INTRO LOG - JUNE 2014

[rekindlemods]

Who: Everyone
Where: The Welcome Center
When: 18th June, late 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. NPC responses may be slow.

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 cool and relieving food and drink, including some you probably aren't familiar with. It's just as well they're in good supply, as the windows outside show a city well heated from a summer sun.

On the wall opposite are a pair of desks, each with a sign, and one person at her station-

Rhea, General Assistance
Andi, Technological Assistance

The plaques have a shiny new look to them, as do the desks. The one with 'Andi' listed appears to be empty, though. Gathered around both desks and several tables are boxes as well, and...Empty jars? The woman minding her desk doesn't appear to give them a second thought.

However, before you can go over and give at least one of 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 Rhea
Arrival Liaison

Outside, and through the translucent glass you can see a banner hanging from the tiled roof of the building across the street. The cheerful colors on it match well against a bright blue sky:

WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)

Comments

Rhea - General Assistance

[rekindlenpcs]

A woman sits composed at her desk, complete with a shiny new name plate. When someone approaches, she calmly looks them in the eye.

“Hello. If you have questions, I’ll try to answer them.”

[heismymission]

Hopefully the priestess isn't too attached to her desk, because a metal fist slams into it, splintering some of the wood.

"How the hell did you get me here," the shabby-looking man growls as he attempts to tower over her, voice rough from disuse. Unfortunately, he looks like a mess, and his glare can only do so much to make him look threatening.

Re: Rhea - General Assistance

[alley_kit]

Rhea may have to lean forward over the desk a little if she wants to look Kit in the eye. Regardless, Kit greets her politely, since she kinda looks like somebody important.

"Hi. My name's Wily-Kit, but everybody just calls me Kit," she said. "And I was wondering... umm... if you could maybe read this to me?" She held up the letter that had come with her packet, looking a little embarrassed. "The guy who gave it to me left before I could tell him that I can't read..."

[symbolofstrength]

"Hello, Miss?" Sam approaches the desk when it looks like she's not too busy, not wanting to be a bother.

"I actually arrived a month ago, but I still have the questions I did then. Would it be alright...?"

Andi - Technical Assistance

[rekindlenpcs]

…There’s no one here. A very nicely dusted and laid out desk, and still no one here. Though if you wait long enough, there’s a chance someone MIGHT show up. Possibly.

[strikeachord]

Billy has decided that no welcome party is really a party unless he's there to provide smiles and music. And of course a hug for any ladies who happen to arrive. (Okay, yes, the guys too. Everybody needs a hug.)

In the interests of courtesy and good taste, however, he's set himself up in the plaza, guitar in hand, just outside the welcome centre. A clearly hand-painted posterboard sign next to him reads FREE HUGS and he's playing a happy, slow melody about coming home after a long, long time gone. It seems appropriate!

[demimaudite]

The first thing Shura noticed was the sound. People's voice, people's steps on a hard ground. Had the Manikins survived??? She yanked herself off the floor and onto her feet, ignoring the pain flaring all over her body.

The second thing Shura noticed was that she could barely see. The sunlight of midday was blinding to her for some reason.

... Midday? But Kagutsuchi...

She stopped and listened. This was not the Manikins' tongue at all.

It was Saeng Seong's.

Before she could recover from the shock of finding herself in that world again, an assistant came to check on her and hand her envelope. She could hear him fuss around her, then he took her arm and led her downstairs, leaving her by the general help desk while he went to get medical help, even if Shura said she was fine. She was not fine; the edges of her markings were glowing a bright red, she looked like she had a nasty sunburn over the entire front of her body, she had dark bruises everywhere, when she breathed it made a light wheezing sound and to people who could sense such thing there was a definite aura of divinity around her radiating from the sunburns on her starting to blister.

Unable to do much more, Shura stood and listened, trying to ignore the throbbing pain pulsing from her entire body and the tears streaming down her face from her painful eyes.

[topgun_textiles]

There was a lot of hubbub about new faces in Saeng Seong. Curious, Kanji decided to take a look and see if there was anyone he could recognize, or anyone official-looking that might know more about the weird animal forms or the outer rim of the city.

His shoulders fell when he found the former, and he blinked twice in trying to affirm that he wasn't just seeing things. No, that was... that was definitely Shura. Saeng Seong brought her back!

But did she remember anything? Nobody said anything about what happens when folks leave and come back. Hesitating, Kanji obscured himself momentarily around a corner and wondered if he should just say hi or introduce hims--

His eyebrows lifted, then knit. She was crying. Pushing away from the corner, he made a beeline, but kept his shoulders high. "...Yo."

The frown on his face deepened. Was she supposed to be this red? There was no way anybody here did something to hurt her- he knew what she could do, but it didn't mean he could write off how she was now. Kanji wanted to kick himself- it was too hot for the damn thing, but if he had his jacket he could have used it to keep people from staring at her.

"Ya look like crap. ...Uh, s-somebody come here with ya?" She'd been looking for someone before. Maybe they came back, too!

[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro found a familiar face, but one that he was not expecting. It was the half-demon girl with the wild markings, but she looked a lot different than he remembered. Her markings were glowing red instead of the vibrant green he recalled, and it looked like she'd been fried to a crisp from being out in the sun for far too long. It angered him to see someone in such a state, especially Shura, who went without cloth or armor to protect herself.

"The hell did you do to yourself?" He asked. Hello, Shura. It's the hobo kid. Would she remember him?

[forcowardice]

Now, granted, Fulcrum is a bit confused about being present here, despite the rather helpful and kind of friendly letter that he'd been left by whoever the hell captured him and left him here. (Sure, it's got a name, but when you're kidnapped, you generally take this kind of thing with a grain of salt.) Okay, fine, he can kind of deal with this. After all, when he stepped out of his room, he'd noticed that there's free fuel here by the looks of things and he really can't complain at the prospect of not starving. That's pretty great!

But then there's this thing. The thing that they need contact to survive here. Which is totally okay, but...

Fulcrum narrows his optics and peers over the area, looking at the several little organic creatures talking to each other. If there aren't other Cybertronians here, is he going to have to touch those?

He snorts, letting out a sputtering laugh. "Yeah, uh. No. That's not happening."

Maybe he can find some other alternative, because there's no way he's going to have any contact with meatbags if he can help it.

For now, it sounds like the appropriate time to go exploring.

because OF COURSE

[dadcepticon]

Late. Krok is annoyed that he's probably going to be late. He'd intended to be present for this batch of new arrivals – it isn't quite clockwork, but it's the biggest monthly attraction he can expect – but he got sidetracked with a new book he'd stumbled across in the bookstore. In fact, said offending book is in one hand as he shoves the door open with the other and starts indoors, already scanning the room for any unfamiliar faces.

He stops halfway through the door. It can't be, he thinks. He'd hoped, maybe, but he didn't really expect to see anyone friendly. But that certainly looks like Fulcrum over there.

Recalling the Autobot from before the war, however, Krok stops himself before he can call out to the K-class on the other side of the lobby. This might not be Fulcrum from the correct time.

Krok can't find out if he doesn't say anything.

"…Fulcrum!" he says, loudly, with an awkward wave of the hand holding the book.

[toughtalk]

It takes a few minutes before Chromia finishes the letter that was neatly set atop the map. A place that requires hugs as a source of energy? Well didn't that just sound dandy. Like an after-school special. As she gets to the bottom, her eyes narrow at the note's attempt at being polite, before snorting. Yeah, thanks for kidnapping her from her duty. She really appreciates it.

Her fingers reach up to the top of the paper, gently twisting in a KRRRRZZT!!


That is now two pieces of paper dropping to the floor. She grabs the keys and map, though, holding them clenched in her fist as she leaves.

With a lip curled upward, she starts walking down to where the banner is, looking. Looking for ANY way out.

"Party's over. Tell me where the exit is, if you want to come out of this in mint condition."

Someone's a happy camper.

[strikeachord]

Far be it from Billy to argue with a lady who's upset, and boy, he thinks as he pauses in the doorway, does that large robot lady seem upset. All he wanted was a quick sip of water and a snack. (He keeps forgetting to do things like eat until his stomach starts making noises like it thinks he's cut his own throat.)

