Nerds of a Feather Learn Together

[chefbayardee]

Who: Open to everyone!
When: Consistently in the evenings of May 9th-12th
Where: Curti Center Library, a larger conference room.
What: The howling hordes of airship pilot- and engineer-wannabes gather in one poor, poor place. And other nerds could probably study there, too.
Warnings/Notes: Feel free to write your own top-levels like with Makoto's birthday.

Wholly out of the blue, a message pings into your iMog slate, through the Kali Shashidhwaja Linkshell. When you open the notification, a horrible sound plays, and the text message's contents burst onto the screen in an explosion of confetti.

So I might've raided the Curti Center's library for everything on space, airships, piloting, and magitek. I also might have conquered conference room 3A in the library for the next few evenings. Come keep me company!

Please. It's quiet and lonely and I'm scared to leave by myself.
And I have cookies! ლ(❛ω❛ლ)

For whatever reason, you decide to head on over to the Curti Center, and you're met with a large conference room, with piles of books on the table divided by a few trays of cookies, and a few dry-erase boards because chalk is for bohemians. One, clearly at Hunk's corner of the table, has a sketch of an airship with arrows and chicken-scratched notes pointing to seemingly-random areas, as well as a blue-marker doodle of a bizarre creature circled multiple times and surrounded by question marks.

Another board across the room is partially taken up by a chart titled SKILLS! and broken into three columns: PILOT, MECHANIC, SCHOLAR. Hunk's name is written beneath each, but maybe you should write your own- there's a reason you're here, after all! And resting in the marker tray are about seven pamphlets on the Vaikuntha Pilot License Examination.

Oh, and there's a moogle sitting sternly upon the lectern next to the door, munching on a kupo nut as he gestures towards the bowl next to him, with "Donations" scribbled onto a piece of paper taped to the side.

Go wild, but shhhh! You're in a library!

( Potential baby top-level ideas include "asking your study neighbor what in the world something means," bellowing "HELLO YES I AM PILOT," and "I wandered in because free cookies but I don't want to be here and can't leave without causing a scene, help." )

Comments

[chefbayardee]

Hunk was in an academic groove, in a deep flow state. That was hard to do given all the hustle and bustle, so he was savoring it. And sure, he'd noticed that Bonnie had crept into the room, and written some deeply troubling titles on that board. But she was small and quiet and could fly, so he really wasn't paying attention to her. When that cookie poked him in the cheek? Well...

"Guh-aaaaaa-!!" Hunk let out a yelp as he jumped in the opposite direction, except then it turned into a near-soundless gasp, and then his hands clamped over his mouth. They were in a library, after all. Sadly, momentum from that initial startle started to overtake him, and he fell backwards to the ground with a thud. At least the chair didn't topple.

"H-Hi, Bonnie..." It was about all he could wheeze out, between calming the adrenaline, trying not to shout, and attempting to make as little of a scene as possible. He was probably failing, but he was on the ground. Barely anyone could see him there.

[kuposcreed]

She really hadn't meant to scare him. Really. Honestly. But as he flails back she fails at her too late attempt to try to stifle her giggle. But she's quickly after him, coming over the chair and looming from above while holding out the cookie.

"Ah, nfff, sorry kupo. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to give you a cookie, kupo." She gives it a little waggle, trying to hold it out in offering.

"But wow, you're all working really hard on all of this. I'm impressed, kupo."

[chefbayardee]

Hunk just huffs, because he really doesn't need to be spooked in the middle of a library gathering that he set up. Because he often got loud, which complicated the studying thing. Instead, he decides to eat his feelings, and he snatches up that cookie.

"We are." He rolls over so he's on his back, pops the cookie into his mouth in one giant bite, and pushes himself up to his knees. "I didn't expect so many people to show up, so I'm... kind of surprised."

And then he crawls with surprising speed back into his chair. Like it never happened. "Were people not as bookish in Crystallis?"

[kuposcreed]

"Mmm, no it's not that, kupo. There were a bunch of Heroes back in Crystallis who would work hard to try to uncover the secrets of my world and how to best save it." She looked around, keeping watch over everyone. A smile crept over her lips but it was a softer one rather than one of her usual overeager ones.

"But I think you're all getting to it sooner than they did. Whatever is troubling this world, I'm sure we'll be able to face it head on, kupo~" It's all guesswork, really, but when in doubt one sticks to what they know. And what Bonnie knew was her faith in the Heroes of Crystallis. The would-be Heroes of this new world, she could support them just as well. And as one this time too.

[chefbayardee]

While Bonnie's confident in their abilities, Hunk's a bit less sure. Since day one, people have found some troubling stuff. Weird girls, creepy drawings, doomsday moogles... it's a lot of unknowns to take in. And worrying's in his nature.

"You're not the first person to mention Crystallis." He shoots her a look, more curious than anything. "Were any of the others who ended up here good at figuring this stuff out?"

The Marshall seemed pretty savvy, but that was one person. The more he knew about the "professionals" the better, and what better way than to ask?

[kuposcreed]

"Um, let me think, kupo." In truth most of the research people she knew weren't here. And then there were some people who looked like them but didn't seem to remember her at all. She hoped everyone was okay.

"Marshall Nevada would be a good start, kupo. And Selphie is a good and friendly person. She might remember more than I do. Johnny and Reno are pretty clever. They might be your best bet, kupo." She didn't know how involved they had been with the research directly, but they hung around the people who did and they were good listeners to boot.

[chefbayardee]

Hunk just starts smiling, because he knows the Marshall! They met on the airship, they fought a Chocobo Eater together... good times. Selphie's been around the study hall, and he's pretty sure he remembers someone named Johnny. Looks like he's making good progress.

"Okay, what about people who aren't good at figuring this stuff out? Anyone else from Crystalis I should keep an eye out for?" And then he smiles, because Hunk didn't expect to get information out of getting his soul scared out of him. But then he lets out a little laugh, because, well... "Anyone I should avoid?"

He didn't think there were outworlders who could cause trouble, but. Wouldn't hurt to ask. Just to be safe. Y'know, better safe than sorry. Yep.

[kuposcreed]

"Kupo...Oh right, you might also want to talk to Ira or Kenichi. Kenichi wasn't on Crystallis but his wife was and she and Mary...um anyway they adopted Ira and he was there too, kupo~"

In truth Mary's own inclusion into the Nakagawa family was something well worked out between the two of them at the start and something Kenichi welcomed when they were finally reunited based on prior discussions he and Saori had. But it wasn't an easy or comfortable thing to explain to outsiders.

"Ummm, but people you should avoid...there were four Heroes who betrayed us and joined Kalki, kupo. I think they lived but I would be careful. But I haven't seen them, kupo. I can't remember one, but the others were Deadpool, Ardyn and Ales, kupo..." The memory of Ardyn facing his shadow still gave her nightmares! And Ales was a betrayer to the Brotherhood!