redshiftlogs | The Help Box

Entry tags:

The Help Box

Who: Elleru's Help Box and you! [OTA]
What: Someone decided the best way to figure out what help people need was to just ask.
Where: Anchor, housing level
When: Thoughout March and into April
Misc: Wasn't sure if this needed to go in the log comm or the network comm, given the format of it, but feel free to hit me up at

grimmhooke or on Discord if you've got any questions!

A box has appeared outside the barracks.

It looks something like the above, save for that it is literally rough around the edges: the box itself is fairly nice, but the slot in the top looks as though it was clawed out with a jagged knife, the edges having barely been smoothed over. There's a lock on the front, hanging above some writing painted in a childish, curlicue script. It reads as follows:

❀ Need Help? Looking for Something? Fill Out A Card. I Want to Help You. ❀

And above the box is a bulletin board with a number of colorful, paper flowers pinned to the corners. That must be for replies. Get creative with notes, steal the flowers from the board, ask a vague question with no real answer -- have at it Anchorites, as Elleru's Help Box is open for business... or trolling. Or both.

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What is with these do gooder types? He really doesn't understand them.

Kabal steals a paper flower and gives it to the reindire following him to eat. Sorry Elleru.

One flower gone, but two appear the next day, as Elleru is apparently determined to keep that board decorated.

There's a note scribbled on one of the petals of the bigger one:

Did you like my flower?

Kabal does not walk around with pens like some nerd with a pocket protector, so he has nothing to respond with. Instead he takes another flower to feed to the reindire, and then stabs the second with a knife.

Cool. Free knife.

Well, that's... a response of some kind. But hey, the flower is gone, so maybe it's a yes? Have two more flowers Kabal, along with another note.

You left your knife. I have taken it with me for safe keeping. I will return it if you wish.

This is turning into a paper flower hydra. What if he takes two this time? The reindire seems to really like them. Or maybe it'll eat anything Kabal hands it, either way, it's down for daily paper flower nomming.

This time he has a pen. His handwriting looks about how you'd expect from someone who didn't graduate high school and maybe wrote one school essay in his life.

Yours now. Know how to use it?

Oh good, he can join the Childish Scrawl Club with Elleru. They'll get jackets.

Another flower, this one more intricate, as she apparently used the knife to cut various slits in the paper, allowing her to fold more petals. Some of them are curled over one another, forming loops; others bend backward, helping the flower stand upright.

I have never owned a weapon before, believe I can find a use for it. ☺

Do flowers that have more time and energy put into them taste better to a reindire? Verdict seems unclear as the reindire really wants a cheese log and Kabal is out of that disgusting sludge.

first knife huh? As a crash course - the stabby part goes into other people.

This time he picks up the box and shakes it. Hm, doesn't sound like it's secretly full of 9mm shells or diamonds or anything. Boring.

I am aware of how a knife works. I have never had a need for one before.

She can cut ~~prey~~ things just fine on her own.

Why would I stab other people???

Oh great, she's not just a do-gooder type, she's one of those anti-violence kinds too. Probably gonna frown at him fighting things for fun. He should have expected it with the whole flowers and help box, but still.

Because the box sounds like it's full of paper he's not tempted to steal it, but he does return occasionally to shake it. Maybe someone will feel altruistic and decide to pay whoever put this up for services rendered. With what? Who knows, but whatever it is Kabal is willing to steal it.

Nothing yet. How disappointing.

Who are you and where? I'll show you.

Are you going to stab me? Or the animal with you?

She can't tell it's a reindire, but she knows for sure it's something that's always with this guy, given by the scent of the pages he's touched. That, or he just stinks.

He glances over at the reindire when he reads that.

"Wanna get stabbed for someone else's amusement? No? Spoilsport."

The reindire ain't having none of that, nibbling some of the remaining flowers while Kabal drafts his reply.

Not unless you do something worth stabbing.

Well, if he's not going to stab her or the animal he keeps bringing with him (she's just this side of peeved that she can't quite identify it), then he must just want to show her how to use the knife properly. How kind an offer!

I will await you in the park tomorrow morning. I am tall and have purple hair.

