Introduction Log || Third Time's The Charm

[eternitymods]

Who: All characters (New Arrivals, Previous Arrivals, and Native OCs) When: August 5th Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District What: It is happening for the third time now. More outworlders have arrived in the Dream Width and must be rescued and brought back to their new homes on Vaikuntha Warnings/Notes: Only new players can put up a toplevel. Previous arrivals and established native characters can respond to new characters' toplevel posts. MEMORY [ You've been here before...? No, wait, why would you think that? You're here in the moment, everything is as it should be...(?) The memory you are trapped in has completely enthralled you. You stop questioning and accept, you relive and repeat. Luckily, you are not alone. Others have arrived to help you. The travelers in the airships will enter the nebula formed by your memories and attempt to wake you up and bring you back to the present. The dreamer's mind will shape how these newcomers are perceived and how the NPCs in the memory respond to them. For more details on the mechanics, please refer to this post] ARRIVAL [ You wake from your dreams, from your memories, on a narrow cot. There are fleeting impressions- recycled air, humming machinery, movement, strangers waking around you. The room you wake in is lined with cots, with barely enough space between them to walk to the door, though not all of them show signs of having been occupied. The makeshift infirmary seems like it was prepared to hold many more than are here. Stepping out, there is a lobby space that bears the signs of having once held some furniture, now cleared away to make space. Your footsteps echo in the emptiness. As the automatic door slides shut on the infirmary, a light flashes on the far side of the room. A flickering holographic projection of a man’s face and gloved hand appears projected in the space above the arrivals’ heads. He backs up so his upper body is in frame for the recording. An arm, covered in the same orange flightsuit sleeve, hands him a tablet. The man begins to read. A written version of the message scrolls along the bottom of the projection as he speaks. ] ’Welcome travelers’… That’s way too formal. Hey everyone. Hi! [ The second man leans into the frame to add his greeting. ] Don’t panic. You were floating out there, but we pulled you in and rescued you. Yeah, we’re heroic AND handsome. And also the only ones crazy enough to come out here to get you. [ A woman’s voice calls from out of frame. ] Can you two be serious for ONE moment and stick to your scripts? [ The two men give each other a conspiratorial eyeroll. This does not appear to be their first take. ] Anyways, no need to panic. Seriously, don’t do anything reckless. We got our fill of that with Skywalker. [A huff is heard offscreen, and the men finally spare the tablet another glance.] ‘Your pilots will be navigating treacherous environs as this message plays…’ Claire, seriously? Nobody talks like this! [ The tablet is tossed to the side and lands with a thunk offscreen. ] We’re gonna wing it. Look, everyone, we’re workin’ hard to get you planetside safely, and it’s gonna take some tricky flying to do it. So the door to the cockpit is locked so we can focus on not getting us all killed. Don’t try to open it, unless you want to be stardust. We promise you’ll get answers about what’s going on once we land. But for now, please trust us. Right now, we’re your only hope. [ The second man leans forward, close to the recording device, and presses a button. The projection freezes for a moment, and then the message starts on the next recorded message. ] CURTI CENTER [ Finally after hours of flight, you arrive at the Curti Center. The other NPCs await you having been notified of your retrieval in the Dream Width. Jessie gives a long and somewhat awkward welcome speech, explaining what the situation is: you were lost in a space called the Dream Width. You are now on a planet called Vaikuntha: for ages, the people of this world have used Airships to rescue people lost in the Dream Width, with one person being found roughly every ten years. No one knows why this happens, but this has been a mutually beneficial exchange, with the people from Vaikutha rescuing people lost in the Dream Width and the rescued ones sharing their wisdom with the people of Vaikuntha. Ten years ago, something unusual happened: two people were found at once, Biggs and Wedge. But that was nothing compared to what happened four months ago... And two months ago. And now, here you are. No one knows why such a large number of people has arriving lately, but the Curti Center is a place dedicated to piercing the Dream Width's secrets. Jessie also introduces the other ones: Claire, the woman sighing and writing in her schedule book upon being pointed out as the bookkeeper, Kupoto and Mogaruru, their Mognet representatives and finally the Native OCs: those brave and kind souls who have accepted to help you all on a daily basis. She also mentions Cid, the director who is busy preparing for certain dealings later this month. After Jessie finishes , the employees, including the Native OCs, provide a tour of the facility and help the newcomers navigate their future lives. Now is the time to ask questions and look over pamphlets regarding locations, Jobs, life in Vaikuntha... ] [ If you want to contact an NPC, you can do so on the NPC Contact Page. ] A BALL OF FLUFF NAMED MOOGLE [ It has been