The Search for the Newcomers, December 2012 Edition.

[stringmods]

Who: Open to Everyone, but only Newly Accepted Characters can start threads.
Where: All around the city! They appear where you want them to appear.
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.

Last month's initial testing of the HORUS system had worked really well. The device which allowed everyone to spot abnormalities; and now even more refined, they could hone in on newcomers at a much faster pace. The leftover energy from the travel (commonly called Magatama Residue) gave them a few minutes to find them before it would flicker out.

Combined with 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 own radar function, it was also nice enough to calculate for you the best transport and destination routes to take to get there. Speed was of the essence, after all.

[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

[bakegarasu]

He tucked them into his pocket, nudging Johnny a little, though not really meaning anything by it.

"... The layout reminds me kind of of Shinjuku, but it's not the same..."

A bar would be a good place to start... Otoha started heading towards the fire escape to climb down.

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny followed, eyes scanning the area.

"It feels like L.A. Mm...and there's no barrier over this city, not like the bubble." Sunlight would be a problem.

"Guess it's good it's night." Something occurred to Johnny as Minea climbed up onto his shoulder, and he fished for something else in his pocket. After a moment he produced the small I.D. card he'd found earlier.

"Apparently we get I.D. cards, though. And a place to live."

[bakegarasu]

He felt in his pocket, pulling out his own and looking over at Johnny's.

"I think we're living next to each other... see?"

The question is, where the hell is that place?

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny glanced over at Otoha's card. "Mmm...good question. Maybe it's a section of the city...like the Bronx in New York. We could always ask someone."

His eyes caught on the 'name' section of the other card and he gave a little start. "Mmm...I think I forgot 'Otoha' isn't your name, you should've said something. Which would you prefer? Otoha or Yosuke?"

[bakegarasu]

"Like a ward? Probably." Technically Shinjuku was a ward, but it was big enough to be considered its own city.

At the question, though, he narrowed his eyes. "Only Reiji and my father and his goons ever called me Yosuke. I don't like it." He'd rather not be associated with his father at all, but if he had to go by one of the names, his family name was preferable.

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny studied Otoha a brief moment before nodding. "Whatever you want~ Otoha's easier to say anyway~" Plus, he knew a bit about having a name you genuinely hated. He would be the last person to do that to someone.

The vampire kissed Otoha's shoulder and then pulled away with a wave, intent on walking into the nearest building. It didn't look like the safest thing, but he didn't intend to stay long either. "Don't wander off, I'll ask someone for directions."

[bakegarasu]

"Right, because I'm the one that tends to wander off."

Otoha followed after Johnny. The last thing they needed was for him to piss someone off ten minutes after they got to a new place.

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny stuck his tongue out at the taller man as he pushed the door open.

It was a bar...and it was about as seedy as it had seemed on the outside. It made him smirk. Johnny eyed the crowd and chose a table somewhat nearby. There were only two men at the table, one of them gave Johnny a look that made the vampire feel like he needed a shower, so he turned his attention to the other.

As soon as he'd gotten the information he needed, he turned back to Otoha. "Head north. Not detailed, but...I don't want to stick around here. I feel like I'm gonna get jumped."

He took Otoha's hand and started off back out...obviously it was just so he didn't loose his friend in the crowd. Clearly.

[bakegarasu]

On the other hand, Otoha seemed totally comfortable with the atmosphere of the bar, standing behind Johnny with a hand on his sword in order to project a subtle threat to the men.

"Let's go." He pulled his hand away from Johnny, and followed along behind him, eying the crowd around them warily. He was used to this kind of area... but it didn't make it any less dangerous.

[not_heavens_adam]

As soon as they were out, Johnny turned to the other man, hands on his hips. "Well, what now? Explore more or see where we're supposed to call home? Ah...and if the later, should we fly~?"

It would be faster for sure.

[bakegarasu]

"We might as well take a look around. It's not like we don't have time." No flying. It was still weird.

Though if Johnny started acting up he was going to ditch his dumb ass for a bit.

[not_heavens_adam]

Rude, Otoha. The vampire nods and heads off in a direction he hadn't gone in. Oh..there were things he should tell the man. "Supposedly, we get some government money here, but it's barely enough for basics, anything extra we need to earn on our own."

He smirked a bit. "Mmm...you can have some of mine, though, if you'd rather. I don't need to buy food, after all. Buuuut I was also thinking I'd open a bar here too. You could join me, if you wanted. Ah~ Or, as the lovely lady pointed out, there is this lovely red light district. Perhaps I'll look into something here, instead."

