Calibrations Waiting Room Mingle

[trpmods]

WHO: ALL HE ROWS
WHERE: The Secret Tunnel, which has become the Calibrations Waiting Room (or was it always...?)
WHAT: Mingle log for literally anything you'd like to take place in the waiting room between sleep cycles during the event
WHEN: June 3 - July 10
WARNINGS: Please mark individual threads with warnings

For those that have heeded Ga Re's warning, the door within the secret tunnel - which looks suspiciously like the hatch to one of your shuttles - is wide open, waiting for you. You walk through... and the door behind you disappears. You’re now standing in a cavernous, cold, white waiting room. There are hallways leading off the main corridor with names above each. One of them has your name and will draw you toward it, inevitably.

And on the wall, in pink, running letters is written this single greeting:

‘Welcome to Calibrations’.

The secret tunnel has become a large waiting room with chairs, tables, and the same food dispensers available in the shuttles. There are also communal bathrooms - one for each gender - with several toilet stalls and shower stalls in each, including basic shampoo and soap dispensers, like you might find in a hotel. The water isn’t hot, so hopefully you don’t mind lukewarm showers. Somehow, at least, it never goes cold.

Branching off the main waiting room room are the labeled hallways. At the end of each short hallway is a door, with the same character’s name written on them. Anyone can enter any room, regardless of the name written on it. Everyone has their own room, though of course people can share. Each room has a simple bed (approximately queen-sized) and a set of drawers.

You can opt to spend time in your room or in the larger, common waiting room. (And if you do, you can thread it out here!) But every 16 hours, you'll feel a compulsion: You need to sleep. Right now. You find yourself going into your room (or someone else's, if you really want). But you’re drawn to the bed. You can’t help but lie down. And then, you fall asleep.

Comments

[backoff]

Cloud squints his eyes at Tony while tilting his head to the side. "Both would be good unless you really want to hold a town meeting. I really dislike them."

He'd try to flee then because he's had his own share before. Cloud raises an eyebrow while looking at Tony. "No," There's a nod over at Cayde when he brings up the meteor. "Yes. After that incident the Lifestream was able to spread across the Planet. Meteor was stopped, we managed to take care of the threat." He's going to leave out Holy for now since that will confuse everything.

A small pause as Cloud slowly shifts to the edge of his sit as if he might get up at any moment to stand. "Midgar was in ruins after that. A new city got built. I started a delivery business since there's monsters everywhere you want to travel. The Planet did protect itself and not in the way of monsters but something against humanity. The rest of that subject matter doesn't belong in a large common waiting room."

He frowns as the question about Reeve comes up. Cloud turns in his chair while looking at Tony. "I plan on talking to Reeve right after this conversation as well as my other friend that's here. They need to know."

[in_extremis]

"Meteor...?" Tony asked, glancing between them and not really expecting an answer, because he also had questions about monsters and what exactly Cloud meant by 'protecting itself' if they weren't talking about the storms. "Sorry--" he continued, and twirled a finger between them to wrap this up and try to focus on one thing for three seconds, "about your whole life story or whatever, what does this have to do with the replicator?" There were obviously more than enough elements to Cloud's story to make him cagey, but Tony wasn't asking for his source code and was starting to feel like they were in the weeds with it. He seemed more comfortable with Cayde anyway, so Tony offered, "Listen, I just want everybody to have what they need while we're here, until I can get us off of this rock. If you want to work out the details between yourselves and come to me when you're ready with the shit I need to know, I can fuck off."

[deal_me_in]

"Not that there's a whole lot of common in the room right now," Cayde says with a quick look around and a loose gesture about the rest of the place. "I've been sitting here a while with no bites for a card game but if you'd rather relocate to another room..."

He shrugs, and then nods at Tony. "Ditto. How hard can it be to rig up something new to power the thing up? We just need to make up a battery or something like you said, and then work out how it'll plug into the replicator."

Since the card game's been derailed, he reaches over to gather them all back together, giving them a good shuffle before he starts flipping them one by one face-side up in front of him in a fresh stack.

"So there are some concerns about the source of the energy being used for the city, and some theories that it may be linked to what's going on with these storms that have been giving the Agrii trouble. Given their track record with everything and the expectations on us, I would not be surprised if it's been something taken for granted that just blew out of proportion and their own understanding. -not that I'm still wary about the whole deal with them in general, but that's another thing."

He glances between the other two at the table. "I think those're the main points that had to be hit. And with us stuck in here for who knows how long, we can't tackle the simpler problem directly but we at least have something of a plan, and can at least work on that end of things until whatever the hell's happening upstairs blows over. Am I right?"

[backoff]

"Thank you, Cayde." Cloud's grateful for Cayde making a summary of everything being said. There's a small smile tugging on his lips as Cloud looks at the Exo. He can finally save himself that trouble of forming the words needed. The blond is going to let the silence come in around them. As he looks between the two of them before focusing on Tony.

