areyto | EVENT | SETTLING IN

SETTLING IN

Initial quarantine period is over, but the newest arrivals in Llave, known colloquially as “Los Aparecidos” (The Appeared), remain largely restricted to the shelter for two primary reasons: one, as they are currently stateless, meaning they have no rights to citizenship anywhere, what to do with them continues to be debated; and two, it has become rapidly obvious that many have zero knowledge not just of the nation they find themselves in, but of the wider world around them.

The former has been explained to them via the lawyers who have taken their collective case, and further clarified by the prime minister, Rosario Alonzo de León, when she and several members of her government return to speak again with the arrivals. A highly intelligent and capable woman in her late forties, she makes a point of sitting with each newcomer to Llave to converse about their experiences thus far and what concerns they have.

As for the lagoons in characters’ knowledge, steps are being taken to address these.

Classes are being held now, in order to prepare the arrivals for whatever happens next. Characters will be taught a variety of skills, including but not limited to communication methods such as mail, phones, television, radio and the Internet; use of appliances, including basic lessons on modern utilities; and general safety rules both inside and outside the home. Characters can request specific classes or volunteer to help teach their companions. (And for anyone learning or helping to teach how to read and write, a reminder that the Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters: ‘ñ’ has its place after ‘n’. And ‘ll’ and ‘rr’ have their own sounds.)

The woman organizing the classes has become well-known to the arrivals: Evelyn Burgos Peña was a clinical social worker before leaving her previous work to assume the duties of First Lady when her wife was elected. Aside from spearheading the new education efforts for the arrivals, she has also been working diligently with the Bajari Bara to establish the second change in the daily routine.

Due to the generally acceptable behavior during the Day of Heroes, characters are now sometimes permitted to leave the shelter to visit Old Nona. These group excursions are not every day, and last only a few hours. One of these excursions is tied to a class to which all are invited. Rather than make learning more about Llave itself a tedious lecture, on the week of November 22nd, the museum characters arrived at has opened its doors to them for a special exhibit on the island's early history. Characters are accompanied as they were during the Day of Heroes by a guide and an escort of Bajari Bara.

Characters are reminded being permitted outside is a privilege. Until the matter of their legal status is resolved, they have few rights and fewer legal protections. Behavior and curfew are both strictly enforced, and violations will result in the loss of this privilege.

Otherwise, the routine in the shelter remains the same. Caseworkers still check in daily and will refer those who present a need or who request it to the appropriate mental health professionals. Hot meals continue to be provided three times a day along with snacks. A projector was brought in and a different movie is aired every night (General Audiences only—remember, there are children present), with the shelter staff providing snacks to make it a movie theater experience. Entertainment items—books, games, sports equipment, art supplies, etc.—are available and can also be requested (though no promises are made that characters will get exactly what they want, especially if the item can double as a weapon).

Possession of weapons remains strictly prohibited and any visible weapons will be confiscated. Any who attempts to flout this rule, starts fights in the shelter or in Nona or attempts to break out will be swiftly separated from the rest by the Bajari Bara. Further violence will result in consequences according to their actions.

THE MONTH'S HEADLINES

Red chickcharney seen celebrating during the Day of Heroes.
Tombs found disturbed in Nona's Old Cemetery.
Santa Cecilia cattle farmers on high alert after cows, sheep found mauled.
Unidentified flying object spotted off the coast of Bimini.

OOC PLANNING POST • NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Catra is staring at an electronic form on the computer. She's used to computers and keyboards and so forth. It's really the stuff she's supposed to do with it. ]

There's so much paperwork just to live here. What the hell?

I take it things worked differently on Etheria.

﹙ he has deduced this esoteric trivia via her subtle context clues, a surprisingly indepth knowledge of body language, and a lucky guess or two along the way.

and not, you know, by the standards of her mounting frustration. ﹚

Yes! There's no one trying to test you on whether you can steer a ground vehicle or make sure you get a certain number next to your name or whatever.

