November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: NOVEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: November 3rd and beyond
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The New Arrivals: Hold My Hand
When you wake, it will be to the lapping of waves, frothed with foam...pulling at your hair, your skin, your clothing. The sand is soft and wet beneath you, but it's several inches submerged. And the longer you stay here, the more obvious it will be that the water level of the ocean ringing this strip of island has begun to to rise, and not merely because the tide has started to come in.

And what's more? You can tell that something else about this entire situation is horribly, horribly wrong.

Perhaps you've lost some special power. Perhaps some piece of your memory is freshly and disconcertingly blank. Perhaps you've just discovered that one of your senses is missing, or that you've been rendered unable to speak, or you've been struck by a debilitating fatigue. Not only are you stranded in some unfamiliar place, stuck on a rapidly flooding beach, but you aren't even doing it in full possession of all your faculties.
For those who agreed to put themselves at a disadvantage for a stranger, these are your consequences. If you're unclear as to the handicap your character has been assigned, if any, please check your initial acceptance notice!

All new arrivals will additionally awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can also be found in your acceptance notices!

For All: It's a Long Way Down
The water isn't a problem for the newest arrivals, either. It seems that the waters all over Ensō have started to rise, slowly at first, and then with a steadily increasing rate. At first, you might be forgiven for assuming the tide must simply be unusually high, or maybe that the island's begun to sink. But the longer it endures, the more obvious it becomes that neither is the case.

The water has begun to rise. Something is wrong with the island itself, or the being living on it, and now there is nothing preventing the water's inexorable approach as it steadily washes over and over the mainland. In fact, if you listen closely, you might even be able to hear a peculiar sound tearing over the cold rush of the coastal wind; something akin to a desolate wailing.

Either get to high ground - and quickly - or find out what's causing this. But either way, we suggest you hurry...because there are a great deal of newly arrived, very disoriented folk on the beach that could really, really use your help.

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As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

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Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

goro akechi | persona 5 | december spoils ahoy

[raygunner]

(( OOC NOTE: click here for hot december spoilers opt out ))

hold my hand

[ Akechi wakes, and he immediately notices something's off. For one, he's surrounded by water. That shouldn't be a thing, not after what happened back in the palace. For another, he... can't hear right. Everything is pretty muffled, including his own breathing and the water lapping at his surroundings.

What the hell? ]

Damn--

[ Even that is muffled, and Akechi starts to feel a little panicked. This is definitely not fine. Nothing is fine. Why can't he hear?

After the initial shock wears off, Akechi grabs his knapsack and starts to head off deeper into the heart of the island. Water can't catch him if he goes away from it...! Besides, he still has his gun--if he needs it, and if the thing isn't useless from water damage--and his personae stir inside his heart.

Regardless of where he's found, it's obvious he doesn't look happy. ]

[esper_magic]

[ Panick is new to her, and not really an emotion she's familiar with. Confusion on the other hand, she was at Master level in. She was almost always confused, and now was no different - why was the water rising? What was that howling sound? Who's that angry looking person with the g- oh. Coming across Akechi, Terra stopped short, a hand pressing against her opposite arm. ]

Um.... hello?

[raygunner]

[ Oh, there are people here. Immediately, Akechi's expression shifts into something more neutral, because even if he's frustrated beyond all belief, making enemies or frightening people is not a good thing.

She's talking, and at least he can read lips. ]

Hello. I'm sorry, I didn't expect anyone else to be around.

[esper_magic]

[ She relaxes when he seems to calm down, and nods a little. ]

There are quite a few of us here now. You were recently arrived here right...? Um.. you weren't hurt or anything were you?

[raygunner]

[ He wonders if she finds it weird that he's watching her very closely as she talks; it's not that he's being a creep, it's just...

Ugh. He hates not having perfect hearing. ]

I did, not a few minutes ago. [ Akechi shifts, putting a hand on his hip. ] Nothing is hurt, though I am finding it somewhat difficult to hear as well as I usually do.

[thisisourfuture]

[There had been crystals, and the sigils, and the virus. Watching people die isn't new to him but the manner of it was. He can picture it all too clearly. But, the water rising and wailing wind? That's new.

One more worry to have when he's already tired and willing to put his face down against the ground and not think. Hinata pushes his way through the trees, axe propped up on one shoulder when he stumbles across a stranger with a gun.

He halts in place, too tired to feel anything more than resigned. He holds up his left hand.]

New?

[raygunner]

[ Akechi's eyes drift from the stranger's face to the axe. Ah. Isn't that a familiar sight. At least it doesn't seem to put him on guard... at least, not in the most obvious of ways. Akechi can't be totally off his guard in a new place, especially not after--

...

Nevermind. He raises a hand in greeting, too. Reads the stranger's lips. Nods. ]

I am, and at an unfortunate time, it seems.

[thisisourfuture]

...yeah. I don't know why we're being flooded. [He shifts his pack strap and partly turns towards the islets. He needs to find everyone he can and pull them to safety. Yet, he won't drop his guard. This isn't back on Jabberwock.]

The islets are safe. I can show you to them. But we need to hurry. There's going to be more new people and I want to save as many as I can.

[raygunner]

[ He's distracted enough by trying to figure out his surroundings that he doesn't hear the first half of what Hinata says, oops. But he does catch the other half. ]

... [ Where are they going again? ] I'd appreciate that very much, actually. As long as you don't lead me into some horrible trap, I'd be glad to follow you.

[souris_keteer]

[Mickey has taken to the trees, trying to find out what's causing the flooding. When he spots the newcomer, he tries to shout a friendly hello...

... And is ignored. Huh. Weird. Didn't this guy hear him? He tries again, scooting out further along the branch - still nothing. What's with this guy? He scoots further -

and that's when the branch breaks, and down he goes, falling in a spot right in front of Akechi.

The dude's seen a walking/talking cat, so a mouse with the same deal should be fine, right?]

Oof!

[raygunner]

[ Well, he at least lets out a surprised exclamation. Wouldn't anyone, really? Sure, the fact that it's... a mouse... is strange, because he wasn't aware that there were more creatures like Morgana.

Huh. ]

Ah, are you alright? [ he asks, kneeling down to help him up. ]

[souris_keteer]

[He begins standing up, chuckling sheepishly as he brushes dirt and sand off his outfit.]

Nothin' hurt but my pride!

[raygunner]

[ Ah, he can talk. Good. ]

Hopefully that'll mend soon enough. [ Haha, see, he's so pleasant. Nothing wrong here. Ignore the gun that he'll place into a holster at his hip. ] Pardon me, but do you happen to know why any of this is happening?

[maku]

[ ALRIGHT, COOL, COOL, COOL, THIS IS FINE, THIS IS JUST A-OKAY.

Karin's... doing her best today, let's say. There's not a whole lot she can do to fight the ocean (not that she hasn't considered trying) so she figures the best way for her to help is to get as many of these newcomers off the island as possible before someone ends up drowning like an idiot. ]

Hey-- hey!

[ She's loud but it's probably still a good job that she goes darting in front of him, hands held up to keep him from going any further ]

Hold up, just-- you're new, right?

[raygunner]

[ why are you so loud

Akechi stops, raising both eyebrows. She's so small... and loud. ]

I did just arrive, yes.

[maku]

[ because she's Karin Miyoshi and that's how she do ]

Well, okay, you need to get out of here, pronto. Come with me, yeah? I'll get you somewhere safe. We've just gotta get to a mana pool and get off this island before the whole thing sinks.

[immortalflower]

[Oh dear. This is the first batch of new arrivals Ouse's witnessed since she arrived, and she wonders if every batch brings some kind of minor disaster along with them.

Still, she supposes she should help. It's only polite, right? The people had helped her when she first arrived, so it was only right to return the favor.

