The Search for the Newcomers, January 2012 Edition.

[stringmods]

New Arrivals

☯

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.
Music: This

[FOR THOSE IN THE CITY:]
It was Grand Prix frenzy by this time. The streets were filled with people watching every available television screen, crowds in the bigger areas of Scorpio district with the larger screen.

Now the HORUS detection system was working again. The device allowed everyone to spot abnormalities; and while it was being re-tuned to work with the appearing buildings, 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...

But why are everyone huddle around large televisions screens for some reason?

[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.]

View the FIRST THREAD POST COMMENTS ONLY

Comments

[itsfromtheshow]

Egad!

[A rotund man awakens from the dream. His egg-shaped vehicle serves as his cradle and snow as his pillow. The chill gets to him and he wipes his bald head and cushion of sleet. He reaches out for the monitor of his pod and uses that to pull himself out.]

I never dreamed about butterflies before let alone talking butterflies. Of all the useless things I could...

[He looks down at his wreck of a hovercraft. Broken. Naturally.]

... Well, that's just great. All these years and it decides to give out now. Not that it didn't take a beating...

[Putting gloved hands on his hips, he looks around and checks out his surroundings. He notices people grouped around television screens. Never let it be said that he wasn't a curious man. Leaving his Egg Mobile for a moment, Dr. Eggman approaches the crowd.]

What is the matter with you all? What's going on that's so darn interesting?

[misery_hates_company]

Hmm, I do wonder? Perhaps it's just a really popular commercial. Or perhaps it's one of the biggest tournaments of the year! Who can say.

*There's a woman over here. A floating woman. She's sitting on her staff, but you get the feeling she doesn't need the staff to fly. She's got glasses on -- or so it seems, until they suddenly retract and disappear. *

I see. So that's what those little blips are. I never really bothered to look into them, but I figured I was in the area, and I was curious. You're not a demon, at least. Or... not obviously, anyway. You must be one of the new arrivals they were crowing about.

[hit_frappe]

Minions!

[A spectacle of a man stands by a street corner and glances left to right. He frowns as he puts a blue/red claw to his lips and whistles.]

I said... Minions! Soldiers of the Underworld Army! Your lord, master, and supreme writer of your paychecks summons you!

[No response.]

Well, this is awkward. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a mortal city. It's well lit, I'll give it that, but nothing says metropolis like a good squishing!

[He raises a foot and stomps the ground.]

What a letdown.

[electricyousei]

A teenage girl with a pale face and golden eyes stops and looks at the man.

"I think you are the 3rd or 4th lord of the underworld to show up here, but this is a mortal city."

[alwaysataclimax]

Persona...

Persona? What the hell is a persona? Isn't that some kind of flower?

Well. Whatever it is, Momotaros can worry about it later. Right now, it's COLD. And... Lonely, actually. He can't feel the link he had to Ryoutarou, and there's no other obvious questions about where here is being posed. If this place needed help, why'd they only bring him? Not that he really needs the other Imagin, but still...

Okay, he totally needs them. He's not going to admit it, though.

Another question - if this place was in such dire need of help, why the heck is everyone zoned out and watching some fighting on TV? "HEY! Somebody wanna tell me what the hell's goin' on here?!" His voice is loud and obnoxious, and his appearance normally demands attention, but in a place like Hinoto-Ri, it might not stand out all that much, with the population of actual demons around. If no one answers, well - he can always grab a shoulder or two to get their attention.

[von_schweetz]

Wow, you are a noisy stranger.

A plastic cup goes flying through the air and bounces off the back of Momotaros' head. Hopefully he'll get the message.

If anybody's going to be yelling, it's the girl on the other side of those snow covered bushes.

"Delicious root beer pops! 250 coins!...Yen! Whatever you call it!"

[flyonadog]

Among those milling about in the city is one confused boy in blue and cyan armor. He looks around, quite obviously dazed and confused. A red and pink mechanical dog sits next to him, who's just as confused, if not more. The dog whines once, getting the boy's attention. He stoops down on one knee, patting the dog on the head.

