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

[nofairy]

"It'll be okay. And... maybe you can get a job, if you want. I know it's not very... princess-like, but..."

But neither is disguising yourself as a ninja for years.

[sageprincess]

"A... job?"

The idea sounds absurd, but not necessarily for the reason he gives. The idea of routine after so long of taking each day as it comes and trying survive is... nearly impossible to imagine, honestly.

So it's actually very earnest when she asks, "But what could I do?"

[nofairy]

"I..."

... That is a good question. He thinks about it for a minute. "... Well, you don't have to get a job right away. There's lots of new things here, so maybe if you try some things you'll find something you like. I mean, it'd be better to get a job doing something you like, right?"

[sageprincess]

"I suppose."

Things she likes haven't exactly been a priority for quite some time. She stares into her tea, in thought.

"... It would also be beneficial to learn the layout of this city first. Better to learn how things work here before getting too involved in anything."

[nofairy]

"There's a map on the COMP thing you have."

After a moment, glasses spring in front of his face. "You just have to think about it and it shows up. I don't know how it works, though. Magic, maybe?"

[sageprincess]

... Well, that's different.

For a moment, she only stares, eyes shifting just slightly between the glasses and Link himself, as if asking "what in Nayru's name have we found ourselves in?" But, eventually, she relents, closing her eyes and thinking of... COMP, was it?

"--Ah!" Sure enough, the glasses appear on her face, 'Welcome, Honored Guest' flashing on the frames. "... It is certainly not any magic I am familiar with, if it is."

[nofairy]

"There's a bunch of people from different worlds... they're probably from one of the other worlds if it's not from this one."

He grins a bit and takes a sip of tea again.

[sageprincess]

"I see... This place truly is a complete mystery," she says, some anxiety making its way into her voice as she dismisses the COMP. She is not accustomed to being in this position, not knowing anything about the situation. She was always the guide, the one with the plan, the one who drew her strength from knowledge rather than power or will.

It's... uncomfortable not knowing anything. But, of course, she doesn't say as much, instead following Link's lead and finally sipping at her tea.

[nofairy]

"It gets easier after you've been here a bit. And I still have all of my equipment, so I can carry it with me whenever I'm going somewhere that seems like it'll be dangerous. People here are also pretty helpful once you explain you're not from around here."

Though he still has yet to conquer the microwave... the one time he tried it set something on fire.

[sageprincess]

"That is fortunate. I feel I may end up explaining that quite a bit."

Surely together, the Bearers of Courage and Wisdom can defeat that wretched and clever foe. That said, though...

"... Do you carry your equipment around with you often? I notice you do not have it with you now."

The real question, of course, being 'how dangerous is it here?'

[nofairy]

"I usually only carry it at night, or if something bad is happening like it did a few months ago. Other than that, I can usually defend myself with that Persona thing I mentioned before. It takes a different form for everyone..."

A blue card appears in front of him, and he crushes it in his hand. Epona appears beside him, and the woman working the counter gives him a dirty look. Link ducks his head and Epona vanishes.

"Once you get the hang of summoning yours, it's easy. And that looks like Epona, but it's not... really her. She can do a bunch of things that the real Epona can't, like use a Light skill and summon rocks to hit things with."

[sageprincess]

... Link, you might want to give a lady a little warning next time you summon a manifestation of your psyche. She jumps at Epona's appearance, pressing herself against the back of the booth in surprise, but... there's no ill will, and as soon as the horse vanishes, she relaxes.

"I... see. By the way you speak, it sounds as though I have been granted one as well. How does one summon such a creature?"

[nofairy]

"Um. It's easier to summon very late at night, when things get... weirder. Monsters come out... but I'll go with you to protect you."

He smiles a little. That's what heroes do.

[sageprincess]

"Weirder...?"

As if things weren't weird enough!

"Oh, you need not do that, Link. So long as there is nothing comparable in power to Ganondorf, I should be all right."

She appreciates the thought, really, but Link's been enough of a hero for one lifetime, she thinks.

[nofairy]

"Not that I know of..."

He still feels like it's his responsibility to take care of her, though...

"If you need help though, please let me know and I can be there really fast."

[sageprincess]

And thus the cycle of feeling responsible for one another begins...

"Of course. You will always be the first to know. And likewise, should you ever require my aide, I will be quick to give it."

[nofairy]

"Thank you."

He reaches out to take her hand, smiling. "It's a promise."

[sageprincess]

Not expecting that, she tenses just slightly. The gesture... certainly brings back some memories, but he's smiling, so she tries a smile as well.

"Yes. It is a promise."

[nofairy]

"Once you're done with your drink, I can take you to where you'll be staying... unless you want to go somewhere else first?"

[sageprincess]

"No, I think it would be better to see where I am to live, first."

Sip.

"Besides, I would not know where to go, anyway."

[nofairy]

"All right. I can lead you there pretty easily." He can always go to the arcade another day. This is more important.