balance_logs | Welcome Participartypants

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

[Qrow startles at the touch. He glances towards Akechi, a brow raising, though he doesn't pull away from the pillar.]

You really think it's worse?

[Akechi has Qrow's number on this, so Qrow thinks he knows: it isn't worse, not really. It's just a matter of how close it is to breaking through the surface. Most of the time, Qrow drowns it.

He can admit it isn't the best method for handling things, but it's the one he's good at.]

[Hm.]

Well... perhaps that wasn't quite accurate. [A dam breaks eventually. It doesn't mean the water level changed.] But, ah... I don't... want to make you talk about it. I don't know what I'm doing. Or what would be helpful. I really do believe talking will be cathartic but... ah, I've never done this, so I don't know if saying it now was a mistake or hurt you.

It wasn't a mistake.

[Gently, Qrow pats Akechi on the back. He wants him to know that. Qrow makes himself straighten up, and then he turns around, so he can lean back against the pillar. It gives him a beautiful view.]

I could make excuses. Say it's a burden I don't want to dump on a kid like you. And sure, that's true enough; it's not like you don't have your own share of trouble to carry, and I'm not in the game of adding unnecessary weight to what you're dealing with. But we both know I'm not going to be telling Will or Leo any of this, either.

[He trusts them well enough, he even likes them. Chiron, too, is someone he is sure he could share it with. And yet...

Qrow has told Akechi about his scars, things from his past he hates to disclose to anyone. He has opened up to Akechi about things he only ever alluded to around most. But the grief chokes him.]

[At least he didn't mess things up further. That's good. He relaxes a little and almost thinks his answer out before deciding to continue speaking without as many filters.]

I know. And I appreciate the consideration. But, ah... I want to hear about it, I suppose. It's part of you—Rather large parts of you, in fact. That isn't why I mentioned it, though. I really did bring it up out of concern rather than the selfish motivations I feel, I think.

[He guesses maybe he he could have said it because of those? But he really is worried, too.]

[Qrow snorts. He isn't surprised Akechi is doubting himself.]

It isn't selfish, ace. [Yes, he's using it in the "dumbass" sense again.] You'd be a lot more clever about it if it was.

[He sulks.]

I've never been more offended at being complimented on my ability to be manipulative.

[Qrow snorts. Dumb kid. For a moment, he just breathes, looking around at this image of Beacon. His exhales come deeply, as if his lungs are under a great weight.

Then, carefully, Qrow pulls a photograph from his shirt. Without looking at Akechi, he holds it out to him. There are four faces on it: Qrow, clean-shaven, standing upright and unflinching. A woman with dark hair and eyes as red as his, with a slight smile on her face. A blond bruiser of a man, grinning. And against a tree, half-hidden by her white hood, a smiling woman with silver eyes.

Akechi might spot the resemblances—the way Yang is a mix of the dark-haired woman's build and that of the blond man, the shared features between Qrow and that same woman. Or maybe context is enough. Because Beacon is the place where Qrow met the people who mattered the most to him. These people, and one more, is why the memory of Beacon is held so close to Qrow's heart.

The tear stains and the watermark from a glass might be giveaways, too. But then, those look old, older than even their time here, faded with the photograph. Qrow has kept this picture with him for a very long time.]

Edited (counting) 2019-01-20 23:27 (UTC)

[Truthfully, he kind of expected Qrow to take the out for some banter, an apology for another time and to drop it. It would have been all right. He didn't mean he had to talk about it now, even if he doesn't know when would be 'right' anyway.

But Qrow surprises him. Akechi accepts the photo and looks at it, divided between taking in all the details—all of those connections, forming a different sort of picture in his mind—and a much simpler joy of seeing something so important and meaningful to Qrow's life. He holds it like something delicate, not glass but a flower.

For a long moment, he's quiet. What should he say? Something. Right. Ah.]

...He's pretty cute, yes.

[Yeah.

No that's not all he has. He just can't believe Qrow gave him something so special to see.]

You all look so happy.

[Qrow realizes that's falling back on their previous conversation about Qrow's teammates. Tai really is irresistible.]

Hah. Told you.

[He doesn't look back over at the photo, nor does he try to take it back. His eyes are still on Beacon, on the dissonance of believing it is in front of him and knowing that it can't be. It has been so long...]

