Relief Log #1

[modaccount]

I. In The Aftermath

After the mission is complete, the new recruits are invited back to Central Command for a patch-up and celebration to let loose and socialize a little bit.

The first order of business is the patching up. Anyone who was injured is welcome to go to the Hospital, if the injuries are more serious. Everyone else, those with smaller injuries like scrapes and bruises, minor cuts or burns or abrasions, are welcome to come to the Infirmary in Central Command. There will also be attendants that tell returning new recruits that if they'd like to learn a little first aid and tend to their comrades, they can also head to the Infirmary.

In the Infirmary, anyone who's not injured but shows up will be instructed in basic first aid so they can tend to their teammates and friends. Nurses will be rotating around to check in on people and make sure nothing is more serious than it looks, but generally, the new recruits will be encouraged to tend to their teammates in order to encourage group bonding.

II. Pool Party

The celebration itself, which happens after the the initial patching-up exercise, will be happening in three large conference rooms adjacent to the swimming pool. In one of the conference rooms, a large buffet will be set up, catered by food trucks and restaurants in the area, with a variety of food. Some of it will be familiar to characters in the game, with a wide array of food from Earth and any other planet or locale that the new recruits might be from. Some of it will be unfamiliar, local cuisines that are heavy on mushrooms, insects, and root vegetables - stews and flatbreads full of fillings and a lot of varieties of meat on a stick. There's also an extensive dessert bar with cakes, cookies, tarts, donuts, bars, and a soft-serve ice cream machine with a lot of different mix-ins and toppings.

The main focus of the party is on the pool, where characters are encouraged to put on a swimsuit and lounge in the pool on a bunch of assorted pool floats, swim laps, or play in the small children's pool where there are fountains. The pool also sports a small waterslide with three intertwining slides that range from extreme speed to slow speed. Through speakers in the area, music is playing that's suitable for dancing or just listening to while characters enjoy the pool.

III. For The Extroverts

In another of the conference rooms, an extrovert's dream is set up. The door is kept closed because the music inside is loud, and the atmosphere is that of a club. There's a small bar area where a bartender serves drinks. While most of the drinks are regular alcoholic beverages that are both familiar and unfamiliar, there is a selection of drinks catered by Robin's, which is known for their specialty cocktails which have a variety of effects - specifically, euphoria, relaxation, and energy - available in a variety of flavors. Servers move through the room with trays of snacks ranging from nuts and olives to bowls of chips and popcorn, free for the taking by anyone feeling peckish.

There is a nice dance floor set up and the lights are low except for fluorescents and spotlights that bathe the room in bright color, and the DJ is playing a mix of techno, rave music, and danceable oldies remixes. Along the back wall there are several booths set up for karaoke, where groups of characters can go and sing their hearts out and/or laugh at their friends who are singing their hearts out.

Did that mission leave you wanting to get wasted and dance the night away? Then this is the party for you.

IV. For The Introverts

Not everyone is cut out for a rave, though, especially not after a tiring and draining mission, and the rebels have prepared for that too.

In the other conference room, just on the other side of the buffet room, there is a party set up for the more sort of person who finds solace in quiet and peace. In the corner of the room there's a lovely tea and coffee bar set up, with an espresso and latte machine, coffee, and a truly expansive variety of teas - white, green, black, rooiboos, herbal, and some local varieties that are made specifically to relieve tension and relax the mind. These local varieties can produce a state of utter relaxation and mental calm that is beyond what normal tea could provide, perfect to drink before going to sleep for the night, or right before a calming nap.

Speaking of naps, for those who don't want to be alone but would like a bit of shut-eye, there are soft bean bag loungers where people can retire to for naps. The music playing in the room is quiet and soothing, lyrical ballads or instrumental easy listening, easy to nap through and no barrier to quiet conversation over a cup of tea. The library has also provided a large shelf of readable popular novels, non-fiction, and other books that might interest the new arrivals - there are novels of most genres that are unique to the Broken World, and research materials for anyone looking to exercise the mind or learn a little about the culture of their new world.

Besides that, there are also a cluster of small tables where games are set up. There are board games, decks of cards with printed sheets of common game rules from the Broken World, and a type of chess-like game that is played frequently on the Broken World, complete with instructions.

NAVIGATION

Comments

Marc Spector + Steven Grant | Moon Knight

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

I. First Aid

Marc managed to get out of the compound with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises from the escape, and the first aid he knows is both minimal and pretty rusty, so he's set to holding on gauze and carrying things while other people do the complicated things like setting bones and stitching up. He's pretty good at the carrying part, anyway.

He tries for an awkward comfort here and there, "Hey, you're gonna be okay."

And he'll ask anyone actually doing doctoring work, "You need bandages or thread or anything?"


