melodiesoflife | Intro Log || The City That Never Sleeps

Intro Log || The City That Never Sleeps

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light" (only new characters can start threads).
Where: Trano Golsaucia, Aqures Ixen, Airships.
When: The 5th of May. The new Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The new Heroes of Light awaken in the Temple of Wind next to Trano Golsaucia, and they 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: N/A

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within a split second, 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 know 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 before long it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you...

And at this very 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 a gentle breeze. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call once more, but is soon replaced by a much less graceful "Wake up, Kupo!" Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally bring you back to your senses. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Wind, in the Temple located right outside of a city called Trano Golsaucia. At this point, you may realize the breeze originates from the massive green Crystal floating nearby. 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. They look pretty tired, but they will be more than happy to tell you everything you want to know. They shall tell you about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light and about what awaits you. Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

There are quite a few people around you as well. For the most part, they are people like you-- All clothed in their Job garbs and most likely wondering what is happening. There are also some other Humans, Tarutaru and Hypello in the room, but unlike you they don't have a Crystal, nor do they have a Moogle following them. If addressed, they will say they are the Guardians of the Crystal of Wind and will confirm everything the Moogle said. They will reveal they found you unconscious around the Crystal a couples hours ago, and immediately contacted the Moogles and the government of Aqures Ixen.

If asked about it, both the Moogles and Guardians will explain that Heroes of Light have already appeared in this world within the past year, and they all are in a city called Aqures Ixen. It's the first time Heroes have appeared in this temple. In fact, you probably should go to Aqures Ixen as well. The Moogle will tell you this is where your house is and where the other Heroes will be able to help you. Thankfully, should you decide to take your sweet time to get there, the other Heroes may just come to you.

The Other Heroes
— Anytime —
And indeed, thanks to the efficiency of Mognet and Shoopuf Airline it does not take long for the other Heroes to come around. You may meet them in Trano Golsaucia or in Aqures Ixen, or maybe even in one of the Airships going back and forth between the two cities. They are those who arrived in this world months ago and they have gone through quite a lot. You may have imagined heroic and charismatic figures when your Moogle told you there were other Heroes of Light in this world. You may have imagined persons with fearsome powers when they told you how they recklessly attacked the Heran Empire to free their friends a few months ago. And most importantly, you may have imagined them as people who would have the answers to your, doubtlessly, numerous questions.

If so, you may be up for a complete and utter 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.

Trano Golsaucia
— Anytime —
Should you leave the Temple of Wind and head south, you will reach Trano Golsaucia. It's a gigantic city covered with snow-- To make it simple, this city is a gigantic amusement park. It is the most popular place in this world and of course, there are plenty of people all around. Thankfully, other Heroes of Light are easy to spot: they are the only ones who are followed by a Moogle and holding a Crystal.

And there is quite a lot to be done in this city. Maybe you could stop by the Triple Triad Center to begin a successful career in card games, or maybe you could buy a ticket at the Blitzball Stadium to support your favorite team. If you're the kind of person who relies on luck, you may have more fun gambling in the Casino or betting on your favorite Chocobo in the Chocobo Races. If you're more of a person who enjoys simpler games, maybe you could try one of the numerous carnival-style mini-games found in the city, such as the shooting stand or the treasure chest game.

If you'd like more details regarding all the attractions and games available in Trano Golsaucia, you can find everything here! Of course, all of this requires money and odds are that you may not have a single Gil yet. If your Moogle is nice though, maybe you could ask him or her to loan you some Gil...

Airships
— Every Four Hours —
Upon reaching Trano Golsaucia, you will also have the right to board an Airship. Exceptionally, there is an Airship available every four hours, all because of your arrival so that Heroes of Light can meet each other and go to Aqures Ixen with ease.

The flight itself should take between four to six hours as it will travel from one city to the other on route. This is nothing special for the denizens of this world, but for you it may be quite the experience if you never boarded a plane or any flying contraptions before. The service is nothing special, but there are some light refreshments offered free of charge. Note that most of the employees on Airships are Hypello.

Aqures Ixen
— After an Airship Trip —
Upon arriving in Aqures Ixen, the first thing you will see is the Airship Port in the 12th District. Following that, no doubt your eyes will find the Castle of Aqures Ixen, a classic yet refined structure standing in the city. From there on, characters are free to visit the city-- There are no attractions in this city, but there are scientific buildings, another Blitzball Stadium and even an Observatory serving as base for the Heroes of Light. If you'd like more details regarding all that is available in Aqures Ixen, you can find everything here!

