(OPEN) probably the least secret secret meeting, all things considered

[elswhisperer]

WHO: Setsuna F. Seiei (elswhisperer) & you!
WHAT: The code word log!
WHERE: City Hall Park
WHEN: July 12
WARNINGS: N/A


[ Over the course of the past few days, you may have noticed simple, nondescript flyers posted here and there across the city. All handwritten, they list a location (a particular statue in the City Park) along with a time and date (3:00 PM, July 12). Below that, an extremely brief message:

For establishing safe communications.

- moment.

On the day of, you'll find a young man in a red scarf waiting by the named statue. He has with him sheets of blank paper, pens, and pencils. ]

My name is Setsuna F. Seiei. 'Moment' from the network. The purpose of this meeting is creating a way to safely disseminate information to each other all at once. If one of us found an exit, or determined the identity of our captors, we'd be jeopardizing ourselves by revealing it openly over the network. At the same time, the network is our most efficient method of communication. We need to make the most of all the tools at our disposal.

We can accomplish that with the use of code language. One that's not complicated; that anyone could remember and pass along. What that code is and what we want to communicate with it is something one person can't determine for themselves. That's why I wanted us all to meet.

Without cooperation, we're not gonna get anywhere.

[ ooc: just a couple things! go ahead and mingle/threadhop as you like (especially bc i may not be the fastest tagger rn), and if setsuna has already mentioned to your character that he's been working on something, feel free to assume he left some kind of vague message about checking flyers over the inboxes or smth. ]

Comments

002

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei has come around at least twice now for a snack... This guy's a keeper for the secret committee for sure, if he's going to bring snacks every time? Nice.

Here he is now, listening but also eyeing the food again... subtly...

But,] A set place—you mean like a dead drop? The whole place resets itself except the apartments... We could use some of them?

[benedicus]

( snacks every time is indeed a perk of his inclusion. he's got strong feelings about having something to nibble on and drink during discussion meetings. )

Yes, a dead drop.

( a shake of the finger. yes, that's exactly the term he was looking for. he couldn't remember. )

Ideally I would like to see if we could invent a way to claim a space no one is currently living in. . . ( he makes a little hand gesture since it's kind of invasive. ) But, I believe I could offer up some of my living space for it if there is nowhere else more permanent.

( because he could make that work, he thinks. it isn't as if he hadn't spent the last several decades living in his own bookshop. )

It may also be useful for record-keeping if the network is insecure?

[coolerjunpei]

[Well then, allow him to help himself to a third snack to pick at during this talk. Dead drops in people's apartments...]

I think we could get volunteers. It's not like we're all in the same building, already—no one wants to commute to the secret info hoard.

[He shrugs; he... could offer his place, maybe that would help with the complex he has about it feeling like he's living in some disappeared person's space without their permission, but also it's kind of a mess. He'll get there.

Anyway, with a scoff that turns into a cough since he's eating, cringe,] The—ow—the network's definitely not secure. They gave us the phones in the first place, so...

[benedicus]

( ow?

let's hit the pause button this conversation for a moment. priorities.

without thinking, aziraphale steps closer as if he could actually do anything here. )

Are you alright? Did you bite into something?

( or did it go down the wrong way?

it doesn't matter because aziraphale is already pouring him a cup of tea and offering it to him. tea'll fix this. )

[coolerjunpei]

Uh— [Tea? Hello? Junpei takes the cup for lack of knowing what else he can do here, and he just kind of looks at it for a second. How hot is this... is hot tea a great cure for choking. He's not even really coughing anymore--

He takes a sip to be polite. It's okay.]

Thanks. Uh, I'm fine. It's... great tea.

[he knows nothing at all about tea???]

So, the secret info hoard...

[benedicus]

( for an angel, his logic to this is impeccable. unfortunately, in a space where his abilities don't quite work, the tea is just tea. it's nice, but not very useful! hopefully the gesture counts for something.

the sip is enough to satisfy aziraphale, allowing him to move on. )

Yes, yes. As for the phones, I would say they didn't quite give them to us as they did force them on us. I don't think anything about that bodes well.

( getting trapped in the train car until he answered the survey was something of a frustrating experience. he thinks it's worth mentioning as he tries to regain his train of thought. where was he about this?

that's right. the sisterhood of the traveling secret info hoard. )

If we could get volunteers, what else do you believe we might need? I imagine a box might make it easier to keep it exchanging hands safely, but it might also be a bit too obvious?

