It's a shuddering breath, a sensation of being
pulled to elsewhere and finding oneself pressed against something rather hard with the sound of water coming from nearby. However, before one can fully stir, there is something that lifts you up from the rather warm (yet why did it feel like a chill going down your spine?) stone when you begin to drift off once more. It felt as though someone had thrown you from the frying pan, and then into the freezer - all you wanted to do was sleep...
Yet the feeling passes quickly, and when you awaken, you begin to realize your surroundings. It looks like...a plaza of some sort? As they look around them, the ground beneath them is an intricate mosiac - a water fountain at the center of the plaza in this foreign world. There are many buildings around its perimeter, making this location seem like a central hub of whatever town this was. Some may even recognize the peculiar design of the buildings and sloped tiled rooftops as a Far Eastern theme. Were they somewhere along the Pacific? Who knows! But what is quite apparent is this: Along with the many buildings surrounding the plaza, the first thing that is noticeable is the amount of people sitting or standing around you in a similar daze.
You are not alone...One building seems to stand out among all the others; one that seems large enough to house all of the completely lost and confused masses gathered here to the welcome plaza. A sign outside the door reads:
WELCOME CENTER
Newcomers: Please come inside for refreshments and your welcome packets!Odd... This wasn't written in your own language, and yet you find it easily understandable. Soon enough, if you don't enter on your own, someone comes from inside the double doors to usher you and everyone else inside.
"Welcome to
Saeng Seong! I know you must be confused as to where you are and what's going on, but we promise to explain this to you once we're inside and away from the hot sun!"
Whether you go inside immediately or linger outside a little longer, eventually you must come in from the hot summer day, and sooner rather than later would probably be better. You'll find yourself in a well-lit lobby, filled with comfortable-looking couches and chairs. Along one wall are refreshment tables, loaded with all sorts of food and drink, including some you probably aren't familiar with. On the wall opposite are a pair of desks, each with a sign and a person seated behind them -
Irene, General AssistanceDevin, Technological AssistanceUnlike the few waves before, the only people in charge seem to be the people behind the desks. They look a bit busy.
However, before you can go over and give them a piece of your mind and ask questions, the same person who ushered you inside hands you a manilla envelope that contains your welcome packet, urging you to read this before asking the two figures questions that the packet likely answers.
Inside it, you will find: a ring with a key and apartment number on it, some kind of cash card, a
map and informational guide to the city, and a letter folded neatly on the top -
Welcome to Saeng Seong!
You are among a new group of arrivals to our city, from many far-apart worlds.
We have gathered you here because our city is in a crisis, and we are at our last resorts. The energy of the city is in a slow downward spiral, and is dangerously close to expiring altogether.
That's where you come in - you and everyone else we've brought to the city. Unlike those of us here, you have the potential to generate the energy the city needs, but you'll need to work together to do it.
Why? Because the energy can only be generated when two people touch each other. Any touch will do, but it must be between two of you who are new to the city. If you don't keep in contact with someone, eventually your energy will begin to drain as well, making you dangerously ill.
A few other things:
The closed-off sections of the city are closed off for a reason; approaching them will cause your energy to drain very rapidly. We're working to open the rest of the city to you as soon as we can, but for now, please remain within the three central districts of the city.
You have been given a key to a one-bedroom apartment in a complex set aside for you and the other new arrivals, near the riverside in the 1st district. You're free to change your living quarters whenever you like, and we encourage you to move in with someone in one of the larger apartments. When you want to change, just come back to this building to exchange your key.
We've also included a cash card with a living stipend; if you're unfamiliar with this system, or the network established for new arrivals, you can talk to Devin in the lobby for help. It's what he's here for. If you need medical assistance, contact Mai, one of our nurses.
Again, welcome, and thank you for all your help.
Irene
Arrival Liaison
Back behind you, others still linger, and through the translucent glass you can see a banner hanging from the tiled roof of the building across the street in the blistering summer day:
WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)
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rekindlemods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rekindleme2013-08-18 12:17 am
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That leaves her with the second-most likely option: ] I'm certain that everyone has at least one person that they miss dearly.
