Introduction Log || It's Happening Again (Again!)

[eternitymods]

Who: All characters (New Arrivals, Previous Arrivals, and Native OCs) When: June 5th Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District What: It is happening again. 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 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. Cid gives a short and to the point 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 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. Cid also introduces the other ones: his assistant Jessie, a young woman fascinated by the new arrivals, 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. After Cid finishes (and Claire grumbles at her work never being done), 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 Cid mentioned in his 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

[dreamsoftomorrow]

[Hope jumped a bit in surprise, and unintentionally squeezed Mogki a little tighter, the moogle squirming a bit. He took a breath to slow his heart.

He's taken down monsters twice the size of this house! Why was he so nervous?]

I'm Hope. I've been assigned to live here. Nice to meet you.

[remnantofzeboim]

[Emeralda huffed at that question, clearly frustrated, but tried to not direct it at the other kid because he had no reason to understand what she was saying.]

Change. [She repeated, then frowned, trying to decide how to explain. She gestured up at the shelf again.] Arm should stretch.

But doesn't.

[Her fingers flexed a few times, then her arm dropped back to her side.]

Stuck.

Re: C

[saint_sami]

”I’m only doing what is right! Just because she might have friends and family here doesn’t mean she needs to subject herself to the dangers of this world. I will make sure she is safe at all time. I even have a list of things she should do all day.”

As Kujo tried to explain his reasoning, Sasami took notice of the other person, offering her assistance to her problem.

“Oh, could you? I’m not good with computers.” She asked, grinning sheepishly.

[saint_sami]

It seems like it. I guess with others here...?

[stillsmiling]

[Her arm should... stretch? Shi was used to the world of Kami and Spirits being filled with interesting characters, but this was a first.

He looked at her arm and the shelf, caught between sincere concern and being absolutely confused.]

Maybe, um.. Maybe you need to warm up? L-Like for exercise? [The kid lifts and stretches his arms to demonstrate, unhelpfully.]

[stillsmiling]

Yeah... I'm sorry that I'm no help.

[He sighs, head hung with shame. Shi feels like he should be smart enough to help, but alas...]

My name is Shi, um. I don't know what's happening, but maybe if we stick together..?

III

[promiselisting]

[ She's been kind of just... ghosting around the Curti Center looking for possibly familiar faces. As much as one can ghost around without having a Ninja asterisk, at least. Hope and his moogle aren't anyone she knows, but she can't just... leave Mogki's tech abuse like that be. Not to mention he's closer to her own age, and thus easier to approach. ]

Hey, don't just wave it around like that, you could break it!

[ Okay the slates aren't, that fragile, but still! ]

Housing!

[promiselisting]

That sure is someone staring at their house. Someone she doesn't recognize. Maybe a new arrival? Ren, Kanji, and Naoto's house had a new person in there. Maybe... they would too, then? Would make sense... Though it would make things a bit difficult, perhaps.

"Y-yeah," she says, not... quite sure what to do, "Are... you staying here too?"

[remnantofzeboim]

"You are her friend not her keeper! She has to be allowed to make her own choices! You can't just plan her whole life!"

Fidget probably wasn't going to win this argument, was she...

Emeralda just smiled and took the tablet, turning to the younger girl could see what she was doing as she did it. "It pretty easy," she said reassuringly, tapping at the screen slowly, finding the various lock-out options. "You get used to quick, Emeralda bet!" She added.

[remnantofzeboim]

Emeralda hesitated, looking at the girl more closely. "You like a little Elly!" She declared, and then laughed softly, shaking her head as she stepped away from the building.

"No. I stay there." She pointed to her house, a bit nervous. "With Elly and Kim's Fei!" And then she hesitated. "Not sneak in or anything if worried, just looking."

[remnantofzeboim]

That not make sense. [She snapped, and then caught herself, realizing that hadn't been nice.]

Sorry. [She frowned down at her hands.] Just confused. They say powers not work but Emeralda not power.

[regalblaze]

"It is not, but it is highly recommended. It is a basic check on temperature, reflexes and to tend to any injuries you sustained before entering Dream Width." Not that Cor looks like he has any visible injuries but...

"If you wish I could accompany you there. I went with his Highness once we arrived." To both keep an eye on the doctors but also make sure Noct is fine. Ignis can do a lot of things but he's not a doctor.

"That is correct," Ignis confirms with a sigh. "I am afraid that we don't know how this happened, only that we were pulled into Dream Width nebula and then picked up by spaceship later." His eyebrows narrow as he thinks about Prompto and Noctis, "Prompto and his Highness... they come from a time long after what happens to me." In Altissia.

B

[regalblaze]

[It was a rather exhausting trip into the space to retrieve new people that were found in the Dream Width. And dangerous as well as the ships collided with memory nebulas and everything went into chaos.

Ignis can still feel the weight of memories he's experienced, hours after. Thank the six the ship is on the course back. He almost drops his cup of coffee as a panicked person-- wait, what?!]

?? No one will throw you off the ship. [Ignis gives him a concerned look, hands raised in a sign that says 'it's fine, I won't come near you'.] You cannot go anywhere. At least until we land.

