New World New You

[holographica]

-> (1)

It begins with a bang; then, disorientation, darkness, dismayed voices, and spells that weigh down your limbs like heavy shackles...

The people keeping you captive seem as unsure as you are of what just happened, and argue and mutter amongst themselves, though they don't hesitate to restrain you, chain you to a pipe in the wall of this bottom floor of an underground parking garage, or lock you alone into a smaller room of the abandoned building where the summoning was held. You seem to unnerve them; they don't want to look you in the eye, and if they have to touch you to lock you up, they do so gingerly, nervously.

But maybe, once they leave you to yourself to go and argue and regroup in private, you're not quite alone? You weren't the only person to come out of the array. You have at least one companion in your confusion, one person restrained like you and not wearing the cultists' strange masks. Take comfort, take inventory, and prepare for anything.


-> (2)

The Joyous were prepared for you to attempt escape. Their preparations don't quite match what they got, but even poorly calibrated spells will do something, and the effects of knockout darts and magically reinforced walls don't discriminate. It's time to blow this popsicle stand...

...But you may want to take a moment to comb the area - once the Joyous have had enough time and reason to weigh their options, they'll run, leaving behind the incriminating results of their "botched" summoning. Those less able to escape confinement under their own power may need a hand, or to band together, or, at worst, to wait quite a while for locals to stumble across them...


-> (3)

You step outside into an unfamiliar town; small, sparse, just off a major highway running through the Neloi Flats. A perfect place for a cult looking for an unoccupied building, because there are a lot of those here, as though the town's peak has come and gone, leaving behind rusty signs for roadside attractions and a main street retinue of shops made of sheer stubbornness and spite.

There's not much direction here. There are locals, who will be confused by you, possibly wary and disbelieving. There's a temple, small like the village but likely to have charity you need right now. There's a highway, and following it in either direction will take you to one of two very different cities.

There's a whole country of possibilities before you, in fact. What ones will you chase, and will you do it alone?



[[As of this mingle: go forth and RP! You can treat this post like a game intro, or like a meme post; follow the prompt/s exactly, or alter the details to suit your tastes, or pitch a completely different scene in your own top-level. Let's get some stories started.]]

Comments

[missleadingquestions]

[There's a lurch of something like dread or hope (Maya can't tell which) for a moment before Maya reminds herself that the name of that little preschooler was Reira, which is nowhere near Pearl nor a name Pearl would ever give a stranger.

Maya shrugs and goes back to sitting, now that Prompto's been told to wait. She doesn't bother hiding her amusement.]

Really? What kind of weird spell summons a couple of little kids? Or, well, a kid and a teenager?

[Sorry Hal. She remembers what it was like to be a teen, it was awful go you man]

[photoshooter]

I don't know. I mean, I don't even know what kind of weird spell summons people. Spells don't do that where I come from, and summons... well, summons are for the gods.

You don't just summon the Archaean willy-nilly, you know? I feel like someone really messed up, here.

[missleadingquestions]

[Maya's quiet for a moment, eyes blinking and wide like a cat.]

...Summon the what, now?

[photoshooter]

Uh, Titan? Big dude, causes earthquakes? Can't miss 'im.

[missleadingquestions]

Like...... from Greece?

[Maya asks, tilting her head.]

[photoshooter]

Grease... like pizza? What?

[Well now they're both confused.]

[missleadingquestions]

Greece... like... the country?

[Maya's brow furrows, because. what kind of person doesn't know what Greece is, jeez, she grew up on a mountain]

[photoshooter]

[He crosses his arms and puts his head to one side.]

Never heard of it. Is it part of the Empire?

[missleadingquestions]

[Incredulously, and without hesitation, she blurts--]

What empire?

[photoshooter]

Uh, the Niflheim Empire, obviously? Do you know any other evil empires going around making literal daemons out of everything good and holy in this world?

[missleadingquestions]

[This is the same thing that happened with Alisaie! And... well, with Hallelujah. And... well, twice is coincidence, but three time's a pattern, right?

