INTRO LOG - OCTOBER 2013

[rekindlemods]

Who: Everyone Where: The Welcome Plaza When: 18th October, afternoon Summary: The new arrivals, freshly pulled from their worlds or others, awaken in a strange plaza... Warnings: Inbox death may occur. System overload at own risk. SOME NPC RESPONSES WILL BE SLOW. The lanterns flicker and the shadows rise... Perhaps you felt a rumble beneath your feet, a sensation of what you were standing upon giving way underneath you as something pulled you in and away from what it was you were doing. Or, perhaps it was simply a gentle tap on your shoulder before you had the same tugging sensation from behind your navel. No matter which it was; there is one other constant: lp... A quiet rustle of the wind, wherever it is coming from as it hits your face. help... u... The earth grumbling beneath you resounds with something unintelligible. Of course; it's the earth. Dirt can't speak, after all. Yet it won't stop, nor does the wind. All you wanted to do was sleep... Yet suddenly it stops, and as you begin to stir, you begin to feel the crisp wind still seems to be picking up, yet as it settles, it's almost as if it whispers something to your ear. 'elp... u... sh.... Before you can make sense of it, it is gone; 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 mosaic - 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 this windstorm!" Whether you go inside immediately or linger outside a little longer, eventually you must come in from the slight autumn chill, and sooner rather than later would probably be better. ...What was that shadow from the corner of your vision? 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 Assistance Devin, Technological Assistance Mai, Medical Assistance Unlike a 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 four districts in the south and west parts 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 newest and brightest doctors. 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!)

Comments

Kotaro Mochizuki - open!

[babysage]

Everything was really strange for a moment before Kotaro found himself in a square, surrounded by people. Nowhere he recognised and Kotaro looked around, looking for his brother. How had he gotten so lost! He had only been outside the warehouse. "Big brother? Mimiko?" He wandered through the crowds looking lost but also excited because this was all very strange and new. Even if it was a little bit scary.

Once he saw the building he headed in there, his brother wouldn't have stayed outside if he could help it. He entered the lobby and said thank you politely to the person who handed him an envelope. Most people seemed to be human but it didn't stop him from pulling on their sleeves or coats and smiling up at them not caring that it showed his fangs. "Have you seen my big brother? He's really tall and has dark hair and wears a red hat."

[dragoncrest]

As she usually did, the Dragon Knight passed by the welcome center to see if she could find any fellow Gaians or anyone who needed help. She'd been walking around watching the crowd, thinking about approaching the officials there when she felt a tug at her sleeve.

The fangs didn't do much to deter Freya; all she saw when Kotaro caught her attention was a lost child hoping to find their sibling. Though she herself matched two of those descriptors--tall with a red hat--she hadn't seen any others that matched the rest.

"I'm not certain," she answered, kneeling down to get to his level. "He does not sound familiar, and he may not be here, but I would be glad to help you look."

[babysage]

Kotaro's mouth dropped open at the dragon hood, more so at the actual face under it. Apart from black bloods and the occasional dragon- and they had human forms too, he had never met anyone not human who could talk before It only lasted a moment though before he broke out into a huge grin, "You will? Really?" He reached out to take her hand, "Thanks!"

[dragoncrest]

The boy's hand in hers, she nodded with a small smile and got to her feet. Before she started to look around for his brother, she decided to make sure Kotaro knew what was happening and why he was here.

"Have you read the letter they gave you yet?"

[babysage]

"The letter?" He blinked and then remembered! The envelope. "Oh I have it here!" He let go of her hand a moment while he tried to find it, almost overbalancing with the weight of the teddy bear he carried on his back. Soon he found it though and opened the envelope blinking at the key and card, not sure what the latter was.

He frowned at the letter and sighed. That was a lot of words.

[dragoncrest]

Freya held a hand out behind him to make sure he didn't topple over, and it didn't take her long to figure out his frustration with the letter. He did look rather young, and she was willing to bet he was still learning to read.

"Would you like me to tell you what it says?" She already knew the contents of the letter she received, though she would like to take a look at it as well and see if anything had changed.

[babysage]

He could read, but it took concentration and that was something he struggled with at the best of times. Never mind when so much was going on around him. So he grinned at the offer and handed the letter up to the strange mouse lady. "Yes please!"

[someonetowatchoveryou]

There is a lost child here. He gazes at said child for a moment when the boy asks him about an older brother. The fangs don't faze him in the slightest but, then again, hardly anything ever does. Observers are weirdly zen that way. He tilts his head to the side and if the boy can sense it, there's a soft telepathic ping. If he can't, it just looks like the man is thinking for a beat.

"I have not seen anyone matching that description," he says, his voice calm and expressionless but somehow (as only kids can really notice these things) kind of gentle. Damn, this poor kid's going to be hearing this a lot, isn't he? He then continues. "Have you tried asking at the General Assistance desk?"

[babysage]

He doesn't sense anything but takes the time to adjust the huge teddy bear strapped to his back. He sighs when the man says he hasn't found him.

"The general assistance desk?" He spins round trying to spot it, he's very small though and there's a lot of people.

[someonetowatchoveryou]

He does notice that the child is too short to see where anything is in this crowd. After pondering options, he looks down at the boy again.

"I can lead you there," he says, looking in the direction of said helpdesk. Returning his gaze to the boy, he puts his hand out unthinkingly. "Come with me."

[babysage]

Kotaro takes it with a smile, "Okay!" He is glad to have met someone who wants to help, and he sticks close to the man so he doesn't loose him in the crowds as well.