That was the problem with having a relatively silent companion: you often rambled to compensate.

[bakegarasu]

"If we have to pay for things, you probably won't have enough to open a bar right away." Logic, Johnny. Do you have it.

"And I'm not letting you whore yourself out." He's seen what people do to those sorts of people. No.

[not_heavens_adam]

Oh....yes, this was a good point. "Mmm...yes, I see the problem there." He'd have to save up for a bar, he supposed. How annoying.

He glanced over to his companion and shrugged. "It's nothing new for me, Otoha. I spent well over a century 'whoring myself out' as you so eloquently put it. It's good money." Even if he didn't have the stock market to mess with and get what he'd had back home, the companion service had set him up very nicely.

"What else would you suggest?"

[bakegarasu]

"I don't know. Something else. I know how they treat those kinds of people. I won't let you do that."

I-it's not like he wanted to protect you or anything, baka.

[not_heavens_adam]

Of course not, Otoha...

Johnny pulled close again and leaned up to kiss Otoha on the cheek, but then kept walking. "Aaaah...I feel warm and fuzzy knowing you want to protect me, Otoha~~" His smirk takes on a more Cheshire-quality. "Hmm...or, maybe, you just want me all to yourself~~!"

It was just too fun to mess with Otoha.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and his tone took on a more serious quality. "I'll see what else there is before I take that route.
...but I want to have enough to keep us comfortable, I won't cut myself off from something I'm good at if it can do that."

[bakegarasu]

"... I want to make sure you don't die, idiot. Yes, even with your healing and stuff." He wouldn't put it past anyone to figure it out and just go straight for decapitation if they really wanted it.

"I don't need that much, though. You know that." No redecorating his room again just because you get bored.

[not_heavens_adam]

He knew that...but he felt like he needed to bring in a lot anyway. This town seemed...darker than the bubble...to be honest, he was a little weary of what kind of work Otoha would look for...or find.

"Aaah~ But, Otoha~~ I'm a rich man, you know~ I've become accustomed to a certain lifestyle~" He grinned, lying through his teeth.

[bakegarasu]

"Then it's time to learn how the commoners live." He nudged Johnny a little jokingly.

"Besides, I'm sure I can find some kind of work if we really need it. There's got to be people who need some kind of bodyguard service or something."

[not_heavens_adam]

"Mmm...if you say so." He moved to take Otoha's arm, almost making him look like some chick clinging to her boyfriend...but oh well, since when did he care about appearances?

"If the rooms are right next to each other, I'll knock the wall in." Because that was a good idea. "I they're across from each other, the other one can be storage space or something."

Because as clingy as it might make him seem, or as much as Otoha might roll his eyes, Johnny wasn't about to let the man out of his sight. Not when he'd just vanished out from under the vampire's nose before.

[bakegarasu]

He pulled away slightly. Stop being so weird, Johnny.

"We'll have to see if you can do that without getting in trouble. And what, are you planning on sleeping in my room? Then I'll take the couch or whatever." While he sort of appreciated Johnny's presence, sleeping in the same bed - or even the same room - was just too weird.

[not_heavens_adam]

Stop being so damn stiff in all the wrong ways, Otoha.

Johnny huffed and crossed his arms. "You act like I'm diseased. Normal guys share beds all the time, It's not like I intend to molest you in your sleep." Tempting, but no. That was much more fun when the other man was alert and could stop him.

"I won't take your bed, anyway. I'll just steal your couch until I remake my coffin." Although...he didn't have any of his native dirt here...hmm...he'd have to limit the reckless antics; reading from the Bible would just kill him without any.

[bakegarasu]

"That's not it. It's not about you." It was less that he thought Johnny was diseased and more that he needed his own space without feeling panicked. "Besides, it's fine. I can fall asleep in a lot of places."

On the couch, on the floor, against a wall...

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny waved his hand in dismissal. "We'll see when we get there. It might only be that I need to put a hole in the wall, no big deal~ Plus, I really should make a new coffin. If something happens here, I'll need a way to heal. Something besides blood." Because One: He still didn't want to drink from Otoha and Two: It would be out of the question if Otoha were hurt at the same time he was anyway.

Or, God forbid, the man left again. Johnny clung ever-so-slightly-tighter to Otoha's arm with that thought. Better to think about other things.

"Mmm...if you do decide to find work...you don't need to get into anything like what you did back home." You know, killing people. "...I don't think it would be good for you."

[bakegarasu]

"Why not? It's what I'm good at, after all." It really didn't bother him that he was taking lives. Even though he could understand a bit more why people looked down on it, it still wasn't really something he cared about.