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

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

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. ]

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Hello, hello!

She just lets out a bare sigh.

What of yours? Is its name significant?

[ She could remain in her arms forever and pretend that nothing else mattered. Or ... reality could soon hit her all at once when she realized that, yes, this was no dream. She really was here. Frantic, she lifts her head and stares at her with eyes wide. So many questions. SO many! ]

When did you get here? How? Have you been here all along? Are we... did you come to take me back home? Can we go home? Are you okay?

Not really.

[ Coming up behind Cornelia probably isn't the best idea. Addressing her at all is putting himself at risk. However, he can't just ignore her presence either. Cornelia is going to end up finding out Lelouch is here. One way or another. Now while he hadn't meant to confront her here - in fact he is here for unrelated reasons.

However he is going to take the opportunity to address this now. With no surprises. ]

[ He lets his hand fall away, as well. He's confirmed what he wanted to know, and feels his nerves settling somewhat. Lelouch even looks well -- healthy and in good shape. If this place can bring people back from the dead, in such a condition, he should be grateful.

But Lelouch's demeanor shifts, and he feels dread seep into his bones. If it were either of his parents, Lelouch would be furious. If it was C.C. or even Kallen, he would come out and say it.

That leaves Nunnally, or--

Oh gods. Oh gods oh no. The mask in his hand nearly slips from his fingers. ]

Who? [ His voice is choked. ]

[When Euphy looks up at her, and as she asks her first questions, Cornelia is smiling. The word home changes that. It's another cruel word, another reminder of loss. It chills their hug into something that feels far less right and she frowns, though she doesn't pull away.]

Even I don't have the power to take you home.

[It is a very diplomatic response. For every question Euphy has Cornelia struggles to hold back a dozen more. What does Euphy remember? What does she know? Why does she ask if they can go home? There's an urge within her to try to test this girl, to prove that she is Euphy and not just a trick of the mind, but she still can't bring herself to doubt what is happening. Not openly. Not in any way that could hurt her sister.]

[ Just from that reaction alone, Lelouch knows that Suzaku already has an idea. It had been hard for Lelouch too. He still hasn't discussed it all with Euphemia. However, she hasn't asked either. The door's open for her. For when she is ready.

The question right now, though, is Suzaku ready? ]

It's Euphemia, Suzaku. She and I arrived at the same time.

[ Something Lelouch knows he doesn't deserve. In fact, he's kind of steeling himself for Suzaku's reaction. It could be anything, really. ]

The words made him blush and he looked away. This was definitely, definitely a private conversation, not meant for his ears.

Prompto tried tugging harder and then moved to grab Cor's arm.

"Marshal. Cor." He shook him a little bit.

"Snap out of it!"

[ Even expecting the answer, the words hit like a blow. His rigid, perfect posture sags under the weight of the information -- Princess Euphemia, Euphy, is here, alive.

He looks back up at Lelouch, terrified. ]

Is she safe? [ Would he even be able to see her? Or will she-- ]

[ That's... That is not the sort of reaction that he's expecting. It throws him off. Just a little. Terrified? How can Suzaku be afraid? ]

She is... [ Lelouch recovers. Just a little ] I was going to let anything happen. Not ever again.

[It is audacious, she thinks, the way that he approaches her. Foolhardy. Arrogant. Everything she has come to expect from him. She wonders what he's thinking, what purpose he has in approaching her so simply, so casually, but she knows it's an empty wonder. There is no figuring him out, least of all while her mind is still cluttered by thoughts about Euphy which now, in Lelouch's presence, aren't as soft and hopeful as they once were, but rather detonate in her mind like grenades.]

[There may as well be smoke in her eyes for the heat of her glare. She still lacks her words, though now it's because they're in public and she can say none of what she wants, none of what she means. All she speaks is as an aggressive, accusatory,]

You...

[ He nods, slowly. He trusts Lelouch to try and protect her, the way they couldn't two years ago.

Gods... his heart feels like it's breaking. He should be overjoyed to be reunited. Marianne had tried to bait him with Euphy so he would support Ragnarok. But all he feels is an immense sense of guilt and disgust.

