Event || Camp Curtisy Retreat

[eternitymods]

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!]

Comments

Gladiolus Amicitia l OTA

[hashtagdaddy]

A. (Late) Arrival - July 19th only

[Gladio thought he'd be coming here with Iris among them. Instead, he's here late after running around Vaikuntha looking for his little sister who is most likely no longer even on this world.

This is supposed to be a fun retreat but all he can think about is how Iris is lost and how he's likely pissed off all of his friends - his family, really. So he makes sure to avoid them that first day, wanting to crash without having to see how much he hurt the people he cares for most. If anyone finds him, he's likely in a tree sawing logs as the sleep deprivation finally catches up with him.]

C. Actual Camping

He's around a campfire, which should be all fun and laughs, but he simply stares at the flames. There are so many apologies he has to make and for once, Gladio is at a loss as to where to begin.

So he stays silent, waiting instead for others to approach him with their anger or their hurt.

G. Wildcard

((OOC: Any other interactions, including castmate shenanigans not occurring during the campfire. Have fun and good luck trying to get Gladio to be anything other than upsetti spaghetti.))

C

[chocobosnap]

[Maybe it had been intended to be fun, but Gladio didn't look like he was enjoying himself. Prompto understands why that is.

What he does do is turn up beside Gladio with a small, serene smile and a mug, extending it to him.]

Hot chocolate?

[hashtagdaddy]

[The cup startles him, amber eyes observing both it and its contents before Gladio turns his head to look at Prompto.]

... Sure. [He reaches for the mug and takes a sip, the hot beverage hitting his tongue with a burst of sweetness. It's appropriate, he thinks, that Prompto would be the one offering him something sweet.]

Thanks, Prom. [He knows he should say more, but there's so much. Too much.] I -

[Yes, excellent time to completely forget how to form an apology.] How've you been?

[Of course that's what he asks instead.]

[chocobosnap]

You're welcome.

[He smiles, even though he's somewhat disappointed with how things turned out, but confronting people, asserting himself and asking for what he wants or needs has never been a strength of his.]

I'm fine. [His tone is chipper, meant to be believed.]

[hashtagdaddy]

[Gladio sees the cracks in Prompto's mask, knowing what to look and listen for. Internally he sighs, angry at himself for causing the kind of discomfort his blond friend truly struggles with.

After their one-on-one trip, he thought Prompto would be comfortable enough to be honest with him about times when he feels upset or anything in the realm of unhappy but clearly Gladio's thoughtless actions hurt his friend enough that he'd have to earn back that trust.]

Prom ... please don't lie to me?

G

[regalblaze]

Ignis doesn't bring up the 'talk' immediately when Gladio and Noctis arrive at the camp. He knows they are probably exhausted and sleep deprived (they barely got Noctis out of the car and into the tent). Instead, he makes sure they eat, have some time to sleep before he decides to speak up.

"A moment, Gladiolus."

Gladio was standing near the sea when Ignis finally found him after serving dinner for the others. With hands crossed over his chest, he approached the other man with a stern look on his face.

"I would like a word with you."

[hashtagdaddy]

Gladio had both looked forward to and dreaded seeing Ignis. He knew his friend was likely furious with him and honestly - he had every reason to be.

Slowly, he turned away from looking at the sea and met Iggy's eyes. "Sure, Igs. M'all yours."

He braced himself for a scolding, for anger and yelling and anything else Ignis might decide to unleash on him for being such an absolute bastard.

[regalblaze]

He knows he should be reasonable. He also knows that by now Gladio knows he made a mistake. But Ignis is seeing red and wasn't going to sugarcoat it at all with him. Especially because Iris disappeared.

"What in Six bloody hells were you thinking!?" he hisses out. Then he does what he almost never does- raise his voice. "Tell me! You Shield to the King! Tell me how does one just ups and leaves without a trace! Leaving everyone and everything behind, especially the King he's sworn to protect?!"

And in his rage, Ignis doesn't even notice when he closed the distance between the two of them and grabbed Gladio by the shirt with both hands.

"YOU TWO COULD HAVE BOTH DISAPPEARED!"

The same way Iris did.

[hashtagdaddy]

Rarely has Ignis ever raised his voice, so it's a punch in the gut when Gladio's best friend of what feels like forever starts shouting at him. He closes his eyes against the onslaught of words, every symbol stabbing him with Ignis' fury - with his worry.

The stupid part of Gladio's brain wants to point out that technically he hadn't left Noct behind, since the young King followed him, but thankfully the rest of his brain wins out and he leaves that bit unsaid. The feel of hands tugging at his shirt, knuckles clenched around the fabric, makes him open apologetic eyes.

Gladio brings his hands to rest on Iggy's, not trying to pry him off or push him away, just trying to reassure the man of his presence (or maybe reassure himself that at least for now, his friend is still here and talking to him). "I know it's not enough, but ... I'm sorry, Igs."

He heaves a sigh and it's like opening the floodgates as words tumble out of him faster than he can think them. "I wasn't thinking. At all. I - " And now tears well in despondent eyes before spilling over because he has literally no dignity left to maintain.

