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

Entry tags:

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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He's not surprised by the question. Lelouch only thought it would take longer to ask. ]

Where do you think she belongs?

[ So no. He really has no intention to bring her death. Lelouch had told himself that out of everyone, Euphemia deserved the truth. Everyone else? He can continue to lie to them. Allow them to hate him and to want him dead. That's fine. ]

Don't answer my question with one of your own.

[Home. That's where Euphy belongs. In a world that still wants her. In a place where she can thrive.]

[Or, that's where she should belong. Now Cornelia has no damned idea. Euphy can't remain here forever. Lelouch isn't the only person working to send everyone home. But what will happen to her when that eventuality is realised? She's still so full of life, still so vibrant and determined. Is this really all that remains for her?]

Then maybe you should ask yourself what you really want, Cornelia. You like things black and white, don't you? Grey is more difficult to manage.

[ Because everything is far more complicated. Knowing the truth doesn't change the fault. Doesn't change the things that have happened. It just makes it harder to see things without everything becoming more difficult. The blame is entirely Lelouch's. He knows this. Owns it. But it's still hard for him. It had been an accident.

Not that anyone outside of C.C. knows this but...

It's just easier to have people not be as conflicted as he had been. ]

[Of course he presumes to know her; of course he falls short of the mark. Cornelia has always presented herself in black and white because every line Britannia drew was coloured one shade or the other. It kept her on track. It made her goals easier to accomplish. It kept Euphy safe. Grey, she knows privately. Grey kept her honest, allowed her to remain herself. Grey is the colour of this conversation. It is the tone of her voice. She gives him room to speak. She holds herself back from openly condemning him even as he accuses her. She refuses his bait. Grey.]

I would ask you the same question.

[He is the one who made the approach. He is the one creating constant distance yet remaining put, continuing to engage her in conversation. His purpose is less clear than hers.]

I've achieved everything I set out to do. What else could there be that I want?

[ He's here to assess a potential threat. To see what Cornelia wants. What she intends. If she is going to be a problem or not.

Honestly he'd prefer that she'd leave him be. Leave him be and instead focus on Euphy. But that's unlikely. ]

That isn't what I meant.

[And she suspects he's aware of that. It's always a competition with him, isn't it? Always an endless match of one-upmanship. It's infuriating. It's exhausting. But how can she back away from it, from him? How can she turn her back on this knowing what he's capable of yet lacking any sense of who he is beneath all the deceptions, all the redirections?]

And you've yet to answer my question.

[ That's where Cornelia assumes wrong. It's not about one-upping her at the moment. It's to keep things redirected. To keep from answering questions. Saying things that shouldn't be said. ]

You haven't exactly answered mine either.

I would have, had you not evaded mine first.

[And she means it. She'll be forthright if he will, but only then.]

Actually, I asked the first question.

[ Believe it or not it isn't said with malice. Or arrogance. Maybe a little bit of amusement, but otherwise? Just a statement a kid brother might make. ]

[It feels like bait. She almost doesn't ask. But she could have missed something, and she doubts that challenging him now will get her any further than asking for clarification will.]

And what question was that?

If you really want to try to have a conversation.

[ But in order for that to happen they both sort of have to meet halfway in the middle, don't they? ]

Not here.

[Their current location benefits only Lelouch. Cornelia won't permit him the security of public attention. She won't be restrained by the concern of being overheard, or choose her words to preserve his lies. If he intends to be honest, then he can't limit himself like this either.]

I live with two others. Privacy is appreciated but I'm not quite sure that the "housing" situation would be much better.

[ Not making excuses. Just telling it like it is. ]

Unless they aren't home, of course.

Is there nowhere else private?

Your place might be. Depends on how many people are already there.

[ A place that they can't be overheard easily. ]

Honestly most places here are semi-public. My room. Your room. Yards. That's about as private as it is going to get for now.

My place it is, then. Only one other person lives there and he poses no issue.

Poses no issue?

[ Suspicious! ]

Are you really so sure of that?

It's Zero.

[Turns away! Towards the exist.]

Let's not waste any more time.

And you don't think that might be a problem?

[ It is! But also isn't. Suzaku is his ally, yes. Something like a friend. But speaking plainly isn't... That won't end well if he is there. ]

Does he not understand discretion? Will he not leave upon the request for privacy?

...What makes you think that I would know?

[ What do you know, Cornelia. ]

[Did he really believe she would fall for his theatrics? That she would think nothing of a strange Zero and the pathetic resistance he faced as he charged through Lelouch's guard as though invincible? Or is he seeking confirmation that she understands?]

[She casts him a glare over her shoulder.]

You insult us both by asking me that.

[ She DOES know then. At least that Zero is a conspirator of Lelouch's. Maybe she isn't clued in on the entire plan... Who could be? But Cornelia is aware of some details no one should be. ]

I am starting to think up of more questions for you.

Then quicken your pace. We still have a ways to go.

Maybe you should learn some patience.

[ But he does pick up his pace. As much as he can. ]

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