Lunar Interlude 2

[balancemod]

Let's try to keep the paperwork to a minimum, shall we? NAVIGATION 1. NEW RECLAIMERS A. WELCOME WELCOME! FAH WHO RAHMUS For the nine of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world. "Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you." And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad. There are other people out in the grassy fields — they may even be people you recognize. They may just be strangers, other Reclaimers, who recognize what you're about to endure. The things they say may be interspersed with static — as if the words themselves aren't reaching your ears correctly. And you have a few minutes to chat before you're calmly led away by Bureau administration, to do something about that pesky static problem. B. THE VOIDFISH The nine of you are quickly divided into two groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed. And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself. After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding. You may notice the sound of someone speaking. It's a bard, on his second round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish, and this time, he has chosen to demonstrate the functions of the outrageously vertical tank not by playing violin music, but by reciting a piece of classical, and highly valued poetry. When he finishes, he pulls at a drawer just at the metallic base of the tank. He solemnly enters a few scrolls into its basin as the tank begins to light up, like lightning behind dark clouds. And suddenly, you forget what that invaluable example of universal literature sounded like. "Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man. Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way. So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything." The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip. Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the poetry this bard recited a few moments ago and the rhymes, the meter, the significance, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers. Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it. 2. THE TEST OF INITIATION With your new knowledge on the Bureau of Balance and your purpose here in tow, you are led without hesitation to the Arena, where the final phase of your initiation into the Bureau will be held. You are partnered up, whether it is with someone you drank the ichor of the Voidfish with, or perhaps even a veteran Reclaimer, who either stopped by to help, or simply out of curiosity. One Grand Relic has already been reclaimed, you're told. They were a pair of bright red mittens, held by the mayor of a small village who may have meant well, but under the draw of the mittens' incredible space-bending powers, was corrupted into using them, and to nearly killing everyone who lived under him. You may have noticed, at some point while glancing out into space while walking here, to the planet below, a massive evergreen fir that stretches past the planet's atmosphere, very nearly piercing the Moon Base itself. It appears to be decorated for the holidays. That tree is the direct result of those mittens, the actions of a man who could not resist the temptation to use them. Resisting that very same temptation is your task here. And with that order in mind, as you and your partner stand in the middle of the Arena, the walls dissolve, and the simulation begins. You're standing in the middle of a forest. Ahead of you, situated on a pedestal, is an item. It could be any ordinary item: a pair of gloves, a teapot, a simple decorative bowl. Whatever it is, it's yours for the taking. Take that simple item in your hands, however, and the building blocks of the trees around you suddenly collapse like shattered glass, and reform into new scenery — it may even be a place from home that you recognize. A voice in your head beckons you. Perhaps there's a mistake you made, or something that went wrong for you back home that you wish you had the power to undo. Perhaps there's someone you wish you could help, or even save. The item that's in your hands has the power to help you achieve this, if only you'd ever use it. Resist the temptation. Take the item, and drop it into a nearby deposit box to be destroyed. Your partner is here to help you — because once you destroy it, you will be doing the same for them. 3. NEWBIES AND VETERANS, AROUND THE MOONBASE Three or four days into the month, now that the newbies are settled in, something strange happens: The next time you return to your flat from whatever errand or exploring you were doing, when attempting to use your Bracer to open the door results in extremely obnoxious beeping that persists for an entire thirty seconds, and a message on the screen next to the door. ERROR: HOME ASSIGNMENT MECHANISM MALFUNCTION. GO TAKE A WALK. Welp. Looks like you're locked out for a bit while techs fix that. Here's a few places that might be worth checking out. A. PIECES FROM HOME Should you find your way to the Dojo, there's a door that still has that shiny, brand spanking new door look and new door smell to it off in one of the less traversed corners of the building. A sign next to the door demands that you empty your pockets before entering. A scanner for your Bracer will unlock it, assuming it's unoccupied, leading you to a plain white room with no furniture or objects at all in sight. As the door shuts behind you, a pleasant female voice echoes from all corners of the room, greeting you by name. If this is your first time in the room, the voice has a simple question for you: "What memory do you value, or think of, most?" Once you've provided your answer, the walls crumble, much like they did during the Test of Initiation simulation, reforming into something that is, again, pleasantly, or even unpleasantly, familiar. It's a space from home. Perhaps it's your room. Perhaps it's your favorite restaurant (though, the place is curiously empty, and the food you find, for some reason, tastes like strawberries). Perhaps it's a park you always enjoyed visiting, or a corner of the city you lived in. Whatever it is, you, and whoever you may have brought along with you, seem to be the only ones there. And perhaps the details aren't quite right — like maybe someone built a model of your home to explore, but a few pieces were missing from the box. But it's close enough. B. SPEND YOUR DOUGH. SOLVE A MYSTERY Whether you're a newcomer or a veteran returning from your first Field Mission, you've been provided with some spending money. You can use it to buy yourself one weapon and piece of armor from one of the blacksmiths in town. Regardless of who you choose to help you out with that, it'll take about a week to complete your order, so time your purchase carefully. There's also premade weapons and a whole bunch of other bullshit for sale at FANTASY COSTCO. Shelves and pallets of an endless array of nonmagical items, pretty much anything you can imagine, can be bought here, but there's one particular, innocuous item that seems to have Garfield the Deals Warlock in a tizzy. The more those vinyl covers that can be used to decorate your Bracers are purchased, the more the name seems to spread, ghosts of whispers around the entire Moon Base, of a person who may very well be a ghost herself. Who is Miss Zarves? Who was Miss Zarves? A powerful witch with the power to scramble your memories, insists one cantankerous woman who pours you a drink at Madame Frione's Tea Kettle. A heavyset, flushed with drink sort of man sitting next to you disagrees — Miss Zarves is a practical joke Garfield likes to trot out every couple of months to mess around with anybody gullible enough to believe him. Whatever the case, it seems that the name alone gives everyone a curious case of déjà vu. Someone has to have information on her — and this is the Reclaimers' opportunity to hone their information gathering skills. C. A (PERHAPS MANDATORY) DAY AT STOP DYING 101 Whether you're in class voluntarily, or whether you were dragged there on account of dying the past Field Mission, today's session of Fatalistic Fauna, and Danger Sense to channel your inner barbarian is going on a little field trip to the Arena. Because this is your first test to see if you can put all that information that's been given to you in the first few lectures to good use. You and a partner are placed in the middle of the Arena, in a simulation of an expansive, empty field, up against the first monster you were introduced to in class: A Bulette, a fearsome beast that can burrow, lunge, deal severe piercing damage, and jump an absolutely incredible distance. And you and your Reclaimer partner are absolutely no match for it. Your only option here is to escape. Can you? If you are dealt simulated fatal damage, then the Arena will dissolve back to normal, and you'll be given extra homework and reading material for the day. Sorry, them's the breaks. D. OPEN THE DOOR, GET ON THE FLOOR, EVERYBODY DO THE DINOSAUR There's a signup available for those looking to take Dance lessons at the Academy. There seem to be enough slots available for 50 or so people, and the form's name simply reads: "DANCE, NOW. WITH MS. CHARLOTTE." It's a pretty large time commitment- a crash course in dancing is a rather intensive affair. You'll be spending 4 days a week for 2 weeks, 2-3 hours per day, learning all the basics of the waltz, the tango, and the quickstep. Don't even think about trying the cha-cha slide here, it's simply not pasodoable. At the studio, you can borrow a pair of ballet slippers and join in with Ms. Charlotte, which, for anyone coming to the class for the first time should be rightly horrified. The newest member of the Bureau of Balance is a spider. A delegate from New New Aspen, Ms. Charlotte comes equipped with a bracer of her own, has taken in the Voidfish juice, and relocated here, to teach at the Academy. She moonlights as a ballroom dance instructor and a coach, and boy... she's pretty demanding with her approach, but incredibly thorough. You don't want to let Ms. Charlotte down. The sessions she teaches will get you to learn the basics. Natural aptitude, of course, goes a long way, but she's very 8-hands on with her approach at correcting posture and steps. Not without compassion, however, if you manage to get blisters on your feet, Ms. Charlotte's web bandages will set and help heal those sore, tired feet. The next 2 weeks of this boot camp are going to be brutal. E. THE MOON IS YOUR SPACE OYSTER (WILDCARD) There are plenty of other locations around the Moon Base that you can explore at your own discretion. Feel free to refer to the Settings page for more ideas on what shenanigans you can get into. Additionally, we'll be fielding Bender rolls again this month! With the exception of the three items that have been removed from his recipe database, if a food item was destroyed in a failed roll previously, you may roll to try to fix it. Bear in mind, of course, that you may make it worse. Successful food rolls will stay in place at this time. 4. THE DIRECTOR ACTS; A GRAND RELIC DESTROYED Erika has obtained and delivered the Space Mittens to Madame Director herself. She struggles to remain calm and composed at the moment, but the amount of immense pride and relief at recovering the Grand Relic slips through an otherwise sturdy exterior of coolness and level-headed features. She congratulates the entirety of the Bureau of Balance for their hard work, and relates to Erika that she couldn't be happier that she had made this world one step closer to being safe. A message will appear across all bracers, everywhere, with the following: Reclaimers, welcome home and congratulations on a successful first mission. Although there were certain drawbacks and difficult decisions that had to be made, I believe, without a doubt, that you all have irrefutably surpassed all expectations. Congratulations on a job well done. However, next time, please do be more careful out there. For those of you who wish to watch, my office will remain open until 1600 hours today. The relic will be destroyed, and if you would like to attend to see how it's done, please stop by. There will be light refreshments and coffee served, of course. If unable to attend, you can watch the ceremony later on your bracers. Don't forget to click Like and Subscribe. At the appointed hour, a ceremony will occur. She calls forth Davenport to wheel out the structure that's been created and designed with the sole purpose of destroying these things. She dare not takes the relic herself, no, refusing to touch the item at all. It's a medium sized metallic sphere, and once opened and closed, can never be opened again. Pulling back the curtain to an observatory, the Reclaimers can watch as Davenport sports a nifty pair of goggles, and wheels the orb onto a raised platform. He waits for the Director's signal, which is performed by an agreeable stamp of her oaken staff against the floor, and a nod. Davenport hits the KILL SWITCH, and the light show from behind the glass is amazing and terrifying all at the same time. You watch as the Space Mittens are obliterated from existence. An eruption of cheering breaks out. This concludes the first successful mission, and a deeply needed win, for the Bureau of Balance. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

QUESTIONS

[balancemod]

[grakraka]

a few questions! my apologies in advance for asking a lot (and a happy new year to all the mods!)

1) how long will they be locked out of their rooms?

