hexarchate_rpg | new player welcome post

yhlee posting in

[Hello, new players! This post is for new and old players to get acquainted with each other in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC). I will be updating the character roster shortly for easy reference. Characters from the first arc who are still wrapping things up in Move 24, feel free to continue; I'll get to y'all shortly.

In the meantime, feel free to introduce yourself in OOC threads, including any information you want other players to have about you (including pronouns if relevant, or what time zones you're usually on, that kind of thing.]

[IC]
Ashari has just recruited a number of newcomers to the team in the hopes of shoring up its weaknesses and is, in classic Andan fashion, throwing a party on the Cantata (the moth ship formerly known as the Wasp and/or Bumblebee) so that folks can meet-and-greet. There are canapés, and Ashari promised Sulen that there are no recreational substances other than the alcohol if anyone wants it; Ashari is currently in the galley mixing drinks for anyone who asks. The public spaces of the interior have been decorated with somewhat lopsided and overly colorful artificial flowers (the matter printer was feeling cranky) as well as plush moths. There are in addition six friendly levitating baby moths, all wriggly tentacles and eyes, who will gravitate toward anyone who sings to them, and who like to be petted.

For the purposes of this post, "public areas" include the galley, the common room, and the storage hold, which has been temporarily pressed into service as a place where people can hang out. People are also welcome to hold private conversations elsewhere. For the moment, however, the cockpit, engine room, commander's office, and communications room/gunnery are off-limits.

[See this wiki entry on the Cantata-Wasp for more details on its layout.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

mafyyil

"Actually", Mafyyil says, "I'd love to get some more weapon practice, but I think I've heard the firing range here is currently... otherwise occupied?" She'd really prefer gunnery practice to this party or whatever it is. Usually she likes parties but the levitating tentacled creatures that everyone here seems to regard as people slightly unnerve her. She's too polite to ask whether they are in any way biologically related to hexarchate people (who look human, but you never know).

From:

kese_seyli

"Yes, I've heard the same thing said as well." Seyli looks anything but pleased at this information. "But I'm not entirely sure who to ...speak with about the matter." Speak, not yell, they'd rather not start off on any wrong foot, but honestly what the hell was up with not having a place to practice?

From:

mafyyil

"I'm not even sure who's making the decisions here", Mafyyil admits. Oh well - time to find out.

"HELL~LOOOOH!", she calls out cheerfully, at a volume that surely no one here could miss, no matter what they're drinking. (She herself has not dared to ask for a drink. Too questionable.) "I'd love to talk to someone in charge, please! High priest? Commander? Barbarian chieftainess or chieftain?" The last one just slipped out.

From:

yhlee

Ashari, at the bar, is in the middle of inventorying liqueurs. "Go find out what the foreigner wants," they suggest to Sasha. "Bring her over here, in fact--I'm dying to find out her opinion of Andan rose wine."

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha nods and slides her empty glass toward Ashari, looking hopeful.

From:

yhlee

Ashari obligingly refills the glass. Their smile is unsettlingly benevolent.

From:

redshiftnova

Aymad adjusted the lapels on his shirt, wriggled a bit to settle the fabric around his shoulders, and asked the grid to open the door into the galley.

He was not entirely prepared for the sight of flowers growing out of the short shouting one.

The best course of action, he decided, was to continue nonchalantly towards the bar and get a drink from the Andan who'd recruited him.

From:

yhlee

Ashari grins broadly when they see Aymad. "Not bad," they say. "What's your poison?"

From:

redshiftnova

Aymad drops an exaggerated, flourishing stage-bow. "Organic sodium blockers, usually? Sorry. Fox humor." He straightens and rubs a hand over his hair, then blinks at the profusion of bottles behind Ashari. "Dealer's choice? Sweet and not terribly alcoholic?"

From:

yhlee

Ashari's eyes crinkle in amusement. They pour several different kinds of amber liquids together; the result smells flower-sweet with an unusual note of candied citrus. "Enjoy."

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli stares at the young woman in front of them and then runs their hands down their face, part horrified and part amused. Well, that's certainly one way to get someone's attention. They step to the side, silently, watching and waiting to see how this plays out, not quite wanting to be involved just yet.

From:

mafyyil

Well, at least she's attracted some attention - she has the feeling several people at the bar have been staring at her just now. So Mafyyil decides to go and introduce herself. It's only polite.

She walks over to the bar, quickly but carefully, making sure that none of the tentacled... thingies... have an opportunity to get tangled in her hair or flowers.

"Helloooo!" She smiles brightly at the assembled people and curtsies. (She's feeling very polite today.) "My name's Zagfehan Mafyyil, very honored to meet you!"

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha would very much like to know what favor, owed to whom, led Ashari to accept this person (Fyedlet?)'s presence, but that isn't the sort of information Ashari gives away for free. "I'm Sasha," she says. "I do information security. Ashari's in charge, and they're making drinks. What was it you wanted to know?"

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil beams happily at Sasha and Ashari. "So lovely to meet you both! I'm sure we're going to be the bestest friends!" Mafyyil isn't sure what exactly information security means but doesn't want to come across as ignorant. It doesn't matter right now anyway as long as she's found someone important. "Oh, I've just been talking to my friend over there", she points rudely over her shoulder at Seyli, "and we wondered if there's any way to get some weapons practice here. I've, um, acquired a new gun recently" - she's not lying there, just not elaborating - "and I'd very much like to at least try it out before I, um, get in a situation that will make me regret not knowing how it works."

