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balance mod ([personal profile] balancemod) wrote in [community profile] balance_logs2019-08-01 09:45 am

Lunar Interlude 5


looks like i'm in charge now
NAVIGATION


Click here for the RNG thread!



1. FROM THERE TO HERE AND THERE IS GONE




A. YOUR ARRIVAL

For those of you who were just casually (or not so casually) pulled between the universes, depending on how you viewed your home world, your day just got a whole lot worse.

You can't really remember what happened, but the grass beneath you is plush and comfortable, and out in the well manicured field of trees you're sitting in are ... well, a fairly sizeable crowd of people. The Director has pulled in new Reclaimers so often by this point that it's become something of an event. And quite frankly, according to the murmurs of other members of the Bureau, she's become pretty adept at picking some real weirdos.

The Director, standing before you dressed in regal robes, clears her throat and begins to speak. She doesn't appear to be wearing any mics, but her voice is somehow amplified so that it booms through the Quad, and onto the Bracers of those who aren't in the Quad.

When she's done, there's silence. In the distance, trains.




No, really, you most definitely heard the sound of a train just now.

That's probably normal.

In any case, you have a few minutes to gather your bearings before you're taken to your initiation. You can talk with other newbies who are sitting there with you, or if you happen to spot somebody you know among the crowd watching, now's your chance to reunite with them.

And maybe one of those people out there will be able to relay a fact to you, even if you can't remember exactly how: Your world, and the people who were there and are not here, are now gone.

B. THE VOIDFISH

Once you have your bearings, you are divided into small groups of three or four 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.

Standing by the tank is a bard, who happens to be reciting the lyrics to a song. Considering what he's about to do with the sheets of paper in his hands, the lyrics might be apt enough.

When he's finished, he takes the sheets of paper — sheet music — opens a drawer at the bottom of the tank, drops the papers in, and shuts it.

And swiftly, you feel as if there's something you can't just shake off about the melody you just heard.

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 sang 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. TEST OF INITIATION


You are immediately divided into pairs and brought to the Arena, a large building that is capable of running several simulations for combat training, events, or, in this case, your Test of Initiation.

When you and your partner walk into the Arena, the simulators switch to Initiation Mode, the scenery shifts, and your test begins.

The experience is wildly different for each group — that's because the test will be drawing from both of your experiences back home. Initiation Mode replicates an amalgam of thoughts, metaphors, and ideas between the two people who signed up in order to make an obstacle course suited to appropriately test their ability to stay focused. This is a good opportunity to introduce new CR to some of the thoughts and feelings that your character has going on through their mind, their preferences, or give away a piece of information about themselves that might not be on the surface level.

For example, let's say that your character was born on a ship, and spent their entire childhood growing up at sea. Your partner's life involves a lifetime of academic research (setting aside our dearth of smart archetypes for a sec here). An amalgamation suited for the Test of Initiation may involve navigating a ship through choppy seas with flying book monsters that breathe fire. Be as creative as you want! The design is 100% left up to you.

All tests will eventually lead toward a room with a relic locked within it. What that looks like is up also up to you! If you need a few ideas, though, it could be: A bright red pair of gloves that can manipulate matter, or a ball of yarn that can roll up pretty much anything.

Regardless of what the relic looks like, all you have to do to pass is retrieve the relic without using it.




3. AROUND THE MOON BASE


The Director's sudden absence isn't particularly anything new, given she spent the majority of her time on Lyrabar, leaving the Moon Base to manage itself. It is the first time Lucas has been left entirely in charge of it though.

Controlled chaos becomes something of a much less controlled chaos. The sound of trains in the distance, though nobody can seem to pinpoint where they're coming from, isn't helping.

Though, that isn't necessarily Lucas' fault

It's largely the fault of a technomancer supposedly stuck on a different plane and infecting the Moon Base's tech. She's figured out where the Director went, and she's going to be using the next two weeks to her advantage.

It's hard to say what her motives are here. But then, Miss Zarves has always been a little bit inexplicable.

C. WHAT A CRUMMY WEEKEND THIS HAS BEEN

Oh man, Miss Zarves has been wanting to try this thing she wrote for ages, and for a few weeks at least, she's figured out how to override the Director's simulation settings.

