TDM 006

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ Arrival is absolutely not normal this month. Instead of a hospital bed, you wake in a tunnel with a large group of other people. These are the residents. A woman’s voice in an earpiece hurriedly clues you in with an apology. I apologize; I had not planned to introduce you this way, but we are low on time. Please proceed down the hallway. An image of a shattered pearl pops up on your personal HUD and rotates. I am Aurora. You are joining many others on Etraya in order to save your world from destruction by completing missions. Your current mission is to find the pieces of this object that have become scattered in the library ahead of you. For everyone else, coming in is much the same. The instruction goes out to head to designated areas immediately, where companion bots will escort the residents of Etraya down into the depths, the area beneath where much the same is explained. ⏵ disrobing ⏴ The tunnel eventually opens directly into the foreroom of an expansive library, painted in marvelous hues and patterns with skylights far above. There are wizards milling about, bearded and holding tomes, quietly chatting amongst themselves. The reception area of the library has tall ceilings with equally tall doors Before you get too caught up in the scenery, a voice directs you forward. A gentleman, hunched and bespeckled craws out. "Make a line! Make a line, everyone! You cannot enter the library dressed as you are... Come forward and give me your name." The receptionist asks your given name and then hands over a box from underneath his counter. You can give him any name you want, he doesn’t seem to mind. It is tied with a tagged ribbon- labeling it accordingly. “The _____ robe of _______.” (First Letter of Given Name) (Last Letter of Given Name) A Controlling N Helpful A Melodies N Light B Glimmering O Floating B Discretion O Mind-Reading C Wet P Handsome C Growth P Climbing D Gruesome Q Gullible D Grasping Q Jumping E Observant R Ratty E Flying R Hurting F Powerful S Adhesive F Reading S Guiding G Psychedelic T Sweltering G Dancing T Bug-Speaking H Swift U Cheerful H Shouting U Exploding I Voracious V Anxious I Extracting V Complaining J Soft W Likeable J Punishing W Dividing K Keen X Ruthless K Creeping X Slapping L Fabulous Y Dramatic L Walking Y Charming M Fair Z Demonic M Listening Z Combustion As you read what the contents of the box may be, they form inside- Looking and behaving as your character expects them to. After all, magic is all in the wielder’s mind. Don your robes and enter the library. ⏵ unfamiliar familiars ⏴ For those without a familiar (like one hatched from an egg not too long ago) you may borrow one from the library counter. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but they will all assist in the very important mission. As you roam the library, they will make little indications that you are closer or further from finding a piece of the pearl. Pro • Hardworking • Gives correct directions 75% of time • Won’t run away from you • Very affectionate • Gives correct directions only when paired with another rat, toad, or personal pet. • Gives correct directions 90% of the time Con • Must feed bookworms • Will run away if too close to a cat • Does not care for you • Sleepy • Will run ahead • Gets distracted by rats ⏵ the task at hand ⏴ With robes donned and creature in hand, you must now complete your mission. Find the pieces of the shattered pearl. As you enter the library, you may notice that it’s all very dim. There’s oil lamps around the place that may be moved with you to assist in your journey if your robes do not already emit light. Break off and search the library. There is a directory at the front to point guests to all the different sections. Wings of the Library A General Works B Music C Philosophy, Religion D Fine Arts E History, Auxiliary Sciences F Language and Literature G Magic, General H Science J Geography, Anthopology K Medicine M Agriculture N Hobbies, Recreation P Social Science Q Military R Political Science S Practical Arts T Law W People X Education Y Spiders Each section looks enough like the last, though the books within have immense power. Pick up the wrong book, and you might conjure a dragon or a historical figure! You must persist and avoid making too much noise or breaking too many things. Or else the Librarian, a tall mass of knotted fabric will confiscate your robe and usher you back outside. Your name will be struck from the list, and you must pick a new one to re-enter the library to continue the search. You can try to fight back against him- he may be set alight with the lamp. But should you be starting fires in here? ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Any thread with 15 comments between you and another may be submitted to find a piece of the pearl. There are 20 pieces altogether, and we will determine if the mission was successful by March 28th. A post will go live on the OOC comm for this! This mission occurs out of time, similar to how the spaceship had. Meaning, those currently in game can experience these events any time between now, and March 14th. Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment! ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[copsormasks]

Nineteen.