((I HOPE THIS IS OK, please ignore if not, it seemed better to put this here instead of just @az))

[codenametesla]

[She may not know these people, but she can't resist the allure of snacks, especially as her metabolism still seems to be on the higher side, even if it's not where it used to be.

So, she eventually wanders her way over to the snack table, in time to hear the suggestion about the books and where to store them, and chimes in.]

What about little, like... lending library kiosks? I've seen people put up little sort of cabinets that operated on a 'take one, leave one' mentality in places closed to where I lived before... Would those reset? It could be possible to put them in halfway points between buildings where people live and then it would look perfectly normal for people just wanting to share things, right?

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei is busy awkwardly sipping his cup of tea some more to still look polite, so he honestly welcomes the interruption as well as the suggestion. Hm!]

Oh, huh—some people were talking about mail delivery before... I wouldn't trust a public mailbox in this place, but if we set up that library thing somewhere secure...?

[He looks at Fussy Snack Guy, who looks like a librarian to him, so-] That work for your dead drops?

[elswhisperer]

[ Setsuna's listening off to the side, munching on some of Aziraphale's snacks.

He needs to thank him for these when he gets a chance.

At the mention of the mail, he finally chimes in. ]

We could utilize the mail system as a way of drawing attention from the dead drops.

[benedicus]

A mail system. . .!

( aziraphale repeats, mostly to himself, with an approving nod. he finds the idea brilliant. what an excellent thought! and he cannot help but find himself charmed by how bright and helpful many of the individuals here are. it really gives him hope.

it's almost a little exciting in a way. )

Wonderful suggestion, my boy. The two of those things could mesh together pretty well.

( really well. plus the sense of community that it would build would make working together as a large group much more efficient. and that's their greatest strength isn't it? working together. )

I think we're really getting somewhere.

[coolerjunpei]

A mail system that's a distraction...?

[Oh, it's getting Layered, huh.]

What about mail that's in code? Not that I think the mail's a bad idea, but what are we gonna send each other as fake secret info?

[benedicus]

Stories, of course. Childhood stories, myths we can recall, perhaps some recipes?

( if they were going to pass around decoys, they might as well be something that serves a secondary purpose. or even a third purpose if one wanted to start trying to draw comparisons, but that's a discussion for later.

then a pause as an idea occurs to him. )

Ah. This is simply a thought, but—I remember, there was a thing that soldiers did when we needed to pass along information. A mask letter. To read the hidden contents of the message, one needed to press a paper template to the letter and read what was visible through the cutout.

Everything else was just written around it.

[coolerjunpei]

That's... in depth.

[And, hm, a curious look? This librarian-looking dude was a soldier? Learn something new about people every day.]

But it's doable. Different templates could be used on the same pages... There's a lot to do with that, I think. If we can get the pieces right.

And uh, this is going to be off topic, but what do you guys think of using a canary as a symbol for danger? Around the city. [junpei remembering the ONE code thing he came up with at this meeting, right now--] You know, because of how they work in mines.

[elswhisperer]

[ Setsuna doesn't say anything as the mask letters are being discussed, but the focus on his face shows he's interested. ]

Innocuous imagery, simple to draw; it works regardless of anyone's familiarity with the concept of a coalmine canary.

[benedicus]

I like the idea.

( and he does. setsuna is right when he says it is simple to draw and not overtly suspicious. )

If we are already creating templates for the letters, we could also make stencils as well if anyone happens to need assistance with drawing them?

[coolerjunpei]

[hell yes that's 2 votes for danger birds]

Hell yeah, that's what I was thinking. Anyone can fill in a stencil, right? And it's less obvious than a big red "DANGER" sign.

[benedicus]

It sounds like we've got the beginnings of a strategy started then.

( now the hard part was going to be spreading that information covertly.

not at all this angel's forte. )

Perhaps next meet we can provide others with stencils and a symbol legend?

[coolerjunpei]

Yeah, I can think of some more. Do you know how to make stencils...?

[He seems like the kind of person who knows how to make little crafts. Ahem.]

[benedicus]

I certainly do.

( provided no one wanted to ask any nosy questions, he could also do a lot more than that. )

You can count on me in this regard.

( if he sounds a little excited to say that, ignore it. )