Or maybe -and perhaps inevitably!- you could visit your new house in the 11th or 14th District, and get to know your new neighbors and housemate. It's been a long day, so you could use some sleep. Hopefully your neighbors are people you will get along with...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She must be talking about Lhant Hill, Asbel decided. And, hostile machines? Could she mean the time...when Fendel attacked them? It was the same day as Sophie's re-awakening, and a vivid pinpoint in Asbel's life. Even if his diversion attempt had failed spectacularly...

"No, you didn't fail at all, Sophie. The flower meadow you remember, it's a place called Lhant Hill. And those machines belonged to the Fendelian military... You were able to protect me and Cheria."

But, honestly, he couldn't be sure telling her what happened would jog her memory at all. If that's the last thing Sophie remembered, could it be that she hadn't experienced anything else? He'd heard talk about it in the Observatory, and he'd seen it mentioned in the notes before. Maybe Sophie couldn't remember because it really hadn't happened yet? Asbel's fingers squeezed into his palm as he tried to think how best to put the situation into words.

"Listen... I know everything is really confusing right now, and you probably have a lot of unanswered questions. But you don't have to worry, okay? Even if you don't remember all that happened, I promise I'll take care of you."

"Cheria?" She couldn't remember clearly, but there was familiarity in the name - and in Asbel. She actually relaxed a good deal more having encountered him - it just felt natural to be around him. Hearing that she hadn't failed, that she was able to protect him and Cheria made her smile - it's what she wanted to do, even though she hadn't known why at the time. Her chest felt all fluttery with happiness, "I'm glad... I was able to protect you." Even his vow to take care of her was reassuring. "Okay..!"

She wasn't the only one relieved; Taiga hadn't known what he would do if he couldn't find someone to help out. "I was just going to show her way to her housing unit, so we could find out who her roommates would be, kupo."

"She's...another friend," he explained. Which was the truth. It wasn't as if she was anything else exactly. Just someone Asbel had spent an awful lot of time thinking about over the past few months - at least before the whole "Heroes of Light" thing. (Not that he would admit as much.)

It was almost a relief when he saw Sophie smile at last, considering how troubled she had seemed back home. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, a little in over his head. Even so, he wasn't about to back out on his promise.

This time Asbel let his palm drop gently down to the top of her head.

"Yeah, me too, Sophie. And I'm glad--" His smile thinned a little, expression conflicted even as he did what he could to grab onto anything resembling a returning smile. "I mean, it's just. It's good to see you right now, that's all."

Finally he glanced back at Taiga. "And yeah, that sounds like a good idea. All of the Heroes are pretty accommodating, and they've been a big help to me since I arrived. I can give you my house number, too, in case something comes up."

"You can visit whenever you want to."

Edited 2015-05-09 00:57 (UTC)

The gesture was so familiar, it was nice - her chest felt all warm. Although she had to wonder at his expression. "What's wrong with your face?"

Taiga fortunately, managed to keep from laughing hysterically. "K--Kupo, that's not a very nice thing to say~!" Snerk snerk. Ahem. Oh, serious time. He nodded at Asbel, "That sounds good, Kupo. As for us, we're in apartment B-06, 14th District... although we haven't met the roommates yet, kupo."

Well, whatever she'd seen on his face, it was now accompanied by awkward blushing. Which honestly wasn't what he needed at all. How could he explain that he was both happy and sad at the same time? Besides, if she knew he was sad, then it'd only make her feel bad... And the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable after she'd only just gotten there. It isn't Sophie's fault she can't remember.

"Oh! It's just-- I, um. It's nothing, Sophie. I thought I was going to sneeze, but it's gone now!" Yeah, that'd work! He just totally nailed it. Exchanging a glance with the moogle, Asbel continued.

"Really? B-06 is actually the house right next to ours. B-08." That, at least, was a relief. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of Sophie living with strangers in a whole other district. ~~Blame it on his overprotective not!Dad instincts.~~

"So I guess that makes us neighbors."

