[OPEN] October Information Meeting

[light_mischief]

Who: CALLING ALL PASSENGERS
What: It's a family meeting Information Sharing Event!
When: October 1st, from the afternoon on.
Where: The Library!
Warnings: None? (Will add if necessary)
Notes: The information learned here can be osmosed by any character on the ship, regardless of whether or not they actively tag into the event. Consider this a game lore catch-up! Top-level comments don't have to be exclusive to the library,; if your character is likely to run off to the bar for a drink, or contemplate jumping off the bow, then you can include that prompt here as well! Basically a catch-all post for any "reacting to our existential crisis" posts you want!

The Setup:
A few nights beforehand, everyone Skulduggery's ever texted will receive a simple message:

A long overdue information-sharing session will be held all day in the library. It's time we all get on the same page regarding our situation. 1st of the month (is it October already?), attendance is encouraged. Please forward to interested parties.

That's how word spreads for the most part; but there are also some neatly printed notes pinned up in heavily traversed areas with the same simple news: Discussion of Our Situation: 10/1, Library.

The Library:
There are too many people to comfortably fit in one room, which will make it difficult for people to discuss the information that's been gathered. The library, thankfully, has a nebulously existing front desk area that is... currently unattended by any ghosts? Weird.

Everything is mostly the same as you'd expect it, except the majority of the chairs have been pulled towards the front. A low table is settled there as well, with every copy of Battle Royale and Gil's Diner set out to read.

The front desk has an array of memo notebooks and flimsy Eterna branded notepads strewn across it, along with a variety of writing implements. As the day goes on, these notebooks and pads will be filled with more and more insights from other passengers.

There's a black binder sitting there too; this is full of the information Skulduggery specifically has to offer.

The Meeting:
"Meeting" may be an overstatement, when all's said and done. There's a bunch of information available to read, and a place to discuss and process with others. Some people may choose to try comforting those who are visibly upset. Others may want to read some of the books that inspired their previous ordeals.

At some point, the realization that the buffet is the only working restaurant will spread, and food may be brought down for an awkward potluck. Still others may begin to bring liquor into the library. It's really dealer's choice here, as far as coping mechanisms go.

One thing that can be taken away from the atmosphere of the room: be very certain you want to learn whatever's in that black binder.

Comments

[neverleave]

Added next to the bit about moving to a new reality
- Crossing realities takes a toll on the mind. Long living beings are stronger against it due to experience, but they are not immune.
- Crossing over feels long, because "time is relative". The captain knocks passengers out on the tender to preserve their sanity.
- This is not to say they all CAN'T theoretically leave, just that precautions are necessary.

[winepouring]

[ He's heard all this from Natsuno before, but he still has an important question to ask— ]

Wait, wait, Natsuno, did you know that killing the captain would kill everyone else before this?

[ There's no way Shi Qingxuan isn't visibly frazzled and upset here—worse than the initial existential crisis bombshell Natsuno dropped on him. ]

[neverleave]

[Natsuno nods, seemingly indifferent. Most of the information isn't news to him, and he's at least two existential crises ahead of most passengers. It's hard to get upset at this point.]

Skulduggery told me something like this.

[winepouring]

[ But... But...

Shi Qingxuan folds his arms, tucking his hands into his elbows and wishing he had wide enough sleeves to tuck them in. ]

Why didn't you tell me that part? Isn't that part really important if we want to do something about the captain?

[neverleave]

[So the real reason is I forgot he knows and only remembered when I double-checked for this thread but - ]

...guess I didn't really think it makes a difference. Still not sure it does. Maybe Skulduggery thinks there's another way out of here, but chances are this ends with taking the captain down with us.

[winepouring]

[ dkfjsg oh, my bad! /o\ Sorry! ]

[ Shi Qingxuan really doesn't like this!! He bristles and tenses, and seems on the verge of saying something before he shuts himself up. ]

Skulduggery might be onto something, then. We'll just need to figure out how to secure the escape route before doing the rest. Then everyone who wants to escape can leave freely before the captain is taken down.

[neverleave]

[Another shrug. Skulduggery was a valued source of information, but Natsuno doesn't trust him as much since the little island expedition.]

If you mean we kill him after everyone gets out, I'm all for it.

[winepouring]

[ Shi Qingxuan knows nothing about Skulduggery (beyond the fact he's a skeleton), and doesn't think anything of Natsuno shrugging here. ]

That's right.

[ Existential crisis number two... averted? Shi Qingxuan, at least, seems confident again. ]

I'll stick around to make sure he goes down after everyone else leaves. That would be the best resolution here. That should still work, don't you think?

[neverleave]

Sounds like it would, but... you can't be certain of anything here.

You would need a way out of the reality before it collapses, though. I wonder if that can be done from a distance.

[winepouring]

I suppose that depends on the Captain's nature and defenses. There are certainly ways to attack from afar. [ That may or may not have been the "it" Natsuno was referring to, but it's the only one Shi Qingxuan can currently guess on. He folds his arms, sighing. ] Even after reading all of this, I'm still not clear on what he's capable of or what people have tried to weaken him...

