[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

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. A ▢ So now’s the time to get settled into your new digs. Your name is on the board, and there’s a promise that your things — which, by the way, were mysteriously taken — will be located in your room. No need to fight over bedrooms; those also hold name placards that are digitally installed. Maybe everyone else is already there. Maybe you’re the first person there and need to find a way to stake your claim on the fridge or a bathroom. B ▢ Maybe you don’t want to fuck with anybody right now and are busy exploring the apartment building. You may encounter some aliens, some strangers, some ice machines. There IS that floor that’s nothing but recreational stations. If you’re overwhelmed, the garden is a good place to start. The sport court is pretty empty right now, if you want to have any regrouping meetings.

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: C ▢ Right outside this communal apartment building is a large, digital job board. The list of available jobs and credit opportunities are constantly flashing by. Want to pick one out? Just hold up that ID card you were given and the instructions and location will be sent to the ID’s text scroller. D ▢ You’ve got 500 credits to blow on clothes, food, strippers…whatever you’d like? Right next to the apartment complex are tons of local businesses, from bistros to outlet malls. A movie theater, an arcade, a video game store…and the best thing about Shehui? Most everything is dirt cheap. Where are you shopping? What are you buying? Enquiring minds would like to know! E ▢ Right next to the shopping area is a wooded park. It’s akin to a nature trail that’s similar to Yellowstone in scenery and topography. If you’re more comfortable someplace less…tech or modern…then this may be exactly where you’d like to be. F ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[nockpoint]

[ giant metal children ESPECIALLY count. and alphonse might end up seeing a cat at some point because when you cant turn into a ghost to run away from your problems, sometimes turning into a cat is the next best option. and he has a lot of problems.

he tugs one of the knives out of the rack, flips it in the air, and catches the dull edge of the blade in his fingers before he shows alphonse the hilt: the reason being is the strip of metal going from the blade into the handle disappears after an inch or so. cheap!!! cheap, and frankly, offensive. (only archer is offended right now) ]

It's not the highest quality but it'll do. And there's food, at least. We'll just have to find a way to make sure it goes back to the island when we're done here.

[alphonse]

Anything has to look better than another day of hunting boars. But you're right--there's no way we can let ourselves be as unprepared as we were after Aimintas again.

[As much as he hates the idea of stocking up for the island like returning and devoting another several months of their lives to Qri's endless fetch quests is inevitable, he can't argue with the pragmatic value.]

Oh, um. My name's Alphonse Elric. Apparently I'm supposed to be staying here too.

[nockpoint]

[ Archer, unfortunately, is resigned to their fate already, and doesn't think that his feelings on the matter are relevant in carrying out the tasks assigned to them by the witch. Considering the combat they saw in aimintas, and the fact that she wanted them to hoard the bones of their dead hosts, he wouldn't be surprised if it was worse here, where magic isn't common or accepted. Getting unreasonable and possibly horrific orders potentially in defense of the greater good?

oh, worm? anyways. he drops the offending knife back into its spot, and gives alphonse a better look over; the voice doesn't seem to match the rest of him. ]

Call me Archer. Nice armor. Don't tell me you expecting a fight here too?

[alphonse]

[There's a fine line between deciding there's no point in lying to fellow coven members and announcing by the way, I'm actually a suit of armor to people immediately upon meeting them. The safest bet is to stick to an answer that's not technically untrue.]

Considering our luck so far, I wouldn't be surprised. I know we haven't been here long, but don't you think this place feels a little creepy?

[nockpoint]

[ all alphonse gets in response to that is a thoughtful glance around the apartment, and then a shrug. to archer, creepy consists of things like dead orphans in church basements, or eight year olds saying they're gonna kill people. a potential surveillance state? psh. we're all about the indoor plumbing and canned goods here, baby. ]

Why, did you find a skeleton in the closet?

[ and it might be hard to judge what's creepy when normally you could live off of eating people's souls if you didnt find it entirely morally reprehensible. ]

[alphonse]

Well, not yet.

[Give it time.]

But having more than just Qri to figure out makes things a lot more complicated. It was bad enough when she was the only one messing with us and our stuff, but now we have to deal with the people here too.

[And the things that make Shehui an upgrade from the island are biased in favor of people who aren't hollow chunks of metal, it's an outrage.]