a way. It was an odd feeling. Different to being persecuted but it still feels like the same prejudice she was used to.]

I've never been to school before. Of course I'm not going to be smart overnight...

[Which she tried to do because Nuvia doesn't need to sleep due to being self-sustained, but she did use the evening hours to work on her homework and study. At least, study as much as an illiterate person can.]

[The library is one of the few places in this new bubble that doesn't actively annoy Accelerator, though that may be because his only real hobby is reading, and it isn't every day that you get the chance to explore books from other universes. When he isn't in school, working, or (trying to) nap he finds himself there, poking around the stacks and looking for interesting reading material.

It isn't surprising to see other Etrayans around the place, though he does a bit of a double take when he sees Ororo. He recognizes her despite having only spoken to her once, that she had been concerned about Laura's safety (which was nice) and wanting an exception to a rule he and Robin had set (which was less nice).

But her knowing Laura is pretty important regardless, and it would be smart to get a better idea of the kinds of people the kid is hanging around, so after some mulling he approaches. In his non-crutch hand is a graphic novel, emblazened on the cover a woman dressed in red in front of a decrepit-looking spaceship, and when he's close enough to read the title of the book she's holding he raises an eyebrow.]

They carry shit like that here?

Just what we needed. An LMD baby.

[ An LMD baby that really... looks like them. That little nub of nose could be a miniature version of her own, and when it blinks open those blue eyes, the crinkled-up frown it aims at Steve is a mirror image of the one he's giving it. Her glance falls to his large finger and the android's tiny hand; the pang that sings through her is a familiar one. Her gut aches, but it's an old ghost of long-ago pain.

She doesn't reach down, even though the light breeze ruffles the android's hair, fine and soft as down. Even knowing it isn't real, her instinct is to smooth that hair back, soothe the little thing back to sleep. The android scrunches up its face, then yawns, enormous, and reaches a curious hand towards Steve's finger. ]

It's more surveillance.

[ She injects certainty into her voice, still watching the android as it opens its eyes again, staring up at Steve. ]

Gotta be. A bug we can't get rid of.

Edited 2024-07-21 17:22 (UTC)

[Upon noticing the dress and twirl, Nuvia's eyes will widened by how pretty Asuka looks. She'll softly clap her hands together, impressed by the display.]

You look beautiful! You were totally right about the dress. It really does suit you!

[Now they just need to find the right accessories for her to wear to match the outfit.]

What else should we get for you? Hair clips? A couple of bracelets. Maybe even a necklace?

[She didn't want to get a hat because it would cover up her pretty hair. Nuvia wanted Asuka to show her natural beauty off using the dress.]

[Natsuno would rather leave school premises altogether, but some locals were either tasked with reporting truants or just really bored, and the last thing he needs is having his "parents" called in. Besides, he's with Rita today, which already makes things much better. The bleachers seem like a good place to hide for a while and talk. One of them will put their head in the other's lap, maybe some other stuff -

Except that the bleachers reek. Natsuno pulls a face and quickly spots the culprit, but Rita screams before he can say anything.]

Can we not? [Of course he's heard all about THAT JERK KROUSE AND HIS DIRTY TRICKS, HOW DARE HE. And yeah, that was a dick move. But Natsuno's knows Rita's temper and long resolved to stay out of these conflicts.] Let's just find another place.

I used to have one kinda like it, honestly.

[ Asuka's a little smug about that. Maybe wistful. She reaches up to touch her hair as Nuvia continues. ]

...I used to have some hair clips, too. [ Well, they weren't just hair clips, but that's not important. ]

But some accessories might be kinda nice. I mean... [ She scratches at her cheek. ]

I haven't bothered dressing up in a while. [ For various reasons. ]

[ Krouse takes a drag of his cigarette as Rita's righteous shriek slices through the air, then taps the ash off to the side. He keeps his eyes down, his mouth carefully schooled to a neutral line. ]

Hey, Natsuno. [ He says, mildly. ] How's it going?

[ He lifts his head slightly, finally looking Rita head on. It's still kind of fascinating how much vibrating outrage she can cram into such a tiny body. It was more entertaining when it was at a safely dodge-able distance. He drops his foot off the bleacher strut he had it propped against and rocks forward a little in preparation for whatever she's almost certainly going to throw at him. ]

Rita.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 5 of 67

MISSION 004 (part 1)

no subject

here to help

ii.

no subject

1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

A.

no subject

The library

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject