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

[dvaita]

[ The sound of her voice still rang in his ears. For Serph, there's no time to assess where he is and what's at hand, not when the last thing he remembers is a blinding light and the world and his tribe, literally falling away. Everything else can wait&emdash;it doesn't even register that everything about this place is wrong in more ways than he can count. There's too many other people here, too many other people that lack a brand and aren't one of his own. The words he shouts as he hurredly rushes out of the motel sound like a mix of adjectives and names: Sera, Heat, Gale, Cielo. He's a blur of silver and grey, a streak of orange over the uniform he's wearing the only color in his appearance.

As soon as he sets foot outside however, he abruptly comes to a stop, staring at the open sky. ]

This is-Light Time? ...the Moon? [ The last word is said waveringly and unsure, like a word you've heard once before but aren't quite sure how to pronounce. His hand snaps to his left cheek, tracing the black symbol seemingly tattooed there, as he stands there unmoving. ]

Could this really be...Is this Nirvana?

[odoruhinokaze]

[ In the middle of Serph's blissful wonderings, here's Axel coming up on his side and giving him a Look. If there was a record player nearby there definitely would've been the sound of a record scratching right about now. ]

Probably not.

Anyway, I'm guessing you have a reason for throwing out those terms in a weird way, right?

[dvaita]

[ A look, huh? Axel gets one a stoic one back as Serph gives him a quick once over. Hmm, no Atma mark... ]

Who are you? [ A beat. ] And what terms?

[odoruhinokaze]

"Light-Time" and "Nirvana".

[ Should he answer the name-asking question seriously. ]

I'm the King of Pridelands. Pleased to meet you.

[dvaita]

[ Pointedly: ] Yes.

Serph, leader of the Embryon.

[clearities]

I don't think it's Nirvana... but I'm pretty sure that's the sun and not the moon.

[dvaita]

[ Ah, had he said that aloud? For a moment he pauses, his mind snapping back to the present and away from his thoughts. ]

I thought Nirvana would have a sun like this. [ But of course, this can't be Nirvana. Not when he still has his Atma, and not when he's the only one here. Except that wasn't true either—who were all these other people he saw? He had been in such a rush that he hadn't even stopped to consider how wrong that was. How young the girl in front of him was either.

Instead of asking all the questions that rush his head, he responds simply. ]

They're both celestial bodies, right?

[clearities]

W-Well... I don't really know much about Nirvana... but I saw a map of this place, and it said the name of the place was Cartesio.

[So, there's that.] I think they are, but the sun is a star and the moon isn't... at least, that's what I know for sure.

[paciscere]

The moon? [ hello, coming up from behind him, casual and relaxed. there's a slight note of interest in his question. ] Is that what you see - not the sun?

[dvaita]

[ Maybe it's the other boy's unassuming demeanor, but Serph's first response is to chuckle quietly. ]

I'm not sure what I'm seeing. I've never seen anything like this before, but I've heard about it.

[paciscere]

[ oya? ]

Is that so... Where are you from?

[snailedit]

[What a strange person. Mira's not sure if he means to be talking to her, but she'll answer anyway, because she's that bemused with him. Especially thinking the sun is the moon. When was the last time you went outside, guy? Or maybe he's delusional.]

Isn't Nirvana supposed to come with freedom from suffering? I don't know about you, but I'm still feeling some earthly pains.

[dvaita]

It's supposed to be paradise, but— [ Abruptly he stops, staring straight at Mira. Noticeably not at her chest or even her face, but her hair. ]

...who are you? And what is 'Earth'?

[snailedit]

[She looks a bit dumbfounded by 'what is Earth.' At first, she thinks it's a joke, but he's staring at her hair and nothing makes sense.]

... Seriously? Where do you think we are?

[magecrafter]

[ Luthier had spent his time wandering around this town mostly avoiding the other people-- talking to people wasn't remotely a talent of his, and these others obviously are as confused and alone as he is.

Besides, Delthea is strong, stronger then he is or could be, and his sister would never let someone possess her once again. Not without a loud raucous and enough scorch marks to shame a forest fire. He has to believe that.

The young man that comes full tilt out of the original building seems to be in even more dire straights then he, if such a thing was possible.]

Excuse me young man, I believe you mean "the sun"?

[dvaita]

They're both celestial bodies, aren't they?

[ Seems that way, considering his reply sounds genuinely curious. ]

[magecrafter]

Yes, they are. They are not one and the same, however. This one, the one that's visible in the day time, is the sun. You called it the moon.

[intentus]

[ this isn't the first—nor will it be the last—time natsume's heard something so peculiar. while he does notice it (and in the back of his mind he can't help but wonder if this is a youkai), the tattoo catches more of his attention than the question.

uncertainly, he watches the way serph traces it. is it anything like natori-san's...? natsume briefly closes his eyes and debates leaving this person alone. at least, until he hears another question. ] Nirvana?

[dvaita]

Paradise. The land where there's no need for fighting, war or— [ What else did Nirvana consist of again? He brushes a hand through his hair and shakes his head. ]

It's not here. I couldn't have reached Nirvana without the rest of the Embyron.

[intentus]

[ ... ah. there's something sad about how that sounds. not because of what it is, it's more the way those words are typically used in stories. paradise, nirvana, utopia, those are all things that people in stories yearn for but can't find because they don't really exist.

or at least, they don't exist for humans. briefly, he glances off to the side. he doesn't believe they're in nirvana, but more than that he doesn't believe it's a place this boy can reach. ] ... I don't think it's here either.

[lasergun]

[ Juno is only passing by the motel, but it's hard to ignore the person staring at the sky like he's never seen it before. ]

Hey, hey, don't look right at it. [ Since he's apparently talking about the Sun. ] Did someone do something to you?

[dvaita]

[ ...you know honestly that's helpful, even if he likely would have turned away instinctually.]

What? What do you mean?

[lasergun]

What do I mean―I mean that you're barreling out of the creepiest damn motel this side of the nebula, staring up at the sky, and asking about Nirvana. [ His concern is understandable okay. ]

If that doesn't sound like a bad trip gone crabwise, I don't know what to tell you. So, you take something? Eat anything weird?

[valimar]

I don't know about Nirvana, but that's definitely not the moon. ...Might wanna be careful there, by the way. Just saying.

[ He's probably heard this a dozen times but it bears repeating! Don't burn the eyes out, buddy. Still, his reaction alone is pretty notable. He seems pretty shocked to see daylight from the looks of it. Or maybe just clear skies in general. Either way, is he from an area where that's not a common occurrence? ]

I take it that's not a thing where you're from?

[dvaita]

[ Noted, he turns his gaze to focus on Rean wincing a bit. The "Moon" is pretty, OK. ]

The sun, then? [ It was one of those two, he's pretty sure. ]

Yeah, we don't have a sun or a moon but someone told me about them once. We don't have day or night either, but Light Time and Shade Time.