annexedlogs | Relief Log #1

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Relief Log #1

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Very well." A glance down at himself. Naked except for the fabric wrapped around his waist in a poor-man's sarong.

"I will take a moment to change. This is hardly drinking attire." Not that Rokuro really knows what he should be wearing to a bar, given people seem to question his fashion choices on a day to day basis. He does his best to dress similarly to the way he would back home, but it appears hakama as a concept do not exist in this world and he hardly has the money to have them made.

"And I have only ever made an ally drink such a bitter brew as punishment. To think some would willingly subject themselves to such a potion, just to remain awake..."

A pause, stopping awkwardly in front of the changing area before they properly start on their way. Already far more quiet than he was only a moment ago. The anger and volume appear to have left him-- for now. As has some of the haughtiness, replaced with something a touch more shy.

"Could I... trouble you to wait for me?"

It's hardly attire, but Tech at least seems to know better than to say that. He nods as they put some distance between them and the poolside.

"Some do add to their coffee to alter the flavor. Others prefer for it to be strong," he says with a shrug. He hasn't experimented enough with the stuff to figure if anything makes enough of a difference to actually enjoy it as much as some people seem to.

He looks at Rokuro then, noting the sudden shift of mood. That the man's no longer angry and seeming about ready to bite childrens' heads off is a plus, but Tech is a little puzzled by this shift. He blinks at the request, giving a nod. It seemed hardly necessary to ask given that they'd decided to head to the bar together, but Tech isn't going to ditch him either.

"Very well."

"Thank you." An incline of his head, and he will hurry in the direction of the changerooms. Suddenly aware of all the eyes on him. Rokuro had known he was making a scene, but was confident in his righteous indignation.

Now that Tech is here, and Rokuro has talked through some of what he is feeling... perhaps he is a little embarrassed by the outburst, if only because his comrade hardly seemed bothered.

Five or so minutes later (listen, he doesn't just wake up like this) Rokuro re-emerges from the change rooms in said 'proper' attire, or his approximation of it. A shirt and pants tied onto his body with string and little else, touch of colour upon his eyes and lips, and the 'modern' variety of geta which are both taller and less comfortable than what he is used to, but have a strange allure in their added height.

"Is this acceptable? I have never attended a bar."

Tech is, perhaps unsurprisingly, looking at his tablet by the time Rokuro comes back out. He's aware of the time and isn't sure what the man's been doing in there, it takes his brothers even less time to get all their gear on.

He does look up ~~amazingly~~ when Rokuro finally returns, having to blink as he processes this transformation. "I believe I've seen some wear similar degrees of such fashion to nightclubs, so I suppose it works." Studying Rokuro's choice of footwear, he supposes he'll never understand fashion.

"Well, if you're ready, we can go," he says, tucking his tablet away.

"I do not frequent 'nightclubs', as I have no interest in prostitution of any kind, but I must admit the oiran are extremely well-dressed..." Geisha are the peak of culture, fashion, and class in his time. While Rokuro has scruples with the their skinship services, he does appreciate their music and artistry in a non-sexual fashion.

For all that nobility judge the red light district, it is they who mimic the geisha, and not the other way around, so he's going to take Tech's comment (almost completely out of context) as a great compliment.

"These shoes are interesting, are they not? It is known that taller people are seen as stronger and more dignified. Ordinarily, I find high-toothed geta difficult to walk in, however these are quite comfortable." He says that now, beginning to walk with a silken gait. Give him a couple hours and Rokuro will likely have many different words for the modern torture device known as a 'heel'.

"You appear acceptable, and it seems they are allowing anyone into this celebration, so I suppose we will go largely unnoticed regardless." Or so he assumes. How is Rokuro supposed to know that pants without sides aren't the norm here? Ventilation is important for everyone.

"I do hope they have rice wine. What is your preference in terms of liquor?"

There's so much to process in that initial response alone that Tech is left puzzling over it well into Rokuro's shoe commentary. At that point he decides it's probably not worth the trouble, although he does make a mental note to at least get some clarification on what he's assuming to be a term from Rokuro's world.

"The shoes are largely impractical, I think," he does say, brow arching as Rokuro claims them to be comfortable. But so long as Rokuro can walk, Tech says nothing more as they start towards the conferecnce room that's been designated as the party zone.

"There was no specific dress code given," he says, shrugging, not that he would know what to wear if one were expected to be fancy. "We'll just have to see what's on the menu. Usually a beer or an ale will do for me."

