estoria | « 004 ⇢ INTERLUDE004.EXE »

Entry tags:

!event,
!interlude

« 004 ⇢ INTERLUDE004.EXE »

Who: These suckers and E R R O R
When: OOC: 5/29, IC: 7/15
Where: CERES Research Tower and Beyond
What: It seems an old friend has decided the situation is progressing too slowly.
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Violence, injuries and inevitable deaths.

▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 7/15

For those unlucky saps who disappear today, ranging from early in the morning towards the middle of the afternoon, well...they can't be reached by CereVice.

Any attempt to do so will bounce back the message User Currently Occupied.

It's an odd message, and one that's never been used by the CereVice. How strange. It's probably nothing though, right? No contact can be established between groups or from groups to outside people in Cerealia, whether by technology or magic. You're cut off from everyone but those in your groups, now.

Otherwise, all abilities will remain intact.

As for the people who do disappear, well... things get a little hairy really quickly.

▶ RUN.EXE | MOD NOTES

This is the event log for these sign-ups! Your groups have been sorted below; here are a few handy links for you:

Group 01 | OOC plotting
Group 02 | OOC plotting
Group 03 | OOC plotting
Group 04 | OOC plotting
Group 05 | OOC plotting
Group 06 | OOC plotting
Group 07 | OOC plotting
Group 08 | OOC plotting
Group 09 | OOC plotting
Group 10 | OOC plotting
Group 11 | OOC plotting
Group 12 | OOC plotting
Group 13 | OOC plotting
Group 14 | OOC plotting
There is no tagging order, so feel free to tag in whatever way works best for you as a group.

The characters should not ICly be gone longer than 5 hours -- if they survive, of course. There will be mod involvement in each of the threads.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask them here. Please try to avoid asking hypothetical questions (such as "What will happen if my character does [action]?") as that's part of the fun and risk of the interlude! You are welcome to plot with your groupmates in this post. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

. . . LOADING EDNA.$$$ . . . LOADING NAKIGITSUNE.$$$ . . .
. . . LOADING OTOME YANAGIYA.$$$ . . . LOADING TROWA BARTON.$$$ . . .
. . . LOADING VIRIDI.$$$ . . . START ESCAPE.EXE. . .

[ Suddenly, at 4 in the morning, everyone in this group's CereVices will begin to beep. And it won't stop. It's a constant, annoying, loud noise that can't be turned off no matter what you do.

And there's a message.

Come to the Earth Shrine.

It can't be traced, and the source is simply A Friend.

Once they get there, they'll find Mosley standing in front of the shrine waiting for them, playing with his CereVice in an almost fidgety sort of way. If they don't choose to go to the shrine, eventually they'll just... glitch there, joining the rest of the group.

And once everyone is there, the beeping stops, and Mosley looks up from his CereVice to speak.

Except first, he mutters softly to himself. ]

I feel as if I've done this already...

[ But nevertheless, he'll move on and greet the group. ]

Go in the shrine or I'll kill your dog. Or... something equally nefarious blah blah CERES blah blah bad things. [ He waves his hand vaguely and then gestures heavily at the shrine entrance. ] Just go. I'm not even supposed to be here but --

[ He cuts himself off then before shaking his head and tucking away his CereVice, eyes darting around nervously. He takes a few strides over to the group before he unceremoniously shoves everyone into the shrine, where they'll find that a piece of the flooring has been removed, leading to...well, a pathway...? Time to check it out, because the door behind's locked tight. ]

Zzzzzzzz...

[Viridi had not gone to the Earth Shrine. Viridi hadn't even bothered to check her CereVice because nobody could possibly have anything to say at 4AM that was more important than getting her requisite 12 hours of being unconscious. Judicious application of comically oversized earplugs had solved the beeping issue.

When she eventually falls out of mid-air and lands in front of the shrine in her pajamas, she slowly lifts up her sleep mask and levels a stare at Mosley that could melt glass.]

It's too early to be alive.

Kill the dog.

[Then she's asleep again. Mosley will need to roll her inside. The rest of the group might trip over the girl cuddling a pillow just inside the doorway whenever they're abducted as well.]

[ Being a seraph, Edna has no need for sleep, so receiving the sudden message at 4 in the flipping morning doesn't bother her as much as the annoying sound it made dear Maotelus was that really necessary???. Nevertheless, she was going to check out the Earth Shrine anyway, because she wanted some answers out of Occidi sometime, and this is just a rude push in the right direction.

...Rude push is what happened to them too. Well then.

