melodiesofeternity | FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS || INTRODUCTION LOG

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FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS || INTRODUCTION LOG

Who: All characters (New Arrivals and Native OCs)
When: April 11th
Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District
What: For the first time in 10 years, outworlders have been found the Dream Width. This unprecedented number of new arrivals are rescued and brought to Vaikuntha, and must now try to start adjusting to their new home.
Warnings/Notes: All players can put up a toplevel. Please post to the NPC toplevel if you have an IC question for them.

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. The makeshift infirmary is becoming uncomfortably warm, packed to its capacity with people.

Stepping out, there is a lobby space that bears the signs of having once held some furniture, now cleared away to make space. Even with the sparse accommodations, the space quickly fills to standing-room only.

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 to play again. ]

’Welcome travelers’…

CURTI CENTER

[ Finally after hours of flight, you arrive at the Curti Center. The other NPCs await you along with the Native OCs. 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 today. Indeed, here you are. No one knows why such a large number of people has been found at once, but the Curti Center is a place dedicated to piercing the Dream Width's secrets.

Cid also introduces the other ones: his assistant Jessie, Claire, the woman looking at the group in horror upon being pointe 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 despairs at the pile of paperwork she must complete by the end of the week), 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 specifically during this introduction, please respond to the toplevel with the name of the NPC in the subject header. The mods will try to reply at least once a day for each NPC. ]

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. ]

A BAD OMEN

[ Wandering around, you may stumble upon an old and tired-looking moogle wearing what can only be described as a decrepit fortune-teller attire. Upon seeing you, or any of the new arrivals for that matter, he will slowly approach and tell you all the exact same speech. ]

If you stay here, you're doomed. She will find you and make you suffer hell. [At which point his eyes will grow exorbitant.] This world is cursed. You will die and never be free. [And finally he'll fly right into your face.] Never!

[ Then he will leave and go say his speech to someone else, without doing anything but repeating different variations of his warning if asked for details. Should you ask your assigned Moogle, Biggs or Wedge, they will mention this crazy moogle can't be reasoned with and sometimes stick around the center, even though he's always chased away. He never says anything besides doomsday predictions. For unknown reasons, he's always been particularly nasty with Biggs and Wedge... And with you as well now, it seems. ]

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 the sudden and unexpected number of 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?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(( Hit me up if you want me to tweak this in any way! I know we mentioned wanting to thread this out so they can start hanging out, so. ))

[ And so Hunk and Adrien, newly acquainted roomies, set off for groceries. They definitely needed food, and having another set of hands and eyes along meant that they'd probably end up happier.

That said, while Hunk had a good gut for this sort of thing, he knew nothing about the youngest member of their house aside from his name and the fact that he was, well, young. ]

So, uh... have you ever been grocery shopping on your own before? [ It's a bit of an insulting question, but the smile that Hunk has shows that he's being completely genuine about it. ]

(OOC: Nope! Looks good!)

[They just met today and already on a shopping venture. Well, of course, this was after they finished arranging the house - Shiro insisted and he seemed to be a slightly... more responsible figure to listen to than Baiken.]

[Apparently, he's also the youngest in the house, but he doesn't mind - at least he's not alone.]

Er... [Adrien doesn't take it as an insult at all; in fact, he's a little embarrassed.] It might sound silly, but I haven't.

[ Hunk shrugs and laughs, a dismissive wave of one hand showing how much he cares about that. ] You'll be fine- I'm pretty good at this. It's no space mall, either.

[ He'll just let that hang in the air for about a half-second. Just enough time for Hunk to- ]

So is there anything you're hoping to find?

[ -keep him on his toes. Part of him does hope the kid asks about the space mall though, because he's ready to start talking about Voltron. That is, if Shiro hasn't already that magical robo-cat out of the bag. ]

Space mall?

[Adrien raises an eyebrow, but Hunk's going forward. Maybe they'll come back to it.]

Not really. If they happen to have anything similar to French pastries, I'd be happy.

[He knows it's not going to compare to the patisserie at home, but just something familiar would be comforting.]

[ Hunk notices that eyebrow and smirks as Adrien mentions pastries. Then, his eyes light up and that smirk turns into a grin. ]

This sounds like a good time to mention that I love baking. A lot. And I bake whenever I can. [ To cope with stress. Which he has a lot of. ]

That space mall, though? [ Hunk returns to the topic out of obligation, but you better believe he could talk baking for the next eternity. ] We needed new lenses for our ship, but I ended up an indentured servant in the food court and then we escaped on a cow. Pretty calm for a... Wednesday, maybe?

You do? Do you think you could teach me?

[Learning something right now would be great.]

Wait, so like... an actual space mall? Lenses for your ship? And how did you leave with a cow of all animals?

