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

[petsthedog]

Yeah. There's these major Shadows that started appearing every month on the full moon, too. Twelve of 'em. Supposedly, if we destroy 'em all, the Dark Hour and Tartarus go away forever.

[This is Extremely False, alas. None of them knew it at the time, though.]

Since they caused the accident in the first place, makes sense they'd wanna clean it up.

[blodsvorr]

Sure, I can follow the logic.

[Not totally buy into it, but it's possibly true, and they're dead, so it doesn't matter that much.]

And they hand out those gun things.

[petsthedog]

Mm. They're called Evokers.

[blodsvorr]

Because they "evoke" your Persona, I'm gonna guess. Can you do it without 'em?

[petsthedog]

[HEY guess who looks uncomfortable again!! Because there's (1) person who can do that, and it's the person who killed him 8D And then there's the other way it can come out without an Evoker, and, well--]

That's not how it's supposed to happen. That kind of thing--you can be killed by your own Persona. It ain’t safe.

[blodsvorr]

[What. None of the other kids mentioned that. Qrow frowns, and then decides to move onwards.]

Huh. So if you lose those, you can't use your Persona. Not without risking your life.

[petsthedog]

Yeah. I think it's different for the others, though? That guy from the other day--Akechi, I think--he mentioned summoning his Persona in some place called a Metaverse, and we've never heard of that. But he didn't know what the Dark Hour was, either.

[And while it's not impossible that there were two different names for the same phenomenon, there were various other little details that didn't match up. Akechi hadn't heard of Apathy Syndrome, but Personas could cause similar mysterious comas, if a person was attacked. It's strange.]

But Tokyo's a much bigger city than Iwatodai, so. [He shrugs.] Maybe they just found a better way.

[blodsvorr]

That group, however they fit together, seem to hold their hands over their faces. None of them has told me there's anything special about it.

[So Qrow has no fucking clue? He doesn't even know if they need to do that. Maybe they do it to be cool.]

Might be work talking to them about how they do it, see if it's possible for you two to learn. [He holds a hand up to stop any protest] I know, you don't want to use Castor. If you're cornered without your Evoker, though, it's useful to have a back up plan.

[petsthedog]

You said we come back, don't we?

[If he's cornered without his Evoker he'll just die, thanks.]

[blodsvorr]

[instant cranky uncle]

Yeah, and sometimes, not all in one piece. So don't go around throwing away your life.

[petsthedog]

Better than someone else getting killed who can't come back.

[He doesn't know what Qrow means, of course, but he can't imagine it mattering. As long as he can still fight, who cares?]

[blodsvorr]

Who says they will? You could be cornered and alone, no one around but a monster. You're not always going to be surrounded by other people out there.

cw drugs/self-harm

[petsthedog]

Tch. And what about here? Castor can crush a house like it's a toothpick, Qrow.

[He growls, wishing he could just walk away from this conversation, but he still needs to be sure a Shadow doesn't attack him until this damn simulation runs out.]

I dunno if the Semblances you dealt with are like that, but I sure as hell don't want to find out what'll happen when I go messin' with something that's already unstable and risk losing control outside a fight.

[He doesn't even have the suppressants anymore.]

[blodsvorr]

One of my nieces dishes back double the damage she takes. You know how hard we had to work to keep her from destroying our house with that?

[And in some ways, Yang's Semblance is tame. Dangerous, but a Schnee's summon could bring as much impact in its own way, depending on what they brought out.]

We can set up the Arena so no one's around if it comes to it. Look, I can't make you do anything, but I don't like the idea of you out there, cornered and disarmed, with no way to protect yourself.

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro sighs. He’s tired, and Qrow doesn’t seem to be willing to back down, and he doesn’t understand why. At least with Aki, they were childhood friends, but Qrow has barely known him two weeks. Maybe something happened to him, like with Aki’s sister, and now he can’t bear the thought of anyone he teaches getting hurt again, but Shinjiro thinks he’s making a mistake. It’ll just hurt him more if he ends up hurting one of them, right?]

...My life ain’t worth that much, alright? It ain’t worth the risks.

[He looks away.]

If I get my ass killed, it won’t be on you. I just—can’t. Sorry.

[blodsvorr]

[Qrow knows exactly the feeling Shinji is wearing. And he knows there is no point in trying to tackle it as flawed in itself. But he doesn't know who Shinji cares about and who cares about him. He's fresh here. The only possibility is the only other kid from home: the kid who also uses a SEES gun.

So, though he isn't lucky, Qrow rolls the dice.]

Yeah? Would Minato feel the same way?

[petsthedog]

[Shinji opens his mouth to argue, then closes it. Looks down at the ground. Arisato probably would care, because he cares about all of them. He already knows there was a memorial service for him, because of that strangeness with their timelines, and he feels bad enough about that. He tried to avoid letting anyone care about him, back then, but he'd stayed in the dorms, after all. He'd let the kid take him to a movie. He should've tried harder to push all of them away, really.

He can't even say that Arisato has other friends, ones he's closer to, because they're all dead. Goddamn it.]

It ain't like I'm tryin' to die, or anything. [Anymore, at least.] But I made these decisions a long time ago. I ain't got the right to take them back.

[blodsvorr]

[If Shinji doesn't stop it, he's going to get a flick in the forehead.]

Yeah, you do. There's this nifty benefit to still existing: it means you get to change your mind. I'll drop it for now, but try to remember that.

[petsthedog]

--Ow, hey.

[Shinjiro doesn't think so; it feels like an insult to Amada, after everything that's happened. But Qrow says he'll drop it, and he's content to let it go, though he doesn't doubt that he'll hear about this again eventually.]

I'll think about it.

[This is definitely false. But if Qrow has any plans to call him on it, it looks like they may be about to be cut short. The alley they're walking down pixelates all of a sudden, and then the sunny, grassy quad is back. No trace of green sky anywhere, and certainly no Shadows.]

...About time, I guess.

[That's embarrassing, though. That whole-ass meltdown all about nothing.]

[blodsvorr]

Huh. Gotta say, I preferred Beacon.

[Naturally. The Dark Hour was not a great place. But Qrow breathes in the recycled air, and he exhales. Then he glances towards Shinji.]

What you said stays between us. Just... try to think about it, alright, kid?

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro appreciates that assurance, though he wouldn't have asked it of him. He feels worn out, even though they haven't walked very far. Maybe he'll skip class today? Things to ponder after a depression nap, probably.

But before he goes--]

...Thanks. For trying to help.

[It sounds more like an apology, the way he says it--he's not remotely prepared to confront most of what they've talked about today--but he means it, too. Qrow's the first person that's ever tried, besides Aki, and they've been entangled in each other's lives since they were four. It's kind of him to care, even though Shinjiro doesn't truly know how to accept it, when he's been on his own so long.]