January Intro Log

[rekindlemods]

Who: Everyone
Where: The Welcome Center
When: 12th December, early 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.

'I'm sorry for this... but we need your help.'

Yet the feeling -and the voice - pass quickly, and when you awaken, you begin to realize your surroundings. It's a small room with what some might recognize as something akin to 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 red 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...

On a small table beside you, there rests a note atop a manilla envelope (that oddly enough is enscribed with your name). Unfolding the note will reveal some answers in the form of a letter addressed to all arrivals.

Inside the manilla envelope , 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 second letter folded neatly on the top.

Odd... Neither were written in your own language, and yet you find it easily understandable. Soon enough, if you don't make an exit 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 or upset as to what's going on, but we promise to explain further once you've had a chance to stretch your legs!"

Whether you go downstairs immediately or linger a little longer, eventually you must come on down to leave 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 warm and filling food and drink, including some you probably aren't familiar with. It's just as well they're in good supply, as rain is pouring outside with no sign of relenting. During this time of the year, it's definitely something to leave a chill in the bones. Perhaps picking up a rain coat by the desks on the other side of the room might be a good idea. Who knows? You may just find something suspiciously in your size!

Speaking of those desks, two ladies seem eager to answer any questions you may have, names and positions conveniently written on signs on their desk.

Irene, General Assistance
Andi, Technological Assistance

Outside, and through the heavy rain and translucent glass you can see a banner hanging from the tiled roof of the building across the street. The deep autumnal colors on it match the welcoming (though rather damp) atmosphere as the letters proclaim:

WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)

Comments

[tadashiishere]

Baymax nodded. "I am afraid that the help I could offer you is limited at the moment," he said. "I am unfamiliar with your species and would require additional data to establish a baseline in order to provide proper treatment. Is there any additional medical data on your species available here?"

"As for questions relevant to the letters," he said, "what sort of 'energy crisis' is being referred to? And in what way is it connected to the health of the people here? I am not aware of any power source that could function as described."

[dragoncrest]

"I'm not certain..." she says, tilting her head and putting a hand to her chin as her ribboned tail waves behind her. "The leaders of this city have gathered information on us, so you may find something at the hospital, but I could not guarantee it."

... in any case, she is often able to heal herself, so it's not an important enough point for her to continue pursuing. She's here to help, after all, not to be helped.

"I admit I do not know how it works, but the miasma that was released a century ago is apparently what has caused the problems here. It has drained the life energy of the people as well as the energy which powers their city, and by maintaining physical contact with each other, we are granting them what they need to push away the force that has crippled them, and what they need to rebuild."

[tadashiishere]

Baymax nodded. "I will be certain to inquire about there later, then," he said. If anyone would have what he needed to update his databases, it would likely be them.

Baymax processed what he had been told. "I am also uncertain how substance could affect both electronics and biological processes in this manner," he said. "But it is clear that physical contact is necessary to maintaining the health of the people here, as well as our own. Is there a minimal proscribed amount of contact required per day for optimum health?"

[dragoncrest]

Freya has no doubt that the rules of this world are remarkably different from even her own, so it's no surprise that others might have more difficulty accepting it. Still, it seemed he was focusing on the current situation instead of how to get out, which made things a bit easier. It was important to stay healthy for all of them.

"I'm not certain of the exact minimum," she says, "but I would guess about a minute per day... of course, if you maintain it longer one day, you might need less the next. I believe your health only starts to decline if you've spent longer than a week with none."

[tadashiishere]

Baymax nodded, making note of those statistics in his medical database. Naturally, he would like to go home, back to San Fransokyo, Hiro, and his friends. But he was a medical robot, first and foremost. Tadashi had wanted him to help people, and with an apparent medical crisis here, it was clear where his duty lay.

"Does the amount of contact needed vary due to other factors, such as height or weight?", he asked. "Or is it consistent? And is there any sort of contact that is more effective than another?"

[dragoncrest]

Freya shook her head. "It does not vary from person to person, as far as I am aware. Touch that involves more contact is usually more effective, I believe, so a hug would generate more energy than holding hands."

If not for those few times the strange happenings here had affected her and subsequently finding out that touch quickly resolved the problem, she probably wouldn't have been able to answer the question. The normal energy drain and "recharging" here was so slow that it was difficult to tell if something was more effective.

[tadashiishere]

Baymax noted all this as well. It was nice to have a fellow 'guest' here who was willing to provide information. "Then the more contact there is, the more effective the treatment," he said. That worked very well for him; his non-threatening, huggable design was ideal for prolonged contact.

"What are the symptoms of lack of contact?", Baymax said. "Do they follow a certain set of parameters, or do they vary from one individual to the next?"

[dragoncrest]

"That's correct," she replied. "As far as symptoms... they do not seem to vary, for the most part. Those of us with magic and similar abilities appear to have less control over them when the sickness first begins. A while after that, people become exhausted, and eventually feel dizzy or nauseous. I have seen others struggle to walk after spending too long without contact."

[tadashiishere]

Baymax noted all the symptoms. "Loss of control of unusual abilities, fatigue and exhaustion, dizziness and nausea, and weakness and loss of motor control in the extremities," Baymax said. "Is additional treatment besides physical contact required once symptoms manifest?"

[dragoncrest]

"I don't believe so..." Freya mused. "Though rest seems like it's helpful, I cannot say if it's completely necessary."

It made sense, after all--illness tended to become less severe when one rested. Still, from what she gathered, it was more of an illness of the soul... and she certainly wasn't aware of how those might work.

"You're quite thorough," she remarked after a moment, a little impressed. If he was a "healthcare companion," she supposed it only made sense he'd do his best to gather details. "And I admit it is a relief to speak to someone who does not question the truth of everything I try to explain."

[tadashiishere]

"If I am to offer proper treatment, I must have as much data as possible," Baymax said when Freya commented on his thoroughness. "To do otherwise might endanger my patients." And since there was no convenient database to download that he knew of yet, asking questions seemed to be the best way to go about things.

"In the absence of any contradictory data, I have no reason to question your explanation," Baymax added. "The situation is highly unusual, but all information I have received thus far has been consistent on all relevant points." In other words, it's really weird, but he's just gonna go with it for now.