No, it was her evil muns, mwahha-*cough*

OH yeah, Asbel absolutely nailed it, no question about that. Good job~! "Oh, okay. Good." Sophie brightened when she found out he was in the house next to hers though. "So I can visit when I want?" It would only be better if they were in the same house, but next door was good too.

Taiga was relieved too, but for a totally different reason. "That's surprisingly convenient kupo~!" He paused. "Since you know her, kupo, do you have any idea why she keeps calling me 'Tiger Festival'? I keep telling her my name is Taiga, kupo."

"Anytime you want," he agreed, managing something close to a genuine smile. "And if I'm out, you can send me a letter and I'll come right back, okay?" Not that he planned on rushing off without letting Sophie know where he was off to, but, he didn't want her to feel alone again.

Unfortunately for him, that blush wasn't going anywhere. Asbel slowly lifted his hand away, running it over the back of his neck as Taiga pinned him with that particular question. He laughed, embarrassed.

"Yeeeah, about that..." Where to even begin. "Well, see. A long time ago, before Sophie saved us from those machines, my brother Hubert and I found her asleep on Lhant Hill." He turned his gaze back to Sophie, to see if she was following.

"You couldn't remember anything back then either, or where you came from. So we decided to take you back to town with us and give you a name. 'Tiger Festival' was kind of my idea. But Hubert and Cheria convinced me to give it up and think of something better. So we named you Sophie."

And then Sophie had turned right back around and brought Tiger Festival back when they needed a disguise for Richard. But he didn't want to rush it and dump everything on her at once.

She's a little concerned about that pinkness in his face, but she pays close attention as he explained the origins of Tiger Festival. Taiga was giving Asbel the flattest of flat moogle expressions though. "You were going to name a little girl Tiger Festival?" Weird kids. WEIRD.

"I like it." Sophie was quick to defend not-dad's choice in naming. Of course she wasn't going to call him anything but Tiger Festival for sure now, like it or not.

Taiga scratched his head, "Kupoo..." What kind of a hero had he gotten saddled with? Oh well, at least she was a cute kid. "Still it sounds like she eventually remembered. That's good, right Sophie? That means you'll remember again, kupo~!"

Yay?

"Come on, I was eleven years old..." Asbel tried to defend himself from Taiga's judging looks. "But I admit my naming skills were pretty pathetic back then."

To be fair, they haven't improved much over the years. Still, it was still comforting to see that at least Sophie had his back on this one.

"Thanks, Sophie. But, maybe it'd be best to respect Taiga's wishes. There actually is one other person who sometimes goes by 'Tiger Festival' after all. It might get confusing if we had two Tiger Festivals." This was more for the moogle's benefit than anything, although he realized then that he hadn't even given them his own name. How could he have forgotten? Maybe a part of him had been hoping she'd recall it on her own, he didn't know.

"And my name's Asbel Lhant. You can just call me 'Asbel'. Sorry, I know this is a lot to take in..."

At this point, Asbel didn't have the heart to tell them that there were some things Sophie was still unlikely to remember. But the moogle had a point, if she remembered last time, maybe she'd be able to remember again somehow - at least that time when they were kids.

Taiga waved his paws, "O-Okay, kupo, Okay," he chuckled. If he was a kid it was understandable to give such a silly name. "That's okay," she offered reassuringly. "He can be Tiger Festival Number two, and he," pointing at the moogle. "Can be Tiger Festival number one."

"Why can't I just be Taiga, kupo?" Sneef. The moogle shook his head, wondering if he should just let her call him that, since she seemed to like the name so much. And it's nostalgic, somehow, to her? He guessed.

At the introduction, Sophie was thoughtful - it was obvious the name struck a note with her, and she frowned slightly, shaking her head. "But I want to know. I want to remember Asbel, and the other Tiger Festival."

Asbel couldn't help but give a small laugh. The power of 'Tiger Festival' sure was a mighty force. By this time, Tern had floated a bit closer to watch the exchange, and even he seemed a little amused, bringing his little paws up towards his face.

"Well... I guess? But only if Taiga says it's okay."

What he expected, Asbel wasn't sure. But one thing had become pretty clear, and that was Sophie's resolve. His mouth opened a little, then closed, and finally he just nodded, trying to remain collected.

