The Search for the Newcomers, November 2012 Edition.

[stringmods]

Who: Open to Everyone, but only Newly Accepted Characters can start threads.
Where: All around the city, anywhere from the 5th to the 20th.
Summary: Newcomers arrive and by now the Government is more ready and sends everyone out to go people hunting.
Warnings: ARRIVALS. Also assume the first thread is the ones who tell you about the city, and the other tags for the character can be talking with others in the city and learning more about it.

[FOR THOSE IN THE CITY:]
They were getting much better at this, it was for certain.

The COMPS had been upgraded with a new program, HORUS which allowed them to spot abnormalities; if something or someone showed up suddenly in a city that was constantly scanned, then there was a high probability it was a newcomer. There was also a sort of left energy from the travel; the Wise Men called it leftover Magatama Residue, where the magical energy used to pull them to this world and keep the String intact was still faintly present around them. It wouldn't last more than a few minutes, however, and due to the fact they could appear in most parts of the city, it made finding the newcomers was both easy yet frustratingly difficult. As the blips appear on your radar function, they were nice enough to calculate for you the best transport and destination routes to take to get there.

Now it was just left up to chance and make sure you got there fast enough that you were still able to find them relatively easily. For the most part, the fact they stuck out would most certainly help...

[FOR THOSE WHO JUST ARRIVED:]
You're not in your homeworld anymore. That much is evident. So how do you feel? Happy? Sad? Troubled? A little of all three? No matter what, the memories of a butterfly man named Philemon are fading like a dream; you'll remember the details, but perhaps not everything he has said.

There is one word that stays with you, however.

Persona.

So...here to save the city, huh? First you'll need to find out more information. And who knows, maybe a familiar face or two...

[OOC: As stated above, only new characters can start a thread, but feel free to jump in any of them. characters arrive with their clothing and whatever items they had on them the moment they were taken; the remaining items will be later found in their apartments.]

Comments

[fools_journey]

It's not until the next morning that Pharos gets it right for the second time. However, he misses Minato's bedroom entirely to instead wind up at Minato's kitchen table, while the teenager is making an omelette with rice and cheese. Pharos has good (?) timing all the same, as this isn't a morning Minato went running with Akihiko, and so he's still in boxers and a t-shirt. So maybe it's not waking him up in the middle of the night, but hey - at least one detail is right!

In any event, when Minato turns around to flop his omelette out of the pan and onto his plate and sees Pharos standing there, he stops and gives the kid a very flat look tinged with mild disbelief. (Though given all the other people and things he's seen show up here, he's really not all that surprised by Pharos showing up, too.)

"... if you're here for breakfast, you'll have to wait while I make something else."

Pharos is not getting this omelette.

[the_usual_stuff]

Close enough.

Pharos braces his elbow against the wooden surface of the kitchen table, one small fist pressed against his cheek, while his other arm lies flat on the table. It's hard to suppress his delight at finally locating Minato, even the flat disbelieving stare he receives as a welcome doesn't off-put his mood, but he manages it. Childish happiness still leaks out, tempered by the unhappy protest of a a new flesh-and-bone body unused to the punishment of staying up the entire night. Once he adjusts to the removal from his universe, he can pull off not sleeping but his energy is low by now. Constant teleportation is a strain.

He yawned.

"'Breakfast'?" he echoed bemusedly after Minato. Is the uncomfortable ache in his stomach hunger? ... Was it? ... It probably was, wasn't it. <:| He turned beseeching eyes on the warm omelette on Minato's plate. That was food, right.

[fools_journey]

Minato doesn't feel at all sympathetic at seeing Pharos yawn, though he does feel pretty curious. He had never known his Dark Hour sometimes-companion to ever seem the least bit tired - or to appear in the day time, for that matter. But he suppresses a sigh and goes ahead and slides his omelette onto his plate, taking his eyes off Pharos only long enough to make sure the omelette winds up where it's supposed to.

"A meal people eat to break their nighttime fast while they slept."

No, don't look so beseechingly at his omelette. He made it exactly how he likes it and doesn't want to give it up. He doesn't want to let it down. He doesn't want to let it run around and desert him for Pharos' stomach.

[the_usual_stuff]

Look, being yanked out of their homeworld right after departing to reunite his unstable form with the Arcana shadows in order to become complete, and then following such an abrupt uprooting by overusing his powers without stopping to restore his energy? It's tiring. Pharos needs to adjust to his situation.