Then again, maybe the third instance was Labyrinthia.]

...Iiiiii don't think we're from the same place.

[photoshooter]

Aw, man. This keeps happening.

[He puts his head in his hand. Whyyy.]

Is everybody seriously from different places? Isn't anybody else from Eos?

[missleadingquestions]

Nope... It looks like everyone's from somewhere different.

I haven't found anyone from America yet, either.

[But she pats his shoulder, nodding.]

Buuuut at least you didn't wind up here alone!

[photoshooter]

[Oh. He looks up at the pat, then laughs.]

Oh man. Can you even imagine? [A big, self-deprecating grin.] I'd probably still be chained up on the floor eating burnt... whatever those are.

[missleadingquestions]

Exactly.

[Chimes Maya with a grin that crinkles her eyes at the corners.]

So it's a good thing you ended up here with me. I have tons of experience watching goofballs like you. You should see my little brother.

[Maya, Phoenix is older than you

Also congrats, prompto, guess you have a new party member friend.]

[photoshooter]

[Da da da, da da, da! Da daaaa!]

Oh yeah? You have a little brother?

[HE COULD TAKE OFFENSE AT THE GOOFBALL COMMENT... but there's really no saving dignity when she's already seen him wriggle around like a worm on a hook.]

I kinda took you for more of the little sister type.

[missleadingquestions]

Nope! [albeit a bit too proudly.]

I have a baby cousin and a little brother. I mean, technically he's older, but he's a mess. He needs a big sister to take care of him.



What about you?

[photoshooter]

Nah, it's just me at home. [Which could mean many different things, but he keeps going:] But my best friend, he's like my brother, basically. He needs a lot of taking care of, too.

[Prompto rubs at one of his bruises without thinking about it.]

He'd be pretty much lost without the rest of us. But don't tell him I said that.

[missleadingquestions]

I know what you mean. Phoenix is that way, too-- he's not really related to us, but my big sister pretty much adopted him.

And he's my best friend.

[For once her smile fades, and she looks up at the sky.]

...I hope both of them are okay.

[photoshooter]

...Yeah.

[He watches the fire on his part, thinking about the fury he last saw on Noct's face--the anger and the real pain.

Then he shakes his head and jostles Maya lightly with his elbow, finally reaching for one of the sunchokes because surely they're okay to eat now.]

So, hey! Tell me about yourself. I mean, the least we can do is help each other out while we figure out what's going on.

[missleadingquestions]

[Maya doesn't go after him for reaching out for those sunchokes this time,at least, so they're probably not too hot.]

Ummmmmmm, Let me see... I told you I'm a medium, aaand, I'm a lawyer's assistant, aaaand... I really really love superhero shows like The Steel Samurai!

[She seems so pleased with herself, rocking back a little and grinning up at the sky.]

What about you?

[photoshooter]

[He resettles himself in his seat, fiddling with the sunchoke as he thinks.]

Well, uh, right now I'm kind of busy helping Noct save the world, but other than that, Iiii... like photography! I'm kind of thinking about doing that professionally, maybe. And I'm really into chocobos and other animals, and--oh, does your world have King's Knight? It's a mobile scroller RPG.

[missleadingquestions]

Huh? Ummm, maybe! I've only really played arcade games.

Iiii don't know really know how to use a computer. [She laughs.]

I wanna see some photos sometime! And--

[Wait.]

What's a chocobo?

[photoshooter]

Why don't any of your worlds have chocobos?!

[But even as he voices his shock and dismay, Prompto's pulling out his camera (saving battery is not as important as this) and scrolling right through his pictures until he finds:]

Ta-dah!

[Awwww.]

Look at that big, fluffy dork. Oh, and I guess there's a chocobo in the shot, too.

[missleadingquestions]

[Maya eagerly leans over to see these fluffy dorks-- and upon doing so, croons with excitement.]

They're so cute!

Like-- I dunno, I don't think I've seen birds like that before!

[And then, after an amused little giggle, she adds--]

Your friend has hedgehog hair like Nick.