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

[soft_focus]

[She is reminded of when she faced Reiji. 'Even though Ray is your real sister?' she had said, facing him down. ] ...Everyone else didn't want to let Ray fight Zarc.

...no matter what, that meant those were the choices. ...Either everything happened all over again... [Or...

She frowns, hand twitching as another series of spits and hisses echoes in her mind.] ...Or someone else brought Zarc in. ...Only me and Ray had the cards to do that though.

So it had to be one of us.

[planetary_bonds]

[Hm. Special cards, huh.]

So you were burdened with an outrageous destiny...

[He can't help but chuckle. What is he doing, using his own father's words? Ridiculous.]

You know...I wonder. Somehow, I think even though you were meant to disappear...you won't be forgotten.

[soft_focus]

Um-! [Not forgotten? but-] ...But...since I took her place, that means I should have been the baby..! ...Even if they remember, I was supposed to forget, so that Zarc could sleep..! [And more than that, that means...

...Well. She quiets, staring at the gems in her arm.] ...That's what was supposed to happen, but instead we're stuff, I guess...

[planetary_bonds]

You'd be surprised at what can change fate.

[He follows her vision, looking at the bracelets melted into the scaly arm. It's not a pretty sight, no wonder she'd wanted to hide it.]

Your bonds with everyone. It'll lead them to you again, regardless. And after that, who knows what could happen? It might surprise you both.

[...i...is he talking to zarc, too? ridiculous. no way mcfucking zarc could be moved by smiles and friendship.]

[soft_focus]

Mnh... [To change fate is certainly a thing. She did it herself, after all. His words make her curious though, and she finds herself asking-] ...Will you do that too?

[Find your friends, while she finds hers?]

[planetary_bonds]

Aaah.

[The small, wry smile on his face is telling. It seems you aren't alone in changing the world's fate, Reira.]

[soft_focus]

....Does that mean you were supposed to 'die' too....

[REIRA NO]

[planetary_bonds]

...I've tried.

[A few times. It never works. At least he finally understands why, though.]

[soft_focus]

....what do you mean you...tried..?

[Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-]

[planetary_bonds]

To give up my life for someone else.

[...]

As you can see, it didn't work out.

[very funny, yuusei.]

[soft_focus]

[There is a very deep frown. She's aware that she can't really comment given they were talking about her doing the same thing two seconds ago, but-

No actually she's calling you out.] ...I was going to come back, at least.

[With no memories, and as a baby, but she'd TECHNICALLY be alive.]

[planetary_bonds]

Fair enough.

[And he's sufficiently aware of the callout, if the wry smile means anything. Shame on you, Yuusei.]

I like to think I've learned from that experience, at least.

[soft_focus]

[Phew, well that's good.] ...Learning is important. ...Even if we aren't there, it means we can do stuff here, right?

[planetary_bonds]

That's how it is. We all have to do what we can, ah?

[soft_focus]

Mmnnh. [Right.

Reira rubs her arm absently, looking up and over the table. ...She should probably find somewhere to go from here, before this place closes...]

[planetary_bonds]

[Yuusei watches the girl rub her draconic arm without thinking. After all the trouble she went to hide it...it must be causing her trouble now, right? Hm.]

...Hm. You just want to keep that covered up for now, right?

[What are you thinking, Yuusei.]

[soft_focus]

Um... [Well.] ...It's not a normal arm. ...People get nervous about it, I noticed....

[planetary_bonds]

I can see that.

[yuusei, pls.

Anyways, he seems to be...taking off one of his gloves? Huh.]

[soft_focus]

Mnh..?

[....Your glove, Yuusei? Now what's that about.]

[planetary_bonds]

[He seems to be mentally comparing the size-considering he's almost a decade older than her, and the glove itself already reaches up to his forearm...it should be able to cover up her arm even with its...scaliness.]

Try this on.

[soft_focus]

...Your glove..? [she repeats, taking it all the same. Even like this, her arm is still much smaller than his. The glove slides on, and thanks to the hard leather, covers it easily. Yet, it fits snugly all the same-there is a considerable amount of scale coverage around that arm after all.] ....Ah... [...And she can't help but smile at how effective it is.]

T...Thank you..!

[planetary_bonds]

[You get a gentle smile back.]

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective ones.

[soft_focus]

[Indeed they are. She's a little embarrassed, but..] Mnh...I couldn't find anything earlier... [To be fair, this is the first she's gotten anything of use for the matter.]

[planetary_bonds]

You'd just arrived here, I assume. I don't think you'd have much of a chance to find something, regardless.

[And who knows if the panic would have allowed you to think about the matter clearly, anyway!]

[soft_focus]

[....nnnnope. A headshake.] ...I got my duel disk and cards back... ...and I found some food at a temple... [Reira you naughty child-]