etraya | un: mason

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un: mason | text

hey there,

first of all I wanted to say thank you to everyone who came to my party last month, and a huge thank you to gorgug for helping me out. I really had a lot of fun with everyone and getting to know each of you a little better.

on that note, I got to know some of you a lot better, and it made me realize we all have something in common. the need for human connection and support for all of the things that seem to bother us or have us concerned. So I had a bit of an idea, especially since it seems I'm going to be in Etraya for a while.

back home I worked for a while at a youth crises center as the person who answered calls and helped out others. I want to offer something similar here, and while I know it's tricky to keep things anonymous, it looks like I'm able to get a dedicated line for this. I also wanted to setup a little hub for those who want to talk and share in person. I can't offer advice, but I can offer a shoulder to lean on and someone to vent to (me!)

so I guess I'm just asking for another favor again- if anyone has any items they can donate, or help me find items to spruce up the office I'd appreciate it. I want to create a warm and safe environment for anyone who wants to swing by. let me know your thoughts too! I can use any and all help.

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Would it cost points?

[He’s been trying to save up for some more complicated equipment.]

You mean psychotherapy?

[The smile fades a little as he considers it for maybe a moment too long, and then ends with a shake of his head.]

Thanks, but I’m fine.

[Very convincing.]

First of all, yes it probably would. Secondly, I'm not licensed, I'm just here to lend a ear, or both to people.

( she promises she won't share or tell anyone about the secrets of others, and she most certainly won't be giving advice.

heather will simply be there for others when they need someone to comfort them. )

I mean we could realistically talk about anything, such as your arrival here. Not to be pushy or anything.

[...Maybe there's no harm in it? It's just talking. He doesn't need to get into the details of anything, or talk about anything too serious. Plus, he knows that when someone wants to help others, it's fulfilling to actually get to do it.]

Alright. But we'll do it while I fix the table.

Well I'm still scouting around for locations to actually setup a little space for the meetings, so I'll come to you.

Unless you want to just talk over the device-

( which she felt wasn't as organic given the nature of it being record > send > respond. )

No- uh. Not that option.

[If he's going to talk comfortably, he doesn't really want everyone else hearing it.]

If you want to meet me somewhere later, I'll be at S.T.A.R. Labs. Unless you feel like hiking over to the junkyard yourself.

Well I suppose I could make the journey, but only if you're okay with me bringing my assistant.

( in full view, she reached off to the side and returned holding her hands up. inside of them was a white and brown rat, peaking up at the screen wearing a cowboy hat. )

He's very friendly, I just worry about leaving him alone for too long.

I'm fine with it, if you think he won't run off.

[A junkyard to a rat, he'd imagine, is like a kid at a carnival. But no, he's not squeamish or anything.]

And you don't mind I'm not looking my best.

[Digging through trash all day, after all.]

Uh....trust me I'm not the judgmental type.

( given that she's very much so a teen girl- pimples, bags under her eyes, roots showing through her dyed hair. additionally she knows what he's up to, so really she's not going to hold him to any standards. )

Give me like half an hour, I'll be there.

( and with that she's on the move. cage for mr. cheese is picked up, a bag with waters and some snacks are filled in, and she's wearing a warm sweater as it's cold.

soon enough jayce will have the company he is looking for. )

[He's not thrilled to be out in the cold, but he needs machine parts, and this is the only place he could think of to get them. As Heather arrives, there'll be Jayce midway up a large pile of junk, rooting through the debris and random pieces of furniture. At the foot of the massive tower is a wheelbarrow and a collection of smaller pieces of metal, some tech-y looking, but most just chunks of steel or aluminum. There's also various tools he's found, a couple of hammers, screwdrivers, tongs, and a clamp or two.

And of course, the table he promised her.]

Hey!

[He calls out from where he is, and starts to make his way down.]

Edited 2025-01-17 23:46 (UTC)

( this was the first time heather had ventured out this far on her own, opting to usually keep around places where more people tended to be. yet as she stepped on the cold, damp ground that the junkyard was on, she couldn't help but feel like she should come here more often. the items that were discarded were most likely from those who had come and gone, tossed out by the companion bots in a rush.

regardless it was an interesting sight and smell, so much that when she finally approached the mound jayce was on, she bent down in front of it to look at all the chunks of steel and aluminum. she knew of at least one person who might benefit from all this. )

Hey there, looks like you've been up to quite a bit here.

( as he came down, she waved her hand at him and smiled slightly. )

I brought you some water and a snack if you need a break?

Oh! Thanks!

[That's a thing Jayce hadn't considered- dehydration when rummaging around through heavy scrap. He'll take some of the water she has to offer, offering out his hand to shake in greeting before realizing no one should probably touch his hands until he's washed them.]

Another time for that.

[For now, he rubs his forehead with the back of his arm to get rid of the sweat that's making his hair stick up in various directions and cling to his skin in bad ways.]

Yeah, I probably should break. Here, let me...

[He glances back to the junk mound, and pulls out a slightly dirty plastic lawn chair. Jayce sets it down for Heather, and then pulls a rather ugly looking stool, and sets it down for himself.]

( as his hand stretched out and she could see the grime on it, she shrugged and made a small noise of laughter in return. she probably should have brought him a towel or something, but she didn't think that far ahead.

in fact, when she went through her own perilous journey, she didn't pack for that at all really. for now though she opted to immediately reach for her bag and pull a bottle of water for him. )

Oh geez....thanks?

