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

Well, since no one else is doing it... Memory.

[warpstriking]

[Immediately as the scene materializes, he spots the familiar blonde and Messenger in the room. And, forgetting himself briefly, he utters two names:]

Luna...? Pryna?

[That narrowed it down to one person this memory could belong to, and no amount of planning or preparation could have helped him steel himself for this. It's as if whatever is left of his third second wind is knocked out of his sails, seeing not only Luna and Pryna again, but Ravus as well as he enters the room.

That is when he recognizes the decor, the sound of the waves outside the otherwise quiet room as brother causes the sister to stir. It's far too similar to what he saw while visiting First Secretary Claustra to be anything but her estate, though admittedly a different part of the building than he saw personally. Yet he knew the sights outside the window. Had she ever seen him out there, wandering the streets?

Yet to see her weakened so, breathless and exhausted. It is akin to a dagger in his own stomach, twisting as his eyes catch the glimpse of the Ring in her hand and her begging Ravus to do what he knows she will do herself. The very same ring is on his right hand's middle finger, after all.

He shakes his head. No, Noct. Focus.]

... Ravus. Ravus, wake up.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus's mouth twitches in annoyance at a half-registered sound. Did a fly follow him in to buzz in his ear? He gives his head a quick shake and ignores it. There is too much at stake here to permit distraction. He is still faced away from his sister. It hurts too much, seeing her drained like this.

Lunafreya lowers her head again. Already, my flesh has begun to fail me. She is resigned to that, ready now to rest once her task is safely entrusted to another.

Ravus turns, looking over his shoulder in her direction, but still keeping his face hidden from her. No, I cannot accept it. Not her burden, and most certainly not her surrender.

She gasps and stares at him in shock, blinking back tears at his refusal as she turns away from him. He continues speaking, his tone leaving no room for argument. By YOUR hand, it must be done.

He steels himself and finally turns to face her, not registering the extra presence in the room. To deliver the ring and inspire the King is your calling. You. mustn't. fall.]

[warpstriking]

[It's like Ignis and Prompto all over again. Yet instead of allowing the stubbornness of the dreamer get to him, he does his best to steel himself. It's hard enough to hear the voice of the woman he loved and had heard so many times on the radio, and then in person in front of so many - strong, resilient, and resolved with quiet passion - drained and exhausted like how he was yet worked hard to regain his own agency.

Ignorant of the cost, indeed, he thinks, hand squeezing into a fist. He shouldn't be here, in witness to this memory, yet if he doesn't wake Ravus somehow, he will be trapped in here for the gods know how long.]

By her hand, it was done. [He mutters, using Ravus' own words.] Ravus, she wouldn't want you to remember her like this: weakened by the Covenants and barely able to stand; begging to have her burden lifted. She'd want you to remember her for the woman she was before this.

[sonoftenebrae]

Begone! Leave us! [Ravus hisses, barely looking at the speaker. Claustra promised him privacy when he arranged this meeting, yet one of the servants now dared interrupt? The Secretary would hear of this later.

He focuses back on the memory of Lunafreya, who shows no sign of recognizing Noctis' presence nor Ravus' outburst. The siblings share a look of understanding. Both know the only way this can end, and both try to keep the pain from their expressions. Duty affords them no time for tears.

But...I lack the strength...to go on... she admits. Ravus' expression softens, and he approaches her chair once more. He kneels to take her pale hands in his, mindful of the sharp points of the magitek prosthetic. Now he is the one looking at her, entreating.

Find it, Lunafreya. You have the will. Go to Noctis. Show him...the truth of your heart.

At those words, the acknowledgement and acceptance of her duty, Lunafreya begins to cry, and her brother just holds her hands, unable to offer her any comfort other than his watchful presence beside her.]

[warpstriking]

[Servant. That was a new one, if he ever learned that's what Ravus thought he is. Yet he doesn't stop, only takes a step closer. Still on guard because he knows what the older man is capable of. After all, he saw it. Thanks to his longtime friend.]

Even if I could, I wouldn't. [One more step.] Duty compels me to help you, even if it hurts.

