rekindleme | Intro Log

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Intro Log - March 2014

Who: Everyone
Where: The Welcome Center
When: 18th March, afternoon
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...

Close at hand there's a note that reads:

WELCOME CENTER
Newcomers: Please come downstairs to the lobby 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, 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 bright against a mostly blue sky:

WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)

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Oh gods, there'd been a shapeshifter of undetermined age in the army back home; rather unnerving fellow, had a tendency to shift into pretty girls and spook anyone he could come across with a love confession.
Gordin's all the better for not being able to compare Annie here to Xane. That would be a bit of a mess.

And he might ask if Annie's a dragon. Even more of a mess.

"Well, thinking it's true is better than knowing it's a lie, right?" he offers, trying to sound cheerful for both their sakes. "It's definitely not the worst situation I've been in, so I can't really complain. A bed, a small wage...Way better than the march from Altea to Talys--"
Okay, enough prattling on; clearly, Altea and Talys don't mean much at all here, and he doesn't want to overwhelm the poor girl when she's helping him out. With a quiet, self-deprecating snort, Gordin gets to his feet, gathers his gear up, and bows.

That's what you do with ladies, right? Riiiiight. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm Gordin, Miss. I really like your outfit!"

She doesn't think she's a dragon. Though she could maybe turn into one. But honestly, she'd just be confused by all of that. She was already confused about hsi talking about Altea, and wages and things. New comers are always talking about their old worlds, though, so she just puts it all to that.

The bow surprises, her, though, and the man's words... "You really think so?" she clasps her hands together, eager. She'd spent a while designing this costume! One of several designs, actually.

You never know Annie, there could be dragon blood in your clay daddy.
Okay no seriously manaketes are confusing as hell, enough about them. Enough about Altea in general. No one here cares about a little podunk country, right?

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it! I've never seen anyone so brightly dressed, and your cape is very fine if I say so myself," he says firmly, one hand rubbing at his chin as he nods. Seriously, if he can hook himself up with her tailor, perhaps he can get a nice cape and some new tights as well. New clothing is something he's probably going to need if they're all really stuck here...
But there's one more thing (or two) that he has to ask before leaping to asking about her tailor.
"Are you a soldier, to have such a neat uniform? And might I ask what the, ah...Letter stands for, Miss?"

Annie might!!! Maybe. If you told her about it with fireworks, and images, and lots of exciting words like "dragons." And especially if it stopped him from asking her about her nonexistent tailor.

"It's for Polymorph," she declared, sticking her chest out. "I'm a superhero." Oh. Hands on hips! Hands on hips! Posing is very important in the super hero community.... You have to look confident, so that people won't want to fight you.

...That's a good idea. Gordin's never been one for theatrics given his mundane childhood, but he could always give it a college try. Maybe invest in some sparklers, whistle on a blade of grass; make it a real bard experience.
After all, Altea's full of stories about hero-kings and dark dragons and whatnot; it's pretty awesome when framed in the right way. And it would totally help keep him from accidentally prying a little too hard!

"Polly Morth...No, Polymorph? Right? That's a pretty neat word if you'll excuse my saying so!"
Not that he knows what it means. Still, it sounds awesome, as does the concept of 'superhero'; at the mere mention of the word, his face lights up in curiosity. "You're a superhero? Does that mean you're...You're a true hero of legend? That's amazing! How many villages have you saved? Did you defeat a dragon? Ah, I've never met a real hero before, apart from milord!"

Hey, Annie. Consider this tool completely awed by your pose and the thought of you punching bad guys in the face. You have a new fan!

Some of her confidence wavers when she hears him gushing. She hasn't defeated any dragons, or saved any villages at all. She isn't sure she's ever really protected anyone, in her brief if brightly colored super hero career.

She has to pull herself out of it. She's Polymorph, right now, not Annie. She thinks of Robin when she answers, and M'gann, and all the other strong people in her life. She's a hero, too! And...

"I...I killed a lot of snow goons, once..."

Caught up as he is in his nostalgia-driven giddiness, Gordin's unaware of the quake he's put in Annie's confidence. ...Not that he can really claim to do the same, not without much arm-twisting; archers are built for support and mopping up messes, not for going in guns blazing. Being a hero is all about perspective, of course.
Not that he's thinking about that either, not when he's trying to imagine what snow goons look like.

"You defeated snowgoons?" Gordin, no that makes it sound like they're pokemon-- Oh, whatever. "Snow's terrifying at the best of times; you must have had a lot of trouble to fight in it! I think that's plenty heroic-- Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. What's really important is that you did it to help people, of course...Were these snowgoons here in this city, or back at your home? I don't fancy facing down some myself, so I might have to ask your help if they're here!"

