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]

"And over here," Kuponia gestured, "is the best kupo nut stand in the city! You really must try one, they're delicious. Oh, but we should fetch your stipend first, it should be in your room."

"So we should head there next?" Rialynn suggested.

Kuponia didn't answer. Her attention was fixated on something else entirely off to the left. Or someone else. Rialynn turned her head to follow the Moogle's stare, and to her surprise, she saw a young man dancing energetically. It was easy to discover why Kuponia was so captivated. This sort of dancing was wholly unfamiliar to Rialynn. There was so much energy, the movements so precise and lively. No, no one she'd ever known had demonstrated those kinds of steps.

Slowly she moved forward, gravitating toward the performer as her eyes darted from his arms to his legs, trying to study his motions so she might imitate them later.

"He's very good," Kuponia whispered, hovering next to Rialynn. "Maybe you should join him, or play an instrument, yes?"

She shook her head. "It might be seen as an attempt to upstage his performance," she whispered back, her gaze still locked on Zack. "Unless invited, it would be extremely rude. Bards don't have a lot of strict protocol, but that's definitely something no one oversteps where I come from."

But she gave Kuponia a light pat just the same, to make sure the Moogle's feelings weren't hurt by declining the suggestion. Would that she had a coin to toss into the hat, she would, but the stipend was still waiting at her future home.

Kuponia, however, very politely placed three kupo nuts into Zack's hut. A very generous offering indeed! To a Moogle anyway.

[dancingbaronet]

Coming to a crashing finish, Zack posed before nodding at the others assembled. He noticed several other people coming to the dance performance and he smiled at them.

Noticing Rialynn there, he nodded politely. "Hi, did you enjoy the performance?"

He was curious to what kind of thought she had about his dancing.

[rialynn]

Rialynn's expression brightened in a heartbeat. "I did! Where did you learn your steps and style?" It was certainly more complicated and eyecatching than the sort of dancing she typically used in her performances, and a chance to talk shop was incredibly exciting.

Her gaze drifted to his hat, and one corner of her smile went awry. "Ah, sorry, I guess maybe you thought I didn't because I didn't have any coins to drop into the hat. We were just on our way to pick that up, actually. Are you going to be here for long? I can swing back later! But your dancing was great," she reassured, throwing up both hands in a quick gesture. "I mean, it's obvious you've been doing it for a while."

[dancingbaronet]

Zack chuckled as he grinned a bit. "A friend of mine taught me, her name is Asami, but I've been dancing for years now. So I've had time to polish my skills and continue dancing. This sort of dancing is common back home, in Zawame City.'

He shook his head at her worried statement. "It's not a problem, I actually didn't realize there was a stipend. But your words are definitely appreciated. I'm Zack."

[rialynn]

"Rialynn," she returned, sticking out her hand to make his acquaintance properly. Zawame City... Not a place she was familiar with, but she didn't really expect that to be the case. His appearance was unusual to her as well. She'd seen very few with his features, hailing from the island nations to the north of her country. Such people had little reason to travel south, and he was the first she'd ever had the chance to speak with properly.

Kuponia had clasped her paws together in front of her chin. "You were amazing! Do you give autographs? I should like one, very much!"

Rialynn grinned, inclining her head to Zack. "Apparently we start out with some funds, so we can buy clothes, food, that sort of thing. It's probably waiting for you in your new room. You're a Hero of Light, then?"

If so, then she was even more delighted to know him.

[dancingbaronet]

He shook eagerly before smiling. She seemed like she was from a different world if the expression she had when he mentioned Zawame City wasn't one of realization. It was kind of hard to miss the epicenter of a near extinction level event back home.

"I can yes, I'll write one out for you." he said, as Moogla provided a pencil and paper.

As he wrote, he nodded. "I didn't realize this until now actually, there was little reason for Moogla to tell me about it."

"He's very much my pace, and yes, he's a Hero of Light," laughed Moogla.

[rialynn]

"Oh, thank you so much! I'll treasure it always!" Kuponia beamed, carefully hugging the slip of paper. "I can get one from you too, can't I?" she asked Rialynn, turning to face her. "Once we reach your residence?"

"Sure, why not?" she grinned, setting a hand on her hip before looking back to Zack. "Don't worry about that part. It's good to establish a reputation early on, right?"

At least, she assumed that he did this for a living. How could he not?

"I should probably start looking around for a place to work too, come to think of it..." But that thought was going to quickly fly her mind once she realized what airships were, and that she could travel freely on them.

[dancingbaronet]

"That's true. I've heard that there's a lot of people who have suggested I work for a dance troupe and the theater," said Zack. "But I will always like doing this, no matter the weather."

He did dance for a living, and despite his bad leg, he was still getting better all the time.

"I think there's a job board and people hire," said Moogla. "There's plenty of work to go around."

[rialynn]

"Yeah? Maybe I'll check that out," Rialynn nodded her thanks. She wasn't sure if anyone was actually looking for a bard, but perhaps she could put up a notification offering her services, to accompany adventuring parties or perform at events. Why not? It was a good way to get acquainted with the city and its people.

"Hey," Rialynn snapped her fingers. "Why don't we work together? Some nights, I can play and sing while you dance. What about you, can you perform music as well?" It had been a long time since she'd had a chance to do an act that wasn't a solo, it'd be nice to work alongside a new friend.

[dancingbaronet]

"Hmm, that sounds good! I haven't worked as a bard or a musician before, but I have a good sense of rhythm. I can help compose lyrics too." said Zack.

A offer for a partnership? Better than expected, and Zack was ready to help out no matter what.

[rialynn]

"You're a lyricist too?" Better and better! Rialynn was absolutely delighted, and stuck out her hand as if to seal the deal of their future partnership. "Sounds great! How do I get in contact with you if I find a job, or to schedule some time to practice? I'm in..."

She hesitated, and looked to Kunia, who held up Rialynn's key. "House A-06, in the Fourteenth District," the Moogle supplied helpfully.

"Yes! There," she beamed, fists on her hips as if she even knew where the Fourteenth District was. "Drop by any time, or leave a note if I'm not home."

[dancingbaronet]

"We're at B-14 in the Fourteenth District," supplemented Moogla. "Though there's the Mognet, where you can have us write letters to each person and we'll deliver it for you, arranging a time and meeting."

"Helpful. If a little slower than texting," said Zack with a grin. "Okay, we can meet up later since we're in the same district."

[rialynn]

Tex...ting? She looked at Kuponia, who just shrugged. The Moogle had never heard of the concept either. Well, it mattered little, Rialynn supposed. "B-14," she repeated. "Got it."

She started off with three quick steps, then stopped and pointed to the ground where Zack was standing as she raised her eyebrows. "Are you going to be dancing here for a while?"

[dancingbaronet]

"I think I'm going to dance for a while longer," said Zack, thinking about it. "After that I'm going to the laboratory to look things up. I might see you around later?"

[rialynn]

Yet another word she'd never heard before, but she could ask Kuponia about it later. "Okay! Great! Keep dancing, then!" She turned, still pointing back at him as though telling him to stay put. She definitely wanted to drop some coins into his hat.

Little did she know that all that awaited her was a batch of Kuponia's coma-inducing cookies. She would not come back in time to catch Zack before he moved onward to the laboratory.

MAYBE NEXT TIME.