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

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.]

[Qrow made a mistake trusting Akechi to know how to help this, he thinks, but now that they're here, he has to try. Akechi hesitates before putting a hand on his hand on Qrow's arm.]

You can if you need to. [Breakdown, he means.] Or count four in and four out when you breathe. I'm not going anywhere regardless.

[He drops his hand, startled by the contact. And his eyes are wide looking at Akechi, because someone is helping him. Someone is here. Qrow breathes in, and he counts to four. (Summer, Tai, Raven, Qrow.) Qrow counts to four, and he releases.]

I... Sorry, ace. You shouldn't have had to... Sorry about that.

[Akechi shakes his head, keeping his hand on him.]

You can't do it all by yourself. I'm sure you learned that a long time ago— [He doesn't draw Qrow's attention back to the photo but he can imagine Qrow knows.] —but as someone trying to force myself to remember help is required in life, I feel I'm allowed to say that. A friendly reminder.

A "friendly reminder," huh. [He is calling this child out on being a brat. (One, two, three, four.) Qrow, slowly, puts the photograph away. (Four, three, two, one.) He gets himself to move, back towards the dorms. He gets himself breathing.]

[Being a brat seems to comfort Qrow and it's easy for him to be that way, so.]

Yes. I think it was worded in the most friendly way possible.

Uh-huh. Sure it was.

[Well he isn't about to have a breakdown in the middle of the quad anymore, so it's definitely a win!]

I can't believe you doubt me. What have I done to earn such a false accusation?

Do you want it alphabetized or chronological?

[He nudges Akechi with the arm that Akechi is still touching. He realizes what Akechi is doing, too. But he can't tell him to quit it when it saved him from collapsing on the poor kid.]

[He grins.]

You haven't seen enough of me yet to make a comprehensive list. I'll look forward to it, though.

[Qrow breaks his arm free so he can ruffle Akechi's hair. It's chiding, this time.]

Watch yourself, brat.

[It gets an actual smile out of him. He doesn't even go to fix his hair immediately.

Like he does but it's not the first thing.]

Like you aren't a brat, too.

Hey, I'm an adult. We can't be brats.

[That is categorically untrue, this bratty man has just walked into the housing building with full brattiness embodied within him.]

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