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

[ not that he would deliberately stay, no. but that he would end up doing something stupid that accidentally led to a permanent vacation, absolutely.

that seems callous, though, even by the current fight parameters. instead, she shakes her head. ]

I don't know how to be that, Nico. [ only child, she still has to remember not to use that descriptor anymore. ] Okay? This is me trying.

[ and failing, a voice like her mother's hisses in her mind. ]

Mal...[It comes out just this side of desperate, panic starting to slip into his voice. He doesn't want to chase her away the way he did Bianca. He doesn't want to be too much.]

It isn't something you do—it's just...just be you. You don't have to do anything else, okay? I promise.

And I do care about your input! You matter to me! Nothing here matters to me more than you.

[ the bite of mal’s anger has been taken out of her and, with it, the light in her eyes went, returning them to their normal, pale green. her frustration remains at an all time high, however. she looks to be at the end of her rope. she doesn’t know how to make him understand. maybe she can’t. maybe she just isn’t the right person for this, and she should admit it now before it goes further.

but she’s also selfish and a sucker for punishment and she can only shake her head. ]

You’re my only priority here, Nico. Hades is a mess, and everyone else a stranger. I don’t have anyone…except you.

[ no friends. no evie or uma. no ben. for lucifer’s sake, she’d even be glad to have harry, and that by itself is dire. ]

So maybe you can understand how not fun it is for me to see you being so cavalier with yourself. You need to get through your thick head that, if something happens to you, it won’t just happen to you.

[ and she flicks him on the forehead, hard, because she is actually eight. ]

[I mean, Mal, who wouldn't be glad for this.]

[It's too much to take in. He isn't being cavalier. He isn't being reckless. He isn't overdoing it, and he knows all of this because he used to. Because he's been working on it so hard, but Mal doesn't know that. She doesn't know how her words cut through all of his progress and make him feel like the angry twelve year old he used to be, uncaring if he disappeared, believing no one would care.

And it feels like he's too much. It scares him.

The fingers still around her wrist tug her forward until her can hug her, his chin resting over her shoulder.]

I'm sorry. I'll be better. I'll try harder.

[ well, nico, as it turns out, your "better" is not yet "good." be best.

caught off-guard, she tenses before making herself relax into it. it's nico, and she's being stupid. she manages to bring a hand up to his back. ]

I'm just worried, okay? I want you healthy and happy and a pain in my neck for a long time.

Edited 2020-11-15 01:20 (UTC)

[He isn't one for hugging. Or, he was, then he wasn't, and now he still isn't mostly except for with some people like Mal. After a moment he relaxes and pulls back, nodding.]

I know. But Mal, I...[It would help, probably. If she understood him better. He takes a deep breath and lets his eyes fall closed for a moment.]

My best friend died a few weeks ago. It's been...really hard. [He opens his eyes again and there's a resigned kind of sadness to them.]

I'm not going to be happy for...maybe a while. But I am trying to get better. I want to feel better. [Pause.] And I don't want to...leave. I'm not going anywhere.

[ THANK YOU FOR MAKING HER FEEL LIKE THE WORST PERSON ALIVE NOW ]

God, Nico… [ zero hesitation this time. mal throws her arms around him and hugs him tight. asking why he didn't say anything is a waste. instead, she squeezes him. ]

You can talk to me, okay? About anything.

Even if we didn't grow up together, [ or in the same universe, ] you're my brother. You always will be.

[The sadness lingers in him sticky like syrup dripping through his veins. It weighs him down, except for in those moments when it turns to anger. But he's been through this before and he isn't alone this time. More than that, Mal's arms are around him and his own come up to circle her back. He isn't alone.

He smiles, and even if the sadness is still crawling through him, he thinks that it won't always be.]

Okay. [There's warmth in his voice and he raises a hand to gently, so gently she might not even recognize the motion, flick her in the forehead.]

You too. You're my sister no matter what. You don't have to carry the weight of the world all by yourself. I have your back, Mal.

Flick me again and you'll be too busy watching yours.

[ mal softens the threat by rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. sometimes, like now, she is reminded how young he is…and how little she still knows of him. his friend died… his behavior is suddenly a lot more understandable, though no less excusable. at least, now, she can tackle his messed up eating or sleeping knowing what they likely resulted from. ]

Come on. [ her smile is encouraging. ] If you want to find the realm of the dead here, we're doing it right. Less diving blindly, more informed ventures.

[ translation: they're turning on The Google. ]

EVENT | SETTLING IN

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puts a finishing bow on this thread