Now that he has a point to prove, Rokuro will walk taller, with longer steps, and a graceful bearing that would make the most favoured of courtesans weep. The shoes are staying on all night if it kills him.

"Shoes are not necessary to function. If need be I can remove them." Coolly, as they cross the threshold into the bar. Rokuro wouldn't call himself stubborn. He is simply determined. His comrades, on the other hand... well, they know better than to say anything within Rokuro's earshot if they don't want to go deaf.

He turns his head to glance around the room, taking in the crowd. It's larger and rowdier than in a brothel, but somehow less obnoxious than the pool. Is it because his Master isn't here that he can almost see the value in such a place?

"See. There are many people wearing these shoes, and I do believe I wear them best."

Tech just shakes his head as Rokuro walks on. He can tell the immediate difference in the pacing, and even if it is impressive that the man can walk so fluidly in such shoes, Tech still doesn't see the point. Entering the bar, he frowns just slightly at the abrupt shift between atmospheres.

Which is surprising as Rokuro doesn't seem half as bothered by it as he did at the pool side, but then there are still obvious differences in the mood, and notably, less children. Tech snorts lightly, the closest thing to a laugh as he ever seems to get, as Rokuro continues to carry on from earlier by pointing out footwear.

"As you say. Let's see what kind of drinks they have."

"Yes. Let us." That was the pool, and water is sacred. This is the bar, and alcohol is not. Rokuro takes a prim seat upon a stool at the bar, tucking his feet beneath himself as he attempts to make sense of the menu.

"I do not recognize... any of this." A sigh, chin upon his palm. So much for attempting to soothe his headache. Once again, he is stuck overthinking what should be a simple task. "Perhaps this was also a mistake."

Settling down in a seat beside Rokuro, Tech squints at the various bottles behind the bar before looking over at the menu that Rokuro's already attempted to decipher.

"...I can't say that any of this strikes me as familiar either," he admits with a frown. "The fancy names certainly don't help. Perhaps we can forgo the menu and just ask for what we know..?" And if they just got strange looks, well, they could simply leave.

"This one appears to be named after some sort of shrine... 'Shirley Temple'. Shirley must be a powerful god indeed." What's worse is there are easily five pages to this menu, not counting the many drinks scrawled on signage behind the bartenders head, as well as people shouting out concoctions that appear to be of their own preference and making.

At least he isn't the only one out of his element. So often Rokuro feels alone in his struggles, and while he appreciates Tech's many explanations a great deal, it is difficult not to feel like an idiot (or worse, a child) in comparison.

Suddenly, one confusingly colourful drink is slid in front of Rokuro, and then another in a rounder glass, dark red in hue, only for a third to appear behind them. A rich amber liquid in a much shorter vessel.

Rokuro twists to look around himself, to see if there is someone on his right side or behind him who is ready and waiting to claim them.

"Did we take someone's place?"

It's only helped that the situations they'd been in together had been things that Tech knew how to navigate. It also unfortunately says a lot for his own experiences. Rokuro probably has much more useful experiences and knowledge for day-to-day living.

"Hm." No, not about to question Rokuro's observations when he's pretty much on the same page there. He tweaks his goggles, poking through the menu pages. "Are these divided a certain way or..."

His attention diverts to the almost magically appearing glasses, each more colorful than the first. He blinks almost owlishly at them before looking at Rokuro with a shrug as he follows the other man's glance.

"Not that I am aware of..." he says carefully, looking back at the drinks before catching a glimpse of movement down the bar. "I believe those sitting at the end mean to get your attention."

Rokuro looks down the bar at the men, simply observing them for a moment, and then back to Tech.

"I do not know them. They must be mistaken." As for who he could be mistaken for, there is only one person... but if Rokuro's twin were here, there is no way he wouldn't know-- not to mention Nanakuma would never stoop so low as to socialize with the common class. Of the two of them, Rokuro is the openminded one. Comparatively speaking.

Politely, he pushes the glasses back towards the bartender. Only to find them pushed back towards himself almost immediately. Now it's Rokuro's turn to blink owlishly, first at Tech to gauge his reaction, and then the group at the end of the bar.

"It seems these are intended for us." Rokuro lifts the brightly coloured glass, mystified by the cloyingly sweet scent, and strangely preserved cherry perched upon the room.

"Poison?"

