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

[regalblaze]

Ignis had a talk with Noct too. He didn't pass without warnings as well as the fact that Ignis was not happy that he left without any backup and leaving only a note behind. But, it comes down to this- Noct wouldn't have left if his shield had a bit of brain in that thick skull of his. And from what he gleaned, Noct didn't want to talk to his shield either. And he shouldn't- Ignis himself feels betrayed after this and he can't even imagine how Noct must feel.

"I wish beating the living daylights out of you would change anything," Ignis says hotly, hands crossed defensively over his chest. He's not going to budge from this. He's hurting, hurting too much- just the thought that Gladio was ready to leave them felt like he was blindsided.

"I expected everything from you. I knew your temper. But this-" Ignis is not even yelling anymore. There's just sadness and disappointment laced through his voice. "I didn't expect this from you." With unstable breathing, he feels as if he's going to keep repeating himself with the same question of 'how could you'. He tries not to, but the tug in his chest just doesn't want to let go.

There's a long silence after Gladio's apology, an inner struggle between heart and head, but it doesn't last for too long.

"I'm sorry, Gladio. I can't accept an apology like that," he says quietly. "To be more precise," he steps forward so he's properly face-to-face with him again, "I feel like you took my dagger and rammed it into my back." Ignis shakes his head, "I'm... not even angry anymore. Just... extremely disappointed, that you value me and my voice this low."

With that, Ignis shoves hands in the pockets of his pants and turns around to leave.

[hashtagdaddy]

Nononono he can't lose Iggy like this. With an urgency he's rarely felt, Gladio darts forward to grab at his best friend's arm. His grip is gentle, not wanting to do any more damage to Iggy than he already has, but firm enough to be felt.

"Please..." His voice cracks on the monosyllabic word. "Iggy ... I know I deserve it, all your disappointment and everythin' that comes with it... I deserve to have you walk away right now..."

Gladio's eyes burn and he does something he's never before done in front of Ignis - he lets his tears fall.

"You mean so damn much to me, Iggy. There's no - I can't --" Watery eyes continue overflowing with tears as he finally understands the actual depths to which he hurt his friend, hurt all of his friends.

He actually goes silent, slumping as his hand slides down Iggy's arm and gives a pathetic squeeze to Iggy's hand before dropping listlessly to Gladio's side.

Nothing he says can fix this. Hell, he's pretty sure right now that nothing he does can fix this. He may very well have lost his best friend, one of the men loves and wants to be with, all because he couldn't stop and think before leaving like no one else mattered.

Gladio's voice is a hoarse whisper as he looks down at his own feet. "...you're priceless t'me... Ignis ..."

He can't bring himself to watch Iggy walk away. Maybe he really is a coward.

[regalblaze]

Ignis pauses his walk, watching Gladio and holding back his own tears. He... never expected things to go this way, for their friendship and trust to break into pieces like this. On the surface he appears to be indifferent but, on the inside, he feels like screaming. And crying. And he now, the one person he confides in with these feelings have turned his back on him.

And Ignis doesn't know how to deal with this. He can't go to Noct or Prompto, he'll just worry them. Once again, he'll have to find iron strength in him and big chain to hold these tears of disappointment and feeling of betrayal back.

At least, until he's by himself. It's already become a habit that he handles stuff like this alone.

He doesn't return the touch, the squeeze and doesn't even look at Gladio. His ears are ringing from his apology but it just keeps cutting through him like a knife instead of fixing things like it should.

"Priceless things- they are not so easily forgotten. Especially when the storm is coming," Ignis says quietly.

"...I need to be alone right now, Gladiolus." Ignis glances at him briefly and then looks away again. "You will have to deal with the consequences of your actions-" an image of Noctis and their conversation flashes through Ignis mind briefly, an expression on Noctis face Ignis never thought he'll see, "-by yourself this time."

[hashtagdaddy]

When Ignis says he needs to be alone Gladio's eyes snap open, the shattering of something inside him on full display for his (former?) friend in that brief moment green eyes actually look at him.

*'By yourself.'* The words echo in his head as he watches the man who'd never once abandoned him fully turn away from him. Iggy has been his best friend for years upon years - Gladio can hardly remember a time where he hasn't been able to go to Ignis for advice or comfort or anything in between. And it always held true in reverse, Ignis could come to him for the same things and he'd be there.

But now ... now Iggy is going to walk away. Probably for good. Because Gladio had completely betrayed the bond they'd had by leaving.

The magnitude of exactly what he did by leaving - of what he's losing now because of it - renders Gladio almost incapable of breathing. He doesn't feel it when he drops to his knees, the thud of them hitting the ground lost to his ears. All he feels is loss.

And it's a loss he deserves.

With his head bowed, tears dripping onto his thighs and rolling to the dirt, he doesn't beg Ignis to stay. He has no right to. All he can do is whisper, mostly to himself, "I'm sorry, Ignis. You deserve better."

And as Ignis walks away, Gladio remains kowtowed and cries until his tears dry up. There's nothing else he can do right now. Eventually, he'll get up and dazedly wander back to the campfire in order to keep up some sort of appearance that things haven't been completely destroyed.

But he knows the truth, knows that nothing will be okay for a long while. And deep down he's terrified that this damage is permanent.