"Don't worry, Rush. I'm not sure where we're at, but we'll figure something out. Well. A lot of somethings." As there's a lot of questions on his mind - where this place is, why do they need help, what context does 'persona' have here, and why can't he get in contact with Dr. Light?

Raising up, Rock starts heading down the sidewalk, with Rush following along and periodically sniffing around. The things on the TV screens are just more wood on the fire that is his confusion about this place. He wants to ask someone about what's going on, but they seem so enthralled by the fight that it seems rude to interrupt.

tags you in both places because of indecision

[hetried]

Maybe one day Daichi would actually get used to the HORUS thing, but today was definitely not that day. Given the way he was struggling with his comp to navigate and come on he was no slacker with maps but seriously how was this thing even supposed to--

You know what screw it because he's pretty sure he's found someone when he sees a guy in blue and some kind of robot dog. Yeah.

"Hey-- You OK? You look a little lost."

[oops_i_diedx14]

[Well. Okay. So, save the world is the name of this game, huh? Dave guesses this isn't so different from what he's been doing. Granted, Sburb is a little more...local than this.]

Great, at least it'll be a fuckin' break from all the drama on the goddamn meteor.

[Shrugging, Dave decides to take a walk around and get his bearings for this odd city. Maybe someone can fill him in on how the hell one goes about saving the world.]

[rememberstime]

[You know who looks out of placed? This guy. This guy looks totally out of place in just a t-shirt and pants. It's not really the clothes that might throw you off but the fact that there's a tear in the front, and that so obviously is dried blood caked on the front. Oh ok.

It's probably kind of weird because he kind of looks like you, down to the douchey aviators perched on his face.] Holy shit, this place is cold.

[This weather fucking bites.

He seems more interested in his surroundings and the watch they've received and less about the people that are around him, honestly.]

[islandshore]

[It's a great big city.

A real city, not like that Traverse Town place. And while Riku's still trying to grasp that crazy dream of his and how he got pulled away from Traverse Town in the first place, the towering buildings and crowds of people catch his eye and tug him straight out of his daze.

Sure, it's kind of inconvenient to get yanked away. What if he missed Sora? But at the same time, nobody said they wouldn't catch up anyway. And Kairi, too...

His dream was to visit the outside world and see new and exciting places so, with a smirk on his face, he begins exploring his new surroundings and maybe, just maybe, stopping to get some details from any passersby. Like you.]

[princessofheart]

[Kairi was minding her own business, doing some grocery shopping, when suddenly something catches her eye and she has to completely back pedal.

Ri....ku....?

She could've sworn Riku was already here, and significantly older! Pursing her lips, she pushes back her sleeve to peer at her COMP, pulling up the HORUS system to see if this Riku was a newbie or not. Low and behold, there was a small blip on the radar, indicating that little Riku had indeed just arrived, putting their count up to two somehow.

It was almost kind of nostalgic, seeing this young Riku exploring around the city. Kairi was reminded of simpler days, when they thought they could take a raft over the ocean to find new worlds... before keyblades, or heartless, or Facility in her case. It was hard to say whether or not they were necessarily better times, but as the saying goes, innocence is most certainly bliss.

Looking down to check to make sure her metal collar was sufficiently covered by her scarf, she pushes her bangs behind her ear and struts across the street, waving a little to get Riku's attention.]

Hey!

[God, was she just really short or was Riku really tall even at a young age? They were pretty much the same height...]

icons still being drawn herp

[bolt_action_deer]

"Okay, Sophie, it's okay. You're in a foreign place, city is it? Yes, that's right, tall buildings and too many people are those horrible city places, okay, but how, maybe I hit my head, yeah, probably, or maybe I'm trapped in a snowdrift currently dying of hypothermia..."