II. Pool Party

This is not honestly what Marc expected to come directly after a mission. He doesn't leave, though. Not yet. He kind of wanders around, eyeing the pool and not even have to think about it before deciding it'd be a bad idea, and mostly hovers around the food table.

He's not unfriendly, but the crowd and the music and the general noise after the mission is not making him enjoy this a whole lot. Anyone approaching him with the intent for conversation will get a lop-sided smile and the icebreaker question, "You tried that cheese spread stuff? Pretty good."


III. Introvert's Corner

Marc took one look into the dance room and noped right out. He almost goes home before Steven notices the signs for the quiet room and urges him to at least check it out.

The two of them wind up sitting at one of the game tables with a coffee, playing the chess-variant against each other, but willing to take company. Steven's the one more likely to look up and beckon someone over. "Look, look, it's a lot like chess only the pieces are different! Isn't that fascinating? For a whole other world to have a game so similar?"

It's Steven who winds up konking out in a corner on one of the beanbag chairs halfway through the evening, too. Someone will have to wake him up to get him to go home.

II

[maskedtyrant]

"Eh! It's okay."

Says the ginger woman with a handful of crackers piled high with miniature pepperoni slices and the aforementioned cheese spread. She's dressed in just a small, white bikini and a towel draped over her shoulders, catching the pool water still dripping out of her hair. Seems someone is enjoying this venue a lot more than this guy is - a fact that has not escaped Codi, and is a lot of the reason for why she's approached him. He looks a little lost, but not in a way that suggests that he's trying to find a corner somewhere and hide. Maybe he's waiting for someone? Trying to mingle but not very good at it? Plenty of reasons, all of them enough to pique Codi's curiosity.

She pops another cracker into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Lingering effects of the euphoria drink she had earlier help her not care very much about talking with her mouth full. "You haven't eaten so much of it that you can't go swimming, have you?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Not really in the mood for swimming," Marc admits. He will probably never be in the mood for swimming, unless it somehow winds up necessary to save somebody's life. He thinks maybe today he's got a good excuse, since they just got off a mission, and all.

He nods at her, between the towel and the suit and the food. "You look like you've been havin' fun, though."

[maskedtyrant]

Codi at least has the sense to swallow her current mouthful of crackers before flashing Marc a bright, toothy grin. "Absolutely!" she chirps, brimming with enthusiasm. "Most fun I've had since we got here! These Witch people could've done a lot worse!"

A beat, as Codi pauses to scarf down the last party favor occupying her hand.

"If you're not here to swim, what are you here for?" she asks with wide, innocent eyes. Unlike almost every other conversation she's had tonight, that innocence is not emphasized for effect; these mood-enhancing drinks have her feeling surprisingly earnest and direct, for once. "Not trying to be rude or anything, just--I dunno. Curious!"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"They said it was a thing we should do after the mission. I kinda thought it'd be a debrief and maybe free food, not a whole party," Marc says. "It's just as well, I guess. I oughta meet more people." He doesn't particularly want to meet more people (Steven does, but Steven's not here right now, is he). He does want to observe them, though.

[maskedtyrant]

"Must've been quite the surprise, huh?" Codi laughs wistfully, rocking back on her heels. Then, abruptly, she holds out a hand. "--Well, you can check me off your list! Dakota Perkins. Call me Codi!"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Marc Spector." He takes her hand for a friendly shake. He's going to at least try to be nice, today. "I gotta ask, how do you get Codi out of Dakota?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Link had been intently working away at a puzzle, focused on finding that one piece that was just the right colour and shape, when Steven starts talking and beckoning him over.

"...What's chess?" he asks, blinking as his attention is pulled from the puzzle.

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Oh, er." Those sure are pointy ears. Probably not from Earth, then. "It's a game where you move pieces around a board, strategically. I'm actually not very good," Steven admits. "But I just thought the similarity was interesting. What are you working on?"

[newmemorywhodis]

The ears are, indeed, very pointy. Though from Link's perspective, it's everyone else whose got weird looking ears. Who wants ones that are round?

"A puzzle," Link answers, gesturing towards the coffee table he's been working on. He's only been able to piece together about a quarter of it so far, but it's enough that Steven will be able to tell that the picture is of several horses, majestically running into the sea.

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

That's probably something Steven would be better at. And if blondie doesn't know chess, or whatever this new game is, he probably doesn't want to come over, so he might as well drift over there instead. "Kind of funny that this is some other planet, other universe even, and they have horses too. Chess is one thing, it's not even the same just similar, but horses? What are the odds there, right?"

[newmemorywhodis]

"I...don't know?" Link says, looking at Steven with a distinctly lost expression.

Honestly, all of this debate was flying right over Link's head. He barely had a grasp on the concept of 'planets'. He had thought that planets were a star thing. But now they seemed to be maybe be like kingdoms, except a hell of a lot bigger. Universes? No idea.

