It's a beautiful day in the village - TAKE A LOAD OFF, LOG 1

[libraryassistants]

Who: Readers and Actors
What: Beta Story Start - At the start of any particular Story, characters will be drawn to a section of the Stacks. Those inclined to resist will find themselves there anyway, through the shifts and changes inherent to the Library's structure. The Story manuscript will be laid out neatly on a side table, its pages lit by a faint aura that draws focus and beckons insistently to the Editors. Touching it will bring them into the Story.
Characters can either voluntarily touch the Story to enter it, or the Librarian will eventually sweep them in. Regardless of how long it takes them to enter, everyone will arrive at the same point in time.
When: November 14- November 27
Where: Woodhurst (UK) and the SS Radiance (in space!), 2019
Content warnings: Please tag warnings in comment headers!

In Woodhurst

It’s another Monday morning in Woodhurst, and as is often the case for the United Kingdom in the fall, it is raining. It is, all in all, a rather typical Monday morning. People shuffle off to work, dropping by the various cafes and shops for their morning caffeine. Polite (if meaningless) greetings are exchanged, vague comments about the weather are made. Heads down, trudging along, just keeping things going.

By midday, it’s clear that this Monday is a little bit… different. There are some people who seem especially cheerful and helpful. Perhaps you’ve just been served a free upsize of your morning coffee. Or a stranger held an umbrella up for you. People keep talking about the benefits of yoga? And it’s not just a bunch of people seeming to be having an especially good day and paying it forward (that would be strange enough). Some of your friends and loved ones aren’t acting like themselves, aside from being remarkably cheerful. They don’t seem to remember basic things, don’t know their normal rituals, and are generally just very off. You think one of them might have blinked sideways? Whatever it is that’s happened, it doesn’t seem right.

As for those ‘friends and loved ones’… The novices from the Interstellar Group are largely inexperienced with such a thing as covert operations. Fresh off the ship and with no frame of reference, their human disguises may have a few significant flaws.

However many fingers it is they have, they’re keen to help - perhaps a little too much so. Whatever it takes to make these human lives easier, whatever they can do to help them relax - the Group are on it! Hopefully they’ll catch on quietly.


On the IMW Group Supply Ship: Radiance

No plan survives contact with the enemy, is how the saying goes. But within the Interstellar Mindfulness & Wellness Group, the concept is usually applied to patients. Patients are, almost entirely across the board, unpredictable creatures - and while the science behind wellness is robust, there’s simply too much individual variation for a standardised approach. That being said, this particular plan seems to be going… rather more poorly than expected. It starts to break down once the word ‘kidnapping’ is brought up. It’s such an ugly word to use. The Group tries to avoid it. But in some of these cases, the humans need the Group’s own facilities! The idea was to convince the humans to follow them to a very not suspicious space capsule, or to get them to touch this particularly strange teleportation device, and they’d be on their way to recovery. However, most if not all the humans seem to be reacting… quite negatively to that. It’s almost like they don’t understand that this is for their benefit!

The ship is very nice, and perfectly designed to relax and comfort (--for the species the Group are familiar with, at least). Soothing music plays along the spaceship’s halls, which are lit in a soft violet glow. Potted plants are artfully displayed, though none of them are recognisable as any species found on Earth. For those with a sensitive nose, the flowers give off a bright, delicate scent; not unlike that of lavender and lemon myrtle. An entire stretch of glass is dedicated to the view outside, the Earth looking so serene from this distance; stars shining in the space around it.

For those Aliens aboard the mothership, maybe you’re delivering this hour’s yoga session. Maybe you’re leading a group chant or meditation. Are you perhaps talking humans into resting in the healing spa, or - for those so inclined - are you delving deeper, forming a connection, and really getting to know these humans? For the humans… well, at least the spa looks really nice, right?

[Space Spa Features:
Yoga - you’ve been herded into a room where a flexible alien encourages you to breathe deeply; holding it in your stomach and feeling your heart beat before letting it out in a big sigh. The routine is not very different to yoga on Earth, except… well, if you can’t find your proboscis, maybe that particular pose won’t work for you.
Sauna - the heat promotes circulation, but the temperature in here seems to be a little off.
Spa - you know what a spa is. Or, you thought you did. It looks like the aliens aren’t quite on the same page. Where there would normally be cucumbers, there’s a strange pink fruit. Where you’d expect water, there’s… a viscous fluid, gently rotating through a myriad of colours, that seems to soften and soothe your muscles as you soak in it.
And Others - the aliens have no shortage of remedies for what ails you! Since this is their first time experiencing humans, results may vary.]


