Lunar Interlude 5

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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!

Comments

[slieght]

[The files never go back to petty thefts and (mostly) harmless pranks. The small handful of files left dealing with those crazy, fictional-esque heists are the last ones in the box, and ends on their biggest one yet. Stealing an extremely rare, extremely priceless jewel from a museum with the highest level of security...after telling the museum that that would be their plan. Sending in a calling card and somehow still managing to make off with the goods despite the police and the museum being extra prepared for the possibility.

Kokichi can't help but find the cases from classmates to be somewhat endearing. To think he'd go to all that trouble to find lost pets or possessions, and yet that's absolutely what he'd do. And the other files are pretty impressive too, thinking of this little middle school loser doing his best to solve these cases with or for his uncle. And quite a lot of them, at that. But he pauses on the murder case, reading it over a few times. Huh...this is really impressive as well, finding a lead when the case was almost dropped by the police because they couldn't find any themselves. And a revenge murder? Yikes...grim is right.

He gathers up some of the missing pet files and the murder file, carefully placing all the others back in the order he'd pulled them out, and hops up on the desk for a seat.]

Hey Saihara-chan, find anything useful?

[Knock on the door? Go in and see how he's doing? Nah. If this is Shuichi's desk, he'll recognize it, and he'd rather be obvious about what he was doing while the detective was working. It's more fun that way.]

[diffidentive]

[Really, Kokichi? You're gonna yell across the office and THROUGH THE CLOSED DOOR rather than get up and join him? Jeez. Shuichi sighs and walks over to the office door, pulling it open and poking his head out into the office proper.]

Yes, I did. Come in here so I don-- [He trails off as he realizes where Kokichi is sitting. There's no way it's a coincidence...there's no way he just decided to sit there for the heck of it. Not Kokichi. No, he was almost certainly...]

Were you...going through my desk?

[slieght]

[With a grin, he picks up and shows off his collection of files.]

Ohhhh, this is your desk? Huh, I had no idea!

[Very obviously a lie.]

[diffidentive]

[SIGH. Of course he went through his file drawer. Of course he did.]

Unless the simulator added a new file in there, I'm positive that nothing that was in that drawer is going to help us with this test.

[and yet, that sigh and his expression says that he's resigned to talking about them anyway. Kokichi obviously has things to ask or say, if he removed some of the files.]

[slieght]

Now that is totally not true. I think these files will help a lot with our test! Mainly by helping me get to know you better, nishishi!

[He hops down, moving towards the office.]

Wanna have an info sharing date on the couch? Or would you rather do it on the desk in there, hm~?

[diffidentive]

It...will probably be easier to look over everything in the office. There were a lot of files in that box... And there are a couple extra chairs in there, so you can still sit down. If you still need to rest.

[It's said with very doubtful deadpan because he can now see, quite plainly, that that claim was also a lie. If Kokichi could get up and rifle through his desk (and the rest of the main office, Shuichi is sure), then he can't actually be in THAT much pain.]

[slieght]

Wow Saihara-chan, don't be so cold. You sound like you don't believe I'm in any pain. That's pretty mean you know. I just couldn't help my curiosity.

[It wasn't a lie don't be rude!!]

That works for me though! Let's go sit down.

[diffidentive]

[The detective doesn't answer and instead heads back into the office, propping the door open this time as he pulls a chair up to the other side of the desk for Kokichi. A nice, comfy padded chair, even! Shuichi's uncle sees a lot of clients in here, after all. Sometimes the cases require that extra bit of privacy that just can't be achieved in the main office. The chair on the other side of the desk is high-backed and also very comfortable looking, even moreso actually since it's clearly his uncle's chair. And he sits in it longer than any client who comes in here. It's also on wheels.]

[As soon as Kokichi enters, he'll probably see why Shuichi didn't want to move out into the main office. There were, indeed, a lot of files inside the box, just as he said. But now they are all OUTSIDE of the box (which stands empty on the other chair now); spread across the desk or the floor, grouped and singular, open and closed...apparently there's some kind of organizational matrix going on here, but it's impossible to tell what it is just by looking.]

[slieght]

[Glancing around the office a little before looking over the organizational matrix, he takes the chair pulled up for him, keeping his own files in his lap. And then he looks up at Shuichi, waiting for him to sit down too.]

So Mr. Detective, what have we got?