Tech can only shrug. These are not the sort of interactions he's ever had to deal with at a bar, and the one that's served as his squad's most recent hangout is practically their private place for how slow things tend to be there. He looks towards the bartender for further insight but it doesn't seem like further explanation is going to be given.

"Oh. Well that's...nice of them? A welcome for newcomers? I honestly have no idea if there's some custom to all this or not." He reaches for the amber glass even as he studies the drink Rokuro's picked up as though trying to identify some kind of rare specimen.

"Technically any great amount of alcohol is ultimately poisonous," he points out.

"That is true." Rokuro isn't brave enough to take a sip right away, but he will try the seemingly candied cherry. Lifting it to his mouth, he takes a delicate bite, and upon tasting no poison or bitterness, will pop it past his lips.

He chews for a moment or two, and only a minute or so after he swallows another three drinks materialize in front of him. Each one with a cherry attached.

Rokuro can only assume there is a deep cultural meaning.

"Clearly they wish for you to try this as well-- it's very good. Almost like candy. A local delicacy, perhaps?"

Since eyeballing the drink hasn't revealed its secrets, Tech shrugs and samples it while Rokuro picks at a cherry. He's still deciding on what he thinks of the flavor when more drinks come Rokuro's way.

"...I'm beginning to reconsider your poison theory." How much were they expected to drink? Tech looks over at the other end of the bar again before he plucks one of the cherries from the nearest glass.

"I've never really been one for candy," he says, following up with the tiniest, most cautious nibble. Clearly not getting much out of it for flavor that way, he shrugs to himself and pops the whole thing into his mouth. "Hm. It isn't too bad. Perhaps it's meant to compliment the drinks?"

Mysteriously, a drinks slides across the counter from the other side of the bar to stop directly in front of Tech. Apparently Rokuro isn't the only newcomer who has been noticed. At least this mug appears to be holding something close to beer.

"Poison is usually more subtle. This is quite the display." A breath, and he dares to take a sip of the colourful drink. Brow shooting up at the contrast of syrupy-sweet drink and salted rim. At first disgusting, and then... delightful. Fruit is rare and precious in his time, reserved for nobility and special occasions.

"I have never tasted a wine so sweet or fine as this. It is almost too much, and yet--" Clearly not enough, as he is taking another much longer drink. "You must try it."

Tech is a little preoccupied by these multiplying drinks. He'd started to figure out why so many of them were congregating from Rokuro's end, so he's a bit baffled when one's set for him. "Well that's never happened before," he mutters, casting a glance down the other way.

"-actually I meant more the fact that I'm uncertain as to how much the combined level of alcohol in any of these drinks might be if we were to actually take them all," he says, nudging his goggles up as he reaches for the mug, pausing only as Rokuro gives his review. "Hm." Sweet that's almost too much doesn't particularly sound palatable to him but he holds a hand out to try it.

It is quite a punch of flavors that he's completely unfamiliar with. He still looks confused after the first sip, unsure how to process it.

"I have imbibed far more than this and survived." He squints, attempting to remember the grand total of what they finished upon Jinpachi's ship that night.

"Not that I would recommend such an endeavour. Actually, now that I think of it... the sake appeared in front of me in a strangely similar fashion. Every time I finished my drink, it was as if my cup was magically filled again, and if I set my cup down another cup found its way into my hand."

A mystery. Perhaps the pirates were more generous in their customs than he originally gave them credit for. He sips at his drink thoughtfully, and is startled to quickly reach the bottom of his glass. These sugary concoctions are dangerously easy to stomach.

On to the next. The stout glass filled only half-way.

"I have only heard of such a thing once, after wreckage of a foreign ship... the locals were saying they had found barrels of gold. There was nothing left by the time my Lord and I were able to investigate. It seems the barrels disappeared along with the fishermen. While we found no evidence of gold, the scent of the barrels was similar."

He swirls it around between his hands, gazing down into the amber depths.

"Do they give you so little because it is too valuable, or because it smells so strongly?"

The almost shy wave (or was it sultry) from the otherwise rather built woman seated at the opposite end of the bar has Tech blink in mild uncertainty before offering the most hesitant nod of thanks for the drink, figuring it's the least he can do, having made eye-contact.

"That is not really an accomplishment..." Tech can't help but note, glad to have something else to focus on, perhaps all too easily tuning back into their drink conundrum at hand. "The key is to not overdo it." Drinking 'magically' refilling cups of anything was a sure sign to stop, in his opinion.

