You have spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Perhaps you've made some friends (or maybe an enemy or two). Either way, you aren't expected to spend all of your time on the Station. El Nysa needs you, after all, and you promised you'd help the planet thrive. Are you ready?
Submit an AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 OLYMPIA REP POINTS OR 2 WYVER REP POINTS, respectively, HERE or HERE. THESA STATION
All refugees on the station are called to the hangar where a large-scale teleporter has been set up; everyone will be sent to the planet together. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait. Before they depart, all new refugees will be given a starter kit!
 You may have heard about earlier technical difficulties, but don't worry. I promise everything is in perfect working order this time. I'd say I tested it myself, but since that's not exactly possible, you'll just have to trust me! (Please.)
The older refugees will also be there to guide you to ensure no one is left confused... or behind. Make sure you wait for them — I've been detecting something odd so I'll be having them meet you at the landing site. Good luck, refugees! Not that you'll be needing it or anything...
The arrays begin to hum and glow, quickly building into a brilliant wash of light. It creates a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa. With the night sky as a canvas, the beam can be seen all the way from Olympia and Wyver — a view that has the natives whispering of blessings.
As a sudden but beautiful aurora splays across the sky, the refugees down on the planet receive a message asking them to travel to the landing site — and warning them to prepare for what may come of the strange readings Zasere's gotten from the teleport itself.
Traveling through the light leaves the impression of blinding starlight, a strange sense of weightlessness, and a disorienting moment of total sensory deprivation. The radiance of your teleport hangs bright in the sky above you, a shimmering aurora that reflects off the calm waters below, visible for miles all around.
You've landed on a peninsula to the east of the South Outpost. There's little here — scattered trees on spring-barren plains, with a few overgrown, dilapidated structures poking out of the brush. All is quiet save for the keening of animals and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. This lonely desolation is hardly the bustling cities and vibrant cultures you were promised back on the station...
BY CAMPFIRE'S GLOW. But waiting for you is a group of your predecessors, and with them, a veritable tent city, with portable stoves, coolers of food and drink, comfortable bedrolls, and cheerful rings of bonfires — all that you need to make merry of the night, courtesy of Overseer Voss, who has, thanks to his interest in blessed meteorological phenomena and refugees, decided to make a holy expedition of the affair.
Settle in, meet new comrades, and enjoy yourself, for you've safely completed your journey. But don't wander too far from the fires — the dark is closing in, and there's a strange, electric feeling in the air, the scent of ozone drifting on the breeze. And what were those odd readings Zasere mentioned?
A SHEPHERD OVER THE FLOCK. The spring sun dawns on a grey morning, already burning away the fog rolling in off the sea. It quickly becomes apparent that Voss and his entourage of acolytes have been up for hours, hard at work. They've set up a brightly-draped stage and a travel pulpit, magically enchanted to amplify his voice, and as the sun breaks over the horizon, Voss is all set to do what he does best: proselytize.
 As our Goddess has sent Her blessing once before to herald the coming of those touched by Her light, so She has done once again! Here you see them, those surrounded by the light of our Goddess, each of them bearing the mark upon their skin of Her holiest of hands! Do you not see? Do none among you bear witness to the righteousness of Her message? Perhaps this is why our people have shamed themselves in front of our Goddess—
[ He continues for another 15 minutes... ]
Nevertheless. See you them before us now! See them as they are, coming to our gates with Her reminder, that these people must be treated with the utmost respect and care. Thesa's divinity is not to be treated with such flagrant disregard! Those who She chooses are not ours to use as mindless fodder, to hurt, to torture — shame upon those who allowed such deeds to shame us under Her watchful gaze!
To those of you who have just arrived here on our doorstep, be not afraid! The Temples of Thesa welcome you to our home with hearts and minds open! Should you ever find yourself in need of solace, seek out the Temples, as there are no greater allies to you than those of us within the Temple walls. You are welcome all to Olympia!
As he steps away from the enchanted podium, he can be heard saying aside to an acolyte, "How was that? Heavy on the shame, but I think it went well!" While he will not leave the area immediately, his acolytes will politely turn away attempts to speak with him and remind anyone interested that they can leave a message at the Temples.
Despite going off without hitch, the new refugees' arrival isn't entirely without incident. It seems that the "blessed" beam of light that brought the refugees down to El Nysa brought something else along with it — a sliver of the Storm. At least the beam was short enough that only a small fraction managed to squeeze through.
But it's enough to wreak a little havoc around the landing site and along the road back toward Olympia and Wyver — and even, for a few days, in the cities themselves.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. The Storm is an undeniably destructive force, and that's proven with this small sliver's effect as it ripples across the continent. While there's no visible sign of its presence, strange phenomena soon begin to appear, corresponding with Zasere's odd readings.
