Intro Log || This Keeps Happening

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light" (only new characters can start threads).
Where: Aqures Ixen.
When: The 5th of January. The new Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The new Heroes of Light awaken in Aqures Ixen and are informed by their assigned Moogles of what the situation and what their destinies are. This a log for them to react to the situation, meet each other and be welcomed by the former batches of Heroes of Light.
Warning: Snow. Also some leftover decorations from Christmas.

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within an instant, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you knew it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, your world vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Even you feel different: all the powers you might once have had, are now gone. It is silent, cold and it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you.

At this moment, when it looks as though nothing but a never-ending void awaits you, a red Crystal forms before you. In this void, its warmth compels you to grab it. Upon doing so, you can hear a soft, soothing voice speaking:


"Wake up."

Soon, the void itself vanishes and is replaced by distant noises of engines. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call one more time, but is soon replaced with a much less graceful "Wake up Kupo." Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally wake you up. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Fire, in the third district of a city called Aqures Ixen. At this point, you may realize the engine noise actually originates from an Airship flying low over the city and headed to dock beneath the castle. As if it wasn't strange enough, your clothes have changed as well. They are now a reflection of the Jobs you are wielding. Last but not least, you are surrounded by Moogles, small and fluffy creatures who are more than happy to tell you about everything you want to know, about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light, about what awaits you.

Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

The only people around you are like you-- There are quite a few of them, all clothed in their Job garbs and most likely wondering what is happening. If somehow you do not realize it, the Moogle who woke you up will be more than happy to inform you there are others like you around. In fact, there are other Heroes who have arrived in the course of the past year and they will come soon! Like you, they have Jobs and a Crystal.

If asked, the Moogles will mention that the Heroes of Light - that is to say you - are fighting against time to save Crystallis from the Calamity that is about to awaken to devour the entire world. Sounds terrible? Welcome to Crystallis.


The Other Heroes
— Shortly Thereafter —
Thanks to the efficiency of Mognet, it does not take long for the other Heroes to come around: those who arrived in this world within the past year. You may have imagined heroic and charismatic figures when your Moogle told you that there were other Heroes of Light in this city. You may have imagined persons with fearsome powers when they told you about how they managed to push back the Empire and defeat gigantic beasts in the past. And more importantly, you may have imagined them as people who would have all the answers to your, doubtlessly, numerous questions.

If so, you may be up for a tragic disappointment. Still, for the most part they know more than you on the situation and may be more than happy to fill you in, especially if your Moogle didn't tell you much.


The City of Aqures Ixen
— Anytime —
With Christmas being barely over, there are still Christmas Decoration in the streets, and while the reconstruction are nearly over, there are still traces of the attack the Empire led against the city six months ago. A few buildings are being worked on.

And besides the decorations and reconstructions, there are a lot of things to do in the city for newcomers. A few groups of Triple Triad players are playing before Mognet Office in the ninth district, and a Blitzball Match is set to start at 20:00 in the stadium! Characters are also free to visit the city-- Mognet Office just behind the Triple Triad games is filled with Moogles, most of them discussing about the election for the future director of Mognet. They can also visit Airship Port in the twelfth district from where characters can board for free Airships from Shoopuf Airline.

Or maybe you could visit your new house in the 11th District, and get to know your new neighbors and housemate. Hopefully your neighbors are people you will get along with.


The Laboratory
— Anytime —
A location where a lot of Heroes of Light seem to be gathering is Palitutu's Laboratory. It is a place where employed characters can research into various topics. However, most importantly, characters can see a file with their name...

Should your character decide to go there and peek at their file, there are two possibilities. Either the file is corrupted and they cannot access it: too bad for them, but at least their life will remain a mystery. Or should you decide the file isn't corrupted, they will find a summary of their lives up to their canon point, as if written by a third-person omniscient narrator. On the column left to the text, to the top there is a portrait of them, and beneath it there is a 3D model of them. Said portrait and model can be switched to any year of their life. At the bottom there is a percentage, indicating 0%. On the right column, there are various links, most of which are grayed out. The clickable links lead to their Homeworld History and their future post-canon point history (corrupted file for unfinished canons).