Sophie was muttering anxiously to herself as she tugged at the fur shawl around her shoulders. The sun was bright here, leaving her feeling more than a bit sweaty in her heavy coats and furs, but stripping off would make people notice her, and she was already certain that some portions of the crowd were staring at her and her antlers.

No! No don't focus on that. Deep breaths. Dying in a snowdrift of hypothermia, got it!

"Okay, so, wake up," she mumbled into her shawl, lifting a gloved hand up to yank on her deer ear. It hurt and she yelped - causing some heads to swivel round to stare at her. Sophie turned a brilliant red and hurried away in a brisk power walk, almost erupting into a full blown sprint, and bowed her head as her ears flicked this way and that.

The city was so loud. Too many people. She felt like she was suffocating. Ah what is this? How did she- wake up, please, body. Wake uuuup~

So caught up in her mini freak out, Sophie wasn't watching where she was going. So sorry if she runs right into you! How embarrassing!

[tyrantball]

Oh hey you just ran into a little girl!

With...horns. And gold eyes all over her body?

...and her dress is made out of chitin or something?

Man, the only way she could look weirder is if she had tentacles or something. Good thing there's nothing like THAT visible!

[poorfueleconomy]

You'd think if they wanted our help they'd give us more information....

[And not taken away any of her powers. But she'll work with what she has. First things first though, information is the foundation of any good plan. She needs to find out more about her surroundings.

And about the enemies she's facing.]

Pardon me, do you mind if I ask you something?

[And because she may as well find out if she can still contact Pit, and you can't start a telepathic call without inviting everyone: Telepathy for castmates(And any other telepaths)]

Pit, can you hear me?

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

[ There's a delay between her calling and his answering, enough to make her think that maybe he isn't here. But he is here. He's just...trying assess the situation. ]

...Lady Palutena?

[frozenmemories]

[There is a little fairy girl sitting in the snow, looking like she had just woken up for the best nap ever. She yawns and stretches out before looking around with a slowly forming confused look.]

...This isn't home...Where am I?

[She slowly stands up and with a small efforts, takes to the air to fly over and see what all those people are looking at.

It doesn't help that she has no idea what they are looking at either!]

What's that?

[tyrantball]

Oh hey someone is all up in your airspace.

"That is the Grand Prix! Desco is going to participate and prove she is THE STRONGEST!"

[magice]

[Things are certainly lively in this place. But add one terribly out-of-place magician and terrible things are bound to happen.

Something like...

A. This place is super high-tech and fancy. Except when you come from a time period where your light source for the dark is a candle. Not only did Judal find himself in an unfamiliar environment, he's rather unsettled by the "magic" in this city.

And by magic, he really means the television screens all over the place.

It's convenient that so many people are gathering around. You'll find Judal grabbing random people and demanding answers out of them. And if he doesn't like the reply that he gets, they'll be kicked to the side. Someone should try to calm him down before he does something drastic and winds up getting into serious trouble!

-or-

B. At some point, Judal will have finally calmed down and he's no longer threatening people for answers. He'll find that Hinoto-Ri is a very interesting place with a lot of things to offer. Too bad Judal doesn't have money on him. Looks like he won't have an apology gift to give to that gloomy Koumei when the Second Prince nags at him for going off on his own again. (It's not even his fault this time!)

You might also hear him muttering something like having the Kou Empire come and conquer this place once he finds his way back home. But pfft, this guy really can't be serious, right?

Either way, someone very troublesome has arrived...]

A!

[rukhkin]

[As if the baffling environment isn't enough, now Aladdin is witnessing the sight of a person that he never thought would encounter this soon... It's inevitable that they would meet again, but why now of all times? He can't be anywhere else right now, much less to encounter this particular Magi right now; something very crucial is happening!

Though, this can't be ignored. Not with the kind of personality Judal has. Momentarily, Aladdin takes his mind off the surroundings in favor of keeping a close eye on him. Could it be that he's the one behind this? No, it's unlikely. But the older Magi is the only familiar presence he's seen thus far, even the Rukh around this place doesn't seem the same...