"It's, uh, right here, ma'am," he says, and steps aside to hold it open for her without getting in her way. "No need for anybody to get hurt about it."

[heismymission]

[A]

The first thing the assassin was aware of when he awoke in the soft bed was that he could not recall how he'd gotten to this place, and that was all he needed to start panicking.

Adding to the fact that he couldn't remember when or how he might have learned the language visible on the note left nearby, and it smelled of a situation he'd been doing his damnedest to avoid. He nearly smashed through the thin sliding door, only barely restraining himself from running to the nearest person and demanding answers. He was torn between forcing his way out and trying to sneak his way through, and what resulted was a very shaky, erratic Winter Soldier glaring down anyone and everyone who dared come near him, including the poor chap who'd come to give him information. There went the stealth route, but killing probably wouldn't get him answers.

After the man hastily left, he tore the thing open in search of whatever he could find out about this place and how and why he was here. He understood the words of the letter half-crumpled in his flesh hand's grip (the metal hand was better left free in case of sudden attacks), but the concepts completely went over his head. Touching others to generate energy. Different worlds. Both of these were so far out of his scope of understanding they might as well have been in a foreign language. One that he didn't understand.

It didn't matter what they wanted; not yet. His first priority would be finding a way back to D.C., and godspeed to anyone who tried to stall him.

[B]

After speaking with the priestess and becoming marginally more calm (still nervous, just accepting as he always was imprisonment), he sunk into a seat in the corner where he could view the whole room, attempting to work through the situation in his mind. To say he was distressed was an understatement, but whether that distress manifested as a lost look or an intense glare changed from moment to moment. He didn't seem as if he was going anywhere just yet, clutching his envelope in his right, ungloved hand. The left was resting on his knee, metal fingers curled into a fist under his fingerless glove. He was clenching it so tightly the gears inside whirred, just audible to someone close enough to have a conversation.

[B]

[smallspot]

"Is your arm suppose to make sounds like that, Lord?" The person asking the question is a small, dark-haired boy holding a strange creature in his arms. He doesn't seem bothered by Bucky's appearance or his glares and that would be because even though he is young, Diarmuid has been here since the first group of people was drawn to this place almost a year ago. He's grown pretty used to seeing all different kinds of people. The only thing that is on his mind at the moment is seeing if he can help anyone in this newest batch of arrivals.

"I can answer questions for you if you want or I can show you to the apartments if you want to rest!"

[healsformeals]

Getting called off to save the world definitely isn't anything new to Kha'li. She's already got one realm under her belt, so another should be a piece of cake, right? Especially if all it involves is touch. That's practically no effort at all. In fact, she could probably charge a good amount of gil for such a thing, if it weren't for the fact that anyone could probably get the touch needed from any person at any time. Sigh, what a venture killer.

At least she isn't doing this for free. According to the packet, she's being paid - a card? She's not sure what that entails exactly - and supplied with living quarters. It doesn't sound all that bad... and it's a fairly cushy job, too, when compared to that of an emissary and a Warrior of Light. Things could be worse.

... well, okay, things are already bad enough if she's separated from not only her family, but her Free Company family as well. But she won't say anything about that.

She wants to ask about the card payment system, how it works. But for right now, she'll hold off. After all, there is food and drink, and it's free. She would be crazy to not take advantage.

[lightstrike]

For her part, Lightning is ignoring all the food and spending most of her time with her back against the wall, waiting, and with a good reason. And she'll continue to wait until either the Welcome Center throws her out or the day ends and she has to go back to her room.

And if she interacts with some of the newcomers in the meantime, well, she has a reason for that too.

When she spots someone who... actually kind of looks like another guest she'd seen before in the distance. Lightning's never actually spoken to her but... well. Clearly Saeng Seong is calling more people from previous worlds, aside from suddenly deciding it wanted more gigantic robots.

"So, do you have any questions about this place?" Not an ideal opening, but enough for Lightning.

[protomensch]

A few dozen comprehensive self-scans later and he still was left with the same inexplicable result... all his systems came up clear. Well, except for one- which, in spite of a miraculous and near-total recovery, was still totally broken.

