[Game Opening, Part 1 - What Souls Here May Bring]

[stringmods]

The drawstrings cut,
my hollow ebony stained wood plomps to the floor—
THUD

Eyes open, souls recollect.
The new me, erect.

I make my own decisions, have my own priorities,
have my own thoughts.

No external force taps into me—
Freedom.
- Jana Bielecki
Who: (Everyone OPEN LOG)
Where: (City Hall)
Summary: (You've just arrived in the city. Welcome.)
Warnings: (Intro logs are pretty warnable.)
Style: (The text is in prose, but feel free to write back in action tags if you feel more comfortable.)

They always say the first day on a new job is always the hardest.

But tell me...did those tasks include being taken from your own homeworld, dumped into a city you didn't recognize, meeting a man dressed in the purest of whites with a butterfly mask, to be bestowed the power of Persona, and then having some Men in Black lead you to the city hall saying you were expected?

...

...at least your things are apparently safe in your new apartments?

...

...looks like you might be here for a while.


What a way to start the first of September...

As they usher the last of you in, you realize that they've been preparing this for quite a while. There is a small table with food on the right, mixed cuisine (although the main theme seems to be Japanese dishes). Some strange computer program appears next to you and seems to be translating what you are saying so those before you understand. Language barriers? Don't be silly!

Most of the men ignore you after that. You are expected to mingle amongst yourselves a bit before the main 'show' starts, it seems....

Comments

[risetocaesar]

That brand of optimism felt vaguely familiar, and Aki couldn't help smiling to himself as he lowered his head just a bit, conceding. He had always been in the habit of worrying too much -- but if he didn't, who else would? He offered the stranger a smirk in reply.

"I just hope they don't plan on making us wait around all night." Regardless of the advice he'd been given, relaxing when his mind was elsewhere was always difficult. "You're not concerned at all?"

[zero_to_herooo]

"Well, it's not like I don't want to get home. I mean, I've got a lot I still need to do back there. But..." Eiji crossed his arms. "I believe in everyone back home. I can trust them to take care of things while I'm gone."

There was really no question in Eiji's mind that this was a temporary situation, seeing as how he'd been in similar circumstances before. Also he was kind of super optimistic like that. "As long as I've got underwear for tomorrow, I'm good!"

[risetocaesar]

Akihiko often found himself uncomfortable in the presence of strangers, but Eiji's bright and almost stubbornly cheerful way of looking at things made it hard to feel at all awkward.

"Sounds like a good way to handle things, just taking them as they come." He had a little trouble with that, himself. He liked plans of action, details. "Akihiko," he finally introduced himself, offering his hand.

[zero_to_herooo]

"Eiji," he answered, putting his hand out for a firm shake. "Hino Eiji. Akihiko-kun, huh? That's a great name!"

He took a bite of his okonomiyaki. "Wow, this is pretty good. Anyway, where're you from? Tokyo?"

[risetocaesar]

The familiarity blindsided him a little; he didn't mind, but it was the first time in a long while that he had been referred to anything other than 'senpai,' at least apart from Mitsuru and Shinjiro. Really, when he thought about it, all that did was emphasize how very few people he actually went out of his way to talk to.

He shook his head slightly in response. "Iwatodai. I've never been to Tokyo." Or anywhere else, really, aside from school trips. "What about you?"

[zero_to_herooo]

"Really? You should visit sometime! I've been there a couple times and it's always fun." He paused. "Anyway, I'm from all over, I guess. My grandpa lives in Japan, but I spent a lot of time abroad. Still do, actually. I ended up in Rio de Janeiro a while ago kind of by accident."

This accident involved horrific pseudoscience that Eiji would have no hope of being able to explain because Kamen Rider. "What about Osaka? You ever been there? They've got great takoyaki!"

[risetocaesar]

"By accident?" He didn't realize that was even possible, but he cracked another smile. "How'd that happen?"

He paused before shaking his head again. "I've never had the chance. I've been to Kyoto on school trips, and Yakushima, but not much opportunity to travel otherwise." Means were kind of limited when you were an orphan, after all.

[zero_to_herooo]

"Uh... long story short, a bunch of stuff happened and I ended up in the center of the Earth. Somehow I found my way up to street level through a manhole, but by then it was in the middle of a carnival and my old boss Chiyoko-san was there. So I ended up hanging out and picking up some souvenirs, and then she lent me money for airfare back to Japan."

