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...

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"Oh--" Robin started to reply, to say it wasn't necessary. The hungry look she gave the skewers spoke louder than words, though. She smiled when Zelda came back with one for her; she took it, looking it over for only a moment, before she took a bite into it.

Much better than bear, she thought.

"Thanks!" she said, energetically. "This is really good. I guess crossing between worlds like that makes a lady hungry..."

"I think so too." Zelda laughed softly. It was nice to talk about things that were dark and depressing like airships and food. She turned towards the city with a warm gaze.

"We can take a look around as we walk to the airships. Because the heroes woke up here there are special ones leaving every few hours. It'd be a shame not to look around first." She turned back towards Robin with a smile.

True they had things to talk about but being happy and enjoying yourself was important too. At least it was to Zelda, she wanted everyone to feel comfortable even if this wasn't their home.

"Oh, yes," Robin said. "Let's do that. I should have a look around!"

She smiled, biting into the skewer again -- she was a soldier, so she ate quickly -- and looked around. Truth be told, she felt more at home now. There were many questions, still, and the feeling would take awhile to stick. But, for the first time since she arrived here, she began to feel at ease.

Zelda was happy to walk by Robin's side and follow her lead. She had spent some time in Trano Golsaucia before now and so she knew the city decently well. When something came to mind she'd point and tell Robin a little bit about it before falling back into a comfortable silence of sight seeing. A few of the shops Zelda paused at but she wasn't going to go in unless Robin wanted too.

"They also have games here."

"Oh?" Robin asked, looking sideways at Zelda while she walked. The sights were interesting; she didn't rush for a shop, not knowing where to start and not having money to spend yet. "What sorts of games? Puzzles?"

There probably weren't puzzles in an amusement park, but she didn't know that.

"I think some might be but from what I've seen it's mostly left up to chance." Like picking the correct treasure chest to win a price or throwing rings onto bottles. You could aim and you could practice but it would come down to luck in the end.

"Do you like puzzles?"

Zelda smiled watching Robin curiously as they walked towards the airship.

"Oh, I see..." Robin murmured, glancing at a game. Then she looked back at Zelda and nodded once to her. "I do! I'm a tactician by trade." Was a tactician, perhaps? No, she still needed to be one; it was too central to her identity to surrender. She would find a way to keep it.

"Puzzles are a way of training my mind," she explained. "Like mock battles or wargames with pieces on a map. It's as important as practicing my spells or my swordplay."

"That sounds amazing." Zelda's smile grew at the new piece of information. "I've never been very good at puzzles. I know others who are though."

She was sure there were games here that might be able to both refine such skills and be fun. Maybe playing together to see who was the better tactician. It sounded like it could be fun though Robin might destroy all the competition.

"I think that's a wonderful skill to have and considering the way we've organized in fights in the past I'm happy to have you here." The chocobo eater incident comes to mind though only a handful of heroes knows about it.

"It's really been useful back home," Robin admitted. She folded her arms behind her back while she walked, looking around the surroundings still; she had an eye for detail precisely because she was a tactician. "I'm hoping that I can put it to good use here, too."

She glanced sideways at Zelda. "I'll try to organize people when it's time to," she said. But, she knew, even if she didn't say so, it would be a lot of work. That required trust and familiarity.

Robin couldn't force or fake that.

Zelda knew that people needed trust and familiarity to work well together. That was why she did what she did. Why she insisted on having gatherings with the heroes at least once a month. They needed to see each other, to meet and to talk. They needed to get to know one another. She feared that it wasn't enough but it was something that she could do.

She sighed softly letting her gaze wonder over the city. "Could you teach me about strategies like that? I have studied many things though until recently war wasn't so common in my world."

Robin glanced sideways at Zelda; she considered for a moment, but she nodded. She could teach it; it required some innate talent, but until she knew Zelda better, she couldn't say if she had that sense of logistics, tactics, and the like. "I can do that," she said. "I'll need to see what texts the libraries here have. Something to start you off with."

Zelda nodded. "I have a lot of books I've collected on history at the observatory but I'm thinking that might not be what you are looking for."

She smiled at Robin noting that they were getting close to the airhips that were set to pick up heroes every few hours. "I'm usually at the observatory so any time you might be free."

Zelda was the type to open up her schedule last minute and since she told Ashelia she would watch over the Observatory, that was where she would be.

"Books about historical battles are the best," Robin said. "I know a few from my world, but the ones from this world... I'll need to review them first, so I know what I'm recommending. But the best place to start is with the past, so we can learn from it."

Then they could get into practice, likely with miniatures first.

Zelda nodded. "Since arriving here I've read a lot about this world. It's past, it's wars. Most of it wasn't so helpful considering certain records were lost depending on who the victor was."

She looked over at Robin wondering how familiar the girl was with war. It was almost too perfect that she would show up now.

"The library has many books though and I haven't been able to sort through them all"

"Mm-hmm," Robin murmured. "That's often a problem. I'll see what I can find. I'm pretty good at tracking texts down, though."

She smiled at that, just a little proudly. It was one of her talents.

"I'm glad." Zelda smiled a little wider. There was a lot of things they still needed to know. It was good having another hero who didn't shy away from reading. She knew that Genesis read and at times Sephiroth but she wasn't sure who else among the heroes truly loved books.

"I think you will like the Library then."

Zelda stopped walking looking up at the airship that was ahead. "We are almost there." She pointed though the gesture felt redundant. It was hard to miss.

"Ah, look at it!" Robin said, staring as she got her first look. Airships were far beyond the technology on Ylisse; she hadn't seen a flying machine like that. Only pegasus and wyvern riders ever took to the skies like that, and they could only fly. She whistled lowly.

"Incredible! To think I'll ride one..." She trailed off, with a sigh. "I'll look forward to it!"

Zelda kept her gaze on the ship with a wide smile. She wished now that she had brought her loftwing but it was a little to far for the bird. "I think you will enjoy it."

She looked over at Robin. "You don't have to go now. Though I might head back to the temple to greet others. Is it alright if I leave you here?"

"Oh, certainly," Robin said. She glanced sideways at Zelda, then smiled. "I'll have a look around first. I should speak to more of the other new arrivals, too!"

Hopefully she wouldn't find another future child of hers here. That would be strange.

"Thanks for the help, Zelda."

Zelda waved, "Thank you for talking with me." With that she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

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Intro Log || The City That Never Sleeps

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