He has no business even being near her. ]

Does she remember? [ His voice is steadier, clinging to that mental reminder to help him calm down. ]

[ Not really as audacious as she thinks. However, his "big sister"n can interpret Lelouch's thoughts and actions as she sees fit. He isn't going to help her nor correct her thinking. There is little point and besides... He wouldn't want that anyway. ]

Not very articulate right now, hmm?

[ Poking the tiger a little, isn't he? Oh Lelouch could very well pretend that he is from a different time. That's what he'd like to do. Cornelia isn't going to go for it. Or even if she did, she'd always be questioning. Always looking for Lelouch's misstep that would give him away.

Lelouch just keeps walking in the hangar. Looking at the airships. ]

I imagine that Mother might have been interested in how these ships fly. Before she got involved with our father and diminutive uncle.

[ How much Cornelia knows... Well Lelouch isn't sure. But the statement is harmless enough in public. Really he's just being an ass and they both know it. ]

...Somewhat.

[ Now he is on uneven ground again. The whiplash in this conversation... ]

I'm going to suggest we find someplace a little more private.

[ The situation is complicated enough. Others don't need to be privy to it. ]

[ She should have known better than to ask. Yet perhaps the idea of home only felt natural when in the presence of someone that reminded her of it. It felt like home just by being with her. Yet Euphy was never one to really think carefully about her words when in a state of panic, and so the thought of going back just felt natural. Was it really impossible? She was alive and breathing. ]

[ But... ]

Yes, I suppose not.

[ Something she has to accept as her eyes cast down. Yet the jaded reaction did not last long, there was still the matter of why she was even here. ]

Did they find you? The pilots? Were you in the Dream Width?

[Within the sadness of Euphy's response, Cornelia almost finds herself regretting that she hadn't lied. Would it have harmed Euphy to believe that there's still a place for her in their world? Would it have improved her mood to know that Cornelia will rise to the cause of her homesickness and fight to return her somewhere that she'll be embraced, not reviled? Would it have given them both a greater sense of purpose? A cause to finally unite them?

[No, the lie wouldn't hurt. Yes, it might even be a source of healing. But hearing such falsehoods and then later learning the truth would be devastating, and she has already caused her sister enough pain. Cornelia shifts her focus away from what's been said, and follows Euphy's lead, centering it on what has happened.]

So they claim. I'm not certain how much of it I believe, however.

[Involved? Involved how? Cornelia bites back the urge to ask. Attempting to speak with him has only ever bred frustration and she is already too close to the edge of her temper.

[She doesn't want to see him right now. Doesn't want to speak to him, even as a stream of questions rises up against the back of her throat like bile. But she can't just let him go, either. He a murderer, a tyrant, a demon. This remains true regardless of the circumstances surrounding his death, and she latches that understanding to every single thought which follows.]

[Remember who he is. Not who he was. Remember what he has done. Witness how he behaves. Give him nothing.]

I will not hold a conversation with your ego, Lelouch.

[Not in public, anyway.]

Connie was tired. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. The Dream Width seemed to suspend bodily functions, which explained why she wasn't dead from dehydration from all that memory running, so it wasn't like her body was fatigued. It was more like she was mentally exhausted. So of course Connie takes the only natural course of action and decides to train relentlessly to take her mind off things. To escape into the realm of rote motions, one after another. And what better place to do that than in the calm gardens of the Curti Center?

A young girl, no older than fourteen years old judging by her height, strides into Cornelia's vision. She's clad in ornate plate greaves, gauntlets, a visored bascinet helmet, and a breastplate, all colored a deep navy and gilded with golden trim. Beneath the plate is a black chainmail bodysuit, its links so fine as to almost be invisible. Docilely behind her is a giant, pink lion, who flops against a nearby tree and watches the scene disinterestedly.

