spellbinders | [WORLD TWO

Entry tags:

[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

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:

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When they line up... got it. I'm ready.

[ Sophie responds with a nod and a smile. The game is played as she thought, simply by watching. Hearing 9S's confirmation is enough assurance for her.

Turning to face the screen, she pays close attention and waits for the music start. In a few seconds, an upbeat, fast-paced song begins to play, followed by many arrows scrolling across the screen. For a first-time player, the humanoid doesn't look intimidated at all by it. She's just playing just as how she saw 9S played.

She quickly eases into the rhythm, stepping on all the arrows without fault. Though it's not only because she's following the signs on screen. She genuinely feels the need and the enjoyment to dance to the beat. ]

[Though built for adaptability himself, 9S finds it nothing less than impressive that Sophie easily does well in the game. He had done the same, but how humanoids operate is still largely mysterious to him. Besides which while he followed along without difficulty, there's a different quality to the way Sophie moves.

Rather than just following the onscreen commands, there's something of a flow to the way she moves. Unfamiliar with people dancing as he is, that's the closest 9S gets to understanding the difference between their two approaches to the game.

Still, he knows that difference is there.

When the first song end, he touches her arm lightly]

You're doing great, Sophie.

[A little encouragement never hurts, right? Besides, she really is]

[ The final result of the first song comes up with a "perfect combo" in large text on screen. She smiles, satisfied with the outcome.

Music isn't unfamiliar to her, but she doesn't know very many songs. Sometimes Cheria would sing a short lullaby and she'd listened to Malik sing before. But this is a little different listening to a longer and more upbeat song.

Feeling 9S's hand on her arm, she takes a moment to glance back at him. She doesn't look the least bit tired and she still has one more song to play. No doubt she'll be clear her next challenge. ]

Thank you. For some reason... I feel like moving a lot when I hear the music. It's not a bad feeling though. I really like it!

[ She doesn't really understand why, but it's fun. ]

[9S draws his hand back when Sophie looks his way. She really does seem happy, and while she may not know the reason, maybe she simply likes to dance. If she's a weapon, then something physical like this that doesn't have to do with combat might be a nice change of pace.

He knows that, for his part, he finds combat interesting. But there's something to be said for constructive uses of his skills, and a certain sense of enjoyment that comes along with it]

Maybe you're a natural dancer, then?

[Maybe 2B would like this sort of thing too, if she could be convinced to try it out...]

There's all kinds too, not just this. But you're really good at it.

[ She tilts her head slightly. ]

A natural dancer? I wasn't built with a dance function.

[ The announcement of the next, final round draws her attention back towards the screen. The words "ready" pop up, followed by a counter for the next song. One more round that she needs to clear and without a doubt, she's likely to do another clear with ease. She readies her feet into position again.

She does a quick glance back towards 9S, only to make sure he's still watching. She probably doesn't really need to, but she's just a bit too excited to show off her rhythm game skills. ]

Oh! This one's a different song!

[Maybe it's a talent all her own, 9S thinks.

He doesn't have time to say it, and maybe it's a silly thought, from someone who was likewise made rather than born. But it seems to him that Sophie really is good at dancing, and settles into it in a way quite different from him. He wonders, would she recognize that difference if he tried to explain?

Maybe, sometime, he'll ask about that. But for now, he grins when she glances his way]

You'll do great, I'm sure of it.

[ There's not much time for her to respond as a different song begins to play. She looks back attentively to the screen. It's similarly a fast, difficult song just as the previous one was. Once again, she easily slips into the rhythm, hitting all the correct signs at the right moment.

The round ends at a little over a minute with Sophie ending at a perfect score once again. She hops down from the platform, now that her playtime is over. A crowd had gathered for her as well, but they're starting to disperse.

She's smiling, pleased with herself. But also, as she approaches 9S, she continues to speak excitedly like a child bragging to their older sibling about their accomplishment. ]

Did you watch the whole thing, 9S? [ As if she needs to ask again. ] That was fun! I did everything perfectly!

Yep, I watched.

[He doesn't mind confirming the fact at all. If anything, Sophie's good cheer is contagious. Something as simple as this is enough to make her happy, and he's glad for it, because he's only ever known her to be kind. Surely that means she's deserving of moments like these.

Especially since, from their past conversations, it seems that they've lived similar existences... Though it seems she might be the only unit of her kind]

You really do have a knack for things like this, I'm impressed.

[And he is, simply for how intuitive it seems to her]

[ She continues to beam with his praise. ]

Thank you, 9S. I learned from you!

[ But maybe she would have been able to do it on her own, if she hadn't watched him. She wouldn't know. She doesn't understand how different their approach to the rhythm may be. And even after two rounds, she still can't figure out the reason why she's so eager to dance to the sound.

Regardless, she's pleased by the new experience. ]

[Her sense of rhythm is something she couldn't possibly have gotten from him, but having no way to properly explain such a thing, 9S simply lets the matter rest where it is. The most important thing is that Sophie's having a good time]

You're a quick learner, I've noticed.

[And that's an especially useful trait. He wonders whether it's programming or something of a personal quality Sophie has. Maybe it's both, for all he knows]

You want to play more? I can stick around and watch.

[ She glances back at the platform for a moment and although it's tempting to jump in for another round, she shakes her head. Another time. There's still much for her to see in the arcade and the rest of Shehui. The city's nothing like any of the towns in Ephinea. ]

No, it's okay. I was thinking of looking around some more... I can come back to this later.

In that case...want to do some scouting with me? There's a lot of data waiting to be collected.

[And 9S certainly wouldn't mind the company]

Okay. What kind of data are you looking for?

[ She'll gladly tag a long! It could benefit her as well. ]

Things like the layout of this place, how facilities operate, what kinds of resource there are... That sort of stuff.

[General scouting sorts of things, as his unit type does]

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[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

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