Optional prompts (player-run):
An alien adrift, unsure what task to complete? Seek guidance from your leader.

In Woodhurst, unnerved and skeptical? Drop in at your local seedy bookshop to chat with some alien enthusiasts.

[Have a plan to drive the Story direction? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the list!

Info post can be found here.]

Comments

Kai | Actor

[bashasasdemon]

SS Radiance - Office

This is a fucking mess already.

Kaiisteron, one of the few senior level Group members on this particular... excursion, had felt it was probably a bad idea to start. But this kind of idealism was the sort of thing the Group had in spades, especially among the younger members who didn't have the chance to be jaded yet. That didn't make the actual process of trying to keep things under control any easier of course.

He's already getting reports of having to restrain some of the humans from lashing out and harming themselves or others, and first wave of the attempts at on-site care are... not doing well. That's why anyone entering the Kloax's office will find him leaning back with his palms in his black eyes, groaning at the prospect of another problem being brought to him. "What is it?" he asks, and he really hopes you are, for once, bringing him good news.

SS Radiance - Therapy Time!

Even with his reservations about the mission itself, Kaiisteron is still committed to his role in it and in providing care when he can. He's not going to force anyone into therapy- it doesn't really work that way. (The rest of it is different, ok. Probably.) But he does let people sign up and lets some of the other counselors who've noted those potentially in need assign him some people to talk.

Which is how you, dear human (or... human adjacent, or whatever) wind up in a simple but soothing office, opposite a man (??) with gray-brown ridges up his otherwise humanoid body instead of skin. There's the option for them to sit in either a comfy chair or some sort of fainting couch (which is a little too big for most humans, but better that than the alternative). "Hi," he says, and there's a gentle smile on his face and a musical quality to his voice, "I'm Kaiisteron; I'm one of the Group's therapists. So, first of all: have you ever done a session like this before? I know Earth has some, but I don't get the impression that everyone has access."

[If you would like to sign up for therapy with Kai, drop me a comment here just so I don't get overwhelmed, lol.]

SS Radiance - Yoga

When not doing therapy, Kaiisteron can also be found running some yoga classes; he's no Leairans, but he's plenty flexible and definitely strong. Moreover, during holds he lets out a click from the back of his throat to help count the time, a soothing, steady rhythm that's grounding and seems to settle in the chest, making it all the easier to relax into whatever ridiculous pose they're currently holding.

Woodhurst - On Site Care

Despite feeling like this whole side of things is an even worse idea, Kaiisteron does assume a human form of his own to check out things that are happening in the village. Need some help figuring out how to human? Well... he's a bad pick for it, but he's all you've got, so might as well ask.

His human form at least looks like his normal appearance, for any Readers who spot him- only minus the veil, and minus the black eyes.

Therapy

[aetherweaver]

He's confused, not totally sure how he got onto this ship. He doesn't even know what 'therapy' is, but he's always down to try something new. He does realize that he's disguised as a hyur - human - and so he probably shouldn't get into anything too fantastical. He's also realized that his weaponry is not on him, so he'll have to resort to different methods of self-preservation if whatever meeting he's in goes sour.

But he allows himself to be ushered in, a little disoriented without his ears and tail, but the white-haired 'human' sits in the offered chair anyway. The creature across from him is like nothing he's ever seen before, but he's polite enough to not stare too openly. "... I haven't, no. I'm afraid I don't even really know what goes on in one of these things."

[bashasasdemon]

That's not really surprising; there was a reason the Group thought this was in any way a good idea. First contact can take years upon years of strategizing and negotiation. The Group doesn't like to wait when it thinks it can help, especially when the subjects' own resources seem to be lacking.

Of course, he doesn't say any of that, just nodding. "Alright, let's start there. Generally these kind of sessions are to help you talk through any issues you might be having. These can be short term issues, general stress, difficult situations, things like that, or they can be long term issues that you've been struggling with for some time. If you don't know what's causing the issues, we can dig into that and figure it out. Sometimes talking through it is enough, but usually we wind up exploring different coping or framing techniques to make them easier to deal with or to help you move past it entirely when possible. Nothing you say will be repeated outside of this room, so whatever you want to share would be entirely confidential. The only exception is if you tell me you're planning on hurting yourself or others in which case I'll get some help to intervene. Does that all make sense?"