"You will, Sophie. If that's what you want, then I'm sure you'll be able to remember us. I'll help you fill in the blanks, all right? And from here on, we can start making lots of new memories. You, me, and everyone else here, too. Does that sound good?"

No one can resist the power of Tiger Festival! Sophie glanced over to Taiga for confirmation, and the moogle heaved a put-upon sigh that was 90% fake. "Ahaha, it...s fine I guess, kupo. At least she seems to be happy about it, kupo."

Sophie nodded firmly at Asbel, though it bothered her a little, to not be able to remember him. Still, she could look forward to making new memories with him, and that made her rejoice a little. "Yes. My chest feels funny when I think about making new memories with you here." That would be the happyfuzzies.

~~Wow, he sure hopes he didn't just give her indigestion! That'd suck.~~

"Yeah, I agree. Thanks for all your help, Taiga." Asbel shot the moogle a tiny smile before straightening up a little and stepping out of the way of the people as they began to board the airship.

"That's normal, Sophie," he assured her. Despite the...odd way she chose to put it, he concluded that she must just be relieved. Complications aside, he was definitely feeling fortunate that they'd bumped into one another like this.

"Most people feel energized knowing they'll get to spend time with their friends. So, how about I walk with you guys for a bit? The airships are running every few hours. I'll just catch the next one."

~~FFfh nuuu..~~

As the crowd started to gather more, Taiga moved out of their way by sprawling on top of Sophie's head like a very strange kind of hat. Strange feeling in her chest aside, she at least could identify it better, and she gave him a pleased smile.

Energized - that was it exactly. "Okay!"

Taiga stretched his wings, because Sophie Transit was clearly the best way to ride. "Kupoo, why don't we head to the house then? You can get settled, meet your roommates - if they're there - and get some rest. It's been a pretty big day for you, kupo."

Sophie nodded - this time more carefully so as not to knock Taiga off. "Where were you going, Asbel...?"

"All right, sounds like a plan." With a nod of his own, Asbel gestured back down the walkway towards the docks that'd lead them into the city proper. They would have to go this way if they planned on traveling to the housing district and introducing themselves to Sophie's housemates.

"Going? Actually, I was headed for Traino Goldsaucia. Things didn't go so well the last time new Heroes arrived, so I thought I'd take an airship over and see if there was anything I could do to help."

"Tr-trano Golsaucia..." the other moogle murmured, floating near Asbel's shoulder.

"Huh? Did you say something, Tern?"

"The--! The c-city..." Tern stammered nervously. "It's called Trano Golsaucia, kupo."

Taiga stifled a snicker. Trano Golsaucia. Of course that snicker only became more pronounced when Sophie latched onto the mispronounciation. She immediately fell in step at Asbel's side, tilting her head. "What happened the last time in Train of Goldsauce?"

"Train of--" Taiga sputtered a laugh, quickly stifled it. "Ahem. Trano, kupo. Trano Golsaucia."

Clearly the ruining of names ran in the family!

"Oh." Was all Asbel could say, as he rubbed the back of his head. Crystallis definitely had its share of names that were a mouthful to try and pronounce.

Tern stifled another small laugh, more like a squeak, as he lit on Asbel's shoulder. "W-w-well... at...at least we're all talking about the same p-place, kupo?"

Asbel nodded, returning his attention to his curious not!daughter and Crystallis 101. "Yeah, well... That's kind of just it. From what I've heard, Heroes used to appear right here in Aqures Ixen."

Quickly looking to Tern for approval, the creature nodding bashfully before he continued. "But something must've happened with the crystals, because last time the Heroes showed up, it was in the middle of the Heran Empire - and not a good place to be. They were captured and held in a research facility as part of some kind of experiment, or so we think. And this time, it seems like the place they arrived in was Traino--Trano! Trano Golsaucia. Near the Crystal of Wind."

Edited 2015-05-10 18:08 (UTC)

Aqures Ixen wasn't much better. Sophie thought it was 'Aquires Icing' when she first heard it. Tasty city. "An experiment?" She frowned slightly. "You're a hero too, aren't you? Were you captured?" Thinkthinkthink. "I don't think anything bad was happening in Train of Golds- Trano Goldsauce."

Taiga stifled another chuckle. "Golsaucia, kupo."

"Right."

"Good to hear. I'd hate for anyone else to have to go through all that."

