rekindleme | INTRO LOG - OCTOBER 2013

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INTRO LOG - OCTOBER 2013

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!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Kanji!"

A head of bright pink hair appears right in front of him, and if he looks down, he'll see a beaming, presumably teenage girl smiling up at him. Granted, she can somewhat feel his bad mood even as she approaches, but she's never let a little attitude stop her. Besides, Kanji's probably just frustrated- she can at least do the place a favor and calm him down before anything really sets him off.

Even if she does doubt he'd actually hurt anyone.

"Hey- are you doing alright?"

Kanji heard his name again when he decided to take a rest and let himself take in everything he'd learned from his friends here. Another world... a universal junction? So this planet- or the city, at least- calls 'em all here, grabbing anything they can to save them from a total blackout. But he still couldn't grasp how touching was supposed to do anything helpful!

Maybe this girl knew, running right up, but this would be the second person who came right up as if they knew him.

"...Huh? I'm pissed! This Saeng Seong place freakin' kidnapped me! ...And how the hell d'you know my name?" He'd asked about TV appearances before.

"Shit, d-did Naoto ask around about me or somethin'...?" He mumbled without realizing, rubbing the back of his head and looking away.

"I understand- it's kind of inconvenient, isn't it? But if you're worried about being missed back home, don't- you'll be put back like you never even left, apparently...!"

She beams at him, though her wings droop a little at his demand of how she knows his name. So not the Kanji she knows, then. But that's alright though- she can work with this, she thinks.

"How I know your name is complicated, but I promise it's nothing bad-" here she sticks out her hand, smile bright and almost saintly. "But let me introduce myself- I'm Cupid. Not the Cupid, that's more my Dad but regardless...!" Her smile brightens, almost megawatt. "It's really nice to re-make your acquaintance, Kanji."

A beat, and then-

"Naoto is here too?"

"...'Apparently'?" If that was true somehow, that was good but really weird, and he was pretty sure time-bending shit was impossible... but then again, so was jumping into a TV.

But she introduced herself as Cupid, or the daughter of the original Cupid, and she apparently knew him from somewhere before. The color rose in his face; he figured cupids were little kids with wings and they shot arrows into people, helped 'em fall in love.

Pink turned to red when she mentioned the detective, and his mind started running a mile a minute. D-did his cru- er, h-how he fee- wh-what he thinks about-- was he followed by Cupid somehow but she was invisible or something?

He nodded slowly. He'd bumped into her earlier, and that conversation didn't go so hot. But she didn't need to know that.

"Couple'a my friends're here, yeah... uhhm... the, uh-" He pointed, eyes drawn to the feathery appendages. They looked soft, but he jammed his hands in his pockets. Maybe he could ask later.

"So you're not s-screwin' with me, right? You're seriously Cupid, wings n' arrows and all the love stuff, right?"

"Well it worked pretty well in the last place I was, so I figure it'll work here too."

His reaction is absolutely precious though, and right in line with what she's come to expect of Kanji. She has to resist the urge to throw her arms around him out of sheer relief that he's still so innately him no matter what the universe, and just smiles a little wider at him.

"That's good- I'd hate for you to be all alone here, since you don't really know me all that well."

Her wings give a little flick as she clasps her hands, lacing her fingers together and bringing the tips up to her lips with a giggle.

"I wouldn't lie to you Kanji! I'm absolutely Cupid- I can summon my bow and arrows if you'd like?"

...She sounded serious about the bow and arrows thing. Kanji shook his head. What if she popped him with an arrow and it hurt or something? Or worse, what if it made him run off and say things he was seriously gonna regret?!

"Shit, I guess I gotta believe, right? Those ain't prop wings- they freakin' moved!" But it sucked that he had so many questions, the whole Saeng Seong thing completely forgotten for the moment. How could he ask them? When should he ask them? What if he asked Cupid what she knew about him and his friend and it turns out he's got no shot at... well, at her?

...Why the hell was he thinking about this!?

His hand quickly masking the lower half of his face, he turned away. "...W-well, I guess if there's somebody who seriously fits into a place like this, it's Cupid or his daughter, right?"

"Yeah- they do that sometimes. They'd be kind of telling if I were the type to lie, honestly."

If, you know, someone could read body language in regards to feathers, that was.

"And that's pretty much the way I'm choosing to look at it. They couldn't have asked for someone more suited to contact than me, really...!"

But her expression falls a little when he turns away, setting a gentle hand on his arm and frowning worriedly up at him. She only hopes he's not upset because of something she's said.

"...are you okay Kanji?"

The hand on his arm brought his own into focus, and it quickly lowered. The throat-clear was brief, eyes searching the streets in any other direction as he managed, "I-I'm fine! Jus' thinkin' about... stuff, and..."

He shook his head. That was strange just then; maybe the wind was dying down, but he wasn't feeling as chilly as he was earlier, and the sights around him had less of that funky 'veil' over it. Maybe the little windstorm was over, or his immune system was fighting back against the new environment.

"Gettin' stuck somewhere once is enough, man."

"Oh, I know that feeling, believe me."

Her smile is reassuring, and her hand on his arm remains.

"But just... look at it this way- you're here to help, right? And from what I know of you, you're the kind of guy who'd help if people would only ask you to."

Another squeeze, and her other hand rises, patting him on the back.

"I'm sure you'll be alright here, sweetie."

He couldn't really explain it, but... he was meeting this girl for the first time, but it strangely felt like he'd known her forever. Normally not much for physical contact, here he was taking a bit of comfort from it, the cold and restlessness melting away for reasons he didn't yet entirely understand.

