INTRO LOG - FEBRUARY 2014

[rekindlemods]

Who: Everyone
Where: The Welcome Center
When: 18th February, evening
Summary: The new arrivals, freshly pulled from their worlds or others, awaken in a strange place...
Warnings: Inbox death may occur. System overload at own risk. SOME NPC RESPONSES WILL BE SLOW UNTIL THE ONE WHO PLAYS THEM IS PRESENT.

It's a shuddering breath, a sensation of being pulled to elsewhere and finding oneself pressed against something on the soft and some place cozy. However, before one can fully stir, there is and odd, warm stirring sensation that lifts you up from wherever you've been dropped, when you begin to drift off once more.

Yet the feeling passes quickly, and when you awaken, you begin to realize your surroundings. It's a small room with what some might recognize as a Far Eastern theme when it comes to decor, from the walls to the sofa (or bed) you find yourself on. Illumination is provided by carefully crafted lamps, and even a candle flickering on a nearby desk. The doors are made from paper and wood, with a thin frame; through them it's easy to hear other people stirring, talking, or coming to.

You are not alone...

The people who arranged this room aren't stingy with treats, either. Close by is a plate full of mostly benign chocolates...Though there isn't any milk on hand to go with them. There's also the sound of more noise from further downstairs, and even the faint whiff of something warm and tasty. And to add to all of that, close at hand there's a note that reads:

WELCOME CENTER
Newcomers: Please come downstairs to the lobby for refreshments and your welcome packets!

(PS: This includes milk.)

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, there's a gentle knocking on the door as someone comes from downstairs to usher you along.

"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 you've had a chance to stretch your legs!"

Whether you go downstairs immediately or linger a little longer, eventually you must come down and get out of the small space, 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 warming, comforting 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

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 downstairs 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 first five 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

Outside, and through the translucent glass you can see a banner hanging from the tiled roof of the building across the street. It's looking oddly bright and cheery against a darkening sky:

WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)

Comments

[allout]

Well that wasn't a very refreshing nap. When Minako wakes up, it's needless to say that she's a bit confused... mostly due to the fact that she was in a room she didn't recognize. While it was a nice atmosphere and all, she distinctly remembered falling asleep on Aigis' lap. The sun was so warm and she felt like she could have slept there forever, but here she is.

There was something else that was bothering her - she felt like she shouldn't be here for some reason. Like... maybe she shouldn't have woken up as quickly as she did. But that thought is quickly dismissed as she sits up and rubs her eyes, looking around her.

When she spots the note and reads it, her confusion and curiousity only heighten. While it would be really nice to settle back into this comfy bed, she should probably figure out where she is. Just sitting around on her but wouldn't give her any answers! She heads over to the lobby, where she looks around and takes in the sights of strangers that look just as lost as she is.

Once she's gotten her information package and had her questions answered from those cheery strangers at the desks, she steps outside to take a breath of fresh air and stretch once more. She's still quite tired, but now wasn't the time to sleep. She had to figure out where Aigis and the others were.

[darkhourdear]

Pharos was actually getting a little tired as the day went on. He knew there was a lot about the world he didn't know, but he hadn't expected this much. Still, he wants to learn as much as he can about this place... just in case he disappears like he's supposed to. He's still not sure why that didn't happen.

He's walking around, taking in everything he can and still saying hi to people when he spots a familiar face. The only familiar face, really. He probably shouldn't be surprised. But... he still is.

"Minako?" Junpei was right! He did find someone he knew here!

[allout]

Minako is doing pretty much the same thing! While searching for people that she knows, she's doing some sightseeing and chatting up some strangers as she walks around. What better way to get the lay of the land than to chat up people who live here, right?

But while being brought here has told her to expect the unexpected... she can't say she could see catching a glimpse of a familiar boy in striped pyjamas. She's almost positive that it's her mind playing tricks on her, but it's confirmed when he speaks her name.

"...Pharos?"

That can't be right. Pharos wasn't supposed to be Pharos any more, let alone alive. This had to be some kind of trick, right?

[darkhourdear]

It is her! Not that he had many doubts. He knows what Minako looks like, after all.

Pharos moves over to her side, hands tucked behind his back and smiling up at her. He knows people touch each other a lot here, but... he doesn't quite know how to actually do that. "Hello!"

[blazeoflife]

He was still looking around, looking for anyone familiar-- but this time it was a flash of red that caught his eye. His heart quickened in his chest- red tended to do that to him. Because it could mean one of 3 people-- but one of them was already here. The other two...

Well, those two should be impossible. They were both gone. He knew this. But as he turned to get a better look, he felt his entire body freeze, sucking in a breath of air and holding it, suddenly unable to breath.

It... it couldn't be possible, right? But Shinjiro and Akihiko had said before, but...

But...

She might not have heard him, when he finally found the voice to speak.

