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

[arosetowar]

Mm, it's good to see you again, Nunnally.

[Well, for a certain definition of good considering the circumstances. Gets up to move to kneel in front of her.]

Have you been here long?

[chosehope]

[Before Nunnally could say anything, she felt a hint of embarrassment. Oh dear, here she thought she was alone! It really wasn't a good thing to carelessly bump into so many other people while someone from home was watching her! She really should be more thoughtful next time!

Still, to see Cornelia kneeling before her, all she could do was shake her head]

It's okay, you don't have to do that! We're in a new world, I don't think my title as Viceroy matters too much. But no, I haven't. I just arrived.

[arosetowar]

[Laughs lightly, but doesn't get up.]

Regardless, it's easier to speak with you like this. Have you been anywhere else, or did you come here first?

((ooc: CAN I ADD YOU ON DISCORD there's something I want to clarify but I can't message you.))

[chosehope]

[If that is what Cornelia wants, Nunnally couldn't argue with that. Stubbornness does run in the family!]

No, I haven't. I'm sorry that I bumped into you, I was just so excited to see the gardens that I wasn't thinking.

[arosetowar]

It's quite all right. I wasn't paying attention either.

[Then she knows nothing. She knows no one who's present. Almost frowns but maintains her smile, though the initial happiness of seeing her sister slips away from her eyes like a curtain falling to the floor, revealing behind it an exhausted kind of sadness.]

They're lovely, aren't they? Even if they are rather unusual. I've never seen most of these flowers before, nor anything like them. Have you?

[chosehope]

[For a moment, Nunnally wanted to say something. Was it just her imagination or was there something else going on? She didn't know but perhaps it isn't right to bring it up. It should be a happy occasion knowing that the both of them weren't alone here.

With a soft smile, she nodded]

Mhmm, they are. It makes me wish that they bloomed back home, it would liven up the place! I wonder if we can take some.

[arosetowar]

We should be able to take some for the moment, at least.

[Picks a nearby flower and, after checking it to make sure it doesn't have teeth or, like, evil and unflowery impulses, places it behind Nunnally's ear.]

There. It suits you.

[A pause. She was so distracted by creating a distraction that she neglected to ask:]

How are you, Nunnally?

[chosehope]

[As she felt the flower behind her ear, she couldn't help but giggle a little]

Thank you, I think you should get one too! It isn't fair that I got one!

[But alas, the distraction wasn't meant to last. However, she still had that same smile]

I'm doing well. I must admit, it is taking me quite some time to get use to this place but I think I'm adapting pretty well! ...What about you? I hope you're doing well.

[arosetowar]

[She doesn't really want a flower, but she picks one for Nunnally's sake and tucks it into her own braid.]

There. Now we're even.

[Polite conversation stilted by secrecy. Cornelia's always hated being the recipient of everything-is-fine smiles and canned replies, and she's no less pleased by them when they're her own. So she decides against telling Nunnally that she's doing well, too, and refrains from veering the conversation towards the impersonal differences between their world and Vaikuntha. It's all just stalling in the end. Just a pointless delaying of the inevitable.]

Mm, it's rather different from home, isn't it? It's good to hear that you're adapting too; however, there's something you must be made aware of regarding -- [Pauses, considering her phrasing.] -- the powers this place has at its disposal.

Sorry about the late! Yay school!

[chosehope]

[Nunnally figured as much. Cornelia was always straight to the point rather than dealing with small talk. Although, it wasn't a bad thing. At least they could get to the heart of the matter and it was figuring out what to do from here.

Being in a strange new world with strange new powers wasn't a difficult concept to grasp. She just thought it would never happen to her]

Oh? What do you mean? [Was she referring to the class she was given or...?]

No worries! Never worries.

[arosetowar]

[She speaks softly, sympathetically, but also a little distantly. Unlike with Euphy, she controls her resentment towards Lelouch enough that it isn't blatant, but she knows that he's capable of hurting Nunnally, too, and she half wants to warn her against having anything to do with him. Nunnally's grief for her brother is still so fresh in Cornelia's mind that keeping them apart seems far more cruel than protective, though, and besides Nunnally knows everything that Cornelia does. She can decide what to do on a factual level and not simply an emotional one, and she knows what to expect from Lelouch. Neither is true of Euphy.]

