Lunar Interlude 3

[balancemod]

What a mess. NAVIGATION 1. NEW RECLAIMERS A. WELCOME WAGON For the 14 of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world. "Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you." And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad. You're not alone, either. Along with the newest members of the Bureau, in a fashion probably not unlike this, there are people waiting here for you. People who wanted to see the heroes the Director has managed to bring in this time. People who are excited to see what you're capable of. You have a few minutes to talk with each other — or maybe lob a few questions at the impromptu welcoming committee, or any of the older Reclaimers who may happen to be nearby. But before long, you're whisked away to a different area of the Moon Base. B. THE VOIDFISH The 14 of you are quickly divided into three groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed. And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself. After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding. You may notice a melody, someone playing the violin. It's a bard, on his third round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish. When he's finished, he pulls out a few pieces of paper — sheet music — opens a drawer at the bottom of the tank, drops the papers in, and shuts it. And suddenly, it seems you've forgotten everything that may have been ironic about that melody. If you seem alarmed, the bard takes notice of it. "Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man." You sort of get the sense that he's said this speech once or twice in the past. It's well rehearsed, much like the stories you'd expect a bard to be able to recite. "Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way. So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything." The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip. Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the song this bard played a few moments ago and the melody, the meter, every octave, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers. Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it. 2. THE TEST OF INITIATION With your new knowledge on the Bureau of Balance and your purpose here in tow, you are led without hesitation to the Arena, where the final phase of your initiation into the Bureau will be held. You are partnered up, whether it is with someone you drank the ichor of the Voidfish with, or perhaps even a veteran Reclaimer, who either stopped by to help, or simply out of curiosity. After the proctor confiscates your weapons for the test, the room you are placed in is stark white — it sort of gives off the vibe that it was supposed to do something other than look so sterile once upon a time, but for whatever reason, that function is lost. With a sound similar to an airlock, the door is shut behind you, and the outline disappears, the lines of the door frame magically filled in with the rest of the wall. Your task here is to escape. You are provided with the following tools: ○ A small flatware set from the café. Two forks, two spoons, two butter knives ○ A popular Faerun children's toy: "It's Elementary, My Dear Brewer: Chemist Set for the Discerning Beginner." It's essentially a simple chemistry set. ○ An inflatable hammer that plays one progressive note of a jingle a lot of you probably hate by now with every hit. ○ A wooden toy sword. ○ A plate of spaghetti — hear us out, though. Thanks to a Reclaimer who came before you, and thanks to the robot that's making your food, it's the kind of spaghetti that grants you extra strength for an hour after eating. ○ A crowbar, with a note attached to it: "DO NOT USE CROWBAR." Seriously, don't use the crowbar — the purpose of this test is to assess your ability to find a solution outside of the most obvious one. The purpose of this test is to determine if you are capable of resisting the call of a Grand Relic. Use your wits. Use the path actions granted to you when you arrived. Use any ideas your partner has. But do not use the crowbar. 3. NEWBIES AND VETERANS, AROUND THE MOONBASE A. I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN The Reclaimers were already sort of elevated to a certain level in the Bureau, as The Director's chosen few, the ones who were ultimately tasked with saving everyone, and the ones the rest of the Moon base is charged with assisting. And now that the Reclaimers have successfully brought home two Grand Relics, they're ... starting to become something of household names. Moon Base names? The next time you wander into town — an old Reclaimer veteran or a brand new face — you may very well be accosted by a well-meaning, if curious admirer. And they have questions: Did you get to hold the Grand Relic? Is it true that you took out a sandworm by tricking it into tying itself in a knot? Can they see your weapon? Would you spar with them sometime? Maybe they're not quite this annoying. But still annoying. You may need the assistance of another Reclaimer to escape from this wholesome new Adoring Fan of yours. B. MALFUNCTION Resting on the Moon Base is your time to catch up. Maybe there's someone you didn't spend a lot of time with in the Netheril. Maybe you're new, and you're still working on meeting as many of your fellow Reclaimers as possible. Which is fair. These are the people you will have to cooperate with for the foreseeable future, so it's best that you get to know them as well as possible, right? And then, one day, your Bracer buzzes with a message: Hello! Not all that curiously, the message appears to come from a username that you recognize. Whoever it is, it's another Reclaimer — one that you know well. Much more curiously, the message is followed by an odd beeping, and a perhaps familiar two-toned sound of something shutting down. And when you try to message your friend back, you may find that: For the next 24 hours, your bracer's translator feature is broken. You will not be able to understand Common — and when you speak, you won't be translated into Common. Have fun with that! And yeah, that probably wasn't actually your friend messaging you. Add another mystery to your list of weird phenomena that needs addressing. C. POWERING DOWN This is meant to be a few weeks of rest while the rest of the Bureau prepares for your next mission. The Director, however, believes that this free time should be used to better oneself however they might see fit, and she certainly won't stop anybody who'd like to spend time in the areas they've visited previously — and any new Reclaimers who would like to learn a little more about Faerun. Grab a pal and try these options, both on the Moon Base and beyond, on for size: ○ Stop Dying 101: Also known as Fatalistic Fauna, and Danger Sense to channel your inner barbarian. This is a class that was introduced after the first field mission that offers instruction on basic survival strategies when up against the more inhospitable areas of Faerun. The class is open to everyone, but if you have died at least once during the course of Balance, attendance is mandatory (Unless you're an old bird who was talked into teaching a class instead). Yes, that means you, Komaeda! Curiously, the simulators for this class seem to be working just fine. Neither the Director nor the instructor are going to question it. The monster of the month you'll be facing is the Tarrasque (scaled down to size, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying) — are you cunning enough to escape the simulation? Or are you going to go against the point of the class and try to fight it? ○ Winding down room: A small room filled with the kotatsus brought back from Vista Virs, board games, books, and other quiet activities for one of the days where you're feeling a little more restful. At the front of the room, a keyboard and other instruments are waiting — unnamed Bureau members will offer a few quiet, soothing performances throughout the day, but you're welcome to play as well. ○ Visiting New New Aspen: You may have noticed that there's an enormous tree (You say Christmas, we say Candlenights) jutting out past the atmosphere, nearly touching the Moon Base itself. This was the site of the first field mission, and the tree stands as a monument to the Reclaimers first success in recapturing a Grand Relic. At the bottom of the tree, a peaceful town that cherishes the ornaments it makes sits. The mayor of New New Aspen, Matthew, will greet you warmly, and invite you to any number of ornament carving classes, or to dinner with his Aunt Laurel (She's a giant spider, by the way), or to even just spend some time with the giant cats that protect the town. Perhaps worringly, though, the cat captain of the guard, Bread, is missing. ○ Visiting Vista Virs: A town in the middle of an unforgiving desert that was left completely destroyed. If you choose to return, expect to be put to work — you'll be gathering supplies, helping rebuild homes, or just comforting the Needlers, a race of catcus people who inhabited the town, who have lost everything. D. THE MOON IS YOUR SPACE OYSTER (WILDCARD) There are plenty of other locations around the Moon Base that you can explore at your own discretion. Feel free to refer to the Settings page for more ideas on what shenanigans you can get into. Additionally, we'll be fielding Bender rolls again this month! If a food item was destroyed in a failed roll previously, you may roll to try to fix it. Bear in mind, of course, that you may make it worse. Successful food rolls will stay in place at this time, and can be utilized how you like. Keep in mind that only one magical effect can be in place at a time. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[petsthedog]

