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

[blodsvorr]

[This little kid. It's good to see him having fun. As Qrow swings Harbinger back into position, he gives him a wink.]

Can't wait to see your power levels give you a weird up-do. Come and get it, ace.

[Spar round two! This time, Qrow is pushing him harder for mobility; he wants to make Akechi move, whether that's in dodging an attack or in pursuing his target.]

[grakraka]

[Like before, he has the same focuses, but his mobility has drastically improved. He's always had a graceful side to him and it's one that he's trying to develop further into something that can also handle hitting hard as well. It seems like Qrow has a style kind of like that, in fact, so training against him seems especially helpful.

Feeling more confident in his movement means he attacks more, though he's still getting the hang of not leaving openings. There are, at least, less openings than there used to be but it's a difficult balance for him still.]

[blodsvorr]

[Qrow chides him on those opening with strikes, but he's grinning. When he calls the fight this time, he steps back, sheathing Harbinger and trusting Akechi to stop his incoming strike before it makes contact. Because what's a more fun way of teaching a kid than seeing if they'll almost kill you?]

[grakraka]

[What a dumbass. Though he's right. Akechi flicks his sword to become a gun again instead as he skids to a stop. Two in a row have him breathing hard but he laughs, too, something breathless and excited.]

H-Hey! Call it from a distance next time!

[blodsvorr]

Where's the fun in that?

[He pats Akechi on the shoulder, then reaches over towards the side of the arena to grab a water bottle that he tosses over Akechi's way.]

How do you feel you did that time?

[grakraka]

[He catches it and takes a long drink first.]

Better and worse? I'm still pretty open, huh...

[blodsvorr]

Yeah, you are. Your speed can cover you for some of that, but you need to decide how much you can risk at the speed you can manage.

[grakraka]

How do you do it?

[blodsvorr]

The giant sword helps. [Thanks, Qrow.] It's a matter of judgement. Figuring out how fast your opponent is, deciding if you can pull back in time or not. Keep practicing, and you'll get there.

[grakraka]

[Thanks, dad.] Then please continue to train me when you can.

[blodsvorr]

I wasn't planning on letting up.

[He grabs his own form of hydration and downs a good dose of it—weekend means freedom!—before striding back over to Akechi.]

Alright, ace, let's get some food into you. Cafe?

[grakraka]

[Akechi holsters his gun and gives him a bright smile.]

Yes! Absolutely.

[blodsvorr]

[Good kid. He never says no to food, apparently. Qrow leads them off out of the Arena and into the courtyard, and it's a beautiful simulated day, with bright green leaves and a blue sky and Beacon's tower standing strong.

That's not right. Qrow stutters to a stop and stares.]

...Dammit.

[grakraka]

[Akechi follows, even stopping when Qrow stops. He looks up at the tower and admires it once more, though he tries not to show it.]

Ah. It really seems to like you.

[blodsvorr]

[Qrow snorts quietly.]

It's not mutual.

[He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking down. What's the best way around it? Straight through, hitting the perimeter? Just turning back? But there's no telling what might be behind him. So, what? Qrow groans, more childish than anything.]

The cafeteria isn't part of the simulation, so you're out of luck there. Sorry, kid.

[grakraka]

[Looking away from the tower, he clears his throat and folds his hands in front of him.]

Ah, my apologies... I wasn't trying to linger in a place you would rather not see.

[blodsvorr]

Don't worry about it. You want a tour, right? It's not fully formed, but sure. We can take a walk around.

[With a half-sigh, he gestures around them.]

This is the courtyard. We did damage to it pretty often, but Glynda's telekinesis usually cleaned up the mess.

[grakraka]

Telekinesis? Semblances really can be anything.

[That's neat! But he looks around, curious.]

I suppose a combat school with teenagers from all walks of life really would accrue numerous damages...

[blodsvorr]

Oh, yeah. I can't tell you all the ways this places was destroyed. Those pillars were basically made to be toppled.

[Nothing is made to be toppled, and a set of pillars that support a long cement arch? Absolutely not made for that purpose.]

[grakraka]

[Actually yeah uh.]

I think pillars are generally made for the opposite purpose, actually.

[blodsvorr]

Hey, if old Oz didn't want them broken, he should've thought through his on-campus weapons policy. But Beacon manages just fine, and the kids learn all about terrain changes.

Come on, there are some statues up ahead. I never really went for 'em, but you'll probably say they weren't made to be broken, either.

[Yes of course he also broke the statues, they broke Everything.]

[grakraka]

[The name 'Oz' registers and Akechi shares a private laugh to himself. Of course the mysterious figure would be named 'Oz' right? True, he has no proof for certain that this Oz person is the one that helped save Qrow's life from a dark path but he seems to have been the headmaster? Or in charge in some way, putting him in a good position to line up to the same type of person the Director is, thus explaining Qrow's reaction.

But. Mostly, he's amused as he follows.]

I'm starting to think I'm too much of a goody-goody for this environment. But yes, I want to see them.

[blodsvorr]

That's what your teammates are for.

[You can't be a goody-goody if your teammates help get you into detention! It's part of the whole point of the team dynamics! (It is not.) Qrow starts walking forward.]

So, main Quad, and up here.... [He stops before a set of statues, a huntress and huntsman above a Grimm.] This here's the statue. There are a couple forests around—the Forever Fall Forest is that way [he points] and the Emerald Forest is that way [another point!] off a cliff. The Emerald Forest's where we did our Initiation test.