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

[drakenguard]

Yamato was taking a nice, long walk to clear the cobwebs of a few days of hermitism. It had been raining earlier, a light drizzle that came and went whenever it pleased, so the air was pretty thick with humidity. Yamato was just thankful that the weather had finally died down back to normal, so the somewhat consistent drizzle was pretty much welcome.

He had been preparing to return back to his apartment (the clouds were beginning to gather ominously) when he was suddenly accosted by a young woman. He frowned at her. A new arrival? Either that or spontaneous amnesia. Anything was possible in Hinoto-Ri.

"...you're in Hinoto-Ri," Yamato replied after a pause. "Do you have an Identification Card?" If she was a new arrival, she wouldn't have one, and would have to collect it at City Hall. Urgh.

[eyewillprotect]

"An Identification Card...? I have my school ID." Her expression remains worried. The question seemed rather out of the blue... And that's not even getting into that city name.

"Hinoto-Ri... I've never heard of that city before. Are we still in Japan?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato's suspicions were correct. Well then, he supposed he should lead her to City Hall to collect her identification, then tell her the directions to her room. Of course, Yamato would do only the bare minimum of assistance - which was more than he would've done a few months ago.

"No, you're not. Sadly you have been kidnapped from your own world, and placed here for some mysterious purpose not yet known to us. Congratulations," Yamato said with a straight face.

[eyewillprotect]

Excuse her for a moment there, but did you just say

"-Kidnapped?!" After the whole thing with Kozunu, this is not an especially welcome word to hear. "But... Who would have--"

Her voice cuts off abruptly. Was this the work of whoever had been behind Kozunu? Even after all was said and done, they had never found the true culprit...

[drakenguard]

"By a being called Philemon," Yamato said, internally sighing. Well, shock and indignation was probably the proper reaction to this... Yamato wouldn't know. He had just been surprised he was alive. "It is completely out of your control. Come. Once you have your ID you can be taken to your new quarters." And out of his hair.

[eyewillprotect]

Hold on there Yamato, give her a moment to catch up. That name sounded almost familiar...

"Philemon... I think I had a dream about him. Or... was that really a dream?" It's mostly murmured to herself, although she shakes away the thought. She really needs to get inside soon before she freezes.

"What do you mean, new quarters?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato actually sighed aloud that time, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Exactly as I said. Those who are taken here have been assigned a room. The quarters are satisfactory, if you don't have lavish tastes," Yamato explained, giving a slightly shuffle as he wished to shoo Aoi along.

"If you have any further questions, allow me to answer them while we're walking."

[eyewillprotect]

She begins to walk after only a slight hesitation. And as for those questions... She will certainly take you up on that, Yamato. "I just don't understand. Could you please explain what is going on here? Why would they give us room? Or even take us in the first place...?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato set a rather brisk pace, his hands sliding into the pockets of his coat with his eyes set forwards. Entirely rude, not looking at the person he was talking to, but Yamato was not exactly well known for being polite...

"They have some use for us which they intend for us to fulfil, but what use that is exactly is still unclear. Until then, they are somewhat accommodating towards us, giving us shelter, as well as a government stipend to use as we please."

[eyewillprotect]

And she does well in keeping up. Rude he may be, but he is helping her, and she appreciates that much. "So... there is no way to return to our homes in the meantime? We are expected to remain here until they decide to release us again?"

[drakenguard]

"Yes," Yamato said shortly. "Or rather, the government here does not have control over that. There is a higher power doing this, and whether you stay or leave, it is entirely up to them. From what I gather as well, there is no warning about it either. You may leave in a matter of weeks, or months, perhaps years..."

Yamato was reaching his fifth month here after all.

[eyewillprotect]

"A higher power... and we don't know what that is?" She gives a small sigh. This... is not sounding good at all. "I can't afford to be gone for months... My friends and family will all be worried about me. Not to mention school, and-"

And that defending Tokyo thing.

[drakenguard]

"Hmm...well it is being investigated," Yamato said simply. "You will have to be patient and wait like everyone else. It is not a particularly nice thing to do, but it is all you can do at this current moment in time. You should focus instead on using your time wisely here."

[eyewillprotect]

She bites her lip, looking at the ground. Was there truly no other way...?

"What would you suggest I do in the meantime, then?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato gave a small snort. "Why should I tell you? Do as you please. There is plenty to do around the city. But, if you do wish for some advice, I suggest awakening your Persona."

[eyewillprotect]

Well that's certainly an unfamiliar word. "Persona?"

[drakenguard]

Damn it.

"A Persona is a physical manifestation of your soul. It first appears when you are under great stress - let us say in the middle of a battle - and can learn a myriad of abilities and spells. You have two types: Support and Combat Persona. I'm sure you can figure out what that means without an explanation."

[eyewillprotect]

"A physical manifestation of my... soul?" It's such an odd concept, she can't help but repeat the words back to him.

"If it appears in times of stress... would that make it like a guardian? And how do you know I have one?"

[drakenguard]

"All those that arrive here from other worlds carry the ability to summon a Persona," Yamato said slowly. "And I suppose, yes, you can say it is a guardian. It's still a rather mysterious phenomenon."

[eyewillprotect]

"...Even if we didn't have a power like that in our own world?" At least, she's fairly certain it was different. "But... how?"

[drakenguard]

"The being that took you to this world, Philemon, gave it to you," Yamato said. "That is my understanding, anyway."

[eyewillprotect]

"...I still don't understand." Why was she brought here? And apparently given yet another power, much less. But...

"...If he chose us, he must have a reason for it... Right?"

[drakenguard]

"Obviously," Yamato's tone became a bit disdainful then. "I highly doubt he brought us here to simply play 'House' with us."

[eyewillprotect]

"And we don't have a single hint what that could be?"

[drakenguard]

"No. But isn't that par for the course with entities like that? They enjoy keeping their cards to their chest, and revealing their plots and schemes when it's too late," Yamato muttered, now sounding irritated. Obviously he had experience with this...