[Open] There's a Point Where It Tips, There's a Point Where It Breaks

[zerotohiro]

Who: Everyone in Cerealia who figured out the code words for this meeting
When: Evening of IC 5/31, after Hawke's network post
Where: Sanctuary
What: "A pizza party" aka a meeting about the new masked figure that appeared.
Warnings: N/A, maybe some talks about what Alien-kun had to say, etc.


[It's evening by the time Hiro gets to the Sanctuary. Anyone who had seen him this morning will have spotted him with Baymax, both of them sans their normal armor and Baymax carrying what looks like a giant box. They had preparations to make, after all. He makes his way in and out of the building a few times but by the time the first of their guests arrive, everything's set up.

Upon entering the Sanctuary, Baymax moves to stand guard and collect your CereVice in a box at the door. Please don't cheat, he doesn't like when people aren't playing fair. In exchange for the CereVice, you will receive a form and a pencil before Baymax cheerfully waves you away.

Hiro's sitting on a table at the head of the lounge watching people come in. Hawke had promised these people pizza and cake (Hawke why) and he's delivering on that promise. The stack is about as tall as he is, more than enough to feed everyone who's shown up. He waits until a majority of the people show up before he clears his throat to gather attention.]

...uh, hey! [Well. That's a great, confident start.] I know this was sort of last minute and everything, but I really appreciate all of you coming by and actually listening to Hawke. [Sorry Hawke. But there's a grin which says he's more than appreciative.] I know you're probably here for free food, but there's a couple of things you should know. [Sliding off of the table, he moves to stand in front of what looks like a small mechanical box.]

When we all got back a few days ago, I started thinking about the fact that CERES can watch us from...pretty much anywhere. So I took some plans for something else I've been working on, improvised a little bit and created this thing. It'll deflect the signal from our implants and block them out completely as long as we're in this room. I've tested it out a couple of time already, the whole thing gets thrown off. It's...why I wanted to meet here! Because that sort of leads right to my next point.

[There's a small sigh as he paces the room, Baymax waddling after him. He moves back to the table he'd been sitting on to pull up the mask he'd been given a while ago.]

All of you probably received one of these either from that fortune teller, Aria, or it just showed up. And while we were out there? Some of you probably found the terminal like I did and spoke with a masked figure. [A beat.] I'm starting to realize that it told all of us something different, but the most important part is that it's with the Flamine Federation. You know. The guys who supposedly destroyed our planets. Baymax gave all of you a form--um. [And here he pauses, unsure if it's really appropriate to be ordering people to share information but then again that's what they all need. He's always believed everybody needs to be aware of what's happening.] Basically I guess just...answer what you can and tack it up on the board--[A gesture to a large bulletin board he pulled from who knows where.]--and talk amongst yourselves about what happened out there? Alien...the monsters, that weird altar? A bunch of you saw that, right? What was that about?

[Dear god somebody help him.] ...look, I tried. There's free food. This is about all I could throw together so fast before something else happens here. So...yeah. Let's just start figuring out what's really happening here, okay?

[Vague hand gestures? Vague hand gestures. He shuts up after that and sort of shrinks back into his hoodie, jumping back up on the table to hand out food and keep an eye on the room. All right, colonists. You know what to do.]

[ooc: Welcome to the info-sharing mingle! The idea behind this is for characters to ICly fill out this form (coded by the wonderful Fidgey/Katsura-mun) and have it displayed for everyone to view that information. You can post your sheet in your comment or link it to a post elsewhere in your journal, or even post it in the post I made that the form's posted into. HOWEVER this is open to everyone even if your character didn't speak to the alien and just wants to check stuff out! As a note: characters will start to feel sick after about two hours in the Sanctuary due to the frequency deflector. Sorry about that! Any questions hit me up via PM or plurk at alternatively]

Master List of Forms

Comments

[psycholawgy]

[ athena looks up at the man who's suddenly talked to her and puts up a smile. things have been rough lately, and she's been trying extra hard to remain cheerful. her smile isn't forced by any means, though it was a bit challenging to do it. ]

Hi. What do you need?

[ she pats the empty space next to her on the sofa. come sit down, chrollo. ]

[specialization]

[he sits down at her offer, politely smiling back. not so much to seem artificial, but just enough to seem open.]

Not much, but I'm just curious about some things. What you found and saw, if anything really weird happened - what you might feel comfortable sharing.

[you know, because not everyone will be willing to divulge the specifics. and he's prepared to give some of his own to get ahead and collect even more information, all piling up in his head.]

[psycholawgy]

[ she starts fidgeting and playing with her hands. her gaze focuses on her fingers for a few moments, until she looks back at chrollo. ]

There isn't much that I can contribute right now, unfortunately. I've been there before and I've encountered those unbeatable golems, but that's it... I found the altar, but so did other people.

The Flamine refused to talk to us because I was unworthy. It called me a maskbreaker, even if I didn't even break my own mask.