2) is there any possible way for people to accidentally see into someone's dojo room? like when they're exiting or entering or some other hijink-allowing way of getting a peek?

2.5) related, is it a single room? for a very specific example, would it be the first floor of leblanc only? (he knows akira's room had books in it and he needs to know how fast he is allowed to read the books on the leblanc counter before he runs out of reading material). also in the case of food, is it magically served to you or do you need to make your own coffee?

3) i assume the very nice and not scary spider lady doesn't have any lingering ill will towards anyone who was involved in the failed motherly matron missions but just checking if she does or does not!

4) akechi got a book last time on rune fencing that he was encouraged to hand over, which he will gladly do but he'd ask to be kept updated on any discoveries made about it? i wasn't sure how that would go. he just. is really into becoming a rune fencer...

5) would there be anywhere that might count as a shrine to visit? i know there are patron gods and stuff but i wasn't sure if there was anything like that around the moonbase.

RNG

[balancemod]

For all your dice bot needs.

NOTE: To streamline to process a little, we are setting a base DC of 11 for all attempts to request a food item from Bender. Just tell us what your character would like to request and we'll roll from there.

Again, with the exception of the three banned items, if a food was a failure last time, you may try to request it again. However, successful items are staying the way they are. You can see the list of magic foods currently available right here.

[seasaltkeys]

Okay, Roxas is going to attempt to request a few food items:

1. Sea Salt Ice Cream

2. BBQ of any kind

WHO IS MISS ZARVES?

[balancemod]

Good question! If your character is investigating, let us know what they're doing, and what they're searching for, here.

[mccreehaw]

Okay, so if I've read the navigation pages correctly, there's no library at the moon base, correct? And the bracers seem to connect people much like a phone and don't have a type of internet search function? I wanted to check those off the list first since McCree would be looking for her name written down somewhere. If neither of those are options, are there any books lying around at the Academy that he could search through for her name? Failing that, he'd make the rounds in town, gathering together the stories people tell about her to see if any sound plausible or give clues he can follow. And I think he'd find it more suspicious if everyone has a different tale than if there are just two stories about her that everyone repeats. Almost like implanted memories of her.

[seasaltkeys]

[A - Fighter Training]

[Most days on the moon base, Roxas can be found in the dojo. If that first mission taught him anything, it's that he's going to need to get better. There's only so far he's going to get with the keyblade and his two magic spells. According to his fighter pamphlet, he can use a range of weapons, so now is as good a time as any to start learning them. As such, here's what you can find him doing:

i. Keyblade in one hand and sword in the other, Roxas is getting back to his roots as a dual wielder. It's a little strange and slightly unbalanced since he's used to two keyblades, but there's still something of a practiced ease with which he holds the two weapons. The keyblade itself a new look from the standard version he's been using. It has something of a skull motif, and the keychain is a hand carved, wooden ornament.

ii. Roxas probably looks a little silly holding a spear, since the weapon is taller than him, and he feels awkward holding it, but Fighter's instinct is kicking in for him to at least get an idea for the form, and it's not like he can rely on the wind to help him out like Xaldin did. There's still a lot of stumbling though, and more than few instances of the tip catching on something. Maybe the spear isn't for him? Unless there's something shorter.

iii. Roxas needs range, he's learned and there's only so far fire magic and throwing the keyblade will get you. So he's got a bow and a target and a little path of arrows between them. He hasn't quite hit the target just yet, much less the bullseye.]

[B - Meditation]

[It's a little weird to be in a uniform that isn't a long black coat, but Roxas supposes that it looks alright. He's been a little wary of going to the Academy, since, well, he's never actually been to school. And the memory of summer vacation being over is still a little painful for him. Despite the actual season. Wow the timing's weird.

But the meditation class seems useful, or interesting at least. More than the dancing or Not Dying, which he managed not to do (but it's more than a little worrying to him that that can happen. And that it happened to people he knew). But for now, he's wandering the halls.]

So, this is what school is like?

[Later, he can be found either by the edge of the moon base, or by the statue of the Director trying to practice his meditation. Or he's fallen asleep. It's kind of hard to tell.]

[ C - Library ]

[Having been locked out of his room for the time being, Roxas decides to finally explore the library. Which does involve a lot of staring in wonder because wow that's a lot of books, and he doesn't think he's ever seen this many in once place. Well, maybe at Beast's Castle, but he didn't really get a chance to look at those.]

Where are you even supposed to start in here?

[ D - Wildcard ]

[Want to start something else? Want to plot? Hit me up at urbaninja]

A. Spear Training

[bluechampion]

[Link lived at the dojo more than the quarters he was assigned. It didn't mean that he was going to notice everyone who came in though. He had his own training to do after all.

It's a new day though, and Link is ready to get back to work. He takes his usual walk around first, just to see if he spots anyone familiar. It's not long before he stumbles upon Roxas. It looks like he had taken Link's suggestion to heart and was trying out a spear. He clearly wasn't familiar with it. He waits to say anything until Roxas has taken a pause.]

Hey, Roxas! How's the spear treating you?

[He could tell just by watching that it wasn't great, but it could be worse for someone who wasn't trained with one. He wanted to hear what Roxas had to say about it before anything.]

[cluelesscavewoman]

A. That magic room in the dojo

[She spends enough time in the dojo to notice something new. And there's no hesitation in checking it out or answering the question - Training with Father and Kazuno. Futayo scowled at the walls as they melted away in wood and paper walls. The ground beneath her turning into tightly packed soil. She's quick to shift her feet and ready her spear.

But she knows this place.]

This place no longer exists. It was destroyed when the ley line reactor was overloaded.

[The voice from before doesn't respond. Nor do the still and identical maids that materialize on the wooden walkway. Futayo can only scowl at it as she plonks herself down to think about this.]

B. Dojo part 2 - That's weird so lets just ignore that.

[Then promptly decides she doesn't care and approaches one of the maids not even paying attention as they all bow in unison. Then she darts back as a blue glow surrounds the maid's hands. A rock hurls it's self at Futayo only to be deflected with the spear shaft. Futayo's not even paying attention to where it goes, and is waiting for the next one.]

C. Wildcard things
[Anything else? Then post here or plot kittylyoko. For the day to day things Futayo can be found -

1. In the dojo or arena training


2. Eating everything with meat or fish in the canteen. Thanks whoever got sushi!


3. Attending lessons on fighting different monsters and practical things at the academy. Anything that's actual academic is being avoided though.]

B-C hybrid

[alethiological]

[ He's long-since been written off as a regular the dojo, which usually means people leave him alone. Today just gets people bothering him on the way to his usual room - someone's been camping the new simulation for training. Someone got sent to the medbay already. You're some sorta tank right??? Fix it.

And if he won't be left alone until then? It's fine. He'll do it. If the room's already active, that means it won't talk to him. It's fine. Everything's fine. So the next time someone else walks in on Futayo's sim (not surprised it's this girl honestly), the deflected rock gets sent back, crashing right next to her feet. ]

Futayo. [ There's a nod here, because the name is akin to a greeting. ] Get out of the room. You're pissing off the locals.

[discerp]

[A: Pieces of Home]

A... Memory? Um, value... [Mikan's brow furrows and she looks uncertain, playing with the bandages on her arm.] Jabberwock Island...? [It's the first thing she can think of and she jumps in alarm as the scenery changes to that of a beautiful beach. The sun is warm, the beach clean and the water crystal clear. There's a few palm trees scattered around that seem to have...TV monitors attached to them? And some have cameras??

Hm. Weird.

Mikan looks around, delighted and startled] I-it's really the beach! It looks just like it! [But her happiness dissolves in a split second as she turns a panicked look to whoever is also in there with her] I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for changing it first! I shouldn't have done that, pl-please forgive me!

[She brings her hands up in a slightly defensive gesture] Y-you can hit me, if you want, I understand! Please don't hate me...!

[B: Spend Your Dough]

Uhh, I don't... I don't know... [Mikan wrings her hands anxiously, looking around nervously. The blacksmith trying to coax the order out of her looks rather long-suffering and like he really doesn't get paid enough to deal with this.

Mikan moves around to look at some of the weapons, looking nervous and uncertain the entire time]

I-I don't think I can do this! I can't hurt anyone! [Okay. WELL...] I'm much better suited to be bait or something like that...

[She whimpers and the blacksmith sighs deeply, holding out an axe with an encouragement to just hold it and get a feel for it at least, maybe she wants something like that?

Mikan looks bewildered and is clearly unprepared for the weight, because the second the blacksmith lets it drop into Mikan's hands, she's down for the count. With a shriek she topples over, skirt flipping up as she does a somersault over and... into some weapon racks.

Which knocks them over.

Which knocks over some others in the world's worst game of dominos and leaving behind an impressively loud crashing noise. The silence that follows is deafening. Nothing appears to be broken, at least, but it's a huge mess and Mikan lays among the wreckage in a daze.]

...O-oops...?

[C: The Voidfish]

[Sure she's already had the... drink thing, but she's curious about the jellyfish-like creature itself. Though no one seems particularly inclined to stop her from entering, she only spends a few minutes there before getting uncomfortable and leaving to stand outside the room instead.

She feels like she still doesn't understand anything about it, but her eyes look unmistakably wet as she rapidly blinks away tears.] It seems so... sad, somehow... [Mikan mutters to herself out loud, before she sniffles and lowers her head, pressing her hands to her eyes] It should've been someone else... It- It shouldn't have been me...

[She has a lot of Bad Feelings about being saved, don't mind her.]

[D- Wildcard]

[Obligatory wildcard option, in case none of these hit you. You can message me or hit me up at ovals!]

Initiation -- Kaede

[discerp]

[She has no idea what she's going to be doing here. Well, she knows, she knows she has to take the relic thing when it appears and throw it away. She knows there's something about temptation that she'll have to fight and she's even more anxious than usual.

Because Mikan's never been the greatest at resisting temptation sometimes, and the chance to use this thing to fix things may be too big to resist.

Mikan steals a glance at her partner, wringing her hands nervously. Should she warn her? She seems like such a nice girl, it must be terrible to be partnered up to help someone like Mikan, someone who will surely fail...]

U-um... I don't... I don't think I can do this. I'm definitely, definitely going to fail! I'm so sorry!

[petsthedog]

i. game over. continue?

[It's all a blur. What's not blocked out by static is fuzzed over from slowly fading consciousness, from a body that was bleeding out. All he can still picture is a hand reaching out, and having taken it. And when he opens his eyes, laying on the soft grass in the Quad, he's not sure what happened. The first thing he notices is the lack of pain; his back and stomach no longer ache like they're on fire, and when he looks, the only evidence of having been shot at all is the blood still soaking his coat.

