melodiesofeternity | Event || Camp Curtisy Retreat

Event || Camp Curtisy Retreat

Who: All characters
When: July 17th - 22nd
Where: Nah Nami Reserve
What: Characters go to the campgrounds to do some team building exercises and build CR.
Warnings/Notes: See prompt D for Mognet glitches

A. Arrival

[On the morning of the 17th, Mogaruru directs the outworlders and Curti Center employees who have signed up to the airship headed to the Nah Nami Reserve. Counselors hand out pamphlets with maps, general camp rules, and the week's itinerary. This place loves their pamphlets. Fortunately, most of the rules detail common sense: quiet hours are at 10pm, no smoking or alcohol, no harming the forest wildlife, no setting off fireworks.

After they touch land, the arrivals are free to pick their cabins and set up their rooms before gathering at the mess hall for lunch.]

B. Team Building

[It's not a corporate retreat without ice breakers! On the first day, every splits into groups sharing their names and one interesting fact about themselves. Throughout the day, there's all sorts of get-to-know-each-other events. Maybe Never-Have-I-Ever (alcohol is replaced with juice). A game of Truth or Dare? Trust falls? If it's meant to foster friendships, it's here.

There are also races and obstacle courses for those that want to compete as a team.

Mogaruru oversees the main activities, even leading a workshop in building paper-mache Moogle masks, encouraging everyone to find their passion.]

C. Actual Camping

[There are important life skills to be learned when living in the great outdoors. Hiking, learning about local flora and fauna, and cooking are included in the itinerary. Complaining about the sun and constant reminders about staying hydrated, too.

In the evenings, there's campfires for any type of socializing. Perhaps now is the time to have heart-to-heart chats over roasting marshmallows or swap scary stories about the Camp Lake Ira Killer.]

D. Late Night Hijinks

[After dinner, campgoers are allowed to use Mognet to catch up with news and chat with friends...though considering the glitches that occur during this event, it may prove to be less relaxing considering the glitches that occur in Kupoto's charge.

Things are fine on the 17th. On the 18th, however, messages to and from the Curti Center are delayed by 10 minutes. In an effort to fix this issue, Mognet is down at the Curti Center on the 19th. On the 20th, it's fixed...but all posts are made public. On the 21st, this is addressed, but now every subject line begins with "!Kupo".

Someone is going to have a stern talking-to when Mogaruru returns.

But that's fine. Campers are free to ~~sneak~~ travel outside in a group for totally legal activities. After all, no one would sneak booze or fireworks or play pranks on the other cabins, would they?

At least, if they don't get caught. Otherwise, it's cleanup duty for the rest of the trip.]

E. The Great Outdoors

[The Nah Nami Reserve boasts beautiful forests and a beach. The weather is beautiful. There are no monsters on the reserve...unless one considers the large fish living far from the beach shoreline to be monsters. Or if they are unlucky enough run into one of the larger animals in the forests. Fighting back can be overlooked as long as they don't grievously injure their opponent, ideally escaping without harm to either party. These are protect species, after all. It shouldn't be a problem if they are with Camp Curtisy counselors, but chances are there are some hiking groups that decided to explore the entire island on their own.

The beach includes a long stretch of sand, rock outcrops with tidal pools, and a net for volleyball. Some counselors have "TEAM LAVODE" shirts left from last month's Blitzball tournament, especially the Hypello lifeguards.]

F. Lessons Learned

[Now's the time for the campers to shine. Counselors lead workshops on arts, crafts, survival skills, and languages, but slots are open for all participants to lead a class of their choosing. Want to teach the history of your homeworld? Have any other skills you wish you share? This is your chance to show off what you know!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You May Find Yourself in Another Part of the World (Arrival)
Everybody who knows Frisk to some extent is probably used to the cheesy puns, the absurd flirting attempts, the occasional prank, probably a bit too much self-deprecation for their own good, and overall easygoing demeanor. But, as they board the airship, something seems... off. They're quiet--by their standards, at least--and almost seem to curl in on themselves, looking out the window lost in thought. Of course, if anybody approaches them, they're quick to put the mask back on, but anybody who's remotely good at reading people can tell it's just a mask. The fact that 90% of their humor is coming from self-deprecation might be a good hint.