Go figure.

The pamphlet introduction, by contrast, was fairly easy to make sense of. After all, a crisis of power was something that hit pretty close to his heart, even if the touchy-feely part wasn't exactly up his alley. For that matter, he couldn't even begin to imagine how such a system could work; as far as he knew, you wouldn't find that kind of tech anywhere on earth.

Which might have explained why his navigation systems had absolutely no idea where he was.

Prompt A

It wasn't normally his M.O. to mingle and ask questions among the crowd- nor was it a method he was particularly good with- but this time he'd make an exception. Hopefully it wouldn't be too surprising when he approached, and hopefully his almost studiously-enigmatic sunglasses and overcoat weren't going to give the wrong impression.

But if even one person among the crowd had answers, it'd be worth it.

"So do you have any idea what all this is about?"

Prompt B, for the technologically-gifted

Of course, face-to-face wasn't the only way to do things. His wireless communications systems were still online, and even if he didn't recognize even half of what he was detecting on the airwaves it meant someone had to be out there. Maybe even robots, or at least someone who didn't find them so unusual.

For now, he'd just keep himself on ad-hoc and send out the occasional ping to his whereabouts. Anyone who could even recognize his efforts to connect would be enough of a good start.

B

[bridgebunny]

That was unusual. She was picking up some kind of signal; not quite a distress beacon, but more along the lines of a 'hey, I'm here'. It was enough that it got her attention, and her hopes were high: Who knows, maybe one of the hunters was here and she could find some relief in a familiar face in a sea of strangers! While not an introvert by any means, going from 'surrounded by colleagues and family' to 'completely alone' could shock even the most sociable of people.

But the source was odd. What she found when she turned the corner had the shape of the reploid models she was familiar with, but nothing about him was identifiable. Surely something in her memory banks would make some kind of match- ah, no... no, there was a chance this person was human, and simply wore a device that could give such pings.

"Excuse me," she called, and made her way over.

"I'm picking up a signal from your location; are you hurt?"

[triggerhappycopter]

Spinister doesn’t read the note. The first thing he does after snapping wide awake is roll off the bed, pull his gun out and go beat up the candle. Then someone knocks at the door and he stops, the room’s once beautiful lighting fixtures littering the floor and possibly a bit on fire.

The door isn’t really opened so much as ploughed through and the helicopter doesn’t even have the sense of shame to look surprised. He just give his new splintered neck ornament an unimpressed look instead and proceeds to ignore the weird meatbag who’d knocked in favor of stomping downstairs, the door’s edges scraping noisily along the walls.

[stubbornandfrustrating]

Ratchet recognizes the sound of Cybertronian footsteps--loud ones, and his optics widen slightly at the accompanying mess of grinding sounds.

"Could you make any more noise?" he demands as Spinister emerges, then stops, staring at the door around his neck. "Oh for goodness'--come here, what a complete disaster."

He reaches up and yanks, feeling the door give at an edge and slide off of Spinister's neck... revealing his Decepticon badge, which Ratchet stares at in mounting consternation. Another one?

[arnhaid]

Well. That was new.

The first thing he did, upon jerking himself awake, was... well. To bang his head on a ceiling, sitting up too fast. He swore, colorfully -- a vicious streak of words he probably shouldn't be saying around Sunstreaker.

Except the yellow bot wasn't here, he soon realized, as he wandered out into what looked like an office. An office... staffed with aliens. At least he thought they were aliens. He'd never seen anything like them before. Primus, he'd never seen anything like a lot of the beings in the area. It all left him sort of... bewildered.

No Cybertron. No bugs. No... nothing even remotely familiar.

He sort of stood where he was, looking down at the things he'd been given in utter confusion.

Well...

Now what?

[toughtalk]

She'd recognize that big bot anywhere. It was actually kind of shocking--Ironhide was the one of the last remaining Autobots on Cybertron now, so to see him absent as well...

It was kind of worrying. Mostly because Windblade is now left alone. But she might as well go say hello. She wanders over, hands behind her back military style, looking up.

