[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]

[Hey man, he's absolutely willing to take everyone's musings on this right now and it's clear by the way he instantly shuts up and pays rapt attention to everything Cao Pi says.]

So really what's you're saying is we prove to the Flamines that we've got some kind of leverage that could be used to kinda take the heat off of us. I don't think it's a bad idea. But I also don't think we're gonna find a whole lot of people that'll willingly admit they've killed people. What does the tactician say about that?

[pure_havoc]

[a slow, knowing chuckle. Only slightly snarky compared to usual.]

You don't think so? I'm more than willing to admit that I have. I am lord of my kingdom and was a general in my father's army from a very young age. I've probably killed more people than there are colonists here. Surely, I can't be the only one for whom death is a part of life. You merely have to know where to look.

[zerotohiro]

[...ah. Well that answers that.]

I think there's a difference between someone serving in an army versus, like, a serial killer don't you think? But when you phrase it that way it does sound a little better.

Would you be willing to risk yourself as leverage against someone we don't know a ton about?

[pure_havoc]

Of course there is. Killing other people is not limited to the evil and cruel. It is, in some places, a necessity.

[although maybe he shouldn't brag about it.]

It is a risk worth taking, if we want to be free. At the very least, if they will only deal with someone who knows what it is to take a life, you would need someone like me to ask the pertinent questions. It may be that an alliance would not be worth it, but we won't know unless we ask.

[zerotohiro]

Okay, that's fair. The thing is, I don't know if that's the only way they're willing to deal with people. I'll agree that it seems like the easiest route but at the same time I think the alien's smarter than that. At least smarter than just going with bloodlust and really analyzing everything else. From what I can understand? It knows a lot more about us than we know about it.

But I never actually thought about that. You brought up a really good point. [Truthfully, while he has a lot of brilliant ideas he's still learning how to properly execute them in a situation like this.] ...if I found a way to approach it again, would you have a real idea what to ask it? Or, I guess, would you know by then?

[pure_havoc]

I certainly would. [it's his job, sort of, to know how to ferret information from both friends and foes] If there is such a means, I would be prepared by then.

I suppose it's a good thing I didn't throw out that ridiculous mask, then.

[zerotohiro]

I'm not sure a lot of us did after all this. What'd your mask actually look like anyway?

[pure_havoc]

It had fingerprints on it. It seemed more appeared every day until the entire surface was nearly covered in them.

[so detached, he wasn't affected by the generic prints even if some part of him guessed they were supposed to be made in blood]

[zerotohiro]

That's pretty straight-forward. [Knowing exactly what the fingerprints mean, he's not at all surprised that's what stained Cao Pi's mask.] Maybe the alien really was telling the truth about the masks being our entire histories and actions.

[pure_havoc]

The masks, really? [he's a bit disturbed by that, for one reason] How can they know such things?

[zerotohiro]

No idea, but the alien seemed to know exactly who they were speaking to each time. I don't know if it's really the masks, or if it's something they created based on knowledge of us. If they've really destroyed all of our worlds or whatever...they would have still taken all of the information from them if they were smart.

Just makes you wonder what else they might know.

[pure_havoc]

It's also possible that information has been passed to them from CERES. They certainly know too much about us in general.

The information we've shared here, tonight. It is safe from both sides?

[zerotohiro]

It's definitely safe from CERES, and unless the Flamine have sent a spy to be among us right now it should be safe from them, too. You really think CERES would bother selling out information about us? I can't imagine the Flamine would care that much either.

[pure_havoc]

[harrumphs a bit] Believe me, a conquering force would want information on its objective, even if they had no intention of facing us head-on. It's indisputable that CERES has intimate information on us, and we've also verified that they are secretly allied with the force they call our enemies. I would be more surprised to find out they haven't provided assistance to the Flamines.

[zerotohiro]

Then why now? Why actually talk to us now instead of sooner? [A pause.] I mean it tried to talk to some of us like a month ago or something but we've had people here for about a year now. Maybe longer. I dunno, it just made it sound like it doesn't care about us beyond what our masks tells it about us and if we know where CERES is.

[pure_havoc]

[a tiny tip of his head, the tiniest shrug]

Perhaps CERES did not reneg on their contract until now. You say it surfaced first a month ago? Hm. Compare it against the time in which these spirits also appeared with their own anger against CERES. Perhaps something within recent months has gone wrong and now they're no longer paying those who need to be paid.

[He knows how that works. How many hired mercenaries had deserted armies when the gold dried up? It was the fatal flaw of having to pay for quality service rather than conscript the weak.]

[zerotohiro]

It first appeared to me and my brother a month ago when we were in the CERES tower. It might have shown up before then, too, we don't really know all the details. But you've got a point there. With the spirits claiming CERES had something that belonged to them, which was the Bridge, it would make sense for the Flamine Federation to capitalize on that to get what CERES owes them, too.

And anyway, it's Cerelia. Things are definitely bound to go wrong here. We just have to be one step ahead of CERES to make sure we aren't the ones making payments for them.

[pure_havoc]

You'll have no argument from me on that point.

[he nods slightly] Your information is appreciated. I'll be keeping a very close eye on everything from here on out.

[zerotohiro]

Thanks. Trust me, that's pretty much all I can ask for right now. And if I find out anything else I'll try to get in touch with everybody else as soon as I can.

[pure_havoc]

I would appreciate being part of that contact. And if you do intend to return to the place where you can speak with our would-be destroyers, I will have something prepared for interrogation.

[he's all-business, Hiro, don't mind him]

[zerotohiro]

Absolutely. [It's fine. Business mode is fine.] Give me a few weeks' time. That should give us a few moments to breathe and restructure everything before our next strike.

[pure_havoc]

[a brisk nod is all he needs to agree. Now if you'll excuse him, he has more forms to copy!]