[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

[zerotohiro]

[Don't mind him, he's sitting on the other end of the couch and folding his legs so he's a small Hiro-package in the corner of the furniture. He appraises Chrollo for a moment as he purses his lips in thought.]

Mostly CERES versus the Flamine Federation. A lot of us were already suspicious about how true the story was that CERES was telling us, but now we're getting even more pieces that don't quite line up. [A pause.] It's kinda weird. I feel like I'm one of the only people it never mentioned a price of blood to and I don't know why. ...I, uh, read your form. What would you define as a price?

[specialization]

[...well. if the boy had read the form, there was no sense playing evasive about it, much as Chrollo's disinclined to answer in a straightforward fashion. it's habit as much as personality.]

A cost. And someone could say nearly everything costs, be it in something tangible or not. What it costs to know, to discover, to gain, to lose. To survive, to be free, to be where you are or to go beyond that...I don't know if I agree, yet when someone says the word price, that comes to mind.

But the price of blood? "Blood will have blood." That is often true.

[zerotohiro]

[He doesn't quite catch the reference, but he understands what Chrollo's saying.]

When it spoke to me, it was talking about equivalent exchange. If the exchange is blood, then...no wonder they're going after CERES. But the real thing we're missing here is just how much blood CERES wanted them to draw out. Wouldn't that make things a little more clear?

[specialization]

It would, but there's no way that CERES will give up that information without some real benefit to doing so. So it means we should probably start looking into alternative methods to acquire what we need from them.

[mildly or entirely illegal methods if needed. you can't exactly be picky about this, though.]

Hearing that our new friend thinks in terms of equivalent exchange isn't surprising - they seem to be very attached to the idea of balance. Give something, get something in return. Do something, get compensated.

[zerotohiro]

If you've got any ideas on how we're supposed to acquire that information, I'm all ears. I've been working to track down information on CERES for months. [Practically since he got here, actually. Thanks, Katsura.] I'm not exactly an expert on getting people to give me real confidential information without jumping through a ton of hoops, and I'm not even sure CERES could be bought unless we offered something in exchange to...I don't know, get the alien to chill out a little.

[specialization]

Buying CERES would take more than a lot of people are willing to give up.

[it's impossible, he thinks, because businesses like that don't bend. they break. if they could be swayed with bribes and promises, they might have already shown that.]

But have you considered that maybe we don't need to pay at all? If you had people with the willingness and skills...it wouldn't matter if they wanted to give it up or not.

[zerotohiro]

You mean like steal the information from them. [Yeah, he's not even sugarcoating it.] While that sounds great, I'm not sure how well that would work either. We don't really lack willingness but it's the whole "skills" thing that we need to match up to. We don't know what we're really going up against in terms of CERES's gatekeepers.

[A pause.] You've done something like this before?

[specialization]

[thankfully, Chrollo wasn't trying to be subtle with that last sentence. he looks Hiro in the eyes and smiles.]

Yes.

[something dangerous, potentially suicidal if people weren't up to the task, requiring preparation and adaptation and iron will to come out victorious that would result in an infamous reputation if discovered and generally cause agitation no matter what?

sounds like every great job he's ever pulled off.]

[zerotohiro]

[He's...suddenly quite interested in what Chrollo has to say and he lifts an eyebrow suspiciously.]

How'd that work last time?

[specialization]

We got what we were after and were gone long before anyone could figure out what was missing.

[at least he knows the rest of the Troupe would have been safe. he won't say it went perfectly, because it ended so sorrowfully, but in terms of strictly whether or not they acquired what they wanted....that had been absolutely successful. down to the girl's power.]

[zerotohiro]

But at that time you didn't have anybody else watching you, did you? I think that's probably where the whole thing differs a little. [It sounds a little too concise but he's well aware there are all sorts of people in this world. They could very well do things differently where Chrollo's from.

He's not even sure it's his place to ask what kind of things he was after back then.] You really think the same philosophy and skills can be applied in a place like this?

[specialization]

I do.

[the only reason he's so concise is that there are other people around with the vast potential to be listening to him. if he's going to freely give this away - for a benefit, of course, being a little open with this teenager means that he has a way into potentially getting the information he wants from CERES - then he's not going to do it so publicly.]

Back then I didn't have people watching through my eyes and ears, no, but there has to be a way around that. Cameras, guards, alarms, all can be circumvented if the right preparations are in place. Believe me when I say it's not impossible.

[zerotohiro]

Oh I never said that it was impossible. It's just a lot harder to work with. [The fact that Hiro believes it's possible to circumvent things may or may not be a good thing, but he's more than interested in trying to understand Chrollo's game at this point. He doesn't realize what the older man is thinking and he's still young enough to think that people would really be solely working toward something better even if he himself has some selfish motivations.]

So. You're really willing to work for it? What's in it for you?

[specialization]

A certain possibility. And for that, I'm willing to do what it takes.

[cryptic but as much as he wants to say right now. the possibility of the truth. the possibility that CERES was lying and that they were all there, fine. the possibility they weren't and he had to uphold what was there. he wants facts, not this uncertainty.]

[zerotohiro]

And if I said I was maybe willing to work with you on these things and achieve that, would you give me a little more detail on what that possibility is? Just in a hypothetical situation, that is.

[specialization]

Hypothetically, I'd maybe be willing to give it.

[for all the maybe Hiro's going to throw at him, he's going to give it right back. if he is willing, then Chrollo will talk. if it's only potential, then Chrollo will only potentially talk.]

[zerotohiro]

Then hypothetically maybe you should be expecting a call from me in the future. I've got a couple of plans in mind. Kinda sounds like they might line up with your goals, too.