At least, they can lock this file away if they don't want anyone to see it.

The Hospital
— Anytime —
Characters who have already been in Crystallis before do not wake up by the Crystal of Fire like everyone else. Instead, they will wake up in the Hospital of Aqures Ixen, in a room where there are over a hundred of other Heroes of Light like them-- Maybe even some familiar faces... Except they're all in Crystal Stasis.

A couple Moogles and a few nurses will be waiting by the room, and they will welcome all characters waking up. Upon exiting the room, they will also meet a lot of guards, and they all have for order to shoot anyone that comes out of this room without a Moogle. Hopefully you won't try running out without waiting for your Moogle. As for why the guards are so on edge, it might be a good idea to ask the other Heroes of Light about what happened a couple months ago.


Close Encounters of the Third(?) Kind
— 15:00 —
Characters venturing by between the city's outskirts and the Chocobo Farm at this specific time will be able to see a most peculiar sight: a flying saucer seemingly abducting a Chocobo before flying away and disappearing into the sky without leaving any traces of its presence. If your character do see it, hopefully there will be someone with them. Otherwise, nobody will believe their story.

Was it an UFO or just a hallucination? Previous sightings of such a thing have happened. It might be a good idea to investigate this sometimes...

Comments

[rialynn]

1. Awakening

[Rialynn blinks hard. Twice. It doesn't help to chase away the sight of flying white teddy bears. Her rapier is still belted to her hip, and the lute slung over her shoulder by a leather strap clunks in a few discordant notes as she pushes herself unsteadily onto her feet. She dusts off the seat of her leather breeches, wide hazel eyes flicking back and forth. There are all sorts of people in varying states of wakefulness, some wearing resplendent colorful robes, some decked out in expensive-looking armor. The teddy bears are talking to them.]

[Where in the world is she...?]

[Slowly she turns, and then stares up at the giant orange crystal. And that would be what now?]

Uh...Sabien?

[Rialynn looks around for her friend, but there's no sign of the fierce femme fatale. No sign of her horse, either. All she has is the clothing on her back, her instrument, her backpack of adventuring gear, and her weapon. She shies away a little from a waking and somewhat formidable-looking hero, unsure which way she should go. Should she wait for a teddy bear to come explain things to her, like the others?]

[She retreats right into someone else's back. Spinning around, Rialynn's hands jump up in a hasty display of apology.]

Sorry! Sorry.

2. A New Home (A-06) - Used to be Yuri's room if you need an excuse to be here

Carefully, Rialynn eased her lute onto the bed, then shrugged her pack off of her shoulders. Kunia shuffled in on Rialynn's heels, her sweet little smile somewhat apologetic.

"We tried to have it cleaned before you got here, but there wasn't really much time. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Rialynn replied with a soft chuckle, righting the upset lampshade, then smoothing away a thin layer of dust from the corner of the window sill. Odd...there were fingerprints and scuff marks in the middle of the sill. Did the previous person come and go via the window on a regular basis? She rubbed her fingers together, puzzled, then wedged open the window a few inches. It was too cold to open the window all the way, but a little fresh air would freshen up the room. "I can take care of the rest. Seems like you guys are overworked as it is."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't say that." Kunia fluttered into the closet and came back with a little cloth-wrapped bundle in her paws. "But I made you a housewarming present!"

Rialynn turned from the dresser, having just confirmed that the drawers were empty (save for a dead spider in the back). "You what? Really?" She smiled, honestly touched. She'd never met a Moogle before today, but if they were all as kind as Kunia, she had a feeling that they would become fast favorites of hers. "That's really thoughtful. What is it?"

"Cookies!" Kunia announced proudly, pressing the bundle into Rialynn's hands. "And they're shaped like flowers and chocobo heads!"

She had no idea what a chocobo was, but the little bite-sized shortbread cookies did look cute. Impressed, she ate one.

That was a mistake.

Shooting pains lanced through the underside of her tongue, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she sagged onto the mattress with a strangled sound, the cookies spilling out of her numb fingers.