He...didn't seem so tall now. Weird...

"Hey, find a way out of this place? Cause I didn't.

...and did you shrink?"

[nerdica]

Kidnapped. Well that was certainly different, and while it definitely put her out of sorts Nautica couldn't deny the bubbling excitement at being somewhere completely unheard of. New things to discover and learn and definitely more books she hadn't already memorized. Excellent.

After having the packet shoved into her hands, Nautica finds a wall to look as nearly inconspicuous as an eight foot tall purple robot can. The keys were nice, the money an even kinder gesture, the map something to be examined later to see what she could tell about it, but it was the letter that grabbed her attention first.

And, once she finished reading it, put it back into her packet with a smile. Organics, huh? She'd never met humans before (although they'd been featured in a few paragraphs at the end of one recent history she'd read) and now -- it seemed as if the entire place was swarming with them.

But more importantly -- "They've even brought drinks!" Nautica doesn't give anything else a passing glance, using her height to brush past anyone milling about in her path towards the refreshment table.

[triggerhappycopter]

One moment the drinks were there. The next moment they were not. Not too far away from the recently cleared table is a suspiciously hunched, magenta back.

[headfons]

He still felt tired, upon waking up. Seconds later, he blinked with a start. Hold on, he wasn't...

Sitting up, he looked around in a slight daze. Wait, where the hell was he...? Ah. He was dreaming about being somewhere else, again; of course, the realization that he wasn't dreaming sunk in, minutes later. The last he remembered, he'd been planning to take his friend, who was incredibly sick, to the medical wing. If Luke was there, then where was-

"Takasu..."

Instantaneously, he was up on his feet and moving. He needed to find him, and figure out exactly where they were. Of course, the second he was through his doorway, he skidded to a stop. The arm of the person that had apparently been about to knock on his door was grabbed- and he wasn't quite as friendly as he could have been, in demanding answers. Well, the last staff member he'd interacted with, on a personal level of any kind, had attempted to stab him with a metal pipe. In fact, that had kind of been the usual occurrence, every two weeks, back in that other hotel.

Green eyes widened just a bit as he heard the name "Saeng Seong". Luke's brow furrowed as he looked to the side, ignoring the request to follow the person downstairs; for a short moment, anyway. Because, he wouldn't learn anything just standing there, right? So, almost...reluctantly, he agreed to follow the guy downstairs. On the way down, his thoughts ran wild. Just what was that place going to try doing to him? Slowly, he turned his head to stare really hard at the stranger. That last hotel had really worked hard to put up a friendly front, only to turn out to seriously want him and his friend dead.

After receiving the envelope and studying its contents, Luke's brow tensed considerably. Yeah...right...

It was official: Saeng Seong was giving a greeting similar to the one he'd received at that damn hotel. With that, he was looking around at the other new arrivals. His gut tightened when he didn't see his friend, but he forced himself to stay calm. Hey, maybe he just hadn't come down, yet. He had been pretty sick, last Luke had checked. Speaking of sick, he glanced back down at the letter. His eyes rested on one part, in particular, for a moment- and he spoke in a whisper:

"If you don't keep in contact with someone, eventually your energy will begin to drain as well, making you dangerously ill-," his voice grew just a bit louder, a frustrated sigh escaping, "-If this all part of their act, then it's a really bad one...They could at least try to sound less dramatic."

Those words weren't intended for anyone else to hear, but he hadn't exactly whispered. He was a little bitter at being forced into a supposed world-hopping situation. Plus, he firmly believed there was a chance he was somewhere that could very well turn on him, any second. Or maybe he really had died? There were a lot of questions that still hadn't been answered, but he wasn't about to approach the person behind the desk. The last time he trusted a member of staff, it had turned out to be a bad idea.

[smallspot]

If Luke is too worried about what the staff might to do to him to ask them questions, perhaps he will be a bit more comfortable asking those questions to a little boy? One is approaching him now with a strange little creature carried in his arms. The boy smiles and then tilts his head at Luke curiously having heard his previous words.