a long day, perhaps now you would like to find your way to a place to sleep? Or perhaps you'd like to get some answers, but you can't be bothered to go seek people out? And lo, just as despair begins settles in, a Moogle slams into you! Or stops by your side if their aim is decent... It's the Moogle Jessie mentioned in her speech earlier! And they'll be informing you that now, they will stick to you like your shadow and help you in anyway they can! They're also giving you your iMog Slate- Now you can get onto Mognet! Isn't it great? ] A QUICK CHECK-UP [ Whether it's your Moogle, Native OCs or NPCs, all will urge you to stop by the hospital wing for a basic check-up. You may disagree, but listen. You've just been thrown into a space between worlds, rescued, and brought to another world. For your own sake, that's a good idea. Should you give in and go (or should you be dragged by your Moogle or a Native OC), you will find yourself in the cold and white space very reminiscent of an hospital. For characters with specific medical conditions necessitating help, this is where they will receive it if asked. The doctors and nurses are all White Mages or Chemists, with various levels into their Job as well as medical knowledge. Don't mind the confused looks if you look like nothing they've ever seen before... It's hard for a doctor to be unable to give a proper diagnosis to a patient! For everyone else though, they'll be let go with smiles and be given a candy as they leave. No one likes medical check-ups, but it's a very quick and basic one: testing reflexes, taking your temperature and the likes. On the bright side, while you're grumpily sitting on a bed with a thermometer on your forehead or in your mouth, it might be a good time to socialize with your fellow new arrival who's having lights flashed into their eyes by a doctor. Misery loves company, after all. ] PRETTY SIGHTS [ There's plenty of rooms to wander about in, with several points of interest apart from the offices. The Airship Hangar is where the airships are kept and the first room you entered. Workers keep guard to prevent the outworlders from getting too close to the vehicles. Airships are expensive and they don't want you messing with them, after all. Venturing into the Research Section, you can walk through public exhibitions on astronomy, airship design, and asterisk studies. A good place to get used to the basic science of this world. The laboratories lie behind a thick locked door with a sign reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY". No going there, for now anyway. Not too far from there are the Employee Quarters - work stations, apartments, and lounge areas. The latter are available to the public, whereas the rest is locked to Native OCs. But if you get them to be friends with you, perhaps they'll let you visit? Also open to all is a Cafeteria - a standard food court with stalls serving all types of Vaikunthan cuisine. The Chef is a very jovial and absent-minded Hypello. Beware of long lines and crowded tables. Should you prefer open spaces, then the gardens are for you! There are different sections in the gardens around the center. One boasts a wide array of blooming flowers, another more practical with herbs commonly used in Vaikunthan cooking. One had been cultivated for butterflies and hummingbirds to visit. Paths have been laid through so that visitors can safely navigate, and moogles will swoop down and shout at anyone who strays into the flower beds. Or perhaps, you want to wait till the sunset. Dusk on a new world, but a beginning of a new life... The sea shines bright in the orange light. A good moment for quiet contemplation. ] HOUSING [The housing accommodations are the best the Curti staff could provide, given that they are still also sheltering most of the previous arrivals from the Dream Width. The keys have been entrusted to the moogles who will be guiding the new arrivals. The new arrivals can stop by the Curti Center storage room to collect some essential supplies that have been donated by charity organizations from around the world (there are boxes of toothbrushes and whitening toothpaste sent from the Zora, hair brushes from the Elezen, quick-drying towels from the Hypello, among the various donations of clothes, toiletries, and blankets), before heading to their temporary homes. The people of Vaikuntha have done their best to provide for their new neighbors and help them get on their feet. Still, things will be a little cramped until the off-worlders can find employment and move into better housing. The staff hopes they can get along with one another until alternate arrangements can be made. You can survive living with roommates for a few months, right?] THE JOB FOR YOU [An important part of life on Vaikuntha is the Job (or Jobs) you choose to take. No, not the way you earn your living. Your Job Class. Most Natives only choose one or two, but you'll have an opportunity to take on more Job Asterisks after you master your first Jobs. The Curti Center's resident Job Master, Ganeshan, is more than happy to arrange transportation to the various Guilds so that you can claim your first Asterisks. ]

Comments

[wildlinks]

It was a lot to take in. Not just that he's on some other planet and away from home, but the Moogles, the jobs, the actual living quarters underneath the water. It was a bit overwhelming, even for Souji who is familiar with moving to new places every year. This was, however, on a whole different level.