He appeared once in the morning to bide you an emotional goodbye! Does that count as appearing in the daytime?

"Ah," Pharos tapped his fingers on the table, eyes tracking that omelette intently, but making absolutely no move to take it. Minato has first dibs on everything as far as he is concerned, after all. If Minato doesn't want to share, then that's the final decision and he doesn't mind at all. "I've been looking all over for you."

And he's found them both. It feels... quite nice. He felt more secure and much less uncertain now that he knew their whereabouts.

[fools_journey]

Excuses, excuses. And no, it doesn't count at all. That was the exception to the rule.

But Pharos' comment makes him blink. "You have? ... how long have you been here?"

Though... never mind about that. It's not all that important, and he sees the way Pharos is looking at his omelette. "Would you like me to make you something to eat or drink?"

He doesn't know. Do shadows like tea? Cereal? Rice? Eggs? Coffee? Milk shakes? He feels kind of responsible for Pharos here...

[the_usual_stuff]

"For one night and two day now," was Pharos' prompt reply.

And then his attention was derived by the mention of food and he looks from staring at that omelette. When he eaten the spaghetti Yu had made for his family's supper, it hadn't tasted like much of anything to him even if it had been vaguely filling. But he nods, because he's tired and there's an uncomfortable ache in his tummy and eating does seem to make it go away. "Yes, that would be nice...?"

Minato, the choice is up to you since Pharos doesn't exactly know what foods you eat for breakfast. What will you pick? Pancakes, toast, or another omelette, or sugary cereal? A glass of milk?

[fools_journey]

Minato almost asks Pharos what he wants to eat but stops, figuring that he probably... has no idea about food. Which only leads Minato to sigh and think about things for a moment.

"... does the omelette smell good to you?"

It'll give him a clue. And in the meantime, while waiting for Pharos to answer, he goes to get a glass of milk to start. Pharos, since he's apparently physical now, is a kid, so clearly he needs proper nutrition. Or something. He doesn't know how Shadow biology works.

[the_usual_stuff]

"Yes," Pharo said though the interrogative inflexion in his voice turned the statement in a question.

Being solid and being hungry is weird! So weird.

He's not exactly sure what to do with food beyond the obvious things he learned while eating spaghetti. It's not very tasty to him. But when Minato comes back with that glass of milk, he'll smile happily and take it from him. Shadow biology is weird and having a brand new flesh-and-bone body isn't helping matters, man.

[fools_journey]

Hm, well that's not a solid yes. But Pharos responds well to the milk, so maybe some toast to go with that? How much do Shadows eat, anyway?

Minato puts a couple pieces of bread in the toaster and then gets another plate out. He cuts part of his omelette and puts it on this plate and puts it with utensils before Pharos.

"Try some and let me know if you like it."

[the_usual_stuff]

Pharos takes small, careful sips of the glass of milk while watching Minato move around the kitchen in his boxers and t-shirt. It's still early morning, the sunlight glowing with crispness, and outside the birds chirping can be heard, and it reminds him of a meeting that took place earlier in the same time of day. It was fun while it lasted, and he supposes it will last a little longer than he expected.

The young boy wasn't sure how to react to knowing that.

He blinks, returning to earth when his friend sets a plate with some of his omelette in front of him. After a few seconds of while he's figuring out the use for the eating utensils, Pharos picks up the fork and tucks in, sorta sloppily.

"I like it," he says after several big bites, and it's true. It's not bad and while he doesn't find it tasty, it's made by Minato which would automatically elevate the most disgusting substance to being worth eating.

[fools_journey]

Minato nods as he has a few bites of his own part of the omelette, still waiting for the toast to pop. "Try to remember the sort of flavors you like," he says, watching how Pharos uses the fork. "You can use the knife to cut the eggs, too. Like this."

And then he demonstrates. He's sure Pharos will get the hang of it, but it doesn't hurt to help. But soon enough the toast pops, so he rises to get it, putting butter on it and then cutting each piece in half. One piece he leaves with just better. One piece he puts strawberry jam on. One piece he puts grape jelly on, and the last piece he puts peanut butter on.

"Try these, though try not to get the jelly on your fingers, because it's sticky." And he indicates which one has the jelly. "Let me know which piece you like best. I'll keep it in mind for next time."