[Event Mingle] Great Full Day!

[trpmods]

At last it is here, the day An Nu and Ga Re told you about has arrived. While the last few days may have been a bit of a trial with the whole replicator going a bit wonky thing, but that’s no reason not to celebrate, right? Right! Good thing too, because the Whale Comb Sent Her is absolutely awash with what must be seasonal good cheer. The whole outside of the building is wrapped in vines, though thankfully this time they seem to be made primarily of a thick sort of cloth, and the fall colors to them are also painted on. There’s no doubt that the decorations come from your friendly Agrii either, because apparently they feel that pink and purple are also very valid color choices for fall foliage, so enjoy those splashes of color too.

Inside the decorations continue, the fabric vines ringing the room at a height that would clearly be natural for the Agrii. Amid them are painted cloth banners announcing things like WHALE COMB and EAT MUCH and GREAT FULL and of course the ever present THANK YOU. Around all of these are cloth and paper pictures that wouldn’t look out of place in an elementary school classroom around Thanksgiving. You’ve got your handprint animals, foam shape plants, and vividly painted pictures of tables full of food with Agrii around it as a group. And sometimes in those last ones there are little drawings that… wait, He Row, is that you? Well, they did say you were celebrating together, so maybe that’s what they meant.

But of course people didn’t just come here for the wonderful decorations. You’re here for the food, for the feast, for the togetherness. Good news is that the Agrii have you covered on that as well. A series of tables have been set up in the Sent Her, much like when He Rows first arrived on Agra-10. Along one wall is a long series of tables covered with pink and purple cloths, and over the majority of these are the foods the Agrii have sent down. There are platters of hamburgers (which taste like peanut butter), and plates of peanut butter sandwiches (which also taste like peanut butter). There are pies that look like they’re apple and taste like iced tea. There are more ‘traditional’ things too, which are things like green bean casseroles, vegetable lasagnas, and even some seventeen layer dip to go with all of the chips. There’s apparently no meat though. Not from the Agrii at least.

The even better news is that this isn’t all there is. A whole two tables of space have been left open for the He Rows to bring their own food offerings, or the results of their replicator experiences. The Agrii have been kind enough to leave out plenty of extra plates and serving utensils as well, so no one should worry about there not being enough. And hopefully what your fellows have brought is very tasty. Or came out in a reasonable size or volume from the replicator.

Then there are the tables laid out in the middle of the room. They are round things with only a few seats at each, and there are name tags? Apparently the Agrii thought they might help you get to know each other this Great Full with random seating. Hope your table mate is fun. At each space there is also a little cloth baggie of… oh wow, is that candy? Yes it is! Those sweets are going to be a great reward for after dinner. Or during it. And surely there’s nothing strange that comes from eating them at all.

Finally, there’s even something for those whose entertainment isn’t to be found in eating. The Agrii have been studying their He Rows for a while now, and they know what you need. One side of the room is dedicated to other forms of entertainment. There’s a big poster drawn of what looks to be a glownie, but lacking a tail. Ah but don’t worry, there are tails made of cloth in a bowl nearby for He Rows to restore to the paper glownie. Don’t worry about injury to the paper glownie, it’s all done with magnets! For those who aren’t about tail pinning there are other fun things to be done. There’s a karaoke machine in the corner, clearly the Agrii remember how much fun that was. Wait… Is that the exact one that He Row Billy loaned to the Deep End? Apparently so. And last but far from least is the most important of celebration games: a booth with a stack of personal peanut butter pies and a sign saying ‘Eat Fast Count Is!’ Which probably means eating contests for those brave enough to face that much peanut butter.

FAQ
Do we need to make our own logs for this?
No. You’re welcome to use this post to make Top Levels for this mingle. Get out there and enjoy your celebration together.

We’re not obligated to that randomized seating are we?
Nope! We just felt it could be a handy way to explain mingling with other He Rows you might not normally talk to.

