Welcome Participartypants

[balancemod]

Who: All y'all nerds
Where: The Arena
When: The night of the 15th
What: A small gathering to both welcome new members to the Bureau, and to congratulate veteran Reclaimers on their successful magic mitten procurement. Dress is as fancy or as not fancy as you want it. Manners, to the degree of which you are capable, are mandatory.
Content Warning: General content warning for the Reclaimers. Also general content warning for Miss Zarves

Formal, informal, never mind the dress code. NAVIGATION It's been two weeks since the Reclaimers returned, and since the newest Reclaimers arrived. Some of you have adapted better than the Director could have hoped, and some of you have made your best efforts to find a new sense of normalcy — testing Bender the food robot to his limits, forming book clubs, training together, musing over what sort of fashions one even wears to a party. Some of you, perhaps, have spent a little bit too much time in the simulation at the Dojo. It's understandable. Adjusting to the idea that your entire universe has been destroyed takes time, and sometimes, escapes are necessary. And tonight, she's hoping to provide you with a temporary escape with this party. 1. ONCE UPON A TWO WEEKS' WEARY A. TO WASH AWAY THE ACHING BLEARY The Director, using the Moon Base's simulation technology, has turned the Arena into a ballroom to behold. The sprawling hall is decorated in ornate wooden carvings, and a large maple floor meant for dancing is encircled by tables and a large banquet table. In the corner, on a raised platform, stands a baby grand piano, freshly tuned and polished. Anyone is free to have a spin on it, if the mood strikes. At some point during the evening, Johann the Bard, violin in hand, will stand on the platform and provide a performance that could only ever be heard on the Moon Base, among members of the Bureau of Balance — because he did, after all, give this particular song to the Voidfish. If you would like something with a heavier beat, there's a tablet on the wall next to the platform, where you can make music requests of your own, from the Artificer's collection of songs from across the universe. The collection may not be all that extensive, but The Cupid Shuffle is probably in there. Get down and boogie, is what we're saying. B. THEY WERE THROWN A BANQUET CHEERY And what's on the banquet table? Snacks provided by Bender, of course — which means they could have any manner of magical effects. Here are some of the snacks available, including one that the Director was lucky enough to roll for herself. Cupcakes of every flavor imaginable, utterly delicious — so delicious, in fact, that whoever eats one will have flowers grow in their footsteps for the next two hours. The flowers are magic and disappear on their own, so go turn the dance floor into a garden (Courtesy of Lion). Mead that puts you in such a good mood, you'll be unable to resist the urge to sing in whatever measure of talent you have (Courtesy of Lancelot). An energy drink that will literally give you wings for two hours. Enjoy looking absolutely angelic for your friends (Courtesy of Akechi). Nachos that have a curiously JPG quality to them, but no other magical effects (Courtesy of Terezi). The most delicious cheeseburgers you ever did taste (Courtesy of Maya). Finger sandwiches that, when eaten, light up your entire body in an assortment of different colors — the light trails behind your movements, like the way lights look on a low shutter speed. Enjoy the raving (courtesy of The Director). 2. BUT THEN, SHE ROSE FROM THE ICHOR Some of you may have heard a thing or two about Miss Zarves — perhaps the rumors circulating around town, or the strange connection to Garfield and the Bracer Chasers some of you may have bought to decorate your Bracers. Maybe words like "catalyst" and "Ouija Board" have come up once or twice. Because there is a being trapped in a plane of existence right next to yours, largely forgotten, as if she had somehow been reverse Voidfish'd. Forgotten, that is, until the Bracer Chasers — curiously laced with high amounts of aluminadium, a word that might sound familiar to McCree and Faolan. For two years, she's waited, and watched, wanting a chance to be seen again, to speak with the Bureau herself once again, cursed with a maddening loneliness. And the second one of those cute decorations was pressed against a Bracer, Miss Zarves had it — her catalyst. She would know, after all: She was once a leading researcher on using catalysts to travel through dimensions, after all — and the Bracer Chasers were one of her original designs. At the very end of the party, perhaps one or two piano songs away from shutdown, the simulation suddenly shuts down. The lights blink off with a systemwide shudder. After five seconds, the lights flare back to life, and the entire