He feels weird making a cup of tea underwater but, here he is. Somehow, the warm beverage always soothes him. And at first, he didn't notice Futaba lurking behind a couch, even though he had a feeling someone was watching him.

Once he spots her, though, he offers her a wide smile.

"Hi!" Maybe being too bright isn't the way to approach her... she seemed like a really shy type. "Would you like some tea too? I can make some for you as well." Naoto said it would be fine to make some for himself so he took up the offer.

[promiselisting]

... well he seemed nice enough... Or at least was trying to be. She shifts her weight from foot to foot, kneading the couch cushions beneath her a bit as she considers his offer. She wasn't as much a tea drinker, for obvious reasons. But she didn't hate the stuff so long as it wasn't too bitter.

"... what kind?"

Her tone might come off as a bit brusque but it's really just... how she hides her anxiety.

[wildlinks]

"Well, I prefer oolong, but there is also green tea and chamomile. Which one do you prefer?"

Souji doesn't mind the tone of voice she speaks to him with. He heard way, way worse. Outright insults too.

"We can add some honey if you prefer it sweeter." Not something people usually add to green tea, but it works for chamomile quite well.

[promiselisting]

She's still fidgeting with her toes. It's not exactly sweet that she prefers, just... not super bitter. That being said....

"Oolong's fine." If she's gonna be doing tea at all and not like... coffee or juice.

[wildlinks]

"Great choice," Souji nods and goes back to the kitchen to whip up the tea for her as well. He feels a bit odd going through cupboards like he was in his own house but- it's fine, right? Just for tea.

He returns back to the living room, now two mugs in his hands and walks over to the couch where she was sitting.

"Here you go. Careful, it's still hot." There's a small pause as he looks around and rubs back of his neck. "I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced like this and going through your stuff."

[promiselisting]

As he turns to brewing tea, Futaba herself flips over and returns to her work. She's got her iMog slate next to her, but she's claimed most of the coffee table for her current project: a laptop that's currently on, though most of the screen is taken up with the desktop, and one window that seems to be scanning for... Wifi?

The desktop itself seems to be a picture (taken by phone) of the interior of a small cafe, with an older man behind the counter. If he looks back periodically, he might notice that the image changes every ten minutes or so - though it might be hard to tell at first, as all the pictures seem to be different shots of the same place. Sometimes the older man is behind the counter, other times it's that frizzy-haired kid who helped Souji in the Dream Width. As for the guests, they change, but each picture always seems to contain at least one of a consistent group of people.

There's also several parts that seem to be Vaikunthian in origin scattered on the table. It might take a little nudging to find space for her tea. As for Futaba herself, she's totally absorbed in her work until he speaks, and she jumps.

"G-gah!" she yelps, "Don't- don't scare me like that!" Admittedly though, she feels a little bad about snapping as her heart rate slows down and Souji apologizes. Ducking her head, she mumbles a bit. "...I mean... it's gonna be your place now too, right?" Don't worry about it. She'll... she'll get used to it. Eventually.

[wildlinks]

"Ah-! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Souji instantly apologizes. He didn't expect her to be so deep into her work by the time he comes back. But... it looks like she's really going for it. He understands little of what is going on the screen of her computer or gadgets and pieces that are strewn across the table.

He takes a seat on the chair so he doesn't disturb her space on the couch (if she took up the entire coffee table, the couch is next), and leans back.

"Well, you have been here longer than me," Souji shrugs with a small smile. "I first need to contribute to the place before I can properly call it 'home'. Right now, I'm more like a... hmmm..." Souji tilts his head, "...a guest?"

[promiselisting]

Futaba just... makes a noncommittal noise at that and shrugs, halfway back into her work again already. If that's how he wants to see it she isn't gonna stop him? Probably a lot like Ren when he first got to Tokyo. Not an established, essential part of her and Sojiro's lives, but still there, and not so easily deterred or gotten rid of or anything.