[aetherweaver]

'Issues'. This is supposed to help with his issues?? He laughs on reflex, quickly covering his defanged mouth. How is he supposed to explain... any of his life without totally blowing his cover? And how can talking like this help?

"I... suppose. I... hm. I don't even know where to start. I've... seen quite a lot of things. Though all in all I'd think I'm coping well." But clearly someone thought he wasn't, because he's here. "... I won't deny I have a lot on my shoulders, though."

[bashasasdemon]

Kaiisteron doesn't react to the laugh, but he notes it. That's... not an untypical reaction to therapy. A slightly worrying one, but still.

"Like I said, it can be as big or as small as you like. Whatever you're comfortable talking about." Some therapists promise not to judge, and Kai certainly tries not to, but he finds that it often makes people more defensive. "...Usually sessions would continue until you felt like you didn't need it anymore, but I don't know how long we're going to stay. But hopefully whatever we do here will be enough to help relieve some of the burden you're feeling, or at least find ways to help you handle it."

[aetherweaver]

Okay. Okay, how can he... even start? "This place is so peaceful, it's... worrying. Since disaster seems to follow me wherever I go." Good start. Possibly.

"I've... done a lot of fighting. And it's not... the physical pain doesn't bother me. ... But at night it's... hard. To not - to not let it get to me." Plenty of places have wars, right?

[bashasasdemon]

The man nods, and even with the simple start it's clear Nara'a has his full attention. That's one thing Kai is good at; he can definitely make people feel like they're being heard. (He has struggled in past with being a little too attentive, honestly. Apparently that can freak some people out.)

"Feeling like you need to be prepared for things to go wrong all the time can definitely be traumatic," he says, unaware of how deeply ironic this is for another version of him, "What sort of things do you think about at night, when it gets to you?"

Office i am the most serious RPer

[angel_of_baal]

Tsang has spent days perfecting its human disguise and it's so perfect. Tsang is 100% sure it is. So much so that it wants to prove it to Kaiisteron, the boss, by coming in full disguise.

To be honest, it's a lot. Clearly Tsang has studied human fashion. Unfortunately, Tsang has studied only 'high fashion' because that's the best, right? SO it barges into Kai's office, almost bouncing with delight. "I'm ready to go!" It even does a twirl so that all angles of its very stylish outfit could be admired.

[bashasasdemon]

Kai takes the hands off his eyes. He immediately regrets it.

"No." No. Absolutely not.

[angel_of_baal]

"No?" Awwww, now you broke its sensitive little heart. "Is...it's the polka dots, right? Someone said they might remind someone of a communicable disease. I could do stripes instead." No disease that it knew of featured racing stripes.

[bashasasdemon]

Kai sighs, rubbing at his temples. Why did he agree to this? Why does he even work here???

"Tsang," he says, as gently as he can manage- which admittedly is not as gentle as his Leairan counterparts or even close, "I don't know what you looked up to determine that that was a normal outfit for humans. It's not what was in the briefing. Did you look at the briefing?"

[angel_of_baal]

Penance? That might be why Kai was here. That would be Tsang's guess, but Revanians had ideas about penance that other species perhaps did not share.

"I did!" It totally did read the briefing, but it's becoming clear, through the triangular nosemask, that Kai was disappointed. "I got excited." Its head drooped low, the plush creature on its back bending forward as if bowing. "Please don't ban me from going down planet." Please please please please please PLEASE!!!

[bashasasdemon]

That outfit gets more ridiculous the more he looks at it. "I'm not going to ban you from going down to the planet," he says, largely because he's not sure he can but Tsang doesn't need to know that, "Just... reread the briefing, and then come up with a different outfit, please. And-- you know what, tell me what you plan on doing down there. So I can get an idea of people's plans." And how much damage control he can expect to be doing. Tsang also doesn't need to know that part.

Radiance - Yoga

[bestofall]

Festival hasn't yet recognized this unveiled, shape-shifted individual as his good kissable friend, but he's here to be a menace all the same. Gamely he lets himself be directed to join a class of what he's told will be 'yoh-gah,' gamely he lays down his mat as instructed, and more than gamely he actually finds himself enjoying the exercise. Yoh-gah, it seems, is simply a manner of limbering up, with some of the stretches and poses already familiar to him and some less so.

Kaiisteron will find he has a particularly apt pupil in this class, able to hold each pose with relative ease and often finding a more difficult way of doing things simply to push himself a little deeper into a stretch. Even in this human form he's rather bendy and has a hidden, wiry strength to him.

The clicking makes for a soothing tempo...but more important than the soothing part is the tempo part. It starts with humming a few measures as he settles into the pigeon pose before Festival just goes for it.