"Mi... Minako...?"

He was dreaming, right?

[allout]

That flash of red comes from her reaching into her pocket for her cell phone. She's trying her best to walk around and look for a signal, but it's a no-go. That meant that this place definitely wasn't in Japan, so that welcome lady wasn't lying. This was starting to get a little frustrating - every answered question brought at least five more!

But there is something that manages to ease her up, and that's the spotting of a familiar hat on a very familiar boy. She vaugely remembers hearing his voice on the rooftop... maybe he really did remember their promise along with the others. But even if he didn't, he deserves to be greeted with a smile.

"Hey... You didn't try to ditch me or anything, did you?"

[blazeoflife]

He didn't consciously realise he'd taken a step forward, or another, or another. Just that he'd seen that smile over and over again, for those last two months, sweet but always hiding some sort of pain, something he could sort of read but never could figure out.

He never bothered to figure out, and he should've. Should've remembered their promise, remembered everything, so that when she died she wasn't alone. So that he could've told her everything. Told her how important she was, that she was the best friend he could've asked for and more, that he didn't want her to go and leave him, not after Chidori and Ryoji...

And when his arms wrapped around the smaller girl, pulling her close with a choked sob, all he could do was thank whoever was listening that he'd get a second chance to do it right.

"M-Minako!!" Fuck, he was crying but he didn't care, holding her tight against him, his shoulders shaking from trying to repress his own sobs. "I-it's really you, r-right...? P-please tell me I'm not dreaming...!"

He was clutching her shirt too tight, probably holding her too tight, but he was just scared if he let go, she'd disappear and... he'd wake up back in the Dorms, all of Saeng Seong's being nothing but a dream.

[littlewhitelies]

Hey, another person who looks close to her age! M'gann finds herself walking over to her, already feeling a bit curious. (And...Maybe it's just her, but this person looks kind of familiar?)

"Wow! I like your hair pins!" Her own head band feels downright shabby compared to those, and M'gann has to fight to keep from morphing it to match. Or floating into the air to get a better look at those hair decorations. But they're just so...So interesting to look at!

[allout]

And boy is she glad to see people her age around here! While she hung around adults a little more than the average teen, a girl couldn't spend all of her time doing that. She greets the stranger with a smile, still looking a bit sleepy.

"Oh, thanks! I was actually starting to wonder if they got messed up when I woke up." She touches them out of reflex - yep, they're still there.

[littlewhitelies]

"Not at all; they look great!" And mission successful so far, in keeping her feet planted on the ground and keeping a respectful amount of space. (Though it helps that M'gann promises herself that she can spend some time back at the apartment, seeing if she can't shape shift her clothing to something close to what she sees.)

"Does that mean you just got here-? Wait, hello Megan, of course it does! That's probably why you're here in the building in the first place...Unless you're here to also meet some new people."

[redpeacoat]

If Minako wanted to nap a bit more, well...there was a guy snoozing in the corner on one of the chairs with two sweaters rolled in his arms.

Shinjiro always comes to check and see if more of his friends will appear, and this month is no exception. But he's a bit exhausted today.

[allout]

While she doesn't notice him at first, it doesn't take her too long before she spots his oh-so familiar beanie from the corner of her eye. Her heart begins to beat faster when she realizes who it is - not were the people at school telling the truth about him being discharged, but he was here to boot! They had so much to talk about, so much to catch up on... but maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun while he was in dream land.

She approaches the chair that he's sitting in, leans over him and gently pulls his hat over his eyes. Once that's done, she gives him a soft poke on the cheek.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Rise and shine."

[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro doesn't realize his hat is over his eyes, but when she pokes his cheek and speaks to him, he snorts and sits up abruptly. "What the f-" He pulls his beanie off of his head, intending to give someone a grumpy glare.

But his glare quickly fades in favor of a look of surprise. "Minako-chan." She was back. He couldn't believe it.

[bestshingeki]

All these huge buildings and industrial setting blows this pseudo medieval teenager. Most days Jean's trying to keep up with just all the new discoveries he finds while flipping himself around the only way he knows how on his 3D-maneuver gear. The city should be finding lots of new little dents and cracks in the bricking or siding for the hooked ends...

He's thought about just leaving his window open and bolting himself into it but that would be to 'Eren Jaeger' for his tastes, instead Jean always lands right in front of the apparent complex in almost the same spot every single time (with the dent to prove it.)

He hasn't meet many of the people here... so when he just about lands on top of someone he feels his mother's nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him to show some manners. "Ah, sorry about that."

Gentlemen.

[allout]

Dude. DUUUUUUUUUUDE. She isn't exactly sure why or how he's swinging from building to building like a superhero, but it's totally awesome. She rubs her eyes to make sure that she isn't imagining it, and is thrilled to see that she isn't.