Actually though, after a moment that thought gets her to stop, when it might not've half a year ago. Thinking about how Ren musta felt back then. All by himself, no family (they didn't call they never called him), no friends, a bright and shiny new (undeserved) bad reputation hanging over him like a cloud... With a sigh he leans back fully, abandoning her project for the time being, and glancing over. Taaaaaking that tea and taking a sip. It's not Ren or Sojiro's coffee, but... eh.

"It's not bad," she says finally. And then after an awkward pause, "So... you're already contributing, see?"

[wildlinks]

Souji doesn't disrupt her work and just slowly sips on his tea. He's not sure what she's working on but whether studying or work- that requires concentration. And Souji knows all about it.

During that time, he looks around the place curiously, noting the water when he looks through the window. It still feels so surreal that he's under the water right now. It's both exciting and scary at the same time. A bit claustrophobic? What if something happens and he drowns in his sleep?

His random thoughts are interrupted by her speaking up again and... that actually made him feel warm on the inside. He gives her a warm smile, "I see. I suppose you're right." Thank you.

"Ah, I didn't introduce myself officially. I'm Souji Seta. Nice to meet you."

[promiselisting]

"Futaba Sakura," she supplies, busying herself with the cup again. She wouldn't be surprised if one of the others had mentioned her already but she's not some mannerless heathen. Mostly. "Nice to meet you too."

Despite everything, despite her deep-seated discomfort with new people and situations and the fear that they'll backfire all over again, as they had every time in her life (save one- no, two), she can't help but feel a little warmer too at that smile.

Now for the part she is utterly terrible at: small talk.

"So..." she pauses awkwardly, "You're the guy, right? Kanji and Naoto's leader."

[wildlinks]

He was told he's good with people, that something 'draws people to him'. He still doesn't understand what or why considering he's been by himself for the biggest part of his life. But, whatever that 'something' is, he's glad for it. Because Futaba looked really uncomfortable just moments ago by his presence.

Hopefully, a small chat will relax her further? Distract her from it.

"Something like that," Souji chuckles, taking a sip from his tea. "They decided that I am the most suitable one to lead them through the TV," he says slowly. If Naoto and Kanji told her about him being a 'leader', then they probably told her about what they did and the persona.

"Out of the TV though, I'm just Souji Seta, their friend," he grins.

[promiselisting]

"Well, yeah, I figured that was kinda a given," she says with a shrug. She'd figured all of the people that Naoto sent her were friends in some way or another. Another sip.

She's also running under the assumption that someone told him that they're all one big happy Persona house. So if she's running a little ahead of them in their conversation... oops.

"Man I still can't get over that you guys just... went through a TV to get to the Metaverse." So weird. "What's that even like?"

[wildlinks]

He just didn't want her to think he's like bossing them around out of the TV. He's still not that close to Naoto as he would have, but the way she spoke to him before- it would seem it will happen eventually. And it made Souji happy.

"Ahh. It is... hmmm. How to put it..." Souji rubs his chin in thought, looking for the right words.

"It is like diving into a water, but without getting wet or drowning." With a laugh, he rubs back of his head. "It probably doesn't make any sense, but that's how it feels to me."

[promiselisting]

Honestly given... everything she's seen so far, she's expecting him to be a lot like Ren. Which means being domineering or bossy is just about the last thing she expects. If he were to ever ask, she'd probably say as much, but she doesn't think to bring it up on her own yet.

"I mean I guess it does a little? Whenever we use the Meta-Nav the distortions just kinda...." she pauses and uses her hands to demonstrate, bringing them apart to indicate something billowing outward, like a cloud or ripples in water.

"But like... did one of you guys have a super-big TV? Or did the entrance just kinda... expand on its own?" Logistically it seemed. Difficult.

[wildlinks]

So it would seem that their experiences aren't as different as he thought. The only difference is the way they travel. Technology changed- a lot it seems- between his time and hers so instead of the TV, the Other World is now accessible by the means people use the most to get information- phone.

"Ah..ahah..." Souji chuckles, a bit embarrassed.

"We... actually did have to use a big TV screen. Since none of us could afford to buy a big TV, we always gathered at Junes." Souji's face softened a bit at the memory and them hanging out at Junes. He wondered if Yosuke's alright. Teddie too.