"But it would be dangerous to be less dramatic. If people don't touch others, they do get sick! Very sick! And if they have powers, those powers go out of control. Lots of people could get hurt that way depending on what the person's powers are," Diarmuid should know. He's been here since the first group was brought in and he has seen lots of people ignore touching others until their powers went crazy. Thankfully, no one has been hurt badly by out of control powers as far as he knows, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

[tiearibbon]

[Kidnapped? Again?

That'd have been Eiko's first thought, except her jewel was still with her. But Zidane and everyone else - they were nowhere to be found! Not even Mog seemed to be around, much to Eiko's consternation. Why is it that Mog's never around when she needs her most?

Nevermind that. Sitting here all mopey and helpless isn't doing her any good, so let's start by having a look around. Who knows, maybe she'd find Zidane and the others too?

And firstly? Forget the letter; Eiko's diving for the refreshments, and soon she's out and about with some food and and a juice box in hand. To say she's looking downright awestruck is quite the understatement as she runs around.

So this was a city... She'd never seen anything like it! Not even that dingy old dwarf village could compare to this. So, Saeng Seong? Have a curious little girl - one with a horn at that - poking around your city. Some people might look strange enough to prompt some staring from her. Of course, watch out. She might just start poking into your business with all the questions if prompted.]

[forcowardice]

[All of the organic people here are just kind of weird looking to him. Not that he's ever been super fond of them to begin with, but now there's... variety! Or something.

Whatever. They're all strange and meaty and squishy.

So, Eiko, this here is about an eight foot robot-looking guy squinting down curiously at you, but doing little else.]

So weird.

[Maybe that was a little rude.]

[ofwesternwinds]

[It's a familiar feeling, sensation when Rudy wakes. Like a nostalgic dream he's sure he's had at one point. Only to find it's not a dream. He's sure he recalls this place. What was the name... Saeng Seong?

And true enough, there was that same person, knocking on the door and ushering him into the reception. Even the same letter and everything, only this time his key seemed different. Part of him can't help but wonder how long he's been gone from here.

Was Jack still here? That, he wasn't sure. But after gathering his things, he'll be out in the city square having a look around while trying to refamiliarize himself with the place. He's got his weapon on him too; that is, a fairly large gun, if not unusually large given the boy's rather small frame. Which might prompt some odd looks from anyone familiar with guns.

Who knows, maybe he might find some familiar faces too. Or at least, he was hoping he'd find some along the way. It'd be nice to find someone he knows here, anyway.]

[dragoncrest]

Rudy?

[The dragon knight's voice is full of surprise when she greets the friend she'd thought she wouldn't see again, a grown black chocobo at her side. She was heading towards the welcome center when she heard all the buzz about the newcomers when she came across the ARM-wielder, planning to help out if she could. But to see someone she was already familiar with was definitely different.]

I did not think you would return. I'm glad to see you in good health.

[alley_kit]

A:

Kit stirred, curling up on the soft bed, not quite awake. As consciousness returned though, she noticed that she wasn't in her bunk in the Thundertank. And more importantly, that she was alone.

That realization brought her abruptly out of sleep sitting up to look around the strange room she found herself in. As she got her bearing, though, she realized that she could hear other people moving around, talking, doing things. No, she wasn't alone. Alone in the room, maybe, but not the building. Wherever it was.

Maybe Kat and her friends were somewhere around here? She was about to hop out of bed and go try to find them, when she noticed the note. She picked it up, puzzling over it with a thoughtful frown. The letters looked oddly familiar, though they certainly aren't Thundaran, or any other language of Third Earth that she'd ever come across. Not that it would have helped her much if the note was in Thundaran. She could only guess that it was supposed to explain something about where she was, but being illiterate, that was the best she could come up with.

Sighing, she slid off the bed and walked over to blow out the candle and lamps before she left- it wouldn't do to leave them burning unsupervised- then headed over to cautiously slide open the flimsy door and peek out. Maybe someone else here knew where she could find her friends? Or could tell her what was going on.

B:

Kit clung to the package in her hands, looking a little lost. She'd opened it and examined the contents. She couldn't read the much longer letter any more than she'd been able to read the note, but the nice man who'd led her down stairs had left before she could tell him she couldn't read. Thus, she was left not knowing what the key fit, what the little card was for, or what she should do next.

