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Who: Everyone!
What: December's welcome log.
When: Dec 1st-7th
Where: The Merchant Dome/The Pools
Warnings:
Notes: This is your December welcome log. Come in, go nuts.

It’s the most wonderful (welcome) time of the year.

The Council knows that being a newb and not knowing anyone (especially when one might be living in close quarters to them in the very near future) can be a real pain in the ass. So, every month they throw a welcome party, the theme and location tend to vary. The theme for December is Holiday Cheer and this month’s party takes place in the Merchant dome. But it’s not the everyday appearance of the merchant dome. No, for the next five days the Merchant dome’s appearance has been altered to look like a sort of Bavarian Christmas Market. There are small clusters of tables every so often, so people can just sit and chat and eat and drunk.

Some enterprising person has even managed to make it snow through some unknown means. It’s not cold, but the snow is soft and steady and slowly building up.

The entire dome, all of the streets and all of the merchant stalls are practically glowing with white fairy lights that are strung everywhere. Vendors in their stalls gleefully cry out to paterons passing by, offering them free food or drinks. The food consists of the sort of things that one might expect to find in a place like this: sausages on buns and on sticks, pretzels, pizza, loads of cookies of every variety that one could think of, including elaborately decorated gingerbread, chocolates, fruits, french fries. Think winter fair food, and be as absurd and as complicated and extra as you want. It is a fair, after all. Go nuts. Drinks are also along the same line: hot cider, mulled wine, hot buttered rum, hot chocolate both with booze and without, as well as all the normal things: water, coffee, tea, milk, soda, and a variety of fruit juices that you’ve both heard of and not.

But food isn’t the only free thing that people are giving away! They’re also offering characters hats and gloves and scarves, small toys, books, delicate ornaments, perfumes, wine… it’s a giant welcome party after all, and these people are cheerful and happy. Even offering to pay just gets met with laughter and being told not to worry about it.

There are even some carnival rides set up! A medium sized ferris wheel, a carousel, a giant slide and ice skating ring are all along the outside of the stalls.

At the far end of the dome, the snow has fallen deeper and held to several inches. Wouldn’t you know it just happens to be perfect snowball snow! So, there of course needs to be a snowball fight! What did you think those free mittens and gloves and scarves are for after all? The snowball fight can be organized into teams, or one on one depending on the player’s choice. This is a friendly fight, of course, so no rocks or slush balls or anything. Well, probably not. No one in the Sphere is your mother.

However, the meeting isn’t just about socializing! the opposite end from the snowball fight, there are smaller tables set up with people sitting behind them. In front of the tables are homemade brightly colored signs that advertise things like jobs and clubs. The people and interests here in The Sphere are hugely varied and people are just so earnest to tell newcomers about them. They’re earnest to the point where they may just actually reach out and grab a person in order to force them to stop and to listen to whatever spiel they happen to be working on. Booths that are in attendance for jobs include: Agriculture: “help grow the food that feeds us all! Farming is life!”, The library: “No skill needed! We’ll teach you what you need to know!” The school system: “Teachers wanted! Education is the right of everyone!” Maintenance: “Help keep the domes clean!” As well as various restaurant booths looking for help for both servers and chefs.

For the hobbies involved they are even more varied. Book club: “we live in a multiverse, let’s read the books from it! With wine!” Garden club: “we want to grow stuff on our terms!” Sprinkled among are various skill learning clubs, among them: woodworking club, smithing, robotics, technology, first aid. It seems that despite the fact that no one is required to work in the City, people are still offering skills as needed.

If discrete enough inquiries are made, a passcode to the Black Market hidden behind some of the stalls is offered. The entrance is hidden enough that someone needs to be looking for it, and there is a rather large bouncer guarding the door and asking for the proper passcode. The passcode of the day happens to be gumdrops.

Inside the black market is large, but much more dimly lit than the regular market dome that the welcome party was held inside of. There are various pockets of people clustered under bright neon lights. The lights, someone confides to you, are code for what they’re offering. And nearly everything is on offer if a person has the ability to make a trade. Things from home, character skills and even favors tend to be the currency here, but watch out: the hawkers within are shrewd and sharp. If they make a deal with someone, it’s nearly always going to favor them. Eventually.

There’s also a large and loud party happening inside. Think of a rave with a large amount of people who happened to be a bit out of their minds. Drugs aren’t given freely here, they’re too valuable, but should someone want to figure out what they’re rolling on, eventually someone will ask or offer. The drug that they are currently using is called ‘self’ and it’s something that affects your character in an intensely personal way. For some, it’s an experience like your favorite cocktail mixed with a vicodin, and for others it’s just like being drunk. For still more people, it’s like ecstasy without the side effects.

The drug has no physically addicting properties.

But seriously though who cares about Christmas?