Regardless of their mental well-being, Frisk takes a nice, isolated cabin, a bunk in the corner of the room, and naps for quite a bit before the festivities begin. There was no way in hell that they weren't partying all night, so they had to get their flashback dreams in somehow, right?

You May Find Yourself Living in a Shotgun Shack (Camping)
Frisk already had a talent for making themself scarce before they became a Ninja. Now, if they didn't want to be found, then they really, really couldn't be found in most cases. Of course, this rarely came into play except in rather extreme situations, but one night, while people are swapping stories about the Thirteenth, Frisk stops in their incredibly long, elaborate set-up for a flirtatious pun and just... stares for a minute. They rub their shoulder, and when nobody else is looking, they just... disappear.

But sometimes, people who are trying to not be found really, really want to be found, and Frisk is off in the forest, pacing back and forth, thinking of far too many things if somebody goes after them.

Not every night brings up traumatic experiences that they'd rather just move on from, though, and when they're not reeling from memories, Frisk is still cracking jokes, flirting, occasionally pickpocketing stuff and immediately giving it back, and overall being a goofball.

You May Ask Yourself; My God, What Have I Done? (Hijinks)
"So, you know," Frisk says as they suddenly appear in that nights Super Secret Except Not Really Bonfire Party Location, carrying a wooden case under each arm, "you all know me. And if you don't, well, hi, I'm Frisk, and I really like mischief. Kinda have a knack for finding it. And yes, yes, I know, this is an adult party, buuuut," they crack open one case, revealing a multitude of cans of beer, "what kind of adult party would it be without the booze I know all of you are sorely lacking or failed to bring in a large amount because you didn't want to get caught? Oh, c'mon, don't give me that look. One, nobody would think to search a kid's stuff for alcohol. Two, it's hilarious to watch drunk people.

"I also have... FIREWORKS!" They kick open the other case, smiling cheekily. Many of the fireworks in there are borderline military ordnance, and some of them are probably illegal. Where the hell did this kid get this stuff? "Sooo, uh, please let me stay? Staying in my cabin when literally everybody else who isn't boring--no offense if you're not here, Papyrus, you're far from boring--is gone is such a drag, anyways."

Maybe it was the fact that she'd made it a point to keep an eye on her friends at home. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, she'd noticed Frisk hadn't been quite... themselves? Not that she really knew a whole lot about them, but she remembered what they'd been like when she'd met them the first time. And it was clear that something was up.

At first, she'd figured it had something to do with the trip, so she'd decided to leave it alone. But then things didn't seem to be going any better after the first couple of days, and Marinette realized she should say something. Or do something. Or... something?

So when she glanced up to realize that Frisk had literally vanished, Marinette figured now was as good a time as any. After quickly excusing herself, she stood up, brushed herself off, and went off in search of Frisk.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking before she found them, but it didn't seem like a long time. When she did spot them, she just sort of stood there watching for a minute, apparently debating on whether or not she should really bother them. But then again, she'd come all this way and it would've been ridiculous to go all the way back now. And so...

"Frisk?"

Great. And just when they were having a fantastic time wallowing. Doing their best to put on a weak smile (even though they didn't look similar at all for whatever reason it looked looking at Marinette), and wave. "Oh. Hey. Wassup, Mari? Just having a nice brood out here. Good for the soul, and I've heard you need to have this stuff down if you want to be a proper ninja." Their usual biting snark is... somewhat lacking in verve today. Feh, whatever.

Maybe she should've felt a little guilty for following Frisk and interrupting what was supposed to be a private moment. But concern ultimately won out, and if they wanted to be mad at her for it, that was their right. It didn't seem likely, but she'd cross that bridge if she came to it. Instead, she put on a smile and waved back. "Hey. And nothing much. Decided to take a walk. Got a little lost," she explained.

