STATION LOG.04

[ximilian]

● ● ● S T A T I O N   4 . 0

ALL WORK, NO PLAY • REPRIEVE • THE CHOICES AHEAD • FYI

// INTRO. ALL WORK, NO PLAY  

Throughout the month of December, the Orbers will find that the door to the North Wing is sometimes left open — perhaps, at this point in their stay, the two permanent residents of the wing trust the other inhabitants of the station to tread with care.

Should anyone slip through the doorway, they will find that the large sphere, crackling sharply with magical energy front and centre and surrounded by open circulation, is still there, and so are the orbs it houses, many more now than a year ago at this time, swirling inside it. The voices are still there, too, whispering, sometimes louder, sometimes barely heard; sometimes threatening, sometimes offering everything you could imagine, if you just take a step closer — and one more, one more...

However, if you do, the barrier will not hesitate to throw you across the room, a safety measure both for you as much as it is for the orbs. That very barrier is what takes up most of Degar’s time, and he can be often seen striding into the barrier like it doesn’t exist, spending hours upon hours inside the barrier, fortifying it, making sure there isn’t even the smallest crack that could spread when the orbs are finally all together.

The rest of the North Wing remains as it has been: in the AI maintenance room, 0-L1V-14 still remains in Viveca’s old body, walled off from the systems of the station, but still online, with Viveca trying to spare a few moments each day to fix her coding, revert her back to the uncorrupted version she used to be.

The former team’s living quarters are still unchanged, too — or perhaps “carefully preserved” would be the better term, every single bed and item where it had been last left by their owners. The room may mean more to those, now, who had witnessed the old memories during June’s mission: the small elephant toy bringing to mind Yudae, clutching her daughter’s toy in one of the memories; the leather jacket Emerton always wore left bundled on one of the beds; a large, well-carved bow resting against the wall; a pile of neatly-arranged books underneath a bedside table.

In the power and life support room, most of the pods lining the room are still decorated with a glowing, blue stripe; all but one, which has a red one. The large room connected to it on the side, with one chair in the middle, is often occupied by Viveca — though just as often, she sits in the chair with a vacant expression, pupils moving infinitesimally, as if scanning something no one else can see.

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// PART I.REPRIEVE  

With Viveca working hard to locate the last two orbs and Degar dedicating most of his time to containing the restless energies of those that have already been acquired, there’s really not much else to do but play the waiting game. Fortunately, the season the station has timed itself to is steadily approaching what many know as winter, making for a number of seasonably-themed options with which to distract oneself.

1.0   Though most of the Ximilia remains relatively the same, hanging from the ceiling at different parts of the station will be an unassuming sprig of mistletoe — a holdover from a previous celebration of festivities. The mistletoe (brought over from the lush forests of the planet Yeviunus) come pre-charmed with a small spell that invokes a feeling of peace and affection, meant to encourage camaraderie among the crew. Of course the festive foliage is easy enough to avoid, and the spell’s potency depends on the Orber’s susceptibility to influence.

2.0   Any members of the crew wish for a little more wintery ambiance are welcome to take a stroll in the sunlight room. (Don’t worry, this room’s projected sun is a very regular sun of the Earth variety. No watching pupils here!) Every day a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground, thick enough for one’s feet to sink into and leave impressions, and the air is crisp and full of the scents of various conifers.

The pond has frozen over, making a perfect canvas for ice fishing and ice skating. Fishing poles, hockey sticks, and ice skates of every possible size and shape can be found around the pond’s shoreline, ready for use.

Every evening, right as the sun dips into the horizon and the temperatures drop drastically, large bonfire crackles away in the room’s largest clearing. Scattered around are conveniently-placed fallen logs to offer any interested party view of the calming scene, with plenty of knitted blankets for everyone who might want one. (Or not! Perhaps there is a blanket-thief among you, and poor Orbers may be forced to share a blanket between them. Woe!)

Located not too far from the bonfire is an out-of-season tiki bar that is nevertheless doing its best. It is always fully stocked, with plenty of options for even the most discerning of drinkers.

Elsewhere within the sunlight room, Orbers may come across the memorial erected by members of the current crew. The memorial itself is a large stone pillar, its colouring hovering between gray and black; carved into it are names of everyone who has ever been a part of the crew — not just the current crew, but the past crew, too. On the stone slab the pillar stands on is a small plate, for wishes and letters; should one be placed on it, it will rise into the air as if someone were pulling it, stop once it reaches the name of the person it was meant for, and burst into flames, burning away — as if by disappearing, the words could cross between worlds and reach the one who should hear them.