We were, back then. We were a good team.

[Until they weren't. Until it was all over, and all Qrow had was the photograph of them.]

[Akechi nods slightly.]

So... This one... [He brushes his finger over Summer.] ...cheerful, outgoing... maybe a little stubborn? Strong-willed, I bet. So, a good bully for you. [And then to Tai.] ...Definitely stubborn. Good and kind. Both of them. I can see why they would have been perfect for someone like you.

[Dragging him out of his shell, kicking and screaming. Though, he isn't really sure about the other girl. But he wants to guess and he thinks he has a pretty solid one.]

And Raven would be your sister, I'm guessing.

[They're good guesses. He pouts a little at "a good bully" because of fucking course Summer was, and Tai, well. They both were perfect for Qrow.

Then the name hits, and Qrow jerks upright, turning to stare at Akechi.]

How—when did you hear her name?

[Is she here? She would, she'd be here, last damned survivor, and she wouldn't show up or even talk to her daughter when there was no one else—]

[Although startled by the reaction, he really shouldn't be. He did just say a sensitive piece of information like that.]

Ah— No, it was awhile ago. About a month? Sorry.

[He. Isn't sure really but it feels like he should apologise? Should he tell Qrow it was when Qrow was hallucinating? He doesn't want to worry him or make him feel anxious. Fuck.]

You saw her? [It's a whole kaleidoscope of emotions on Qrow's face: shock and relief and hope and anger, none of which he can process.] Everyone else is dead, and even now she can't bother to show up for her kid!

[He needs to do something. He needs to track her down. She isn't family, she isn't his sister, not anymore, but she's all they have left. If she's here, Yang deserves to know. But she isn't here, he'd have seen her in the dorms. So, did she go rogue? Somewhere on the planet itself, maybe. He could ask Lucretia where her last known whereabouts were—]

[Wait no he's making it worse definitely. Of course Qrow would pursue it, duh.]

N-No no, sorry, it's not that, either. I— You told me, kind of? I think you thought I was her?

I—what?

Ah, well... When you were hurt in New Aspen, remember? [Actually, Akechi had sort of figured maybe Qrow vaguely remembered it but didn't want to talk about it.] You said, "Fuck off, Raven" to me after I... was cranky about dragging you all the way back to the inn.

Oh.

[Well. Now he's embarrassed. Please forgive him as he hides his face in his hand and dies of shame.]

It's all right? [There there bird dad.] I didn't mind. I was mostly amused that you swore at me.

Still. Sorry about that.

[It isn't great, and he regrets it. And now they run the risk of having to talk about Raven, and he... doesn't want to. He still hasn't even started to get a grip on all the emotions that thinking she was alive had brought him.]

[He shakes his head. Since Qrow seems uncomfortable with this part, he switches gears.]

What were these two like?

[Ah. Right. He's supposed to talk about it, isn't he? He realizes that Akechi doesn't have the names.] Summer and Tai. Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long.

[For a moment, that's all he can say. The sky beneath Beacon is warm and blue, and to him, the wind smells like roses and sunflowers and a particular brand of hot chocolate.

He closes his eyes.]

You mind if we head back to the dorms to continue this?

[Qrow can't stay here.]

[Akechi gives a nod. It was kind of inconsiderate to ask out here.]

Yes, of course.

[Qrow shoves his hands back into his pocket, and he walks in silence. He hasn't asked for the picture back. As he walks out of Beacon, he sees blue skies turn into something full of stars, on a moon impossible back home. And when they are out, and Qrow turns back around, it's gone.

This kind of homesickness is new to him. He doesn't quite know how to handle it. For a moment, he is just still.]

[He tries to think of what to say or do to help. But what could he possibly do that would help? He still has the photo in hand but Qrow hasn't asked for it back.

After a moment of debating the best course of action, he holds it out to him.]

[Qrow takes it on reflex. He looks down on their faces, and for a moment, he can't breathe.

Qrow presses a hand to his face. He tries to steady himself. He tries to keep it together. He tries to be—better, stable, safe. But he isn't. He is less than a quarter of what he should be, and he doesn't know how to go forward when they are all gone.]

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