Very good descriptors, as Kabal will surely see. Another note gets tacked onto the first, clearly as an afterthought:

Bring your friend. ♥

Edited 2020-03-26 08:14 (UTC)

He scoffs at the 'friend' part because the reindire is not a friend. Or a pet. Or anything but a nuisance that follows him around. He shouldn't have given it that cheese log, now it thinks he's hiding them in all his pockets.

He'd expected that 'tall' was other people's version of tall which is still shorter than him. But no, she's equal to his height and that is some vibrant purple hair. Reindire in tow he approaches, half mask full of teeth that are something like a grin. Maybe. He's wearing a jacket with fur around the neck, two shiny hookswords hanging off his back that look well taken care of.

Though the man they're attached to looks like he's been burnt alive and left to roast.

"You the one making all the flowers?"

Oh hey, he's a tall fella too. Elleru looks Kabal up and down as she's addressed, taking note of all the details she can. Many scars, swords -- he must be a warrior of some kind. Is the mask for aesthetic, or is he afraid to show his face? No telling just yet, but she's confident she'll find out eventually.

"Yes, that is me."

She steps a little closer, her eyes on him before they lower to the reindire at his side. She offers her hands for it to smell, one of them holding a paper flower.

"And who are you?"

She doesn't clarify if she's asking Kabal or the animal, but it's likely the latter.

The reindire sniffs it, daintily giving the edges a nibble while it's companion rolls his eyes and thinks about punching it.

"I'm Kabal. That is a fucking nuisance that follows me around." He hasn't killed it yet, so that's something at least. "It's too dumb to know those aren't real flowers."

[It takes a little while for Kieran to read the box, between his basic skills and the curly script, but once he's done, he can't help but smile. It's a nice idea!]

[So, he takes a note and in an untidy scrawl, puts in his own request:]

help with ~~ree~~ reading please

[Said request makes him... sad, for lack of a better word, to put in. It had been something special between him and Ben, but with the latter having disappeared, Kieran needs to find another way to learn.]

[It won't replace those wonderful moments where he got to spend time with one of the first people in Anchor who cared enough to consider him a friend. But it also won't change the necessity of having to learn.]

[Oh, a request she can certainly help with! Elleru is utterly delighted, as reading is one of her all-time favorite activities. If she can help someone else learn how, she can share her books with them, and then they can talk about the characters, plotlines, and everything they love about them. How exciting!

She writes a return message, trying to make her letters very clear. They remain somewhat curly.]

Meet me in the library tomorrow morning. I will help you. ❀ I am very tall and have long, purple hair.

[WHOEVER COULD FIT THAT DESCRIPTION.]

[When Kieran comes by to check on the box and for any return messages, he's a bit surprised to see he actually got a response! Neat!]

[With a smile, he scans through the words, grateful that they're ready to read, if still maintaining that unique, charming flair.]

[A few moments pass as he decodes the words, and...]

[...oh.]

[OH.]

[OH NO]

[OH NO MISS ELLERU IS GOING TO HELP HIM]

[OH NO HE'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE SUCH A FOOL IN FRONT OF A NICE, SMART, PRETTY LADY.]

[BUT HE CAN'T STAND HER UP THAT'S SO RUDE.]

[HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.]

[PLEASE SEND HELP.]

[...]

[...Kieran shows up the next morning, hiding his face under the wide brim of his hat. Maybe if Elleru can't see his face, and he keeps his mouth shut the entire time, she won't be able to guess who he is.]

[Or maybe he'll get lucky and she won't show up at all.]

[Spoiler: he is not lucky, as Elleru absolutely shows up. And she brought books! One that looked pretty easy from the library, and one from her personal collection of 'romantic literature.' Despite how he hides under his hat, she recognizes Kieran immediately.]

Hello, Kieran!

[She sounds so chipper as she beelines for him, a wide smile cutting across her face.]

Let me see your eyes! They are still better, are they not?

[Scaramouche notices the newest feature of the lower levels on his patrol in the dead of night. He glances at it without a shred of interest at first.

Then he does a double-take.]

So you're a helper now, huh?

[He plucks one of the flowers from the board; an orange one, not at all unlike the one he's been wearing on his coat lately. He takes a pen in one hand, parts the petals with his other, and quickly scratches something out in thin, harsh, slanted cursive, sounding out each syllable as it appears.]

