[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]

[He nods in understanding and it sort of solidifies what he was thinking. Very few people have spoken to the entity before and he pauses, glancing around before he takes the notebook back to write. As he does though, he explains to the pair of them why he's taking these measures.]

You two aren't the first to tell me that. Kinda lends to some theories I've got about Mosley but that's a whole other story. But you can understand why there are some things that should stay between us and not shared with the group at large, can't you?

[With that, he passes back the notebook again.]

I've seen the Bridge and Mosley together...she wasn't exactly impressed with him since she spit at his feet and kind of kept glaring at him even when he unlocked the cage and freed her from her chains. The security around her (cameras and retina scanners, stuff like that) were totally down too so nobody but Mosley knew she was being freed. Anyway, the Bridge said she can't get close to us because of something inside us that can't be sustained or something.

I didn't think much about it back then, but Mosley seemed way too familiar with what she was talking about. And now...there's this.

[Sacrifices. How could they have known?]

[manolia]

I understand. [He says it with a nod, glancing to the notebook. Of course he understands why things like this shouldn't be shared with everyone; he's a guy who's keeping his own secrets, after all.]

[He takes a look at the notebook and winces-- But then when he's finished, he has to search around in his hat, producing another pen (how many does he have??) and writing.]

Mosley was the one who freed her?! That's quite the twist. Did he say why?

If she said there's something within us that can't be sustained, is she talking of some sort of instability as regards our existence on the physical plane / this planet? Like the code thing? And is it the sacrifice or death that ties our existence to this planet in some way, or does it have a purpose? I am just throwing ideas at the wall at this point.

[unionjackoff]

[England reads over both notes, brows furrowing at the contents. then he writes]

He said that it was our fault that the Bridge was freed. When did you see him free her?

[they need to start making a list, don't they? a list of things Mosley tells them and then contradictions to that list]

[zerotohiro]

[And it's only when he reads what England says that he seems to cow a little, keeping his eyes on the page instead of them so he can reply at his own pace.]

He's not exactly wrong. It was our fault...or, more specifically, it was my fault. Mine and a friend of mine, Korra. She's no longer here though.

A while ago a bunch of us went on a raid into the CERES tower. If you've seen that document Athena and the others put together you'll know which one I mean. I didn't write everything on there because it's not something I really want spread around.

Our group broke into the tower and headed to another part than the other groups. Two of our members died, and Baymax transported one of them to the hospital. None of those people are here still either, I think. Anyway so it was me and it was Korra and we made our way to the back empty room and found the Bridge chained up in her cage. Mosley found us instead.

When I say that Mosley freed her? I mean he just unchained her and let her come with us so we could take her to Maris and Caeli.

[And he writes, his penmanship grows a little sloppier as his hand shakes a little. Inadvertently causing someone else's death wasn't something he wanted, but it happened when they set her free.]

He said that he likes his job, but sometimes he doesn't and that's why he was helping us. It's what he was implying anyway. The Bridge was still sort of distrustful of us, but she came with us and when we left her with Caeli and Maris she said she would reward us for our help. That's why we all wound up in the jungle. I still don't understand what can't be sustained near her but it's gotta be code if she's some kind of goddess queen or whatever. It would explain Mosley, especially when he's not exactly human either. But I didn't think...we just wanted to rescue her and help her. No one ever said

[He stops writing completely.]

I'm so sorry.

[manolia]

[Chibi's heart wrenches at the sight of Hiro's sorrow. He is too young for this, Chibi thinks; he is too young to be feeling this pain.]

[But he doesn't move to comfort Hiro overtly, just takes the pen and begins to write.]

I was involved in the same raid, but in a different group. I still think it was wrong of them to bind her, even with this. Sapient beings are not meant to be kept in chains; if it was a matter of keeping sacrifices from occurring, there was a better way we could have found.

But I do not think the sacrifices started because she was freed; they have been going on for quite some time. We spoke to someone whose comrade was sacrificed before the Bridge was even a thought in our minds. Even if it is just ego, and there is no greater purpose, that does not explain why these sacrifices never stopped. Someone is lying to us.

This is not your fault. Don't take that guilt upon your shoulders.

[unionjackoff]

[England also feels terrible seeing Hiro upset. he doesn't like getting children involved in something so deep. even though Hiro involved himself, England still wishes that he didn't have to.

he tries to quell his anger, relaxing his shoulders as he reads over both notes. then he nods when he sees what Chibi is writing and adds a little bit of his own]

He's right. It's not your fault. There are a lot of lies going around right now, a lot of twisted truths. All we can do is continue what we are doing and hope that we can sort through everything.

[zerotohiro]

[The fact that they've both said it isn't his fault helps greatly and he looks up from under his bangs, taking a deep breath to ensure that this really is okay. This is a serious subject at hand and has to be handled delicately as far as he's concerned. He knows he's...probably one of the youngest people in this room. But it's all the more reason he has to be on guard.