Cloud Strife | OTA

[chocobuster]

[ A; Arrival ]

[any memories that the acerbic swordsman would have been ensnared in before...he'd had the fortune of being completely dulled to by the time that his rescuers came. or was it more unfortunate...? he can hear voices, some familiar...others more incoherent. faintly stirring in his cot, his eyes that carried a haunting yet equally dulled glow to them seemed...lifeless. as if he wasn't quite all there yet.

"Cloud?"]

...ah..

["You're really Cloud... Aren't you?" gloved fingertips flinched as a lost memory in his heart reached out to him. told him to get back up. to keep going. what were he and Tifa struggling for? what...was he doing before all of this? the last thing he remembered was making his way to the surface when... "You'll come back, right? ... Cloud?"]

...ggh-

[ "Come back to me, Cloud." ]

!!!

[as if pulling a complete 180, from a near motionless vegetative state to being hyper alert, Cloud's eyes snapped wide open, the flicker of corrupted slitted eyes gone as life returned to his mako-infused gaze. the disorientation from suddenly sitting up like he did almost renders him back down on his pillow, but after a few sharp breathes, he begins to take in his surroundings.]

What the...?

[this wasn't anywhere like the Northern Crater...or Nibelheim. or wherever his body washed up. although the last thing he could remember...who he remembered was,] Tifa?

[shaking his head to try and rid himself of the cobwebs, he swings his legs off the cot and onto his feet. for some reason...he feels...lighter. ah, he was missing his Buster Sword. and any Materia he had on him. it only made sense. he must have been out for a long time. was this Shinra's doing? had they captured him and the others again? his mind was racing with possibilities, his SOLDIER instincts kicking in as he observed that some of the other cots had been used. he wasn't alone. he had no weapons on him either...]

Tifa? Where are you?

[by the time Cloud's made his way out to the lobby, Biggs & Wedge having cleared up part of what was going on, a still confused Cloud could only take in his surroundings as he felt dizzy still. with slouched shoulders and a shake of his head, he could only look around the room for any way to escape... somebody still thought he was dreaming. or in an illusion. or all of the above.]

[ B; A Ball of Fluff Named Moogle ]

"Incoming!"

Whoa- [reflexes kicking in just in time, a little gust (emphasis on little) blows past Cloud's head as the fluttering wings and scrambling little arms of a fluffy white creature stops short of hitting the wall. when the creature turns around, Cloud is quick to recognize just what it was. ...even if the big pom pom on its head was a different touch.]

"Not bad, kupo. I wanted to see if that spiky head of yours was all fluff or as sharp as it looks."

[still wrapping his head around his new situation (be it a dream or not... seeing this little guy was starting to make him feel like this was more of the "dream" category,) Cloud could only blink back awkwardly at his newfound partner. there's a longer silence before the blond finally breaks it with,] A Mog?

"Nah, that's the other guy. Name's Kumo! Everyone keeps saying we look the same though..." [after a brief introduction and despite Cloud's insistence that he was "Not interested." in teaming up with the little Moogle, Kumo had other plans. forever by his side. who knows? maybe they can learn more about the world and one another together! it wasn't like Cloud really had many other options.

...asides curiously reaching up to feel just how the pom pom felt.]

"Hey, hey, easy with the merchandise, kupo!"

[ C; A Quick Check-Up ]

Not interested.

[despite the fact Cloud was looking paler than usual from his previous bout of motion sickness. that is until Kumo gently tugs at the tallest spiky of hair on Cloud's hair. he flinches when his Moogle does that, and although he resists swatting him away, Cloud definitely looks a tad irritated, eyebrow twitching slightly. he wasn't in the best of moods; but who could blame him? lost, confused, and...his own person again? there was much on his mind. he didn't have time to get a check-up done. he was fine. he was strong. he was Cloud... he could manage.

he just wanted to get to this 'housing' of his so he could properly rest and maybe wake up for real when he closed his eyes again]

[ D; Housing ]

B...06?

"That's the spot, Kupo! Lucky you they're giving you a place to get back on your own two feet, huh?"

[he sighs before shrugging. at this point he feels like chocobo being herded. go here. tour here. take a medical exam here. don't touch the pom pom you haven't earned the right to touch it yet, kupo. give Cloud just a little more time. until then, with the key to his new albeit temporary abode, he opens the door and steps inside.]

"Welcome home, Kupo!" [the little guy was enthusiastic if not spunky, who wastes no time in fluttering past his partner to check the place out. was anyone else home? if not, he'd take a moment's reprieve in his room before setting back out to collect some supplies as was suggested to him.]

For Elly and Fei

[remnantofzeboim]

[Continued from Here.]

"Guilds." Emeralda had definitely heard that word mentioned before, and about jobs, but she hadn't really given it much thought. She didn't really ever need to think about a job, she had..

...Well, she had running around fighting monsters and saving the world? That was kind of like a job. But still.

"Okay." She finally said, her gaze flicking from one of them to the other, smiling. "Want to fight. To learn!"

[righthandstand]

Huh? [But he and Uendo lived here. No one else. This was their house. He wasn't going to have someone else intrude on the home he made for himself.