Does Judal feel similarly? If so, then could the two of them possibly be in equal position right now? Just as Aladdin further wonders about all this, he's quickly alerted by the sight of the other boy causing trouble for several people. This is the moment that he can't simply keep on watching anymore.

After a deep breath, Aladdin steps out from behind, and calls out loudly:]

Judal!

[rememberstime]

[Dave is just standing off on the sidewalk. He's turned his attention to one of the television screens, although there's an air of disinterest around him.

His appearance might be a little disconcerting. Maybe the fact that he's wearing a t-shirt and jeans in the brisk, January weather. But let's be honest, it's probably the tear in his shirt and the dried blood staining his shirt. He doesn't seem too bothered by it, although he also seems a little disoriented or detached at the moment.]

For having to save this place, it doesn't really seem like things are even that amiss. [Considering he just came from a place where humans were dying by the millions and living conditions were going to hell, this was like a walk in the park.] I was expecting a little more doom and gloom, but everyone is watching t.v. instead.

[primordial]

[Here's a young man not watching the television. Instead, he's watching Dave instead, tilting his head curiously as he looks Dave up and down. There's a moment where he seems to ponder what to say as he bites his lip, before stating, in a rather timid voice:]

That-that blood stain...are you hurt?

[tacticals]

[Persona... that much she was familiar with. What Fuuka wasn't too comfortable with was the sudden change in her surroundings without at least having a map-- but it wasn't something worth freaking out over, not when there didn't seem to be any imminent danger.

After a few deep breaths to ground herself, she starts walking toward a large crowd of people surrounding something-- a television, from what she could catch after a moment from standing on her toes behind the crowd.]

Uhm, excuse me--

[Trying to get through, trying to get some answers from one of the spectators that might not have been too focused on the screen. She'd be content with either one.]

[themortalhalf]

[Looks like the matches have started again.

Guess that means he's due back in the stands, though he has no taste for it. Finds nothing appealing about it, and none of the visitors are fighting today, but it's now their responsibility to watch shit and make sure nothing goes wrong. Nothing has, not yet, but Shinjiro remains skeptical.

His eyes scan the television screens—what he can see of them above a row of heads—his turning frown an almost invisible one. It's then that he catches the sound of a familiar voice above the otherwise worthless chatter, and his face turns sharply in the direction of it, eyes finally catching sight of a person he sure as hell hadn't expected to see in awhile.

He stops and stares for a moment, watching her try to get the attention of spectators too absorbed in the goddamn television screens to bother answering her. He debates using his COMP to call someone else—maybe Mitsuru or Aki—to come and get her and fill her in. He'd stay here in the meantime, hidden and out of the way, watch her and follow her if she moved somewhere. That'd be easier. Easier on the both of them maybe, depending on what she remembers.

But that debate doesn't last long, and he sighs, feeling brief flickers of annoyance as the people watching the TVs continue to ignore her, staying so packed in and close together he's surprised they're not all claustrophobic. His feet soon find their way forward again, and after a harsh "Get out of the goddamn way," some of the crowd actually parts, giving them both room to breathe as he moves in.

Nothing more to do than face her and talk, he guesses, as he pulls up beside her. He'll manage. Better than leaving her surrounded by morons.

Well then.

Talk.

He's always been good at that.]

You're gonna have to speak up if you want them to listen next time.

[detects]

[Naoto pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. Her head hurt. Her memories felt off too... like they were fuzzy. It occurred to her that it was probably really important to remember what had transpired. She didn't recognize her surroundings at all and that wasn't good. On the upside at least she wasn't anywhere isolated.

The gathered group watching the TV screens immediately get her attention. Both for the obvious reasons (what are they watching?) and the not so obvious reasons (the TV screens might be a good clue).

She gives herself a brief once over, discovering she has both her cell phone and her gun still on her person. She'll have to make use of her phone. Maybe try to contact someone. For now she cautiously approaches the group of people.]

