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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[Ravus nods. Perhaps the hallways, for his peace of mind. Lunafreya would not force her way into the sealed cockpit without a damned good reason.

As they walk, Ravus tries to focus on their next steps, rather than the dwindling hope of finding his sister here.]

What manner of world is it that we are bound for? Is there much fighting?

[This guy might be a stranger, but Gladio can tell he actually did touch on something Dylas is sensitive about. His face is the picture of disbelief - one eyebrow raised and lips slightly puckered in thought.]

Why, do you want to go back there?

[Damn it, Gladio. Dylas looks a little startled to be asked that. Everyone here wants to go home, after all, to their loved ones and their old lives. His face contorts a little, pain flickering across his expression as he tries to decide what's worse: not answering the question or answering honestly.

This guy is way too nosy.]

I don't care where I am. It doesn't change anything. Why do you want to know so badly?

I'm just tryin' to make conversation. I can be pretty observant - been trained in it most of my life - so I notice things others might not. Like you clearly not wanting to back to where you came from and you thinking you're a monster but not wantin' to be one.

[He sighs and shakes his head, face and body going apologetic.]

Look, I'm sorry I asked too many personal questions. I'll head out now. Thanks for the warning about this place. An' if you decide you might actually want a friend, hit me up on this iMog thing.

[Gladio moves Noodle to his other shoulder and offers another apologetic smile.] Seriously, I wasn't trying to be a dick. Thanks again for your help.

Trying, or prying? And I don't know why you think you noticed things, but...you didn't.

[He's bristling physically, straightening his spine and moving the rest of his body beneath him. He can think of a time where he would've appreciated this sort of friendliness or concern, but...he can't accept it now. The people here don't know.]

Yeah, well...you should be sorry. I'm not going to make that call anytime soon.

[And just so he can attempt to save face, he's going to slither off further into the Curti Center if he's not stopped after Gladio's rebuttal (or lack thereof).]

[ Hunk sighs. He can pick up on her exasperation, and he feels bad. But better to know it all now than to get a steady stream of stress. Maybe easier to cope that way. ]

Trust me, if we knew who or what caused this, we'd have given them a piece of our mind already. [ They can throw fireballs and stuff, after all. Plus a bunch of them are just really nice people, they could probably talk it out. ] We don't know why we were taken or how we'd get back, or how our homes will be when [ He emphasizes the word, forcing himself to say it, to stay optimistic. ] we get back.

[ And then Hunk gives her a tiny little smile. The most he can muster. It's forced. He's had more than enough time to agonize over all this. ] Maybe it'll be like we were never even gone.

[Don't feel bad, Hunk. Exasperated is one of her main states of being. Fortunately, she usually follows exasperation with productive contemplation. Her brows quirk at his attempted smile and her glare softens, and she's not looking at Hunk but is instead maintaining the appearance of complete focus while she slips into deeper thought.]

Maybe? One would think they'd want to clarify what effect our presence here has on the passage of time back home. It's better to have half the population questioning something than to leave everyone scrambling for answers, so even a pacifying lie would better suit their cause than silence. Yet they're doing nothing to assuage what must be a common concern. Why? Surely they must realise that such uncertainty often incites rebellion. Hmn. No matter. I've had to act on less information before, and with far fewer people aware of what was transpiring around them.

[Now her focus shifts fully back to Hunk. He's trying so danged hard to be helpful and optimistic that the least she can do is offer him something in return.]

For what it's worth, I find their silence on the time issue specifically to be more reassuring than not. Silence in this instance is pure ignorance, and I can fathom no malicious reason for them to want us to believe that they're as unsure of the truth as we are.

[ Max is walking through the hallway at this point on her way to save the girl, when she sees the S'reee. She wasn't there before, was she? Her hair was damp too... was she related to the storm vision? What was going on? ]

Wait, how did you--

[ She wants to ask her how she knows about what just happened, but her instinct to save the blue-haired girl is strong as she continues at a sprint to the bathroom. ]

[ Max reacts suddenly to the voice with a jolt as she turns to face Hunk. There weren't that many students at Blackwell, so she couldn't remember ever seeing this guy before.

Regardless, this wasn't supposed to happen, she was trying to repeat everything up until that point. So how did this guy come in here? Did something she did prior cause things to change... ]

Stop him? That's what I'm--

[ She was wildly confused, her anxiety at it's peak due to these "new found" powers that it took her awhile to process that this "student" was knowledgeable of what was going on and what she was trying to achieve. ]

Wait, how do you know what's going on? [ And now she's pacing, surely they'll be coming in any second now... ]

[ Morgana nods in response to the text, he really preferred voice over it. But if it helped Futaba feel more comfortable. ]

naoto shirogane is here? and shes a persona user? amazing! its no wonder they figured us out tho.

