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

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ good job! but hawke gives a nod, eyes flicking over to the wall o' forms and letting her mouth tug into a frown for a moment. ]

At least we know what they are now. The... Flamines. I was having quite a lot of trouble believing they actually existed but now, it's like we have an actual threat.

I didn't think they were real, either.

[ His expression turns a shade wry. ]

I'm not sure if "threat" is the right word for them, though.

[ that interests hawke. she raises an eyebrow and grins a little, needing to ask -- ]

If not a threat, then what? It did threaten me, personally, but I suppose they aren't an overall threat.

[ and then she bites into her slice as she waits for dipper to explain what he means. go ahead, tell her your thoughts! ]

That's kind of more what I meant, yeah. [ They may still decide to kill her.

SORRY, HAWKE. ]

They don't like maskbreakers, but I don't think they're our enemies, exactly. It sounds like they were just doing a job they were hired to do. So...do you think they'd do something for us if we gave them CERES?

[ He's just. Spitballing. ]

[ she considers this and she did read over some of the other stories so, maybe. it wouldn't be the strangest idea. ]

From the accounts, I have to admit... they do strike me as the "mercenary" type. Perhaps that's just my own projection, since I'm intimately familiar with the career choice, but if CERES employed them to do... something violent, their loyalty might be more to the currency instead. If what they want is CERES, they're obligated to give you something in return.

That's the impression I got, too. It seems like what they want is to be paid. They didn't contract with CERES because they hated our worlds or something.

[ They can be bought, in other words. Unfortunately, the colonists don't have too many bargaining chips. ]

It's basically the most dangerous path we could take. [ But big risk means big return if they can pull it off. ]

[ she sees this line of thinking and dipper is right. a contract with the obviously violent and inscrutable race of aliens to... help them? some people would call this a terrible plan. hawke, on the other hand, sees the merits in it. ]

As it is, our best bet to go home is either A) continue to trust CERES, B) see what those Gods have to offer, or C) make a deal with the Flamines. We've seen CERES's hand a time too many, there's no guarantee there and the Gods are, unfortunately, a bit less trustworthy than the Flamines. The Flamines are a guarantee... as long as we pay them.

[ she glances over at the wall, scratches at her chin as she considers before looking back to dipper. ]

Is that along the lines of what you're thinking, Dipper?

[ He's nodding quickly as she lays out their options. Of all the other parties they could work with, the Flamines are, somehow, their best bet. And if they destroyed worlds...

Could they remake them, too? ]

Exactly. But I think there's more we need to learn about CERES before we attempt anything like that, because once we connect with the Flamines, there's no going back.

[ Once CERES realizes what they plan to do, they're probably all as good as dead. ]

[ hawke just nods, she's in perfect agreement there. ]

So, what will you do? Break into their headquarters again? Find as much information as you can that way? People will die, if that happens. Could be a good risk though. Alternatively, you could wait it out.

[ she's curious what the plan is here. she doesn't want to put much investment in it, but she sees people like dipper and hiro, so aggressively wanting to know. she doesn't mind helping think things through -- it's not as if she doesn't have the experience for it. ]

[ People will die.

His expression immediately shifts. He suddenly looks less inquisitive and more boyish, the statement a verbal slap that he didn't anticipate hitting him quite like this.

Swallowing: ] It's not worth it if anyone has to die. We'll have to figure out another way.

[ The problem is...what other way? ]

[ hawke pauses, just a moment, watches the shift on dipper's face and considers. she respects dipper and everyone else who throws themselves against the wall of ceres over and over and over without flagging but... well, they have to know the consequences of it, don't they? one doesn't take down a tyrant without death.

she wonders what their plan for that is. she wonders if she should not just lend a hand but blood too. hawke's hands are already dirty, what's a bit more to the pile? ]

You will. There's no point in doing it if you can't do it right. No one has to die.

[ hawke's lying. she considers how risky it would be to go to ceres herself, to storm their headquarters and come back with blood on her hands but new information. it might be worth it. ]

So, you wait. You do reconnaissance. You find the safest possible course of action and then you take it. Is that your plan?

[ No one has to die. And as appealing as that sentiment is to whatever fraction of innocence he still has, he's too smart for it, too.

He knows better.

So, what then? Is he just at a personal stalemate? Where does he go from here? ]

Yeah, that's the plan. [ Even if he has no idea what it will even entail. Maybe he needs to admit he's in over his head, but he can't. ] The more we know, the safer we'll all be. You know, knowledge is power, and all.

[ Thanks, G.I. Joe. ]

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

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