Did you know the Moon Base has an arcade? You're about to find out if not: If you happen to wander into the Arena, you'll find yourself inexplicably trapped in a simulation based off of an arcade game — and no, you're not going to get out until you win.

As a note, you can't die in these simulations, but you can be busted up a bit. You can repeatedly get game overs until you win.

You can run with any game on the conveniently copyright infringement free list linked above however you like, but here are a few settings to get you started:

Mesozoic Park: The Lost Chult. You and a friend find yourselves in a lush jungle, with no clear path to the escape helicopter. Using your wits and path actions, you are going to need to clear one for yourselves.

And thanks to not wanting to be sued by Michael Crichton's estate, the T-Rex that's chasing you down in this game is actually in the correct era. Once both you and your friend are safely strapped into the helicopter, the simulation will end. (As a side note, Lucretia would actually approve of this one — there are many very powerful monsters out there in Faerun, and learning to outrun/outwit/defeat them is a vital ability.)

Immortal Wombat: Actually becoming a wombat is optional. You and a friend will be situated in the middle of the arena, with a very loud and very rowdy simulated crowd surrounding you.

As the name of the game implies, this simulation will not end until one of you is KO'd.


Again, these are just a few examples! Feel free to use any of the games listed as you see fit.

E. THERE'S NO ESCAPE

The town, though it might not rely as heavily on Moon Base tech as the rest of the Bureau does, isn't exactly escaping unscathed either. It's more like, Miss Zarves find you Reclaimers a lot more entertaining than a bunch of shopkeepers who have had to put up with a deals warlock's shenanigans long enough that it's hard to surprise them.

That said, if shopping or the occasional dining is on your agenda in town, then you'll find that you'll be able to do so largely unhindered. Shopping at Fantasy Costco is normal, too, if Garfield being himself falls under your usual definition of normal.

There is one exception, though: It's a small alleyway that leads to the back entrance of Madame Frione's Tea Kettle. Step into it, and weirdly, you'll find that something unseen is blocking your exit. And then, a message appears on your bracer.

From: Zarves♥Scarves

hello!!!!
since madam in charge is off tryin to fix something
i thought id help out a bit
you know
like a team building exercise
so you can do the bureau thing better
sounds fun right???
anyway what would u say is your least favorite thing about yourself
go on dont be shy


You won't get a response from Miss Zarves, but you will find that you won't be able to leave until you respond to her text with something. And you'll also find that whatever you answer? It's automatically sent to the entire network.

FYI: If you lie in your response, whatever's blocking you in will suddenly give way — you'll be able to move about three feet before there's suddenly another one blocking your escape. Unfortunately, it looks like if you want to escape this, you're going to have to be honest with yourself. And the network, as it were!

E. LET'S JUST ESCAPE

There is a very easy way to avoid anything a technomancer tries to do to mess with you, of course: Avoid the tech she's using to mess with you. And after the sort of messed up mission that Lyrabar was, and after the sort of screwed up ordeal that is being initiated into the Bureau to begin with, some of you will probably want to just chill out for a bit, too. Here are a few suggestions!

○ Another small art studio with a supply of magic paintbrushes has been set up in the Academy. Previously, the paintbrushes had painted in a color that represented the energy you're giving off. Nowadays, it's a bit more versatile: You can now change the color you're painting with by simply thinking about it.

○ Speaking of the Academy, there are a few new classes available: "Logic and Puzzles for the Easily Puzzled," led by a rather intelligent chemist who tends to speak in riddles herself; "Charmed, I'm Sure," led by a warlock who seems to have an uncanny sort of charisma, and knitting. What? You guys don't want to knit? Additionally, if you are interested in reading up on some of the advanced paths unlocked so far, the materials unlocked have been made available in the Artificer's Office. If there's an advanced path your character wants to reach someday, now's a good time as any for them to start studying it.

○ Before leaving, the Director set up a comfortable pile of large pillows and blankets out by the Whomping Willow in the Quad. Feel free to have as many sleepovers as you want. The Whomping Willow will also offer advice if you ask it, though it's particularly good at dispensing love advice.