Asbel's head dipped a little as he continued to walk, ordering his thoughts. "It happened right after I got here. I don't really remember all the details..."

He offered Sophie a sympathetic smile. "Guess we're not so different, huh? One minute I was on my way to Barona, and the next I was waking up with the other captured Heroes. No one was around who would answer our questions, we couldn't get out, and moogles would arrive to feed us maybe once a day. Whatever the Empire was trying to do with us, it drained the color right out of our crystals."

On his shoulder, Tern shivered, pressing his face into Asbel's sleeve as if it was a time he didn't want to remember. Asbel patted him on the head and continued quietly.

"Anyway, things continued like that for a while - days, I guess, a week? - then the lights suddenly flickered and went out. We knew we couldn't wait any longer, so we worked together to escape. A bunch of the other Heroes were infiltrating the facility from the outside, as well, and we managed to meet up with them just in time."

All the same, there's a distinct frown on her face hearing he -did- go through that kind of thing. Taiga was quiet, watching Tern out of the corner of his eye, and Sophie looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "I should have been here." To help. Even though if she'd shown up at the same time as he did, she would probably have been among the captured too. She was okay with that though. At least she'd have been at his side.

"Were you two hurt?"

Asbel shook his head firmly. "No, it's better this way. I don't think I could stand it if something had happened to you back there. Even now, we're still trying to figure out what it all means."

He wasn't saying it out of disregard for Sophie's feelings, but because he wanted to protect her. By now he knew the lengths Sophie would go to for her friends, for her mission, and he couldn't bear the thought of her being put in harm's way again.

"Besides, I'm okay. It's just...I think it's been hard on Tern."

Tern slowly peeked his head up. "N-no... I wasn't hurt. B-but I...I don't ever want to go b-back there, kupo. We w-worked for Miss Kalki, kupo. If the Heroes hadn't helped us...we'd s-still be working for her, k-kupo."

Edited 2015-05-11 04:06 (UTC)

She'll just have to throw herself into harm's way then! ~~... I mean what~~

Sophie glanced over at Tern as Taiga settled on her head again like an oversized mooglecap. "Don't worry, Tern. We're all friends now. You won't have to go back there; we'll all Protect each other."

Taiga coughed slightly, wanting to inteject a little levity in the conversation, "W...well, if nothing else she certainly has the core of heroism down, kupo..heheh.." yeah, bad joke.

Sophie glanced back to Asbel and Tern, without missing a beat, "Kalki is the bad person?"

~~Over Asbel's dead body.~~

"We're...f-friends?" the moogle asked disbelievingly. "We're really friends? B-but we just met each other! How...how can you be sure you want to be my friend, kupo?"

"Yeah, she does." Choosing to ignore whatever joke lingered behind Taiga's words, Asbel could only smile at the exchange between Sophie and Tern. Heroism was definitely not something Sophie was lacking in any way. How many times had she rescued them now? Far more than he could count.

"Whether Kalki's a bad person or not, I don't think there's an easy answer." He replied, honestly not knowing how to feel about the woman. The problem was - he didn't know her goals, or the reasoning behind them. All he knew for sure was she played a hand in all this somehow, and she didn't seem to care who got hurt in the process. That method wasn't one he could agree with. "Maybe she believes what she's doing is for the greater good - we really can't be sure. But it is true that some of the things she's done are bad. There's no excuse for holding people captive, after all."

~~Not-dad isn't allowed to die!~~

Tern's question confused Sophie - her head tilting slightly as she tried to process that reasoning. "Why wouldn't I be?" He's Asbel's moogle friend, so naturally that meant she would be his friend and protect him too.

Sophie glanced back to Asbel, pondering his explanation. Hnnn. "Where is she now?"

"B-because I followed Miss Kalki's orders. And...and because I was too s-scared to do anything to help, kupo." Tern did his best to explain, paws clinging to Asbel's shoulder as they continued on their way. He wouldn't even be mad if she didn't want to be his friend. Some of the other moogles at Mognet Central would still float away without a word, even after he finally got up the courage to greet them.

"Where? Well, I don't really know exactly," confessed Asbel. "The research facility was destroyed, but she seems to have made it out okay."

At least, if that letter she'd sent them was to be believed. Asbel decided then and there that some things were better left for later. He wasn't ready to try explaining doppelgangers to Sophie just yet.

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