[ it still pisses her off up to now, tbh. ]

[specialization]

There's something it said to me that might offer some insight on that. They said that masks are something earned. Perhaps, in their culture, that you broke any mask reads as you trying to invalidate that effort and achievement, and so offends them to the point where they will not speak to you at present.

[just his theory, but really, it could also be what that one woman's form says - that maskbreakers cannot be trusted.]

[psycholawgy]

We've found out that the cracked masks denote betrayal. It means the mask owner's been betrayed.

[ as far as she knows, anyway. she doesn't know that it also means you've betrayed someone. ]

So why would that make me not worthy of response? I was betrayed, they should be giving me answers.

[specialization]

Were they the ones that betrayed you? If not, then why would they owe you answers?

[answers require compensation still rings in his head, and he can understand the business model. favors for favors. actions for actions. information for blood.]

And was it your own mask you wore?

[psycholawgy]

No, not them... it was somebody from home. [ still. her eyebrows furrow at that question. ] But- because they should want to help us? We're connected with CERES, in a way. . .

[ she can't come up with a strong argument for that one. ]

I did wear my own mask.

[specialization]

So that eliminates one possible way of offense. But...miss, we may be connected to CERES, but we're not CERES itself. Our masked friend doesn't have a reason to truly care about us, or any real benefit to helping us. If it's answers you seek - like so many of the rest of us - then they made it pretty clear they're not giving them out for free.

[psycholawgy]

I did pay them.

[ her lips fold into a pout. ]

They gave me a useless answer, and took all my money.

[specialization]

That's unfortunate. I don't think money would have bought any real answers from them, even if you had all the wealth in the world.

[no money makes up when the cost is blood, and someone or something specific. nothing soothed that over.]

[psycholawgy]

What kind of compensation do you think they meant, then?

[ i mean, it's got to be something ELSE if not money, right? ]

[specialization]

If you wanted information? Information they want is a good start. That or something they want - though what they want is a bit unclear. Some sort of resource, perhaps?

[like you know. the CERES CEO.]

[psycholawgy]

[ she didn't get that far in her conversation with the flamines. you'll have to tell her! ]

What do they want?

[specialization]

Something from CERES. I could only get so many answers from them until they said that answers required compensation. Curiosity wasn't good enough, I found out.

[and time to sidestep the real answer with a tone and expression that's the slightest bit sheepish. whoops, silly him, for thinking curiosity would get him anywhere.]

[psycholawgy]

[ she can sense that there's something more to that, but if this guy can't even say it out loud to the people whom he should be trusting (ie. everybody here), then she won't push it.

it does make him suspicious, though. ]

I'm going to interrogate them one day... just you wait. I'll get all the answers I want.

[specialization]

[it's not can't. it's a simple, calm won't, guarding his trust and his secrets with a firm defense until both were earned. no one here has given him much reason to tell them anything of significant value, so he simply doesn't. better to be cautious than to trust the wrong people.]

CERES or the Flamines?

[psycholawgy]

The Flamines.

[ her expression turns sour all of a sudden. ]

Interrogating CERES won't do you any good. I've tried.

[specialization]

You're fixated on this "interrogating" idea. What about coming at them from a different angle?

[something less accusatory by nature, maybe. Chrollo knows a straightforward interrogation wouldn't convince him in the slightest - CERES either needs to be threatened or coaxed to talk.]

Simply demanding answers from them lacks any real push for them to give up answers. Let's start from a different point. Tell me, why do you want CERES to answer your questions?

[psycholawgy]

[ huff huff! ]

They brought us here and continue to bring harm to us. Shouldn't they at least give us an explanation as to why these things are happening?

[specialization]

You feel entitled because of your experiences. Fair enough. But take away the should from that. Look at CERES as a being not as a person, whose emotion can be appealed to or ethics pressed on, but as...some sort of conceptual alien, where logic is the only way forward.

Think, miss, and if you can, answer me this: why would CERES answer our questions?

[it's as much him intrigued by her potential answer as it is biting his tongue to not laugh. they should explain? in a perfect world, Athena.]

[psycholawgy]

[ no... she's not answering this, unless she wants to start a fight. she hates being backed into a corner like this. ]

Do you think they shouldn't?

[specialization]

I think that CERES operates on what's best for CERES, not necessarily anyone else. If answering our questions isn't what's best for them, they'll refuse no matter how hard we push.

[it's cold reasoning, but based on the little he knows about them as well as what Mosley's said...]

So, if we want information through an honest route, we have to figure out how to convince them that giving it up is what's best for them.

[psycholawgy]

[ yeah, she gets his reasoning, which is why she quirks an eyebrow. ]

You sound as if you have an idea already.

[specialization]

Leverage. It's vague, but it's the most effective method. Do this, or that will occur. Or, do this, and we'll do that for you.

[psycholawgy]

That is effective, but do you really think that will work on CERES?