"This rock could potentially kill us. It's the 'how' that I'm concerned with." He shakes his head, but Tony's right. "The other concern is getting the replicator back up and running so we can continue to get supplies that are needed. Making the crystal rods should be simple enough. Are there already rods though? I'm against using the planet's life force to charge them, but I can. I can show other's how as well but it won't be exactly easy for them."

There's a lot of information in his head sorting through it all has been a journey. "If there's a slot on the replicator the crystal rod would be able to power the machine and you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the wiring system at all."

Cloud looks at Tony knowing what he's about to say will only boost the other's arrogant ego. "I heard you are an amazing genius. I know how to make the crystal rods. But I don't have hands that are good for making objects."

[in_extremis]

That was a fine summary of the conversation Tony didn't realize he had walked into, and although he still looked mildly irritated, Tony raised his hands in concession and nodded his thanks to Cayde as well. He thought he was here to figure out what got under Cloud's skin and maybe win himself an embarrassing favour, and while he was coming away from it knowing that someone in the city was touting his best assets and Cloud was accepting them at face value, what he mostly had was more questions, a new problem, and a nagging regret for putting his trust in Reeve so readily.

"It would be my pleasure to get my hands on your rods," he said, folding his hands over his heart like this was a romantic declaration, "but Cal's your man if you want to know how the thing works now, he put it together. You want a new power system, I got you covered. I've got a battery rigged in there already for a surveillance system."

[deal_me_in]

It was honestly a conversation Cayde hadn't known they were getting into until Tony had come in. He was still lamenting about the loss of the replicator. Things had gotten considerably more complicated in such a short time since then.

Shrugging as though it's all in a day's work, simplifying things people make overly complicated, the Exo resumes piling cards. He can't help but smirk as Tony responds, shaking his head as he goes to scoop up his cards again.

"'Surveillance system' huh," he grins as he leans on the table, cutting the deck once, twice.

[backoff]

The conversation had taken an interesting turn of events. Cloud only used what Reeve told him to defuse the situation in case it would continue to go sideways. At first Cloud wasn't sure what Tony’s motive truly had been. After saying he was trying to get them off from the planet helped in a lot of ways. Cloud would rather put his trust into people willing to help others versus dropping massive plates on the public to make a power move. He flicks his eyes over at Cayde and his pile of cards. “What game are you playing by yourself?”

And then to Tony. “I will get with Cal on the replicator to see what he thinks and then we’ll go from there.” He already met Cal and had a bit of training with him. It shouldn't be too hard to strike up a conversation. Cloud’s attention pulls back on the surveillance talk. He raises an eyebrow at Tony. "When you say surveillance, is it undetected?" There was something else that came to mind that usually ends up going along with it.

“Are you going to be making a Public Security Division as well? Their job would be to go out to the public and protect them against any security risks while keeping peace among the citizens.” Cloud seems to know all about public safety. “As far as rod handling, that might have to wait on how the replicator gets fixed.”

[in_extremis]

Cayde's tone made Tony smirk back, head cocked to ask if Cayde had was doing anything he didn't want surveilled then purred a promise with a wink, "For my eyes only, Hot Stuff." He should have expected the merc to be interested, but he still raised his eyebrows like he had been asked a deeply personal question, then glanced back to Cayde with a very innocent pout as Cloud took it upon himself to explain what Public Security would mean.

"Ah...not exactly," he admitted to his system's detectability. "Hadn't been a top concern of mine. Data gathering, not snooping." What the actual differences were were debatable, but Tony committed to the distinction confidently-- he had made D.A.T.A. as a storage system, after all, and just about everything that happened on this planet was Need To Know until proven otherwise. So far, there was no argument for Otherwise, just a bunch of untethered theories. "And security's been low priority. Not a lot of citizens to keep peaceful. Why, are you worried about the new guy?" Low priority and mildly contentious, but Tony wasn't as comfortable sharing his philosophies with the muscle for hire.

[deal_me_in]

"At the moment? Nothing. I don't think I'm bored enough for Solitaire though." A thought does strike him as he starts setting down cards in pairs, just to see how many Blackjacks he can get off the latest shuffle.

His lopsided grin still holds, a tipping his head up with a suggested 'wouldn't you like to know'. Again he shakes his head as Tony replies. "Figures." He smothers a laugh when the next look turned his way is a pout, offering a shrug.

Cayde continues doling out card pairs, frowning here, brightening there. The whole subject of data gathering and public safety was honestly losing him, but he tries to listen all the same. He does nod as Tony makes his point.