There's others here, some looking equally confused and others not, and he's still reeling from -- everything. He was supposed to be dead; he has a hard time believing this is some kind of afterlife, not least because he's pretty sure he wouldn't deserve it. But no other explanation makes much sense, either. He tries again to remember what happened, but there's just the static again, and the hand, and the woman's voice. It's probably connected, but hell if he can figure out how.

He sighs roughly as he gets up, grumbling--]

What the hell is goin' on....

ii. we survived the apocalypse - post voidfish, pre-test of initiation

[After the Voidfish Experience™, Shinjiro finds himself with quite a few things to think about, as they're being herded toward the place where the Test of Initiation is going to be. There's something almost bitterly ironic about it, finding himself chosen as some kind of champion for his universe when he'd tried so hard to leave it all behind. Tried to suppress his powers, to run away from what had happened. He'd adamantly refused to come back and fight the Shadows for two years, and now he's part of an entirely new fight--one which he can't even refuse, for the sake of the same person he'd meant to die for. Ken couldn't very well move on and make a life for himself if there was no universe left to live in, after all.

It's a bit overwhelming, truth be told, but he's not exactly about to share those feelings with any of the others. Instead, he muses out loud, semi-directed at whoever might be nearby:]

Wonder what this "test" is supposed to be like.

[He hasn't been to school in two years ok .... how does test.]

iii. the past is never dead - test of initiation [ closed to guido mista ]

[It seems simple enough, on its face. The forest is deceptively innocuous, and Shinjiro is blissfully ignorant of what's awaiting him in just a few moments, though he does frown briefly at the item on the pedestal. A gun, it looks like -- pointedly similar to the Evoker that's still at his waist. That's a little on the nose, he thinks. The Director must've done her research when she reached through space and time to get to him. Still -- if that's supposed to represent power, it doesn't hold much appeal to Shinjiro, who hasn't had a desire for such a thing in years.

He steps up to the pedestal, though he pauses before actually touching the simulated Relic, turning to his partner.]

So...we're just supposed to grab this thing and throw it away, right?

iv. ashes to ashes, dust to dust - simulation room
[cw: references to past suicidal ideation & behavior]
[The test was so much worse than he'd ever imagined. He seems to almost be in a daze when he comes out of it, and he wanders around the halls of the moon base aimlessly for awhile. Eventually, he finds himself in the simulation room, though he doesn't bother to close the door behind him when he enters.

What memory do you think of most?

What indeed. The answer comes automatically, before he even thinks about it -- and then the room reforms, and he's in that spot behind Port Island Station again in the Dark Hour, sitting on the steps near the place where he lost control of Castor. Where a woman died. Where he wrecked a little kid's life. It's a memory that he's played and replayed over and over for the last two years, and the one that the Bureau had seen fit to test him with. His path had seemed so straightforward, back then; taking the Persona suppressants, removing himself from the fight against the Shadows and his connections with SEES. Making sure he could die quietly and alone so he could never bring harm to another person's life again. And after Ken joined SEES, it was obvious what he had to do then, too. Every step of the way since that night had always been so clear, but the test had made him question. What if he could take it all back? All that pain, all that misery? What if Ken and his mother could be happy until the end of the world?

It'd taken nearly everything he had to resist, to decide saving their universe was more important. But even now, he sits on those empty steps, and pictures that moment again. The simulation room doesn't allow for people, so Ken and his mother aren't here, but they don't need to be.

He's not sure how long he sits there, staring up at that pea-green sky listlessly, when he hears footsteps. Shinjiro straightens up slowly, like there's an invisible weight attached to his back, but he does get up eventually.]

Sorry. Must've lost track of time.

iii

[protegge]

Supposedly.

[Mista looks casual. Relaxed. He's made the active choice to be here in this test with Shinjiro, not because he feels like going through another test but because he wants to use his shitshow of an initiation to help newbies--and, truthfully, because he can't stand sitting still for too long.]

[Of course, just because he looks chill doesn't mean he is. There's a focus in his eyes that's not there in quieter moments. His gaze slowly pans the room, side to side and around again, like someone used to looking for danger.]

[And he is, of course, armed. The revolver on his belt is always there.]

Bet you fifty bucks it's not that simple.

OTA

[bluechampion]

Pieces from Home
Link had more or less lived at the Dojo since he arrived. He had visited other places, sure, but going through the battle simulations were the best distraction from thinking about Hyrule. He was still so sure that it wasn't gone, that this whole thing was just a giant obstacle he had to overcome to get it back.

Having been in each and every corner of the dojo at least once before leaving the moonbase for New Aspen, Link was immediately aware of the new door. It seemed he wasn't the first to find it as he found it occupied the first time he came across it. He waited patiently and checked back from time to time in between training sessions, not wanting to intrude on anyone. It took a while, but his patience eventually rewarded him as he found it available for use. He followed the instructions posted and walked in. The voice was certainly strange. After what he had been through it almost seemed like it was mocking him, asking him about his memories like that.

While he had gone to each and every location Princess Zelda had photographed and relived all those memories, they weren't perfect. It was kind of a jumbled mess, and thus the simulation resulted in a jumbled mess. In the corner was the house Link had bought from the Bolson Construction Company, but instead of a front door, or for that matter a front wall, it just opened up as if the walls had been demolished into an open field dotted with trees here and there. There was also the occasional decayed Guardian here and there with a larger pile of them off on the opposite side of the field from the partial house.

A few of the details weren't correct, but Link hadn't noticed. He was too caught up in the rush of thoughts he didn't want flooding his mind. He just stood there, not wanting to confront the harsh reality even though the simulation was shoving it straight into his face.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he had left the door unlocked...


Stop Dying 101
Link hadn't died during the mission to reclaim the Relic, but he had had a rough time of it with the spiders. He didn't find it necessary to attend the class and had no plans of attending, but it seemed the people in charge at the moonbase really meant it when they said it was mandatory. Link can be found in the back of the class before it starts, looking none too happy about being there. The uniform itself is a pain, and he didn't bother to tuck in his shirt or put on the jacket which is draped on the back on his chair. He's got his elbow on the desk and is cradling his head in his hand as he watches last minute 'students' arrive.


Relic Destruction Aftermath
Link had decided to check out the destruction of the Relic. He had never had a chance to actually see it and was surprised to see that it was an otherwise ordinary pair of mittens. After some thought, it made sense to him. Why make such a powerful thing flashy for people to instantly recognize and steal?

He had found the display to be more terrifying than anything. After the Relic was placed in the orb and some kind of powerful energy seemingly emitted, they were just gone. He didn't want to think about what would happen if that kind of power was abused. Thankfully, he had no reason to think that the Director or anyone on the moonbase for that matter would do anything along those lines.

Still, he left the observatory feeling troubled. He'd have to talk to the director about this, but anyone else around is free to find out what's wrong.


Out and About the Moonbase
I. The Quad
Link had neglected to really see the quad for himself. He had spent most of his time at the dojo, but decided that he could spend some time out in the sunshine and fresh air. He checks out the sports fields and would be more than happy to learn a game. For the most part though, he can be found sitting on the ground at the side of the lake with a fishing pole. If he catches anything, he plans on cooking it and would be more than happy to share the meal with a friend.

II. The Dojo
After his first visit to the new room, he's not going to want to revisit it. He'll be training like he usually does, though he will appreciate having an actual sparring partner over the simulations, as helpful as they are. During his breaks, he can be seen feeding the koi, napping in any of the break rooms, or maybe even peeking his head inside to see who else is around and what they might do for training. He'll try not to bother anyone though.

III. Around Town
Link is going to be using most of his well-earned cash on getting an upgrade to his sword and shield. He'll also be prowling around the Costco, mostly looking for ingredients to try to cook with. He just wishes he could find something that wasn't sold in bulk. Feel free to approach him and point him towards anything you think he should try.

IV. WILDCARD
Got something you wanna play out? Feel free to throw up a tag or come plot with me! You can send a PM to Link's journal or catch me on my plurk earthykitty

{ relic destruction }

[mccreehaw]

McCree heads out of the room quietly, watching as people pass by and discuss what they've just witnessed. He has to admit that the Director did them a solid letting them see the relic destroyed. That way they know she isn't trying to hoard these relics for herself.

When he notices someone walk by looking troubled, he has to wonder at the thoughts in the guy's head.

"Quite the light show in there, huh?"

[knightscode]

1-B: IT'S A JELLYFISH

This is all terribly confusing.

Lancelot had, moments ago, been quite sure he was going to die. He'd planned it, even. He'd been there, ready to give up his life so that Arthur and Camelot might endure. Ready to walk through the veil between worlds, arms open.

Then he'd been told to hurry up because the world was ending anyway.

Lancelot generally considers himself a steady, reasonable person but this is all a little much. He's dragged through, finds himself landing on soft (really quite nice) grass and for some reason he cannot quite make out half of what people are saying. Concerned faces peer at him and he tries to tell them he's quite all right, really --

Only then he's being pulled to his feet, there's a moving platform, there are guards, there's a tank with strange dark liquid and a foul sort of drink that leaves him reeling for a moment.

Then Lancelot looks up and sees it.

Some kind of terrifying, enormous jellyfish.

It's oddly hypnotic, horrible and fascinating all at once.

Lancelot takes a slow step back, then another half step -- and immediately steps on the person behind him

"Oh! Forgive me, I --"

And immediately he's turning away from the enormous tank, trying not to think about it.

2: INITIATION (CLOSED TO FAOLAN)

While some things are clearer now, Lancelot will still readily admit to confusion over some things. Confusion over, for example, how these red mittens ('mitten' means very little to him as a word, and the clarification that it is a type of glove doesn't make this much clearer) were capable of killing people.

Catching a glimpse of the large tree he pales for a moment before... carrying on. Magic can do many a strange thing, he knows. He hasn't quite enough of a grasp of... how space works, how planets and stars work to realise what he was looking at but it is most definitely strange.

Still, they are to take a test -- and Lancelot is determined that whatever this test may be he will succeed. It seems the best way to go about getting answers, after all, and Lancelot would really like some more answers now.

"Well," he says to his new companion. "How bad can it be?"

It's possible this hopeful question was a mistake.

The walls of the stone arena begin to melt away to forest, which is an alarming start. Lancelot collects himself, though, because the magic is not hurting them. Instead, it appears to have presented them with a small goblet on a pedestal. At least it isn't mittens? Approaching the goblet warily, as if suspecting a trap, he finally pauses with his hands hovering near it. They're meant to destroy it, right? Surely destroying a goblet cannot be so complex -- unless it is enchanted?

3-B: FANTASY COSTCO AND MISS ZARVES

There are so many things here Lancelot doesn't understand, so many things he doesn't recognise -- and this strange conversation about 'Miss Zarves' is not helping.