"The night I found out I can pass through TV screen I-" yup, that's embarrassed flush, "-I... got stuck. The, uh, TV was too small for me to fit in."

[promiselisting]

Futaba stares for a moment and then-

"Pft-! Oh man that sounds great." Her laugh is a bit of an inelegant snort, "I mean, I'm pretty sure we got some stories like that too, but-"

Perhaps not the most polite of responses but. She's smiling now?

[wildlinks]

Hey, a laugh is a laugh! Souji will take what he can get, as long as she is not afraid of him anymore. Or at least relaxed around him a bit more.

"At first they didn't believe me when I told them," Soujis grins, "but we ended up falling into the TV together." So they ended up believing him.

[promiselisting]

Well, if they were sharing stories....

"From what I heard... when Ren and Ryuji first went into the Metaverse it was just... total accident. They were walking to school and then next thing they knew it was a castle," she didn't know a lot of the details. Just. The very general picture.

"The first time I went in was... kinda an accident too. I guess that's like... a half-requirement or something?" At the very least, it seemed... pretty common. Ish.

[wildlinks]

"There is always a castle involved," Souji says with an amused smile. Just... the thought of Yukiko's Castle is sending a bad shiver down his spine- the place made him realize just how dangerous the TV world actually is. He is so glad they managed to reach her in time.

"It is important that you weren't there all by yourself." He looks at his hands with a small frown, "I don't know much about Metaverse, but any place where Shadows dwell is extremely dangerous to wander around alone."

[promiselisting]

Ah. You're... sweet, Souji. Worrying like that. Unnecessary, but. Sweet. Futaba's smile fades and her gaze redirects itself to the floor.

"It was my own Palace, so... probably not as dangerous as it could've been. The others had already cleared a way to the Treasure Room, and pretty sure my Shadow was kind of keeping an eye on things."

Her Shadow being the ruler of the Palace, after all. And therefore able to control the Shadows that wandered around in it. Her Shadow had wanted her to face the truth, and that had meant her making it to the end.

[wildlinks]

Souji is always like that, for some reason. Even when he's told not to worry, he'd still think about it. Also, knowing how things go down in the shadow world, it makes him think that Metaverse is a tad bit more dangerous.

"Your Shadow kept an eye on things?" That sounds a bit confusing. He's never heard that shadows can do such a thing- other than creating the worlds.

[promiselisting]

"Yeah," she notes the confusion, "I guess... that didn't happen in the Midnight Channel?"

She doesn't wait for an answer and launches into a brief explanation, "In the Metaverse, Palace's form from a person's distorted desires. Their shadow manifests as the Palace's ruler, and they can control the shadows that appear there."

At least to some extent.

[wildlinks]

"I suppose that shadows 'supervised' things but not in a good way," Souji says slowly. The way Futaba explained her Shadow it seemed like she had full control of whether the other shadows will attack people that come in there.

"In the TV world, the shadows come from the truth about yourself that you deny. The more you deny it, the worse it gets, until it snaps." Souji rubs his chin in thought, "It completely separates from you and becomes 'itself'."

...he doesn't know how else to explain it.

[promiselisting]

Full control was perhaps a bit of a stretch, but her Palace had also been a bit of an anomaly, in a lot of ways. Certainly though, she'd had more control than it sounded like the Shadows in the TV world had. And yet...

"I dunno how entirely to explain it, but... that doesn't sound entirely different from what I saw," she says finally.

After all, her Shadow had been the one who pushed her to acknowledge all the things she had refused to face, had averted her eyes and covered her ears. But aloud, she isn't going to say anymore than that. You haven't even formed this social link yet, Souji.

[wildlinks]

"Oh, that's completely alright, I didn't mean to push," Souji offered a smile. "I was just trying to gauge how similar our -other worlds- are. Thank you."

The Metaverse and TV World are both an anomaly of sorts. Whatever spawned it probably wasn't good in nature. But- he will dwell on the thoughts about the Personas and their powers once they are back and have access to them again. No point in dwelling on it now.

"I see you're technically savvy," Souji nods at her computer. "Could you, perhaps, show me how to use iMog?" He pulls out the thing that Minerva gave him. He tried using it but understood about nothing. "My skills when it comes to new technology are, well..." he pulls out his very old, flip open cell phone. It's not working.