But unfortunately, memorization also usually means that you don't know when to hop out of the way when someone is getting closer. That's the case for Minako, who's quite close when he lands. She has enough mind to at least hold out her hands to hold back any potential crashing, but they simply end up tapping his chest. Phew, close one!

"Don't worry about it!" She's smiling brightly - she's still pretty amazed. "How the heck did you do that?"

[callmewhateveryuwant]

Just like every 18th, Yu had gone down to the Welcome Center to see if anyone from Inaba had shown up. Or maybe more SEES members because believe it or not, the two groups shared a common bond and it couldn't hurt to extend a hand out to everyone involved.

But on this day as he idly petted Banchou on the head, staying in his pocket, he couldn't help but notice someone familiar walk by. How could he have forgotten the girl who had arrived the first time in winter clothing in the middle of summer? It was kind of hard and considering that she too was a Wild Card? Well, he couldn't forget.

"Minako? Is that you?"

[allout]

She, on the other hand, has completely forgotten who this boy is - well, at least it'll appear that way. Minako herself hasn't ever met him, which is why she's a bit surprised when she hears someone unfamiliar calling her name.

"Uh-huh. Who're you?"

[beforetights]

"Hello."

Cu Chulainn is walking around, waving to all the new people he can see.

"Are you one of the new people?"

[allout]

"Hi!" And she waves right back. It's always good to see that people in a new place are friendly!

"I guess I am, if waking up in this place happen a lot."

[heretic_hamlet]

He wasn't fully expecting any of his old friends from his own world to step out of the welcome center, but... if only for that little glimmer of possibility, he would always make a point to drop by when the next group of guests were arriving. If nothing else, he'd at least get fast acquainted with the new faces in the process.

Or, in poor Minako's case, he would have his back turned for a moment and she would get fast acquainted with a large, red, flightless riding bird that casually strode up behind her and had started to casually smooth out a few wayward, ruddy hairs with its beak.

It only managed to tuck a few back behind the clips before Ramza came running.

"Persephone!" He exclaimed in exasperation, taking a hold of the Chocobo's bridle as he looked apologetically to Minako. "A thousand pardons, Miss," he offered with a sigh. "She's ever the handful."

[allout]

Well, at least waking up in a different world wasn't on the top of "weird stuff that's happened in the past half an hour" any more. She squeaks and cringes a bit when the bird runs up to her, but eases up a bit when she realizes she isn't being attacked.

When the bird is pulled back, she feels for her clips and notices that a few stray hairs have been put back into place. She's never seen anything like it, but it sure is helpful!

"Aw, don't worry about it." She replies, smiling at the animal and her owner. "I think she just wanted to clean me up a little."

[icyexecutions]

Well, one red head was about to run into another, as Mitsuru had found herself in front of the center. While she hadn't really come down since her own arrival months back, especially when the others seemed to be on top of checking the place out for any SEES members, she found it really didn't hurt to check it out herself.

So there she was, stopped right outside, her gaze steady on the other girl before a small smile crossed her face. At least this meant the end of Akihiko's late night searches.

"I see you've returned, Arisato."

[allout]

"Senpai!"

Like with the other members of SEES, Minako wasn't expecting to see Mitsuru here at all. This whole ordeal was still hard to take in as something that wasn't a crazy dream, and yet it felt as real as anything she had experienced in real life. But regardless of whether she saw it coming or not, it was good to see a familiar face.

"You're not the first one to say that to me... but I really don't remember anything about this place."

[emperor_with_no_groove]

…Now this was just cruel.

After getting a stern talk from both Shinji and Mitsuru, Akihiko had decided to give up his search. It was frivolous, and he knew that. But it didn’t stop him from hoping that he would find her, somehow. What had happened to her wasn’t fair, damn it. Especially considering everything she had done for their team, as well as the entire world. And they still didn’t know why it had happened.

Nonetheless, of all the SEES members that were in Saeng Seong, they knew what they had to do in order to go home. When Akihiko walked into the square where he knew the newcomers would show up, he did a complete double-take upon spotting a certain familiar girl.

Minako…?

Was he hallucinating? Did all of those nights of endless searching finally get to him? Shaking off that bout of apprehension, Akihiko swiftly closed the distance between them and called her name, “Minako!”

[allout]

If asked, Minako would probably say that she had done it because there was no other choice. If there was an easier way to achieve what needed to be done, she would have. But sacrifices needed to be made, and she needed to protect the people that she cherished most in the world. But from the looks of it, that would have to be put on hold for the time being.

At the moment, she's simply taking in the sights of the main plaza. Everything was so big and bright... and it was where she was going to live for the foreseeable future. Interesting.

But her train of thought is cut short when she hears her name being called by a familiar voice, along with a fast-approaching familiar face that she can't help but meet with a smile.

"Hey, senpai!"