The look of disappointment is clear on Okuyasu's face, though not directed at Hope.]

Oh, right. They're in charge of housing. [Well those past two months were fun.] I'm Okuyasu.

[arosetowar]

[Does it change anything?]

[It changes the way she looks at him; it softens the heart-rending belief that her little sister died because the love she extended to her brother was met only with hatred. If what he says is true—if he never intended to cause such grievous harm to her sister—then does that mean he be trusted? Can she spare Euphy the pain of discovering her fate, and can Euphy be allowed the company of her brother?]

[Cornelia still doesn't know.]

[Lelouch had been so flippant when she'd asked about Euphy earlier that it's impossible for her to reconcile what he's saying now with how he had acted before. She knows that this shift was likely caused by her making clear that she knows his reign was a ruse, but can't decide whether she believes it has motivated him to be truthful or to use it to his advantage. There is more to his reaction than his words, though. The way he holds his arm, the way he trembles—those responses look real to her, and there's something so infuriating about it all that for a moment she loses focus on the lie and instead begins resenting him for his pain. He hurts, he suffers, he grieves?]

[No. Euphy has suffered so much more than his curse.]

You gave Clovis the dignity of a quick death. [A single shot, a bullet to the brain, he would have barely felt anything.] But Euphy... [Her voice picks up again here, louder, sharper, less controlled.] She died in agony by your hand.

[Another weaponisation of her sister; another impulse she can't hold back. The fact that he killed her is almost unbearably painful but she understands it on a certain level. As far as the public knew, Euphy had orchestrated the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people, and given what Cornelia now knows, there was no bringing her sister back from that. Either she remained under the Geass forever, or she was freed of it and spent the rest of her life knowing what she had done. That doesn't change how deeply she suffered during her last moments. That doesn't make her death seem any more loving, any more compassionate, any less spiteful.]

After all the pain you've caused her, what right do you have to act as though you haven't destroyed her in every possible way? What claim do you dare to take on her love?

[On her laughter. On her smile. On her forgiveness. On any of it.]

For Hunk

[remnantofzeboim]

[Continued from Here.]

Thank you! Kim called me Emeralda cause of my hair!

[Wow that was almost a complete sentence wasn't it...]

Don't know cool but, Crescens is very strong! And fights with hair like Emeralda!

[She hesitated then.]

Or like did. Hair won't change here.

[chocobosnap]

"I don't know about good, but there's an explanation, sir."

Prompto took a breath and pulled. Any last remnants of the dream would fade away and they would find themselves safely on an airship, the floor solid beneath them.

"This is a whole other world! If you can believe it." He smiled brightly, trying to be friendly, because that was big news as far as news went.

[saint_sami]

It’s okay - I’m sure everyone else is just as lost, so...

[She shrugged and grinned sheepishly.]

I’m Sasami and honestly? I think sticking together is for the best!

[saint_sami]

”I can certainly try! She doesn’t need to be some hero like the rest of you!”

Such a hassle!

Sasami watched with interest as Emeralda figures everything out for her, reversing Kujo’s actions. “Wow, that looked so easy! Aha, I guess I worry too much!”

[arosetowar]

The lion is a pocket dimension. Of course the lion is a pocket dimension; why wouldn't it be when every new story Connie tells seems designed to add a new layer of absurdity onto her situation. There's so much Cornelia can tackle in these latest revelations that she suspects it would take hours to clarify everything. So she focuses on something simpler.

"What else does he hold within his mane?"

[arosetowar]

[Nods, and adds that to her already excessively long list of things to look into once her sibling situation has quieted down.]

What of the monsters? Do they pose any threat to the cities?

[remnantofzeboim]

"Maybe she wants to be!"

Emeralda smiled brightly as she offered it back, then folded her hands behind her back to keep from flailing a bit. "If he lock again, can do what Emeralda did? Can show again if want."

[likewishes]

[ They are all valid questions, really. He asks himself those same things. Cornelia might be able to contain herself, but Lelouch? When not lying and manipulating, he's far more intense. Now hit's his hands slapping on the table. It's his voice that rises. Anger. Grief. Guilt. All of those things. The anger isn't directed at Cornelia, really. It's at himself. ]

What else could I do!? I couldn't stop her in time! She wouldn't - couldn't - have stopped!

[ So it's not that he wanted to pull the trigger. It's that he didn't think there was another option. It had been the only way to put an end to it. Death had been the only release from the Geass he had accidentally placed on her. ]

And Clovis? I don't regret it. My hand wasn't shaking as I pulled the trigger and I most certainly wasn't struggling -

[ He cuts himself off. Could he have killed Euphy in a similar manner? Probably. The truth was that his aim had likely been off. She suffered because Lelouch couldn't reign everything in like he had for Clovis. She suffered simply because Lelouch loved her dearly and that compromised his actions. He wavered. ]

I don't claim anything, Cornelia. When we crossed paths here I said I'd leave. When she left last night I told her it was for the best! I know I don't deserve it. Seeing her is a constant reminder that I destroyed everything she was and everything she hoped for that day! I killed her and I can't change that!