This was not even going into him being in the center of the Earth because he needed to kick a giant evil supervillain until he exploded. Or that the supervillain was originally a clone of Oda Nobunaga made out of magical quarters but that Eiji had shown him what it truly meant to be friends and also ballerinas.

Eiji rubbed the back of his head. "Wow, that's kind of a shame. Hey, if you ever get a chance, I could show you around sometime! Do they not take you guys out for field trips or something?"

dasgasgd Kamen Rider sounds awesome.

[risetocaesar]

"Sounds like you got a lucky break when you wound up there." He considered asking about the center of the earth. Really considered. Apparently, he could easy wrap his head around the concepts of shadows, the Dark Hour, and being whisked away to another city, but travelling to the center of the earth? Well. Wasn't it hot down there? How did that work, exactly?

He chose to gloss over it for the time being. He didn't want to sound disbelieving, and right then, that would have been difficult.

"We take field trips, and I've been to a few other cities in the region for boxing, but the school trips themselves have been limited. The teachers can never agree on where they want to go, and the one with the most clout always insists on Kyoto." Mr. Ekoda's idea of culture more or less boiled down to 'never stray from the classics.' Ever, apparently.

"Show me around, huh?" He smiled, offering Eiji a nod. "If we ever get the chance, sure. I get the feeling it's going to take us all a little while to get used to this place, in the meantime. I don't think I've ever been to a city this size before."

Re: dasgasgd Kamen Rider sounds awesome.

[zero_to_herooo]

"Yeah, no kidding," said Eiji. He didn't want to think about what a pain in the butt it would have been to fly back by himself.

"Kyoto? Hey, nothing wrong with that! They've got really pretty leaves in the fall. Gion Matsuri's cool, too." He paused. "If you travel around to box, though, you must be pretty good. Are you on the school team or something?"

"Oh yeah -- cities really aren't that much different from towns. You have to pay more attention, but people can live just about anywhere. You know?"

[risetocaesar]

Akihiko had to give him another smile at that; he had never been interested in the popularity that his boxing career had brought him, but he was proud of his achievements nonetheless. "You bet. I've been doing it for years now. I've gone all over the area for tournaments, though there's usually not time to sightsee. It's come in handy, though. Even after I learned to use my Persona, the skills I've picked up through boxing were still useful out in the field."

[zero_to_herooo]

"Tournaments, huh? Man, that sounds kinda fun. You going to go pro when you graduate?" Eiji had actually met a couple of boxers before, though he'd been way more worried about monsters at the time than learning the finer points of boxing.

"Wait a second. After you learned how to use it? So you've had one of these Persona things for a while?"

[risetocaesar]

"I just graduated, actually, but I haven't decided yet. I know some people expect me to be." Really, the fact that he had graduated and hadn't decided worried him, somewhat, but he'd spent so much time working to help abolish the Dark Hour that he had lost sight of the immediate future. "I've been looking at universities, there's a bunch that want me for their team."

Oh, right. Most people here were new to the whole Persona thing. He nodded. "A few years now. I'd be willing to help you get a handle on yours, if you need it."

[zero_to_herooo]

"Oh. Hmm. Well, I guess that's a little worrying, but..." He gave Akihiko a pat on the back. "Don't worry about it too much. I mean, you're still young and all, so you should figure out what it is you really wanna do. And then do it!" Eiji wouldn't laugh even if Akihiko said what he really wanted to do was save the world. Because that was a totally awesome goal okay.

"And sure, if it's not a bother or anything. In the meantime, I'll just keep being OOO." Eiji wasn't too concerned about learning how to use Personas; he figured it was kinda like swapping out medals. And he was great at that! "I'd never heard of Personas before I came here. You'd think there'd at least be rumors on the net or something."

[risetocaesar]

Akihiko shook his head, trying to ignore the fact that the pat on the back had actually started him a little bit. He'd been wound pretty tight since arriving here, apparently. "No trouble at all," he promised. "If everyone here's in the same boat, then it's the least I can do as someone who already has experience with Personas. It can be an adjustment."

He paused, giving Eiji a curious look. "What's 'OOO'?"

And saving the world really was an awesome goal. How did one bring that up with their career advisor?

[zero_to_herooo]

"Uh, it's kind of a long story. But you know what a Kamen Rider is? Basically, I help anyone that needs it. Doesn't matter how hard it is or how far away they are!"

Maybe Akihiko could just write it on his career form. That'd be sure to raise an eyebrow or two.

"Anyway, do you know what's going on here? I mean, since you know about Personas and all. Are they gonna make some kind of announcement?"