melodiesoflife | 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

Robin looked at the horizon, pleased to watch everything pass by. She didn't quite feel at ease with her surroundings -- that would take time and familiarity -- but she felt like she could start to move on. She even looked forward to arriving in Aqures Ixen, a little. She could settle in, start to make sense of things, and learn about her world. If she threw herself into things, maybe the sense of homesickness would fade. Morgan would help with that too.

That reverie and comfort ended when a guy shot to the railing and puked. Robin's expression screwed up and she took a step back, covering her mouth -- a sympathetic gag reflex was a thing -- and tried, and failed, to keep herself from looking sick.

But, she never rode on an airship before. Airsickness was a foreign concept to her. She reached, instead a very different conclusion.

"Gods!" she exclaimed. "It's... it's a little early to be drinking! Should you lay down?" She looked over the railing and appreciated, really, how far down it was. "Do you need help?"

Cloud tried to slump down to the deck, his stomach spent, but he was too weak to move. At least he wasn't afraid of heights as well. It was the motion more than any vertigo that had been causing him trouble.

"Help....yes please...sorry." He wanted to tell her that he hadn't been drinking too, but he couldn't muster the energy for it.

"O-Okay," Robin said, "let's get you upright. One moment!"

She walked over next to him. Despite her not-so-great stature, she had a deceptive upper body strength -- it came from swinging about a sword -- and she slid an arm around his back easy, then threw his arm over her shoulder. She took a few, careful steps backward.

"Hold on," she said, "we'll just get you over to that barrel. See?" She pointed with her free hand. "You can sit on that and everything will be fine."

Cloud wasn't that bad to move anyway. He didn't yet have the muscle mass he'd have in his future and his gear was fairly lightweight. A good shoulder was all that was needed, even with how much dead weight he was as he shuffled along with Robin.

He shook his head at the prospect of sitting on the barrel though. Once they got there he settled for slumping down against it instead. At least this way he was at less risk of tipping over.

The young man was still a bit green around the gills as he flashed Robin an apologetic smile. "You're...one of the new heroes...right?"

"Here we go, easy does it..."

Robin helped lower him -- she didn't balk at wanting to lean against the barrel, instead -- and then dropped down a knee beside him. She looked him over carefully, before she smiled; it was entirely an effort to be reassuring at the moment. "Yeah," she said. "I just arrived here, at the... temple of wind?" She said it like she wasn't sure that it was right. "It had an enormous crystal."

She tilted her head, then offered a hand for a handshake. "The name's Robin."

His hand shook a bit but he smiled as he took hers in his and gave it a shake. "Yeah, Wind. I'm...Cloud...Another one of the Heroes...Been here for a while." He stopped for a moment, taking it slow and taking some long breaths before continuing, a little more evenly than before.

"Wanted to come help welcome the new heroes. Forgot I was probably going to get airsick."

"It happens," Robin said. She assumed it was like being seasick. She smiled, before she made herself more comfortable, folding her legs under her to take a seat instead of kneeling.

"How long have you been here?" she asked. "I didn't hear when we started appearing in this world."

"A few months now? It must be...more than half a year...wow." He looked shocked, like he hadn't done the math in a while.

"It's not so bad here, but then again I come from a world similar to this one. And most everyone I know is here." He really wasn't missing much from home at this point. The one person he was concerned about was his mom. Kunsel was probably doing good for himself though.

"Mm-hm..." Robin murmured, trailing off with a distant look in her eyes for a moment. She didn't know anyone here; even having her son here wasn't quite the same. She never met him before. Not for the first time, but more keenly, she felt the loss of the Shepherds. "That seems like it would help. But... it doesn't seem like such a bad place to spend that much time, either. It's an interesting world. And parts of it..."

She tilted her head, glancing back in the direction of Trano Golsaucia. "It looked fun. Lively."

Cloud smiled and nodded at her assessment. Some color was coming back to his cheeks and he was looking a bit more lively himself. "I like it here. The powers we can get from our jobs can make anyone who wants to be a hero into one. And there's so many other ways to spend your time too."

Cloud...carefully looked at the city receding in the distance. "Did you go to the Blitzball stadium?"

"I noticed that jobs are very varied--well, heard. I've not had a chance to practice," Robin said. But it was the first thing to do, she thought. She smiled, tilting her head to the side. She looked curious.

"I don't think so," she said. Then she added: "What's Blitzball?"

"It's sorta like...soccer I guess? But you carry the ball. And it's under water." He didn't give her time to comment, "The players have breathing devices but some of them can hold their breath for the entire game. I can't even do it for much more than a minute."

"Gods!" she exclaimed at the end of his explanation. "How do they--how could someone hold their breath that long? I'd think they would drown! A-and breathing devices? They have those?"

"Or potions or something. But Yuna....Yunie says she can do it and she just practiced to get there. I'm not sure if I believe her but she's not really the type to lie like that."

"I've no reason to doubt her, either, but..." She sighed. "If she's wrong, you could discover it by drowning!"

Cloud looked momentarily horrified. The idea of Yunie lying to him about this honestly never occurred to him.

"A-anyway, I haven't heard of that happening recently so I guess they know what they're doing."

"Y-Yes," Robin murmured. "I will have to see this for myself!"

Maybe she could find some practical use for--no, probably not. But it would still be stunning!

Intro Log || The City That Never Sleeps

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject