WEEK 0 — ARRIVAL

[cartesio]

Week 0: Arrival

When you wake up you immediately feel something’s off. You sit on the bed and find it’s not your bed, and this isn’t your room either. You seem to be in a rather normal-looking motel room. To your side there’s a trunk, if you open it you’ll find a military uniform, the key to your room, a set of rules and a debit card. Don’t lose those items! Or do lose the rules, you'll find a brand new copy the next day under your pillow. There’s also a calendar on the wall, you can see today’s date. The year is unreadable, but the month and day are very clear:

March 28^th
There it says ‘Meet the Sergeant at the Lodge, 9:00 AM’. There’s also a circle around March 31st, with the word ‘END’ scrawled there.

For now leaving your motel room would be a good choice. When you reach the lobby, you see the receptionist’s desk— no one’s manning it. There’s a rack filled with maps, marking several locations in the town.

There are also many strangers here – and you’re one more. For now it may be a good idea to take a map and explore the town.

After all, looks like you’re stuck here in the boonies for a while.

Links

IC Rules
Room Assignments
Locations
Tasks (LOCKED currently)

March 28^th
March 29^th
March 30^th

Comments

[monstrology]

[At the reception desk of the motel stands another confused newcomer, this one dressed in religious garb. He's peering around the desk and poking around where he can.]

Not here either... What sort of half-assed management is this?

[He mutters that to himself before straightening up and taking notice that he is no longer alone. Well, may as well give asking around a shot. He calls out with a pleasant front, though the edges of his tone hint at a bit of anxiety.]

Pardon me! You wouldn't happen to know where the staff of this establishment is, would you? I seem to have had my belongings confiscated and replaced with [he waves his debit card] this piece of plastic. I don't appreciate an unfair trade, especially one that I don't recall accepting in the first place.

[After ending up with no answers at the motel, the next logical course of action would be to do what the calendar suggested: head for the lodge. So that's what Will does, and he can be found around town as he makes his way there. At just about every new location he finds, his intrigue only grows.]

This is like no island I've ever set foot on...

[Just where in the skydoms is he? And where is the rest of the crew?]

reception desk

[clearities]

[Sakura wears an apologetic smile, shaking her head.]

I'm sorry, but I don't... I think that plastic is supposed to be some sort of debit card, though!

[She knows a little about it from her family using it, at least.]

[monstrology]

[Will's hardly going to fault the young girl for not knowing, but... He glances from Sakura to the debit card, then back.]

A "debit card"?

[Admittedly, its importance is lost on him. At least someone here is familiar with it.]

[clearities]

Yeah. It's supposed to be a card that has money on it, from what I've heard about it. You use that instead of actual physical money... but only adults are supposed to use it.

[Which is strange that Sakura herself has one, too.]

[monstrology]

Is that right? My, that's quite the innovation!

[He wonders which skydom came up with it... Either way, it would be a trend he certainly wouldn't mind becoming normalized.]

Did you end up with one as well then, miss?

[clearities]

Mmhm... but I don't know why, since I'm not an adult yet.

[monstrology]

Seems like this establishment follows a different set of beliefs.

[He pockets the card with a smile.]

Though I have to ask, why do you believe that they are only for adults? Because they are expected to handle money responsibly?

around town;

[odoruhinokaze]

You think this is an island?

[ Ello there partner, don't mind him coming right up beside you. ]

[monstrology]

[He doesn't seem to mind! He even tipped his head in Axel's direction as he walked up. The footsteps were hard to miss.]

I'll raise you a better question: Why wouldn't this be an island?

[He's trying not to sound incredulous but really, that's a strange question to ask.]

[odoruhinokaze]

[ He doesn't see many islands even when he's traveled -- just a few here or there but it doesn't feel like they're on one. Or if they are, it's on a big island.

Eh. ]

If it was an island then we'd already know it was.

That's why.

[monstrology]

[...hmmm. This is so strange.]

That is flawed logic, you know. Islands can be quite vast, with the edges miles and miles away from towns. Unless you have a specific idea of what an island should look like...?

[odoruhinokaze]

Yeah. Island-shaped, like this.

[ He makes vague shapes with fingers.

Clearly he's not in the mood for any logic. Is that something you can eat, gosh. ]

[monstrology]

[For a moment, Axel's just going to get stunned silence from Will.

Is this man for real?]

I must ask again: why wouldn't this be an island? The thought that we are somehow under the sky is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

around town

[agoreable]

[ They're heading in the same direction, so Lovepon runs into him rather naturally. Normally she isn't one for initiating too much conversation, but in this scenario she has no idea what is going on so she'd prefer to get her bearings by meeting people and making allies.

She hears him mutter and adjusts her pace so she comes to walk closeby. ]

I think this isn't an Island at all.

[monstrology]

[That statement is going to get quite the curious glance from Will as he turned to acknowledge Lovepon's presence.]

Oh? Why would you say that?

[It's as if he couldn't imagine it being anything other than an island.]

[agoreable]

Well, everything here looks very typically American - I don't think there are any major American islands that have the same look to them. So we'd be on a continent.

[ Not that she has ever been to the US herself, but having seen images and movies clearly counts for a good enough impression. This place does its best to suit the stereotype anyway. ]

[monstrology]

[???

This only serves to further confuse him.]

I'm sorry, "American"? I'm afraid I haven't heard of such a location. But typically, bodies of land are considered to be islands, large or small.

[agoreable]

Huh...? No, the biggest ones are continents. There's 7 of them. You learn that in every school.

[ ... well, every school Lovepon knows of. Which, she is slowly realizing, might not mean much. ]

[monstrology]

That's not...

[He starts to argue that point, but trails off. Okay, something is going on here.]

I don't mean to discredit you, and I trust you're being sincere. It's just that I... I believe we may be from two very different places.

Desk

[streetwolf]

[He's just wandering out but he stops. Completely ignoring what the other guy said for a moment.]

...What are you supposed to be?

[The hell is this? Ah- He has the card as well?]

They took your shit too? My guns missing. Tch...

[monstrology]

[Thanks, Wayne. Will offers a polite enough smile as he answers.]

What, never seen a priest before?

[He assumes that's what the man was asking about, anyway. He saw the way he was eyeing his clothing.]

But yes, they did. Confiscated my weapon as well. Awfully rude of them, really.

[streetwolf]

Ain't they supposed to have beads and the white collar-thing? [But he scoffs and moves on.]

No kidding. Wonder if they sold em for scrap. Only thing in my room other than the paper was that uniform.

[monstrology]

My apologies for not meeting your exact expectations of a holy man, sir. [He doesn't actually sound sorry though. More important though, is Wayne's implication about their belongings.] Oh, I certainly hope not. My weapon is one of a kind, far more valuable than mere scrap.

[If he finds out they really did pawn off The Cross, he'll be so pissed.]

Ah, I found similar items in my room. What did "the paper" detail for you?

[streetwolf]

Pretty sure people'd pay more attention to you talking than those old guys. [That's disrespectful to priests!]

The 'rules'...[He scoffs.] Most of it's pretty basic stuff. Other than a bit were we have to stay here for four days. And they can be changed whenever.

[monstrology]

Had some bad experiences with them, I take it?

[He wouldn't be surprised. There are some shitty excuses for priests out there.

As for the second bit, he hums in confirmation.]

A similar case on my end. Seems this "Sergeant" has gathered a group of us here for this... Whatever this is.