"Ku-kupo! Rialynn! Oh my, are you okay?" Alarmed, Kunia gave her cheek a few light pats, trying to rouse the young bard.

Her lashes fluttered before her head rolled to the side, a deathly groan rattling in her throat. "Mother...?"

"Oh my," Kunia whispered.

3. Blitzball Tournament

It was pretty much guaranteed that Rialynn would find someone to latch onto early in the day. Excited by the prospect of getting to meet so many new Heroes, and eager to hear their tales and adventures, she wasn't at all afraid to make the acquaintance of someone new. Man or woman, young or old, it didn't matter. She was a friendly soul, and suggested they go to the Blitzball game that night after she had a chance to settle into her new home.

She arrived at the designated meeting spot, already gaping in awe at the massive coliseum with the enormous floating sphere of water. She'd been to a few jousting and fencing tournaments, both as a spectator and a performer between matches, but the seating arrangements were nothing like this. A few of the players were already swimming in the sphere, hurling a ball back and forth, or practicing surprisingly graceful acrobatics.

It was incredible. How did they hold their breath for that long? How did they manage to move like that? Rialynn stood on her toes trying to get a better look. Her new friend was sure to arrive shortly, and they could claim their seats then, but for now, she couldn't take her eyes off of the players. This was almost worthy of a new song, even if it wasn't really a display of heroics. She'd have to cobble something together later.

Watching as intently as she was, it wasn't long before she spaced out and became oblivious to everything else around her.

I

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny didn't always show up for the newbie arrivals, knowing he wasn't exactly the most comforting sort. But he was here today to get a look at the new crop and see if there was anything he could do. Or anyone he recognized.

Scanning the crowd, hoping for a familiar face, he's not paying attention to someone backing up into him either. He jumps around probably a little too quickly. Fighting reflexes. At least he's able to suppress the typical rude New Yorker responses.]

Nah, it's nothin' - I wasn't looking either.

[rialynn]

[Rialynn freezes in place, hazel eyes practically doubling in size as she takes in the appearance of a pale man with horns.]

[WITH HORNS.]

[Hailing from a land where science is still taking baby steps, and superstition is all the rage, Rialynn's unease at waking up in a completely different world blows up exponentially at the sight of what appears to be a living demon. Is she in hell? What did she do wrong to wind up in hell?! Is it because she abandoned her father? Because she lied about feeding her horse when she fled from Oliver's flirting? Maybe she shouldn't have, but was that really reason enough to cast her into this cold, demon hell?]

[...Of course, while all these thoughts race through her panicked mind, she just stands there and stares at Johnny like a deer caught in the headlights. Numbly she fumbles for her rapier, and the leather strap of her lute drops down her sloped shoulder to hook on her elbow. She stumbles back.]

Wh...what...why...

[charming_jerk]

[Not just horns and white skin, but bright blue eyes with no pupils, and pointed teeth as well. Wrap that in a package that's over six feet tall and muscled, Johnny cuts an intimidating figure to say the least. And from the looks of it, he's used to such reactions, though it's been awhile since someone's reacted so strongly. No matter what he says about it, it hurts every time.

The fact that Rialynn is reaching for her weapon makes it worse. His expression turns from apologetic to stern in an instant, but he holds up his hands to show he's unarmed. He even backs off a few steps.]

Relax. I'm on your side.

[rialynn]

[Intimidating indeed. But Rialynn is a little more trusting than she should be (or in this case, exactly as much as she should), and the fact that he's willing to back off and not make any aggressive movements coaxes her to stop from panicking.]

My side?

[She looks down at her hand, gripping her rapier, and guiltily she lets go. That wasn't smart. If he really was dangerous, drawing a weapon would have only provoked him. She'll listen to what he has to say, even if she's still a teensy bit nervous.]

[charming_jerk]

Yeah. I'm a Hero? Just like you are now. Jobs, a moogle, savin' the goddamn world, all that nonsense.

[He finally lowers his hands, but stays back, expression still sour.]

I know I don't look like no one else here, but any one of 'em will back me up on it. Okay?

[rialynn]

But you're...

[Her face scrunches up as she sucks in a sharp breath. She's being really rude, isn't she?]