"Knowing I'd end up failing you and Prompto and Noct ... then havin' Iris just disappear... Iggy, I needed to find her. I couldn't fail her too. So I hunted like nothin' else mattered. Hardly ate, barely slept, practically shoved Noct away from me and kept my pace brutal even though I knew he was following me - Nothin' mattered but finding her." Gladio swallows audibly as he continues, tears still trailing down his cheeks.

"But I failed her too. She's not here - not anywhere - and I didn't even ... I couldn't keep her here, keep her safe. Iggy, what purpose do I have if I can't protect anyone? I failed you in your timeline, Prompto and Noct both in theirs, and now my little sister was snatched away to Six know where. An' to top it off my actions hurt you - all of you."

His eyes plead but for what he doesn't know. "What can I do, Igs? What am I supposed to do?"

Gods, he feels so lost.

C

[boomchucka]

[Selphie wouldn't mistake that face for any other on Mognet and he just looks... incredibly unhappy. Selphie could only assume so much as she approached Gladio with a gentle smile on her face. She could imagine what he was feeling as she seated herself across from him and waved to get his attention.]

Any luck?

[hashtagdaddy]

[His eyes drifted up, Selphie's wave succeeding in capturing his attention. Does she seriously think he'd look like this if there'd been any sign of Iris? That he'd be here without her if he'd found her?

Gladio wants to be angry at her thoughtless question but just doesn't have it in him to be angry at anyone but himself.]

No. No sign of her.

[boomchucka]

[Selphie can understand if Gladio were angry with her for the question but it was the only one that came to mind. She gives the shield a sympathetic look as she considers her next words carefully.

A lot of the things that come to mind are likely things that would only make him madder. She may have blurted them out if she were younger but being older now has the brunette holding her tongue on most of those. There may be only a few things that could make this right for Gladio as Selphie places her hands on her knees.]

I'm sorry.

I've checked most of Sparks Golsaucia like I said I would but I didn't have any luck either.

[All Selphie knows and is keeping to herself is that if Iris is half as strong as Gladio appears on the outside, then his sister should be fine.]

Don't give up, okay?

[hashtagdaddy]

[Gladio can practically taste the heartfelt sincerity in her words and it's enough to drag a half-assed smile out of him. He's grateful that she even looked at all, and her gentle encouragement acts as a balm to his mental and emotional wounds.]

Thanks, Selphie. [His voice is still uncharacteristically soft, but he sounds a little less ... surly.]

We're pretty sure she's just ... not on this world anymore. Just gotta wrap my head around it and accept it.

[Which is easier said than done, especially when pretty much all of his friends are varying shades of furious, disappointed, and upset with him.]

C

[remnantofzeboim]

It was hard to say exactly when Emeralda turned up by Gladio's fire, sitting on the ground a quarter of the way around it from him. She had one leg folded under her, the other tugged up, her arms wrapped loosely around it and her chin resting on her knee, staring at the fire. She had been...subdued...since she arrived at camp, and wasn't any different now. A far cry from her energetic self when they were exploring the tunnels.

Eventually her gaze flicked to him, and she offered him a small smile. "Hi." And after a pause. "You okay?

omg cutest icon ever

[hashtagdaddy]

Gladio recognized the small, spunky Berzerker and gave her a soft half-smile. "Hey."

The question was a loaded one, and he could lie and say he was fine or be honest with the tiny warrior. She reminded him too much of Iris (mostly in stature and in enthusiasm during a battle) though, and he didn't have the heart to be dishonest with Emeralda.

"No... not really." He answered with a sigh, head falling dejectedly forward to better hide his face.

"My sister's gone. An' I really messed up with my friends. How're you?" Gladio belatedly realized that she was a bit quieter, her smile less wide, than when he'd last seen her and found himself curious about what happened to dull Emeralda's shine.

And maybe he was looking to talk about literally anything else.

Right?

[remnantofzeboim]

Emeralda's smile turned sad at that. "Sorry," she said as her gaze turned back towards the fire, considering it tiredly. She was not, generally speaking, the introspective sort. There was too much of the world to see for that. But now...

"I-" She started to answer, but stopped, sitting up a little straighter as she tried to sort through her thoughts. Because she didn't know how to answer that question at all. Not without dwelling on...well, what she was already dwelling on, to be honest. Finally she sucked in a long, unnecessary breath, and her chin sank back down onto her knee.

"Fei and Elly are gone," she finally said. She had no idea if he knew them or not, frankly, but that was about all she could manage for the moment.

[hashtagdaddy]

Her simple, sympathetic 'sorry' honestly touched Gladio. There wasn't any scorn or pity, just a genuine sense of compassion for his situation. His ears caught her hesitation, and his eyes noticed the shift in her posture.

When she rested her chin on her knees she looked even smaller than usual and that, coupled with her tone, called to every brotherly instinct in Gladio's body and without thinking he placed a gentle hand on Emeralda's back.