Gently clapping a hand on her shoulder, he leans in a little and nods firmly. "If that's alright with you, of course. I know that you must have other things to do, too. But one day, I'd like to fight alongside you and see how a hero works."

"Well.... they hurt M'gann...." She's new to the actual being of a hero. And it's mostly just so that she can hang with her friends. And now she feels all self-conscious that maybe it's a bit too early, after all. She doesn't know much about people, or how to help them.

Then he asks her to help him, and her eyes light up. Helping is what heroes do! That's a chance to be a hero, she hopes.

"There will be a battle, eventually…” She wants to have that battle, now. She wants to help!

"Oh, well double the reason to give them something to think about; protecting the people you care about-- Well, it sounds like M'gann's your friend, so you did the right thing of course."
Ah, the naivety of youth; fighting against the bad guys is so much easier when you think in black and white. And obviously (at least by Gordin's standards), they're both Good Guys Doing The Right Thing.

Which is why he's so happy to see Annie perk back up again. The heroing gig can be a hard one, so trying to cheer others up where he can is the least he can do; especially a little sapling like her. "Ehehe...I really hope it's peaceful for a little while, at least; I'd like to relax first, but there are always fights! So when one comes, you've got my word; we're going to fight together and show the bad guys what for!"

Everything was a shade of gray, to Annie. Her name, her age, her very existence - she's not sure of anything... except. Protecting friends is good. Protecting other people is also good, but that's a little more complicated and sort of hard to understand sometimes. At least protecting people is good. Usually. She hopes.

"Maybe we'll fight snow goons," she offered, hopeful. Unlikely. But she knows how to beat them.

Gordin goes by the rule of thumb that if they're wearing red and have a generic helmet or something, they're safe for slaying. ...But game mechanics don't really work here, so that's redundant. Still; people attacking you = bad, people needing help = good. He should write a book on this stuff.

"Yeah! And you can show me how not to get frostbite whilst defeating them, because I really need my hands and feet. Really."
As if he's thinking that they have to actually punch or pull these things apart. Good grief, he probably (definitely) would need Annie's help with enemies like that...

At any rate, involuntary shivering aside, he beams and offers his hand to her. "Miss Annie, I was wondering if you could show me where the housing mentioned in this letter is?"
No need to frown; he'll hand her opportunities to help him out on a plate. Who needs lame stuff like maps when he has a brightly coloured pocket guide (hopefully) right here?

Annie could totally fit in a pocket if needed. She hoped, though, that he could deal with a girl sized guide. One who could help him keep his limbs down the line, and help him fight big snowy creatures even though he was sort of a lot more fragile than her...

She gestured for him to follow her, drawing the cape about herself. "This way!" she declared, moving down the street and toward the houseing.

...Gods damn it, Annie. With or without teeny-tiny imagery, she's adorable and Gordin can't help but hide a smile at how she moves her cape about like that. A true hero, through and through.

Humming his approval, he happily trots alongside her and admires the scenery of his temporary home. ...Hopefully temporary? Whatever; it's a nice enough walk, and even if he's just a meatsack compared to her, she's still nice company.
"I don't suppose you'd be able to wear that cape when you went to the stables or something, would you? It'd just grow dirty, I imagine."

Not that Annie's outfit is at all the sort of thing one would wear in stables in general, but he's not going to point that out when he's also in tights. The cape's probably more of a target for pegasi and wyverns anyway, so he figures.

"I don't really get dirty," Annie admitted, looking down at her clothing. "It's one of my super powers," she added. It's the fact that she's made of clay. Little things like that just become part of her body, or some such... Which is good, because Annie can't really take baths. Water is something of a weakness for her.

She gestured for him to come along further, the homes not too far away. "Do you have a room number?" Everyone was put in one building, or another.

...Not getting dirty as a superpower. Gordin lets out a groan of envy, all the more self-conscious about each run and puff of dust that stands out against the pale green of his leggings. How many lectures could he save by not scuffing his uniform?
"If you ever figure out how to transfer that to other people, I would pay to hear your secrets-- Oh, hold up."

Riiiight, room number. It'd pay to remember this a little more keenly in the future, surely; stopping dead, he fumbles for the introductory letter and scans it for anything akin to a number--
There! "Building 2, 4-05. Does that make sense to you?"

Just to be sure, he trots over even closer and waves the letter for Annie to see for herself (just in case that's something else entirely. Hey, you never know with these modern things).

"I... I think it only worked on me..." On shape shifters who are also made of clay.

