balance_logs | Welcome Participartypants

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Maybe one day, he'll graduate and get a nickname. A proper one and not a 'I forgot your name' one. But for now she shakes her head.]

No. No one calls me like that. They just yell my name or title.

[The way Shouyou tilts his head in confusion, the question marks are practically visible above his head.]

What do you mean? And what title do you have?!

[Could it be that she's actually someone really important?]

[She tilts her head back before responding.]

Captain of Mikawa guard unit and vice-chancellor to Musashi. I no longer have those titles since I was brought here.

[Important enough to have a 'retreat if appears' warning.]

C-captain?! [His eyes widen, though he looks sheepish at the way he'd yelped in surprise.] And of a guard unit...

Doesn't that mean you're really good at fighting? [Even with the cupcake in his hand, Shouyou makes some kind of chopping motion, like he's trying to imitate a fighting style.]

Jud. I am the strongest fighter on Musashi and serve my master directly. [If it wasn't said so plainly, it'd be bragging. But she's just saying it. But she stares for a moment before gesturing to the sword at her waist.]

I do not fight that way. I use a spear or sword for battle.

That's so cool, Futayoooooo... um....Honda-san?

[The stumble over her name doesn't even take away any of his excitement, though he does give her another confused smile.]<

I'm still not sure what to call you.

[Is he asking her? Because she's scratching her head for a second. Being polite is important but friends.]

My name is Futayo...

[that's helpful]

[Shouyou's face scrunches slightly as he tries to process this.]

Didn't you say I'm not supposed to call you that, though? [He's on the verge of pouting, just a little, but then he brightens up again suddenly.] How about this? What do you want me to call you?

[There, that's easy enough to answer, right?]

I do not care what I am called. Normally people make it clear when they mean me. [She's just going to squint, because this is confusing.]

You are Shouyou and I am Futayo...?

[No honorifics.]

Oh! [Finally, it clicks, and the smile's back on his face.]

Really? You don't care if I call you Futayo, even though you have all those titles?

[She nods. She like to keep things simple, names made it all easier.]

Jud, titles are a pain. I have more time for training now... Does Shouyou have any duties?

More time for training's always good. [Considering what a bundle of energy he is, though, Shouyou's definitely biased.]

Eh... duties? I don't have any titles like that if that's what you mean! [Now that the confusion's been settled, Shouyou's all too happy to bite into his cupcake, munching on it serenely.]

[Futayo's always going to be biased towards something active. So he's getting another nod.]

Oh... You do not have a job to do? I did not have one at first. I decided I would follow the Director's orders as I owe her a debt for saving me.

[But he's eating so she's going to take the chance to start munching on her cupcake. It'd been clutch in both hands the whole time. It was on record for the longest lasting food, while being in her vicinity.

She's eating this thing icing first. The moment she gets to the cake part the glowing stops. She lets out a odd, muffled noise through the mouthful of cake at seeing her own hand again.]

The Director saved you? When did that happen, Futayo?

[As distracted as Shouyou is, he doesn't notice the effects of the cupcake setting in, flowers starting to grow around his feet.]

When she brought us to this place?

[She's got just as much of an attention span and is staring at him. The lack of glowing forgotten for now.]

[The smile on his face falters at the reminder of that day, and he looks stricken, almost curling into himself for a second. Then, the smile's back, albeit a bit more forced than it usually is.]

O-oh, yeah, that! Guess that was pretty cool of her, huh.

[He can feel his lip wobbling a little, so he stuffs the rest of the cupcake into his mouth hurriedly.]

[She only tilts her head in confusion at his response. Her face staying impassive.]

I do not know why she saved me. One of the others would have been more useful- Oh is the bottom part nice?

[And she's copying him, shoving the bottom half of her cupcake in her mouth. There's an attempt at talking again, but she gives up.]

[To be honest, Shouyou doesn't know why he was saved either. This isn't volleyball related at all. He's nowhere near as smart as Tsukishima or Yamaguchi or Yachi. He's not sturdy and reassuring like Daichi is, or as kind and thoughtful as Sugawara. And that's just in Karasuno. In the months here, Shouyou hasn't seen anyone he recognizes. That must mean not even his friends from other teams made it here.

It's probably a good thing that he has a mouth full of cupcake or he'd probably start crying. This is exactly the reason Shouyou always pushes the memories of that first day back, so he doesn't have to think of the implications.]

Mmph mm! [Maybe it'll make her laugh if he tries to play up this whole thing? He doesn't really want to talk about his world anymore.]

[There's no laughing. She's not capable of that.

But she's taking that as a 'it's good' and eating the rest of her cupcake in one go. Then she's jumping back to the table to grab another- Oh right, she needs two. So that's what she's grabbing. Leaving a trail of flowers in her wake.

Then she's just jamming one of the cupcakes in his face again.]

Welcome Participartypants

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