Thus she gravitated to the thing that made the most sense; the refreshments tables. A full stomach made everything a bit better, after all. Snagging a few pieces of tasty looking fruit, she headed over and hopped up onto the nearest chair, sitting back to eat, to watch the other people, and to ponder her next move.

B

[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro looked out of place among the others, mostly for what he was wearing. Most people were dressed for warm temperatures, but he was bundled up in a heavy coat, pants, and hat as if fall were already in full swing.

He lazed against the wall, looking over the new faces with his tired eyes to see if he could spot anyone familiar. His initial glance not yielding any results, he scanned the edges of the room, catching a glance of the little girl contently eating some fruit with an unopened welcome pack very close by. He didn't even notice her take a seat.

Did they not tell her to look it over? It was important. The last thing that needed to happen was for a little girl to be sick from lack of contact due to ignorance of this land's strange ways.

"If you're smart, I'd look that over if I were you." He commented, looking away from her at the crowd once more.

[knightunbraided]

Well.

Wing would like to say that he's been through weirder, and that none of this bothers him, but that would be almost untruthful. No... when he thinks about it, this is definitely the strangest thing to happen to him. But hey, strange experiences are good new experiences. Most of the time.

He cheerfully saunters downstairs and accepts the welcome packet from the very helpful organic. He makes sure to thank them and reads it over while leaning against the wall. Afterwards, his thoughts start pondering the subject of his death, and if that has anything to do with his being here. It doesn't seem so, but who knows?

The fact that he died he embraces with a calm acceptance. He had spent most of his life striving to help others, and he knows that he has left behind very few regrets. And now, he has the chance to help others in the afterlife. How can he complain?

Well, he's not going to help anyone standing around here. Smiling to himself, he straightens and decides that now is a good chance to mingle.

[butwonderful]

He'd really shown up to see what all the commotion was about. More new people. More new mechs. It seems like whoever runs this place is having a serious love affair with his species. Bewildered, he cautiously investigates.

His entrance is rather ungraceful, as he rounds a corner, the first thing he does is slam into someone, head first. The force of his march being met with a semi-solid object causes him to reel backwards and topple over several pieces of furniture. Finding himself flat on his back, he groans. Whatever he ran into, felt like another mech.

As much as he is like a cat in the fact that he'd prefer to pretend any clumsy moments didn't happen, he can't really walk this one off or pretend he was going to start running anyways.

"Oh... ow."

[no_dreams_for_you]

Saeng Seong…

This type of environment was… certainly unexpected, for an F3 location. Unwilling to let his guard down, Gaara regarded his surroundings with a heavy amount of suspicion. There were no signs of the Doctors anywhere, nor any monsters roaming around to kill the residents. Even without reaching up to touch his neck, he knew the collar was gone. So then, had he somehow been transported out of the facility? If so, then what about the others? His siblings, his friends, Sai… Had any of them been left behind, to be further experimented on and tormented?

“......”

Steeling himself mentally, Gaara forced a stoic mask over his face, as usual. His glance toward the two desks nearby were indifferent, at best. After dealing with the Doctors over the past year, as well as all the F3 expeditions, he no longer trusted any staff members of a foreign location. He intended to hold onto the package and investigate the mysterious city for himself. Their claim was rather incredulous, that physical contact could generate enough energy to grant life.

He walked out of the Welcome Center and began to wander through the present district. According to the map, the residential area was situated in the first district. With his current chakra reserves at full capacity, he could very well take to the skies and search faster, using that method. But for the time being, Gaara was willing to explore on foot, as to not draw unnecessary attention to himself. He needed to find some sort of network, or communication device to utilize.

[headfons]

After his interaction with the small child, Luke had decided to go explore the area outside. He'd found himself back in the place called "District 2", which he recognized as the one he'd awakened in.

The heat of the sun beating down on him was hot; the redhead frowned just a bit. Another difference, huh? Not that it was a huge deal. It would just take a bit to get used to. It had been much cooler, back at the hotel place. He remembered hearing someone say something about it being "autumn". Luke didn't actually understand what that meant, but one detail kind of...stuck out. The leaves had all been brown, yellow, and orange.