[someonetowatchoveryou]

The reason he took the boy's hand becomes abundantly clear once he starts moving. His method of navigating a crowd borders on something that physics might side-eye. He steps, sometimes unpredictably, precisely into spaces where people aren't, as though able to predict their paths to avoid crossing them. This results in a walk through the crowd with no jostling, no awkward quadrille sidestepping, no sudden stops. Very strange.

The man himself says nothing as he does this. Perhaps he's concentrating.

[babysage]

Kotaro doesn't seem at all worried about this, and lets himself be dragged along. He does however get easily distracted and it probably results in some stumbling as Kotaro steps away and is dragged back.

"Have you just got here too? There's a lot of people! Do you think they just arrived, I can't remember getting on a train or anything. Can you remember?" His silence is easily filled, by a thousand questions.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid usually is excited to meet newcomers. There isn't a lot a little boy can do to help others in this place besides answering their questions and hugging them--both things he loves--and newcomers need that more than anyone. It's only natural he is near the Welcome Center around the time newcomers show up.

He looks far from excited today, though. That could very well be because he's still upset from the fire he and his brother accidentally started in their apartment. The wind has partially dried both him and his puppy, Grey, on the walk over from Building One, but they both still look a little worse for the wear. Still, if anything will cheer Diarmuid up, it is helping someone else.

When Diarmuid spots Kotaro, his eyes grow wide. It's been a long time since another boy his age arrived here. He and Grey quickly make their way through the crowd until the are near the boy.

"My name is Diarmuid! Can I help you? Please? It's been a long time since someone my age arrived!"

[babysage]

Kotaro's face broke into a grin when he saw someone else his age. "Hello!" His grin got even larger as he spotted the dog. "Oh!! Who's this? Can I bet him? Hello!" He runs over to the puppy before getting an answer, "You're all wet!"

It's not clear whether he is talking to the dog or the boy, but he seems to remember that the boy had given him a name and offered help. "I'm Kotaro! I'm looking for my big brother, he's really tall with dark hair and wears a red hat. Have you seen him?"

[smallspot]

Diarmuid giggles softly at the boy's excited questions, "This is Grey! You can pet him if you want, but we are wet..." His expression saddens slightly as he is reminded of the mishap from before, but the expression doesn't last long when Kotaro mentions his brother.

"I don't know if he is here or not, but I know someone who can look!" As he speaks, a small blue and green butterfly crawls out of his hair and starts to flutter in between the two boys, "This is my pet! He can go look for your brother for us! He is good at finding things!"

Though, to be honest, the butterfly's find ratio is about 50/50 right now. It had found America's lost picture, but it hadn't been able to find Saber's friend when she first arrived.

[babysage]

"Yay!" Kotaro began petting Grey, he was a little bit like a bear, but a lot smaller. He seemed nice though and Kotaro kept listening to the younger boy, who also seemed nice.

His eyes lit up at the butterfly, "Ah! You have a lot of pets!" He paused in petting Grey for a moment to approach the butterfly, "Okay he's really tall so you will need to fly high to find him! He's got dark hair and wears a red hat. He might have a sword too."

[smallspot]

The butterfly flutters around Kotaro's head a couple of times before flying up high and disappearing from sight. Diarmuid watches him go and then turns back to Kotaro, "My father made Dia for me so that I would never had to be alone. I just got Grey. My brother got a puppy too! We call that puppy White because he is white and fluffy! If you like Grey, you should come meet White sometime. You will like him too!"

[babysage]

"Wow! That was nice of him?" It takes him a moment to remember what a father was. Jiro had told him when he had been teaching him about humans. He knows brother though!

"Is your brother here too? And he has a puppy? Is he a big brother or a little brother? Where did you get your puppies from?" He wants a puppy, they are fluffy. He turns round to show Diarmuid his giant teddy bear that is strapped to his back. "This is Lord Bowwow the second. Lord Bowwow the first was a real bear but I haven't seen him in a long time!"

[wontdoanyless]

Steve wasn't very tall himself, but he still looked down when he felt the tug on his coat and the young voice that soon followed the movement. Oh, a young kid that was looking for his brother... it must be difficult.

He knelt down so that he was more at eye-level with him, trying to look as kind as possible to Kotaro. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone by that description. But we can still look around, he may be somewhere else." There was a chance and Steve wanted to take it. It would be worth trying at least.

[babysage]

A lot of people hadn't seen him by now and Kotaro's face falls at the words. "He has to be somewhere! He doesn't let me go far away on my own!"

And this was very far away, Kotaro had figured out that he wasn't in the Special Zone anymore. He had tried calling out to him in his mind as well, and got no reply, that wasn't something he could tell a human though.

[wontdoanyless]

He felt bad for upsetting the little guy, but Steve didn't want to lie either. "I can't promise that he's here, but we're gonna try our hardest to find him." Steve wasn't about to let a child wander around this city by himself. It would be irresponsible of him to say the least.

This city wasn't too big at least, well not to Steve at least. And there were the communication devices here that might help spread the message around.

[babysage]

"Okay." He nodded and reached out for the mans hand looking around the room. "He's probably hiding somewhere."

[wontdoanyless]

Steve took his hand and looked around as well, but only for a brief moment. He didn't think he would be hiding here, his brother sounded like he would come to his aid at a time like this. "Are there any places that he likes to go to in particular?"

[babysage]

"Well he doesn't like the sun, which is why I thought he would be in here!" But he didn't seem to be at all, "So places that are shady or dark!"