No tripping, for her. Instead, she prods at the earth goddess with her parasol. Up and at 'em. ]

Please tell me the rest of you are at least semi-functioning at this hour.

[ Because the door behind them's locked tight, and there seems to be only one way to go. Forward. ]

I am completely functional!

[Viridi's voice is slightly muffled as she's speaking into the pillow.]

I just choose not to be. They can't take my autonomy if I don't let them!

[With this inspiring pep talk, Viridi half-heartedly kicks at the parasol as a large, leafy plant sprouts from the ground and gently ensconces her within a roll of leaves. Moments later, the chunk of earth beneath her shudders, breaks off, and slowly lifts her up a few feet into the air.

Viridi remains lying horizontal.

+1 Hovering Cocoon]

Oh, I wouldn't worry. I just finished a shift.

[ So hello, there's a doctor tucking her cellphone into her coat pocket as she straightens up. Yes, occasionally (usually) she works a godawful shift, but she can't really complain. This is bizarre, though, and she's not sure why exactly she (or the others) were called (and shoved) down here, but for now, she'll just roll with it. And the Hovering Cocoon. ]

Is everyone all right?

[Nakigitsune (and his fox) actually were sleeping at 4 in the morning, but. Being spirits, they don't actually have to, so it wasn't too much of a hassle to get back up and come out to the shrine.

The girl who refuses to get up gets an odd look from Naki, while his fox does the answering for him.]

We're fine here, at least! But, ah--I wonder what it is we're supposed to do, here?

[ When his device goes off at 4am, he'd snapped awake and checked the message immediately. Chances in Cerealia of it being an actual emergency are about 50/50 so he doesn't mind the rude wake up call. Though the cryptic message leaves something to be desired.

With a bit of hurry in his step, he makes his way to the Earth Shrine, tense and wary. He doesn't expect the scene before him when he gets there, though. ]

I'm fine. [ To answer Otome's question– a relief that she's here, actually. Trowa glances down at the girl who'd decided that sleeping in was the better option, eyes narrowing. ]

If you're going to sleep there, either move or I'm dragging you in there and leaving you; you're blocking the way.

[ They're going to have a really rough time of things if they don't get moving, unfortunately for them; it seems someone doesn't like this shrine being disturbed by so many noisy people, and the temperature is going to drop rapidly, to the point that they'll be able to see their breath in the air.

It'll drop further and further too, to dangerous levels, if they don't move onwards. ]

[ ...Right. They're in the earth shrine aka Occidi's domain. She probably doesn't appreciate intruders. ]

...We're trespassing and the homeowner doesn't seem too fond of us, so let's get moving.

[ Edna stops prodding at the blanket burrito goddess and decides to examine the only pathway open to them: the part of the flooring that's been removed. ]

I'm not jumping down there first, though.

That's fine. Someone please bring our sleeping friend along, though-- this kind of temperature isn't healthy for anyone.

[ And so the good doctor will go first, because someone's got to be a responsible adult here. If there's any kind of drop, she's got an angel to help out. ]

...I'll do it.

[Pushing the cocoon...forward...it's not much of a problem for now, at least. He follows down into the passage.]

[ In they go. Thankfully for them, unlike the majority of groups, they'll have light; the passageway they're embarking upon seems to have a well-maintained set of lights along the pathway. They're definitely CERES-manufactured.

It seems this pathway is used often.

Unfortunately, that also means that it doesn't take long before it splits -- there's a branching off path to the left, though they can also continue to go forward. ]

[ Poor Naki, stuck on cocoon/burrito rolling duty. ...Well then. At least there's light. Well-maintained lights, which means that it's in use, or has been used fairly often. Interesting. What use would Occidi (or anyone) have for this pathway? Where do these paths go? ]

...We could split, or we could all pick one and go forward as a full group.

[ She would...rather stick together as a group and go forward, since it meant more defense. However, doing that would mean potentially missing out on the other path. Keeping this in mind, she decides to hold her vote for now. ]

[ Naki takes care of the cocoon'd girl, which is just fine by him. Though, he will keep an eye on that situation just in case he needs some kind of relief from rolling this person along. What an awkward situation. He doesn't waste much time heading into the pathway, considering Otome's words and the quickly frigid temperatures.

The fork in the path presents another issue. ]

We don't know what we're up against. It's best to stick together.

[ Scattering their few numbers likely won't work well for them. Especially since one is already unconscious. ] We're down one person already, in any case.

