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

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Carver actually grins at that. ]

Cool. Then I'll hold you to it.

[ It makes the work a bit more bearable, anyway. ]

I know it's not gonna last, but having real alcohol around? Damn, that's nice.

[aimsforknees]

[ John can't help the flash of a smile to reflect Carver's. ]

You drink much back home?

[ They have a good mood right now, John is hesitant to bring up memories of home for Carver, but he brought it up first to John hopes it's okay. It still catches him off guard that they can have a relaxed conversation like this after the ways they've interacted in the past. It's... nice. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

Nah. Whatever we find, we use for disinfectant.

[ He shrugs a little. ]

Sometimes there’s moonshine, if the commander’s pleased with us.

[aimsforknees]

You have a unit?

[ John's assuming that's what he's implying with "commander". Carver had made references to working with people when John asked if he was here alone, so maybe he'll get to hear more about them now. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

Yeah. We stuck together after things went to shit.

[ He glances at John briefly. He thinks most of his brothers and sisters are dead now. Thinks it's probably his fault. ]

They're family.

[aimsforknees]

[ He can see how people in that kind of a situation would become family. John wonders about his own future: will he become like that with Shaw? She's so comfortable around him now despite the fact that he barely knows her. What does their relationship look like in two years? Certainly his own relationship with Harold is... complicated. He doesn't think Harold will ever feel like family the way he's envisioning Carver's relationships are. Harold is... it's different. He'd rather something else from Harold, even if he refuses to look at it carefully. ]

It's good to have people you can call family. Look out for each other.

[fortitudosalutis]

God loves them.

[ The commander loves them. Haven't they seen the proof? Carver tilts his head back, thinking of that. All the ways they've been tested, proven their worth. ]

We were tested and found worthy.

[aimsforknees]

[ John doesn't react outwardly, but he's a little surprise at Carver's sudden declaration of piety. But if he thinks about it, it's not that uncommon for people to turn to religion in times of hardship. ]

Are you all religious?

[fortitudosalutis]

Mhmm.

[ Each and every one of them faithful to their creed. ]

You ever seen napalm up close?

[aimsforknees]

[ He's not sure where this conversation is headed now, but it's a simple enough question. ]

No. You?

Cw body horror

[fortitudosalutis]

I have.

[ His voice is soft. Gaze a little distant. ]

You can feel it against your skin like grease. It gets in your throat when you breathe. And when men fall, they stick to the ground. Everything black but their teeth.

That’s where God lives. In the ash and the black and the teeth on the ground.

[aimsforknees]

[ That's a bleak depiction of god but John supposes that everything must be bleak where Carver is from. He's not here to judge. ]

In death you find your place with god?

[fortitudosalutis]

No.

[ Like before, his voice is soft. A little distant. Death is part of it, yes, but not the whole. ]

In the fight. God saw we were worthy and so He spared us.

[aimsforknees]

[ What kind of fight is Carver talking about here? Against fate? Against others? Those are two different things. Or fighting just for the sake of it? John thinks the answer to that question is a key to understanding Carver better. It's clear he's effected by this topic. John keeps his voice respectful. ]

What fight?

[fortitudosalutis]

Every fight.

[ His fingers twitch. Sometimes, Carver’s thoughts race so fast through his skull it feels like he’s going to die if he can’t move to escape them. Like his skin’s too tight and his bones are going to punch through and so he has to move, to pace, to do something to escape instead of holding still. Pope always hated that. Called it a weakness. A defect. Stand fucking still, son.

He forces his hands to stop. To hold fucking still. ]

Every day, something tries to kill you. You slip for a second, just a second, then you deserve what they do.

[aimsforknees]

[ John is used to living every day in motion, is used to having a new threat all the time. But he purposefully puts himself in harm's way. He could walk away from that life if he wanted. When he fights he doesn't have to kill, is asked not to. It's hard to imagine what it would feel like to have the life Carver's describing forced on him. No wonder he's so reactionary, so ready to see the fight in others even when there's none there. Not only is it a reaction born from necessity, it's part of his religion. ]

But it's not like that here.

[ It's a challenge, but it's something he wants to challenge Carver on. Maybe make him see some good in the world again. Maybe show him it's okay to soften his edges. John doesn't really know, but he wants to say it. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ That makes Carver frown, refocusing on John. ]

Of course it is. All of this can be taken away.

[ The moment you think things are easy is the moment God chooses for a test. God, or the commander. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ When he first arrived John agreed with Carver. He still does, a little. But it's been long enough that he's letting himself believe that it won't come to that, that he won't have to fight Carver, or Accelerator, or Krouse, or Gorgug, or, or, or. So many people that have wormed their way into his life despite his best attempts at keeping them at arms length. And he still does, still doesn't open up to them, still doesn't share himself, but he knows how much he doesn't want to make that decision. ]

I don't believe that.

[ Even with his doubts, even though he got a sniper rifle, even though he makes mental plans on how to fight people, John is choosing hope. It's a strange thing. It's a place he'd never be without Harold. He's letting himself hope. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

Then you’ll fail.

[ It’s said bluntly. Hope is a curse. You have to be practical about these things. You have to face the world as it is and always will be. God loves the survivors but He tests them constantly. This is how it will always go. ]

And who’s gonna protect Finch then?

[aimsforknees]

I won't. I'll be there for him.

[ And that's said with utter belief. He will be there for Harold. Always. That's how he'll spend his last breath. Whether it's in defense of Harold, or for Harold's mission, for the purpose that Harold gave him, that's what he's dedicating his life to. John doesn't think he has a long life ahead of him, but it will always be for this. ]

[fortitudosalutis]

[ It’s said with conviction, but what does that matter if John lets his guard down, treats this place as anything less than an active war zone? No, Carver thinks, no, that’s a mistake. One that everyone around here seems to be making and he doesn’t understand why everyone looks at him like he’s so goddamn unreasonable for calling things like they are.

All of this can be taken away. None of it will last. And when things go bad, the way they always do and always will, who’s going to be prepared? Who’s going to weather it strong?

Carver exhales through his teeth, frustrated. A soldier, of all people, ought to understand this shit. ]

Everything is a test. You let your guard down, even for a second, you fail.

[aimsforknees]

[ That says a lot about Carver. Says a lot about John that he doesn't believe that anymore. He did, once upon a time in the CIA, know every moment of his life was being scrutinized. Kara and Mark were always watching him, always molding him, always asking him to be something he ultimately wasn't. But it's not like that now. He sees goodness in the world, in people. He might not see goodness in himself, but he lets himself make good choices, even if old habits die hard.

He thinks that Carver is starting down that path in slow steps, but he won't point out the ways he sees that. He's going to back off here, not push any further. He still wants to have that drink with Carver when they're done. ]

Maybe you're right, maybe it is.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ He gives John a narrow, suspicious look. Wondering if he's being mocked, somehow. But in the end there's just John's placid, unchanging face, and Carver exhales through his teeth. He forces his hands to unclench. ]

Of course it is.

[aimsforknees]

[ It's not mocking, and while John kept himself with more poise than Carver, he lets his mind relax when he sees Carver's hands unclench. Just because he thinks about these things when confronted doesn't mean he's comfortable with it. It's much easier to skim the surface of his mind, to not dig into these feelings he has no outlet for. ]

Then let's get on with this. I'm sure you'd rather stop being wet.

[fortitudosalutis]

Yeah, yeah.

[ Nobody likes being wet and hurting. Carver exhales, watching the bird again. It's pecking at a specific book, now. ]

Try that one.