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

3

[planetary_bonds]

[Reira's not the only one who's turned to the temple for shelter. Maybe by the time she finds herself in the library, she'll have found out about the food, at least.

The library is a nice place, isn't it? Quiet, isolated...no one really would look up from whatever they're perusing to look at a girl and her strange arm. It's...safe.

So maybe it's not a surprise to find another young man here, poring over what looks to be a book about magical physics and its uses in magical technology with an intense expression on his face. His clothes may be rather odd, compared to the locals, so that might set him apart already...

But the thing sitting next to him on a table might get her attention more. It looks...clunky, compared to the small pad she uses, but...

That's a duel disk, isn't it?]

[soft_focus]

[...It certainly is, a duel disk. She has her right arm hidden, and her left arm and disk revealed as a result, but she finds herself staring at it. Not because she recognizes it...but-

I know that disk...A DUELIST..! A DUELIST!!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's where she tunes Zarc out. The mix of surprise followed by blaise annoyance and blank staring would be odd if Yuusei was paying attention, but if he wasn't, the steadily nearer presence of a small girl probably affects things. She's trying to see if there are cards here...]

[planetary_bonds]

[He sure wasn't, so absorbed in his book is he. Being aware of someone's presence is one thing, registering them as someone to acknowledge is something different. While the former has happened ever since Reira wandered in, the second only occurs when she approaches his duel disk, presumably curious. Priorities, he has them.

The cards themselves...they look somewhat dated. The image on the back of the cards is simpler, in blocked out colors, compared to the intricate whirling design Reira might be used to. They also look...worn, for lack of a better word. As if these cards have been used for years...

Anyways, have a Yuusei looking over at you. His expression doesn't change, much, but he does seem somewhat surprised to see her here. The clothes...they don't look like a local. Could this child also have been...?]

...Can I help you?

[soft_focus]

Mmnh- [Reira startles, but otherwise shakes her head.]

...You have duel monster cards, [she manages to say despite herself, looking to them. She...she can't help but notice, they're...] ...They're different...

[HE'S FROM THE GOLDEN YEARS....I CAN TASTE HIS STRENGTH LET ME-

n o p e]

[planetary_bonds]

[Yuusei blinks at her-and his expression softens, somewhat. Now that you're edging into familiar territory, he's able to relax a little.]

Ah. You're aware of them? I'm surprised. It didn't seem like anyone here knew about Duel Monsters.

[He inclines his head in acknowledgement.]

Different?

[soft_focus]

[To that, she awkwardly digs her cards out from her shorts pocket, setting them on the table. The spirals show clearly, contrasting the simple backing Yuusei has.] ...They're different.

[No comment on anything else.]

[planetary_bonds]

[Yuusei's eyes shift from one deck to the other. This design...so elaborate and new. He's curious. A hand reaches out to touch the deck, but not before he looks to her.]

May I?

[One should always show respect to another duelist's deck, after all.]

[soft_focus]

[He nods. The extra deck is in there of course, which means if Yuusei searches it it's going to get...weird. But regardless, he's free to look. The first card is 'Film Magician'.

She may give a twitch occasionally. Zarc is being fussy now.]

[planetary_bonds]

Ah...

[As expected, he doesn't recognize these cards. Film Magician? C/C?

When he hits the C/C/Cs, however, his eyes narrow. There's a fusion one here. And a Synchro. And-]

Uh-? Dark...Synchro?

[The black color of the card throws him off for sure. But no...this monster has normal stars, and golden lettering. He narrows his eyes.]

Ex...ceeds...?

[soft_focus]

[Well that's a frown if she ever made one.] ...'Xyz'. They have ranks instead of levels... [...So...maybe...

...Except no. If he's from Synchro dimension, calling the card something else makes no sense. And he didn't even BLINK at the Fusions, so-

AN ORIGINAL!!! AN ORIGINAL LET ME FIGHT- notnowzarc-

Though she supposes if there's one thing his tantrums work for it's...answers.] ...These cards don't exist to you..? [she asks further, frowning.] ...You recognized Fusion, and Synchro...