Arena is its default white blank slate. And a message, from username @Zarves❤Scarves, slowly blinks across the screen. Hello. I would like to play a game. And then the Arena goes dark. A. HACKER VOICE: I'M IN That little stunt isn't the only one Miss Zarves, who now has a connection to the dimension you're residing in and some of the Bureau tech, is going to pull. For the rest of your stay at the Moon Base, until you're whisked away to the next mission (Or unless you figure out a way to stop her), you may experience some of the following: Wonky simulations: You may have been traveling to the Dojo to recall a certain piece of your home world. And maybe one day, while you're minding your own business, that same simulation may suddenly appear outside the Dojo. Or perhaps you're wandering down a hallway, and you come across a mishmash of other people's simulations, torn apart and stitched back together haphazardly. Bender: As if this guy weren't a big enough mess already. If you happen to ask Bender for one of the items that were available at the party, you may instead be given food that has the opposite effect. Think cupcakes that leave behind wilted plants, mead that makes you cry uncontrollably, or energy drinks that not only do not give you literal wings, but put you straight to sleep. If you happen to have a subscription to Webflix, regardless of what movie you pick to watch, it'll pick a specific movie instead: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Also, you won't be able to turn it off. 3. AND THEN THINGS JUST KEEP GETTING WORSE The arena's simulation has decided to take a sabbatical, a spectral being from another plane of existence has invaded the Moon Base, and Madame Director is doing her best to keep the room calm and collected. First, the darkness needs to be handled with properly, so with a stomp of her elegant white oak staff down on the floor, a sound echoes above and beyond any panicked shouts, and soon the room is filled with dancing lights that emanate from the four cardinal directions of the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen! Excuse me. Thank you everyone for coming to this enchanted evening here with your fellow Reclaimers, but without proper lighting- Johann, Johann, please, I don't need signature music right now, this isn't a wrestling match for crying out- thank you, Johann. As I was saying- unfortunately, this evening's events will have to be---" Almost right on cue, as if there wasn't a possibly worse time in the world for this to happen, the doors of the arena bust open. Into the room swarms a dragonborn, looking rather beat up and worse for wear. It's impossible to tell if Dragonborn can cry the way humans can cry, but her amphibian-like eyes shine oddly in the colors of the magical lights surrounding the room. The Director's eyes go wide for a moment, this was rather- no, extremely, unsuspected. The Regulator approaches the Director. "We found him! Lucretia, we found him! And h-he. That son of a bitch has Killian!" And lacking in the proper finesse that's demanded of her as a leader, she rubs her forehead. "Carey, come with me to my office and we'll sort this out." She looks around the room, her Reclaimers all gathered and standing, watching this interaction take place. "Please, everyone, return to your apartments for the evening." A. TWO WEEKS UNTIL ROLLOUT The Director hasn't slept a wink throughout the night, dealing with a host of problems facing the Bureau at the moment. She consults with the clerics on how to get rid of this ridiculous joke-entity that Garfield has proliferated long enough. She speaks with Carey about all the details she can offer, attempting to calm her down, despite her unraveled state. Killian means the world to Carey, after all, and the Director, no- Lucretia, was waiting for the wedding invitation for far too long. Sometime around mid-day, the Reclaimers will receive a message on their bracer from her. Reclaimers, we will deploying in approximately two weeks. We've discovered the location of a relic that we haven't heard about in quite some time now. A full briefing will be provided at a later date, but please prepare accordingly. The area you all will be assigned to is known as the Netheril, a vast desert that splits the continent in half between the western and eastern fronts. We've instructed the tailors to offer special clothing designs that are particularly good for protection against sand and heat — at a heavily discounted price. Ensure that you have a weapon, as there's no telling what sort of beasts you can encounter out in such a wasteland. Train intensively over the next few days. We anticipate that it will be quite some time before you are able to return to Base, so please ensure that your BIAS is restocked and ready to go. Two weeks. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[napstar]