'Help me get you off my mind.' [Then, to himself:] Can you do that for me, baby?

[With a smug grin, the flower is closed and placed right at the center of the board.]

[Now here's a request that's a little harder to handle. How does one get off someone's mind? Does she know this person? Do they know the box is hers? Well, they must if they wrote that, but now Elleru wants to know just who this note-leaver is. It's like a little game of finding out the identity of a secret admirer, and she is thrilled by that prospect.

She starts by inspecting the note carefully. Sharp handwriting, kind of hard to read -- it doesn't seem like handwriting Rey would have, but she's shy enough that she might think to write to this anonymous message board rather than just admitting her mind has been preoccupied with thoughts of her roommate. A cute notion, but it could be from someone else. She doesn't know what Scaramouche's handwriting looks like, either. Or Qubit's. Or Reynir's. Or Kieran's. Or anyone's other than Ami really. Drat.

She writes back, leaving the note pinned beneath the flower, which has been moved to one of the corners of the board.]

Why is it I am on your mind?

Edited 2020-03-18 08:15 (UTC)

[The next morning, another response in that same, mysterious handwriting can be found on the overleaf of her note.]

Do you really have to ask?

I do. I could be on one's mind for many reasons.

[But she's hoping the reason this person has is a good one.]

[A new day, another reply.]

It's simple, doll.

I want to make you sing again.

[He's laying his cards on the table; she always does. If she had any doubts over who was writing her, this oughta clear them up.]

[Ooooooooooh now she knows who this is. Enjoy another flower with her next note.]

You are welcome to make me sing anytime. ♥ We make beautiful music together, no matter which instrument you use.

[And just in case her attempt at upright wordplay is off, she includes a small drawing of what appears to be a winking emoji.]

Edited 2020-04-06 07:43 (UTC)

[He'll be taking that flower now; it's going in her hair later.]

Let's make more of it tonight. How about it?

[ Look, Qubit doesn't trust anything that appears out of thin air around here, so when he finds the box he spends a couple minutes examining it before making a submission. That's the simplest way to contact whoever put it there, after all.

His handwriting is messy but legible; it's supposed to be print, but he writes too quickly for the pen to consistently leave the page (or flower, I guess) between strokes, turning it into sort of a hybrid cursive. ]

Who's offering?

[No lie, it takes her a bit to figure out his handwriting, and with only two words, there's not much in the way of context of what she can read to help her out. Thankfully, she figures it out, and so she writes back on a note tucked beneath the original, pinned to the lower half of the board:]

Someone who wants to help, but is not sure how. What better way to discover than to ask? ☺

[ All right, so these messages are just as public as the network. Good to know... ]

What are your skills? There's plenty that needs doing, I'm sure we can find something for you.

* Assuming you're a resident and this is all on the level, of course.

['What are my skills?' is one of those questions Elleru honestly has a hard time answering. She was raised knowing her place in the colony; it's only since she's left that she's had to consider what it is she wants to do and what she's capable of beyond that role.

There are a couple of ink blots on the reply, as though the pen rested there while she thought of a suitable answer.]

I am stronger than many people, and good at digging. I enjoy reading and making crafts, such as these flowers, and am learning to cook. Most of all, I like to meet new people, am a good listener, and am a quick learner. I may not have many skills yet, but I am learning more each day.

[ Hmm... Well, whoever this person is, they certainly sound earnest. He can't help speculating on their identity, though. He's assuming female, based on the embellished handwriting, and possibly quite young - which narrows the field considerably, it turns out. Poison's not this whimsical, Cho wouldn't ask before helping... Ami, maybe? He's not sure. "Good at digging" could be very useful for the mining operation he's working on, depending on how good "good" is, but without knowing for sure who he's talking to, he's not sure it'd be right to suggest it.

It is perhaps worth noting that letter-writing is the medium most conducive to Qubit actually thinking through the consequences of his words. ]

How about morale operations? The suggestion box is a good start, but think bigger, more proactive. In circumstances like ours, it's easy for people to become isolated and slip through the cracks. What we need is more of a sense of community.