Lancelot, who doesn't particularly know why he'd want a cover for his bracer anyway, watches the conversation between someone buying one and the shop assistant -- then slowly... frowns. He can't quite tell if this is... deliberate? A joke? Or if there is something more sinister happening here.

He shoots an uncertain look at the patron closest to him, then back at the shopkeeper. Is it just him?

"Ah," he begins finally, and turns his frown back on his fellow customer. "Do you know of this... Miss Zarves they speak of?"

Perhaps asking a question will make it clearer if this is a... joke?

3-E: WILDCARD?

Do you want to meet somewhere else on the base, while communally locked out? Or maybe drink some mead with him?

[ ooc; if you prefer action I will switch to match! ]

2;

[reticence]

Faolan wishes in truth that his companion would not ask such questions as that. He's not one to believe in such things as luck or fate, on one hand. On the other, he does feel as though, given their circumstances, which are pretty terrible as it is what with their world having been destroyed and everything, it isn't particularly ideal to question how much worse it could get. As far as he's concerned, it could get a great deal worse indeed, and he's not particularly wanting for things to get there.

He tries to convey this sentiment to his companion with the twitch of an eyebrow in response to his words. Which is, of course, when it all starts to go a bit odd. Reaching for his dagger at his hip, Faolan staggers slightly as the forest appears around them, then glances to the other man as he steps forward towards the pedestal itself.

"Be careful," he warns. "This is meant to be a test."

Clearly they have left something out in the telling of the task. This cannot be so simple as how it seems.

[aviphile]

[This is an extremely annoying turn of events? Da Vinci has things to do! But it looks as though the lockout isn't going to end anytime soon. So she heads out, to...]

1 | PIECES FROM HOME
[Ah. This was that sort of simulation, was it? Though the smile doesn't waver from her face, there's a flicker of something beneath her serene gaze. Da Vinci turns to you, who happens to have come here with her, and speaks with a carefree tone.]

Hmm~ Sounds like a good excuse for a vacation. Well? You must have somewhere interesting in mind. I'd love to investigate eeeeeevery little detail of your home.

2A | AROUND TOWN
[With the Reclaimers' burgeoning reputation, da Vinci has begun setting up a workshop - a cozy little place that's tucked among the blacksmiths. Newcomers have received hand-illustrated stamp cards and a coy hint to drop by. If the hint wasn't coy enough and you happen to be a cute guy? You also get a big ol' wink.

In any case, she can be found either tidying the place up, drawing, or arranging materials together. Regardless of what she's working on, she'll stop the moment she sees you and call out:]

Welcome, gracious customer! Welcome to da Vinci-chan's wonderful workshop~♡ Won't you stay and chat a bit?

2B | THE QUAD
Excuuuuuuuse me~

[It's always a good day on the moon, which means the lighting is fairly predictable. Da Vinci's taken this chance to do some observational sketching, but it seems that she just had to approach you, sketchpad tucked beneath her arm. She pushes up her glasses as she peers intensely at your face.]

Ohhh, yes, that's just what I'm looking for. You'll let me draw you.

[Huh? She didn't even ask?!]

Come, come! Sit with me. I'll pay you for your time.

3 | MMM OH MY GOD, STOP FUCKING DYING
[Are you shitting her right now.

Casters aren't a class renown for their agility. And all the practice da Vinci's put in the past few days were focused on close-combat, not evasion. The ground beneath their feet rumbles. The Bulette disappears in a geyser of sand and dirt. She turns to her partner, dismay written all over her face.]

I feel like this is a wee bit unfair.

4 | WILDCARD
( if none of these options appeal to you, hit me up!! you can pm this journal or pp me at goatsong and we can work something out)

2B because actually this works perfectly

[knightscode]

[ He... will?

She's going to draw him?

Lancelot had been exploring the area, trying to get his bearings (this place is very large and confusing) and he blinks at her a few times before inclining his head in acceptance. ]

There is no need to pay, but if you would help me find my way I accept gladly.

[erythristic]

[there's so much happening all at once that Grell's in more or less a daze as the new recruits are pushed out onto the lawn, as the voidfish ichor is pushed into her hands and she drinks from it (because she is no coward, and it hardly can be deadly if it would be easier to let them die earlier), as she coughs hard at the disgusting taste. the world is magic and technology that she doesn't understand, and everything she knew was, apparently, gone. assigned a new role, a new word, without even a passing moment for one to absorb it all. without her beloved scythe to hold and cherish in these troubled times.

it was, in a word, frustrating. even if a lady keeps her head high and rises above it all, she was finding it positively, distressingly difficult. not even a moment of consideration for her, despite being so needed! how truly tragic, and not in the way Grell likes.]

dojo.

[this body distresses her in a new fashion. she feels slower, weaker, and overall worse than she did before. as if everything is muted, as if she's been made mortal. which she is, and it's infuriating her almost more than the rest of it. she needs to let it out before she decides to cause havoc in public - which would go against all these rules, and leave a bad first impression. still, anger burns under her skin, and it's how she finds herself in the dojo.

not one to start slow, she's turned the setting to medium, and though she supposedly is use daggers in this "path" they spoke of, it's a practice sword in her hands. at least her body remembers how to fight, though not at the speeds she's used to, and she's attacking the robotic holograms like they personally wronged her, using sword, legs, and fists to go after them. finishing off the last of them with a blow, she pauses to take a few deep breaths. only then does she notice if anyone else is there.]

...Sorry. This room will continue to be occupied for a while.

[at least another round. she's hardly satisified with once.]

dancing.

[a Dancer must dance, this she knows, even though understanding this entire course of events is a little out of her reach - while she appreciates being upheld for her grace and beauty (so she thinks), it is a shame that she can't wreak the lovely destruction she's used to. but classes in dancing can only help her rise to her full flower of potential, and so she signs up, ready to suffer as only a heroine can for her art.

that their teacher is a spider might as well happen with everything else going on, and Grell is nothing if not a fierce student. something physical, she can put her mind to with ease, ignoring the way her body might complain. if it hurts, then it can only get stronger. and today, they're going to move into a pair dance. which means that she needs to acquire a partner, and her chosen other half should be honored to dance with someone such as herself, regardless if they would have chosen her or not. with a grin, she offers out her hands to take up the position.]

Ready to begin?

downtime.

[though she can't burn out her body on pursuits forever. even the most persistent woman needs time to herself, to bemoan her new fate, to wander the Quad and find the best spots to rest. being in nature is so much more poetic than wasting away inside with a roommate - they gave her a man, and not even one who could be her type - and if she's to ever adjust to this, she needs to get her sulking and elegant monologues in.

of course, with how hard she's been working, she's apt to have her eyes close for a brief nap in a quiet place. under a tree, by the lake, small locations where one could find some peace in the midst of very elaborate daydreaming and musing on this new world. but it's not a deep sleep by any means - if someone gets close to her, her eyes pop open, and she sits up, looking in the direction that the sounds of another life came from. one has to stay alert, after all.]

wildcard.

[got an idea that's not here? let's go for it anyway! the sky's the limit.

for the dance prompt, please feel free to say Grell's physically dragged someone into the room for a lesson and won't listen to them saying no or trying to escape. also, Grell's Test of Initiation partner is Dave Strider.]

dojo

[blodsvorr]

[Newcomer. Saw her on the quad. She seemed dazed and distracted at the time. Now, it seems like she's going for a very particular kind of therapy. Qrow sighs as he steps in, drawing himself together into a lazy, casual grin.]

Yeah, sure. But is it going to be occupied by you and those holograms, or are you willing to fight something a little tougher than a pop-up light show?

[He is helping! By inviting her to therapize with him. It's what Brad Bradson would want.]

[bakucchan]

i.

[He can barely remember it, the moment everything changed. There was a vague feeling fresh in his mind, one moment on a high after winning a combat match, showing off his new skills in front of his classmates. The next.... it's fuzzy. A hand reached out, telling him that he was needed. Everything around him felt bleak and devastatingly hopeless so he... took it. He took it and... now he's laying on his side in a meadow of some kind, the serenity of the scenery almost giving him whiplash.

It was like something from a sci-fi movie, and as Bakugo sat up to observe his surroundings he felt panic start to creep up into his throat. Really... what just happened? Whenever he tries to remember, all he gets is fuzzy static and black nothingness... he's never dealt with anything like this before, and it has him immediately suspicious and on guard. He's still in his winter Hero costume, but his grenade gauntlets and the small bombs he keeps on his person are missing. The fact that the dangerous, and thus protective parts of his costume have been removed is definitely a cause for worry. It could mean that this was the villains attempting to get him on their side again... or something else completely. At least this time he didn't wake up chained to a chair but.. it still has the same kind of feelings as it did back then. But he's different, this time. Stronger. There's no one around to save him besides himself, and the only way to really find out if this was a kidnapping again is by getting answers.

So, he wastes no time pushing himself up to his feet and when he sees someone else nearby he stomps over and grabs the collar of their shirt roughly with one of his hands, no matter how tall or short they may be. His other hand is raised up behind him as if he's ready to do.. Something with it. Whatever that something is is probably not too pleasant given what he says next.]

You better have some fucking answers or I'll blow your skull clean off your neck!

[that'll definitely make a good first impression]

ii.

[After introductions, the group of new recruits are gathered together for something and Bakugo doesn't even have the chance to ask what before he's suddenly pulled aside, and doused with something coming out of what looks like a fire extinguisher. Of course he protests and makes a big fuss out of it, which might be alarming to some of the other recruits since he was partitioned off and all they can hear is loud insults being flung anywhere but soon enough he joins the group again.. smelling fresh and clean and visibly shaking with rage. He tried using his Quirk (super power) to blast everyone away from him but for some reason or another, whatever that stuff they put on him stopped him from sweating out the nitroglycerine-like substance that he ignites to create explosions in his hands. So basically, he was Quirkless right now. Quirkless, and pissed.

That's why, even though he stood in the back of his group silent as can be, when he's offered the mystical drink Bakugo takes it and immediately throws the cup to the ground in disgust.]

Like hell I'm drinking that shit! You've got to be a fucking idiot if you think I'm gonna trust anything that you give me after erasing my Quirk like that, you asshole!

[Words cannot describe how much rage lives in this young boy's body.]

iii. closed to ryuji

[By the time the test of initiation is in order, Bakugo's calmed down a smidge. He's still absolutely furious about his Quirk, and now even more furious because he can't understand half the shit people tell him thanks to his own fit of rage earlier (]he'll tell you he doesn't regret it but. he does) but since it seems like the only thing he can really do in this situation is play along, he decides to do that.. for now. He's not useless without his Quirk, but he's smart enough to know that he can't take on a lot of people without it no matter how much combat experience and physical strength he has. So he follows his partner to the Arena, quiet so he can pay close attention to everything he's being told. There's something about a [THHSCSHTCH] being a pair of mittens, and those mittens causing great destruction and harm. They've both been given the task of resisting the urge to use the item for their own selfish desires, and Bakugo rolls his eyes at the request. As if he'll let himself fall for such a stupid trick. He's smarter than that.