Reading the two notes, he frowns in thought before the pen scribbles rapidly once more.]

Wait whoa back up. Another colonist had a friend who was sacrificed? Or one of the natives? The natives are the ones who mentioned sacrifices to us in the first place but how recent is recent? That's my other question.

And even then, of course someone is lying to us but we have way too many people to guess from. That's the part I don't like. And that she said you'll do. Do WHAT? There's something more to these sacrifices than we're thinking of.

[He stops writing and looks at Chibi again.] I like your idea of just throwing things out there to brainstorm the possibilities here.

[manolia]

If you found the altar, you noticed personal effects scattered on it. Some were broken, some were whole, but many of them belonged to colonists. Seemingly, certain colonists who had some sort of spiritual tie were sacrificed and then disappeared. It is not just the gory details that have cast a dark cloud over this meeting.

Perhaps she meant that she might prefer a native, or someone who will not come back, but that England would be fine. But there is something more.

[Chibi looks at Hiro a beat, then smiles; at least they can feel like they're getting somewhere.] Then, let me just organize my thoughts a moment-- [He tears a page from the notebook (and places the notebook down again), takes the second pen, and begins to scribble.]

[unionjackoff]

[England considers writing something in response, but he starts to feel lightheaded again, and he thinks it's because he's been talking... thinking too much about the sacrifice. maybe there's a limit? whatever the case, he nods after what Chibi says. that sounded right. another thought occurs to him, as well, but he'll save that for later]

Is it all right if we sit down? I want to finish this conversation. [but I'm not feeling well, goes unspoken]

[zerotohiro]

[He looks up then mildly concerned before he nods and gestures to a couch.]

Come on, let's head this way. Then we can finish and go back to everything that was just written out. [Chibi, can you walk and write? Because Hiro's already leading them off even while he's mulling over that. It's possible she might prefer a native but why? And the thing about those spiritual artifacts...he still doesn't want to believe it's true.]

[manolia]

[He can walk and write! It's a little harder, since he has to keep reminding himself to write in their common language rather than Draconic, but he's still capable of it. By the time they settle down, he's gotten this much down, in a hasty scrawl but still mostly readable:]

Purpose of sacrifice?
- Stability-related - Bridge referred to instability in our code that prevented us from existing near her. Similar was referred to re: Tellus atmosphere. Some release of energy via sacrifice needed to stabilize planet or our existence on it?
- Could be ego-related, as sacrifices to gods are, but does not make sense w/ knowledge that sacrifices continued before Bridge was freed.

Why spiritual people?
-Guess: it relates to this universe's natural laws. We come from very different worlds with different concepts of possible and not. Indv w/ spiritual ties sacrificed because they do not fit this world's natural laws?
- Guess: more release of energy. Indv w/ spiritual ties 'closer' to elementals?
- Similarly, there is a difference referred to btw 'code' & 'natural' repeatedly - does this have something to do w/ it?

[unionjackoff]

[so they are sitting now, and brainstorming. England reads over Chibi's shoulder, not concerned with personal space with him. he doesn't know if he has anything to add to that, he's mostly said what was on his mind already, and writing everything out... well, it's a bit tedious, and he's not feeling well.

England will listen, and read, though. and if they have any specific questions related to him, he will answer]

[zerotohiro]

[And as Hiro also reads over Chibi's shoulder, he's making sounds of confirmation or questioning, eyebrows furrowed together by the time he finishes.]

This all looks like a pretty good start. We still have way more questions than answers but it's a path we can at least pursue and see where it leads us. [A pause.] I've thought about going to talk to Mosley and asking him myself. You mind if I use these questions to sort of feel him out?

[manolia]

As have I, when I calm down. [Chibi's face, carefully measured and calm indifference, doesn't show that he's as pissed as he is.] But it seems you've more experience with him; you'd know where to press better than I.

Feel free to use these questions, so long as you tell me what he says. [Not that Chibi thinks that'll be a problem.]

[unionjackoff]

[England opens his mouth to speak, but feels his throat close up again. dammit. so he reaches for the pen]

I'd prefer if you didn't mention me when you do talk to him. I am worried what he might do if he found out I got around his gag order.

[how silly he feels, being scared of Mosley... or rather, he's scared of CERES. England used to fear no man. but now...]

[zerotohiro]

[He can understand that fear. He still has a similar fear himself, truthfully, but he's quiet about it to most people. Instead, he offers a tentative smile (and what he hopes is a reassuring one) to England.]

Don't worry, I'm not going to mention you. I've got a few ideas to work around mentioning names at all. [And a glance to Chibi follows.] I'll keep you both informed on anything I might learn from him. This isn't really information I should be keeping to myself.