[diffidentive]

[From a corner of the desk, he picks up a tri-folded piece of paper and hands it to Kokichi. It's a letter printed on a very official letterhead of the city's police station. Interestingly, the name of the city is the same as wherever Kokichi grew up, even if the scenery outside doesn't match it at all. It's as though the name was just slapped onto a "bad side of town" stereotype. Perhaps there's a reason for that...]

That's a letter from the police, supposedly, asking for help from all local private investigators in a...theft case. [He hesitates as he says it, since the details are just so wild that it's hard to refer to it as though it's an actual case.] Since this is never a case that actually came through our agency, and the details are so...um. Unbelievable... I'm pretty sure that solving this case and recovering the stolen item is our test.

[The letter, if Kokichi chooses to read it, confirms this, though it lacks any of these "unbelievable" details Shuichi mentioned. It simply states that a group of thieves known as D.I.C.E. have stolen a very valuable artifact and it is of the utmost importance that it be retrieved. So they decided to reach out to PIs in an attempt to spread a wider net. The box they sent along with the letter contains case files for all of D.I.C.E.'s various thefts and other crimes, as well as a file with all their leads with regards to their hideout.]

[slieght]

[He takes the letter, listening to Shuichi while reading over what's printed on the paper itself. And there's the most minute change in his expression as he takes everything in. He still has a smile in place, but it's ever so slightly off. His best attempt at hiding his surprise to read info on his organization. His real one. Operating in their home city. But stealing something like this? To the point the police have to involve any PI in the area? That's...that's not something they'd ever do.]

What unbelievable details are you talking about? This doesn't really list much...

[Leads with regards to their hideout? Fuck that's the last thing he'd ever want to read in an official police report. It's almost scary, and he has to remind himself that this is a simulation. There's no way the police would ever know where they are. Where any of their hideouts are. No way.]

[diffidentive]

Well...it's the contents of the files themselves that's odd, not the letter. That was just meant to explain the situation, so it doesn't go into too much detail. But some of these crimes are just...

[He picks up a small stack of folders and hands them to Kokichi.]

Frankly, they sound like something out of an Arsene Lupin novel or a detective TV program. They even call them "phantom thieves" a few times. So I'm pretty sure it's just...something that was made up to make a more interesting test. Since detective work is...definitely one of those things where reality is somewhat disappointing compared to the picture painted by fiction...

[slieght]

[He takes the files carefully, flipping through each of them quickly to get a gist of what they're dealing with. Yeah...these are crimes they'd never do.

But they are things that he, himself, has fantasized about from time to time...is that what this is?]

Mmmm...

[It's also both terrifying yet hilarious that Shuichi is reading information on his organization right now, when he's asked a few times before about what it is and what they do. He has literally all the info he needs, right here, to figure that out!]

Yeah, this stuff is pretty out there! Phantom thieves, how lame.

[Just going to hand the files back.]

The letter mentioned leads on hideouts? Do we have that list or was that just like. Flavor text or something?

[diffidentive]

[That is exactly what this is, Kokichi. D.I.C.E. has become a weird amalgamation of reality and your fantasies. Probably because of how much you lie! Or something. Who knows. This simulator works in mysterious ways.]

No, that was in here too. [He gestures to an open file on the edge of the desk.] Apparently they've been trying to find it for a while, but have never managed to do so. And since some of those "leads" seem to be little more than rumor of conjecture, I'm not surprised... They really just don't seem to have any idea where their hideout is. Or if there really is one, for that matter. Or more.

[Kokichi will notice, however, that some of the locations actually are correct. They just weren't able to find the to confirm. So the police in this fake simulation can't be as hopeless as they seem to Shuichi.]

If I had to guess though...this is our pass condition. I think we're supposed to go through the maze and find D.I.C.E.'s hideout, which is where we'll find this..."Artifact" they've stolen. Though that begs the question of how many attempts we have to get it right. Since this is a test...there have to be fail conditions as well as pass ones...

[He's just musing, don't mind him.]

[slieght]

[Hearing Shuichi say that they have to find D.I.C.E.'s hideout has him tensing just slightly. This is all awful. And amazing. But mostly awful. He reads over the list carefully, digesting the fact that they have correct locations written down but just haven't been able to actually break into the hideouts. How close were the police to finding them in real life? He can't help but wonder...were they ever this close?

He lets the detective muse to himself, taking in the idea of fail conditions as well, just quiet for a bit.]

...I wonder what it means? Their name...it's an abbreviation of some sort, right?