When they enter the simulation, the item in front of them looks to be a simple marble. One of the bigger ones used to knock the smaller ones out of the ring and Bakugo curious walks over to it, raising an eyebrow at how unimpressive it was.]

We're supposed to resist the temptation from this dinky thing? Do they think we're fucking five years old?

iv.

[After a very... tiring.. initiation, Bakugo's decided to spend that money he's been given on a weapon. He can order a specially made one, and even some armor but with his hero outfit still mostly the way it's supposed to be he feels like he didn't need any armor, and without his Quirk he has no idea what special pre-made weapon to even make. So that's why he's at FANTASY COSTCO to find himself something he likes here.

Of course the first thing he picks up is a fuckall huge axe, and he just. Carelessly swings it around like it's nothing, since he's got some pretty beefy arms from years and years of training them. Though if you're not careful you uh might want to look where you're walking, just in case he swings it in your direction on accident.]

wildcard

[if youve got something else in mind please dont hesitate to throw it my way! you can catch me on plurk as well at zombae!]

iv

[seasaltkeys]

[Roxas is always suitably intimidated by Fantasy Costco. He's been able to find a lot of the things he needs here, but it comes with the worry that he'll get lost in the massive store. But he's trying to find a good sword to compliment his keyblade for dual wielding, and that seems to be harder than it looks.

Which is why he finds himself in the weapons aisle, and about a hair's breadth away from an axe blade until he jumps back reflexively.]

You might want to watch where you're swinging that thing!

[notthatbutler]

[3B - I'll take the priciest tea leaves, please.]

[Oh, shit. Money. Actual gold pieces and such, Dwyer understands this form of currency. He's surprised at the sort-of allowance, but definitely willing to put it to use, so the first thing he does is commission a small knife for himself. Not a dagger, more just a carving blade, something small he can keep concealed on his person and use to whittle or cut ropes or poke his way out of a bad situation, if need be. Mostly for carving. It was kind of fun, making ornaments in New Aspen, and he'd like to try his hand at a couple other things.

But besides that? He's decided to brave the aisles (and creepy jingle) of the Fantasy Costco to procure some things he's been sorely in need of. After all, he has by now seen the community kettle in the cafe, and what good is a kettle without something to put in it?

Tea. He's going to buy the largest box of tea bags he can find. Black, green, oolong, herbal, whatever Garfield's got on sale for the best deal. He can work with it, but let him make tea, at least, Gods. It's sort of by chance that he picks up a pack of the Bracer Chasers as well, drawn in by their various colors and patterns. And that's when he hears the name of mystery.]

...Miss Zarves, huh...

[He sort of says it to himself a couple of times as he looks down at his new, weird-feeling Bracer Chaser. It's the pattern Garfield got all weird about, and it's not a bad pattern, whatever it is. But as for the name that seemed to just disperse into the air...well, he's got an idea of where he could start, but for now he's likely to just spread further mystery if you happen to overhear him as he makes his way through the rest of town, mostly window shopping.]

[3C - I'd rather just have a cup of tea and watch, if you don't mind.]

[This was stupid. This was dumb. This was so dumb. It wasn't mandatory for Dwyer to come to "Stop Dying 101", but he decided to check it out anyway, and now look where he is - in the middle of the Arena with you (whoever you might be), facing down a dragon-mole thing that looks hell bent on snacking on his viscera.

So, uh. Shit. Yeah, there's no way they can take this thing on.]

...You ought to run, I...I can distract it...

[He doesn't sound confident on that second part, but try fighting with him on the first part and you'll get a surprising amount of pushback. What do?]

[3E - Tea Experiments]

[So there's been a lot of down time without any all-encompassing missions to go on. What does a butler do with time to kill? Why, he makes tea, of course! While Dwyer will very easily give up his monopoly on the kettle if someone asks for it, it's clear that he's getting a lot of relief and enjoyment out of using it and offering cups to anyone around, whether they be a fellow Reclaimer brought here by the Director or just your average Faerunian Bureau member. He's even taking time between batches to break out the few pine nuts and peppermint chips he managed to bring with him from New Aspen and is painstakingly trying to get both fine enough to add to the teabags he's bought in order to attempt to recreate the medicinal tea of Gnome, MD.

It's. Well. Probably not medicinal. But it doesn't taste bad, if you want to try it. No really, Dwyer insists, please give him your unaltered, undiluted criticism. Is it lumpy or overpowering? Let him know, he wants to improve so badly. Or just chat with this tired boy who's so determined to make tea for everybody, he's got to be fun for gossip.]

[3A - I just clocked out. This won't take long, will it?]

[By now, of course, he's heard rumors about the room in the Dojo. The room that turns into whatever you want it to be. And, well, of course he's curious, because who wouldn't be? It's a weird place to put a magic home-illusion room, but just because it's in a Dojo doesn't mean he has to fight anybody to get there.

If anyone sees him slip into the room, they don't have to wait very long before they see Dwyer emerge from it - he can only linger for a few minutes. Behind him there's a second or two of the scene inside; a large bed with plush red blankets, a funny lion-headed rocking horse kind of toy, a bookshelf, an end table with a pot of tea ready and waiting to serve. It disappears too quickly for more details to be seen, and Dwyer is absolutely booking it as far away as he can, because he can't.

He just...he can't.]

3C

[gambolshroud]

[Blake actually likes school, most days, and this kind of classroom situation isn't all that out of the ordinary for her— however, she gets the feeling that Dwyer may not have realized exactly what he'd signed up for, though there's no doubt the combat experience will be good for the both of them.]

You don't sound so sure about that.

[There's not a lot of time for banter, considering that thing could rush them at any moment, but:]

You don't need to play bait. I should be able to distract it well enough that we both get out of here safely, but just for reference— what kind of distraction did you have in mind?

[She has her Shadow Clones, which are absolutely made for distraction, but it's not like they'll always be together in the field. Maybe she should let Dwyer try his hand at playing decoy to get some experience?]

[grakraka]

[Notes: Although I did specific prompts for Mary and his red blue bull wings, you're free to mix and match those two prompts with any wildcard one. The doll will always be on him and he'll be drinking a few energy drinks over the time here, so there's no harm in it!]


[Roulette of Suspiciously Uninteresting Sights]

[A few times you might be able to catch him cursing at nothing as he struggles with his pack. Or at least it seems like nothing? But if you A) follow his gaze to the pack itself, you'll see a strange doll's head poking out of it. Weird. Then the strange doll starts floating out of the pack and you might realise he's not the insane part of this equation.

The doll stares into your soul if you linger too long without speaking.

Though you could also B) bother him while he's sitting among a cluster of trees in the Quad, doing homework for his mandatory class, except for some reason he has a pair of angelic wings on his back that are—judging by how they occasionally shift—real.

To top it all off, he almost has an unusual feeling about him. You could call it divine or angelic, just like the wings. But he isn't paying attention to that.]

[Detention]

[As one of the people being forced to attend the class, he can't help but feel an unusual amount of pressure to excel at it. A trip to the Arena just makes it worse. Of course there would be a practical test.

But he isn't exactly good at backing down from a challenge and part of him insists that if he actually showed a smart, tactical way to beat whatever they face, he could get more points.

Ugh, no no. He knows that isn't true. What will earn the most praise is surviving well. But what would be the best way to do that while showing off his own talents in it? He has a shield now... Hm.]

Ah, would you like to be partners for the test?

[Do you really want to pair up with the guy who has been being a Perfect Student Suck Up all class?]

[Night Rain]

[Though surprised by the question, it summons something immediate inside of him: a somewhat hazy memory of delicious coffee, the low murmur of the TV, the smell of curry and the gentle sound of rain. A book to read and no one to care what he does or who he is, not because they dislike him but simply because he's welcome among them as just another person.

No pressure to be perfect. He liked to think of it as a little escape from everything. There had never been a place to him that mattered before then. And so that is what the room provides.

Of course, he can't have anyone knowing he's using this escape, so he doesn't go at normal hours. He either just stays out late or sneaks out of his room, depending on Qrow's state or general presence, and waits until the area has gone completely quiet before using it.

This means that you have a few ways to ruin his peace: A) means you managed to hide well enough that you can ambush him before he goes in or B) you waited for him to come out, meaning you get to see a brief, couple of second view of a small, cozy cafe before the room reverts back to blank.]

[Wildcard]

[Akechi will generally be around, attending the Director's little get-together for relic destruction, attending dancing lessons while trying not to stay around Miss Charlotte even if she's nice or doing other things. If you want a specific starter you can hit me up on plurk at astronomia or just start your own! i should be able to do tags regularly again soon.]

spins the roulette wheel

[gotyourbach]

[Oh, homework? For class? What a nerd.

Not that Kaede is one to talk, what with her backpack stuffed full of sheet music and several other books clearly borrowed from the Artificer's office in her arms. It's the wings that catch her attention more than anything else, though. She doesn't quite try to sneak up on him, but she doesn't say anything, either, just watching them curiously. He really does look like an ange--]

Eeeeeeeeeek!!

[Books go flying as that cursed doll pops her head up from behind Akechi, Kaede's arms almost reflexively covering her face.]

A-Akechi-kun, watch out!!

[mylawn]

i. dojo

[It’s no secret that 76 spends a lot of his free time in the dojo, and now that they’re back on the moon base, he sees no reason not to continue doing just that. The excuse is that he needs to keep his skills sharp, but the truth of it is that he can’t stay idle for long. It’s not in his nature.

The prompt that greets him when he returns to the dojo, however, has him balking. This place has already been in his head once, and hell if he’ll let them do it again—but it’s a little too late for that, because a location has already come to mind, and the door is opening for him.

It’s not as bad as he thought, except for the painful reminder of something that’s presumably lost. The Egyptian tomb is the last place he was before arriving here, and it’s only the inner room that manifests, the sitting area and worktables and consoles still intact. It’s quiet, and dark, and he likes it a little more than he thinks he should.

Once the room is established, he can’t help but go back and forth to it a few times, leaving plenty of opportunity for prying eyes to peek inside.]

ii. artificer

[After 76 makes a cursory shopping trip around town and to Fantasy Costco, picking up some miscellania and talking to the blacksmiths about various armor upgrades, he finds himself in the Artificer’s office, cashing in his token from the last mission.