Excuse me, can I ask you something?

[andcarryabigknife]

*The tall man with green hair and eyes turns to her as she asks, then touches the virtual bridge of his COMP glasses with his index finger.* Be brief.

[prototype_blues]

There were a lot of things Blues had been expecting when he had gone to the Amazon to die, but having an odd 'dream' about 'Persona' and butterflies and saving a city? Was not one of them. In fact waking up in the snow wasn't one of them either! Even his power core seemed to be running just fine as well, which made him even more confused as he wandered the city.

The wandering may just make the yellow scarfed, red armored robot hard to find too. As he stops near various crowds to see what on earth they're all paying attention to but leaving as soon as he notices anyone paying a bit too much attention to him. He sees no reason in sticking around for that.

[electricyousei]

As he wanders, he may see a pale girl wandering as well, doing her best to avoid crowds as she stares at areas with obvious network connectivity. At those spots several holographic panels appear around her as she taps a few before they vanish.

[hasherhandsfull]

[The not really being noticed is something she's both used to and not. She'd was a part of the Reaper's Game, sure, but she'd only been a part for three days. Meanwhile she didn't know what to think of this new place. She could only assume that the Third Day had ended, but she'd never had a dream before waking up, and besides, this definitely wasn't Shibuya, and she didn't think that part of the Game involved going to an entirely different place. Beat hadn't been anywhere nearby when she'd woken up either. Not to mention the mission hadn't come yet, and there was no timer on her hand.

She does wander around some, looking for Beat or Shiki or Shiki's partner, Neku, but so far there's been no luck. In the end, she stops by a strange statue, which though it is almost nothing like the statue of Hachiko, seems as good a place as any to try and get her bearings, maybe see if she can find any other Players.

So Rhyme can be found at the foot of the statue, peering around the crowd and trying to catch anybody's eye. There aren't a lot of people out, for some reason... She hopes she can find someone soon though. Particularly Beat (who knew what kind of trouble he was getting into right now...)]

[maybe_a_king]

[Arturia's making deliveries today. Her uncle isn't fighting in the tournament yet and with the Grand Prix starting there was a lot of orders for fast food no one wanted to pick up themselves. This meant Arturia was making a lot of money, but had very little time for a break.

However, she's willing to make an exception when she pauses by the Statue of Petit Frost to double check her directions for her next delivery. There's a girl here who looks a bit lost and Arturia glances over at her. The COMPs did send signals about Newcomers recently.]

Excuse me, Miss? Are you looking for someone?

[justjustice]

[Apollo had two choices: break down into a berserk panic attack in the middle of this crowd, or just shut down and stand there in stunned silence. Figuring that the former would make him look like a lunatic, he ended up doing the latter, staring at the crowd around him. Okay, maybe he should retrace his steps... no, he couldn't remember anything unusual, except for the dream. A man with a butterfly mask asked him his name. He answered, and then was told something about a city to save... was this the city in question? What was he going to do to save it? He was just a lawyer, not a superhero! Maybe it had something to do with the law here, though? There might be a case to solve here!

However, that was not the most pressing concern. Apollo needed to figure out what this place was before he could ask what could possibly be wrong with it. He saw that people were clustered around a large television screen near where he was, and he decided to head towards the crowd to investigate. Perhaps whatever was on the screen might help him figure out what this place was.]

[ghost_shield]

*From the looks of things, there seems to be two people with gigantic... SOMETHINGS, who are using said somethings to fight with each other. Some people seem to be really getting into it; others seem to just be watching for some quick updates.

Then there's this one guy who only seems to be half paying attention, facing away from Apollo. It sounds like he's talking to someone in a whisper, but you can't honestly figure out who it could be. Listening in, it sounds like he wants whoever he's talking to to go someplace a bit more discreet, but the respondent doesn't want to leave either. Maybe the guy's nuts.