"Why wouldn't other planets have horses?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

Aw, sorry, Link. Steven is... not going to stop just yet. "Well, honestly, why would one planet have all the same species as another? They're so far apart! Surely there are other, you know, more evolutionarily sound models for four-legged animals that run fast and carry heavy people. Though I guess in this case, there's humans, which is probably weird enough, so maybe humans colonized the planet?" He looks around thoughtfully. "And brought horses and other animals with them? You're not from Earth, right?"

Now he's looking back at Link. "I guess you have horses wherever you come, yeah?" Or he wouldn't think this discussion was confusing.

III.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra is tired, but completely willing to come over, listen, and offer a friendly smile, tinged with confusion, as he inspects the board.

"It reminds me a little of Dejarik. I don't know what chess is, sorry."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"I really should stop thinking people around here know Earth things," Steven muses. "It's very. Earth-centric of me, yeah? I mean, how many people here are even from Earth? You'd think a lot, since most people seem like they're human, and what are the odds humans would develop on so many other planets?"

He's not a biologist, after all, he's-- a historian? Maybe? He's a gift shoppist with delusions of grandeur, is what he is.

"Anyway, I don't know what Dejarik is, either. It's like this, though?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

"There's at least several others around from Earth," Ezra offers. "But I'm not. Never heard of it. Although I don't think it's know where human are came from originally, so who knows."

He refocuses on the board. "Dejarik has different kinds of pieces that have different moves. On a board with squares."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"So apparently the popular thing is the board with squares," Steven says. "There's at least two games like that on Earth. And two with triangles on a board." And that's not even getting into modern board games, which have all sorts of playing spaces. "Chess is the only one with pieces that have different moves, though. Otherwise it's just one move for each piece. What kinds of things do Dejarik pieces do?"

Me finally looking up rules for Dejarik...

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra finally settles into chair opposite the other man. "There's, hmm, eight different pieces in Dejarik. Each has a certain number of space they can move, and they have health ratings, and attack ratings, and a special move. But you can't do a straight attack and special move on the same time. One can heal. A couple can stun and therefore block moves. Or take another move."

He moves a gesture, to indicate 'and so forth'. He's pretty sure he could remember enough to recreate a board if he sat down and thought about it, but on the spot, he's blanking a little.

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Oh, that's much more complicated than chess, actually," Steven says, sounding impressed. "Probably harder, too, actually. Chess has six kinds of pieces, and the only rules are which direction they can move, and whether they can jump over other pieces."

III

[scarabwings]

Layla has drifted in and out of their orbit a couple of times over the course of the evening, long enough to provide a little companionship, but not to become the sort of closed unit some couples form at parties. They both (all three) need connections on this strange world, and preferably some not forged in gunfire.

This time, she's coming from the direction of the dance room, intending to bid them good night. She isn't expecting to find Steven - and she's almost entirely certain it is Steven - passed out dead asleep on an oversized beanbag. Bafflement transitions swiftly to fond amusement, and she crosses the room to sit beside him, beanbag shifting slightly as she leans over to give his shoulder a gentle shake.

"Rise and shine," she says. "Your back's going to hate you if you stay here all night."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

He starts awake, and blinks blearily a few times. Where is he? This isn't his room-- "Layla?"

Oh, oh right, party thing. And apparently he'd konked right out. Oops.

[scarabwings]

"Afraid so," she says, smile ticking just a little wider, as though in warning that he may get teased for this later. Her already light grip loosens, but she leaves her hand where it is.

"Party's starting to wind down. Why don't we get you back to your room so you can get a good night's sleep in a proper bed, hmm?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Right, yeah, that'd be a good idea," Steven agrees, a little shocked he fell asleep at all. Well, okay, not shocked, because he's absolutely knackered and coming here directly after a stressful mission was probably not the brightest plan, but still it's got a bunch of people in it! Marc would be appalled, probably. Good thing Marc's not awake, still.

He starts kind of flailing his way out of the bean bag. "These things kinda suck you in, don't they? Feels like trying to get out of something sticky!"

[scarabwings]

"A bit like sitting in quicksand," Layla agrees, the corners of her mouth twitching faintly as she swallows a laugh. Instead, she hops to her feet, unhindered by the edge of beanbag she'd been leaning over, and offers him a hand - leverage to get him to his feet.

"There's probably an excellent B movie in it - person-devouring beanbags."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Really low budget, right? Just put googly eyes and marker fangs on bean bags," Steven agrees, and is definitely not too proud to take her hand to haul himself out with. It helps and he escapes the clutches of vinyl and beans. Or whatever bean bag chairs on this world are made out of. "Thanks."

Then he offers her his arm, crooked for her to slide hers through, with a little smile.