What if our character would bring food?
Our best suggestion is to note that in your TLs. Who knows, maybe your creativity with cooking or the silliness of your offering (or the results of a poor replicator situation) could be fun for others to enjoy.

Can we still use the replicator here and now?
Absolutely. If that sort of chaos is what you want to have fun with, then have at it. Besides people here can probably help you eat your way through any food you get.

That candy seems sorta suspicious. What’s up with that?
Great question. Each baggie will have a random assortment of little gummy candies that are shaped like Agrii heads, complete with three eyes, smile, and little teeth. Each one even has their own unique flavor. And their own unique side effects.

Yellow - Maple Flavored - Makes eater more energetic and friendly
Green - Sour Apple Flavored - Makes eater feels mischievous and is more likely to play pranks and tell jokes
Blue - Dark Lager Flavored - Makes eater tell the truth for half an hour (is not actually alcoholic
Purple - Chocolate Flavored - Makes eater very affectionate or romantically inclined
Red - Cinnamon Flavored - Makes eater easily angered or quick to challenge other people

Comments

[in_extremis]

It was difficult not to take that personally, and Tony tried not to look too put out with a casual assessment of the night sky to keep his focus elsewhere. Chocolate and gang wars covered a pretty broad spectrum of the human experience, he had to be getting closer to landing on something the Soldier liked enough to play his game. "Lucky for us, you're on our side. Most of the time. Are you on our side? If you're going to beat up Felwinter again, I've got to express my disapproval. He's very sensitive, you've got to let him get a win in first, at least," he pressed, still watching the stars like he wasn't deliberately looking for a pressure point.

[sinistral]

Our side. Most of the time. The words sounded casual enough but they still cut deep, sliced in between metal plating to burn against nerves that shouldn't exist. As much as he hated it, the Soldier was still HYDRA's tool; that someone else held the leash couldn't change that fact.

He sighed and forced his shoulders to relax, already tiring of the conversation. Interacting with other people remained difficult. And he most definitely didn't want to talk about what had happened to him thanks to Beck. "What do you really want, Tony?"

[in_extremis]

"World peace." It came fast, no hesitation; a pageant answer that no one reasonable would take seriously, and Tony's wry grin as he tipped his head toward the Soldier again shaped it like a euphemism. He waited just long enough that an interviewer would have filled the space with a polite laugh, the tap of his fingers counting the familiar beats, then continued more seriously before the Soldier could disappear into the woods for another eight months without hearing him out. "A reaction. Even if it's just a small one. Something to get us more information, so we know what we're dealing with, and we're that much closer to ripping its heart out. I'm going to look--for something of theirs, for something that they care about, so I know it when I see it again." The Soldier already knew what that looked like, though. Tony watched him then, with a measure drag of his lip between his teeth, searching for any sign that this wasn't a game that would work, either. All at once, light and wicked again, "Why, what do you want?"

[sinistral]

He waited out that non answer; it came too readily to be serious, at least applied to this place. World peace needed a little more world, and a little less being brought in against their wills.

"If you're looking for the Atroma to actively show their presence, you may be disappointed. If they're out there, they don't seem too inclined to make it known. Or perhaps the Agrii are too convenient a screen." How much influence one had on — or over — the other, he didn't know. Too many unknowns there, and hard to determine the extent of the truth. Even if he trusted asking the Agrii, the language barrier alone posed its own difficulty.

"Nothing I'm likely to get," he answered eventually. "So it's irrelevant."

[in_extremis]

It was with absolute confidence that Tony assured him, "They're out there." Even if it wasn't the Atroma specifically, it was someone, using their technology to observe and torture the people on Agra-10. They had spoken to them, so they existed, so they could be un-existed. Tony just needed their attention. Right now, he was struggling to maintain the Soldier's, making him deflate slightly as he was once again denied, and with less confidence admitted, "I haven't been able to do this, on my own. I've never been--I thought with Steve here, that was a sure thing, he'd know exactly what to do and I'm--better, with him. He's not here. You knew what that gun was, at the bottom of the lake."