[ Adrien asked to learn how to bake. He asked to learn how to bake. Hunk stumbles for a bit because he had to force his feet to keep moving when they wanted to stop in their tracks. ]

I'd love to teach you! And since we're roommates, it means if you mess up, we'll be the only ones who'll know. [ Because they might still eat the end products anyway. ]

But the space mall was a space station but inside was a mall. [ Or something. Honestly, he was a little busy with cooking most of the time. ] We needed to replace some special lenses for some lasers- it makes more sense if you see it.

[ And then he looks at Adrian with a giant grin on his face. ] And y'know how people say that aliens abduct cows? [ Hunk leaves it at that. ]

Really? Great! I wanted to learn for a while, but... it's complicated.

[And they're not talking about that right now. There's at least one advantage of being away from home already.]

Huh... I guess that makes sense. So, it was an outpost or something for all ships. [Totally Sci-Fi... and even lasers. His eyes grow.]

Wait, so aliens abducted a cow and they were selling it... at the mall? I guess no one told them they might be out of luck if other aliens knew where Earth was.

Well, we were so far away from Earth that they wouldn't be able to get more cows if they tried. [ Hunk starts laughing, both at Adrien's surprise and just how lucky Kaltenecker must've been to survive that long. ]

And baking isn't complicated at all! [ Hunk entirely missed the intent of that, but... ] Once you get used to recipes, it's fun! [ That's probably for the best for both of them. ]

Maybe, but... there aren't wormholes and things like that? [Because Hunk, you're talking about spaceships. What about the wormholes??]

Er... it's more my father wouldn't let me bake. Or cook... or anything in the kitchen.

Yeah, there are wormholes, but it's not that big of a deal. [ Yes it is, Hunk. ] One time, we fell out of a wormhole. I found a planet of mer-people, and it sure was interesting.

[ And then Hunk side-eyes his roommate, and makes an exaggerated scoffing noise. ] Your dad is weird- how else are you supposed to learn to cook if you can't cook?

[HUNK DO YOU EVEN?] Woah... so merpeople are on another planet... that's so cool.

[He shook his head.] He hired a chef. He prefers things are done certain ways... always.

I mean it wasn't cool when there was an evil mind-controlling sea serpent, but... [ He rolls his eyes. ] We managed.

[ And while he doesn't say it, Hunk relates to struggles under a control freak- that's why the Galaxy Garrison wasn't always fun. That and Lance's antics. But then he shrugs and smiles. ]

At least now you can make up for lost time! You can do pretty much whatever as long as you live with us. [ Probably. Baiken and Shiro are pretty low-maintenance, and Hunk's the kaiser of the kitchen, so... Should be smooth sailing! ]

That's... good. [Mind-controlling serpent... eugh.]

... I can do what I want?

[His tone says it all: Really?]

[ Hunk double-takes, because Adrien seems to be having some trouble with that. More trouble than his tales of space exploration! ]

Well, not anything. [ He scoffs and shakes his head. ] I mean, murder is right out. As long as it's not illegal, it should be fine!

Why would I want to do anything illegal?

[Roommate, he's not that kind of person.] But... I can do what I want...

It was... it was a joke, Adrien. [ Hunk stares at him for a moment before stifling a laugh. ] But, I mean... jaywalking is illegal, right? [ He doesn't really remember how long it's been since he walked across a city street. ]

But you can do whatever you want. What are you thinking about doing today?

It is, but even if you have the green light in Paris, cars tend to ignore the crosswalk. [He shrugs. Crossing the street is just trying your luck.]

Grocery shopping with you. And then... I don't know.

[ Hunk lets out a disgusted scoffing noise at the tale of Parisian drivers. But then as Adrien keeps talking, Hunk's demeanor shifts from indignant to inquisitive. ]

Well... what do you want to do? I heard there was a garden, a library, and a weird Vaikunthan research department.

[ Hunk thinks that flowers and books and machines all sound interesting, but they might not have much appeal to Adrien. Aside from the kid being a bit sheltered, he... didn't know much about him. ]

... The library might be a good place to start.

[Adrien, no, that doesn't mean that's what you want to do.]

Start what? What kind of book are you gonna read?

[ Hunk looks excited and eager, grinning with enthusiasm. ]

Y'know, I bet they have some great cookbooks there, too.

[ And his mind is back on his stomach. ]

I... might try to find some history books.

[But Hunk mentions cookbooks.]

We should try finding those too.

[ Hunk does a bit of a double-take. History books? That's... pretty boring. He can do anything he wants, and Adrien wants to read about history? ]

You're not gonna look for novels or, like... something fun?

[ Hunk looks kind of downcast, but tries to conceal it with an awkward chuckle. ]

Unless you're a big history buff back home?

Maybe later. I'd like to find out more about the world before looking at novels for fun.

[Like... romance novels.]

What?! Adrien, come on...

[ Hunk groans, but the smile on his face shows he's hardly mad. ]

You know you can do both, right? Just get some history books and some novels at the same time! Y'know what the say about all work and no play, right?

D: Wildcard - Groceries!

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