While he’s around, he decides to page through a few books, though he isn’t quite sure what he’s looking for—only that he thinks he’ll know it when he finds it. He doesn’t really consider himself a library guy, and he looks more than a little bit out of place, still wearing his tactical gear, now with a large mirrored shield in tow. He’s accumulated a few volumes, and he’s currently grumbling to himself while surveying the shelves of books for more.]

Hey, you.

[Yes, you. You look a little more at home in a library than he does, but then again, that’s not exactly hard to do.]

Hold these for a second.

[Did you want an armful of books? Too bad, here it comes.]

iii. grand relic

[Given the circumstances of his arrival, 76’s first impression of the Director is that she was not to be trusted, and he’d spent most of the first month on the moon base trying to acclimate himself to the location, gleaning what information he could without dealing with the Director, well, directly. Now that their first mission is complete, however, and the Bureau seems to be doing what they claim to be doing (not that he knows much about any of this magic business), he’s a little more amenable to answering the Director’s summons.

Besides, he might want to see how they ultimately take care of these Relics, when all is said and done.

As he’s wont to do, 76 hangs back, slightly away from the other Reclaimers, watching the process intently. When the lights start, he doesn’t flinch, and it’s difficult to read just what he thinks of all this—in fact, when it’s over, he seems more interested in your opinion.]

That was something, huh?

[In the aftermath he finds himself with a cup of coffee that he’s not really drinking. It’s clear that his thoughts are still on the destruction of the Relic and the device that took care of it.]

iv. wildcard

[Hit me up for anything you want. 76 likes to TRAIN AND FIGHT so if you’re looking to spar or boost some combat skills or need a Test of Initiation partner I’m super happy to set something up. You can find me on plurk at whitticus.]

i

[mccreehaw]

[ McCree hasn't gone into a room from his mind himself yet, and really has no plans to. Is it worth doing if it's a place he can never return to? If that's true. Jury's still out on whether the world's truly gone or they're getting their minds messed with here. After all, this place can pluck places out of your mind to plop you down in.

What catches his attention is Jack making his way inside the dojo and emptying his pockets before being let through. Well, damn, what's this all about? McCree waits until the door closes behind Jack to follow suit, dropping his lighter, cigarettes, etc. into the tray and using his bracer to get inside the room.

Once he's there, he sort of expects Jack to know immediately, so he doesn't bother hiding his presence. ]

Huh. One hell of a decorator you got for this place.

[ He's referring to the Egyptian hieroglyphs and people on the walls, not the shoddy tables and such. ]

[kliffhanger]

A. A Piece of home... just not Kliff's

[ After getting locked out of his room, Kliff quickly found the simulation room. But the moment he figured out what it does he backs right back out again. Not that there's anywhere in The One Kingdom he was super interested in revisiting: he misses the people, but the place means nothing to him. He wouldn't have left if it did.

But he does hang around outside, reading a book. Anytime someone is in there for too long he bangs on the door aggressively. He's probably dragged out a few people pining for home.

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.]

B. Dance Dance Spider Revolution

[He's no noble: any dances he knows are fit for village festivals. Not nearly classy enough for a real party. So Kliff signs up- can't be more physically demanding than war.

Oh. He was so wrong.

He can be found after one of the classes, rubbing his feet with a scowl on his face]

You'd think these dances were actually meant for someone with eight feet...

C. Wildcard

[Just hit me up, yo. He's around]

B

[soundsurfing]

[ Of course Beat's a pal and decided to go to dance lessons with Kliff. And though his feet hurt too, he still manages to grin and tease.]

Right? Yo it's almost like our teacher's a spider!

[gotyourbach]

A; the quad

[Kaede isn't the type to have done much outside school-required P.E., and it shows. She has her long blonde hair bound up tightly into a ponytail that sways gently from side to side as she tries jogging another circuit around the Quad.

Tries being the key word here. She starts at a fairly energetic pace, but she barely makes it a quarter of the way before she has to slow to a brisk walk, gasping for breath. Doing things like the hundred-meter dash and relay races at school hadn't really prepared her for running on her own! But every time she stops, she doesn't allow herself more than a minute or two before briskly clapping her cheeks with both hands and trying to resume her pace again.

She has to at least get some credit for trying, right?]

B; the artificer's office

It has to be here somewhere...

[Kaede's voice can be heard in a dusty corner of the library, murmuring quietly to herself as she shuffles books around from atop a ladder. The table closest to her chosen ladder is covered in sheet music, some half-written in pencil, some clearly from bound texts from this very library.]

...Oh! Found it!

[She's careful as she holds her chosen book close to her chest and clambers down the ladder. It's only then she notices that she has an audience, letting out another soft,] Oh! [this time of embarrassed surprise.] Sorry, I didn't know you were there. Is my stuff in your way?

C; the academy music room

[The sounds of false starts, of the beginnings of musical melodies and jumping notes, echo down the hall of the more artistic wing of the Bureau Academy. Kaede's there, in the music room, like she usually is after classes in the afternoon, but instead of playing whatever comes to mind with all the skill befitting someone who used to be called the Super High School Level Pianist, she instead has sheets of music scattered -- well, everywhere.

She's commandeered the entire music room, it seems. There's blank sheets on the floor, half-started sheets atop the piano and covering a few of the other instruments as she tugs a pencil from her hair and makes a few corrections to the sheet in front of her.

Hope you, uh, weren't trying to use the music room. It's Occupied, and she's made quite a mess.]

D; simulation room

[It's late. It's very, very late. Or maybe it's early. Kaede can't be sure; she hasn't checked her bracer in a while. She'd woken up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, and, as usual, snuck out of her room to go for a walk to try to clear her head, to try to bring herself back to the moment.

It has to be well after midnight when she finally comes back to the simulation room, almost guiltily. She wavers without heading inside, though; if anything, she seems surprised to see anyone else there at this time of night.]

O-Oh... sorry. If you wanted to use it, I'll... come back later. It's not a big deal!

[She forces a smile, clasps her hands behind her back. The normally energetic girl looks tired, in a way that can't really be explained by her attempts at martial training.]

E; wildcard!

[Kaede will be found all around the moon base, happy to chat with newcomers and veterans alike. If she's not in any of the places mentioned in the prompts, she can be found trying to convince Bender that crepes and pancakes are different, that he really needs to stop with the energy drinks, please, or in dance class!! She already knows the basics of how to waltz, and she's a kind dance partner even if Miss Charlotte freaks her out, like, a lot. She'll also be attending Stop Dying 101! As always, feel free to hit me up @jaderhade if you want to plot something out!]

C

[napstar]

[ Being a bard is brand new to him, so he's been attending a class that explains how to approach his abilities. After a few lessons Minato thinks that he could just make Orpheus play the lyre during battle. However, calling out his persona in front of people during investigations would be rather.... questionable. And if there's one thing Minato doesn't want to do, it's answer a whole lot of questions.

So he asked the teacher about learning to play an instrument. The teacher directed him to the music room to look over their stock and find an instrument he would like to learn. It seems someone else is working on some kind of project, though. Curiosity pulls him towards her. She seems to be writing music all by herself, and from the amount of papers strewn about he can only imagine it's an entire movie soundtrack. Wow, she's ambitious!

It sounds like she's good from the snippets he hears her playing. He finds himself captivated by watching her work and forgets to say anything to announce his presence. ]

[unrecovered]

1a: It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel terrible)

It's peaceful here, to a point. There's grass, trees, people walking and talking with each other, acting like the world hadn't just ended. Who knows; maybe theirs didn't.

Wash is still sitting where he was deposited, fully armored and completely stunned. Supposedly, the world had just ended. Supposedly, everyone he knew and loved was dead. Again. Supposedly. Because try as he might, he can't get his mind to generate the memory of the apocalypse in the perfect fucking clarity he knows it's capable of - the clarity he can't usually get it to turn off. It's static, fuzzy around the edges, terrified yells and frantic radio calls abruptly cutting off one by one, all static and distant, as though the signal was breaking up-

Is this even real? Is he hallucinating? It's been a while since he's had one this vivid and long-lasting, sure, but that doesn't mean it's not possible...

(Someone please take mercy on the new guy, trapped in his own thoughts in the middle of a patch of grass. He's obviously not taking this well.)


2: Magical Hazing (closed to Qrow)

It's not often someone completely realigns Wash's brain and immediately sets him to a task. Sure, it's not unheard of, but it's definitely been a while. It doesn't help that he's been paired with a random stranger, but honestly, everyone here is a random stranger, at least for now.

It's easier to think about that - to pick at that particular strand of logic - than it is to accept the fact that, on the pedestal of the beautiful forest glade the arena has produced, sits a simple coffee mug: bright blue, with a cat messily sharpied on one side.

His coffee mug. From home. Which no longer exists.

"You know," he says, trying to work around the sudden lump in his throat and the mild assault on his already battered sanity, "I was expecting a sword."


3a: Home is where the heart breaks

As far as Wash is concerned, it doesn't matter what he tells the disembodied voice: if it's asking about his memories, it's not going to be pleasant.

And it's not.

Anyone walking by that particular new room of the dojo will see Wash step out of it, slam the door behind him, and slump heavily against the wall. Too soon.


3c: That's how they get you! They're under the goddamn ground!

As far as Wash is concerned, taking this class makes sense. He will eventually be going into the field, and the best thing you can have before a mission is solid intel, and knowing what might be out to kill you is definitely an important part of said intel. Forewarned is forearmed, right?

Of course, all of that goes straight out the window when the first practical exam rolls around and he finds himself facing a goddamn horror movie monster. He glances at his partner - are they handling this any better than he is? - before looking back at the angry roaring thing in the middle of the arena.

"Oh, come on!"

And then he throws himself out of its way, because that thing is already on the move.


3e: Let's go to the mall, everybody!

Wash has gotten accustomed to a lot over the past few days. Living on the moon: no big deal, though this one not being completely terraformed is weird. Magic: sure, why not? This place is weird enough already. The apocalypse: ...let's not talk about that just yet.

But every time he thinks he's readjusted his scale of weird, something else crops up to completely upend it. First it was the Voidfish; then it was the hologram generator room in the dojo. Right now, it's the decidedly out of place high-end building with the neon sign. He hasn't gone in yet; right now, he's still trying to process its existence. Out loud.

"Fantasy Costco?"


3e: The elixir of life

It's way too early to be awake, and yet, Wash is. He's sitting in the cafe, at the table nearest the coffee fountain. When he empties his mug, he nonchalantly reaches out and refills it from the fountain. The coffee is terrible - too strong, nearly burned, altogether just this side of unpalatable. It tastes like home.

Sometimes life can be good, even after the apocalypse; that is, until the other early bird in the cafe decides to disturb his peace.

He begrudgingly looks up from his mug. "Yeah?"