[AH .... Shinjiro definitely would not have guessed that one.]

Space, huh. That's pretty wild. Was it someone like the Director that brought you?

[The rest of what Ryuji has to say is pretty familiar, though -- except for the part about finding someone to make school suck less. He had Aki before school and Aki afterward -- that guy always managed to find him, for better or worse.]

I was never really into school, either. Aki always tried to get me to study more, but it never seemed to matter much. Ended up leaving a couple years back, myself.

[...And then he died! But Ryuji doesn't need to know that part.]

[ryuji]

[Ryuji, for the record, would get along amazingly well with Akihiko. I'll stand my ground until I fall on my sword for that one.]

Nah, it was Christmas Eve and the world had erased us from existence when it merged with the cogni-whatever was goin' on. The next thing I know, I'm in some closet and there's no air. Suffocatin' is an awful way to start dyin', y'know?

[Shit, he really hasn't said anything to anyone about the station to begin with, but now that he starts to open up about it, he starts to realize how deeply wrong that entire experience was.

Repression, for you.]

But, whatever. I stand by it. School ain't for everyone.

[petsthedog]

[Repression, it's what's for breakfast. Which is to say, Shinjiro definitely wasn't expecting the conversation to go in this direction, and he's a bit at a loss for words at first; he rubs at his neck awkwardly, glancing off to the side.]

That's, uh...that's rough, man.

[There's a pause. Leaving it at that doesn't quite feel right, either, so Ryuji is treated to perhaps the most tortured segue of all time. I'm sorry, Ryuji, he Tried.]

....I uh, the second thing is familiar though, kinda. More like it hurt to breathe, but--

[Ugh. He's already fucked this up, hasn't he.]

--yeah.

[ryuji]

[Ryuji has a way of steering conversations in random directions that follow a blindfolded walk sometimes, and usually coming back to the points in between is his specialty. His brain is just wired to be that way.

But the benefit of being a low INT, high WIS type of person is that he's pretty decent at reading the room, taking a barometric understanding of the pressure that exists in it, and he feels they're embarking towards a place that's not entirely pleasant.

Which is, to say... Ryuji will be open and straight forward about it.]

It's... I mean, it's whatever at this point. Shit happened. Shit happens. Shit is gonna happen.

[They were tortured on that station. Straight up tortured. He should admit it.]

Did you, uh. Did you die by losin' oxygen?

[petsthedog]

Uh.

[It occurs to him, suddenly, that he hasn't told anyone how he died. Hell, up until this moment, the only people that even knew he'd died at all were Qrow, Will, and Minato--one of which was there.

