melodiesofeternity | 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

"Ah. Good."

And the relief is pretty clear in Regis's voice and body. He's... he has a lot of questions, but he does need a few moments to get his wits together. Not that he expects that he'll have much time to do so - he rarely does.

Tea is very good, though.

Even if... "It tastes a little strange."

It does!

That's fine. Regis can take all the time he needs to collect his wits. Noctis isn't really in that much of a rush to dive right back in after, well, technically seeing his grandmother for the first time outside of photographs and paintings. So, he kind of needs a moment, himself.

He smiles at the odd comment, though. "Well, we are in space. And far from home." It should be pretty obvious that they won't have the exact same things here, except... "Only thing I've seen food-wise that's exactly like home is Ebony-brand canned coffee. Though there are a lot of similar dishes. My adviser's been having a field day filling up a new recipe book."

"Hmm." Smiling is good, though the words send Regis's awareness back to the outside of the ship, and his expression goes... much calmer, really.

"I never thought it was possible to be among the actual stars."

Come on. For a Lucis Caelum, appointed protectors of their Star, yet human? That's kind of miracle enough.

It doesn't last too long, but the smile did briefly exist. He gestures with an empty hand to one of the couches. Most of the other new arrivals and a few who were supposed to be helping them out weren't, well, conscious yet. They essentially have the lounge to themselves for now.

"Honestly? Same here." He had thought the same thing when he first arrived, too... before suddenly hit with how none of the constellations were the same. "Then someone pulled me from my own memories two months ago. Was hell of a lot more cramped in that ship, though."

"And this one is the opposite of cramped. What happened?"

And what in the Six's Names was he doing here, but he was pretty sure Noctis would have started with that information - if he had it.

Don't curse in front of your father, even though he's young. Don't curse in front of your father, even though he's young—

"Not sure." Well, at least he's honest. "Apparently they don't know all that much about how the Dream Width works, only that sometimes, those from other Stars—'Otherworlders', like us—and objects from their worlds can be found out here.

"From what Biggs and Wedge—the only two that volunteered to get us when I awoke here—this is unprecedented. Before the eighty-something of us who showed up two months ago, they were the last ones. Ten years ago." He pauses long enough to take a sip of tea. "Still kind of surprised they managed, really." Considering the hell they all went through with their own memories.

"Volunteered?" Green eyes very attentive, even if Regis's body has gone as close as he lets it, ever, arms loosely crossed over his chest and body leaning back against the couch. Not closing himself from Noctis, not truly, but trying to distance himself from his own emotions and think. (He cannot afford to stay still, paralyzed by confusion and grief.)

"Does that mean that they can know if something or someone is out there, or have they been going out, looking, for a decade?"

"Yeah. Not sure how it works entirely, but it's kind of like a sonar?" When in doubt, cross-reference with things that one is familiar with. "They can sense the presence of foreign objects and people caught out here planetside." Kind of like how the royal vessel can sense dense fish populations.

"That must be very useful. And making sure nobody ends up floating in space indefinitely."

Hmm.

"Ten years. Did they say what happened then?"

"Definitely." He agrees, but all the same... he doesn't fully trust those that work at the Center. "And they didn't, no."

Which feels weird, now that he thinks about it.

Perhaps they can one day work for the center and find out. For now, Regis frowns into his tea.

"I see." Well, that means that he'll ask, if he gets the chance.

"And once we're off the ship?"

Of course, because his mind is trying to get all the picture, the question he wanted to ask was, 'so, Aulea and I?' but he can keep his focus. Weskham would be proud of him. (And that thought comes with a stab of worry for his Chamberlain and friend, but... He knows that if Noctis knew how to put him back, he would have.

So he'll have to wait and see, and try to not worry over what he can't control too much.)

Regis can if he wants to. Noctis will only volunteer to help fish people out from the Dream Width.

Ah. He gave his dad a goal at least. That's...good?

"Planetside?" He clarifies, before continuing. "The Center staff will give you guys their own version of a welcome and explanation of our new circumstances." Something he finds unsatisfactory. "'Welcome to Vaikuntha. This'll be your new home.'" He waves it off. As if they now didn't have proof that some of them did go home now, eventually finding a way to do so. He wouldn't exist if Regis didn't.

If Regis were to ask, he could at least get some reassurances about those he can. But, hard to do when not asked in the first place.

And reassurances might come with their own brand of upset, not that Regis guesses.

Still, for now he hums.

"Does it feel like a home?"

Edited (Um. Self explanatory) 2018-06-18 08:51 (UTC)

They don't really have to guess, do they. After all, who knows better than they who protect their world?

"Well, there certainly are some similarities to home..." He mutters, but shakes his head. "But it's what you make it."

It will never be his home. Their Star yet needs them.

That part... not really, no.

"I see." Regis looks down at his tea again, frowning slightly. He needs to think, but he also... probably needs a hell of a lot of more information.

"What else should I know?"

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

<3

... <3

... okay these boys are going to give us heartache forever

They really, really are. ;~;

WEH they have so much to talk about where to even start

The beginning is usually a good place...

ah... that thing.

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