"And for what it's worth, you looked very broody when I found you. So that has to count for something. Right?" She's nothing if not able to find the silver lining in most things. Not even sorry, Frisk. "I'd give it a solid 7.5."

"Hm, you're right. My hunched posture could use some work, and I think I'm going to need a tattered cape to complete the effect," Frisk says, something like a genuine smile tugging at their lips. They forgot how fun Mari could be. But... Did they really deserve to be friends with someone like her? No, scratch that, did she deserve the hell that Frisk was inevitably gonna put her through? Nope. Not at all.

The smile quickly fades from their face. "But... no offense, but the whole 'Old 90s Antihero' thing is kind of a one-kid schtick. I'd like some privacy. Please." Great. Now they were being a jerk about it. Granted, it was kinda necessary, but... still.

She'd only been trying to cheer Frisk up a little, so Marinette couldn't help feeling slightly guilty that her attempt had apparently done the opposite. But she wasn't going to apologize! All they could do now was move forward. "Do you have a cape?" Because she could probably wreck it into a suitably tattered mess if Frisk wanted. Not that it was terribly difficult to do so.

That smile was encouraging, but watching it fall just as quickly was anything but. She blinked as Frisk's words washed over her, and honestly, she had no intention of leaving Frisk alone when they were obviously feeling down. "I know you don't know me very well, and you probably don't trust me very much... but if there was something wrong and you needed someone to talk to, you could talk to me." Perhaps not the answer Frisk was expecting, but it was the one they were getting.

"But I don't want to bother you, so..." She hadn't made any move to leave just yet, but she also wasn't going to stand there indefinitely. If Frisk wanted to stop her from leaving, now was the time to do so.

It was nice to have somebody play along with their gags for once. "It's hard to find any good cape companies nowadays. Most of 'em have moved away from the spandex scene and started doing more practical stuff. Sellouts, the lot of them. Plus, I think most indie artists would murder me if they found out I tore their precious baby up. Sure, I can ask for the scruff to be worked into the design from the beginning, but that's just like buying jeans that already have holes worn into the knees. It feels disingenuous, you know?"

Frisk is silent for a few moments after Mari's prodding. On one hand, they could confide in Papyrus about this kind of thing, and like she said, they barely knew her. On the other hand, it was kinda hard to look their best friend in the eyesocket right now, and Frisk needed somebody to talk to. Plus, it wouldn't be a huge loss if they're horribleness ended up burning bridges with Mari considering, well, they barely knew her. On the third, grotesque, mutant hand, Frisk... actually kinda liked Mari. And losing her because they were horrible would make them feel even worse than normal, even though it was the objectively good thing to do since she didn't need such a shitty friend and-

Fuck it. Time to be selfish. Frisk was feeling like the complete piece of crap they were and needed an outlet. "I'm just... I did something screwed up at Camp Ira, and yeah, I know I don't exactly have the best judgment at the best of times and I wasn't exactly in a great frame of mind with a crazy serial killer attacking me out of the blue although to be fair I did my best to provoke him but I- sorry. I should probably give you some room to process."

Papyrus has been very, very worried about Frisk this entire time, but when they show up with booze, his eye sockets turn big and googly. He rushes through the crowd, stuttering a little as he tries to find the right words because Frisk. Frisk! Why? Why are you doing this?

And. Fireworks. Those are less bad, but still! Camp rules! What if they get in trouble? Has he been a bad role model?!

In no time, he's grabbing Frisk by the shoulders.

"OH, FRISK!!! HOW COULD THIS BE? WAS IT NEGLIGENCE?! DID I FAIL TO SEE SOME CRUCIAL AND BLATANT SIGNS?!"

What is the meaning of thiiiis?

Well. This was... awkward. Truth be told, Frisk wasn't exactly expecting Papyrus to be here. Not that they didn't think he was cool--far from it--but a party like this didn't exactly seem like Papyrus' scene. Okay. Okay okay well not okay buuuuut it was clearly time for some damage control. "Jeez, Papy, calm down. It's not like I'm robbing banks or anything. I was actually meaning to give these back when I was, um, practicing, but then people got really angry and I figured it was better to just sneak away than to incriminate myself. And trust me, it's not your fault--I can be really dang sneaky when I want to be."