[He tries, so hard, not to falter. Yet at the sight of his beloved crying, he- he has to swallow, hard.]

Luna... She's not here. ['As much as I wish she were,' he almost adds, but holds his tongue.] It's a memory of the past. Your past. Why do you think you're the only one who can hear me in the first place?

[He's only seen one time where that didn't happen, and it was in his own memory.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[The only thing in the world Ravus wants right now is to be here with his sister, supporting her in her time of need. For too many years, they have been at odds with one another, and their reconciliation is bittersweet.

How dare an outsider intrude upon this moment. He leans forward to place a kiss on Lunafreya's hands, which are still curled around the ring, then rises to deal with the intruder, blinking back unshed tears of his own.]

The Oracle needs re- [He begins to snap, but pauses when he actually looks at the intruder. The servant...no, the prince... when? How? The room around them flicker momentarily, and Pryna stirs and whimpers.

Ravus's mind struggles to interpret the words, but his mind feels sluggish, turning the puzzle pieces around but failing to connect them into the larger picture. Anger comes easily to fill in the gaps in understanding.]

Leave! [He commands again.] Give my sister time to compose herself before you come barging in.

[Have some manners, Noctis. Lunafreya would not want her beloved to see her like this. She has worked so hard to maintain her strong facade in front of the people who rely on her.]

[warpstriking]

[He understands. Really, he does. If he had the opportunity, he's go back just to spend time with his father again. Actually talk to him more and not try to shrug it off. Yet that is the past, and he cannot. It's the future he has to keep his eyes set on.]

I understand, but I was here the entire time, Ravus. [He has to point it out.] Don't you think it's odd that she didn't react to me being here?

[He hates this, talking about Luna not being here even though they can both clearly see her. Even though he knows she won't notice, it still gets him to wince. Pain in his eyes at seeing her like this yet he can't- he can't bring himself to either come closer, or move away. So instead, he averts his gaze.]

My father left you all once. I'm not leaving, now.

[sonoftenebrae]

[The room around them flickers momentarily as Noctis’s words trigger another, more distant memory in Ravus’ mind. The receiving room morphs into a forest clearing engulfed in flames, Lunafreya replaced by another blond woman, this one crumpled and covered by a regal feathered cloak.]

No. [Ravus hisses, shaking his head. The room in Altissia reappears through a force of will. Ravus turns to Noctis, finally realizing that the prince might hold the answer. He forces himself to think back over his words even as Lunafreya begins again. I beg of you...]

...what is going on?

[warpstriking]

[When the room flickers, Noctis grimaces, briefly catching a glimpse of his younger self and his father running away, Regis trying to lead Luna away as well by the hand-

No. No. he thinks the same time Ravus says it aloud, yet when the room in Altissia reforms... he doesn't relax. Not yet. They're still in danger of Ravus falling back into the dream.]

The Dream Width... it's pulled us from Eos like so many others from different Stars. Even created this place - this dream - from your memory. Insane, I know, but it's true. Ended up in a few others trying to find you.

[As proof of his claim that it's only a memory, he holds up his right hand. The very Ring in Lunafreya's hand, resting on his middle finger; something that wouldn't be there if this wasn't in the past. Yet as he lowers it, unthreatening, he looks to the memory of Luna with profound sadness and determination in his eyes.]

The dream will repeat over and over until you wake up.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus gazes at the ring on Noctis' finger, and the rush of emotions it evokes almost overwhelms him, shaping the nebula further.

The room, for a moment heats up and fills with the stench of burned flesh. Noctis bears the ring. -You failed take it up in his stead.-

The room is damp, the scent of seawater and blood hanging in the air. Noctis bears the ring. -Lunafreya shouldered the weight of it.-

The room goes cold and dark, devoid of warmth and light as if the sun itself has guttered out. Noctis bears the ring. -Lunafreya carries it no longer.-

Pride, pain, grief, jealousy, anger, loss. They swirl and blend into a knot inside of him. Ravus falls to his knees again by Lunafreya's chair, speaking to Noctis while looking at her.]