"Same deal with why I told Vanto coming up with some kind of monetary system was pointless. Our numbers are small. We're already pretty much looking out for each other, and there hasn't been a whole lot of actual threats cityside." Aside from some giant bugs but they'd taken care of that, right? "So far as we know, the threats are the ones that went fishing for people to bring here on the premise of doing something helpful."

[backoff]

Cloud watches as Cayde starts doing the pairs of cards while tilting his head. The Exo could be getting rather bored with the conversation. He wanted to know why Tony had been setting up a system, what kind of system? Cloud was getting information and tacking it on post-it notes or scribbled notes for later. He holds up his hands.

"Hey, now, cameras aren't always used for snooping. They are put in place to protect and keep people safe. How would you know someone's knocked out somewhere? Passed out after a medical condition? Are you going to constantly keep tabs on everyone?" He's frowning knowing that the camera system could be used for so much more and they don't need to be peeping on everyone.

"I haven't been here long enough to make a judgement. Besides for coming here and getting into trouble instantly as if it's my life's never ending story." Cloud breaths heavily through his nose as he crosses his arms against his chest. He looks at Tony while squinting his eyes. "I protected a whole city from a giant ass dragon before coming here. Should you truthfully be worried about me? All of you are new to me. Honestly, I'm trying to make connections where I can and who is willing to help."

[in_extremis]

Tony pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes narrowed, feeling like he was being baited into what he knew would be a shouting match on the verge of blows if Steve had asked him that question so innocently. Yes, he was going to keep tabs on everyone, that was what the cameras were for. More importantly, that was what the cameras they all carried in their pockets were for, but Tony was definitely not going to admit to that one. "Sure, yeah, protect people," he muttered, eyes on the table where he had started to tap a restless rhythm and briefly stopped to wave away the thought dismissively. "I just make the cool stuff, I'm doing research, that's all." He was starting to enjoy this conversation about as much as Cayde seemed engaged with it with his cards.

"I don't know what I should be worried about," he did admit with a hard smile and a clap of his hand to Cloud's shoulder for the valiant attempt at wooing him with tales of dragons. It didn't work, but Tony could recognize the effort. With a flick of a finger toward Cayde, he agreed, "We've got a common enemy, end of the day, and no way to get a good look or get a hit on them yet, meanwhile they're in their safe bubble getting their rocks off on how much they can make us put up with. You ask anyone behind any one of those doors, they've got their own dragon slaying story to tell, and yet we're still sitting here playing cards." He pushed up out of his seat, taking his glass with him, and made his farewell, "Gentlemen. If you think you've got something that will actually surprise me, the name's on the door."

[deal_me_in]

On the subject of cameras, Cayde would have to agree with Tony. Keeping tabs was kinda snooping, wasn't it? Regardless of whether it was with the intent of people's safety or otherwise. Anyway, the important thing's knowing that this is something Tony's cooking up. Which will be something to look for along the line. Something to do, anyway. "I like cool stuff," he however feels the need to mention.

"We just needa stumble through each other's heads to figure that it's not all rainbows and butterflies for everyone, and that's not even on purpose. There are better things to make a competition of than who's gone through more trouble." He'd probably win just for the lifetimes he's probably got on most people here anyway, so how fun would that bet be? "Not sure where this conversation's going now, but I think most of the people here find it easier to trust each other over the Agrii. They don't play fair," he nods. "Who takes away the only exit? Like that's not super suspicious."

Snorting lightly, Cayde gathers up his cards, giving them a fond pat. "It's okay, I still appreciate you," he murmurs. The prospect of playing another actual game with them looks less and less, unfortunately. Well, he can deal. Playing Blackjack with yourself gets a little old though, so he starts to tent pairs and balance cards between them. Look at ALL the things you can do with cards guys!!

....he's going to get so bored and there's no clear end of this isolation in sight.

Something is definitely going to be exploded.

[backoff]

Cloud takes in everything that they both say. Tony is right in some areas but he’s still dealing with his own unseen enemy eating away at him. Speaking and telling people how he feels or needing to be heard will be difficult. He’s not used to using words that make sense. He’ll say the wrong things until he realizes what needs to be said when and where. Personally, he doesn't really care what people think of him since they always think so little. They always see a weakling but that weakling will surprise you when you least expect it.

“Yeah.” It’s quiet but he meant everything that he had said. Cloud would have gone over Avalanche if either of them seemed remotely interested in asking. People who wanted to save the planet. He's bothered over being talked about an unseen enemy that he couldn't do anything about.

He firmly plants his feet in front of him as he scoots the chair back so he doesn’t knock into the table as Cayde starts to build the house. He doesn’t want to accidentally knock it over and he moves slowly around the chair as he rubs at his left arm. “I owe you after not really being a good party guest." As usual, he probably does best alone.

"If you really want to play another card game. There's some important things that need to be discussed.” About saving this planet. He shakes his head as he starts to walk away from the Exo in the direction he needs to go to get to Reeve.