He nods at first, but wait! Waaaait. Practice... and booze? Nope. He's not budging. Not budging an inch. "BUT, FRISK! ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT ONLY FOR ADULTS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO UNHEALTHY! AND A DEPRESSANT. WHICH IS ALSO NOT HEALTHY, BUT THE POINT IS, THEY AREN'T A VERY GOOD THING FOR YOU TO BE STEALING!

OR USING FOR BRIBES, EVEN THOUGH I'M SURE PLENTY OF PEOPLE HERE WOULD APPRECIATE IT."

"I wasn't going to drink it! Geez, what do you think I am, an idiot? I mean, we both know I'm a thug already and that kinda goes with the package, but still." Frisk turns away, muttering under their breath, "Learned my lesson when I was 11, anyways. Now that was a fun time waking up." And anyways, what business was it Papyrus'? They did show up to an adult party, but... why did he even care, anyways?

Logically, Frisk knew all the answers to these questions, but on an emotional level... it was complicated.

"WHAT? I NEVER SAID- Wait, wait. That muttering. He may not have ears, but that is not a good sign! So he's just gonna, y'know, stay close. Tightening his hold on their shoulder because obviously something is up here. "FRISK... LOOK. I'M HERE, ALL RIGHT? AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE SUCH BIG RISKS JUST TO PLEASE PEOPLE. AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG, YOU KNOW I'LL LISTEN."

What did they do to deserve Papyrus? Frisk had been thinking long and hard on that question lately, and they still hadn't found an answer. Gesturing emphatically, Frisk almost yells, "Well, how the hell else am I supposed to get them to like me when I'm such an annoying little thug!"

He's not budging. Not one bit. In fact, he's trying to look them in the eye, though that may be easier said than done. "YOU AREN'T A THUG, FRISK! YOU... LOOK."

He sighs, shutting his eye sockets for a second as he tries to find the right words. "I CAN'T CLAIM TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. THE FACT IS, I KNOW YOU'VE STILL GOT A LOT YOU KEEP CLOSE TO THE CHEST, AND I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO FORCE YOU TO TALK, BUT...

I DON'T THINK PEOPLE HERE HATE YOU AT ALL. I KNOW MARINETTE SEEMED TO THINK VERY HIGHLY OF YOU! AND I'M SURE OTHERS FEEL THE SAME."

"That's because they don't know me!" Frisk argues back, this time full-out yelling. The fact that the scene must be awkward for everybody else there further fuels the fires of their self-loathing. "'Let's try to be a decent person together!' Well, guess what? I screwed up. I didn't even try to talk to or even just restrain the killer at Lake Ira, I just- I just went straight for the throat as soon as I got hurt! And look at me now! I should probably hauled off to juvie for just showing up like this!"

...Oh.

Oh.

That's. Oh dear. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, NO.

Papyrus backs away for a split second. He winces. He gulps. But just when Frisk might think he's disappointed with them again, he comes closer. More than that, he pulls them into a hug. A tight one, at that.

"NO, FRISK. THAT'S... IT'S NOT TRUE. BELIEVE ME, I TRIED TALKING, BUT IT... IT JUST WOULDN'T WORK. THEY JUST WOULDN'T LISTEN.

IF I HADN'T USED MY SAFEGUARD SKILL, I COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT. OR WORSE! SO PLEASE. PLEASE DON'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS WRONG FOR YOU TO DEFEND YOURSELF.

I WOULD MUCH RATHER YOU FIGHT THAN FOR YOU TO GET GRIEVOUSLY INJURED. KILLED, EVEN..."

Frisk sees the disappointment in Papyrus' eyes. Yep. That's confirmation. If even Papyrus is disgusted, they fucked up and they fucked up badly. Even though Papyrus tries to hide it, tries to reassure them, they attempt to struggle away from the hug. "It isn't just me!" they protest. "I, I used the moogle we were supposed to be protecting as bait! I was a liability to my party because I could barely keep a grip on my weapons! People could've died, and I would've been the one to blame!"