From:

zuhrovet

[What type of gun does Mafyyil have? Sasha will have scanned it as Mafyyil entered the ship.]

Prophet's matching slippers, Fyedlet is worse than Mishka; Sasha hadn't know that was possible. "We used to have a weapons range, but we reconfigured it for mothling habitat. The mothlings emit some radiation when they--eat isn't the right word, maybe 'absorb energy' is more precise? You could ask Remi or Alaric. The range had very good scrubbers to mitigate the risk of lead poisoning, so it was the easiest room to repurpose. We might be able to rearrange things again, now that we've got a bit more time, but that certainly isn't happening tonight."

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli raises an eyebrow at "friend" but makes no comment to contradict her.

"If there isn't a range to practice, what room will be available for general training and exercise?" Seyli speaks up, pitching it to carry without being loud. They carry themselves like a solider, stand squared off, impassive. They assume if this Sasha does information security, she already knows who they are, and the question wouldn't be an unusual one.

[If reasonable, Seyli will have a small selection of weapons, guns, at least one knife. Nothing obscene or out of the ordinary for a merc to own]

From:

mafyyil

[Mafyyil carries some kind of heavy handgun - I've not been thinking about a specific type; it'll be some scifi thing anyway - in an old-fashioned women's concealed carry shoulder holster, which she's wearing over her dress, with the mainband doubling as underbreast belt of said dress. The whole thing is "concealed" by shrubbery. Drawing should be fun (and slow, and a very scary experience for whoever happens to stand next to her). No decent firing range should let her in!]

At least Mafyyil now has an answer to a question she hadn't been asking yet - the levitating creatures seem to be called mothlings. Of course, this raises more questions: Mafyyil has heard of moths, but she remembers them with less tentacles... And a lot smaller. Then again, she's not a biologist, she'll just trust the experts.

"Oh, no worries, it's not urgent", she says. "I wouldn't want to interrupt the, um, party anyway!"

From:

yhlee

[Seyli's welcome to their small collection of weapons, which Sasha will have scanned as part of intake.]

"There's the gym and weight room," Ashari says, "but you're right, that's not going to suffice for firearms drill."

From:

From:

venndaai

Sulen represses a wince when they see Mafyyil's signifier. Still, they're terribly intrigued by the flowers. When there's a break in conversation, and Mafyyil happens to be looking their way, they bow politely, and move their face into a slight smile. They think they're getting better at that.

"It's good to meet you," they say. "My name is Sulen. Your mods are beautiful. Would it be rude to ask what kind of flower that is?"

[Sulen is bad at not looking intense and tightly wound, if that influences Mafyyil's reaction.]

From:

lleullawgyffes

Virmad, following Sulen a little awkwardly, takes the opportunity to introduce himself as well, a little warily. “And I’m Virmad; welcome to the...hm...team, I suppose.” He can’t restrain a hint of disapproval as he looks over the flowers. “Those are certainly” — he searches for the correct word and fails utterly to find it — “extensive.”

Extensive, and unusual for a Shuos agent — he’s not an expert, but they look like they were designed to be a permanent addition. Not the most discreet.

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil wonders if this person is smiling or if they have some kind of stomach pain. (This is actually strengthening her resolve not to touch any of these drinks.) Still, at least she's been addressed in a friendly manner. "Likewise, Sulen, it's so lovely to meet you! My name is Mafyyil, and I'm honored!" She's not sure what they mean with "mods" but it's clear they were referring to her flowers. "I've been enhanced in order to better serve civilization! Those are peonies, by the way."

She awkwardly plucks an aphid from one of the leaves and crushes it between her fingernails. Then she turns to smile at Virmad. "Also very honored to meet you!" Mafyyil wonders why this newcomer seems to dislike her peonies. "Actually I had more, but they...", she mumbles the last part, "kind of fell off..."

From:

venndaai

"They have a function?" Sulen asks in surprise. They lean a little closer to peer at the nearest blossom. There's something odd about these flowers. They seem far more real than anything an Andan would wear, down to streaks of dirt and patches of discoloration. But maybe that's fashionable to foreigners. It's certainly impressive, how organic they look.

From:

mafyyil

"Of course!", Mafyyil blurts out without thinking. Is this Barbarian trying to imply her enhancements were useless? How offensive!

While trying to decide whether to snap at Sulen or to enlighten them, however, she realizes she cannot name the exact purpose of the flowers either. She's only been told the surgery would make her a more complete being (She is! She's plant-woman now instead of only woman!) and help her fulfill her purpose fighting the hexarchate... She hadn't asked any technical questions.

However, while she knows perfectly well she should be disappointed she's not plant-animal-woman, she's simultaneously quite relieved she doesn't have to carry the weight of a kangaroo all the time. She also has no idea just why the surgeon-priests thought this would help her fulfilling her task - whatever that may be - and why their work was so obviously shoddy. She is ashamed of that thought.

Since it seems she's embarassingly just as ignorant as Sulen, she can't really blame them for asking. "You see, they make me a more complete person."