The dead can find new life here, Nunnally. [A pause, her words momentarily too loose and confused on her tongue to take shape.] Euphy is present. As is Lelouch. They've been here for months.

Thank you! Grad school is so much *fun*

[chosehope]

[Nunnally simply stared at her. Suddenly, she found herself unable to speak or think. Instead, time just stood still as she tries to process what Cornelia just said. She didn't misinterpret what she said, right? Did she really just say what she thought she just said?

No, that isn't possible...was it?]

...What? [Sorry, that's all you're getting out of Nunnally right now. Her brain was trying to process everything]

♥

[arosetowar]

They're alive. Or they're alive here, at least.

[Would say more but figures Nunnally needs a lot more time to process things.]

[chosehope]

[What was Nunnally suppose to say to that? Or better yet, how was she suppose to feel? There was a rush of emotions that it was difficult to fully process everything. She continued to stare at her before trying to form words out of her mouth.]

I... [She mumbled out] How are they able to bring them back?

[arosetowar]

A boy told me that the people here aren't simply from different places, but from different times as well. [She doesn't know what Euphy remembers, hasn't spoken with Lelouch at all yet, so she can't say more than that. Besides which, resurrection opens up questions she isn't certain she wants to have answered. Not yet, anyway.] I know little more than that.

[There's one thing she knows less, though; there's one thing that matters more.]

How are you feeling, Nunnally? I know it's a lot to take in all at once. [Yet how else could she have delivered the news?]

[chosehope]

I see... [She trailed off. If that much was true, it could spell out trouble. If Euphie was here, what would happen if she knew the truth? Or what would happen if Nunnally told Lelouch the outcome of his plans? Either way, she wasn't sure.

But as of right now? She still kept strong with a soft smile]

I know but I'll be okay. It is a lot to take in but I'm just glad that Euphie and Lelouch are alive here! That's all I can ask for.

[arosetowar]

You've grown up so well, Nunnally.

[Though too quickly, Cornelia thinks. Too brutally. Yet still, she is kind and sweet and soft despite how hardening her life has been. It's admirable, but Cornelia isn't without concern. For now though, she simply offers:]

Lady Marianne would be proud to see how strong you've become.

[chosehope]

[With that, Nunnally couldn't hep but smile a little. While she might have vague memories of her mother, it was a nice thought despite everything.]

I really hope so. I know a lot of people look up to her and I do wish to be the same. And I know that my mother would feel the same about you too!

[arosetowar]

[Oh look, people comparing her to/telling her Marianne would be proud still embarrasses her even when she's the one who brings her into the conversation. Probably looks a wee bit flustered for a moment but gets over it quickly enough because it's praising sister time. :|]

That's kind of you to say, Nunnally. Yours is a noble aspiration as well, and doubtlessly one that you'll achieve. A good heart and a strong mind are both very admirable qualities to have.

[chosehope]

[Trolling Cornelia has been a success! Granted, Nunnally wasn't kidding. Despite knowing what her mother had done, she would be proud of what her older sister has accomplished]

You're giving me too much credit. [Pause] I wouldn't have been able to done it without all the help from everyone. And that includes you.

[arosetowar]

[It is almost always a success. 8( Though right now she's a little too taken aback for it to keep working, alas.]

Does it? I apologise, Nunnally, but I have yet to experience anything beyond the first few days following the end of the war.

[Or she assumes she's yet to experience it anyway, given what she's already been told regarding people from the same worlds arriving at different points in the timeline.]

[chosehope]

That's not what I'm talking about.

[Although, now that she thought about it, it does make sense. Why would she go through the trouble of talking of explaining what happened with the others. But...!]

I'm saying that you still did a lot more than you think during the war!

[arosetowar]

[Pauses, considering, but nope, she can't think of what Nunnally might mean.]

During the war?