Nope. He's not letting go. They need this right now. They need support.

Sure, he hesitates a bit when they mention using the Moogle as bait. He winces because... well, that is tricky. Complicated. It's not exactly good, but...

"BUT YOU CLEARLY AREN'T HAPPY ABOUT IT. AND I'M SURE YOU JUST DID IT IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT. FRISK, YOU'RE YOUNG! AND YES, I KNOW IT WAS A RISK, BUT... PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE RESPONSIBLE ADULT AND TOLD YOU NOT TO GO.

I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THAT WE'D GET SPLIT UP LIKE THAT. AND THAT'S ENTIRELY MY FAULT. IT WAS IRRESPONSIBLE OF ME."

Because this isn't like the Underground. Talking and flirting and all that won't sway everyone. It's... difficult to grasp. Terrifying, even, but that night was difficult for everyone. Himself included.

"I should've known better, though!" Frisk's grip, in turn, tightens on Papyrus. Progress, maybe? "Every single time I act without thinking, somebody gets hurt, or-" they gulp, memories of shattering white SOUL and dust falling through the air bubbling up to the surface of their mind, "or worse! I just should've... should've..." And that's where Frisk stops. Because, in truth, they had no idea what they could've done differently other than help the others attack the killer that night. And that was what terrified Frisk more than anything else.

He'll let them cling. He'll even put his bony chin on top of their head. That's the benefit of being tall, really. Extra comfort? Maybe. He's not sure. All he knows is Frisk is upset. That won't do. But... they have a right to be upset. He'll let them have this moment.

"BUT IT ALL TURNED OUT ALL RIGHT, DIDN'T IT? SO IN THE END, I DOUBT THEY HOLD IT AGAINST YOU. AND... IF YOU'RE CONCERNED, SURELY YOU COULD SPEAK TO THEM. LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.

YOU'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE OTHERWISE."

"But I still... I still..." And Frisk has no words. Papyrus was right, of course. They knew that objectively. But it still felt wrong. So they hold on to him for a few more moments, before mumbling, "...can we go back to the cabins?" God, they felt like such a kid, but... they just needed some quiet time.

"OF COURSE, FRISK. WHATEVER YOU NEED TO FEEL BETTER."

He'll step back, give them a little space, but if they need to stay close, that's fine, too. Best to work within their comfort zone, really. This is about them. Not him. "JUST TAKE IT EASY. I KNOW I CAN GET ON SANS' CASE ABOUT HIS LAZINESS, BUT... WELL. I SUPPOSE THERE ARE TIMES WHERE IDLING IS JUST FINE."

God, this was so embarrassing. If there weren't a billion other things that Frisk needed to process, Frisk would be mortified to be breaking down in front of so many other people. Doing their best to save face, they turn to the rest of the people at the party, they mutter, "Um... you can keep the booze," before picking up the box of fireworks and trudging back in the direction of the cabins.

He's quiet at first. Just keeping his eye sockets on Frisk as he contemplates what to say. What to do. This was... definitely not the turn he expected their night to take, but it is what it is. Frankly, it's just good that they're feeling better. Slightly, anyway. Better than nothing?

He does open his mouth a few times to speak, but the words just don't come. When they do reach their destination, he'll hold the door for Frisk. Let them lead.

There is something he wants to talk about, but baby steps.

"ARE YOU FEELING ANY BETTER?"

Frisk flops onto their bed. Or rather, Papyrus' bed, because of course Frisk took the top bunk and they really didn't feel like going the extra mile right about now. "...maybe. Probably not. Can't really tell. I just..." They snatch the pillow and do a few solid seconds of screaming into it. Voice still muffled by the pillow, Frisk says, "...okay. Yeah. That sums up my feelings right about now. All directed at myself of course because, as we've already established, I'm great at internalizing."

Event || Camp Curtisy Retreat

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Camping

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Sorry for the short tag

Hijinks

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