"M'guessin' they were friends of yours?" He began rubbing soothing circles on her back, completely unconsciously, as he kept his voice low and soft. "Sorry t'hear they're gone. Y'wanna talk about it?"

C

[shinra_dog]

Reno isn't upset, or hurt, but he knows others are. He's concerned, of course, but he can't fully blame Gladio. He'd been there before. New world, unfamiliar territory, and suddenly someone you care about disappears. It's insanity.

He sat beside the other man at the fire quietly.

"How you holdin' up?" he finally asked. He already assumed Iris was gone, but gone was better than dead.

[hashtagdaddy]

Gladio barely notices Reno's presence when the man sits next to him. He's almost completely out of it at this point, having only just returned from his conversation with Ignis.

There's no point in lying, though, when Reno asks him how he's doing.

"Honestly? I'm wonderin' how fast that fire could burn me up." He keeps his voice low, wanting no one but Reno to hear that awful admission. Gladio's voice is that of a broken man and even his eyes are completely devoid of any semblance of life.

"But I gotta stick this out. So don't worry, m'not gonna do anythin' rash like that even if it'd probably be less painful than this. Y'ever suddenly go from having a family to having pretty much nothin' all because you did something dumb?"

[shinra_dog]

"Yep. Most definitely." Reno nodded as he watched the flames. He knew if he stared at them long enough, he could get lost in it. Go back to memories he'd rather not have.

"The difference is, Gladio," he continued, "your family is still here. Things might be rough right now, I mean, really fuckin' rough. But you guys can still talk. You probably should."

Since they really could disappear at any time, regardless of what anyone did or didn't do.

[hashtagdaddy]

"My boyf - one of my housemates has been flat out avoiding me since I got here, one just reamed me out and basically told me to stay away from him, one practically forgave me blindly and acted like my hurting him wasn't even important, and I haven't been able to talk to the last one yet." The words poured out in a rush, desolation permeating Gladio's voice.

Eyes closed, he tilted his head to look at the night sky and whispered a painful question. "Do I even deserve them as my family anymore, after running out on them like I did?"

Objectively, he knew that he still had his dad. But what about the others?

G

[warpstriking]

[Noctis had given Gladio his space. He knew Ignis would be livid after what happened. He'd been disappointed and hurt at him the night before. And, hell, he'd needed to clear his head before he even bothered. Though that didn't mean he didn't notice the big guy moping and sulking like some lavender-grey stuffed donkey who kept losing his tacked-on tail.

He waits until the Amicitia is alone to approach him, walking over with a canteen filled with fresh water. Gotta make sure he at least has that.]

Hey. [He says, stepping beside him. But there's no smiles, only the usual mask of indifference (one that is far too fragile, but he needs to try and think right now) as he holds the canteen out to him. His eyes staring out at the water.]

[hashtagdaddy]

[Gladio's been in a daze since talking with Ignis. Nothing could have prepared him for his best friend wanting nothing to do with him. He expected anger, disappointment, hurt, and everything in between. But not this.

He's standing near enough the main camp area to be seen by any who care to look but far enough away that he's not actually part of anything. Available if needed but otherwise isolated.

Gladio's pretty sure that's how things will be at home too.

Footsteps reach his ears so he's not startled when he hears a voice. He is startled when he recognizes the voice as Noct's.]

H-hey. [The proffered canteen catches his eyes so Gladio tentatively grabs it and takes a sip before holding it back out to Noct.]

Noct... I'm sorry. [He knows he owes Noctis so much more than that but at least it's a start.]

[warpstriking]

[There's a lot he could say, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut for a moment. Tries to ignore the burning pang in his chest again as he refuses to make eye contact. Yet those three little words ignite something that forces him to close his eyes and he takes the canteen back. Taking a sip himself before placing the cap back on and asking:]

Sorry for what?

[His voice is low, carefully measured. Gladio needs to be more specific than just a blanket phrase. He needs to hear exactly what he's sorry for.]

[hashtagdaddy]

[The better question is what isn't he sorry for, though the answer to that would be nothing considering Gladio is sorry for everything.

But just saying 'everything' is a cop-out and he's done enough running away to last several lifetimes.]

For losin' my head and deciding to go off on my own to look for Iris. For not tryin' to talk to anyone about it. For not even lettin' anyone know what I was planning t'do. [A breath, deep and long.] For sayin' all that shit t'you once you came outta the shadows. For treatin' you like you didn't matter. For layin' my hands on you in anger. For runnin' around with no consideration for you once I knew you were following me.

[A shakier breath.] For actin' like no one else mattered to me at all. For not trusting you or any of the others.

[Gladio closes his eyes against the onslaught of tumultuous emotions bubbling inside of him. Getting emotional won't help him now but there's a telltale burn behind his eyes and he squeezes them tighter. Hasn't he cried enough? He's sure he looks weak enough already and has no desire to look even weaker.

With a humorless huff he turns his head to look fully at Noctis, reddened eyes wet and swirling with sorrow.] An' if I left anything out I'm sorry for that too.