4: Unraveled

Wash watches the ceremony - and damn if the proceedings don't take that title seriously - nursing a cup of coffee all the while. It's impressive, sure, but a good light show usually is, especially to someone without context.

After a moment, he leans over to the person next to him, quietly bemused. "If these things are so powerful, then how did they manage to destroy them?"


[If you want something different, or if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up at kiaxet!]

2. Hazing Buddy

[blodsvorr]

Honestly, Qrow would rather have gone in with one of the kids. It's easier for him to keep his patience with them. There's something about 'young, lost, and in danger' that kicks in his Huntsman instincts and has him taking exploding pirate ships to the back to keep them safe (somehow not the worst of his test with Ryuji). This guy?

Well, this guy looks like one of Jimmy's robots, misplaced and given a paint job by some petty teenagers. The kind of petty teenager Qrow would rather be babysitting than this guy.

But, okay, trauma. End of the world, having to drink Voidfish juice (did he take off the helmet to do it? Qrow hopes), everyone you love and everything you worked for dying. Armour like that would be military, right? Military folks get their duty drilled into them. Losing that would hurt. So Qrow should be able to muster up some sympathy.

Some. Because the helmet makes Wash hard to read, which is annoying to Qrow as someone who really likes to be able to read the people around him (armour = military is frankly a shot in the dark when everyone's world is so different from his) and it makes it hard for him to see a face and expressions. You know, the things that provide empathy and human connection. There's a reason Raven wears that mask when she's going full-on 'I'm The Tribe Leader' bitch.

(Wore it. He spares one moment to be angry with her for making him grieve her death before he pushes that down with every other unresolved feeling about his dead world.)

So Qrow isn't happy about the test, or Wash's age, or his helmet, or his possible military background. There is an undeniably guarded element to his usual 'posture is for sellouts' slouching.

And then he sees the messiness of that cat drawn in. And he hears the thing Wash is trying so hard to speak around, even through his helmet's speakers.

These tests always go right for the throat, huh?

"Nah, not unless you've got a sword that'd laser-target your heart." His tone is still a little cavalier, but some of that guardedness has softened. "If this is going to go anything like the last round, you're gonna have the pleasure of running a stunningly personalized gauntlet of all the things that'll hit you hardest. Only the best harrowings for new recruits, here at the Bureau of Balance."

Softening doesn't mean an absence of sardonic bluntness.

[rancori]

1 - B

[Lovely, honestly, how hazy her memory is.

One second, she's still in that cellar, still realizing that blood is her blood, as images of her friends float in front of her eyes. Then there's a voice telling her the world's ending and hey, what the hell. Everyone Maria knows is dead and she's pretty sure she's dead, too.

The rest of it's more of a blur than she'd like to admit.

But then there's the worst goddamned drink of her life and that jellyfish and. Oh, this is just too much.]

What the fuck? Are you seeing this?!

3 - C

[The whole Not Dying thing seemed kind of funny at first, honestly. Until she actually sees what she's up against.

Oh.

Maria doesn't quite look at her partner, just crosses her arms.]

Okay! Full disclosure! My last fight went real badly. How 'bout you?

WILDCARD

[Want to do anything else? Go wild! Feel free to PM me at this journal or freege!]

INITIATION - LOCKED TO MINATO

[rancori]

[All right, she can't exactly say she's even remotely in the mood for a test but here she is. Great.

She squints down at the knife on the pedestal, making no move to get any closer or farther away. Yeah, this doesn't look trustworthy.

Maria looks up, frowning.]

How bad do you think it'll be?

[reticence]

[1. B) THE VOIDFISH]
Faolan looks down at the glass in his hand and then back up at the ridiculous man who had offered it. Across at the suspicious tank he had pulled it from, and then turns to glance at his fellow Reclaimers, a slightly incredulous look on his face as he does. None of this has made a whole lot of sense to him thus far, through the sound of that gods damned noise.

If the man says that it will get rid of the noise, then there is only one way to find out for certain, Faolan supposes. If worse comes to worst, it could just kill him, but then with his world already destroyed, he hardly thinks that he could wind up in a more terrible situation than he has already.

Tossing back the glass of muddy sludge, Faolan makes a face, coughs once, thinks he may be sick, before he regains his footing and his stomach and finds himself standing in front of some clear structure in which there floats the largest sea creature he's ever seen. Staring into its starry body as he feels the cogs of his mind beginning to fit back into place again.

"In the name of all that's holy..."

[3. C) A (PERHAPS MANDATORY) DAY AT STOP DYING 101]
Faolan supposes that he should have known better than to volunteer for such training. That, upon being locked out of his room, he should have simply taken himself out for a drink, or gone for a walk, or found himself anything better to do than training.

He supposes that he'll know better for next time.

Looking across at the large beast that suddenly appears out of thin air across from him and his partner, he's really starting to regret this choice.

"Any ideas?"

B) SPEND YOUR DOUGH. SOLVE A MYSTERY
After that business with the Bulette, perhaps it's best that Faolan acquire himself some better gear. He had been given the coin for exactly that, after all. Being a medieval man, it's only natural that he places an order with the blacksmith, and soon enough he has an order for a handsome dagger and leather jerkin to be produced at his request.

His coin spent in what Faolan deems to have been an appropriate manner, he finds himself exploring the other options, of what he might have purchased, had he not gone straight for what he had found familiar. Ready-made items that seem to him lacking in character and quality, for that matter (though he would never tell the merchant that himself). And other garments which...

Faolan holds up a jacket which seems to be split open, some curious metal fastening attached to the two sides of the front. He slides a small section of it curiously up and down along the track, wondering at the nature of the mechanism itself, quietly fascinated.

(It's a zipper.)

[4. A GRAND RELIC DESTROYED]
Faolan had not been there for when the first mission, as the Director describes it, had taken place. Though he watches the ceremony with fascination -- both at the proceedings and because he has never seen any technology like this. He's recognizing that he's got a great many things to learn about this place, not only its goings on, but about the little things as well. For better or worse, this is his life now. If he wants to stand a chance at survival, he had better start asking questions now.

Though first thing's first...

He turns to the first person beside him as the cheers die down and the proceedings conclude, understanding the universal sign that it's time for refreshments and mingling, and asks the first thing that comes to his mind.

"Were you involved in this first mission, then?"

((ooc: i default to prose when writing but i will match for action, whatever your preference! also if you'd like for another prompt/something different than what i've set up, feel free to shoot me a pm at this journal or a message at lycanthropy101!!))

4

[bu773rfly]

She feels like she really ought to be here for this, refreshments or otherwise. (Not in a rules way. Just in a personal satisfaction way.)

Erika isn't much to look at - a small girl in a cloak that makes her look like she's lurking under it, and thus even smaller - but sometimes there's a magical-looking flutter of motion at her face or her fingers, like butterflies' wings in blue moving all over each other, and there's a rapt, solemn focus about her that drifts thoughtfully about the room throughout the ceremony and locks fiercely onto the mittens as they're incinerated.

She's silently tense for that. Remains so for a good few seconds afterwards, watching warily, like she's not perfectly convinced they're gone. Then she relaxes in stages, still watching, becoming steadily more satisfied with what she sees.

Were you involved in this first mission, then?

She glances over. And up. Faolan gets a few seconds of eye contact before she returns it to the place where the relic used to be. It's being used for something else right now.

"Mmmhm." She nods. "You're new."

It's a comment, not a question. There's kind of an awkward tone about it, the discomfort of someone young who is talking to someone older than themselves and isn't certain how that should bear on what they say. (Actually, the discomfort of someone who knows they won't let it bear on anything, and is just waiting to see how that'll be received - but those sound basically the same.) Erika looks like she's heard it at the same time that she says it, taking it in and frowning thoughtfully.

"...How'd your test go?"

[horsepowered]

3.1: DOJO A
[Be it horse or be it man, Chiron is in the dojo more often than not. His archer skills, such as they are, mean that every time he stands or runs to let loose a rain of arrows, the marks are always found. It is something that he takes pride in, just as he takes pride in putting every weapon aside and using nothing more than his hands.

For breaks, he takes to where there is water. At present, there is a line, and he can wait contentedly until he sees how very tiny the little cups are at the watercooler.]

...I hope that there's something bigger than that for water.

3.2 DOJO: Home edition
[The mountains of Greece are singular in beauty. Rugged and rocky and so, so green, and when Chiron enters that space, he cannot help but grin. This? This is his mountain. This is Pelion, where he stood so proud, where he trained so many heros, where the sky was always the brightest and bluest it could ever be, and where under his hooves there were always flowers.

What's more is the birdsong. Birds he knew by their chirps, their squawks, all of their little codes to each other.

He cannot help but let out the happiest sigh.]

Wonders shall never cease.

[And he sits in the grass, hooves arranged just so, because he is in his favorite spot in the world.]

4: Destruction
[Chiron attends the ceremony out of curiosity. He has never seen such a thing dedicated to destruction. Holidays were for gods and for honor, not for this.

So watching the mittens be obliterated is. Well.

He stares in quiet horror. Because what the fuck did he just witness?]

Wildhorses
You know the deal

{ wild horses couldn't drag me away }

[mccreehaw]

[ If Chiron wanders back to the room, he'll find McCree leaning against the wall outside, poking at his bracer and shaking his head. When he notices his roommate, he pushes off the wall and points to the screen beside the door. ]

Hey, look at this. I'm locked out. Can't tell if it's my bracer that's messed up or the door lock. Can you give it a try?

[soundsurfing]

no dogs allowed on the moon unless they're chilly.

[ Beat can be found in the cafe, munching on some instant ramen with his beanie sitting on the table beside his bowl. Inside his beanie? A hot dog.

Yes. A hot dog. No bun. Just... a hot dog.

What makes this hot dog special is the fact that when someone draws closer, it suddenly begins to bark at them and aggressively wiggle back and forth, causing Beat to frown and reach out to pat the hot dog to calm it down, before looking around to whomever caught the dogs attention.

All he wanted was a chili dog. A small bit of home that didn't taste like strawberries.

Bender was a bitch. ]


eight left feet.

[ You would think a boy who skateboarded pretty well - to the point he could fight with his skateboard while riding it - would be far more coordinated for something like dancing. But as he steps on his partners foot for the nth time and grimaces, it's pretty clear dancing isn't his strong suit. Mumbling a sorry, he looks down at his feet to try and rearrange them, trying to listen to Ms. Charlottes instructions while focusing on his feet so he doesn't crush toes.

When they're finally allowed to stop, he pulls back with a sympathetic look. ]

Uh... sorry you got paired wid me, yo. How's yer feet...?

[ He even offers to help them off to the side, maybe Ms. Charlotte will wrap them up a bit if it's bad... ]


wildcard.