The thought that follows soon after is that he barely knows Sakamoto; this might be the first substantive conversation they've ever had. He doesn't want to dump something like his death onto a relative stranger, but it's too late to back away from it, too.

....Shit, he really is letting himself get too involved with these people, isn't he. It's dangerous.]

I, uh. Somethin' like that.

[Shit.]

....Got shot. In the back, lung probably.

[ryuji]

[Having bonds with people isn't the worst thing in the world. Ryuji doesn't have a ton of insight to offer Shinjiro at the revelation, but he does feel a pang of unhappiness at the thought of any one of the Reclaimers dying- here, before, or elsewhere.

He tilts his head and looks toward his chest, where he would've been shot.

Two options here: go with the time tested "sorry, that sucks" sort of thing and offer empathy, or... take a crack shot at it.

Bottom line is, life is short. They have new opportunities to live and let live here in Faerun. Looking behind you when you're running on a track only slows you down from reaching first place.]

Damn, that's pretty gangster. Did you choose the thug life or did the thug life choose you?

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro blinks. Once, and then again. He's a little...stunned? Maybe that's the wrong word. But he'd been gearing up for an uncomfortable conversation, rife with awkward silences and pauses, and he wasn't ready to have it but couldn't find an out, either, and yet. Sakamoto turns around and gives him one just as easily as he'd brought him here in the first place.

Some of the tension leeches out of his shoulders, his expression; he doesn't quite go back to the smile from before, but it's obvious that he's relaxed again.]

...You could say it was a little of both.

[What happened on that night changed his life permanently, but it's not like he didn't make his own choices after that. But there's no need to waste the out that Ryuji's given him, so he tries to brush past it, keep things light.]

Was space like it is in the movies?

[ryuji]

[It also helps that Ryuji has a slew of things that he's still not really ready to talk about- not like it's getting shot in the back, but he hates when people prod and poke into his own personal problems. He doesn't like talking about them, he'd rather be doing stuff than dwelling on stuff, and that's just how he handles his personal affairs. He didn't really even think he was giving something Shinjiro desperately needed from him, by the looks of the relaxation in his face as they drive the ship through the rocky inlet, but rather, the only good thing that could've came out of that entire conversation was getting to know what's up with this dude.

Which will come, on their own terms.

He scratches the front of his nose, ragging on him a little as he smirks.]

You gotta show me your back tat one day. That's like, a given.

[God, Ryuji.]

Ever see the movie Aliens? It's kinda like that except, uh. No facehugging bitches waiting to pop outta your stomach. Mostly... I guess it's just quiet. That's the part that makes it kinda scary. You don't know what's out there, and you can't really go anywhere or do anything to stop it. And it's quiet. You're just waitin' for the bad things to come.

[petsthedog]

[For as much dread as he had felt in admitting it, now that they've moved on, there's something almost comforting about this. Having said it, and not being pushed to explain, or even linger on the topic. Being mildly teased like they were still talking about pranks and asses, like nothing heavy had been said. There's a sense of relief to it that's palpable, and he's grateful to Sakamoto in a way he doesn't know how to verbalize--but luckily, he doesn't need to.]

Heh, maybe someday.

[Even as the topic shifts slowly toward serious again (he supposes it makes sense that the time up in space wasn't particularly pleasant; suffocating in a closet isn't exactly an auspicious start to anything), it's easier, now. He can back away any time he wants.]

Sounds kind of like the Dark Hour. The quiet part, especially.

[Everything stops. No quiet buzz of cars and people going about their lives. Just them...and the Shadows. It's an eerie sort of stillness, and it's what he pictures when the other teen tells him about space.]

Least it was just once every night, though. Can't imagine that bullshit goin' on nonstop for seven months.

[ryuji]

[His eyebrows furrow up when he talks about the Dark Hour. Admittedly, he had known another Minato from another universe, and there was a conversation about that once- about how their realities were intertwined... even if the other had never experienced the Metaverse or Mementos, or anything like that.

Before... well, before the Metaverse came to the station.]

I kinda know what that is, but, uh. I never got the full story. There was someone from your team. Back on... the station and shit. But I don't think it was the same one you know? I dunno, this dimension hopping bullshit is dumb.

[Small steps, chariot boy.]

We did the best we could, though. What happened with the Dark Hour? I never found out the ending to that story.

[petsthedog]

[His eyebrows raise slightly. That was definitely something he wasn't expecting, but at this point he's honestly stopped questioning most of these things.]

Yeah, the Director mentioned somethin' about infinite parallel universes or some shit, so I guess that makes sense.

[Would Arisato have even told him if he'd been kidnapped into space for seven months? It took him three months to even tell him about the Fall, and only because his inner shadow or whatever spilled the beans first. Speaking of which. His expression sours somewhat at the question about the ending.]

I dunno a lot about what went down after I died--but apparently, the fucker who ran SEES tricked all of us. What we thought we were doin' to end the Dark Hour was actually bringin' on the end of the world.

[He feels really bitter about that. But it's neither here nor there.]