It's on her way to do just this that she runs into Akechi--not literally, but possibly close, and she stops short with a look of alarm. She probably looks like she stepped out of some kind of period drama or something, though the headdress and veil are missing this time around.]

Ah... [She looks behind him, noting he's come from the direction of the beach and he's got the knapsack] Are you... a new arrival?

[raygunner]

[ Ah, she must be a cosplayer.

Akechi blinks, and he's distracted with just that--the knapsack--so he doesn't hear her question. ]

I'm sorry, would you mind repeating that?

[immortalflower]

An arrival. [She repeats herself calmly, continuing to watch him. She's curious as to what his knapsack might carry, but alas, is too polite to simply ask outright. So she's just trying to catch a glimpse instead.]

New people seem to be arriving and the beach is dangerous right now. [So, you know, she should probably make sure he keeps moving. She points to the direction of it] I've been told new arrivals typically show up there. And you came from the direction of the beach, correct?

near but not ON the beach, probably

[bloodyashes]

[On the bright side, at least this person hasn't gotten the drop on Asch - he's pulled back from the beach into the jungle just far enough to be out of the reach of the water, for the moment.

And he's easy to see, with that bright red hair - you'd have to spend a truly ridiculous amount of money on dye to get it that color and length, wouldn't you?

Still, for all that the new arrival is only about the same age, Asch keeps a hand on the sword at his side - there's a second one, identical, hung in the straps of his knapsack. A little suspicion never hurt anyone...

Especially not when that person looks concerningly like a younger Jade Curtiss, aside from the outfit. Not that Asch can clearly remember who that is, but the combination of red eyes and that brown hair puts him on guard for some reason.]

Need something?

[raygunner]

[ Clearly, he's dealing with a delinquent.

Akechi raises both eyebrows. He's... well. Anyone with eyes and a decent sense of perception can tell that this is not someone to be trifled with. Akechi's glad he's holstered his gun, because he'd really rather not be seen as a threat of any sort. ]

A hearing aid would be ideal, followed by an explanation for why I've been-- [ brought back from the dead ] --dropped here in such an unceremonious manner.

[bloodyashes]

[He's also dressed like some kind of cosplayer, but then, you see all sorts of weirdos in Tokyo. The attitude is right for a delinquent, though, that scowl might be stuck there.

After the mention of the hearing aid, though, the redhead does make it a point to speak a little louder. A reasonably considerate delinquent cosplayer?]

I don't have any more of either of those than you do.

[He vaguely remembers some kind of weird dream, but beyond that? Yeah, he's not sure why him, either. At least at this point, he's fairly sure of the last few things that happened to him... before.]

[forgetmenow]

[Cole isn't so much on the lookout for newcomers as he tends to be where they are when he's needed. There's a few of them again, new, confused, like everyone else was (and still is, maybe).

He finds himself near people, his path leading him to them without thinking.

Except...

Except something feels different.

No, that's not right, they're all different, no one here seems really right. But more different. He has to listen carefully to understand the problem and that's how he finds himself suddenly right near Akechi, staring right at him.

And then suddenly he realizes what's off.]

There's... more than one of you.

[raygunner]

[ Ah, the appearance of a stranger--a helpful stranger, he isn't certain about this one, but they're all so helpful here and he isn't used to that--is nothing new here. Akechi's getting used to it by now.

... But there's something off, Akechi feels that too. There's no questions if he's new, if he needs anything, if he's hurt or whatever it is these people feel like asking about to seem kind. Really, it's... unnerving. ]

Excuse me? [ he asks, all smiles. ]

[forgetmenow]

You're... more than you. [The words come out carefully, measured. As if he's struggling to find the right ones.] But not at the same time.

It's still you. Except...

[It's on multiple levels and it's confusing him. There's something in here that's not right, doesn't fit. Something different, new. And yet things he understands more are there too, but... it's hard to listen when he's not sure what to listen to.

One thing he knows, though.]

...So many masks.