video, un: gorgug (pre-mingle)

[tinflower]

[ The camera turns on and focuses in on a motley duo: Riz and Fabian, a Goblin and a Half-Elf respectively (and, it has to be said, the camera has to be considerably zoomed out to accommodate both of their heights) who wear matching expressions of distinct disgruntlement. Behind them is a clue board that Riz refers to every now and then while he talks, his speech quick and efficient, words stumbling over each other in his haste to get them out. ]

Uh, hey everyone. Welcome back to Etraya, I guess? I’m just going to cut straight to the chase: a team of us did some investigation of what was happening back at Moorecroft, and I think there are some things that everyone should know. We went ahead and tried to figure out what the whole curfew thing was about – in case some of you just decided to behave yourselves the whole time, our curfew was being maintained by robots that would straight up kill you if you decided to stay out.

First, some of us went to check out the hospital, which is where most of the suspicious activity was coming from. Something there had the ability to lock away people’s powers, and they were able to somehow mimic people we knew from home, which were sent out to attack us. Presumably, that was to get our guards down. Fabian and I managed to get into the underground, where… [ He frowns, rubbing the palms of his hand together. ] Honestly? Things there were pretty inconclusive. There were a bunch of hand-drawn pictures along the walls of the corridor, stuff from around town, and it looked like they were raising some sort of… kids down there? Some of the rooms were obviously for teens our age, and other rooms were for really little kids, and it all led to some sort of tracks that led somewhere else. Where and why, we don’t know. But something real fucked up is going on there. You don’t find empty hidden bunkers of kids stuff without it being super fucked up, you know?

The others ran into other stuff around the city – smoke that turned into these big monsters that tried to eat them, the things those robots were trying to protect us from. Others ran into these android kids, who we can pretty easily assume the rooms in the hospital were for. The monsters didn’t try to go after them; apparently they only went after people who didn’t belong. Namely, us. Now, we don’t know what the hell those monsters were, but Adaine could feel what sort of arcane energy they were giving off – it was some seriously powerful reality-shifting energy. Conjuration, but the sort you’d only get from really, really powerful wizards.

That energy isn’t restricted to Moorecroft. She felt it here too, once we got back. That doesn’t bode well for any of us.

[ Riz takes a deep breath, glancing up at Fabian. ]

Did I miss anything?

Yeah, maybe some more emphasis on how fucked up this all is? [ Riz may have sounded relatively composed. Just objectively trying to get information across. Fabian, on the other hand, sounds anything but. He’s not looking majorly upset - yet - but he’s definitely both looking and sounding annoyed as he speaks. It isn’t aimed at Riz, nor even really at the viewers, like it’s some sort of general annoyance at this place. ] We almost died back there. Someone actually did die! And it’s not even the first time, since the stuff with the maze and the stuff with the plushies was just as fucked up!

[ Riz grimaces, a row of sharp teeth on display as he tugs at Fabian’s arm, hissing in a far less officious whine: ] Dude, time and place, this is just the mission report—

[ Unfortunately, Fabian just keeps going, wildly gesturing with his hands at this point as he speaks, the smaller boy visibly giving up on stopping him beside him: ]

We can’t just act like this place is normal! If it really wanted to help us save our worlds or whatever, then it could at least stop constantly trying to kill all of us, right?! How are we supposed to trust anything in this place when clearly it does not have our best intentions in mind in any way? [ His hand gesture arm swing is so wild that he almost manages to accidentally hit Riz. Sorry bud. At least it’s a near miss. ] I mean, the least we can do is for people here to stop holding hands with the companion bots! They’re trying to kill us!

[ Wait, what is that weirdly specific mention—

And a deep sigh can be heard from the other side of the video, which then ends there. Wow, wonder who that could've been!!! ]

( ooc: responses can come from one of the three boys (riz, gorgug, or fabian) just as an fyi! )

Comments

video; un: asano

[revengeisalie]

Wait, she also felt it here? Is... is that what that strange feeling was, after we got back? Even I felt that, and I have absolutely no magical ability.

And I have never trusted Echo or Aurora to truly have our best interests at heart.

video, un: gorgug

[tinflower]

It's probably easy for everyone to feel since it has something to do with reality itself. It's the same stuff that makes this place, probably.

[stresstokens]

Obviously, they don't. If they did, we wouldn't be here. I just haven't figured out whether or not this is an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend sorta thing, or an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-also-my-enemy.

...but I don't think they're the cause of that energy, at least. I do believe they'd rather us not get eaten.

[maximumlegend]

Well, at least you are smart about this, Rin.

[ .. it seems like Fabian has been able to calm down a little bit from that sheer wild energy he had while recording the message. Though now it instead sounds like he's almost sulking, or something along those lines.. ]

We sure can't count on them. All we can do here is look after each other instead.

@ 000

[decohere]

why would robots have children? it's not as if they grow or age. what purpose would that even serve.

un: gorgug, text

[tinflower]

she really liked the set up she had for everyone in moorecroft. she might have wanted the same too

so....personal reasons? or secret nefarious reasons.

[stresstokens]

That's the big question, isn't it?

If you weren't here for it, a bunch of us were assigned robot babies to take care of too. I thought that was for that whole suburban bliss angle. But now that we know that there are robot kids running around too...

Maybe we were just tools to raise the robot babies? And once they've had enough data, developmentally speaking, their minds are transferred to older models, rinse and repeat? I'm just spitballing here.

[maximumlegend]

i know!!!!!!!

isn't it weird
it is as if absolutely nothing here makes sense

if they were not robot children i could at least say maybe they were raising some sort of army or whatever it is that nefarious people generally do but what is anyone going to do with an entire bunch of small robot children

un: Accelerator | text

[levelshift]

I can't fucking believe I'm typing this, but if the robot kids don't have anywhere else to go the hospital might be the best place for them.