That is, of course, assuming you notice the CONVERSATION, and not the peculiarly familiar hairstyle.*

[psionichax0r]

[Sollux looks around himself,a gray collar wrapped tightly around his neck. He tugs at it, experimentally, testing it.He's disappointed when it's grip holds. Had that all been a strange dream, that man who'd asked him his name. The memory seems foggy now and indistinct, trying to recall a specific detail makes it seem even fuzzier. It couldn't have been real, this must just be another experiment, but then, where was everyone else? Why was he alone here? He studies his surroundings, scowling at the people that seem to be everywhere, and all of them unchained. Something about this wasn't right.]

might as well start back over here >w>

[princessofheart]

[Kairi was attempting to go about in her daily life in the midst of all the buzz and excitement of the Persona Grand Prix, but it was admittedly rather difficult to get through the shopping districts with everyone out and about at the same time. Sighing to herself, the red headed girl stops to take a rest on a bench nearby to Sollux, unwrapping the scarf from around her neck to rub at the all too familiar collar underneath. She really wished it was possible to get these dumb things removed, but she didn't want to risk getting shocked to death in a place like this where the Consortium's cloning and reviving technology was long out of reach. Not to mention she had no way of knowing how gross and scarred up her neck was under the collar, what with all the stabbing, burning, squeezing, and shocking the hunks of metal did to keep the subjects in line back there. More evidence of her horrible life back in Facility was the last thing she wanted to burden onto her friends, especially when she was so reluctant to talk about it in the first place, besides with Naminé.]

Bluh.

[determinedhowl]

[How did the strange man with a butterfly mask know he could understand him? Or rather, why did he mention Persona like it was a new thing? He knew exactly what it was and why he had his. What he did not know what what he was doing here. Where was this? He had to be home and sit by his friend's side really she's just sleeping! :C

Well, sitting in place wasn't likely going to give him any answers, so he stood up and began padding down the city streets. Might as well find a familiar or friendly face.]

'roo...

[Bother the puppy?]

[fools_journey]

[ Well he may not be the protagonist Koromaru is looking for, but Minato recognize the puppy all the same, and an actual grin breaks out on his face. ]

Koromaru!

[ He calls out the dog's name, walking a bit faster towards him. There is nothing quite like seeing old friends, who were definitely missed! It doesn't even occur to Minato that maybe this isn't his Koro-chan... ]

[not_that_scary]

AH-CHOO!

[Haseo sneezed as he shivered miserably in the cold. The situation he found himself was quite stressful for the young man: Stuck in his player character, no idea where he was, freezing his ass off, and helpless but to ponder a dream he could barely half-remember.]

Damnit, Zelkova, you couldn't have made me something with sleeves? [Haseo swore that Moon Tree's leader did this on purpose, not that he thought Zelkova was anywhere near that mean-spirited. If not him, then maybe this was Yata's revenge for all the times he was an impudent little shit to his face.] What the hell is going on?

[Perhaps someone can answer the lightly-dressed white-haired boy standing in the middle of the street?]

[virtualbirdwatching]

[Oh, it's Haseo. And he sounds like his voice is back to normal, too.

Wait a minute...]

You weren't complaining about that earlier, Haseo... is something wrong?

[He's supposed to remember all this from last month!!]

[sorefeetman]

[A man in a long coat carrying a wooden box over his shoulders trod upon the cement walkways, smoking a cigarette and looking for something. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but that didn't stop him from looking. There was just something...missing.

He'd certainly never been in a city like this before, nothing like it even in his dreams. Buildings rose to the sky like rigid giants. Strange, amplified noises came from indeterminable sources beyond crowds of people. Ginko stopped his footsteps and stood, hands in his pockets as he took in the overall scene he'd found himself in. Time to start looking for familiar things.

The people were still people. They were...talking, excited about something.

He took in a breath through his nose and took his cigarette away from his lips, exhaling a smoke that simply evaporated as smoke would normally do, if it were normal smoke. His was not, it so happens.

Something was missing.]

