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 AssistanceDevin, Technological AssistanceMai, Medical AssistanceUnlike 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!)![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rekindlemods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rekindleme2013-10-18 07:17 pm
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"Kanji-kun? Is that you?"
Please tell her it was really him, and not some sort of illusion, at this point.
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Senpai was one thing, but... this voice. This one not only surprised him to see another person from home here, but with a hard twist and flutter in his stomach, it brought up a whole lot of something else. His initial reply was a cough when he turned, before stifling his mouth and swallowing quickly; his stupid mouth had gone dry.
"Wh-who the hell else would it be?" He tried to answer in the closest thing to jovial he could manage, but with that crack and hoarseness in his voice, it came out all wrong. Perfect. Didn't help that he'd been feeling like fresh hell since he got here, and the wind wasn't helping.
"Y-you jus' show up here? ...I'm- I'm, uh, lookin' for a pay phone..."
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"I was only making sure; I wouldn't be surprised if this place was capable of making doppelgangers at this rate."
She nodded at his response, sighing while crossing her arms.
"Yes, I had just left the station with you and the rest of the team, and then... opened my eyes to find myself here. Though," she shook her head, her expression becoming more annoyed-not at him, at the situation itself "I doubt you'll be able to call Inaba from here. I'm liable to believe we're not on Earth at the moment... considering there are two moons in the sky. That and the variety of people I've met so far indicate this is some sort of... I suppose 'universal junction' point would be appropriate? It's the only way I can explain seeing who I have so far..."
She realised she was rambling at this point, and shook her head to clear it, before looking up at Kanji again.
"Forgive me, I was going on too long-- are you feeling all right?"
They were team members, and she worried about him... he tended to forgo his own pain for the sake of others when he was hurt, after all. Memories of a battle recently fought came to mind... but she dared not dwell on that.
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"I'm- I'm fine! ...Uhm... junk-? Whadda you mean some kinda universal junction?" But he looked up. Sure as shit, there were two moons, and that pay phone idea was feeling more and more like a pipe dream. No wonder his cellphone didn't work, and no wonder he'd seen some pretty weird people here so far- rat people, glowing people... aaand now his head hurt a little.
"...Ya look like shit." It just came out, then, but now that he thought about it, she wasn't looking so hot, either. The TV world sort of kicked the shit out of them without their glasses, right? Ah, but he wore them earlier, and didn't feel any different.
"Y-you been up all night or somethin'?"
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It was the simplest way she could think to explain it to him, if not very scientific. She frowned at his next comment, crossing her arms.
"You do not look like a bed of roses yourself, you realise. And no; I slept relatively well. We were at the train station together, or did you forget?"
Sighing, her arms went down. No use getting mad at him, he probably was just feeling low himself. Remembering the instructions in the papers given to her-- that 'touching' would be what saved this town and help themselves, she reached out to grasp his hand.
"Let me try something..."
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"'Course I remember! B-but y'weren't lookin' like you were comin' down with some kinda cold, or...!" Man, she looked kinda pale. Did he? He knew he felt like shit as well, cold and jittery and in dire need of a lie-down. She was a lot smaller; who knows what the windy weather and environment change was doin' to her--
"H-huh?" He was confused, looking at her, and down to her hand. Did- did she want him to hand something over?
"Wh-what're you tryin'a do?"
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His hesitance didn't stop her, and she grasped his hand, remarking that truly, it was impressive he could do such finely detailed work sewing and painting with hands this size.
"How do you feel now?"
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Kanji stiffened when she grabbed his hand anyway, and he stared wide-eyed at her. As he swallowed to keep his heart from leaping out of his throat he avoided looking at her again, settling his gaze anywhere else as a heat seemed to spread from his hand, his face, and through his body like he'd had a hot bowl of soup and the warmth spread from the core.
"Uhh, w-w-warm..." His hand was on the large side, a little rough from years of roughhousing, and was something along the lines of a dead fish in how he hesitated in making a move. It was almost an afterthought when his fingers slowly closed around her hand and he looked down.
"L-less jittery..." Except that he wanted to let go, turn away and try to deal with the fact that this was a definite hand hold, and not the quick grasps to pull each other to their feet that came so naturally to them during battles in the TV.
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Her hands were smaller, softer-- something that used to bother Naoto while she was hiding her gender, but she was learning to accept. She gave his hand a brief squeeze but tilted her head at his reply.
"...If anything, you seem more jittery now, at least verbally. Are you alright?"
Admittedly, she was starting to feel calmer herself... how peculiar.
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The color in his face was returning, and that chilling wind kicking around had stopped, leaving most - if not all - to a silence and a few wind chimes singing from a back porch just a block from their location.
Kanji furrowed his eyebrows, then, glanced up briefly before moving back down. "Were you- were you feelin' like shit until a second ago? Yer color's back."
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Finally, she let go of his hand, reaching to adjust her cap as the wind was finally caliming down.
"So it seems what they say is true... at least to some extent. I wonder how much..."
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"Nobody at the front desk said nothin'. Just that touchin' other people keeps the lights on." Wasn't knowing how often they had to touch people kind of important?
"...Were, uh... were you-" He muttered just above audible level, then paused, rethought it. Maybe it was dumb to ask. Whatever. Why get hopeful over that kinda thing?
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Sighing, her own hands dropped to the side; that warm feeling had been enjoyable compared to the biting wind from before, and it wasn't exactly fading... her mind couldn't help but wonder what sort of manner of touch would generate more power--
"Hm?"
She glanced over to him, tilting her head when she heard him mumble something.
"Did you say something, Kanji-kun?"
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He shook his head. "N-nah, s'just... I-I didn't say nothin'!"
Nailed it. What use was there in wondering if what the weird shirtless girl said was true anyhow? It was natural to look for friends when you were separated. Why else would she wanna look for him? ...God, he felt dumb.
"So we got keys, yeah!? Maybe we should track down Rise n' Senpai, let 'em know what numbers we got in case we wanna meet up somewhere? I'unno, not havin' a headquarters or whatever's seriously throwin' me off."
With that he produced the key, jingling in his hand. "I got, uh... 2-01. Building 2."