And don't blame the companion bots for my fuck up.

[tinflower]

they didn't kill you?

[stresstokens]

I'm not really certain as to why the robot kids wouldn't be safe in the rest of Moorecroft too. They had us raising robot infants, and they were completely helpless. Why wouldn't the kids have been safe too? There's something else going on there.

un: blackhat | text

[equivo]

Figurative hand holding, right

[tinflower]

[ He types. Deletes. Types. Sweats.

... ]

i can do whatever i want

[ YOU KNOW WHAT? T-THERE!!! HE'S GOING TO SAY IT!!! HE WILL DIG THIS HOLE FOR HIMSELF, ACTUALLY. ]

[stresstokens]

See, this? This is exactly why I was trying to keep things on-topic. Now all anyone's gonna be able to talk about is the hand-holding.

Apparently Gorgug's been holding hands with robots, I guess? I dunno, man. This is news to me too.

[maximumlegend]

no it's literal hand holding krouse

LITERAL

HAND

HOLDING

!!!!!!!!!!

[ He may or may not be ignoring a whole lot of Glances from someone in this very moment. Fabian is far too busy typing this. ]

literal hand holding with the guards of our JAIL CELL
what do you make of that

text; un: Hob

[100more]

It sounds like a horrible sight, but you were all very brave to risk yourselves to discover these things. I just wish I understood what it all meant.

[tinflower]

i can give you notes. sorry.

- there were creatures that seemed to come out at night in moorecroft and that's the reason for the curfew
- they had a strong alignment to reality shifting magic/powers. our friend sensed them even from really far away
- we're sure it had something to do with why the companion bots were willing to kill people who stayed out late
- there were robot kids outside but we think they had something to do with eos personally from the stuff found in the hospital

i think that's it

[stresstokens]

It had to be done. What's the point in bringing a bunch of adventurers here if not to adventure, right? I'm glad you guys didn't get dinged for it in the end.

I think what it means is that we've got more research to do. But magical research isn't really my expertise.

un: m.donato | text

[topgradesandbraids]

It figures that the challenges wouldn't be so easy. They ARE testing us, correct?

And, I'm sorry if this is crass, but if death isn't a permanent feature here then it would be best if we prepared for similar problems in the future.

Is it okay if I take notes on this briefing? More heads working on it might make it easier to prepare for later.

[tinflower]

we're probably going to get told to fight or kill each other so that stuff is something to think about, yeah

taking notes is fine. riz (he's the goblin) likes notes too

[ Please don't contradict him, friends!!! ]

un: hidden | text

[matermali]

I would agree that these the robots were never to be trusted, and only less so with recent revelations, given their concept of protection involved attempting to murder us before something else could.

It is no excuse, but perhaps they thought to be protecting us from something worse than death.

[tinflower]

i think that place had an issue with communication or thinking it was worth it. everyone was really bought into the community eos had set up so. i understand it. they were scared and had their planets to think about.

i asked aurora if she would explain to us if anything like that thing showing up here happened and she needed to put us in curfew. i don't know if she will but she asked me for the feedback and said she would.

[ Not to be the blatant #BotHandholder here or anything. ]

text; un: Constantine [thread-hopping welcome]

[keepgodwaiting]

Can you describe the things that attacked you that were mimicking people you knew?

[stresstokens]

I can't tell you too much more than that. It didn't happen to Fabain and I. Aang and Sokka are the ones who encountered it, and they disappeared pretty shortly after the mission, just like a bunch of other people.

All I know is that it took the shape of an old friend of theirs. And that it kept on goading them and trying to attack them, but they managed to get away. In any case, there's some doppelganger shit drawn from our memories going on over there.

video. @wild.flower

[hasitsthorns]

[ She hears that familiar sigh and immediately jumps to the defense: ]

Hey! Holding hands with the companion bots is totally valid! We're all supposed to get along here, right? That includes with the bots, too! They're just, like, doing their jobs.

[ Are we just not going to address the other deeply concerning things in this video broadcast, Rosie? No? Okay, sure- ]

video

[stresstokens]

I'm not all that thrilled about getting along with anyone just because I'm supposed to. If someone's job is to keep me imprisoned, I'm still gonna be mad about it.

[ Okay, he wasn't the one bitching about the robot hand-holding in the first place, but still! He refuses to get along with them on principle! ]

action

[stresstokens]

What the fuck was that all about? We were trying to stay professional, here! Professional! Our credibility, man!

[ ...that was only you, Riz, and your weird fixation on seeming like a tiny professional at all times. ]

Why d'you care about some random holding robot hands anyway? It's not like half the people here are even invested in solving the mystery. It's just the whole kisses thing all over again.

[ Which is personally offensive! To him! Him!!!!!!

(He does not yet realize that the weirdo holding robot-hands is, in fact, in the room with them.) ]

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug is glad that he was already in the process of taking off his earpiece right around the time that Riz says some random holding robot hands anyway.

Because he can already feel where this is going to go, and Gorgug is currently making strides to avoid it: he's grabbing his headphones that he's always got around his neck, sighing once more under his breath as he puts them over his ears. Next he's got to grab his crystal from his jean pockets so he can start playing some music.

You two have fun over there, Gorgug has some heavy death rock metal to boot up. Do not interrupt him. He doesn't exist when he listens to his music. ]

Text; UN: redrobin

[mostdangerousbird]

The hospital here, or the one in Moorecroft?

[tinflower]

moorecroft. it's all about moorecroft.