spellbinders | [WORLD TWO

Who: All coven members
Where: In and around the new world’s apartment building where the coven is staying
When: Day (the calendar isn’t syncing for me hELP)
Open/Closed: Open to All

You’re in a room. It’s pretty bright — blindingly so, even. There’s something very stark and very clean about the place, and also the person you’re sitting in front of. You’re sitting? You’re sitting. There’s also a pane of very powerful plexiglass separating you from the uniform-clad person who is now speaking to you.

It’s impossible to transcribe what they say verbatim, but here’s the gist of it:

- You’re being welcomed to a city called Shehui. Depending on who you are, the level of technology may be light years ahead of you or child’s play.
- There’s a very strict policy about magic. While there are measures put in place to prevent magic from happening, this is still something that they reiterate over and over. They don’t want to take chances.
- Crime is also frowned upon. Small infractions will result in credit deductions, while major crimes will get you banned. Antisocial behavior is also looked down upon. You’re locked in the city for your initial eight weeks. You can leave afterwards, but trying to break out of the city or cause social unrest will result in monitoring and a potential ban.
- This city is supposed to be somewhat relaxing. Is it a free pleasure cruise? No. Is it a self-contained society that runs on community and indulgence? Yes.
- You’re being given an allotment of credits in order to stay in the city, which is what the economy there runs on. This goes on for quite some time.
- You’re being moved to a housing location. Despite the slotted speaker in the middle of the plexiglass, the only time you have a chance to ask questions is when a small slit opens in the bottom and a package is slid towards you.
- What’s in the package? There’s a credit card-like apparatus that has apparently taken a picture of you. It contains a place to write your name, an identification number and barcode. It also has a thin strip near the top that has scrolling script floating by. It states “WELCOME TO SHEHUI. YOUR ID WILL UPDATE WITH COMMUNITY NOTICES AND PERSONAL PINGS FOR JOBS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO YOUR INTEREST.” It’s a lot to take in, but that’s the long and short of it.

Have questions? The person will reiterate a few times that there are information desks around the city. That’s all for now…now you’ll be traveling to your next destination: your new home.

The floor slowly lowers as if you’ve been in an elevator the whole time. It connects to several other glass containers, much like your own, all suddenly clanking together in a chain. After a short wait, the chain begins to move — quickly. Faster, maybe, than you’ve ever gone before. It’s hard to even make out the scenery when you’re zipping past everything so quickly.

Where does this trip lead you? The ground floor of your new apartment building. The plexiglass cases open up and you’re in a hotel lobby. There’s a flashing board on the wall — NEW ARRIVALS, COME HERE.

The apartment building is locked up tight for three hours in order to let new arrivals get their bearings. After that, the ground floor lobby doors open into the city of Shehui. There’s a lot to take in, but let’s cover the biggest bases:

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh yeah? Try me.

How much do you like warm blood?

[He asked for it? Eesh, so edgy.]

[ SO EDGY. he's immediately reminded of Shadow... which is to say, he doesn't look impressed. ]

Don't tell me. You're a vampire.

[Why does he look so nonchalant talking about vampires. What kind of life do you lead, Sonic?]

No. [Her voice is flat.]

You don't seem very unnerved.

[ he turned into a werewolf once, so he's over it... ]

Should I be? You're not scary or anything.

Fine with me, if that's what you think.

[She's not going to try to prove him wrong. There's no point.]

That still doesn't mean I'm good company.

I think you're better than no company.

[ she's a stranger, sure, but he likes being around people. ]

[A crabby stranger.]

How flattering.

Maybe try me another time.

[ belatedly, Sonic seems to notice something, and he squints at her. ]

You know... Your bad attitude sounds real familiar. Have we met?

[Velvet rolls her eyes. The words that follow come out in complete deadpan.]

Chili dogs, chili dogs, chili dogs.

[Whatever the hell those are.]

[ staring at her - then you can practically see the lightbulb going off above his head. ]

Hey! Velvet! I shoulda known. [ the realization that he knows her eems to only improve his mood, despite her continuing obvious exasperation with him. ] You really don't look like a demon.

Edited 2017-12-15 08:21 (UTC)

[The deadpan rolls on.]

Oh, how kind of you to say.

Guess you could say I'm one of the fortunate ones. It makes blending in easier.

[Which certainly came in handy back home. Based on all the nasty things she did, the rumors made her out to be some kind of horrific-looking monster.]

You want to blend in?

[ her attitude's pretty memorable, though... ]

... I guess most people probably aren't very friendly towards demons, huh?

They aren't.

Most daemons are mindless killers, so I don't blame them.

[Just the facts. She doesn't sound overly bitter.]

In that case, I'm glad you're not.

[ but does that mean she was serious about eating him, after all . . . . . ]

It's okay - I never judge a book by its cover. I don't really care what you are.

[It's only her go-to threat. Which totally isn't weird.]

For some reason, I think I believe that.

[She lifts her hand, giving him a "we're done with that topic" type of gesture. What were they talking about before? Oh, right.]

… Do you think the restaurants here even serve hedgehogs?

[ oh? he's sensing that he's making some progress?! Sonic will forget about the possible predation by a daemon for the moment. ]

Why wouldn't they? I eat the same food everyone else does.

[A bit of progress, sure.]

I'd think most of them wouldn't allow animals inside.

[Velvet stop.]

Well, this animal's got credits to spend. I think they'll make an exception.

[ he takes a step, beckoning her to come with him. ]

[With a huff, she decides to follow him.]

I don't want to hear you whining if they throw you back out on the street.

Sounds to me like you're the more dangerous one. I'm just a hedgehog!

Can't argue with that. Still, I'll tell them that you don't bite.

Now you're startin' to figure things out.

[ time to scope out a restaraunt. There is one thing he feels like he should ask, though, as he walks... ]

So... what do daemons eat? You hankering for anything?

[She's not going to bring up the blood thing again. Instead she shrugs.]

No, it doesn't matter. It's all going to taste the same to me.

Is that code for "I don't eat regular food?"

[ he's wising up to this, slowly... ]

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