WILDCARD: This is, of course, your time to rest as you see fit. Please feel free to use the setting however you wish!


diffidentive: again where I begin to ponder life's great questions like, "What will my pathetic excuse for a future look like?" and "Why tacos?" (shock ✯ It's that time of the week)

d is for dorms!

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-02 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[For a guy who spent nearly 24 hours doing a whole lot of nothing before he arrived here, Shuichi is downright exhausted and eager to just flop down onto a bed after parting ways with Kaede at the cafe. But, of course, there's a bit of a walk involved before he can do that.]

[He finds the dome with the dorms easily enough and begins making his way up to the third floor, only to come across another familiar face on the way up.]


H-Harukawa-san?!

[Maki will no doubt notice that Shuichi seems to have lost his uniform jacket at some point between the last time she saw him and now. It's a pretty distinct difference, after all.]
erlebnisse: (Thought this boy told me to choke him)

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-03 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
[She walks with purpose, as if she's got somewhere urgently she needs to be. She doesn't, not really, but if she walks like this people tend to assume she knows where she's going and to not bother her. And she is eager to get to her room, to hopefully be alone even if just for a few minutes and sort things out.

A familiar voice calling out to her at first doesn't register to her as strange, since she's rather used to hearing Shuichi and all, until a half-second later when she remembers just why it's strange. Not surprising, exactly, because if there was anyone she expected to run into here she figured it'd be Shuichi eventually, but...
]

Saihara? [Maki stops, both startled and a little relieved to see him as she turns to face him. Whatever she might've followed up with is lost, however, as she's momentarily distracted by seeing him without the jacket. She can't ever really recall a time he'd ever not been put together, except maybe during his depression nap from-- God, had it really only been days ago? It felt like years. Or when he took it off during their training sessions, she supposes. Still, it's odd outside of those contexts.

She shakes her head to clear it.
] What happened to your jacket?
diffidentive: "I love you because you're my mom and I'm obligated to, but I don't like you"? (unsure ✯ What kind of gift says)

wheezes finally i can come back to this thread

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-05 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[He walks over to her, smiling slightly and lengthening his strides as he does so. She's still wearing her clothes from the killing game so...maybe this isn't another case like Kaede. Maybe Maki is as new here as he is. That would be great.]

[He comes to a stop in front of her, though his smile fades a little as she asks about his jacket. He suddenly looks a little nervous.]


Um... [Well...she's going to find out eventually. There's no way she won't run into Kokichi at some point. And it's probably better for both parties if at least Maki has a head's up.]

[Poor Kokichi may end up suffering a heart attack when he sees her but, let's be real. He deserves it.]
I...lent it to Oma-kun. He didn't have his when they brought him here, and we were paired together for our initiation test.

[He's just...going to wait for her reaction before addressing any of the other things he wants to ask her now. Like whether or not she actually attacked him and tried to kill him. And what this "Remnant of Despair" thing is.]
erlebnisse: (He woke up and decided)

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-06 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[Her severe expression softens somewhat as he approaches, honestly relieved to see him. While it sucks to be stuck in this weird-ass place, at least there's a familiar face and they're stuck together. Maki knows she would've been just fine on her own, but she can't deny the slight feeling of relief n knowing she's not.]

To-- [Maki goes still, little sparks and explosions of different feelings going off in her chest and her head. What had Shuichi just said?]

...Oma? Saihara, that's-- [Impossible, she's about to say, but Kaede is here too and...Maybe it's not so impossible after all, but to say that Maki isn't sure how to feel about this is an understatement.

Her fingers curl into her palms tightly.
] Of all people...
diffidentive: "what are you anxious about" like.......about??? You think this is based on reason? Rationality? Never heard of that. (distress ✯ I love when people ask me)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-06 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I know, I know but... [He holds up his hands placatingly in front of him.] Listen...he's not actually the mastermind. He was lying because he hoped it would get us to stop playing the killing game.

[There's something disapproving or disappointed in his tone as he says this. It's clearly not meant to be an excuse, but rather an explanation. Because he certainly doesn't approve of Kokichi's plan to end the killing game.]