The waving letter mostly serves to discombobulate her, eyes scatting up and down as she tries to read it. She reaches to take it, and study it more closely. Building two... Floor four.... room five! "I know where it is," she said, happily. It was always good to know where you were going!

"Oh, well...In that case, colour me green with envy! It must save you so much work with washing; I hate having to scrub things for so long if I get a bit of blood on--"

Oh, right. Shut up about that sort of thing around a young lady, Gordin. He's glad that she takes the letter and makes sense of it, both for the distraction and for the fact that thank you Annie you are a life saver he could do with a good nap. "Lead the way, milady! I'll-- Well, I'll have to repay you somehow, because you've saved me a good few hours of getting lost."

And Gordin's nothing if not a man of his word...Even if he has no idea how to repay all of her helpfulness because what do girls even like? Let alone ones who are as special as she is?

She likes pretty things. Where the pretty things are cute animals! Or maybe clothing she can stare at forever and try to morph herself into.

"It's not that far," she promised him, a little embarrassed. She doesn't know how this guy could get lost on such a short distance. But. She'll guide him there.

...Okay, that's normal enough and the sort of thing he might guess at (though Gordin has no idea about fashion, so if he buys Annie something excessively frilly or ornate then it can just be blamed on his ignorance). That's a good sign though!

"...Oh." Well now he just feels daft, and it shows in how red he goes. Inconveniencing the poor girl for what...A few minutes' walk? How uncouth!
Not that he's going to risk a verbal meltdown in front of her, oh no; just excuse him as he worries furiously at his belt for a second, before managing to spit something out. "I, um. Thank you! Hahaha..."

Awwww yeah.

Well. She wasn't sure it was that close... She just didn't think it was that far. She didn't think it was worth all that giggling, either, so he could have a slight head tilt of confusion from her. Why was he so embarrassed?

"It's this way..."

Because--

Um. Is the vicious cycle of trying to look like a proper soldier in front of a hero, getting flustered, and totally mucking up therefore worsening his embarrassment a good reason for the nervous giggling? At any rate, when Annie tilts her head at him, it's a good cue for Gordin to snap his lips closed and nod mutely, shuffling alongside her and trying not to fall over his own feet.

This is ridiculous. This is really, really stupid. This is stupid and he's really upset with himself and guh he just--

"Er. So, ah...You live in these buildings too? Or do you have separate quarters? I can't, um, imagine them putting you with boring people like me, but this place is strange enough, I suppose."

...Hey, that's not half bad for a topic of conversation. After all, heroes and royalty do get the nicer tents even on a march...It'd be nice to sneak in and see how the other half lives, if his imagination is anything to go by.

"I live with........................" She trailed off, realizing suddenly that secret identities were important things that one should not break the first time they're asked a question. Or second. Or whatever.

"I live somewhere far away," she promised, voice maybe squeaking a touch. "Very far away," she added, looking away from him. She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell him about her secret living spot with the other super heroes!!!

Sure, that's obviously not suspicious; even Gordin's picking up on that, Annie. When he notices a fib, you're in trouble.

But, then again...They have just met, and he figures that young ladies probably don't do well with telling strange men where they live. Plus she probably has her reasons; she seems like a good kid, and he trusts her! So, instead of an interrogation, he just nods and grins.

"Ooh, on the other side of the city or something then? That's alright, if my friend-- he's a hero too, did I mention him?-- ends up living with you in your hero quarters then I might see it one day. But as long as we all have a roof over our heads, I can't complain...It's much better than a march."
Is that comforting enough? He's not sure since he's never had to deal with Ryan fibbing to him, but hopefully it works to soothe any nerves he's just brought out.

Annie doesn't want to fib! She just has secrets that need protecting, which needs a little lying...

"The rooms are really nice," she promised. That was honest at least! "I know people in them..." also honest. Technically. She thought she was getting a hold of this whole thing!

Fibs are workable sometimes! And heroes...Well, they all have secrets that need keeping, so he's learnt. ...That's not stopping Gordin from smiling furtively to himself at how vague she's being.
Ah, the lack of finesse that comes with youth.

"Well I can't wait to see them if I ever get to! Fancy rooms, just for the heroes...I bet they have gold edges on everything, right?" he hums, hands tucking behind his back (and welcome packet nearly slipping from his grip in an unsurprisingly clumsy segue). "And friends as your neighbours, too? ...Er, well I assume they're friends. But knowing the people you're living with is smart, I think; you can ask them for help, and it just makes things feel safe."

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madeofclay - 2014-05-20 12:53 (UTC) - Expand

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