Support Group - March 2021

[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

[phdmotherfucker]

"If anybody does have the answers, they aren't sharing with the class." Harleen tucked her hair back and folded a napkin around a stale cookie. She regarded the new guy with a dry smile, remembering being in his shoes just a month before. It felt like so much longer. Maybe that was part of getting memories from another life, that time felt doubled up somehow.

"I know what you mean, though. The only way I know I'm not dreaming is that I haven't really slept for the last month."

[vrepit_no]

Shiro grunts a very disgruntled-teenager kind of sound when she says no one's sharing, but his wry disgust quickly turns into genuine concern. "Ah, excuse my prying, but. That's really not healthy. Are you okay? What happened that has you that worried?"

[phdmotherfucker]

She chuckles at his concern. It doesn't help anything, but it's sweet of him. There was a bit of hyperbole in her claim anyway. She'd slept a little, in restless naps here and there, but the memory always came back to her and woke her with a start.

"Some memories are more like living a nightmare than in a dream." She shrugs. Not much to be done about it.

[vrepit_no]

His eyes widen slightly and he crinkles his nose in sympathy. "Shit. I'm so sorry. I hadn't even thought about that, but it makes sense. Not everybody's bound to get their ideal alternate universe, I guess. Are they doing anything to help?" he asks, tipping his head slightly toward the Bureau rep. "They seem to know a lot more than they're letting on, anyway."

[phdmotherfucker]

Her eyes flick over and she shifts a little, turning her back to the rep. "They absolutely know more than they'll tell us, and they do jack. Just like any other government agency." She looked up and furrowed her brows with a frown. "Actually, I don't know for sure if they are government."

[vrepit_no]

He hums, brows drawn down in thought. "You know, I do my best thinking with fresh caffeine, and that--" he points in the direction of the church hour metal coffee dispenser "--is not fresh. I'm going to go grab some real coffee. You want some?"

He risks another quick glance over her shoulder toward the rep, trying to gauge their attention.

[phdmotherfucker]

"I can tell you from experience that this is the absolute worst coffee you could imagine." She nodded her head for the door. "Things are pretty wrapped up by this point, if you're ready to go. I can walk you out and point you to the closest coffee place still open."

[vrepit_no]

"Thank you," he says with genuine warm relief. "I would really appreciate that. Anything you particularly recommend there?"

[phdmotherfucker]

"It's kind of a limited menu, but it's fresher than here." She shrugs a little apologetically. If she's reading him correctly, the coffee isn't actually the main point anyway.