destinystrings | The Search for the Newcomers, December 2012 Edition.

Entry tags:

The Search for the Newcomers, December 2012 Edition.

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Free apartments...?"

The situation had started out strange enough, but at this point it was quickly moving on to outright baffling.

"...Do you think you could explain to me what is going on here? Why would we need access to free apartments?" Between the cold and the general surprise of suddenly being in a completely different place, she's having difficulty piecing everything together immediately.

"Um...I'll give you the short version now, then explain once we get somewhere with heat." Asem was worried that she might get sick from being out in the cold too long without proper protection. "The gist is that we've been grabbed from our home worlds and dropped in here as part of some kind of test. We can't go home -- not yet -- so we're given places to live."

The sentiment is appreciated. She nods at the short explanation, giving her arms another idle rub in an attempt to generate at least a little heat through the friction.

"This... sounds complicated..." Understatement. Being unable to go home is frankly worrying, to say nothing of the getting dropped into another world part. Even now, she has a hard time believing it - it's mainly her trust in human nature to be honest that prevents her from outright doubting his words. "I'll wait until we get to the apartments for the full version."

"Okay. Follow me." Fortunately, a tram station is nearby. Asem leads her there first, then aboard a tram headed to the Pisces district. He leads her out of the station, and into the tallest building in the area.

Once in the lobby, he turns around. "This is it. The apartments. There's one in the Libra district, too, so if you don't have one here, then it's over there."

She does what she can to make a note of her surroundings. It's all so... foreign. She had gotten far too accustomed to her home in Tokyo and all of the many streets and back alleys that came with it. Through the good and the bad, it was her home; a place she would be willing to do whatever it took to protect.

But she dismisses these thoughts to focus on Asem once again as he speaks. If she had read that sign correctly, they should be in Pisces, so... Pisces and Libra. Astrological signs. That shouldn't be too hard to remember.

"Do I need to speak to anyone about getting an apartment first?" She has never had to deal with obtaining housing before, and it's pretty clear by her uncertainty.

"Oh, talk to the people at the desk. Give them your name." Asem motions to the desk in the rear of the lobby. "If they can find you, you're here. If not, try again in the Libra district's apartments."

"Find me?" That's a really odd choice of words. It's like he's implying that...

"Are you saying... I have already been given a room here?"

"Yeah." Asem nods, his expression serious. "I'm pretty sure we're not pulled here by random, but instead deliberately picked."

But... picked for what?

"...I think I'm going to need to hear the full explanation now. Who brought us here? And why?"

There's no sense of antagonism to her voice. She simply wants to understand.

"We're here for a test. I'm not sure what, or who brought us here. But every so often, a door appears to a place called the Velvet Room. In there are a few people who know more than me. The guy in charge of it is called Igor, and he's got two or three assistants. They're all really helpful."

"...Do we know what we have to do to complete the test?" She cannot, in good conscience, leave her friends to defend their city without her. The sooner she can complete this test and return home, the better.

"There are things I need to do in my home. I can't just leave my friends behind for a... a test!"

Asem shakes his head. "Not really. But I think the 13th Hour might have something to do with it."

He pauses for a moment, before adding, "Oh, you don't know what that is. Every night, between midnight and 12:01 AM, there's a hidden hour. Only people from other worlds seem to notice it. And during that hour, demons prowl.

"But we're not helpless. We can awaken to a power called Persona to fight them."

Well that catches her attention like nothing else. "Demons? There are demons in this city-?" She very nearly adds a 'too' there, but catches herself. "Do they attack people? And... what do you mean by 'Persona'?"

"Yeah. They attack whomever they see." Asem closes his eyes for a moment. "And Persona...I don't know what to say. It's like...some hidden part of who we are emerges and fights for us."

However, as he says this, he looks down and to the side. "I shouldn't say 'we,' though."

This... is sounding uncomfortably similar to a situation she knows only too well. She makes a note to investigate this 13th hour, and on her own if she has to.

Persona, though? It doesn't sound quite like the power she or her friends were granted by the Dragon Stream. As he looks downwards, she gives a look of sincere concern. "What do you mean...?"

"Oops, sorry." Asem looks sheepish at this point. "I just meant that I haven't awoken mine yet. And it's been about two or three months."

"Awoken?" There's so much she doesn't know! "So if I am understanding correctly... Even though we are given the potential for this power, that does not guarantee we can use it right away?"

...It's almost kind of weird how comfortable she seems to be with the idea of getting new powers, although the jury's still out whether she'll be comfortable using them.

"Yeah. Afraid so. But the apartments are a safe zone, so if you haven't awoken it yet and can't get anybody to stick with you, you should stay close to them."

Now if only he would follow his own advice...

There's no way he could know about her, so... She just gives a small nod along with one of her usual smiles. "I'll keep it in mind, thank you."

Although in truth... Yeah, sorry Asem, she won't be following your advice either. Even though she doesn't have her naginata with her (or so she thinks) she is still determined to continue her patrols. It doesn't matter who or where the people are; Aoi is going to do everything she can to protect each and every one of them.

"It sounds confusing, but... I'll just have to work hard to adjust." If she can't get home right away, all she can do is continue to help the people here while looking for a way back. Right! "Thank you for all of the help..."

...Ah. She never did introduce herself to this person, did she? "I'm sorry, it completely slipped my mind. I should have introduced myself: my name is Aoi Misato."

"It's no problem. Seriously." Asem gives a shaky smile. "I'm just glad I could help.

Aoi Misato...nice to meet you. I'm Asem Asuno."

"It's nice to meet you too, Asuno. Maybe I'll see you again once I get used to this city? You've helped me out so much already, I'd like to repay you somehow if I'm able."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Asem scratches his cheek sheepishly. "If you want to get in touch with me, though, you can use -- oops, I forgot!"

Asem's hand immediately plunges into his pants pocket. He pulls a device out of it. "This. It's called a COMP. It's kind of like a cell phone."

She moves a little closer to get a better look at it. "A COMP...? Is that something else we are given here?"

"Yep. Check your pockets for one. You ought to have it on you somewhere."

"My pockets...?"

...But her uniform doesn't have any pockets. She pats her sides down anyway, and it takes her a moment to notice a flash of something dark on her wrist, hidden almost entirely by her sleeve. Could that be...?

And sure enough, there is her COMP, already primed and ready to go. She pulls back her sleeve slightly, staring at it with a mystified expression. "I've never seen anything like it. So this can be used to communicate?" Curioser and curioser.

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