They're innocuous little things at first. A sudden silence, animals going quiet, insects stilling. All technology, no matter how advanced, ceases working. You discover when you check with a friend, the clock on your phone is twelve minutes slow even though you'd swear only a minute had passed — time missing. Walking through the woods takes longer than it should when brushing past one bush leads to brushing past that same bush again — and again, and again, the area looping on itself. It keeps you trapped, going in circles for minutes, even hours, before finally releasing you in a random direction.
Or perhaps you'll feel a sense of deja vu, like you've walked down this road, taken this turn, seen that bird fly from this branch before. This is the second time that cat has crossed your path. The person you're meeting, you already know their name; you're certain you've already met.
WE GOT COWS. The Storm sliver also ushers in sudden, localized weather anomalies — heavy storms, blizzards, strong winds, and more. Affected areas range from just a few feet wide to nearly half a mile. One minute, the sky may be sunny and clear, but the next dark storm clouds roll in, unleashing torrential rain. Small tornadoes surge along the road, kicking up winds strong enough to knock people over and carry objects away. Hail hurtles down from the sky, but only in a ten foot radius. Temperatures fluctuate wildly between one extreme and the next, from heat waves to cold snaps. Soupy fog blankets the area, thick enough that you can barely see your hand in front of your face. Good luck finding your way!
FORGETTING IS SO LONG. The visions come on suddenly and with very little warning. One second, you're carrying on as normal — but the next, you blink and find yourself (and anyone near you) somewhere else completely. You may recognize this place as a moment from the past, one that you lived through. It's a memory, your memory, and it now replays around you in exceptional detail, unnervingly lifelike. Or you may not recognize it at all. It might belong to the person next to you, or to someone else entirely — a memory that the Storm has swallowed up.
Either way, the scene plays out just as it once did, and there's nothing you can do to stop it — or escape it. The memory surrounds you to no end: every door you open leads nowhere, every hallway you turn down continues on forever, every horizon you flee toward hangs just out of reach. And linger too long or turn the wrong corner, and you may find yourself abruptly stuck in a completely different memory. It's almost tempting, then, to give up, to let the past sweep you away...
But this isn't the full might of the Storm. Look closely, and you can see that in the walls of this trap, there are minute, hairline cracks, a facade of fractured glass. Imperfections in the memory where the real world is breaking through. It seems the only way to escape these memories is to find those cracks and break through them — by force, by will, or by some other method entirely.
The time is coming to make a choice — perhaps not a permanent choice, but unless you want to spend the rest of your nights out under the stars, you'll need to pick which city you will initially spend your time in. On the horizon, you will see that people have arrived to help you make that decision...
A FORK IN THE ROAD. Refugees and the hyper-religious wishing to hear Voss speak are not the only ones out and about under the light of the aurora. Citizens of both Olympia and Wyver have flocked to a point on the road midway between the cities and where the refugees have appeared, and they all have the same goal in mind: convincing the newcomers who have just descended in the blessed light of Thesa to come to their city and not the other.
They've come with bribes — that is, examples of what their cities have to offer. If you spent much time at the exhibition up on Thesa Station, you might recognize some of what's being shown off, though the offerings here are markedly more tangible, and shown off by hawkers wearing substantially fewer clothes.
A herd of pegasi accompanies the Olympians, while a line of flying serpents is stabled at a tent bearing Wyver colors. Refugees are given the chance to experience solo flights and are told that if they prove their loyalty, they may have the privilege of owning such fine beasts one day themselves. The Olympians have also brought couture clothing, jewelry, and makeup to offer a taste of Olympian splendor, while the Wyver delegation has brought along fine weapons, sense-enhancing jungle plants, and small vials of diluted dragon’s blood (drinking confers a temporary boost in strength) to demonstrate their might. The Olympians speak proudly of the glory of the Temples of Thesa; the Wyverns speak of the Volkkran Pact and inform newcomers that they can make a pilgrimage to the summit of Namarak Mountain at the next full moon.
This is as good a time as any to compare your plans with others around you and exchange contact information before going your separate ways with people who are going to the city you are not. When you’re ready to go, don’t worry about safe passage — the natives of each city will gladly escort you there in luxury.
OF WHITE AND GOLD. The people of Olympia are ecstatic that you’ve come to join them... So much so that they’ve prepared a grand tour of the city for the new arrivals. You will be introduced to the major businesses in the city, including businesses that they are proud to point out were founded by refugees.
