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

[likewishes]

[ Lelouch understands the lie. He'd tell it himself, really. But Euphy, out of everyone, is owed the truth. His hand falls to Suzaku's shoulder. Gives it a squeeze. ]

We do, yes. The problem, I think, is that she doesn't want to ask. She fears the truth.

[promisedtolive]

[ Lelouch's hand on his shoulder is unexpectedly calming. He's refrained from anything except for handshakes as Zero (or Nunnally touching his hand), so it's been a year since anyone has provided contact.

But nothing can really dispel the anxiety of trying to volunteer information. ]

Whatever I have to do. Even... even Kingsley. [ Swallows as his stomach churns again. ] Whatever either of you want to know.

[likewishes]

I have fragmented memories of that time. [ Maybe because he had been fighting it on and off so not everything had a solid hold in his mind? ] However, one of those memories Euphy also experienced.

[ Because Suzaku needs to be aware of that! ]

[promisedtolive]

You were unstable the whole time. Charles thought he could make use of you but being his tool was too out of your nature.

[ Tone begins to flatten out. Aside from FLEIJA, Charles' first geassing of Lelouch was one of his worst moments. ]

What did she see?

[likewishes]

[ Which probably speaks volumes about Lelouch's will when it came to this. It also explains that he probably only became so unstable when he had been forced to speak about his unwavering loyalty to his father. ]

That explains some of it, then. The memory she saw was of one of those breakdowns. Likely one of the worst, if you had to step in on "my" behalf.

[promisedtolive]

With Shin Hyuga Shiang. [ Looks up to see Lelouch's face. ]

That was the one that broke [ you ] [ Kingsley ] the geass completely.

[ "Suzaku... water... Suzaku, the sunflowers.." ]

Has she asked you about it?

[likewishes]

[ Maybe that's why it's one he remembers semi vividly. ]

No, but I believe she wants to. There was an unpleasant side effect to her entering the memory...

[promisedtolive]

"Side effect"? [ Was she hurt during the battle that happened after Lelouch's breakdown? He doesn't know how memory sharing works, but could it cause harm to the person entering? ]

[likewishes]

It would seem the memories triggered her Geass...

[promisedtolive]

[ He pales even further at those words. ]

Just the memory was enough? [ Both he and Shaing in front of her -- she knew about him, if she hadn't known about Shaing's lineage. ]

Is she all right now? Is she still afflicted?

[likewishes]

Being in the memory seemed to have something to do with it. Outside of it? It simply deactivated.

[ So no, she's fine. ]

I'm not entirely sure that she remembers it activating at all.

[promisedtolive]

Thank goodness it wasn't more serious. [ Shakes his head. ]

I'm sorry you've had to deal with all of this.

[likewishes]

It hasn't all been horrible, despite rocky starts and what this is all going to mean...

[ A casual shrug. Trying to brush it all off because he had been a bit of a wreck. Just a little one. ]

The Job System is... Interesting.

[promisedtolive]

[ Moving from Euphy to jobs? A little whiplash of his own. ]

Probably a good idea for us to get work. [ That way they're not dependent on people like Cid and his organization, no matter how benevolent they appear. ]

[likewishes]

I don't mean like that.

[ It's a whiplash for Suzaku. Not for Lelouch. ]

Euphy has taken up White Mage. I think that is what is helping her cope.

[promisedtolive]

"Mage"? [ Wha...? ]

You mean like magic?

[likewishes]

Yes. Driven by the desire to heal and protect more than likely.

[ Gives Suzaku a look. ]

She's very determined about it.

[promisedtolive]

[ Euphy having magical powers that let her help people. He feels like that's exactly what she would have wanted.

She's alive, with more questions than was good for them, but having the chance to do real good for people in this place.

He looks like he's about to cry. ]

She should be. That's wonderful she can do that.

[likewishes]

[ Oh no. Suzaku can't cry. That's going to make things awkward. So the hand that was on the shoulder moves to push the knight's head down. So Lelouch can't see it. ]

I can't think of anything more fitting.

[promisedtolive]

[ sldkfjlsdfk head has been pushed down and in a way that almost makes it worse -- a reminder of all the good times they shared, at Ashford and then in small moments on the way to Pendragon.

But he recovers from his momentary sentimentality, and even manages not to laugh at Lelouch's attempt to hide from it. ]

What job did you get?

[likewishes]

[ Good. Lelouch would hate to grind his knuckles into Suzaku's scalp if called out on it. ]

...I don't think you'll like it.

[ Both of his aren't... Quite what Suzaku would probably have in mind. ]

[promisedtolive]

Like that's ever stopped you from anything. [ He's capable of gentle teasing. Left over from getting his head ducked. ]

What is it?

[likewishes]

[ Huffs. ]

The Asterisk I'm using right now is Puppet Master. Hence the otter.

[ That's when Buttons makes herself known again. By nipping at Suzaku's fingertips. ]

[promisedtolive]

[ He winces at the bites, but the memory of Arthur is strong, and he instantly feels a strong affection for the creature. ]

It's a beautiful animal. [ Or, is it... ] Or puppet? [ He doesn't necessarily like the terminology, but he can't deny it suits Lelouch. ]

[likewishes]

Oh she's an animal all right. There are puppets or small monsters available... But I chose her instead.