He could read people, and she didn't seem dishonest. She... actually believed he'd help people, and that he'll be okay here. Kanji didn't intend on staying trapped here, but if the power problem needed touch to fix everything, then he could do his part, yeah? Wasn't a handshake contact? A fist-bump? A pat on the back? Yeah. He could do the hell outta those.

"...Ya really think so?" Ruffling the bleached hair at the back of his head, he finally turned his eyes her way again.

Poor thing- he seems so down about something. For a moment she considers asking if there's anything he needs to talk about, but then thinks better of it. She can't push into his life like that, especially if he doesn't want her to. Instead she nods at his question, expression still bright and sweet, comforting and encouraging in equal measure.

"Of course! Like I said, I wouldn't lie to you Kanji!"

She beams at him, giving a little bounce on the balls of her feet, wings fluttering.

"I absolutely believe in you!"

Her enthusiasm was actually kinda infectious. The smile was usually so rare, but a small one played on the corners of his lips.

"...Then I'm gonna give it all I got! It ain't my style ta work any less," he replied, bringing his hands together and working against his knuckles with a few crackles.

"Hell, I'm feelin' a little better now, too. I dunno about you, but I was feelin' some funky-ass cold hanging onto me earlier, but the immune system kicked in or somethin'."

"That's what I like to hear!"

Her wings give another little flutter, and she only hesitates a moment before giving him a hug. Truth be told, she's feeling a lot better than she had been before, so she considers the fact that he said he wasn't feeling well either as she pulls back, canting her head at him slightly.

"...wow really? Me too, but I feel tons better now."

"O-oi-!" He still had that kneejerk reaction despite trying to change, but his hands made no move to shove her off. Instead Kanji briefly stiffened, feeling his spirits strangely lifted by the time Cupid had pulled away. To his relief, not everyone hung like a koala, like Rise or Teddie.

"...Seriously? I didn't think gods or whatever could catch a cold. Ya think there's some place around here that makes tea or somethin'? I'unno, that always helps me feel better when I'm feelin' like shit."

"Oh, sorry-! I'll warn you next time, promise."

Implying, of course, that there will be another hug in his future. She shakes her head at the assumption though, crossing her arms lightly.

"Well... we don't really get sick- not the way mortals do. But... there are things that can drain our energy or make us weaker."

She pauses, considering, and then adds-

"...maybe the whole thing about touching people is kicking in already."

"Huh?" Kicking in? Like how? Looking around him, he rubbed the back of his neck. That's right, she'd hugged him and stuff, so they probably generated a little power for Saeng Seong if that was right.

"I guess the lights look a little brighter? I ain't payin' much attention... why, that hug do somethin'?"

"It seems to have, yes!"

She pats his arm again, smiling. Such a nervous boy when it came to things like this. Well, she supposed she'd just have to acclimate him to it if she had to... though if Naoto was around, the detective might be a better candidate. Either way, Kanji was going to get used to contact, she'd make sure of it.

"Kind of like... getting a second wind, you know?"

"A second-" He paused, took in a breath and let it out, rolling his shoulders a moment. With a head tilt this way and that, the comparison seemed to click a little better with him, and a little surprise flit across his features.

"Yeah... s'jus' like that! Whoa, so this is how everybody feels when they do this kinda stuff here? Would people get weirded out if I walked up n' shook somebody's hand? S'that stuff different here?"

"I dunno if it's weird... but if you want to try it out, we totally can!"

Because two teenagers walking around shaking people's hands for no apparent reason isn't weird in the slightest. Nope, not at all.

"Although... we'd probably have to make sure they were brought here like us. I don't think the people here can generate the energy they need- otherwise they wouldn't need us here."

Of course not! Psh!

Kanji had to make a face, something else not clicking with him. "Ya think they know why? The hell makes us different from people who were born here, y'know? Unless they're not people, or-" Goddesses. Huh. Would Cupid generate more energy than he did? That was a weird question that popped into his head. Maybe that's why he felt all tingly.

"...eugh, gettin' a headache. This place has gotta sell noodles somewhere. Then I'm gonna say 'screw it' and see what the others say about all this. I, uh... well, y'know me, right? I ain't much for game plans."

"They might, they might not- if they do, they didn't mention it in the letter. Maybe asking someone from here might be a good idea..."

She's considering it, at least, and she pats his arm again without thinking, amusement evident on her face.

"It's alright, Kanji. I'm not exactly a master planner of anything but parties myself."

Kanji hummed, but nodded. Asking a native was a thought, but one he was finding he had less urge to do now than he did before. Besides, what if Senpai, Rise or Naoto asked already? He could just ask them.

"Uhm... Y'down for noodles? I'm gonna have to run after, but I don't see why I gotta go eat by myself. I got questions, too, s-so..."

"Questions?"

Cupid tilts her head, smiling brightly- she remembers that tone from the first time they met. She can probably guess what some of the questions will be, all things considered. But she nods regardless, fingers pressing together.

"And I can always eat!"

"Yeah, just... just some stuff..." He answered, shaking his head and looking away. He tried to sound so casual, but the body language wasn't even the tip of the iceberg when it came to Kanji's lack of subtlety.

OH GOOD, SUBJECT CHANGE. "Uh, cool! So I guess we gotta find some place. These maps point out any places to eat...?"

He poked through the envelope again to fish out the map and take a look at it.

Then he turned it around to read it in the correct direction.

"Hmm... I think it does..."

She reaches for her own map, pulling it close to investigate for herself.

"Well- I don't think there's specifics, but it says there are restaurants nearby, at least. Love the cute little fork-and-knife signs. Always so cute."

The map is closed, shoved back into her purse.

"Shall we?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

INTRO LOG - OCTOBER 2013

I am so sorry

Don't apologize. CUPID KEEP BEING ADORABLE

she will do her best

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