Refugees who have been here for some time already are encouraged to pair up with newcomers to introduce them to the parts of the city they like best. To facilitate this, they’ve made arrangements with many of the business owners: new refugees who visit their shops (and older refugees who escort them) are given discounts!
Just a few examples of many: the Wyvernest offers free desserts to first time visitors with the purchase of a drink, refugees who visit the Silk Wyrms can have one custom (though not exceedingly expensive) outfit made for them for free, and visitors to Shades Darker are offered a half-hour session with one of the prostitutes at half price… or access to a private room, if they seem to have taken a shine to one of their companions on the tour.
Lastly, tour guides will point out that over the course of the next week, the train to Flona Cove will allow new refugees to board for free so that they can experience the seaside for themselves. With the weather finally starting to warm, this is as good a time as any for a visit to the beach, isn’t it?
OF RED AND BLACK. Life in Wyver is typically a sink-or-swim sort of experience — but in light of the valor recently displayed by their predecessors, the natives are now more willing to assist in getting newcomers settled. The entire journey here they have been talking up the virtues of their city… and now is the time to show everything that's on offer.
The well-known businesses in the city are prepared for the influx of newcomers. Some are giving out discounted samples of their products while others are offering a more hands-on experience: in exchange for working a few hours, they will give training in whatever task is being performed.
At the Forged, newcomers can learn the basics of crafting simple weapons (and take one of their successes home), while visitors to spas near the lagoons are trained in the art of massage. Those who wander to Falmi’s Ring can learn the art of pugilism or how to keep (and fix) books if they're more inclined to the gambling that goes on. Newcomers interested in Wyver's dragons can get hands-on experience at the Fields of the Exalted's nursery. While they walk from place to place, a guide may point out a job posting from Highwind Hires, noting that refugees can make a name for themselves outside official channels.
The last stop on the tour is the Undergrowth. The guides speak of the jungle in reverent tones and caution new refugees not to wander too far in. They warn never to explore alone, but also urge refugees to take time to familiarize themselves with it; after all, the jungle is an important part of life in Wyver, and those who are going to be living here should understand it as well as they do.
You've chosen your path, refugee, but that doesn't necessarily make it a permanent one. Watch out for the strange effects of the Storm, which linger still in the two cities and everywhere in between for the next few days before dissipating just as mysteriously as they came, but otherwise enjoy the welcome and make yourself at home — after all, this is home now.
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Ryoko Hakubi | Tenchi Muyo!
[ Is the seat beside you taken? Well, it is now and quite abruptly as Ryoko promptly pops into being above one of the logs people are claiming as seats by the campfire and lowers herself to sit cross-legged atop it. Blink and the two skewers she procured on her journey over are being loaded with marshmallow after marshmallow after marshmallow after marshmallow until she can't possible squeeze any more. She seems as happy as any average camper as she does this if a little odd for the glance she occasionally sneaks at someone else -- maybe you -- preparing their own for roasting. It's only after she's thrust the unlucky things into the fire that she pauses for what may seem like an infinite period, then leans over to ask in a not so hushed voice -- ]
So, what are these supposed to be, anyway? [ Yes, she is talking about the marshmallows. ]
ONE ☆ B ☆ IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT
[ Should you happen to catch a glimpse of her later that night, she'll be stretched across one of the thicker branches of a tree some ten feet from the nearest camp fire. With her arms tucked behind her head and her easy breathing, she may very well give the appearance of a body peaceably asleep, but appearances can be deceiving and are in this case. It's sharp gold eyes that stare through the leafy bough at the star filled sky as she observes the encroaching dark, that steady prickling sensation across her skin, that distinct smell in the air. She may well sit up before anyone has a chance to snap a twig and cast her gaze restlessly around. ]
TWO ☆ THE TWILIGHT ZONE WITH COWS
You have gotta be kidding me!
[ Here stands one (1) Ryoko still damp from the sudden rainshower visited upon her a half an hour ago. Her hands find her hips as her eyes fall upon what is undoubtedly the same still smoldering and somewhat still tree-shaped thing that she took it upon herself to blast in a moment of frustration after what seemed to her her fiftieth encounter with the damned thing. There's no mistaking it. That is absolutely a vein twitching above her eye as she clenches her fists and moves to run forward only to teleport at the last minute and plant herself in front of the recurring target of her frustration. Blink and you might miss her punch through trunk and effectively cause the poor dead thing to explode into a projection of splinters and scatter throughout the area.