"Now listen you landsmen unto me,
To tell you the truth I’m bound,
What happened to me by going to sea,
And the wonders that I found:
Shipwrecked I was once off Whitbrae,
And cast upon the shore,
So then I did resolve to roam,
The country to explore--"

And here he draws a deep breath, ready to launch into a tempo-breaking chorus of nonsense words.

[bashasasdemon]

Kaiisteron's not sure what he expected from this class, but this... wasn't it. Humans don't seem any more or less musical than most of the other species in the Coalition, his own excluded. He hadn't seen anything about them bursting into song like this.

His own tempo is interrupted by the... sudden participation, blinking his black eyes at Festival as he makes it through the verse, before rapidly realizing he's going to need to stop this. "Um, Festival?" he says, during that breathe that was absolutely going to lead to a lungful of song, "I'm glad you're feeling a connection to what we're doing and are comfortable enough to express yourself, but if you could save the song for later so you're not distracting other people from their focus that would be great. I'd be happy to sit with you some after this if you'd like to explore that urge then."

He hopes Festival won't take him up on it. He's about 90% sure Festival will take him up on it.

[bestofall]

What a measured and reasonable response! Too bad Festival is not a measured or reasonable man.

"Do you promise?" he asks, doe-eyed as he sinks into a deeper stretch, not breaking eye contact. "I suppose I might be able to contain myself if you promise to sit with me and let me sing...I'm only trying to engage and cooperate on my healing journey, after all."

[bashasasdemon]

Oh he's one of these. Kaiisteron manage to keep his sigh internal.

"Yes, I promise." He does not get paid enough for this.

[bestofall]

"Oh, alright. If you promise."

Is he...actually going to shut up? It looks like maybe! He's still just sort of staring at Kaiisteron, waiting for the next move.

[bashasasdemon]

Kai doesn't really trust it, but he's going to pretend he does. "Thank you," he says, and he will resume the class.

(If Festival actually manages to shut up, then they can get through the class, and Kai will keep his promise to stick around.)

Office -- someone has come to complain to management

[unsheathedfromreality]

"I was told you're in command here. That so?"

The person responding to the Kloax's question ... is not a crew member of the Radiance. He's one of their ostensible patients, for he appears an ordinary human man (though he doesn't ... seem to be breathing quite enough). This is "Forster Green," who is absolutely not a newcomer to Woodhurst who stole his name off a tombstone.

Who also has not driven the more sensitive Revanians to tears by being some kind of hellish emotional void -- but that's a story for another time.

What he is, is on Kai's doorstep, and he has been very quietly insistent -- since being brought in for "help" -- that while he will comply with the Radiance's programs they won't fix him, and he really needs to speak to someone in charge.

So. Here he is.

"I need to speak with you."

[bashasasdemon]

'In command' might be a bit much; he's a supervisor, but if he was in charge then they wouldn't be here. Still, he's probably about as close as Illarion is going to get, so he's more or less in the right place.

Kaiisteron looks over, offering the man a slightly weary smile. "Of course, come in," he says, hoping he sounds more cheerful than he feels, gesturing to one of the chairs, "Have a seat."

[unsheathedfromreality]

"Forster" takes the offered seat after a moment's odd hesitation -- his whole pelvic girdle is wrong in this shape, and he's got to sit flat to be comfortable -- and settles himself on the edge, back straight and hands folded in front of him.

"What is it you're hoping to accomplish in Woodhurst?" he asks. No pausing for niceties -- right to business.

[bashasasdemon]

Well, that's probably better than skirting around it?

"We're here to offer mental health and wellness care to a subsection of the population," he says, "This is something of a... test run, I guess you'd say. We're here to help however we can, with what resources we have with us." And their limited knowledge of humans but he doesn't say that.

[unsheathedfromreality]

Truly, it didn't need to be said. The man across from Kai closes his eyes, expression blank enough it's difficult to tell if he's pained or merely thinking. Part of him would like to repeat his question, but -- getting a better understanding of the knowledge gap will be a better guide for the rest of this conversation.

"How long have you been observing the humans for?" he finally asks.

Not us. The humans.

[bashasasdemon]

Oh, he definitely notices that. He looks human, and Kaiisteron doesn't see why he'd be using a hologram up here of all places, but... who knows. Nothing in this place is going like he expected.

"Personally? Only since we've been here," he says, "The Coalition... I couldn't tell you. That kind of information doesn't get passed along."