Sighing, Connie shakes her head and unsheathes a garishly pink single-edged basket hilt sword, which would've looked ridiculous if not for the fact that the blade alone was Connie's height and the fact that what looks like a revolver chamber is built into the guard, complete with a barrel attached to the blunt side of the blade. She grasps the sword with both hands, takes a deep breath, and launches into a blisteringly fast sword form, spinning, dodging, parrying, and cleaving through imaginary enemies... until she makes an imperceptible mistake that could only be spotted by an experienced practitioner of swordcraft, stops in her tracks, and starts over.

Have you even attempted a conversation without it involved?

[ He turns to look over his shoulder, expression dull. Then turns back around. In order for anyone to have a conversation with the actual Lelouch means not expecting the ego to rear it's ugly head.

It's not that he thinks Cornelia's hatred isn't justified. It is. But Lelouch isn't going to crawl on his knees and try to please her either. That's just not how it works. ]

After spending a short amount of time trying to hold her focus back from wandering towards the girl and her lion, Cornelia concedes that the distraction is necessary. There's a heaviness to her eyes and a throbbing pain just above her temples which, she knows from experience, will deepen and spread the longer she tries to make sense out of what she's reading. Continuing her research like this is counterproductive.

Besides, she is always interested in those who appreciate the artistry of battle.

Connie is better than she expects, dedicated, determined, quick and dextrous despite the armour. Yet not perfect. Still prone to mistakes. Connie's error isn't a large one and even Cornelia is barely certain of it until she restarts her routine, but it's noteworthy enough for Cornelia to keep at the back of her mind. Whenever Connie takes a break, she will ask, "Do you always start over when you commit an error?"

Connie runs through the form quite a few times, inching forward in progress until she completes it. And indeed, every time she makes a mistake, whether it be a clumsy swipe with Rose's sword or her foot being half an inch out of place, she starts over. After she finishes, Connie takes out her slate and dismisses her gear before sitting against a nearby tree.

She starts at Cornelia's question, but relaxes slightly when she sees its source. "Y-yeah," she says, rubbing her arm. "Missteps have a snowball effect. If you're out of place, it's difficult to execute your next move, whatever it is, properly. That will lead to another mistake, and so on and so forth. Quick opponents can take advantage of the smallest hole in your technique, too, forcing you to go on the defensive and make your further prone to errors. No battle is perfect, and I'm well aware that forms don't translate to actual fights, but the closer I can get to perfection the less likely I am to lose."

[What a question. Was he expecting her to engage him in calm discourse in the immediate aftermath of Euphy's death, while she lay critically wounded by Darlton's hand? Had he expected warmth and cooperation from her as he held her captive on his ship and answered her questions with a dismissive distance that rendered any further conversation futile? Even now he responds only with derision, only with a taunt about their father and Lady Marianne and V.V. and Geass, yet acts as though she is the one who's always made communication impossible between them.]

Need I repeat myself?

[ Nah. He knows. The whole point had been to be as awful as possible though. Lelouch doesn't want to talk anyway. Not then. Not now either. That distance? It's safe. Comfortable.

Lelouch acts like he doesn't hear her though. ]

No one has the answers I need. I am looking into it. If only to put people back where they belong.

"Proper form isn't perfection." It helps, certainly, but it also hinders. This, Cornelia knows intimately well; she's filed far too many casualty reports on prodigal soldiers whose skills were elite in practise but faltered in combat because they failed to account for the unpredictability of battle, for the weaknesses of routine techniques. "On the contrary, it often becomes a crutch. Are you also training yourself to compensate for your errors?"

[He shakes his head.]

No. It just means 'White'.

[Put people back where they belong. His claim to have no answers can only mean that he's talking about Vaikuntha. About her sister, by extension.]

Where does Euphy belong?

[Unlike Lelouch she doesn't mean to lash out or to arm herself with Euphemia's name. It's just that every time she speaks with him, it's like Euphy is standing beside him, shackled both to her love for him and to his hatred towards her--because what else could it have been? She heard Lelouch confess that the massacre was deliberate, that he had always intended for Euphy to die. Now he has plans for this place. For its people. What else does he have planned for Euphy? Who else will suffer for his ambition?

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

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B (Sorry for the long description, I've yet to update her appearance meme with new month's gear)

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