Huffing, she straightens and, after a moment, closes her eyes and takes a deep, deep breath only to twitch again when the air seems to freeze and that first snowflake kisses her cheek. There are no words that can properly describe the expression on her face in that moment. Maybe that kind of sort of over the top laughter is a good... thing? ]
THREE ☆ DOWN MEMORY LANE
[ It's the initial darkness that rushes to envelope Ryoko that sees her pause, tense, and jerk in a single motion to turn and meet it with every intention of propelling herself back and out of it. She's had quite enough disorientation and peculiar statuses to last her for a good long while and it shows in how she snaps awake from near sleep atop her claimed perch and rolls off the branch into -- into a very familiar scene, a memory that has her blinking as her feet touch the grassy ground of the living unit inside of Ayeka's Ryu-Oh. ]
Huh? What is -- oh!
[ Blinking, she turns her eyes around for a good moment before focusing on the scene replaying. She does indeed recognize it and there's no obvious way out. Of course, she doesn't see any particular reason to leave immediately either as it looks like this show is about to get good. Well, better if her memory serves her correctly. Seeing Tenchi is always a good time, though, and she doesn't think to fight her desire to linger. Should one come in at the right time, they might find just find Ryoko floating cross-legged in the air snacking on marshmallows she stockpiled from the campfire the night prior. Come in at the best time and you might just find her laughing and not at all unlike herself within the memory. Good times.]
[OOC: If you'd like her to experience a memory of your character, hit me on plurk! Likewise if you would like to a different memory of hers off the bat or you'd like additional memories.]
FOUR ☆ WILD CARD
[Looking for something else? Hit me up on plurk, PM me, or drop me a starter! Heads up for any travel types, she'll ultimately be heading in Olympia's direction after a certain redhead.]
3
For a moment she's simply standing near gnarled masses of trees and there's a lady floating...
... Uh.
She stands silent a moment, a brow cocked upward before she eventually gestures in Ryoko's direction with the knife in her hand (because of course she pulled that out when things felt off) and asks:]
You just... hanging out?
[Internally, she groans.]
no subject
Yep! I sure am! No point in wasting a free show is there? Especially if it's a good one.
[ And, upon saying as much, she will be extending the offer of a marshmallow to Mai. Care to watch? She's got snacks. ]
no subject
So what's going on in here? If you know, I mean.
1/2
Or, you know, straight up slander. ]
2/2
[ Why, yes, she is gesturing to the woman she herself addressed as "princess" during the presently playing scene. ]
She was so mean! She didn't even give us a chance to explain anything and only heard what she wanted to hear when we she let us get a word in. So, naturally, we're trying to escape. [ pointpoint ] See? She's so unreasonable her own little sister was helping us!
[ You know, the same little girl Ryoko herself is... going.. to take... hostage... ]
no subject
Mai directs her eyes to said devil, considering the woman. She doesn't much look devilish and she seems to be the one doing the brunt of yelling versus Ryoko. Mostly yelling at Ryoko too.
She takes a few more minutes of observation to note:]
The guy seems pretty useless though.
no subject
It was a day of firsts for Tenchi. Our first meeting, his first time in space... he'd lived the life of a normal Earthling until that day. All of this -- [ she gestures ] -- was beyond him at the time.
[ So, basically, Mai is 110% correct. ]
That's why I had to protect him at my own personal risk!
no subject
1A
[ Duo is.. well. More than happy for a familiar sight, even if it's just something silly like a puffy marshmallow. If he's honest he's not entirely paying attention to the gluttony of five thousand marshmallows going on next to him, too focused on cooking one at a time to just perfection and then going in for the next. He'll have just as many, just, you know. Will take his time in the cooking department.
The question bout what they are, though? That rouses him.
A brow raises in to long bangs for a moment, eyes going between Ryoko and her overloaded skewers. ]
Uh.. marshmallows?
Basically sugary edible pillows?
no subject
Marshmallows? I guess they do look kind of like pillows.
[ She switches the skewers over to one hand so as to properly prod a single skewered marshmallow curiously. They are soft. She noticed that before, but they're kind of squishy, too. It's a strange texture. Kind of... not quite bouncy? Fun, if... strange. Really strange. Stranger the more she thinks about it. ]
Are they made to look like that on purpose? People don't actually sleep on them, right?
no subject
Sometimes they cut 'em in to different shapes but I guess that doesn't happen here..