So don't...go hunting him down or anything like that, okay?
erlebnisse: (Look get the dick out ur mouth)

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-09 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Everything is still for a few long, tense seconds. Maki's brow furrows, like she's not sure what to make of anything Shuichi's just said--though probably not for the reasons Shuichi might think.

After a moment she moves forward quickly, placing the back of her palm firmly over Shuichi's forehead (hopefully not just straight up smacking him in the face, but, you know, this is a desperate time she can apologize Later maybe--)
]

Do you have a fever? I wasn't planning on-- killing him. [There is, however, nothing mentioned about kicking the snot out of him in the near future. She MAY still do that.]
diffidentive: "I love you because you're my mom and I'm obligated to, but I don't like you"? (unsure ✯ What kind of gift says)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-09 10:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Shuichi seems surprised when she claps her hand against his forehead, but he doesn't seem hurt so there's probably no need to apologize. He also doesn't feel warm at all, so...nope, No fever.]

Huh? Um...no, I don't. [His brow furrows slightly. It's kind of a weird question. But so is the claim that she didn't plan on killing Kokichi, considering what Kokichi himself had told him just a few hours ago.] But didn't you...

[Son of a bitch, is this another classic "it's a lie!" situation?]

He told me...that you attacked him with a crossbow and tried to kill him. Was he lying then?
erlebnisse: (Holy. shit. He has no pants on.)

obligatory drv3 spoilers abound

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-11 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
I did.

[She says it bluntly, without hesitation. It happened. She already owned up to it, so there was no use in hiding it from Shuichi. It's not like she can step back and change that past, and the fact Kokichi is here at all what the FUCK is already talking about it means there's no point in hiding it either.

What's actually concerning her is...
] You should know this already, though. How could you forget something like that? [Especially with everything else around that?

She crosses her arms over her chest, biting at her thumbnail in mild distress as she thinks
] Amnesia...? DId you hit your head when you came here?
diffidentive: he looked like Shaggy, then said 'I wouldn't show you my Mystery Machine for all the Scooby Snacks in the world'. (talk ✯ You got drunk and told him)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-11 03:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, to be fair, Kokichi isn't so much talking about it as Shuichi forced him to talk about it. Which is to say, he asked about it and then wouldn't drop it.]

[Right now though, Shuichi looks utterly perplexed, and a little concerned.]


Um...no, I didn't hit my head. But...why would I know about that? I wasn't in the hangar... I was in my room. I never left my room after we came back from the exit. I had no idea you were planning to break into the hangar.

[He's a little surprised she didn't tell him. But...then again, she had thought he was a coward for giving Kokichi the shutter remote to the hangar. And if she was going with the intent of killing him...she probably didn't want him trying to stop her.]
erlebnisse: (Thought this boy told me to choke him)

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-15 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[If Kokichi magically is here somehow, then it stands to reason that there's all sorts of other craziness that could stem from that. Shuichi apparently forgetting an entire chunk of time shouldn't be surprising-- and it's not, not really, just... Disappointing? Concerning?

Amnesia is nothing new, but boy is it getting old. Maki crosses her arms over her chest and wonders just what to say.
]

...What, exactly, is the last thing you remember? Think hard.
diffidentive: and you were on your back in the middle of the sidewalk with your arms and legs in the air yelling that you were a dead bug. (talk ✯ The cops drove by)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-15 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't really have to think that hard about it...it's only been a few hours. But I was...lying in my bed doing absolutely nothing after Oma-kun took Momota-kun to the Exisal hangar. I couldn't tell you how long it was...a day maybe? I'm pretty sure the morning and nighttime announcements played at least once...

[So...right before you knocked on his door to tell him about the flashback light. Shuichi frowns slightly.]

Is...there something else I should remember?
erlebnisse: (I think I deserve an award)

more super spoilers for V3 ayyy

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-16 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Maki stares a moment, her mouth a thin, hard line. It doesn't make sense. Has he just...forgotten? SHe's heard whispers of people appearing from different points in time and while maki isn't stupid she hadn't really paid too much attention to something that seemed like such nonsense.