In Saeng Seong, they were all green, just like back home- and, somehow, that made him miss Auldrant, even more.

Pausing in his steps, Luke blinked as he spotted someone within his peripheral vision, heading in his direction. Turning his head to look at the stranger, he tilted his head just a bit. They seem pretty calm; maybe they're not new. With a light smile, he waved. Okay, so...this place required people to touch. A lot. He didn't have a problem with physical contact, per se. He'd just never been in a situation that required it. And, he'd certainly call it a requirement, for him. There was absolutely no way he was going to let something like his hyperresonance go out of control.

Well, time to get used to spontaneously approaching people. For pretty much no reason, at all, other than to shake their hand. Yeah, that still sounded weird, even in his own head. Turning towards the person, he offered a light smile. Thanks to the last place he was in, approaching people felt...kind of weird. He hadn't really had the chance to get super close to anyone, there. For one, he didn't actually want to come to consider a person a friend, to have them just...up and try to...well...kill him as night fell.

"Hey, there." He lifted a hand in greeting, offering a light smile.

[misfier]

Well this is exciting. Misfire did actually take the time to look over the provided reading materiel. With a snort, he tosses it aside.

"Sounds like a big scam." He'll take that stuff worth a grain of sand. But, if there's refreshments of the free variety, he'll play along for now. Slipping into the main room. Wow,m a lot of these organics seem bigger than they should be. Then again, he's never seen a human before so he doesn't really know.

Immediately he's starting to look for some free energon, only to find mainly organic foods, much to his disappointment.

"All right. It's official, this is the pits."

[triggerhappycopter]

Having, er, appropriated most of the energon for the Scavengers, Spinister suddenly finds himself now having a moral conundrum. On one hand, Misfire is a teamie. On the other hand... Misfire.

He kind of... appears behind the jet. Menacingly.

[middle_strings]

Kankuro hadn't been sure what to expect from the sudden burst of light from the trapped Deidara, but the sensation of pulling and comfort was pretty much the last thing he ever expected. Well honed instinct screamed that this is wrong making him struggle to stay aware even as everything drifted. It felt vaguely like being poisoned only with no pain, or at least no additional pain. Awareness returned rapidly, and unsure of his surrounding, Kankuro rolled of the soft surface which had been under him. ON the defensive even as he tried to shake off the lingering sensations, Kankuro looked around, taking in the familiar-ish decor. Some of it at least. Otherwise it seemed a mishmash of decor from around the elemental nations. Weird.

The sound of others moving set his nerves on edge, even as a piece of paper caught his attention. Senses stretched out, Kankuro picks it up and reads it. He blinks as the unknown characters become readable, before concentrating, forming a familar hand seal.

"Kai!"

...Nope, still readable.

What the hell?

Still, it'd probably be best to head downstairs. Sure he could conceivably hole up in the room and defend himself, but color him curious. Also, he could really use some decent food. Rations were gross as hell.

So, downstairs it was to decent food and more information.

Of course he isn't able to check out the refreshment table before he gets handed an envelope and told to read it. Information, get! Kankuro opens and looks through the contents, twirling the key on a finger as he peruses the contents. Right then... that made complete sense... not.

Kankuro groaned. Screw it, he was going to eat something and then think things over.

[A]

So Kankuro hits the refreshment table, with his dusty clothes, and generally worn out air. Look, he just came from a war, you can't expect him to be fresh as a daisy. So Kankuro picks at the refreshments, sticking to things he can mostly recognize, and willing to make small talk to whomever approaches him.

[B]
Once he's done at the Welcome center, Kankuro hits the streets, looking for his new abode. It feels weird to go from war to relative peace, so his nerves are a bit sensitive. If he suddenly goes on the defensive when someone approaches him, it's nothing personal. Now that his energy has been restored and he's learned a bit more, he's more aware of everything. Still, he's not unfriendly, just a bit intimidating. Especially with that face paint. He may flag down passing people to ask directions, as while the map is handy he likes getting the lay of the land from people.