He can still taste the sweetness of that one sip, so he picks the mug up to see if it might have a better flavor, or at least something to soften the edges from the last one. "Gold takes different forms depending on the eye of those who see its value," he observes. "However in this case, I think it may be more the latter. Or rather the hint of its potency." He lifts the mug to his lips for a swallow of...whatever it is. It looks like beer anyway.

"That is a very poetic philosophy. One I can only agree with." The slightest of smiles, because Tech has so often said that he doesn't understand what is spiritual or creative.

Rokuro has yet to thank his group of 'admirers' for the drinks, and seems to have forgotten about them entirely. More invested by the drinks in front of them than where they came from, and sharing in the experience with his... whatever Tech is. Something between a comrade and a friend.

Truthfully, Rokuro has never had a friend of his own before, and doesn't want to assume too much. While it is difficult to be alone, to be humiliated for assuming he is anything more to Tech (or anyone here) than a fellow soldier would be far more painful. Or so he assumes. Rokuro has never been in the position to take such a risk.

Most often, his master has always told him who 'their' friends are, and Rokuro would simply go along with it.

"I suppose there is only one way to find out." Rokuro gives the golden liqueur a swirl, and lifts the glass delicately to his lips to take a careful sip. The look on his face (red eye wider than should be possible) will prove Tech's hypothesis.

"My mouth... it is burning." And yet he can't help taking another more careful sip, even as his eye waters. "I should not enjoy it, but there is something... satisfying in the heat of it that cannot be explained." A quiet cough, politely behind his hand, and he will push the cup in Tech's direction.

Given his situation, Tech hasn't had many opportunities to make 'friends' himself, and the scant few that the Bad Batch considered such were offshoots of soldiers or former acquaintances with their previous employer. They were also something of a group acceptance, since he'd never been apart from them to really think about it himself, and the squad tended to agree with each other.

Rokuro's thoughts are far deeper on the matter than Tech's are, but then Tech's thoughts tend to be more focused on analyzing things outside than analyzing himself.

The drink he samples has a nutty sort of aftertaste that he can at least say he doesn't not like, but he's still on the fence as to whether he'd call it a beer. He takes another drink, still mulling over it until Rokuro speaks up after having a taste of the other glass. Picking it up as it's nudged towards him, Tech sniffs at it before he has a sip himself. He squints slightly behind his goggles, nodding thoughtfully.

"Definitely stronger," he concludes, not that it stops him from having another swallow before he offers it back to Rokuro if wanted. "It's...difficult to explain, yes. I think that's the way with a lot of drinks."

Rokuro will gently avoid resuming ownership of the glass, because his face is already getting warm and they've barely touched their drinks. Assuming this is a local custom to welcome newcomers, it would be rude to leave them untouched.

Plus, his headache hasn't gone anywhere yet. If Rokuro leaves the bar sober the world outside will be a worse place for it.

He lifts up the next drink. It's very small and clear, with a strange green object impaled on a stick in the centre.

"An egg?"

Shrugging, Tech decides on one more sip before he relinquishes it. At least that one is obviously more potent. It's the more unassuming ones that they really have to watch out for. This thought is perfectly logical to him, even as he picks up the mug again to have another swallow or two.

"Hm?" He leans over to peer at this new conundrum, fingering his goggles as though they'd make the image any sharper.

"...I am uncertain. I don't think putting an egg in a drink makes any sense. But who knows what they put into drinks. Perhaps it's just decoration? Or is it candy again?"

"There is no scent of sweetness. All I can detect is... alcohol." Rokuro plucks the stick from the drink and after summoning no small amount of courage, pops it into his mouth.

Decades of training could not prepare him for the strangely pungent-bitter-sour flavour, and his disgust is obvious and immediate. Still, he chokes it down-- and then attempts to wash it down with the drink itself (a dry martini) which is only stronger and more bitter. Which means he drinks it all at once rather than savours it, because to taste such a drink would only cause more suffering.

"Horrible... disgusting... do not trust the green egg, or the liquid it was bathing in. Whoever sent this drink wished us ill will." Breathless, reaching for whatever is closest in an attempt to wash down the drink he used to wash down the olive. Something bright, colourful, and sweet.

And after that drink, well... it's a slippery slope, and Rokuro is going down. He's also dragging Tech with him.

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