[Jason frowns at the stranger.]

[batsymbol]

( Hm. Close enough. Fleeting glance to him, he looks back ahead as they go. )

You drive?

[copsormasks]

Never been allowed to.

[Between Alfred and Bruce, he never had to.]

[batsymbol]

( Another glance to him, he looks ahead again. )

Vehicles are a little hard to come by here. There's a junkyard you can search for scrap metal and anything else. Frankenstein a ride yourself. Otherwise, asking our gracious hosts here for a ride is the other option.

[copsormasks]

I’m not looking for a ride. [He’s more prone to boosting hubcaps and the valuable pieces.]

Are we almost there?

[batsymbol]

Of course not. You don't need anyone after all. Not even a ride.

( Dryly said, he doesn't bother to look over to him this time. Instead, he throws his gaze around them, keeping an eye on their surroundings while fingers hold tighter to the strap of his bag. )

I felt like that, too, once.

[copsormasks]

[Jason rolls his eyes as he continues to walk.]

Like what.

[He knows what the weirdo means, but he'll play obtuse for now.]

[batsymbol]

( He knows there's an eyeroll. He can feel it. )

Like I didn't need anyone. That I could do it all myself. Sometimes I still do.

( He stops then. Takes a moment to look around before he leads them down a more narrow tunnel, hand still holding the strap of his bag resting against his shoulder. )

I was angry — scarred, like the city I'm here to protect. I've come to see those scars can destroy us, even after the physical ones have been healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us... give us the power to endure... strength to fight. That goes with the people we meet along the way, too.

[copsormasks]

[Jason listens, but it's with a firmly set jaw, a stubbornness written into his body language.]

Fuck all those people. Fuck 'em. Nobody ever helped me. Nobody cared.

[And then he goes quiet, bristly as he shuts up.]

[batsymbol]

( There are times he’s felt like that himself. Felt like he was the only one who gave a damn about Gotham and the people within it. That there was no one else. No one who cared. No one who was willing to give up as much as he had to try and change things for the better. It made him angry. Made him frustrated. Made him push himself to the point where nothing and no one else mattered to him. But being here, having Damian at his side and Dick around to fill the silence with his yammering… there’s still hope. Something he hasn’t felt in a long time. )

That’s how I felt when my parents were murdered.

( He stops again and pushes open a door to lead them out of the tunnels and outside. )

But sometimes you meet people in unexpected places that make it a little easier. Even in a place like this. Doesn't make those scars go away. Not sure anything ever will when you've been hurt like that. ( Like how the kid describes his own anger and pain. ) But it helps a bit sometimes.

( Hand on the door, he waits for him to head out first. )

[copsormasks]

[Jason slows when he hears the weird clown mention his parents were murdered. He takes a good look, tries to see through the eyeblack for something familiar.]

Yeah, well I haven't. So will you can it with the funky camp counselor bullshit?

[Jason steps through the door. All he has are the clothes on him, so there's nothing to bring along.]

[batsymbol]

You just got here.

( Therefore, he doesn’t expect him to have, but. After stepping through the door, he follows out, making sure it’s closed behind them before he reaches inside his backpack and pulls out a bottle of water along with an energy bar, tossing them both to the kid. )

I’m not much of a cook, so that’ll have to do.

[copsormasks]

[Jason catches both and stares over at the stranger.]

Who are you? Why the fuck do you care?

[batsymbol]

Because I’ve gone too long not.

( I don’t care what happens to me, he’d said to Alfred with such bitter conviction and while that sometimes still remains true, he’d also come to realize how much he’d kept himself from caring about others at the same time. By no means has he mastered it in a healthy way, but. He sees now. He can’t just be vengeance. He needs to be more. For himself and for others. People need someone. Need to know someone is out there for them. They need hope, no matter how small it may be.