[neverleave]

I think it's safe to say that he's capable of everything in this reality. In this pocket dimension, he is a god.

But yeah, other details are pretty vague. [His gaze trails to Skulduggery on the other side of this room. Natsuno's eyes narrow.] The only new information is some sob story about how humans mistreated him.

[Village raided, sold to slavery, very sad. Too bad Natsuno doesn't give a crap, not after everything. Cool motive, still murder etc.]

[winepouring]

[ This time, Shi Qingxuan does notice that glance, and he turns to follow Natsuno's gaze. Given the current context, it's not hard to guess who he's looking at and why.

Shi Qingxuan looks back at Natsuno before he replies, though. ]

Do you think there's some critical information here that's being withheld by someone? Even gods have their limitations and weaknesses.

[neverleave]

[Natsuno frowns. His assumption is based on the fact the captain asked Skulduggery to retrieve an object from the salamander island, and Skulduggery agreed presumably to bargain for their freedom, except they're still stuck here.

The only problem is that this information comes from Jade, who also joined the excursion, and Natsuno doesn't want to spread rumors in case it backfires on his roommate.
Shi Qingxuan seems amicable enough, but he doesn't really know him. So he just grumbles:]

I'm just guessing, and I don't know why anyone would withhold information, but... that story's pretty vague. Skulduggery is usual more detailed.

[winepouring]

[ Shi Qingxuan, knowing nothing about the expedition beyond "a handful of people went back to the island at night," can't guess anything and takes Natsuno on his word. ]

I see... [ He pauses, giving it some thought. ] I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it all, but now that you mention it, isn't that entire section rather sympathetic towards the captain?

[myagic]

[Rita already had her existential crisis like two months ago so she's mostly fine. She's kind of pissed about the whole "killing the captain kills them all too", because now what the hell are they supposed to do?!

In the meantime, though, she's peeking at what Natsuno wrote, frowning some more, before finally speaking quietly to him.]

So, uh... Sorry. For getting your hopes up before.

[About taking him to her world, since that's pretty clearly not on the table anymore.]

[neverleave]

[For a moment he looks surprised - sorry for what? - before realization dawns.]

...don't be. It was a nice idea. [Even if it's impossible, the fact she offered in the first place means a lot to him.] And it got me thinking that - maybe I shouldn't be so resigned.

[myagic]

[A nice idea that got his hopes up before crushing them--that would be the pessimistic realistic take going through Rita's mind...until Natsuno keeps going. He shouldn't be so resigned...to being dead again?

Rita blinks before her face lights up--yes, damn right he shouldn't!--and a moment later, she tries to play it a bit cooler, even if a dusting of red still covers her cheeks.]

Well--naturally! We're not letting that happen.

[She doesn't have an alternative right now, though, so she doesn't go blurting anything out, but...she really does want him to live. Somehow. Somehow, they have to make it happen, just like they were working on for Estelle.]

[neverleave]

[Natsuno likes to see her face light like this, but now it makes him feel a bit guilty, considering what he's about to do in just a few hours. It's just one night though, he'll wake up tomorrow with no one the wiser and one less thing to worry about...]

...what kind a place would you like to go to? If - when we're out of here?

[myagic]

[Indeed--completely oblivious (for now) to Natsuno's plans, Rita instead finds herself surprisingly taken off-guard by his question.]

I...haven't really thought about it. ...Somewhere that's not a boat, for starters.

[She is kind of serious about that because she's pretty sure she's had enough of the ocean to last her a lifetime at this point... But even more seriously, she continues.]

I was so caught up thinking about my own world...and blastia were my whole life there... Anyway, if you've been thinking about it--you must have some idea, right?

[She'd like to go somewhere that's...well...not just her, but with her friends. Otherwise, she isn't even sure where to start...and even if she was, there's no guarantee they'd have a choice about their destination.]

[neverleave]

Agreed on "no boats."

[Maybe somewhere cold, or windy, or anything other than an eternal summer and flat ocean and perfect blue sky. These are all superficial details, though.]

Somewhere with big cities, for start. Where no one tries to dictate how you live.

...and where my friends are, too.

[myagic]

[If nothing else, at least the weather's fine here, aside from the gross humidity and saltiness all the time. At least it's not as hot as that awful desert, and usually it's not being a pain and raining, and it's never been cold, all of which are annoying (Rita, it turns out, has plenty of things about which she'll complain! Who could've guessed?). She's sick of boats and ocean, though. Just give them some dry land that doesn't have a horrible surprise in store.

Anyway, she blinks curiously--she's not so sure if that's a problem with villages in general or just the place he lived, but...it's that last bit that has her glance away, before she slowly nods.]

Yeah...wherever it is...I want us both to be there. --And the others, too.

[She already feels embarrassed at the words that just left her mouth...]