Support Group Open Thread for April

[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

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony's drink was a good deal more alcoholic and a lot less root beer. He had ordered a wine which once it arrived he held up on offer to Mr. Fell after he had poured himself a glass.

"The more people you tell the more likely it is that the Bureau will hear about it."

The wine was sipped.

"Some people might actually trust the Bureau and would feel the need to tell then about the meetings. Guess... you had better start small and invite people in slowly after they have been vetted."

[temptationaccomplished]

"Oh, why thank you. Don't mind if I do." After inspecting the label (and determining it would do), he happily poured himself a glass as well. He swirled it around his glass for a moment, enjoying the aroma as he listened to the two talk, then took a sip before adding his own additions.

"That's a valid concern. Also, the children," a point he had already raised to Anakin, but it beared mention again. "I don't want to put the children into any kind of risk, but we do have to do something. Operating under surveillance is hardly doing anyone a lick of good. No one can speak freely about concerns and, frankly, it's driving up a sense of paranoia."

He took another sip, dabbed his mouth, and smoothed the napkin down on the table primly.

"But then we have the other side of the coin. It's not enough just to vet someone's--" He paused over the next word, not sure if he really liked the implications behind it, but decided that was all that came to mind, "--loyalty. There are those that DO speak against the Bureau very openly--and SHOULD the Bureau choose to monitor such behavior, those few have painted a rather large target on themselves which may make their company problematic for our secrecy as well."

[darkforcerising]

Anakin shrugged. "Give people a place to vent, maybe they won't do it where the Bureau can see." But he understood the call for caution.

"But, ya, start small, work out from that... Ben's a bit busy right now with a show and kids on spring break, but as soon as he's free, we can ask him about starting meetings at his work."

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony snorted and held up his fluted glass in toast to the observation it was driving up paranoia, thinking this a good point if a touch understated.

"If the Bureau hadn't made that ominous threat before they left then maybe people wouldn't feel as pigeonholed. They did threaten both of you after that first memory too?"

He shifted on his side of the bench so his elbow could rest on the back.

"I was tending the Newton Apple tree when I ended up flat on the ground with that first memory swirling around in my head. And they were everywhere, swarming around like... like ants! Doing something to all the other people in the area. I thought they were there to help initially, but people weren't the same after they left. They had forgotten a good five minutes. Then that lead guy, whats-his-name, came up and said 'stay out of trouble'... That had to be a threat. He could have given over his number, said call if you need anything if he was actually trying to help."

The wine in his glass was swirled before a long and thoughtfully slow sip was taken in.

"There could be more than one meeting place. We could set up a series of them that way, if they ever did get wise to the idea, we could shift places. Go to the clubhouse, could mean the ice rink, take a stroll could mean the ballroom at the Botanical Gardens. There are a ton of off limits places out there where people could meet in secret."

Anthony smirked, feeling just a touch more wicked than he had in a long while.

"I have a set of keys that will open all of them."

[darkforcerising]

"Ya," Anakin said. "I got the threat, too." It's what made him dislike the Bureau from the start.

"Multiple meeting places is a good idea. But Mr. Fell brought up a good point. We don't want to meet anywhere that leaves a paper trail."

[serpentinthegarden]

"There wouldn't need to be a paper trail. It's a huge place, I could open up a backdoor and let everyone sneak inside."

His frown deepened even as he dived back into his wine glass, which required a refill after he had emptied it once. This was the exact opposite of staying out of trouble... this was getting into bed with trouble and giving it a kiss goodnight.

"Only as a backup location. If it seems like they are getting too close to the first one. Do you have a list of people you would invite? Better to keep that to memory instead of written down if we're worried about paper trails."