[sinistral]

"They're out there somewhere. I'm not convinced they're behind the Agrii, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were." A sigh, brief and frustrated. "If it is them, why haven't they put chips in all of you?"

Not that he'd ever get a satisfactory answer to that question, or ever be free of his own.

"And there it is," he murmured, focusing his attention on Tony again. "You could've led with that and avoided all this mess. Yes, that was a fairly standard issue weapon. Yes, I know how to use and maintain it, though that particular specimen is too much a victim of its time in the lake. So yes, evidence that at one point the Atroma were likely here. And let me guess," he continued, connecting the dots to Tony's earlier questioning, "you want to get the attention of someone other than the Agrii?"

[in_extremis]

It wasn't supposed to be a mess, the Soldier wasn't even supposed to be out here, but then Tony should have better anticipated someone seeking similar solitude, and definitely should have taken the hint the first time he was dismissed. There was a tick of irritation in his jaw, and he finally threw aside the garbage that he had been meticulously shredding. If the Soldier had at least gotten angry with Tony's needling, he would have known what to do with that.

He didn't directly answer, instead replying, "You'd recognize it again. Something that was theirs. Something they might care about." When he did answer, it was with a cautious, sidelong look and a short nod, guarded against being refused again, either because the Soldier just didn't want to be involved, or was going to tell him no one should bother. Before the Soldier could deliver the bad news, he continued, "What makes you so sure? That we don't have the chips." Not confrontational, for once; a genuine question.

[sinistral]

Well if there eased one thing at which the Soldier excelled, it was ruining other people's plans. From that point of view, things were going swimmingly. But considering his typical reaction was to just walk away when he didn't want to continue a conversation, it could have been worse. And now that Tony had dropped some of the dancing around things, he had a little more interest in the other man's words.

"Most likely." Another shrug, but this time the movement was more contemplative than dismissive. "There's always the possibility that they had stuff we'd never seen, but yes, I'd consider myself a good authority on recognizing their tech. Might even be able to do something with it, if it's in my skillset and the stuff isn't too broken." The odds of that here though? Judging by the gun they'd found, slim to none.

He almost laughed at the follow up question. "Haven't seen it on any of you. Sticks out a little, sometimes just a bump, sometimes more. So unless they changed their design, none of you who weren't in the Fleet have it."

[in_extremis]

After the briefest, watchful hesitation, and quite unable to stop himself for any longer, Tony swept a hand over his head to hook behind his neck in a move that could maybe have looked a little bit like combing his hair back, if one were being generous. It didn't feel like there were any strange bumps invading his consciousness. "Good, great," he said, like he wasn't absolutely fixated on the chip thing now. "Come with me then. I'll make it worth your while. Even if we don't find anything, name your price. I'll even be quiet, I can do that, I mean, listen, on a mission, very focused, you'll hardly know I'm there, no mess, all business, you can ask anyone, success rate's pretty good, too--on the quiet thing, but on the--depends on your metric, I guess, but there was that gun, and we found some written language one time, and that radio tower--" It seemed to finally occur to him that he was not reliably demonstrating his quiet ability, and finally dropped his hand from his neck to touch a knuckle to his lips then give a flick of his fingers, like he had more garbage to throw away.

[sinistral]

Gosh Tony, chill. The Agrii seemed to use their data points anyway, and not an implanted chip. The Soldier personally vehemently refused to touch one.

"Tony." Pause. Wait. There were a lot of words spilling out of the other man's mouth, that he had to try to wade through. "You don't have to try to bribe me, you know. You could just ask."

[in_extremis]

He absolutely could not just do anything, clearly, as Tony seemed to struggle with this suggestion and still landed on, "It's not a bribe, it's reasonable compensation." It was kind of a bribe, but that would make all of Tony's relationships built on bribes, and he already knew that was unsustainable, thank you. "So, just, I'll call you," also wasn't asking, yet he continued, "We can work out the number then, if you need some time. It's not twinkies, and its not a date. Anything else we can rule out?"