✨ XIMILIA TOWN HALL MEETING ✨ ( video/audio/action )

[farr]

[ some morning in the middle of the week, during their return to the station, an invitation will be taped on the door of every orber. though the calligraphy would suggest this must have been typed on a computer and printer, each invitation is actually very carefully hand-written and reads as follows: ]

[ the idea is for everyone to meet in the mess hall at the intended time, but if some choose not to attend, the meeting can still be accessed by the earpieces, allowing all orbers to watch or listen in and contribute however they wish, no matter where they are.

however, for those who do decide to attend, the mess hall features a full display of bagels and donuts, along with plenty of fresh coffee, all to help everyone wake up and feel refreshed for the meeting that's about to take place.

a makeshift little stage, arranged by stacking together a few metal boxes is at the center of the room, atop of it being the one and only rita farr herself, with a bright optimistic smile. when she sees enough people present and settled, she speaks up, loud and clear: ]

Hello, everyone! Welcome to our first Annual — or monthly, or however we decide to do it — Town Hall meeting! Thank you all for coming and please enjoy the food to your heart's content. For those who don't know me, I'm Rita Farr. Now— though my name does appear on the invitation, this is hardly about me. This is about all of us.

After our ... last mission, it became quite clear that our group could use a bit of improvement with how we approach our next missions moving forward. And I thought the best way to plan for that is to allow all of us an opportunity to discuss how we all feel about what we've done well and what we could do better. After all, everyone deserves a say in this, right?

[ she points behind her where a giant board is on display on an easel, once again, hand-written with careful and precise calligraphy in giant letters: ]


Here, I've written some sample questions we can all try to offer answers to, but the floor will also be open for any other questions and suggestions that anyone might have. Remember, there are no wrong answers! We're all here for an open forum discussion. But before that!

[ she reaches over to the board, pulling it off to reveal another one behind it. this one reads as follows: ]


Please consider the "Keys to Success", not only on our missions, but as we talk together in this room right now. We'll go ahead and take turns either stepping up here on the stage or speaking out from wherever you are. There are no microphones but the earpieces should get your voices out to everyone. Now, who would like to start?


( this post is open to all! the idea is that everyone is taking turns in each thread to speak out to the entire group (whether from within the room or from elsewhere), but thread-jacking and hopping around for discussion is the key here! feel free to run wild with ic suggestions or questions regarding mission layouts or planning or whatever floats your boat (ic complaining/protest is always an option too). though rita is organizing it, it's open to whatever people are inclined to discuss. )

Comments

[malta]

[ joe's mouth slants into a frown, big fucking doe eyes gone soft. almost a thousand years and he still hates the idea of young people in war. ]

Sometimes it feels like nothing changes, one war ends for another to begin, one people find freedom only to turn around and subjugate another people. [ he sighs, running a hand over his beard. he really does believe the best in people only to be saddened and disappointed when he sees them willfully choosing to hurt others, sometimes for "the greater good", sometimes for personal malice, sometimes for utter selfishness at the expense of others.

he is always so surprised by these bad actions though because he knows there is a better way. he sees nicky choose to be better every single day. ]

Sometimes, no matter what you do, hate will eat away at people's hearts like rust, and we will fail. But sometimes, we will save one person, change one mind, and that can be enough to keep going when it feels hopeless. And just because it's simple, doesn't mean it is ever easy.

[hatejakku]

[ Oh... If he knew Joe a little better, he'd rather like to hug him right now. Instead, he just stares a little again, pushing away one painful memory to make room for all the ones this talk brings to mind. ]

Yeah. You're right... It's always worth it to try. [ Supposedly... He takes a deep breath and swallows down all of the emotions pushing for attention in his chest and throat. ]

Sorry. I'm Finn.

[ Properly introduce himself so that the next time Joe says something that hits him in the solar plexus, he can actually get that hug without feeling weird about it. ]

[malta]

Yusuf.

[ he offers a smile, just as open and warm as ever, despite the heavy topic of conversation. even a millennia into this joe struggles with the same questions, but he has faith in their destiny (albeit sometimes nicky has to carry that faith for him) and an unrelenting, unwavering hope that the world will realize how necessary it is to care for one another, even if he has to remind one person at a time.

even if his own family doesn't share that same home, even if they actively rail against it. but he has seen copley's board and he knows now that nicky was always right, they're here to do good. ]

It's nice to meet you, Finn. Even if it's too early.

[ sorry rita. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Yusuf. Finn smiles back, his own a little bit warmer and more sincere, which is an accomplishment these days. He hasn't had a sincere smile in well over a week, maybe two... or three. He's lost track.

It feels kind of good to smile again, even for a second. ]

It's good to meet you, too. But, uh... I'm one of the crazy ones that usually get up way earlier than this.

[ Said like he's letting the other in on a joke. He knows he's nuts for it, but he likes the peace that usually comes with early morning. ]

[malta]

[ quietly, but with emotion: ] Gross.

[ morning is stupid? "oh sunrise though!" no, fuck that. joe likes the deep quiet of night when all the world has gone to sleep and it's just him and the moon and nicky gone lax with sleep next to him.