[ He's not wounded, but it would've kind of been funny to see them in all different shapes and colors, too. A bit more like home than he would've originally expected. .. Though, on that note, maybe it was best left alone then. No need to rub their noses in something already lost if the Natha's story held up. ]
I mean you maybe could? But it'd be a hair disaster. [ Duo looks down to make sure that long rope of hair he's sporting hasn't touched any at the thought, quickly flipping the long braid over his shoulder now that he's had the thought. ]
I dunno why they're made like this to be honest. Never really thought too deep about it when I was stuffin' 'em in.
no subject
[ Ryoko slides one of the "marshmallows" off a skewer and pops it gingerly into her mouth. She pauses in regarding it, shifting it around in her mouth with an evident curiosity playing across her face as she pokes and prods it with her tongue, observing that increasingly sticky texture as it starts to soften and dissolve into an odd sort of mush she takes to sucking on. ]
I think I'd prefer a few giant carrot pillows to these for comfort myself. These marshmallows are pretty fun, though!
[ Fun enough that she's already thinking to liberate more than her fair share for later. She shifts with that, reaching blindly to pluck another marshmallow off her skewer and pop it into her mouth as she settles her gaze on her present company again. ]
Ryoko. That's my name. [ And you are...? ]
no subject
Giant carrot pillows.. ? [ Duo's face is as confused as his tone, unsure what the hell she means by that other than the literal and... even as a colony kid carrots were always hard so he's not sure how that'd comfortable. Unless her preference was a really firm pillow and even then..
He might judge her a little.
The introduction takes Duo a little by surprise, but he nods anyway, a little smile inching across his face. ]
Ryoko. [ Duo repeats it to commit it to memory, nodding. This is the kind of easy introduction he can get used to, honestly. ]
Duo Maxwell.
no subject
[ Different, but different isn't bad in Ryoko's books. Well, at least not in regards to this sort of thing. That little smile is kind of sort of maybe a little bit contagious, too. Maybe it's got something to do with this whole campfire setup, the warmth, the seeming easiness about her company. In this moment, she doesn't feel particularly like fighting the coziness of the atmosphere. It's something like a breath of fresh air considering the tension about the descent from the station. ]
They aren't actually carrots. [ She adds with a chuckle, picking off another marshmallow to pop into her mouth. ] They're pillows made to look like them. They're pretty big, too. [ And entirely Ryo-Ohki's fault. ] You don't have anything like that where you're from?
no subject
Thanks. Made it up myself. [ That's a literal thing - though Duo tends to present it as a joke so that people won't ask what lead to him naming himself. That's a bit of a sad story that he isn't looking to project around to too many people. The soles of his feet meet, knees fanning out at odd angles. ]
Oh.. makes sense. I was gonna be a little concerned because carrots don't seem comfortable at all.. [ He laughs lightly, shrugging his shoulders. ]
How big we talkin though? Like.. could I fit my whole body on them? [ Probably not hard if they're of a fairly considerable size considering Duo is barely five feet and a hundred pounds soaking wet. ]
no subject
1a!
sooner or later, though, he grows weary that she will run out of stick. is she trying to make a sword of the damn things? there's so many questions, but again. he leaves it alone. until she blurts her question out towards him, that is. ]
... Seriously? [ she can't be serious. she has, like, eighteen of them stacked on top of one another. ] Do you just make a habit of stabbing sticks through things before finding out what they are or something?
1/2
It tends to work pretty well for me actually!
[ There's a hint of a carefree tone about her words as scoots up and onto the edge of the log, gesturing idly with her marshmallow swords. ]
And anyway, what's wrong with that? Everyone's doing it.
[ With moderation regarding the number of white, puffy things they're sticking on their skewers, but they're still totally doing it and it seems like fun. She just doesn't know what the white things are except that they probably aren't tofu. Probably. ]
2/2
I'm pretty sure it's not someone's attempt at tofu. The texture's all wrong for that.
no subject
[ morbidly curious and not really looking or wanting an answer of any kind, so he doesn't linger on that for long. she has to imagine doing things like that is bound to grab someone's attention, so he doesn't feel particularly bad about continuing to stare. he has to know what she's going to do with the damn thing now. ]
Definitely not tofu. [ said as plain as can. he hates to spoil the surprise of finding out, but the thought of marshmallows being tofu is almost sacrilegious. ] Just try one out already. You have about fifty to choose from. Otherwise, you'll look like you're wasting them all.
[ which, again. sacrilegious. ]
no subject
As if I'd waste perfectly good food!
[ Perfectly good free food, even. Of course, her definition of 'good' doesn't exactly match up with most humanoid's given her lack of ability to properly taste... things. Still, she maneuvers her swords into one hand to pluck a marshmallow from one of them and pops it into her mouth, only to pause for a long moment before shifting the treat about in her mouth, testing it, its texture. Playing with it? Maybe. She swallows with a gulp after a moment. ]
Not bad! I can't remember the last time I came across a food quite that fun! [ And she hasn't even stuck them in the fire yet... ]