While the welcome party rages on in the merchant dome, people have made a smaller party in one of the recreation domes. Around the pools, as a matter of fact. There’s almost like a small barbecue clustered around the largest of the three pools, and the light is constant and sunny here. The large pool is olympic sized, and is a sparkling blue. It’s fresh water, and probably clean enough to drink. I still wouldn’t drink it. The second pool is slightly smaller and more kidney shaped with a gradual sand mound at one end of it. This pool is salt water and looks a bit more like a beach than a pool. The third pool is a kiddie pool, complete with a splash pad, that’s running. Buckets drop, it’s got one of those mushroom things, and sprinkler jets. There aren’t any kids though, so people are welcome to go nuts.

Bathing suits and towels are provided in the changing rooms. There’s frozen and fruity drinks flowing freely, along with finger food and snacks. Loud music is playing from a local band that’s just generally of a pop sort. There’s people dancing rather in a rather haphazard fashion, but the dance floor is there and present!

Wildcard
Go nuts, choose your own adventure!

Inspiration images

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"Yeah, this city doesn't really seem to operate on any society any of us know of. It's...almost like we've been pulled into some alien research bubble." It sounds ridiculous when he says it out loud, but his opinion is out there now.

Alex doesn’t judge him for his opinion, instead she just inclined her head and gave him a bit of a smile for it. “I know. This place definitely has ‘we’re in a movie’ written all over it, doesn’t it?” After a minute, she just looks around and then gestures upwards. "This, all of it, it just kinda makes me feel like I'm stuck somewhere and I don't know my lines, you know?"

He nods along. "It definitely feels that way. Why didn't we get scripts?" he says with a little nervous laugh. At least the line finally seems to be moving. Maybe they'll get the same car. He's still having fun. "You think they'll ever tell us more?"

Alex looked around for a moment, and hung back a little, in order to make certain that the two of them did get into the same car. Clearly her response was one that required a little bit of privacy, even if it was only in her mind. Giving the attendant a smile, Alex just closed the door to the cart after he got in, so that it would just be the two of them for the rotations that the wheel made. Once the cart started to swing, and the forward momentum of the wheel carried them off the platform, Alex leaned forward and answered the question honestly. "I don't know if they will tell us more or not, but I'm not waiting around for them to decide to share that information. I'm already looking into things."

The way Alex ensures they're alone is so conspiratorial, Rhys gets a little chill down his spine. It almost feels like he's back at Hyperion, plotting with his friends to screw someone else over. He doesn't know who he can trust, but Alex seems like a safe bet.

"They probably won't. What are you looking into and how can I help?"

"Honestly?" Alex sighs, softly, and she just looks around and up towards the top of the dome as if she would find some sort of answers there. Of course they're weren't any, just like in all of the other places that she'd looked for them while she's been here. It's... frustrating and maddening and yet is also a familiar place for her to be in. So, at least there's that.

However she does know how she sounds, so she's bracing more than a little bit for the reaction as soon as the words come out. "I don't know. But every instinct that I have is telling me that there's something wrong going on here. It's just too... I don't know. Stepford maybe?"

"I, uh...What's a Stepford? I'm guessing it's something that seems a little too perfect. Am I right?"

Because that's what he feels like he's seeing. Everyone seems so welcoming, so nice, so perfect. This little celebration alone seems too good to be true.

"We can both do a little sleuthing, maybe someone will slip up and say a little too much, or we'll find a secret meeting place."

"Yeah, that's exactly what it is. It's a movie and a book where powerful men are controlling their wives into this really impractical and outdated idea of like femininity and obedience and stuff."

Alex just nods for a moment before she adds, "I'm actually pretty good at getting people to slip up actually."

"Ooh, that kinda sounds familiar. The powerful men controlling people thing, not the femininity thing." Helios had been like a wolves' den, really. He could handle that. "So we've gotta figure out who's in charge."

"Yeah, I mean logic would dictate the council? But the head of it seems to want to be gone every bit as much of the rest of us. If not more. It's weird. I normally have pretty good instincts, but there's just something about them that I can't seem to get a read on it." The distress in her voice is evident, because normally Alex can trust her snap decisions, but here they seem to be split and it's weird and she doesn't like it.

"They're definitely in charge of the people, but I get the feeling that whoever's in charge in charge is still waiting to show themselves." It's what he would do, if he were abducting people for a secret purpose. "Someone else is running this place."

Alex was sitting on that sort of feeling too, and she just touched her chin for a second with her pen, leaving an ink spot. It was not an uncommon occurrence when she was thinking, honestly. But at least it always landed in the same spot. "No, I think we already know them as someone else, actually. I mean if I was manipulating things, I'd want to be on the ground so I could see things working day by day, knowing the problems to fix them as soon as they start rather than get to my level."

With a sheepish grin, Alex just added, "sorry, I'm in charge of interns back home and you've got to micro manage them fairly well, actually and this kind feels like the same sort of situation."

Rhys just shrugs. "I don't mind being an intern in this situation. But I think you've got a point. I mainly keep tabs on my employees with cameras and screens, but nothing beats walking around among them." He pauses to glance around as their car reaches the top, then adds, "Of course, they already know I'm in charge. They call me a hero, and I'm not trying to hide anything from them." Nothing that affects their lives, anyways. He's keeping those vault contents a secret.