(to be honest, joe doesn't even dislike mornings, he simply dislikes waking up and that tends to happen... in the morning.) ]

We all have our burdens to bear, I suppose. You and Nicky have that nonsense.

[hatejakku]

[ Wow, congratulations. That just got an honest laugh out of him. It's quiet and small, but absolutely there. ]

Nicky? Are they on the station?

[ He hasn't been keeping up with new people like he used to... ]

[malta]

Mm, yes, he's over there. [ he points across the room where nicky is deep in quiet conversation with andy. he doesn't need to hear the conversation to know they're talking about the donuts and not the actual topic at hand since no one else is speaking at the moment. he can tell by the way nicky gesticulates that the conversation is about food; he may not be italian (there was no real italy when they were young, in fact it's quite a young country) but some things are ingrained into the soil and the salt air. ]

He only arrived before the last mission.

[ and it's clear enough from joe's utterly besotted expression that that man over there, the sentient nose and clear, keen eyes, is joe's entire universe. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Ah. Finn knows that look well. And from context, it seems as if they're from the same home. That part manages to keep the smile on his face, though it's far more bittersweet. All the same, he looks at this Nicky, a stranger, and wonders what all myriad of amazing things Yusuf must see when he looks at him.

There are so many things he could say... He's not going to say any of them. ]

One hell of an introduction. Did things go okay for you guys?

[malta]

Eh. [ he shrugs, noncommittal. ]

It was fine until we were forced to stay. [ there is no heat in his tone, it was far less of a betrayal in his eyes than recent events in his life but it was dangerous and had daisy or zari or nicky been hurt by an upswing in anti-powered sentiment, he would be much less forgiving. there is some lingering bitter resignation in the way his eyes lose some of the softness looking at nicky.

he understands andy's hurt — it sometimes feels like change is impossible, like no matter what they do the world continues to choose hate and it hurts joe to see it continue to play out. whether it be their religions or the colour of their skin or the love he has for his beloved nicky, or their inability to die. joe is aware of it more than most, having felt it for centuries.

he was hoping to avoid it in space. ]

What's done is done, we can only move forward.

[hatejakku]

... Yeah.

[ Finn looks away, down to the floor, thinking about those last couple of weeks there and how much he hated it at the time. Then coming home only to lose James, realizing belated those were his last days with him.

There are a lot of twisted feelings, but he absolutely regrets it. For the people of E-23b, for the resentment that they all had to face, for not appreciating everything he still had... and maybe James would still be here if they left when they should have. ]

I was one of those who thought it best to stay at the time. For what it's worth, I'm sorry.

[ What's done is done, Finn. ]

[malta]

[ joe sighs, reaching out to pat finn's shoulder. ]

I appreciate that.

[ he's not going to dismiss finn's apology. just because he did what he thought was best doesn't mean it didn't have consequences and joe isn't going to pretend otherwise, but joe knows better than most too that it can be damaging to brush aside an apology freely and remorsefully given. it isn't joe's place to give finn absolution, he will need to find that in himself, but he can give him a hand up. ]

People want something to hate so they don't have to look inward at themselves. And who knows, maybe the Fables will use sending us away as a cause to rally behind. Hopefully some good came from it regardless.

[hatejakku]

[ Yusuf's response feels good, honestly. No, it's not absolution or anything, but it feels like a start. That's more than he had a few minutes ago. ]

Maybe... I hadn't thought of that. Hopefully, they were seen as the heroes a little.

[ Hopefully. Hopefully. ]

We'll probably never know, though...

[malta]

No, we may not, but even if we did know, there is no way to know how the ripples of our presence will affect anything. Even a good outcome could down the line produce something terrible. There is an explosive on Earth called TNT, trinitrotoluene. It was originally meant as a fabric dye, a beautiful honey-yellow, lovely and rich. Some decades later people realized it could be used as an explosive and introduced it to wartime ordinance. An innocent invention turned to a weapon of slaughter.

[ his smile is sad, but understanding. ] I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I know the reality. The world can be a cruel, unhappy place. We can only hope to leave some good behind us, like seeds in a garden, whether they flourish into a garden or wither it up to them, but it only takes one person to nurture a seed. It only takes one ripple to show that person the seed is worth caring for.

[ don't tell copley that joe is paraphrasing the pitch of his creepy scrapbook boards. ]

im sorry this is so short sjdlf

[hatejakku]

[ ... Huh... ]

I used to believe those things... And now I just don't think about them at all.

[ Depression, probably, not that he's leaping to that conclusion or anything at the moment. ]

You're right, though. I guess-... I guess all we have is hope. That's enough, isn't it?

shhhh there there... 🧹

[malta]

It has to be. Otherwise... [ he trails off, sadness pinching around his eyes. otherwise the grief makes people do terrible things at the expense of the people they claim to hold dear. ]

What's the point of it all?

[ he gives finn's shoulder another squeeze. ]

It was good to meet you, Finn. I'm glad.

♥

[hatejakku]

[ He's staring off into the middle distance when Yusuf grips his shoulder, jostling him a little but bringing him back to the moment. All he can offer is a soft, warm smile, but it's all he's got right now. ]

It was good to meet you, too... Thank you.

[ Because you've given him a whole lot to think about. ]