There isn't much feeling of nature, here...

[second_destiny]

[Asem was on duty, and happened to be nearby. He overheard the remark.]

I guess you aren't a city guy?

[mikumiku]

Wow, I'm pretty lost...

[Miku munches on a leek, a girl with teal pigtails who doesn't seem too troubled by her own statement. Thoughtful, maybe. It's like being in a new world hasn't quite sunk in yet, and she's only on the tip of the iceberg. Then again, she may just be the type whose spirits aren't easy to sink in the first place. Noticing the gathering crowds, she joins in glancing at the TV curiously.]

[second_destiny]

[Asem's shift still hasn't ended, and he's still patrolling this region, since this is where new arrivals appear to be showing up. He's walking around, looking and listening for anyone who seems like they need assistance.

It doesn't take long to hear Miku. He stops and turns around.]

Need a hand? I may not look it, but I'm with the police here.

[itswhoopasstime]

[The city seemed to have changed since her last visit -- which felt strange to say, all things considered. Being whisked away to a place like this in the first place was bizarre enough, but twice? She couldn't help being curious as she made her way through the streets of Hinoto-Ri, wondering just how long it had been since her unexpected departure. And why were people crowded around TVs everywhere she looked?

Interest piqued, she joined the nearest crowd, standing on tip-to to see over the heads and shoulders of the crowd and get a better look at the screen.]

What's going on...?

[andcarryabigknife]

*Oh hey, a familiar face. Gale doesn't see a familiar face often.*

It is the 'Grand Prix'. A Persona tournament.

[rukhkin]

[After some time from Aladdin's encounter with Judal, he's still working faithfully on finding information. So far, he unknowingly has only talked to locals who didn't have much answers.

He's already expecting this wouldn't be easy; one reason is that Judal encountered the same result earlier. Even so, he wouldn't be comfortable unless he's tried hard enough. There has to be someone here who has an idea of what may have happened.

So continuing to look around, the eleven-year-old holy oracle wanders through the foreign streets with those curious set of eyes. Whoever's next within his field of vision will either be greeted by a hopeful voice; Aladdin didn't want anyone to start worrying needlessly about him.]

Hello! Um, if it's all right with you...! I hope it's okay if I asked a couple of questions.

[nyxterious]

Sure, that's fine with me! What were you wondering about?

[At least you've run into the right guy! He likes answering questions]

[likethewolf]

[Natsuki wasn't sure what was going on. The few minutes before she was teleported here weren't exactly the best moments of her life, and the butterfly man and the now mysterious city didn't do much to placate her dread of where she might actually be. The group of people didn't look too hostile, and, distracted by the TV, might be able to give up a bit of information if she could ply them without breaking their attention.

Cautiously, she walked up to the back of the crowd and asked one of the people in the far back.]

So, what's going on?

[greyerrant]

[ A huge figure looks back down at her, and says quietly. ]

You've been called here, so it would seem.

[ Garviel always stands in the back since he's so tall that standing in the front would be mega-rude. ]

[prayed]

[Somehow, this doesn't match up with Kyoko's expectations for the afterlife. Pearly gates or lakes of fire certainly (she expected the latter more than the former,) but not a crowd huddled in front of a TV following dreams of a butterfly yammering on something about saving the city and persona, whatever that means. She raises an eyebrow. It can't be that such a strange thing was (is? She's not sure) meant to be a play on her wish for a happy dream.]

...Tch. That's not what I meant, y'know.

[She mumbles this mostly to herself. Shaking her head, she skims the crowd once more to confirm there's no one of interest before turning away from it. God is not so cruel as to answer her request by tearing Sayaka away from her side. She pulls a box of pocky out of her pocket, crunching it between her teeth. Keeping an empty stomach won't get her answers any faster.]

[von_schweetz]

Grand prix frenzy has hit everyone, including the people who aren't supposed to be here. A small hand reaches out and tugs on Kyoko's clothing.

"Hey!"