I'm sorry. I'm a little out of my element here.

[Keeping a maintained distance is good. She's very nervous, even if she knows she probably shouldn't be. It's the horns more than anything else. He's not a demon, is he?]

What are you?

1. Awakening

[greenmagick]

[Terra stumbles a little bit before turning towards the girl. She isn't used to getting run into though it's happened more often since the Christmas Party. Terra hasn't been able to focus. At the girls apology she shakes her head with a light smile pulling at her lips.]

It's alright. I wasn't paying attention either.

[There is an awkward pause before she continues.]

I'm Terra.

[rialynn]

Whew! Heh... I'm Rialynn.

[Rialynn's breath leaves in a short huff of relief as her smile widens. All right, good, she didn't offend someone in the first five minutes of her waking. ...And then her eyes travel up a few inches, and she struggles with all her might not to gape. Green hair! She's never met anyone with green hair before.]

Nice to...uh...

[Wait, what was she saying again? She shakes herself a little, blinking.]

Sorry, I just...how did you get your hair to turn that color?

[If Rialynn could mimic that, she'd certainly gain a little more renown as 'the green-haired bard'. On the other hand, it might make things difficult if she has to move around town and listen to possible political gossip.]

[greenmagick]

[Terra looks up as if to see the mint color of her curls and then looks back at Riaylnn. This is the first time someone has really commented on her hair and she realizes she doesn't have an answer for her.]

It's natural. [She spoke softly turning over thoughts in her head.] Before I came here... I wasn't completely human.

[She pauses just to see how the other takes that bit of information.]

[rialynn]

Wow, really? I didn't know that was possible! May I--

[Her question dwindles off at that statement. Not completely human? Rialynn's mouth hangs open a little, before she shifts her weight. She's not entirely uncomfortable, not yet...Terra seems nice and she isn't sporting signs of fangs or other flesh-rending extremities, so that's a plus...but some creatures are dangerous due to their fickle and uncaring natures. Is she related to fairies? Those aren't good. Dryads? Those are probably good. She thinks.]

Er...not completely?

[greenmagick]

[Terra thinks about it for a moment before glancing towards the temple located within the city. Her voice is soft and as emotionless as she can make it while talking about the sensitive topic.]

Have you seen the temple for the summons here yet?

[She looks back towards Rialynn, her expression wistful.]

My father was like that. In my world they were called something else and at times took shakes similar to humans. [If only to live and peace among humans.]

[rialynn]

[Rialynn shakes her head. She only woke up about ten minutes ago, so she hasn't had a chance to see much of anything besides the glowing crystal here in the temple. So she's not quite sure what Terra's father is supposed to be like. Either way, Terra seems pretty normal. The hair color is different, but that's about it as far as Rialynn can tell.]

Well...I think it's a lovely color.

3. Blitzball Tournament

[whereishe]

Yuna wasn't going to meet anyone at the match, instead she was playing. The other team was already in the sphere pool which meant that she only had ten minutes to get to the locker rooms.

"Excuse me!" She frantically slipped through the crowd, her outfit a collection of tight treated leather with the Aqures colors accented across it. She almost ran Rialynn over in her haste to get to the locker rooms early. "I'm so sorry."

Yuna held out a hand to steady the young woman. "I'm just running late, are you okay?" Running late wasn't really a good excuse to go knocking into people.

[rialynn]

Rialynn was jostled, and a little startled, but she hadn't hit her head or knocked out a tooth, so it was safe to say that her face remained accident-free when she got over her surprise and turned her head to look at who'd bumped into her.

"Me? I'm fine!" she reassured her quickly, about to wave her off since Yuna had said she was in a hurry. "You're fine, go ahead, I'm--"

Then she noticed the uniform, and how it matched the garb worn by the others swimming in the sphere, save for the colors. Rialynn glanced sharply back at Yuna, her eyebrows climbing up to disappear behind the silk bandanna running across her forehead. "You're going into that floating lake orb? Wow, good luck!"

[whereishe]

Yuna smiled a little awkwardly. "Ah yeah, the Sphere pool." Not knowing meant that this person was probably a new hero of light. Yuna didn't know many who didn't watch Blitzball in this world.