[ Putting his tablet away as she speaks he gives another determined nod. ]

They've put me in house B-14. Hope I've got some good roommates, I'd rather be closer to you guys though.

It's okay. It's just, I'm not a cat. A lotta people make that mistake. But I can tell you're a nice person so it's okay!

[ If he wasn't excited enough, it just increased tenfold at hearing "best sushi". ]

Thank you so much~! My name's Morgana, what's yours~?

Even if everyone orders sushi!?

[ He laughs ]

What am I saying, of course they won't. I'm sure they'll have made enough. Sushi is in high demand after all.

[ The queue lessens quite quickly as he gets closer to the end. ]

So... close.... can almost... taste it!

[ It was hard to get a judge on this... guy. she doesn't want to make bad first impressions though, and this world was filled with lots of creatures she'd never seen before. ]

Thank you. Do you mind? I'm in house B-10. [ Why was she carrying so much anyway? I guess her instinct to save time turned into minor things like this, which end up costing her time instead now... ]

It was delicious, no doubt about it, just... different. She chews and swallows before placing it down and wiping her hands on a napkin.

"Is that so?" She questions thoughtfully, resting her face on her hand. "I've been through some... weird shit too..." She looks around, what was weirder than this though. "Not sure I'd say it's as strange as this, though I guess that depends on what you consider weird..."

She pauses for a second, tapping her fingers on the table. "I'm Max by the way, thanks again for the seat."

Got it! [ Mona's words were also hushed as he jolted around to the left. Oh crap, someone was there! Luckily their back was turned towards Mona, who backed up a little to hide behind a box of supplies. ]

What'd we do Joker? We need to distract them so we can get outta here. Or find a way past.

[ He looked around for any potential way forward, maybe they could sneak through a vent or something like old times. Hmm. ]

You would do that for me? I'd really appreciate it. I feel like I've been here so long!

[ About 5 minutes, which is very long if you're hungry. ]

[Azusa giggles. This is the most amusing not-cat she's ever met before. He might even be cuter than the Moogles...]

Goodness, you can tell that about me already? I'll let you in on a secret. I'm really good at remembering favorite foods.

[She reaches out to shake his hand? Oh, well, there are trays, so it's a little awkward, but...]

My name is Azusa. I might not be a cat or a not-cat, but back home I'm an idol. It's very nice to meet you, Morgana-kun.

[It's okay. He'll make all the bad first impressions for her. Really, he thinks he shouldn't even be talking to someone so...normal looking, but she also looks sort of like the person who might have her things stolen if she handed them to someone else to carry.

He's quick to make judgments like that. It's not personal.]

I'm in one of the bigger houses, but I know where that is.

[He holds out his arms, expecting her to hand him something before they turn and leave.]

[ Tea. Tea comes, and a smile that is just a touch too knowing. ]

Well, if I end up being the most weird part of your time here, I'm at your service.

[ Briiiightly. ]

Sugar?

"Izunia? Are you sure of that?"

Perhaps... they should talk to Noctis about that.

Soon. Since Regis has no idea if any of them will remember anything about this place, when they are back.

Hopefully back. Likely back.

[ Futaba p ]

Wait- B-14? Seriously?

[ And then she starts to laugh. ]

That's our place too! Morgana, you're rooming with us!

[ Oh man this is great. ]

"Frisk. And again, it's no problem." They wolf down the last of their 'burg, and look up at Max, smiling. "Considering my first thought when I woke up was, 'oh insert whatever religious figure is most important to you here where's my friend' and that most of the people here didn't use the buddy system when getting sucked into an interdimensional void, it's the least I can do to try to be chummy. You know, to prevent riots and panic attacks and arson and all that lovely stuff."

I am pretty sure this is a dream. I can help, but ultimately, you need to wake up.

[S'reee was just going to float alongside.]

[ Every thought she has makes Hunk want to cut her off, to jump in, to share his understanding of how everything here worked. But she just kept going which, okay, fine, sure. She's in the zone. But when she snaps back, it's clear she was thinking hard. ]

If they knew how time and space would react when we left, that means they'd be able to track people after. [ If they ever left. ] But since they can't track us and can't get us back, there's no way for them to know.

[ He sighs. ] We could get back and time could end up moving exponentially faster. We could come back to nothing. [ Hunk's obviously been worrying about this, given how easily the words flow. ]

[He accepts the tea with a gracious nod, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. Whatever the blend, it's delicious.]

Thank you. For the tea.

[Another sip as Gladio contemplates the young King's too-bright smile. Is it something he should bring up? Or should he stick to general talk and figuring out why his father is living in a different house than Regis?]

I don't think you'll be the weirdest part Maj - Regis. [He is never going to get used to that.] But I'm getting the feeling that you're not telling me everything. What aren't you saying?

[Gladio's eyes are questioning, not accusing, so he hopes Regis will at the very least not feel or become defensive.]

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

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