3.0   Sometime in the middle of the month, the common living area will feature a simple wooden table holding a box and a sign. On the sign is a note hand-written by Degar that reads:

Hey, guys! We've been having a pretty high-energy time of it lately, huh? I know I have. So, I hear quilting's a pretty good way of relieving stress and I thought it’d be fun if I made it into a kind of group effort. Everyone loves a good group project, right? Anyway, feel free to take a block and jazz it up any way you like, there's a bunch of materials you can use. And when you're done, just leave them back on the table and our good ol' Nannybot will ferry it back to me when it does its nightly cleaning. I’m thinking 5, maybe 7 days should be enough time? It can't be that hard, right? I’ll unveil it all during our Yulevibes Dinner! (By the way, there’s a Yulevibes Dinner happening.) Thanks!

Next to the sign, in the box, are a neat stack of various quilt blocks for the taking, along with a number of art supplies. Perhaps now is the time to finally show off your handcrafting skills… Or maybe ask around to see who's willing to teach it.

OOC NOTE: Submissions for a finished quilt block should be sent HERE. Deadline is December 18, 6PM GMT. Players are welcome to create more than one, but we do ask you limit it to 3. More information is located on the submissions page.

4.0   So, about that Yulevibes Dinner. Inquiring more about it from either of the permanent residents of the station will reveal that it is a dinner meant for celebration and companionship. Every Orber is invited (and highly encouraged to attend, but of course that’s their prerogative), with the simple request that — if they so choose — they bring along a dish from their world. It’s not entirely a potluck, as there will be more than enough food to feed them all should none choose to participate, but the hope is to encourage Orbers to share a little more of their home with one another… perhaps with the intent to remind them that home is not so far away now.

The dinner is held on the third week after their return. The entire common living area has been transformed into a cozy winter retreat with low chairs, plenty of pillows and cushions, knitted blankets, stringed lights and flickering lanterns. Projected onto the walls are scenes of a calm winter evening, not unlike what one might find in the sunlight room. The main event, of course, is the dinner itself — there must be twenty, maybe even thirty-something dishes occupying a long table flanked by dozens of mismatched chairs. Have a seat, get cozy, fill up your plate and enjoy the vibes and company.

Afterwards, it’s time to lounge around and relax. Board games of various kinds from various worlds appear on low tables, popcorn is inexplicably encouraged to get strung up and worn (what else are you meant to do with it?), and hot cider is passed around by the mugful. Degar plays a few songs on his lute, but as the food coma starts to hit he switches instead to DJing a few songs he’d handpicked especially for the evening.

Barring any food fiascos (or drunken mishaps, you do you, Orbers), the evening is one of relative peace and comfort. Though brief, it provides a much-need reprieve from all that might plague one’s mind… Which is good, because the next morning comes with some rather concerning news.

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// OUTRO.THE CHOICES AHEAD  

The morning after the Yulevibes Dinner, Viveca’s voice rings sharply in everyone’s earpieces.

// VIVECA

“I have some good and some bad news for all of you. The good news is that I think I’ve located where the missing orb is. The bad news is… it’s exactly where the signal for the last orb is coming from. It seems that instead of returning here, it was able to twist the terms it was given to seek out the only free remaining orb. Of course, this means that once I have enough information to send you all to your final mission, it’s not to two different universes… but it also means you’ll be going against two orbs, not one.”

Her voice, having started out as calm and serious, turns even more grave.

// VIVECA

“With the end so close in sight, I just want to say a few things. Firstly… don’t let yourselves be caught off guard. The free orbs are still a part of the larger whole, and the larger whole is more powerful now than it’s ever been before, with just two pieces missing. To assume the last mission will be an easy one would be a mistake. Throw away everything you’ve thought you knew about the orbs. You’ve already seen how powerful they are, even without a deal, now.”

It sounds as if she’s grimacing, thinking of what a single, free orb was able to do in Amaryllis Grove, all on its own.

// VIVECA

“Secondly, you need to start thinking about what you want to do, once you return. Degar is working constantly to make sure the barrier around the orbs will hold… but last time, just one regret being undone was able to break it. If you all decide to go through with it, let your regrets be undone…”

She trails off, but what she leaves unsaid hangs in the air: no matter how much magic — no matter how powerful — that they pour into the barrier keeping the orbs from influencing everyone around them… it might not be enough. Whatever the team’s eventual decision is going to be, it might not be as clear-cut as they might have thought.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the month of December.

• Throughout the month, remember that all the locations in the two wings and the center of the station are available to use, even if they’re not detailed in the prompts in this log. So feel free to make your own wildcard prompts using the training room, the armory, the living quarters, the kitchen, etc.

• If characters want to speak with Viveca or Degar (or both of them) regarding anything mentioned in this log, they are encouraged to do so through the reach the residents page.

• Please note that the voting post regarding what to do with the orbs will go live on December 20 in preparation for endgame.

• And finally, if you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them here.

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Comments

[drawsblood]

Not the way I throw it wouldn't.

[ Provided he can actually hit her. He gets up and takes a look at the snow surrounding them. ]

A time limit, then?

[morethan084]

Oh?

[Sounds like a challenge to her.]

Fine. Twenty minutes?

[Even if her hands might fall off after holding and throwing snow for that long.]

[drawsblood]

Twenty minutes.