"Hey, if you stick around afterwards I can show you around."

It was the least she could do for running into her.

[rialynn]

Rialynn's eyes lit up. A tour guide? Yeeeeeeees please. There was a lot of city to cover, and she scarcely knew where to start. Aimless wandering could only lead her to so much, after all.

"I'd love that! Good luck, now I know who to cheer for!" she laughed. Now she was definitely going up into the stands to watch the game.

Right after she was redirected to the ticket booth to pay for a seat, of course.

[whereishe]

Yuna smiled brightly at the girl. “I’ll meet you here then!”

She dashed off and later appeared in the sphere pool as one of the offense. Yuna scored twice as did the other team putting their match at a draw. It wasn’t a tournament game which meant that it didn’t go into overtime but it was certainly exciting to watch. When Yuna was finished she had a bruise across her right shoulder from a hard tackle but it was already healing nicely thanks to the potion she drank after the match.

She’ll wait for Rialynn where she specified; smiling and waving at those who recognized her from the sphere pool.

[rialynn]

Rialynn had managed to make her way back to her original spot, albeit a little hoarse after all of the shouting and cheering she just did. People really got into the game, and it was hard not to get swept up by all of that enthusiasm. She'll need to take it easy for a couple of days, if she still wants to be able to sing properly.

"That was fantastic. I've never seen people swim that gracefully before!" she grinned, then winced as she tapped her throat apologetically. "Sorry. I yelled a lot. I couldn't really help it."

1

[neverfirstclass]

[Cloud grunts at the collision, but when he turns around to face her he doesn't seem sour about it at all. The blonde teen managed to avoid any of what he was carrying and once he has his hands steady again he holds out a sandwich to the newcomer.]

Welcome to Aqures Ixen. Sorry you wound up here like this. I'm Cloud.

[It's a small gesture, but in his time here in Crystallis and seeing all the new Heroes showing up every over month he found an offering of food tended to be a welcome one.

[rialynn]

That's...the name of the city? Aqures Ixen?

[The name sounds foreign on her tongue. She's a little weirded out, but she doesn't seem particularly afraid or angry. Just confused. This confusion continues to mount when he offers her...a sandwich? She looks from the food offering to Cloud's face, more than a little unsure, but she doesn't want to seem rude, so she takes it.]

Oh, um...thanks! I appreciate it.

[She's not hungry just yet, so she'll hold onto it for a little while.]

Rialynn. Nice to meet you, Cloud.

[neverfirstclass]

Yeah, it's a weird name but you get used to it. I'm not sure if it means anything though. There was another city named Aqures Tosf.

[He gives her a satisfied smile as she takes the sandwich. At least he feels like he's helping.]

I'm one of the Heroes who's been around here for a while now. One of the first to show up here. That was a bit over a year ago. I...don't really know everything going on but I can try to answer any questions you have."

[rialynn]

A year?

[Her eyebrows climb up to half-vanish into her bandanna.]

You haven't ventured home in all of that time? Or...wait...

[She looks at Kunia, who is bowing her head regretfully and placing her paws together.]

...There's a way to go back, isn't there? I mean, if you really needed to go back, it's an option. ...Right?

[Kunia shakes her head slowly.]

...Oh. That's a little distressing.

[To say the least. She starts to reach for the tail of her bandanna, gripping it in her fingers.]

[neverfirstclass]

I...I'm sorry. I don't really know. There's some talk sometimes about what we'd do if we got to go home but...

[He takes a long breath before continuing.]

Two people from my world turned to crystal...well more than that but two woke up again. One was a bit older and the other was a few years older. They said it was more like dreaming than it was like going home.

And the others who are in crystal stasis...I don't know. I just hope they're not awake. I don't think they are.

For now, we're here to do what we need to do to save this world. And honestly, if I get the choice after all of this is done I may just stay.

[rialynn]

Wait...turned to crystal?

[Rialynn tenses up, the uneasiness apparent in her voice. How did something like that even happen? And how in the world did someone wake up from that sort of thing?]

Why would you want to stay? Is your own world really that bad?