July Support Group

[tramitem]

Who: OPEN (Including to all the new characters who app throughout the month)
What: Bureau Run, Non-Mandatory Support Group
When: There are meetings at various times during the week, whatever works for your character between 8 am and 10 pm
Where: There are meetings at various locations around NYC, whatever works for your character
Rating/Warnings: We ask that players put appropriate warning labels in the subject lines of their threads as they become necessary


There’s a generic spread of food on a table off to one side of the room: donuts, muffins, bagels, and cookies; coffee, lemonade, water, and because one of the Different asked for it, hot chocolate. Maybe you’re hungry enough to try it—it’s free after all.

Or maybe you can’t stomach anything, given the event you’re attending.

The space is a local rec center. The beige-painted cinder block walls and the fluorescent lighting are a terrible combination. Maybe they are reminiscent of the public school you attended in your youth?

Why are you here? Curiosity? Maybe the Bureau official will say something that will help you make sense of things? The meeting was interesting—who knew there were so many people like you, receiving memories of a past life? The group was led by someone from The Bureau—the Department of Medical Services. Some people are staying in their chairs and chatting—they must know each other from previous meetings. Some of them are gravitating towards the food.

How do you feel about tonight? Has it helped you come to terms with the dream of memories you’re having? Maybe it’s time to talk to others, get an understanding of their experience.

Comments

Jim Hopper | OTA | Will match style

[hoponpop]

Hopper is reluctant to be here. He arrives late, takes a plate full of donuts and a cup of coffee, and sullenly slouches in a seat in the second row of the circle. He munches on the donuts when others are speaking, and when they call on him, he waves them off.

Talking one-on-one with other attendees is a bit different than talking to a group leader about this.

After the official meeting breaks up, Hopper remains, working on his donuts. If someone is to sit down next to him, he tracks the person with his eyes, wondering if they'll have something to say.

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony took one look at the man sitting there munching away on doughnuts and with that hat! He snapped his fingers and immediately pointed the guy out to no one but himself as everyone else was busy leaving.

"Cop. I'm right aren't I? Your whole look practically screams police."

Which he wasn't overly concerned with he was just making an observation. What was of interest to him was spoken of in a more conspiratorial whisper.

"Are you here as one of the 'Different' or did your unit actually place some one undercover to root out the truth of this organization?"

[hoponpop]

Hopper frowns. That's the thing, he does look like a policeman.

"Quit the force last year."

The continuation makes him snort.

"I'm 'Different'," he says, with a bitter undertone. "You bet I am."

[serpentinthegarden]

He looked even more like a policeman when he frowned. It was the same look the local Constable used to shoot Anthony when catching him at some mischief back in England.

"Must have been a very bad memory for that level of salt?"

[hoponpop]

"Not exactly bad," he says. "Just strange."

He finishes his donut and takes a sip of coffee before continuing.

"I just don't like the terminology they've invented. Couldn't come up with anything better than 'Different'?"

[serpentinthegarden]

"'Normally Challenged'?"

Anthony offered helpfully but as he didn't like the term now that he had said it he tried for something else.

"'Dreamseers'. That has a fantastical feel to it."

[hoponpop]

He makes a face at that first suggestion, then quirks his lips at the second, unsure.

"There's no good term, I suppose. But it ought to be something that makes it seem less crazy than it is."

[serpentinthegarden]

This was agreed to with a slight bob of his head, there really wasn't a good term for it.

"It begins to feel more crazy before even the most outlandish thing begins to feel normal. You'll get used to it. Maybe even develop some super powers."

[hoponpop]

Hopper looks at him skeptically.

"Super? Powers? As in like. Superpowers."

Sounds outlandish to him, but who knows now?

[not_as_i_do]

Martin blocked off part of his schedule so that he could make it to his second one of these things at a decent hour. As such, he gives a little wave to the man with the plate of donuts.

"At least the coffee's fresh this time. I guess once they realized we have to deal with this ... portal stuff ... they could at least caffienate us properly." He thinks about offering a handshake, but the other man has his hands full, so he simply pauses for a nod and smile instead. "Martin Whitly."

[hoponpop]

[ Hopper gives a tight nod and a small wave in return with a hand that's still pinching half a donut. ]

Jim Hopper.

[ He's reluctant to make friends here, but he doesn't mean to be rude. ]

Coffee's all right. You're right, it could be a lot worse.

[not_as_i_do]

[he notices the brusqueness and the brevity, but doesn't take it personally at all. it's still all as new and strange to him, and he didn't speak to many people at his first meeting, either]

Has anyone told you anything that's actually useful?

[hoponpop]

Why, is there any information that's actually useful?

[ So in other words, no. ]

[not_as_i_do]

Not much that I've heard over the last few weeks since I fell into all of this. ... The portal is still taking some getting used to.

[hoponpop]

Portal?

[ He must have heard that wrong. ]

I don't think I want to be involved in any of this. It's just that Mr. Martin guy seemed to think I should.

[not_as_i_do]

He's quite, ehm ... insistent, isn't he? But, yes. Real shocker, the portal. Still wrapping my head around that, too. I didn't believe the whole "other worlds" thing completely until I actually went to one.

I don't want to make a habit of it, but ... Well. You know what they say about seeing and believing.

[hoponpop]

Yes.

[ What portion of that he's responding to is left a mystery as he swigs his coffee. ]

So what happens now, we keep getting more memories of other times?

[consortofalderaan]

Bail did take a seat next to Hopper, calmly, but yes, deliberately.

"Your face is new. I don't come to every meeting, but I've been to enough by now to spot the look of someone's first time. Even if they don't say so during the meeting."

He held out a hand. "I'm Bail."

[hoponpop]

Hopper puts down his donut, wipes his fingertips on his napkin, then takes the hand for a handshake.

"Jim," he says. "I suppose it's pretty obvious, huh?"

[consortofalderaan]

Bail gave Jim a sympathetic look. "A little obvious. We all look a mix of shock, doubt, and like we don't know why we even came to our first meeting, or how we convinced ourselves to go. What did you think of the meeting?"

[hoponpop]

"It kind of feels like my experience is the only one out of the stories I'm hearing that makes sense, even though that one makes no sense either."

How does he knows they aren't just all going crazy?

[consortofalderaan]

"My first memory didn't make much sense until I got more memories," Bail said. "Do you want to talk about yours?"

[hoponpop]

He shrugs.

"Not much to talk about. I was walking in the woods with a box of Eggo waffles. I put them in a wooden chest."

Not much to talk about—but lots to wonder about.

[consortofalderaan]

"Odd in its normalacy?" Bail asked. "Any idea why you'd place Eggo waffles in a wooden chest in the woods?"

[hoponpop]

"If I had any idea I'd be less confused," he says. "Must have been leaving them for someone, I guess. But why didn't I just take them to the person?"