[ He cracks his knuckles. ]

And no using your powers, all right? That is cheating.

[morethan084]

[Daisy would be offended by him mentioning her powers, if she hadn’t been thinking of doing it.]

Fine. Then you can’t use your strength against me.

[drawsblood]

I won't.

[ So now he puts some space between them so it'll take some aim from the both of them. As he walks away, he can't help giving her a smirk over his shoulder. ]

Ready... set... go!

[ And with that, he bends down to scoop snow into a big ball. ]

[morethan084]

[Before he's even said 'go' she's already bending down to grab a handful of snow. She hardly takes the time to shape it before she's chucking it at him, just as his snowball hits her square in the arm.

Laughing at how ridiculous this whole thing is she, she hurries to grab another handful of snow.]

[drawsblood]

[ The serene landscape is quickly turned into a scene of chaos, as snow is kicked around and balls form amidst the shouts and laughter. Try as he might to avoid her face, one shot does go too high and straight for her face. They're far apart enough now and there are ice crystals flying everywhere so he doesn't see exactly where it strikes. ]

Sorry! Accident!

[ Is all he gets out before he's bending for more snow and taking a hit in the process. ]

[morethan084]

[Thankfully it doesn't hurt, as the snow is rather soft. Maybe a little too soft to be real snowball making, but he still managed to nail her from quite a few feet away.

While he's bending down to grab more snow, Daisy whacks him right on the butt and bursts out into laughter.]

I'd say that was an accident too, but it wasn't.

[drawsblood]

[ He straightens up as his hands form a ball. ]

It made for a good target, though.

[ And with that he flings the ball at her. ]

[morethan084]

It does. I can't keep my eyes off of it.

[And even just thinking about it clearly distracts her as she gets hit square in the chest.]

Oh, you're going to regret that.

[She pretends like she's about to grab more snow before charging at him. Will she be able to knock him down? Probably not.

Is she going to try anyway? Definitely.]

[drawsblood]

What?

[ What could he possibly have to regret? Her changing tactics and charging him merely gets a laugh out of him and he does his best to soften the blow when she collides with him and he doesn't move an inch by hoisting her up in his arms. ]

Am I, now?

[morethan084]

[It’s not at all surprising that he doesn’t even stumble, and instead she starts laughing when he hoists her up higher.]

Yup.

[Taking one of her gloves off, she shakes off what snow is on it over his head. It really isn’t much at all, but she does it anyway.]

[drawsblood]

[ He gives a hearty laugh and shakes his head to distribute the snow. ]

Not bad! It does well to cool me after all that exercise.

[morethan084]

[Daisy lifts a hand to cover her face when he shakes his head.]

Do we call it a tie?

[drawsblood]

[ He hoists her higher in his grip, arms wrapped around to bring her in flush to his chest. ]

Yes, a tie. To be even with you is a good thing, because it makes you easier to kiss.

[ Clearly, he's not talking about just being even in the game. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy giggles when he hoists her up even further, arms wrapping around his neck.]

Who said we're kissing?

[drawsblood]

[ Already he was leaning in for the kiss, but he pauses, confusion written across his features. ]

You don't wish to?

[morethan084]

[It's tempting to tease him, but the look on his face has her smiling.]

When do I ever not want to kiss you?

[Before he can even answer her she's kissing him.]

[drawsblood]

[ Unable to answer, he lets it go and simply kisses her back instead. It's such a relief to go back to this after the past two months sneaking around in that terrible town. Joric would much rather not have to look over his shoulder before being intimate with Daisy. ]

A good reward, isn't it?

[morethan084]

[Daisy smiles widely when he pulls back, her cheeks flushed.]

It's an okay reward.

[She teases before leaning in for another kiss.]

Should we go check out the fire? I've heard they're toasting marshmallows.

[drawsblood]

Hmph.

[ "Okay" isn't going to cut it, so he lowers her to the ground before dipping her and giving her yet another kiss instead of answering her question. This time it's a kiss that's meant to leave her dazed and he lifts her back upright afterwards with a smirk. ]

That sounds like a good time. Let's head over.

[morethan084]

[Well, it works.

Slowly opening her eyes she tries to process what he's just said.]

Right.

[She can think of something else that sounds like a good time, but that can wait till later.

Maybe.]

You going to let me down or are you carrying me over there?

[drawsblood]

Ah.

[ He sets her down on the ground. ]

I suppose it's hard to let go of you.

[ It's meant just in this moment, but in a way it can apply to the end of their time here in general too. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy smiles sadly, reaching for his hand as she allows him to lead the way over towards the fire.]

We still have time.

[She reminds him, doing her best to ignore the fact that every day they're closer to never seeing each other again.]

[drawsblood]

Right.

[ He answers quietly. But soon enough their time together will be over. It's a heavy weight to carry and it almost feels like it's harder to walk through the snow because every step is another step closer to the end. ]

Time passes too fast.

[ It feels like only yesterday that he arrived and they met. ]