[ The woman is wearing the most patient expression, but it's also sort of sad. Not just for herself. ]
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And that's dangerous.]
I suppose. I need to get back home myself; if you're interested on that front, I can help you. But I can't afford to say here personally.
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No, Her wording was specific. "I will make my way to them." ]
Our situation is similar enough, when you get right down to it. [ Her duty back home was important, too, but she is not of the same mindset that she used to be about her rush to get there. Her loved ones come first. ] Working together is the best option.
[ She extends her hand. ] My name is Nanoha. Nanoha Takamachi.
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Asuka nods, taking the hand]
Asuka Langley Shikinami. I've been generally trying to organise things 'round here.
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How well has that been going for you? [ She said "trying to", after all... ]
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It's a mess. Most of the people pulled here are civilian, and with no trustworthy information at this stage it's difficult to make a move. I'd prefer not to damage relations with the locals too severely but the official explanations are so full of holes they wouldn't even be worth it as toilet paper. Whatever action we take first is going to set the precedent, so I'd like to be careful.
Politics... isn't my thing.
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Soldiers rarely enjoy politics, but diplomacy always has a place. [ Taking a wild shot at what Asuka had inferred with her statement. ]
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I know. I'm trying to keep things balanced. There's nothing unifying us here beyond our trans-dimensional kidnapping so it's pretty difficult to achieve cohesion or representation. I'd almost suspect it was intentional.
Besides, I need to get back. There are lives at risk if I can't.
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Military?
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She holds up her hand, and an ID card flashes into view. It looks much like this, but the information is much more current, beginning with the unit designated as "Special Duty Section 6" this time around. ] I don't suppose this looks at all familiar to you?
[ She doubts it. It was the same back in Mayfield, but there was no sense in keeping the presence of a TSAB mage a secret in a place like this. ]
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Nothing I recognise, I'm afraid. I don't have a card myself, [-waste of resources making one and every could recognise her anyway, not to mention she set off Akagi's sensors half the time as is-] but I'm an Evangelion pilot for WILLE under the United Nations. Second Child. We've only got two though; me and the Fifth, who's also here. Hence the need to get back as a matter of urgency. We're their sole effective fighting force.
[it's not even arrogance any more. It's simple fact. In an Evangelion war, you either had Evas, or you died. Her dead world was a testament to that fact.]
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I'll take this to mean you're right from the future, or an alternate reality. [ It wouldn't be the first time, hence her lack of surprise. She'll just assume the numbers mean ranks of some time. Combat pilots? Would explain that eyepatch if it was lost in a fight. ]
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You've dealt with this stuff before?
pretend that "right" wasn't in there...
She nods. ] This is not the first time that I've been brought to a strange world at the behest of ... someone who has something in mind for myself and others. The last place was an antiquated town named Mayfield, modeled after 1950's America.
Have you encountered the others here who have seen it? [ Having met Rin or Yuna would shorten her explanation time. She wavers a bit; focused as she was, her body really wasn't going to be able to support her for too much longer like this. ]
...I actually missed it until you pointed it out. WORDS, HUH
Funny you mention it, this is kinda pre-Impact Asia in a lot of ways...
SHHHHHH (they'll hear us)
I think you were right. I need to rest. If there is really no more sense in waiting for new arrivals today then I should focus on what to do from tomorrow on forward.
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You need me to show the way?
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She nods. ] I would appreciate that. [ She gives up her apartment number and steadies herself to follow the girl out. ]
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It's not too far. You see that big apartment complex?
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[she watches the officer struggle with her papers a little dispassionately. You really did have to be crazy to go that far just waiting for people...] There's nothing selfish in taking care of yourself you know.
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[ As for the latter comment she's really not in the mindset to justify her stubbornness. Perhaps Nanoha does recognize it as such, too. ]
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