[He can't pass up the opportunity to ask.]

[diffidentive]

I wondered that as well...but I couldn't find anything in any of the files. If it has a meaning, the police don't know what it is. That's really not the weirdest thing about the group though... [He leans down in his chair, picking up some of the papers from the floor and flipping through it with a frown on his face.] All of the older files are just...petty misdemeanors and thefts. Like these two here...first they stole a bunch of water guns, then a few months later there was an incident involving masked delinquents spraying people with the same make of water guns that were reported stolen.

[He tosses the papers back down onto the ground.]

The bulk of the files are all things of that nature...those big grandiose heists only started recently and I can't find a reason for the change. [Ah...so that's why everything is spread all over the place even though all these older files have nothing to do with the stolen Artifact.] I mean...I guess it doesn't really matter in the end, I'm not sure having that information would help us find their hideout but...it bothers me.

[Though it's not really the change itself that bothers him, but rather what it might imply. Because it seems to him as though the simulator is using this D.I.C.E. group as a base of sorts. A base which they then added onto in order to make it "fit" in with the scenario of the test. And if that's the case...it had to have pulled this base from somewhere. And going by some of the things he's seen in the scenery so far, he has a feeling he knows where that "somewhere" might be...]

[slieght]

[There's a little snort and laugh at the mention of the water guns, Kokichi hiding it behind a hand before dropping it to his lap again.]

Really? The police can't catch a group that steals water guns and pulls pranks? Wooooow, what useless law enforcement! No wonder they're so desperate for help!

[They really do have everything here, amazing.]

I dunno, if it doesn't relate to what we're trying to do, I wouldn't worry about it too much. All we need is the hideout locations and whatever this artifact is, right?

[diffidentive]

[...yeah that laugh is only confirming his suspicions, really. D.I.C.E. is your organization, isn't it, Kokichi?]

Mmm... [His detective instinct just doesn't want to let it go, so he'll probably continue to ruminate on it till he figures it out. But outwardly, he'll just agree with Kokichi and move on.] I think so. That's the most logical conclusion I've been able to come up with after having gone through all this. I could be wrong though.

[There's no real way to confirm his deduction...their objective isn't written out plainly and explicitly anywhere. But maybe that's also part of the test.]

[slieght]

[No!! He just!! Appreciates a good prank!!]

You could be, but I trust your deductions! Plus, that's what makes the most sense to me, too. So let's go with this for now. And we can just adjust our plans as we go if we need to.

[No sweat. Plus, he's pretty sure that's what they want, with how much info on his organization they're giving them.]

[diffidentive]

[Uh huh. Sure.]

[He hums a little in agreement. They can be flexible, no problem.]

What about you, then? I'm guessing you didn't take those files [He nods to the stack Kokichi brought into the room with him.] out of my desk for no reason.

[slieght]

Nishishi!

[He places them on the desk, with the couple of missing pets and possessions cases first and the murder case last.]

You seriously found someone's pet alligator? And all of the other ones that clearly weren't official cases!

[diffidentive]

A miniature alligator, but...yes. I did. That was the first case I ever took, actually.

[Which is why it was first in the drawer, obviously.]

And what about them...?

[slieght]

That's so cute! Imagining an even nerdier Saihara-chan wrestling with a mini alligator! And hunting down all of those other pets and stuff? I just had to confirm it. Did they pay you, or did you do it out of the goodness of your heart?

[Some gentle teasing doesn't hurt before he drops the heavy case on him, right?]

[diffidentive]

Well...the girl who owned the alligator gave me some chocolate on Valentine's day-- just as friends, but other than that, no I didn't ask them to pay me.

[He hesitates, seemingly weighing his options about something for a moment. The truth is that he was happy with just their thanks and the knowledge that he'd helped someone but...he's pretty sure Kokichi will just laugh at him if he shares that.]

[No, scratch that. He's definitely sure Kokichi will laugh at him if he shares that. So he doesn't.]

They weren't...really official cases, you know? And I'm not a professional detective, [This would have been before he was the SHSL Detective, even.] so it didn't feel right to ask for payment.

[slieght]

Valentine's chocolates? I'm so jealous! Well, not really. After all, I received thousands of those every year from my organization.

[Of course.]

That's fair! It makes total sense that you'd be soft like that. I'm sure you were just happy being useful to someone, huh? Nishishi! I have another case I'm curious about.