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

[hashtagdaddy]

[Apparently this guy takes things pretty literally, but Gladio doesn't mind. Sometimes that can be useful. And hilarious.]

Guess it takes one to know one. And I'd like to hear anything you know about this place, happy or not. The more I know, the better prepared I can be.

[It's not like he's a stranger to unhappy things, after all.]

[sullenstallion]

This isn't the first time this has happened to me.

[He's not from Crystallis, but he's from somewhere worse, somewhere that stole his legs and twisted his mind and morals. Anything to survive. Dylas starts to speak of things he can't be sure about, but he says them like he knows firsthand.]

Take everything with a grain of salt. The people here know more than they're letting on. Some of them, anyway.

[hashtagdaddy]

Wait, this isn't the first time you've been taken from home and plopped in a different world? [That's ... ominous. And something he really wishes he could talk about with a certain, insanely smart friend of his.]

Anyone in particular thinks knows more than they're saying? Or are you just speaking about the original world inhabitants in general?

[sullenstallion]

That's right. I used to have...

[He's about to say 'I used to have legs,' but that's Dylas' lack of filter almost getting the better of him. He quickly changes his tune.]

...I used to be in a different world, uh. Not my home world. Yeah, I'm speaking generally. I don't know who, but there's always someone who knows more than they're letting on. You should take everything with a grain of salt. Or a bucket of it.

[He remembers he's saying all of this in front of a Moogle assigned to him, too. That's a little awkward, so he adds:]

The Moogles can be trusted, though. Salmog isn't great, but he's trustworthy.

[He hasn't said anything about, uh, what's in Dylas' freezer, after all.]

[hashtagdaddy]

I'd hope the Moogles could be trusted or we'd all be kinda screwed, yea? [He hasn't missed Dylas skipping over the fact that he's here from a different world that still isn't his home world, and that sets off some interesting bells in Gladio's head.]

I still think your Moogle - Salmog - is just scared of you. And I'll try to remember that some people might know more than they act like they know. Thanks for the heads up on that, by the way.

[He could just leave it there, but he's trying to make a conversation and he can't deny the curiosity about someone coming from a world that wasn't their home.] But I have to ask, what kind of world did you come from originally? Can't help wonderin' what kind of world has Naga commonly runnin' around.

[sullenstallion]

Yeah. They're everywhere, like...rats.

[He doesn't actually think Moogles are rats, but they're unfortunately the first thing that comes to mind. Hopefully present company doesn't take too much offense, because he doesn't even realize that could be insulting.]

That's his problem, not mine. ...Probably.

[But he runs his hand through his hair, looking troubled by it anyways. It's something he's going to have to pay attention to in the future whether he wants to or not.

At the last question, his eyes narrow a little. Why is this guy so nosy? First, he's all up in his business about Salmog, and Ryslig is the last thing he wants to talk about. Still, he doesn't seem...malicious about asking, but.]

It's full of monsters. It's not a great place for a friendly guy like you.

[hashtagdaddy]

[The comment about rats doesn't bother Gladio - he's pretty sure that Dylas doesn't mean the Moogles are an infestation or anything bad. Probably just that there are a lot of them.

He notices the look on the Naga's face but doesn't comment on it.

His arms raise in a placating gesture as Gladio realizes he apparently upset Dylas.]

Hey, sorry if I struck a nerve. I'm no stranger to a world filled with monsters - back home the world outside my hometown is full of 'em and it's been a real pain dealing with them while travelling.

[An eyebrow raises, as if he's saying that he'd know a monster when he saw one.] I'm friendly with people, sure. Hasn't stopped me from takin' care of monsters.

[sullenstallion]

Wha? You didn't.

[Strike a nerve, that is. Gladiolus kind of struck a nerve, but Dylas doesn't want him thinking his feelings are that fragile (they kind of are). It takes considerable effort for him to hide his emotions sometimes. He usually fails.

But this is serious. These are lies he's told himself over and over again. He's the monster.]

It's because you're friendly that it'd be a problem for you. Whenever something comes to drag me back there, do us both a favor and make sure you're nowhere near me.

[hashtagdaddy]

[This guy might be a stranger, but Gladio can tell he actually did touch on something Dylas is sensitive about. His face is the picture of disbelief - one eyebrow raised and lips slightly puckered in thought.]

Why, do you want to go back there?

[sullenstallion]

[Damn it, Gladio. Dylas looks a little startled to be asked that. Everyone here wants to go home, after all, to their loved ones and their old lives. His face contorts a little, pain flickering across his expression as he tries to decide what's worse: not answering the question or answering honestly.

This guy is way too nosy.]

I don't care where I am. It doesn't change anything. Why do you want to know so badly?

[hashtagdaddy]

I'm just tryin' to make conversation. I can be pretty observant - been trained in it most of my life - so I notice things others might not. Like you clearly not wanting to back to where you came from and you thinking you're a monster but not wantin' to be one.

[He sighs and shakes his head, face and body going apologetic.]

Look, I'm sorry I asked too many personal questions. I'll head out now. Thanks for the warning about this place. An' if you decide you might actually want a friend, hit me up on this iMog thing.

[Gladio moves Noodle to his other shoulder and offers another apologetic smile.] Seriously, I wasn't trying to be a dick. Thanks again for your help.

[sullenstallion]

Trying, or prying? And I don't know why you think you noticed things, but...you didn't.

[He's bristling physically, straightening his spine and moving the rest of his body beneath him. He can think of a time where he would've appreciated this sort of friendliness or concern, but...he can't accept it now. The people here don't know.]

Yeah, well...you should be sorry. I'm not going to make that call anytime soon.

[And just so he can attempt to save face, he's going to slither off further into the Curti Center if he's not stopped after Gladio's rebuttal (or lack thereof).]

[hashtagdaddy]

[Gladio shakes his head again, offering a shrug as he begins taking steps away from the plainly irritated Dylas.]

Yea, sure - I'm just a brainless muscle-head. Didn't notice anything. [It's obvious he means none of that, that he's only saying it to make Dylas feel better even though he's sure the sarcasm will do the exact opposite.]

Good luck with ... whatever's going on then. When you decide being a loner isn't fun, you know where to reach me.

[He's not about to keep wasting time trying to talk to this guy anymore, especially since Dylas is some combination of uncomfortable, angry, and annoyed. So Gladio gives a half-wave and turns his back. There's a house he needs to check out and things he needs to do.]