[As the temperature begins to plummet, Viridi shivers to herself and draws her leaf blankets tighter around her body. Though she tries valiantly to ignore the combination of factors making her nap impossible, it isn't long until the vertigo and the freezing cold begins to get to her.

As they stand there discussing, the angry burrito pops to its feet and hops up and down in place in annoyance.]

Ugghhh!

[Viridi scowls at the world in general.]

This is so dumb.

If we have to do this stupid side-quest, let's just get it over with! The longer I stay here, the more I regret ever helping to create sentient life.

I pick the left path. Let's march!

[The party is treated to a few moments by the tiny leaf burrito hopping down the path in question before Viridi remembers she can fly.]

Why is it so cold?!

Motivation, maybe. I'm sure if we keep up the pace, we'll be fine.

[ And so much for putting which path to a vote-- Viridi's already moving ahead, so Otome's following her. Yeah, no matter the path... splitting up when she doesn't know who can fight and how well doesn't seem to be a sound idea. ]

[Well, that was fast. The girl in the leaf cocoon doesn't seem like a particularly reliable leader...if that's where they're going though, he'll follow.

The fox on his shoulder cranes its neck out to try to see farther ahead, though of course that doesn't work very well.]

I wonder what it is we're meant to find, here? If anything.

. . . NEW FILE CREATED . . . CHECKPOINT #001.SAV . . .
. . . CONTINUING ESCAPE.EXE. . .

[ To the left it is. This path at least grows warmer; it's brightly lit, and clearly well-used. There's no dust at all, and the path has been cleaned and maintained.

Which means that after a short walk, they'll come to a small, but equally well-maintained building. It's one room when they go inside -- just a meeting room, but very high tech and technological, almost as if flaunting the technology.

It's empty, but it doesn't look like it has been for long.

That said, there are plenty of computers to mess with, and some electronic tablets on the flat surfaces as well. ]

...I'm not familiar with how to properly operate any of these pieces of technology.

[ She doesn't trust herself with this newfangled technology that they'd never even dreamed of back in Glenwood. It's strange though, that this would be beneath a shrine. A shrine, she thought, was at least a somewhat familiar sight. ]

What about everyone else?

Don't look at me. I'm from the era of antiquity. It's not like I play handheld games or edit Divinipedia when I'm bored or something. That would be silly. And totally contrary to my supposed origin story.

[With that bizarrely specific disclaimer, Viridi flits over to one of the computers and begins to tap at the keyboard fairly competently.]

What are we even looking for? Big red flashing files marked 'TOP SECRET'?

If only it was that simple. [ She's no Fumi, but she does work for a top-secret government organization, Otome knows her way around a computer. So she'll just move to another one to try powering it on and checking to see what files it might have to offer. ] If they're trying for secrecy, it's probably going to be the least interesting-looking thing on here.

The tablets might be less complicated, though.

If they're going for secrecy, it might be hidden or encrypted.

[ Or both. Though who knows; he's not sure whoever runs this lab had anticipated the possibility of someone else getting in. Trowa goes over to one of the computers as well, keys clacking as he tries to get it to do anything except sit on the home screen. He's done this a million times over back home, cracking through government and military security. Should be a piece of cake so long as he's careful.

As he waits for what looks like a command line input to load up, he reaches over to a nearby tablet, tapping the screen and swiping through to see if there's anything interesting. ]

[Nakigitsune isn't all that great with this stuff either...he'll leave it to the three who know what they're doing, instead looking around the rest of the room. Are there more doors? Hidden passages? Any non-computer objects, perhaps?]

[ The three of them will be able to access the same files -- there are files for Meeting Minutes, Contract and Additional Files.

Of course, trying to click any of them will open up a screen requesting a password.

As for Nakigitsune, there aren't any hidden exits, but there are definitely some obvious ones! There are another two doors from the one they came into, one on either side of the room, and they probably lead out of the room.

Otherwise, there are no paper objects in here -- everything appears to be almost overly technological. Even the chairs are massage chairs! ]

Three people, three things to investigate.

[ She might be technologically inept, but she knows when something is locked. They...probably don't know the password, but she'll leave the matter of that to Trowa, who seems to be the most experienced person here due to how he talked about the situation. She can't really do much in a room this high-tech, so she'll partner up (so to speak) with Naki for the time being.

Being spirits is suffering. She turns to address Naki. ]

...Huh. More exits, but leaving this room on our own would be just foolish.

[ Especially since they're way out of their element here. ]

▶ GROUP 2.EXE

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▶ CHECKPOINT ONE.SAV

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