Now she's kind of regretting that.
]

Yes. [She finally says, bringing her thumb up to her mouth to work her teeth against her nail.] A lot happened. Momota-- [No, wait] Kaito-- [She feels her heart suddenly squeeze and her breath catches.

Objectively, Maki knows that it's not surprising that it still gets her. After all, it's been...what, a day? Not even? She's been too busy with all of this--everything to really think about it much but talking with Shuichi like this brings it all crashing back.

Inexplicably tears fill her eyes, which she hastily, angrily blinks away, scowling a little as she looks down at the ground. Her fingers curl into her palms, so tight that she can feel her nails digging in.

She tries to speak and again her breath hitches oddly on a strangled sort of sob, a feeling of mortification winding through her along with the overwhelmingly crushing sadness
]
diffidentive: why I woke up with my hands tied to the hotel bed with the phone cord??? (shock ✯ Can you explain to me)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-16 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Immediately, Shuichi wishes he could un-ask that question. Because this is not the answer he was expecting at all. He's only seen Maki cry once before, and that was nothing like this. They'd all been crying that time, drawn into doing so by Himiko's anguish after losing the two closest to her.]

[But this...this is something completely different.]


H-Harukawa-san?!

[He has...no idea what to do here. Maki is one of his closest friends, but he's only known her for a few days and he's never seen her upset like this before. Somehow hugging her or even putting an arm on her shoulder seems like it wouldn't go over very well.]

I'm s-sorry, I-- Y-you don't have to answer that. [He puts his free hand (he has Yacchi under his other arm which I totally mentioned before now) into his pants pocket to see if he can find a tissue, but of course there's nothing in there.] Uhm...

[He looks anxiously around the hallway. They should probably...go somewhere more private? But it seems weird to just invite himself into a girl's room. His own room is still a few floors away and he doesn't know if it's empty or not...he supposedly has a roommate, after all.]

[What would Kaito do in this situation? Or Kaede?]


.....

[Holding his breath a little, he reaches out and attempts to take one of Maki's hands in his own. If she allows it, she'll find that his hand is warm and though his grip is soft and gentle, it's also firm. He's trying to be a reassuring presence...to be dependable.]

[It's okay, he's here. It's okay if you need to cry about whatever it was that happened that he doesn't remember. Which...he's suddenly very sorry he doesn't. Because then she wouldn't have to suffer this pain alone...]
erlebnisse: (DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT)

[personal profile] erlebnisse 2019-08-17 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
[The sudden touch of his hand makes her entire body tense up and flinch a little, but... But she doesn't pull away. Her fingers curl around his, squeezing back tightly and just. Sort of clinging to him.

It feels stupid to be upset like this, though logically she also knows it's not. It's understandable, she just wishes it wasn't happening to herself right now. That she could carefully pluck every feeling, stuff it into a box, and bury it away.

SHe doesn't pull Shuichi into a hug or anything grandiose like that, she just steps closer so she can press her face to his shoulder, just to hide her face for a minute. Sorry about getting your shoulder all wet, Shuichi.
]

I'll... tell you everything. I will. Just not...Not right this second. [She manages to get that out after a few seconds, her grip on his hand possibly becoming a bit painful at this point before she thinks to ease up on it. But she's not going to keep it from him, painful and still raw as it is, she just needs some time first to be able to get it all out.]
diffidentive: to rest. Put me in a coffin, let my soul ascend. (neutral ✯ I need to get laid...)

[personal profile] diffidentive 2019-08-18 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
[It would be so wonderful if feelings worked that way. But alas, they do not. Shuichi gives her hand a reassuring little squeeze, relieved that the gesture went over well.]

I'll wait until whenever you're ready to tell me. So don't...feel like you need to rush, Harukawa-san.

[He is a very patient boy! And, if what she has to tell him is what he suspects it might be...it's something he wouldn't want to be rushed into talking about either. You take your time, Maki, he's not going anywhere. Which also applies to this crying spell, too, not just talking about the trial he forgot. His shirt will dry, you keep using it as a tissue for as long as you need.]