[ She'd been trained on that in the Horde! And yes, she'd had a number but they just gave that to her and then she ignored it. ]

Also no one quizzed me on the Kingdom of Snows' culture before we were let out into it.

﹙ ah, catra. his favourite kindred spirit. heero isn't quite smiling, but there's something that settles like amusement in his expression. less frost to the look he levels at her than he would have thrown at anyone else, perhaps. ﹚

Part of functioning inside a society is playing by its rules until you know when and where you can break them. Paperwork is nothing. I'll help with yours if you want. But we don't get to just ignore it. They have the power to detain us here indefinitely, and I've met the Prime Minister — I wouldn't test her.

[ Rules. Catra has never been great at rules and following them. She fidgets a little, tapping fingers against keys in a display of annoyance and pique. ]

Yeah, well. Maybe no one has tried.

[ Catra has yet to meet an authority figure she hasn't defied in some way. Sorry, Heero. ]

﹙ god can he please get her one of those child leashes for unruly toddlers and/or cats. his attention on her is direct and unwavering. ﹚

Pick your battles. There's no point fighting when the outcome doesn't benefit you.

[ Catra doesn't like this idea at all. Heero do NOT. ]

Eh. Probably not.

[ She leans forward and rests in her chin in her head. ]

It's not like it matters.

﹙ watch him. ﹚

Why not?

﹙ from what she's told him so far, her world seems a bleak one. and whatever she was fighting for, she's become disillusioned with it. it reminds him a lot of how he'd been when the colonies betrayed him and the others — he'd been ready to lay it all down, anger simmering just beneath the surface. he isn't good at this — getting people to talk, work things out. but he knows enough people who are that he can reach for what they'd say or do.

but he does have a genuine interest in her. shared experience is never worthless. ﹚

Because no matter what I do, the outcome is the same.

[ A lesson taught to her in pain and punishment since she was a child. Her actions had no bearing on the results. Whether she obeyed or rebelled, whether she excelled or failed, she was still blamed and hated. What she does means nothing--in the end, she will be alone, unwanted, unloved. Probably through some defect of hers. ]

Then maybe the problem is you.

﹙ it's not cruelly said, just matter-of-fact and plain. there's a pause, and then he amends: ﹚

Or how you're thinking about the situation.

[ The response is perhaps not what might be expected. There's no anger. No burst of defensive rage or snarled, angry show of teeth. Instead, Catra laughs. It's a bitter sound, an outlet for emotion that must be let go and it is the only way she knows how. ]

Uh, yeah. Of course it's me. I figured that out already.

[ Figured out the hard way. Through getting everything she thought she wanted and finding it made her nothing but miserable. Through losing it all. ]

﹙ well, that was easy. his gaze on her is level, and then: ﹚

So what are you going to do about it?

[ Catra stares back, her expression flat and annoyed. ]

What? I'm stuck here, I can't go back there and fix things. Even if I could, it's not like anyone wants me back there. I'm as good as dead if they just... drop me back where I came from! It's not like there's anything I can do.

[ She growls and turns her attention back to the computer. She's fairly bristling now. ]

This is stupid. Why am I talking to you about this?

I'm guessing it's because you don't have anyone else.

﹙ it's easier to say that than to speculate that maybe she sees some similarity in him. when you live the life he's lived, you learn to recognize the same scars on other people's skin. ﹚

You know what the problem is. Problems don't go away just because you're somewhere new. So work on it. You don't seem terrible to me.

﹙ this is probably the most encouragement he's ever given someone that wasn't quatre or trowa.

but it's true, he thinks. not terrible. just... angry. ﹚

Just shut up.

[ Catra's first instinct is to snap, claw, bite. Get him away because being vulnerable is the way you open yourself to being hurt again. She doesn't want him to help. She doesn't need his help! Her glare at Heero is sharsh, sharp-edged like the rest of her. ]

You don't know the first thing about me. Who are you to give me advice?

EVENT | SETTLING IN

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