[ That's because he didn't know any songs! But after practicing with Kaede and maybe skipping a few classes to get his own solo practice in he's a lot more confident in his abilities. He gives Kaede an exaggerated bow for her excited applause before approaching her, a small smile on his face. Impressing her feels good. ]

Thank you, Akamatsu-senpai.

[gotyourbach]

[She still sticks her tongue out a little at him when he calls her that, but she's mostly accepted it for now. Even she's still pretty sure he's just teasing her, it's a nice little bit of normalcy from home that keeps her from protesting too strongly.]

Are you having fun, too? If you wanted a break, I could play a song for you to dance to with someone.

[napstar]

[ He is having fun but the suggestion takes him off guard. He has to think about it. He did take that dance class so he should put it to use, right? At least once anyway. ]

Who would I dance with? [ It'd kind of awkward to ask a stranger. ]

[gotyourbach]

Anyone you want!

[Nothing could be simpler? If she didn't want to play piano so much, she'd definitely be roving around the dance floor asking anyone who even looked at her too long for a dance.

Hmmm...]

How about I dance with you? I'm sure someone else will be able to play while we're dancing.

[napstar]

[ That's a good idea. Kaede is so smart! ]

Sure.

... Is it cheating for us to use the tablet?

[ They're supposed to be providing the music so it seems disingenuous to use it, but they're also guests so they have the right to... ]

[gotyourbach]

I don't think so... I mean, we're supposed to enjoy ourselves too, right? I promised Akechi-kun I wouldn't just play piano all night, anyway.

[A little regretfully, she lifts her fingers from the keys. Gosh, it's just such a nice piano though.

Then she offers Minato a hand with a smile.]

You can leave your violin with the piano! Oh, but I only know how to waltz... is that okay?

[Miss Charlotte scared her too much after her experience of being kidnapped by spiders and thought of as a meal, so she's relying more on what she knew already than anything she learned here.]

[napstar]

[ Minato carefully places his violin next to the piano. ]

Waltz is fine.

[ He wasn't traumatized by giant spiders so he did attend Ms. Charlotte's class! And one of the dances she taught was the waltz. He takes her hand and helps her stand up from the bench like a gentleman. ]

[gotyourbach]

[What a gentleman... she takes his hand with a smile, but rather than allow him to escort her, she tugs him toward the tablet.]

Let's see... do you think people would get bored if we played Strauss' Wiener Blut waltz? It's really traditional...

[She hums a little bit for him, curious if he'll recognize it. To her, it seems like the kind of song that everyone should know! But her experiences are not universal.]

[napstar]

[ It's a little familiar. Maybe part of it was used in background music for a tv show or video game he's familiar with. ]

They can deal with it. [ Really, who cares if they don't like it? It's just one song. ]

[gotyourbach]

[The blunt response makes her giggle. It was also her way of asking if he would mind, but apparently he wouldn't!]

Alright!

[She queues up the song to play next and tugs his hand again, trying to escort him onto the dance floor.]

Thanks, Arisato-kun. For agreeing to dance with me. Oh, and play with me, too!

[napstar]

[ Nod. Why wouldn't he dance with her? He is tugged along as usual. He takes position to lead the dance -- unless she decides she would rather lead? He is, as usual, pretty passive about which role he takes. ]

It's been educational. [ There's so many names he never knew before and so much music that he still only barely knows. He thought learning to play violin by itself was going to take a while but learning actual songs could take a lifetime. ]

[gotyourbach]

[No no, he's a boy, so even if she's pulling him around, she's expecting him to lead their dance. She gives him another smile and exhales a breath as the music starts and she steps forward to dance.]

I know it's a lot to learn, but I'm really happy you've been putting so much time into it. Playing a duet is something really magical, isn't it?

[napstar]

[ Then lead he shall! They fall into step with the music, Minato leading the dance. Despite sleeping through half of his classes he does actually learn things at them.

Duets are kind of magical. It's similar to playing alone because others can't help to hide one person's little mistakes, but it has all the nerve-racking energy of having others rely on what you're playing. It's sort of the worst of both worlds. But the best too? Probably? He's never done a solo performance but he's been watching her and she seems transfixed while she plays, as if the whole world comes down to just her and her instrument creating something that lasts for just a moment and then is left only in memory. And to be relied on to be a part of something like that... It feels good. ]

Yeah. It's magical.

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede's honestly a little impressed that he was able to pick up dancing and still practice for the ball; it shows in her smile as she follows his lead, focusing only on him and the touch of his hand against her back to lead her.]

Dancing is kind of like a duet too, don't you think?

[Both of them relying on each other to carry them higher, though she isn't worried about either of them making a mistake. If they do, they can just laugh it off. This kind of duet isn't for anyone but the two of them.]

I never really thought about it like that until now.

[napstar]

[ That's the advantage of sleeping during class! And also skipping some classes to practice violin! Or sleep! His roommate told him to drop some courses anyway it's fine. ]

There's less people paying attention to our dance. [ Makes it more relaxing. ]