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

[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.

[tacticals]

[She's instantly thankful when it seemed like she finally got someone's attention, letting a relieved sigh escape past her lips before she turns to thank the person-- and she sees Shinjiro standing there.

Standing, breathing, talking to her (although she'd be lying if she said his words hadn't instantly become a big jumbled mess swimming inside her head). This was a dream, wasn't it? A cruel, all too realistic dream.]

Shinjiro-senpai...? [Soft, just barely above a whisper. Maybe if she said his name out loud he'd disappear or she would wake up or... or maybe she wasn't dreaming.

One of her hands goes up to cover her mouth before she continues; there was only so much of her impersonating a goldfish that Shinjiro needed to see, especially when she was now trying to make sense of this more than any of the other questions she'd previously had.]

Is it really you?

[themortalhalf]

[ Well, that's certainly a look Shinjiro's seen before. You get used to being a dead man walking to some people. Just another ghost. You almost get used to the surprise. Probably should have a script written down. He could have had it memorized by now. Fuuka looks fine, otherwise, though he vaguely wonders how much food she's burned in the months since he saw her last.

He takes her surprise in stride—he'd be a moron if he didn't expect it (or understand, in a way he'll never care to show)—and nods, face impassive.]

Yeah. [He withholds a wry smile.] Know this place doesn't exactly make a whole lot of sense.

[Still doesn't. But you get used to it. You start to not ask so many questions and just accept what is. Seeing old team members pop up out of the dust is just another one of those things. And as far as unexpected surprises go, there are worse things that happen here than that—things that are far less welcome.]

[tacticals]

[It takes a few moments, but the surprise does give way to a smile-- bright, relieved, happy. The place might not make a lot of sense, but if it did things like this... how bad could it be? Fuuka certainly wasn't about to complain, not when someone she'd cared about and had missed terribly was now standing right in front of her.

As such, she shakes her head softly, as if to tell him that it was okay in her book that it didn't.]

I'm glad... Really glad. It's good to see you again.

[fools_journey]

[ Minato is participating in the tournament, but he doesn't have a fight today, so he's been doing some light exercise, wandering around the city in an attempt to make sure he'll be up to scratch, as he was ill this past weekend. Still, he's doing much better now, and he passes by where Fuuka cranes to get a view, hands shoved in pockets and headphones drowning out the street noise.

Lost as he is in his own thoughts, it's almost as if a ghost is passing by... ]

[tacticals]

[It's brief, but Fuuka would recognize that face anywhere. She wasn't sure how he was here, but her head had a million different theories and her body reacted on instinct accordingly-- she quickly steps back from the crowd and maneuvers around them, running to catch up to him, and reaching out to grab the back of his shirt once she's close enough.

... Of course, she instantly lets go once she realizes that tugging on someone's clothes probably wasn't the best way to get their attention. And what if they turned around and it wasn't Minato? Still, as embarrassing as it would be, she had to make sure.]

[fools_journey]

[ Minato stops as he feels the tug on his coat, bringing a hand up to pull off one headphone as he turns and then freezes, eyes widening. ]

Fuuka...?!

[ A moment or two passes before he smiles and turns to face her properly. ]

Ah - it's great to see you again!

[tacticals]

[Her face brightens, a soft sigh of relief escaping past her lips unconsciously. He was here, he was alright! It almost seemed impossible, yet here he was. Minato, not some type of shadow or seal or anything of the sort.

Though, he'd have to excuse her-- after everything that had happened, everything that she'd learned recently... tears well up at her eyes, which Fuuka laughs off softly when she notices, wiping them away. Her smile still intact.]

I-I'm sorry, I just didn't think I'd see you again. [So soon, at that.]

[operationbox]

[Why would someone be trying to get her attention like this...

She checks her COMP, and recalls the HORUS function, which is going off right behind her.

Better not spring details unsolicited.]

Yes? What is it?

[tacticals]

[Oh! It worked. A second's pause, and not a moment more, just enough for the (accomplished) surprise to wear off.]

Could you tell me what everyone is so interestingly watching here? [Since she could only catch bits and pieces of what was going on in the TVs.]

[operationbox]

It's the "Persona Grand Prix", a sort of fighting tournament. There's been a lot of talk about it, but it's all right for you to have not heard of it.

1/2

[greatseal]

[Minako is concentrating on the screen, as well. In the end she'd decided not to participate in the tournament itself, but she needs to be monitoring the matches in case the rumored attacks occurred. She also knows that Minato did sign up, although isn't in one of the matches today. Some of her friends from the city might be fighting, though, and Akihiko-senpai said he was going to sign up, too...]

[greatseal]

[Her concentration is broken by the shoulder tap, and she turns to see who's speaking... and sees Fuuka.

In general, Minako has become used to the things the city throws her way. Her friends arriving suddenly is no real surprise anymore, and the differing timelines mean that she needs to treat them with care. There's no way to tell before speaking to them whether they even remember her.

But knowing that doesn't mean she can't be caught off guard. That's why, instead of greeting Fuuka carefully, she looks shocked.]

Fuuka-chan?!

[tacticals]

[--Well, Fuuka certainly hadn't been expecting that. She's stunned enough by someone knowing her that for a second she forgets what she was planning on asking, her head tilting curiously instead.]

... Hello?

[greatseal]

...Oh. [The disappointment is pretty obvious, although Minako just as quickly replaces it with a smile.] I'm sorry... I didn't mean to confuse you.

[nyxterious]

[A girl's voice... ! He'll move out of the way, looking back, before--]

Oh! Fuuka-chan, hello. I didn't realize you were here.

[tacticals]

... Ryoji-kun!?

[Give her a moment, yes. It's quite the shock to be seeing him, out of all people, here suddenly.]

Ah, uhm-- I just got here, actually. Are you... [a pause, trying to figure out how to word things. are you real somehow didn't feel like it'd be all too correct.]

Are you alright? [Well, that would have to do.]

[nyxterious]

I'm fine, yes. Much different than I was before, as you can see.

[He looks around his body! Nope. Nothing from being an Avatar.]

Are you? I'm guessing you just got here.

[risetocaesar]

[Though Aki is a participant in the Grand Prix, he's still following his usual training routine on the days he's not fighting. In fact, he's taken to running in the afternoons in addition to his usual early-morning run with Minato. Of course, with these crowds cropping up everywhere and acting as roadblocks in some places, actually getting anywhere is a little easier said than done. It's during one of these slow-downs that he spots a familiar face -- one he hasn't seen here in the city until now.

Grinning, he forgets about running for the time being. This is much more important.]

Hey, Fuuka!

[tacticals]

[Fuuka looks over when she hears her name called, eyes landing on Akihiko after a brief second of sorting out the crowd.]

Ah! Akihiko-senpai!

[She steps back from said crowd to lightly jog the remaining distance over to him, a very relieved look on her face once she's actually standing face to face with him.]

[risetocaesar]

You look a little lost.

[That's to be expected, of course, assuming she's among the new arrivals. He's glad to see that she appears relieved to see him -- finding familiar faces was definitely a tremendous help on his first day in Hinoto-Ri, though the conditions had been different.]

Did you just get here?

[empressive]

[Mitsuru's not one of the participants in the Grand Prix, but she is a spectator, and a silent cheerleader for her comrades. Crowds are not her comfort zone and she's not nearly as enraptured in the goings on as some of the other people in the crowd, but the screen does have her interest for now.

So Fuuka's words go unheard, but she might be able to see some of Mitsuru's red hair amongst the crowd.]

[tacticals]

[Fuuka doesn't notice at first, but a push from behind by someone in the crowd moving around as she'd also started moving certainly helped-- and she literally bumps into her. Oomph.]

I'm so sorry, I--

[She looks up then, to apologize properly without being a scrambling mess, surprise quickly showing up on her features instead.] ... Mitsuru-senpai?

[empressive]

Yamagishi!

[Well this was a surprise, and a good reminder of why she doesn't like crowds. She didn't expect to meet anyone in a crowd like this, and certainly not their tactical advisor.

Screen and tournament happens aren't as important anymore. Its probably a good idea to brief Fuuka on things and ask her own questions later.]

Did you just arrive here?