[planetary_bonds]

These "XYZs"...no, I've never heard of them. Fusion and Synchro I know of. But the majority of these cards are new to me.

[He nods, thinking, before folding the deck back and passing it to her. He seems somewhat...amused.]

So...the game has evolved further, then?

[soft_focus]

[She takes it in that same, awkward one-handed hold, putting it back in her pocket as she nods.] Mnh.

...We have Pendulums too, but... ...I don't have any...

[planetary_bonds]

Pendulum...? Interesting.

[The corners of his lip turn up into a smile. He seems a little friendlier now, at least.]

I'd like to see that sometime.

[Silence, then wordlessly, he eases his own deck out the deck slot. It's probably nothing new to her-even by his own world's standards, the deck is full of random discarded common cards-but it's all he has to offer in exchange, a chance to look at his own deck.]

[soft_focus]

Ah... [She didn't comment to the idea of showing off pendulum-after all, Zarc was just loud, loud, louder...it was pointless.

But then Yuusei sets his own deck forward, and she stares. ...And slowly, using that same one hand, starts to flip each card over to look at it. One by one. One hand...only one hand....

Odd...]

[planetary_bonds]

[...Very odd. Even if Yuusei wasn't an observant sort of fellow, this would be decidedly odd.]

...Are you alright?

[soft_focus]

Um... [...] Yes?

...Why?

[planetary_bonds]

[Child. Don't try and bluff him.]

No duelist would handle their cards so awkwardly, unless they couldn't do so otherwise.

[soft_focus]

[Rude Yuusei, she's like 7, maybe she doesn't know better.

You were normal summoning fusions at that age yah butt.] ...I'm just going slow, [she insists, swallowing. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine...

Her hand is shaking...]

[planetary_bonds]

[There's a difference between a child wantonly mishandling cards and what this young one is doing here.

She's about to lift another card from his deck, when suddenly his hand comes down on hers, resting on it gently. Not a reprimand, but am inquiry...]

Oi.

[Fess up, kid.]

[soft_focus]

[Zarc is shouting. She's not paying attention to the words but his 'darkness' is starting to hurt again, especially in comparison to the seeming 'light' of the one beside her. When his hand touches her, she startles as a result; it is a sharp contrast, one that nearly burns, and leaves her panicked and wordless.

She can't move. She can't move. Why can't she move she's past this she's past this she's supposed to be strong now she's past-]

Ngkh- [She tries to pull her hand back, but all it does is spill cards everywhere, and with wide eyes she ends up looking to Yuusei as if expecting to be struck.

She made a mistake.

She didn't mean it.]

[planetary_bonds]

Ah-!

[The resultant mess causes Yuusei to stand up abruptly-but not to to pick up his fallen cards, oddly enough.

Instead, he keeps hold of her smaller hand.]

Are you alright?

[soft_focus]

[Her motions are telling-when Yuusei stands, she moves back, hiding the arm again. It was covered by table before, but standing would put it in view again and...well.

...She's quiet. Still staring, wordless, but eventually she nods.] ...Yeah. [...Why not the cards. Why not go for the cards..?]

[planetary_bonds]

[Because. You're clearly hurting, aren't you? Isn't that more important?]

...

[He's going to take a guess. You've shown up here, randomly. You're not wearing clothes akin to the locals around here, either. And you recognized his cards, which no one else has done before. So, were you brought by the same people, then? And in that case...

His voice is soft even as his expression remains impassive, only a small creasing of the brow giving away anything.]

Did they hurt you?

[soft_focus]

[Hurting indeed, but she shakes her head. Firey pain from darkness is not something easy to describe-and for that matter, there is very little anyone can do about it. She'd rather not draw ire toward those cultists either. Indeed, they're in the wrong.

But this is not their fault.] ...They didn't. ...They just locked me up with the others, [she insists, looking down.] ...They didn't do anything like that. [Hurting, she means.]

[planetary_bonds]

...That's worse, then, them taking you here, when you're in this condition.

[Don't make excuses for kidnappers, kid! Yuusei certainly doesn't seem to plan on it, at least, if the slight scowl on his face means anything.]

You should get someone to look at it, at least.