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

[eyewillprotect]

"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."

[second_destiny]

"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."

[eyewillprotect]

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

[second_destiny]

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

[eyewillprotect]

"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.

[second_destiny]

Oh. That's right. It can be found there, too. Asem has been forwarding things to his AGE Device, so he rarely uses the COMP.

"Yep. It's got video, audio, and text. Like I said, it's like a cell phone."

[eyewillprotect]

Pretty fancy to be compared to a cell phone. (From her time, anyway.)

"I see... I suppose we should be grateful they provide us with so many things to help us here." She lowers her arm, deciding it would be best to figure out the watch when she isn't in the middle of a conversation.

[second_destiny]

"I think that they figure that it's the least they can do for us. I mean, we were yanked out of our own worlds to come here and fight demons."

[eyewillprotect]

"...That's another thing I'm curious about. What exactly are these demons like? Have you seen them yourself, Asuno?"

[second_destiny]

"They take all kinds of forms. Some are like skulls, others are just black blobs with masks. I've even seen balances out there."

[eyewillprotect]

"Balances?" The demons she had encountered were... strange, to say the least, but never quite that random. "How can a balance hurt people...?"

[second_destiny]

"Magic." Asem sighed. "I'm not kidding, either."

[eyewillprotect]

"...Magic? What kind of magic?"

[second_destiny]

"Just...attack magic? I guess." Asem isn't too familiar with magic. "They trow stuff like fire and lightning at you."

[eyewillprotect]

"...Like the power..." It's mumbled to herself, and she quickly continues speaking in a normal tone:

"With an ability like that, it's no wonder people are endangered by them. Especially those who cannot defend themselves." She frowns slightly at the thought.

[second_destiny]

"Yeah. But there's a lot of guests, so there are plenty of people with Personas. And people like me who make do without them."

[eyewillprotect]

"What do you do instead? How are you able to fight them without any powers of your own?"

[second_destiny]

"Resources." Asem adjusts his belt slightly. "I've got a gun, grenades, and flashbangs. Allies, too."

[eyewillprotect]

Wow. That... was an interesting assortment of weapons, particularly for someone who appeared to be around her age. "Where did you get weapons like that? And your allies... Are they friends from where you come from?"

[second_destiny]

"I came with the gun. I was a soldier back home. I bought the grenades and flashbangs here."

Asem shook his head. "No. Friends I made here. There's a lot of friendly people in Hinoto-Ri."

[eyewillprotect]

"A soldier?" Color her surprised. "But you look like you're close to my age!"

[second_destiny]

"I'm nineteen." That's all he says for now. He assumes that simply being over the age of eighteen is enough to count as a sufficient answer.

[eyewillprotect]

"...I see. I'm sorry, I thought you might have been a little younger." She tips her head in a small apologetic bow. And then, out of pure curiosity at this point: "...Was there a specific reason why you joined, Asuno?"

[second_destiny]

Asem nods. "Yeah. At first it was because my dad needed me -- he was the frontline commander in the war -- but I kept at it because I've got things important to me. People I'll protect."

[eyewillprotect]

That brings an understanding smile to her face. The need to protect people was certainly something she could relate to. However, when she speaks, she looks away.

"...I see. That's very brave of you, Asuno."