( she hadn't been expecting that either and although things seemed a bit grimy, she still sat down passing the water along. her rodent friend in the meantime was settled next to the chair she sat down in, squeaking away in his cage waiting for jayce's attention. )

How long have you been out here anyways?

[And who is he to ignore the squeaks? He leans down, offering a hand for Mr. Cheese to smell between the bars.]

Four hours, I think? And not much to show for it.

[He twists open the water bottle, finally getting a drink of water.]

You really don't know what you don't have until it's gone. Who knew I'd miss access to a steel mill so much?

Four hours?!

( well that was certainly enough to make her lean forward and show clear concern for this stranger. she could be rather sassy and display a bit of an attitude at times, but deep inside she did worry about others.

enough to wonder what exactly he might have been looking for. maybe it was just a hobby? regardless, she was determined to find out. )

Are you looking for something in particular? Maybe I can help out...

Yes?

[He's not understanding the huge reaction. It's only four hours?]

Anything useful. Metals, tools, equipment, parts. Scraps that could be melted down and reformed would do. But what I'm finding seems to be a lot of composites of this... "plastic" material.

[He says plastic with a little disdain, as he holds up his water bottle and squishes it a little to crinkle it.]

I get that it seems pretty versatile in what you can do with it, considering all the things I've seen in this heap, but I don't know how to work with it.

( well considering his state, the place they were in, he must have been a man on a mission to be here in the filth for so long. even she couldn't tolerate the filth surrounding the other world for too long. )

Maybe that's something you can get in touch with others about? I have a friend, Gorgug who is pretty nifty with things. He might have an idea for you.

( unfortunately she didn't know how to work with that material either, but she could understand his frustration. )

Are you working on anything else? Aside from the table?

Edited 2025-01-22 07:24 (UTC)

[Aside from being sweaty and probably stinky, he doesn’t actually look that bothered by the filth. Sure, it’s not his preference, but he’s not a stranger to it, if progress called for it.]

Gorgug!

[He knows that guy!]

We’ve talked; he’s a genius. He might be able to find a way to repurpose this.

[He’d imagine there’d need to be some sort of smelting involved, but also he wasn’t told about Gorgug’s lab, so he’s not sure the technicalities of how Gorgug gets his work done.]

Yes, I’m trying to make a measurement tool for analyzing the strength of magical fields in any given area in Etraya. I’ve been told there’s ley lines here, near the rivers, but without knowing where the strongest points are for harnessing, I could be walking up and down the banks all day without a single clue. Measure twice, cut once, you know?

( she wasn't going to admit it, but there was pride in her expression as she heard jayce speak positively about her friend. truly he was everyone's friend, but she felt close enough to him to share more of herself than she should. )

I'd be more surprised if he didn't!

( if there was a compliment, it was that. )

Is there...a specific reason you're looking into that? Did you find out something about this place?

I want to utilize it for devices I want to make.

[Which... sure. One could use electricity. It would be easier to do. But electricity has it's limits, and magic doesn't. And also... magic is his hyperfixation. He's going to try and use it as much as he can.]

At the very least, I think we'd learn more about Etraya even if it doesn't wind up working.

Aren't you fairly new here? I don't think I've seen you around...

( which makes her wonder why he was so eager to learn about etraya in such a short while. yet when she thought about it—

she hadn't been that eager to find out about the world itself but rather of echo and aurora, and their standards for what qualified as proving their worlds were worthy of saving. )

Did you find out something about this place? I've been here a few months and feel like I haven't learned much.

New-ish, yes.

Not enough. Obviously it already has a lot of what we all agree are common utilities: water, air, gravity, electricity. But there's something I've noticed isn't a consistently agreed upon force of nature: magic. I don't know if it's that in their worlds, magic is beyond their understanding or grasp, so they don't believe in it, or they're really from a world without any magic whatsoever. That part doesn't matter as much, but finding out if there is magic present here is the first step to harnessing it. That's my goal.

[Sorry, did Heather not ask for the Captain Yap.]

Edited 2025-02-23 23:42 (UTC)

( as she sat back in her rather dusty chair and chipped away at the water she had, heather thought about what he was saying and how it wasn't the worst idea out there. with what little information she's gathered about this place and its machinations, there had to be something beyond just the companion bots running the place. the bubbles over the world, the way animals hatched from eggs in december—

there was something more mysterious at play. it could certainly be magic. )

I can't say I come from a world where 'real' magic exists, but you're probably right about this place. I mean really the question is, who made Echo and Aurora? How did they make this place and pull us from our worlds?

You might be onto something, but unfortunately I don't have much technical skills to help you with that.

[And this is where he leans a little heavier on his knees, a clearer fascination written on his expression.]

That's part of what I want to find out. Aurora— from the sound of it, she's something that was 'made' by Echo, not something that came out of nowhere. She has to 'obey' Echo's demands. I've been told she's like a "computer" somehow.

[Which he isn't sure he entirely gets yet, but he will!]

But Echo— that's what I want to know more about. If no one but Aurora has seen Echo, and they're the one who controls all of this... Is Echo even a person? In my world, the arcane— what we call magic by a more formal name— isn't just a passive resource to be used. There's theories it's alive enough, in it's own way. It makes me wonder... if Echo has more in common with something like that, than any one of us?

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un: mason | text

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apologies for the delay, had to take a hiatus

now im late too so we match!! but also we can drop this if it's been too long

no worries!

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