So we are in need of a group project rather than a party? The little robots have thrown so many, but not everyone appears.

[Why don't people like parties where they can get drunk on tree sap, or high as a kite with a hookah, or pelted by snowballs in a sudden freeze?]

[ Gosh Elleru we can't all be about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll ]

Bear in mind, the robots are following instructions left for them decades or centuries ago. They're putting on the festivals of a bygone generation. They don't (perhaps can't) understand we aren't their old masters & don't celebrate the same things.

Not to say parties don't have their uses, but a communal project would have more lasting effects. Something that benefits everyone in Anchor, even if it's not strictly necessary for our survival. A way for residents to engage with their neighbors & give back to the community.

[ He had to unfold the flower to make that all fit, but he refolded it afterwards. It may have taken a couple of tries. ]

[Not with that attitude, Qubit.]

I will ponder on this communal project. It must be something worthwhile. Until then, perhaps we could reach out to those in isolation and let them know they are welcome.

Do you have any suggestions for someone like that?

[ Uh huh.

Well... this is interesting. He's seen bulletin boards and help wanted columns in the papers but this is something else. This is an odd, anonymous form of charity that he isn't sure he understands. Or likes.

He's very much used to going out into the world, looking around and doing what he sees needs to be done. The concept of asking people what they want seems counter productive, because you just get arseholes asking for a bathtub full of beer or a lifetime supply of money or something else stupid.

Then again, when someone makes such a sweeping offer, without specifying what is possible, how are you to know what to ask for?

And, when it boils down to it, what do they want in return?]

How much does it cost? Or what will we owe you?

Cost? Do you mean money?

[Do the uprights here have money? What would they even buy with it?]

Or goods, or services. What do you want in return?

[ Nothing is free, after all. Not when you don't know who is making the offer. ]

I do not require goods or services. I enjoy meeting new people, and too many are afraid to ask for help. ♥ Companionship and learning about others is a reward itself. We are all here together, and we should help one another!

[She might be just a hair idealistic.]

[ Just a little.

But Jacob is... well. Maybe a tad naive, still, too ready to trust people. And so when that message is posted, Jacob reads it and believes it. ]

Alright. I need to find a boiler. Like a big barrel. Made of metal. We can heat up with liquid in it.

[Well, that's certainly not the kind of request she expected, but if nothing else, it'll give her a chance to snoop around Anchor with purpose.]

What will you use it for?

Brewing!

[ No one can be upset with that, right? It's a great idea! ]

[Thankfully, she's not upset. Just confused.]

What is brewing? For [some blots and a couple of scratched out words as she was trying to figure out the right one] drinks or potions?

[ Anyone who was near the box when Jacob came passed the next day would have witnessed his amusement at the reply left for him. ]

The important thing, obviously. Beer. Maybe whiskey if we can work that one out. Anything that isn't ~~techella~~
~~techilla~~ tecila.

Edited 2020-03-25 07:23 (UTC)

[Okay, beer and whiskey she knows, and assumes what the last one is through context.]

I will try to find this for you. [And she's drawn a small picture of what appears to be a mug with froth at the top of it, the stereotypical glass of ale.] Or can it be made?

[ Okay that's cute. He'skeeping that note because that is a damn good picture of a beer and it makes him happy.]

Happy to work together on it but appreciate the help. More eyes etc.

We could make one. I think. But need to find a lot of bits and pieces.

[She hopes the fact he took the note means he liked her drawing -- or maybe he fed it to an animal friend, like one of the visitors to her board and box keeps doing with her paper flowers.]I can look for pieces, as well. But when you have your brewing, do you think we could have a party to celebrate?

[There's another note tacked onto this one with a squiggly line pointing to Qubit's and the replies. Nothing boosts morale like booze, right?]

Edited 2020-03-26 08:23 (UTC)

[ Rook seems to fend for itself. Sure Jacob feeds it little bits of his own meals, just as he does to Charles' wolf, but he knows paper isn't actually food.

Not until you're really really hungry.]

A party? With booze? Of course!

I will take this offer when you have your boiler. Until then, allow me to search. I will be in contact.

[She's going to find a boiler so hard because she loves her an excuse to party.]

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The Help Box

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