"Whoever's in charge here, if we've met them, they're a good actor."

"Well, it's more like knowing how to run people without letting them know you're running them. Because interns can be a handful when they all want to be journalists after they get their college credit." Alex knew, she had been one once, and also there was the simple fact that one of her interns was a fan who was just a little bit obsessive. Or a lot obsessive, as things went on. But that was besides the point.

"Yeah, I'm not trying to hide anything from them either, which is probably a good idea because I'm a pretty terrible actor." Alex looks down for a minute at the ground and she sighed. "God, I hate suspecting everyone. It sucks. But it's definitely got to be someone who's been here for a while because no one new would just be able to waltz in within those power structures."

"Ooh, I...was the obsessive intern, actually. Idolized the CEO. One thing I learned the hard way: Never meet your heroes," he says with a sigh.

"I'm used to suspecting everyone, though. That part's easy. Of course, we can't just run up to everyone and start questioning them. We're gonna have to play a long game." He can't help the excitement in his voice, however. Rhys had idolized a heroic man, and now's his chance to actually be a hero. No matter what his employees say, crashing Helios was a selfish act to save his own skin.

"Well," Alex just gives him a little bit of a grin, and she shoves in a manner that might be considered sheepish if people didn't know Alex. The problem was that she really didn't have any shame about any of this so... "I kind of have already been doing that with a lot of people, actually. I mean, I'm a reporter at home so it's just sort of how I am. I'm actually a really good one, so people tell me things without me needing to press too hard."

Nic called it 'weaponized empathy.' Alex called it 'being nice.'

"Is there anyone here from your home? I've got my partner Richard and my friend Simon," Alex knows Strand would just sigh if he heard her give Simon that title, given everything, but she does trust him. No matter what, she trusts that he'll put her safety on a higher level than Alex herself does. Self preservation is not a virtue that Alex Reagan possesses. Ever. "They're trustworthy. I mean, I'd trust them with my life." And the end of the world. Maybe. Possibly. Probably.

"I'm not as used to this questioning thing. At Hyperion, it was greasing the right palms that got you what you wanted. I doubt that'll fly here."

He goes quiet at her next question, shaking his head slowly. "I don't think so. No one I know is in the Sphere's system. Not even an enemy. Just this little drone I've got. It's...kinda broken, but I've been working on it and it could come in handy as a scout." He pulls a compact metal cylinder from his belt and presses a button, bringing Dumpy to life.

"This is Dumpy," Rhys says as the small droid unleashes a short, metallic screech.

{ooc: second link contains slightly loud audio, so make sure your audio isn't up too loud c:}

"It probably depends who you're trying to talk too. It might help with Max, but Laurie'd just be insulted and Annie would probably look at you like you had two heads." There's a quiet beat before she added, "not that she doesn't do it already anyway."

Alex flinched at the screech, she couldn't help it. "That's pretty loud. Is he supposed to sound like that? Or she I guess."

"It's not, no. His voice module is shot, and I haven't been able to find a replacement. I did manage to fix it somewhat, but now I can't adjust the volume. So he just...screams, kind of. I did manage to build a connection system into my eye, so I can sync up with his optics now. And I can get audio feedback if I'm careful." Rhys opens his palm and his eye lights up. The projection shows a live feed of Alex's face, as the small bot is still studying her.

"He'd make a good scout."

"Wow." Okay, that was impressive, because Alex didn't know anything about robotics or tech or anything like that. She knew her way around a soundboard of course, and how to use a computer and the internet to her advantage, but things like he was talking about were way above her pay-grade, as it were. Watching the projection of her face as she nodded, Alex considered for a moment.

"As long as we can get the feedback, maybe I can help with that. I do work on the radio and have since college. Maybe there's some way of fixing it."

"You know, if you've got sound engineering experience, that'd be great," Rhys agrees. He turns the function off, then quickly powers Dumpy down. "Maybe we can meet up some time to work on it."

Of course, if she gets Dumpy's voice module fixed, he'll be eternally impressed.

"I can always take a look. I mean, no promises but I'll definitely try." Alex was good at trying, and she was damned good at being annoyingly persistent and dedicated to the things that she was invested in, and at the moment fixing this robot was something that she was invested int. So, there was that.

"What have you tried for fixing him?"

"Well, I've tried fixing the broken module. There are a couple of small parts that need to be replaced, but I can't find new ones," he admits. "I've also considered just...removing the broken one, but that seems cruel. If you can't fix it, maybe we could just remove it for spy missions?"

"Have you asked Max if he has a lead on them? I mean if nothing else I can have Richard ask him. He and Max are friends." There's a comment there somewhere about assholes attracting assholes, but she doesn't make it aloud--instead it's there in the upturned lines of her grin.

"Maybe we won't need to, because we definitely don't wanna do something that would be cruel to him."

"Of course they're friends...But hey, that's a good idea! I'll check with Max and see if there's something I can trade, or see how much he'll want." He looks out over the dome they're in, grinning.

"It'll be nice to know what Dumpy's saying finally."

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