[ Beat can be found all over the moon, feel free to start your own prompt or hit me up at talasia for some plotting! ]

I'm gonna Old Yeller that hot dog

[achillea]

[Kenpachi had wandered over mostly to check in with the kid. Beat had caught the man's interest back when they met, and only continued to be interesting when they all fought the Kipine.

But then he's immediately distracted by the barking meat tube in Beat's hat. It's not the weirdest thing he's seen, thanks mainly to Kurotsuchi, but it's definitely enough to give him pause.]

What the hell is this thing?
[It's pretty terrible.]

[napstar]

1. Innoculation
[ Minato has had enough concoctions from the school nurse to know how this goes down. He holds his nose, takes a gulp of air, and chugs. And it's disgusting! It's as if the texture was made of grime and algae slime. The taste? Sea salt and sweaty gym socks. He pulls away the empty cup to start coughing, his eyes tearing in his fit. When he regains control of his lungs and wipes away the tears the first thing he sees is the Voidfish. He's lost in it's beautiful patterns and -- is that a universe inside it?

He seems to have forgotten everything else around him. Maybe someone should get his attention away from it. ]


2. The Academy
[ Being locked out of his room for a while led him to boredom and boredom led him to signing up for classes at the Academy. He's decided that he needs the structure to feel like a functional human being and school is something he's attended most of his life. It's probably the most familiar thing the moon has to offer.

Some may say he's signed up for too many classes, though. He's filled most of his days with them. Perhaps you saw him sleeping during geography or listening to his music in the precalculus course or casually strolling in late to creative writing. He can be found working on homework while eating in the cafeteria or laying in the grass in the Quad. Bother him during class, lecture him about taking his academics seriously, subtly suggest he drop a few courses, ask for help on an assignment, bully him, or anything else! ]


3. Dance Dance!
[ Yet another class he's signed up for. It seemed bard-adjacent, so he took it on a whim. He's had some strange teachers in his time, but they were at the very least humanoid. This is the first time he's being taught by a spider. Is that normal for this place? Well, she seems to know her stuff.

Apologies if you're paired with him though. It's clear he's never formally danced before. He struggles with how to lead or follow and regularly missteps. He trips over his own feet. By the end of the session he's sore and tired, resting by the door before he drags himself back to his room. If only this were some sort of dream where thoughts became dance moves. That would be so much easier.

Oh, it looks like he's fallen asleep. Maybe you should wake him up before Ms. Charlotte's kindness scares the soul out of him. ]


4. Wildcard
[ Want to tag for a different prompt? Want plot for something else? Contact me on plurk at kelories or on discord at Kelories#6484 to talk! ]

2

[grakraka]

[A Reclaimer looking this bad makes all of them look bad. Like, for example, him. And he gets that this guy seems new to it all, so he just wants to have a chat with him and try to understand why he's being a moron about all of this.

Spotting him lying in the grass, he walks to him and leans over him.]

Hello there.

guido mista | ota

[protegge]

i. pieces from home

[Maybe he should be more cautious about things like this. There's no reason but curiosity to open the new door, to walk through it; once he's inside, there's no reason to answer the voice at all, much less to answer it honestly.]

[But he does, without question or concern for his companion. He doesn't want to spend too much of his downtime pondering. It tends to get him in trouble. Better to act before he thinks.]

Venice, [he says, brow furrowing,] after Ghiaccio. [And maybe he would have specified more, but that seems to be enough: as the whiteness of the room melts away, it's replaced by dark green, lush, saturation. Suddenly it's humid, the kind of humidity that clings to the cheeks and the hair and the back of the neck. It feels like a rainforest, but for the path and benches running down the middle.]

[Mista says,] Oh, [and covers his mouth with his hand to hide whatever his expression's become--he doesn't even know. He can tell before he takes a step that any hopes of this being real are a pipe dream. The air smells wrong. There should be the smell of salt and sea in the distance, but if anything this is the sea as depicted by an air freshener. Still--]

[Still. He runs his fingers along a broad leaf and drops his other hand from his mouth.] Oh. Goddamn.

ii. assorted horseshit + wildcard

[One emotional hitch isn't going to slow him in his quest to keep moving, of course. Not him! Guido Mista is great at filling his days with a whole lot of nothing. It's practically a gift.]

[First and foremost, he can be found a) picking a bracer cover. It's a tough choice. He's got a lot to pick from, and nothing is his precise aesthetic. A compromise must be made, but in which direction? He genuinely stands in front of the display for a solid half-hour before ultimately grabbing the worst bracer cover objectively and nodding decisively to himself. Please stop him, for everyone's sakes.]

[Not interested in saving Mista from himself? Well, b) Mista's had a run-in with Bender, too. It's not the most disastrous result possible, but considering he's literally wandering the grounds cradling and staring forlornly at an olive loaf, maybe he needs some help. Or a slap.]

[Finally, c) Mista finds himself in the arcade, ready to cheer himself up by getting his ass kicked at video games. It's a tried and true tradition for someone who lived for more than a day with Narancia Ghirga, who would be personally offended by the concept of Marco Cart--but at least Mista has practice with that, so he makes a beeline for it. On the other hand, 2001 is early for Sitar Hero, so he's conspicuously lost in front of it, squinting at the flat little drum set like he's trying to catch the trick. Help him?]

[Or you can find him e) basically anywhere. I'm not the boss of you, and neither is he.]

iii. dance dance revolution

[Mista loves to dance. Loves it. He dances while he's cooking, dances while he's walking, dances in the shower and has slipped because of it and probably will again. This is not to say he's a good dancer, but he's got decent enough rhythm and earnest dedication to Groove.]

[It goes without saying that he was not ready for Miss Charlotte. He's a good sport, he follows her as best he can, he puts his heart and soul into it, but by the end of the first day he's a mess all the same. Pouring sweat, he trots over to the wall and slides down onto his butt, letting his head lean back until it bounces off the wall with a light thunk.]

Holy shit. Whole new respect for ballerinas.

iv. the director acts; cw alcohol

[He goes to the ceremony.]

[If asked, he'll say it's because it's something to do. It's not, really--or at least it's not only that. More than anything, it's a feeling of disconnect that leads him to attend. He's never wanted to be the protagonist of his own story, so it doesn't bother him that he doesn't feel like it now. That part is fine. It's just that . . .]

[Back home, there was a purpose. There was a goal. There was a dream. It wasn't his at first, but he took it into his head and his heart and worked for it with his blood and sweat and tears. Now, there's only this. These mittens, and the other things like them, and ridding the world of them.]

[And then what?]

[So he goes, and he watches the light show. When it's over, he turns to whoever's nearest to him and offers a crooked smile.]

Fuck those mittens. Wanna go get drunk?

i

[feytality]

[ maya's hanging around -- not so much to get into her own simulation, but because she's starting to get worried about the other reclaimers going into theirs. particularly mista, who she bonded with right off the bat. so she kind of invites herself into the room --- it's to make sure he isn't depressing himself, but she can't help but stare in awe. she's never been to italy. or, like, outside of kurain village, aside from la. ]

Wow.....

[ this looks even better than the movies. ] This is Venice?

[alethiological]

1. A valued memory

[ His presence in the dojo is nearly daily, always taking one of the private rooms with the programmable routines. So it's easy enough to hear the whispers of a new room being added. It's another thing entirely to be dragged into idle conversations with the other patrons. It's a great place for meditation! I got to see pictures of my family! The tea tasted like strawberries for some reason? Asks him if he's used it, answer in the negative, response of oh man you should try it. Get to relive what's most important, your reason for being here.

The cadence of speech changes from the room, to what's in it, to why it's important. The reasons each person on this base works for the Bureau. Each heartfelt memory punctuated with a further retreat. It's not an option. It'll never be one.

In the space between conversations is when he bolts back to the hallway. Time to find something else to do until the novelty dies off. Maybe the library again. ]



2. Bender, but worse.

[ You ordered something from the robot. While Bender is disastrous on best days, he is at least fast. He is not fast now. You have had the misfortune of waiting nearly ten minutes as he hides in a corner doing something-or-other. There's the smell of sub-par coffee. Wait, he moves--

To bring one large styrofoam cup to the person waiting, taking another, and immediately going back to making espresso shots one at a time, slow minute by slow minute, to fill a twenty-four ounce monstrosity. That will take another fifteen. Minimum. Do you ask for patience? Give up and steal someone's food? Or take the annoyance out on the monster who caused it, who only offers a shrug in response to your vast suffering. ]

Only three left.



3. An off-key note.

[ For all he hates dealing with crowds in small places, and for all he distrusts the Director, missing it was not an option. The whole situation has been wrong from the beginning. Absense of memory in otherwise flawless recollection. Loss of function that can't be merely written off by genetics. Fellow voyagers disappearing like they never were. A Bureau that erases all presence of itself, that hides all answers even from its own. It rubs wrong the longer it goes unanswered. But there's still a hope beyond all of the concern, a wish that it's just paranoia.

The ceremony is watched from the side, never blinking once. For all the mayhem those gloves wreaked upon everyone, they were destroyed so simply. With a tool that was up here the whole time? Assume it was actually destroyed and not just teleported elsewhere, never know with the Fantasy genre but benefit of doubt. To be destroyed, the tool needs to be greater in power to negate that relic. How does it work, how was it made in the first place, it had to have been tested, what happens after the relics are destroyed, something like this can't just be dismantled, the backlash would be too much, nothing would be capable of destroying it. What other options are there - keeping it hidden somewhere? Just letting it run loose? The whole scene makes sense logically, but it runs off-tune in way that he can't say. It's just paranoia. It isn't right. You're overthinking it.

At the cheers, he is silent. One of the other Bureau members, a Seeker or something, tries to be nice. 'Isn't this great? A relic was destroyed!' The glare they receive in return is intense enough that they scamper off to talk to someone else. Whoever's to the other side gets it next. ]

Is the Director coming back here?



4. Wildcard things

[ Blah blah message me on discord (cat puns#5847), or plurk (bitchesandtrolls), or via smoke signal, or just make up something and tag me here, I am kind of a simple bitch. ]

3

[ryuji]

Who pissed in your cheerios this morning, dude?

[He saw him treat that Seeker like garbo just for being excited over a victory that they all could share. Even if he has his own doubts about authority, pent up anger against the system that never went away along with his forced loss of adolescence, and straight up petty dislike of someone who insists they know better for the gander instead of the individual goose-- he can recognize that living in constant tension is bad.

There were so few points where anyone could really, or should really, feel accomplished about anything here, that a win was pretty sorely needed. Whatever's going on, Ryuji respects the feeling in the room. One that Will's openly disagreeing with.]

We lost so much already, just let this win be a win. Some people around here could probably use that.