Removing his hat, he cards fingers through his dark strands of hair before he puts it back on and nods behind the kid. )

Apartments are that way. It’s typically where the new arrivals end up for a place to stay. ( A tilt of his head off to the side. ) I’m that way. There’s a diner and convenience store among other things around.

[copsormasks]

I can't afford an apartment. And I've lived on the streets long enough that they're more of a home than anywhere else.

[Jason crosses his arms, trying to figure out just who the hell this guy is.]

[batsymbol]

They don’t cost anything. Nothing does here. Money isn’t something people can steal or hoard or sit on while others suffer. Everything here is meant to be familiar but it doesn’t matter. Only the missions do and you’ll get thrown into one soon enough.

( Backpack adjusted, he starts to make his way down the road then. )

If you really don’t want the apartments, you might find something somewhere. Places are always popping up randomly.

[copsormasks]

[Jason presses his lips into a line as he regards the dark-eyed stranger.]

That doesn't make any fucking sense. Of course people will steal or horde money. To think they won't is stupid.

[stresstokens]

"I guess that makes sense," Riz says slowly. He still doesn't agree with it. Not really. He's paranoid at the best of times, cagey with who he spends his time with and who he trusts; to introduce someone else to that, even an animal, takes more than he's willing to give. That may well be a personal failing, though he prefers to err on the side of pragmatism.

It is nonetheless a much better reasoning than any he's heard thus far. To preserve a life instead of some deep-seated desire for a pet -- which he gets. He really liked hanging out with Zayn's rat before he was reunited with his ghostly owner.

"Do you really think something bad would've happened to them if we didn't take them? Tatianna is... fishy, but she didn't read as an animal-murderer or whatever to me."

[wolfish]

Well, he's impressive in a fight, certainly. For my part, I can hold my own.

[ He makes up for a less brutal arsenal with speed and accuracy. ]

[hackingyoursensors]

[ He figured he was being followed and observed, but he didn't think it was by another teenager... in a suit that looks like his. It's hard to read Dick's expression with his mask on, but anyone who knows (a version of) him, can tell he's assessing Damian. The outfit, the cadence of his voice, his movements, what he says and doesn't say.

Dick keeps his tone light, his body language loose. If he needs to react, he doesn't want to give away his intentions. ]

Fair enough. Are you the guide for the Spider section?

[brat]

( richard grayson excels at appearing to be relaxed and at ease when he's anything but. damian knows this; he's spent long enough beside his older brother to be able to read his expressions. but this isn't nightwing. and while he's not surprised at the arrival of another robin, it's still - disconcerting.

robin watches him, and he watches robin in return. keeps himself tense in comparison to this robin's more - easy body language. as if he's ready for a fight. less because he is waiting for the fight to start, more because he wants this robin to believe he is. )

No. I assume I'm here for the same purpose you are.

Arrival

[leastdramatic]

[Jason's navigating through the tunnels in civilian clothes instead of his Red Hood gear. So far, most of the missions hadn't required it and the occasion when it did, it was made very clear very quickly why.

Those detective skills are always on though so he's studying the tunnels as he walks. It's a part of Etraya he hadn't really looked into too much so far.

That's when someone bumps into him]

Hey.

[He doesn't have a good look at the other person's face yet]

Re: Arrival

[copsormasks]

Hey what? [Jason takes a step away from the stranger, as if the other man were the one at fault.] You're the one in the way, asshole.

[Jason angrily pockets his hands again and shakes his head.]

[maximumlegend]

[ He huffs. ]

Well, at least you are thinking about it. [ You don't want to know how many people he tried talking to about this, John! And most of them had no idea what he was even talking about!

Fabian was about ready to give up on the people here - especially the adults. Gosh, some of them are so clueless. ]

It's clear we are being messed with in some way here. The less they tell us, the more suspicious it is.

[batsymbol]

( At that, he stops. Turns himself around to face the kid with both hands now shoved in his jacket pockets. )

You’re not listening. Money isn’t a thing here. Food, clothes, a place to stay. None of it costs money. The only sort of currency around here is from interacting with others and doing the missions. You can use that to ask our gracious hosts for things.