If I wake, she'll be gone.

[warpstriking]

[He hates this, watching the brief acquaintance he made all those years name ago imperial lapdog man who was the last of his line, who would have been his brother-in-law. Family. Be reduced to this. He moves to close some of the distance, heart heavy.

How he wishes it didn't come to this. The stench of burned flesh, the seawater and blood. He doesn't have to guess where that came from, thanks to his own vague memory of passing out and floating down onto the Altar as the Power of Kings faded... and Ignis' memory.

His eyes are starting to sting, but he won't- can't leave him like this.]

She will.

[He confirms, closing his eyes briefly to try to keep the tears from falling even as his voice cracks.]

But- would she want this? For you to trap yourself here?

[sonoftenebrae]

[He reaches out to take her hand, which felt solid in his until the moment he doubts it. She passes through him as she had on the altar in Altissia. Beside the chair, Pryna begins to whimper softly, incongruous with the memory.]

Whence would I return? To a world bereft of the Oracle's blessing? To the domain of gods who have robbed us of Lunafreya's light and life? All of my Blood has been spilled, Noctis. There is nothing left.

[No, Lunafreya wouldn't want this for him, but when had the world given either Nox Fleuret what they wanted?]

[warpstriking]

[Noctis hesitates for only a brief second, before he drops down beside Ravus. Luna's so close. If he wanted, he could try to place a hand on hers as well. But he doesn't, because if he does... his resolve might falter.

Accept the consequences and never look back.

He turns instead to face Ravus, his own tears still shining in stormy blue eyes but never fall. That will come later, when he can have a moment on his own.]

Ravus... [Please, look at him.] Where you'll awaken- It's far from our world, maybe even beyond the reach of the gods of our Star. Even the Ring hasn't responded in my time here, save these dreams.

[He can't tell him what he knows of the future. One neither of them will see, that is bereft of both the Oracle's blessing and the Light of the Lucii.]

I know, it's hard. But we have to keep moving; keep living. For the people who look to our families for hope. [And, just as his line goes with him wherever he does...] So long as you live, the Blood of the Oracle does, too.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus turns his head to face the king. He can do no less, for Lunafreya's sake. No matter what he feels about Noctis, his sister loved him. Noctis' words have reminded him that both their duties stretch far beyond themselves.]

There is no hope. [His voice wavers, and he pauses, breathing deeply until he can force it steady.] But...I made Lunafreya a promise. I cannot face her again if I forsake it.

[There can be no surrender until the father's blade is returned to the son's hands. He...cannot remain here by her side. Finally releasing the ghost of her hand, Ravus stands and turns away from her. Pryna howls a mournful cry.]

But the Blood of the Oracle will end with me. Even if I could father a daughter in time for her to bear the Oracle's mantle, I would refuse. No more that I love will die for Eos.

[Though it does not register in his conscious mind, it is the closest Ravus has ever come to understanding the pain of King Regis.

As he finally rejects the memory, the world around the two men begins to crumble.]

[warpstriking]

[Noctis doesn't argue. It's not the time to, not when they are both grieving. And not where Ravus may not recall it when he awakens in the airship. He already knows that promise he made. He saw it in the letters strewn around his body, but again, this is no place to discuss it. As much as it burns in him to do so.

Noctis' gaze falls upon Pryna, a hand moving to give her a scratch behind the ear. It may mean naught, but it is a silent promise all the same: that while Ravus is with them, he'll try. For Luna's sake.

He stands then, and nods once.]

Yeah. I can't blame you there.

[A part of him wondered, was this how his father felt, if he knew all along in the first place? Yet as the world begins to crumble, Noct looks to the memory of Lunafreya one last time:]

See you soon.

[Noctis will make sure that Ravus is comfortably placed in a cot before he retreats to a more secluded area of the airship. Better to let Ravus speak to others than him when he wakes again. Especially as...

... He slides down a wall and curls up on himself, knowing he won't be of much help after that. So he'll just let it out of his system, so he can face the others once they land.]