[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

[allconsumed]

[She almost couldn't agree more. Again, while the excess doesn't remind her of home, the controlling nature of the people in charge certainly does. Velvet waits for a few seconds to respond, letting a nearby group pass them by.]

As much as I'd like to start smashing things, it makes more sense to blend in for now. If they want to keep us here and get us to follow their rules, in the long run, doing it by force could cause a big backlash. You'd think they'd try to reach out before resorting to that.

[spaceforged]

I take it you haven’t been subject to a lecture about the merits of staying yet. [He only responds when he’s sure the group that passed them is out of ear shot. Old habits from his time as a prisoner do come in handy.]

Judging by how they’re operated so far it seems unlikely they’d be direct in any of their approach. We have to be just as careful. Like you said, we have to blend in for now. They’ll say more to us if we cooperate then they will if we resist.

...we should keep an eye out for any new coven members. We might have to rescue them from the clutches of the government. Hopefully that won’t be the case.

[allconsumed]

[Velvet isn't excited about the idea of having to rescue anybody, but focusing on the newbies' safety makes sense. Anybody who has been with the coven for a little while ought to know better than to antagonize these people and get themselves into trouble.]

I've been lectured. What I meant was something more formal – like picking out an envoy – or something more covert. It would be useful for one of us to infiltrate their government, but they might be thinking the same thing.

[spaceforged]

They probably are. I took a job in security. They never let ‘foreigners’ have any chance to see anything important. But you can learn a lot by just keeping your eyes open.

[His tone suggests that he knows he doesn’t have to remind her of that. She has a good head on her shoulders.]

You can’t read anything they personally write. Media is translated but when I get the chance to see scripts and medical files at a glance. Can’t read any of it.

[allconsumed]

[Funny. The two of them were thinking the same thing.]

So did I. You're right about staying observant, but the work hasn't exactly been… stimulating. Seems like there just aren't very many troublemakers around.

[That gives her pause.]

… Obvious troublemakers, at least. Doesn't mean they aren't out there. They might be the types we could get information from.

[spaceforged]

You can also pick up things from what they won't say. They completely erased their own history. Or, at least public knowledge of it.

[And they have a government level response to magic. That's concerning. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and it makes him look like some casual guy on his way somewhere. Good, he doesn't want to bring attention to their discussion. His arm, unfortunately, can do that.]

...but you have to wonder if there are not that many dissenting voices because they get banned, or the threat of the ban is enough. I still can't find out what that entails.

[allconsumed]

[Velvet frowns and puts a hand up to her forehead before running it through her hair. There would be an easy to find out what happens to those who get banned, but again, they need to avoid doing anything too stupid or drastic. An annoyed noise escapes her throat; she's already getting impatient with all this.]

I'm tired of speculating, but it's pretty much all we can do for now, aside from collecting information. I'll let you know if I come across anything useful. Keep me in the loop, too.

[spaceforged]

Of course, we’re all in this together. [And yet he hesitates, the garishly purple light and depths of a dark cell in the forefront of his thoughts. He lets it go. That’s something in the past for both of them. Defining a moment of existence but not something that needs brought up.]

Come see me on floor five, room two if you want to hone your skills in combat. Security work is never stimulating no matter who you’re guarding.

[allconsumed]

[Velvet doesn't buy the "all in this together" thing, and she knows that she's more selfish than Shiro – but she'll keep that to herself. She also knows that she can't just demand information from him without contributing something in return, hence her willingness to work together with him. Velvet values his insight and the fact that he's a go-getter.]

I'll take you put on that. Just a warning: I'm not good at holding back.

[spaceforged]

Good. I want your best. [He raises an eyebrow but his eyes glint with amusement.]

Holding back keeps it from being exercise. [Shiro isn’t an arrogant man and doesn’t see her remarks as arrogance. She had at one point taken on an entire base of trained fighters and won her freedom. That takes skill and drive.]

I won’t hold back either.

*up, why typos

[allconsumed]

[It's the correct assumption – Velvet knows she's a lot stronger than the average person, and she's just being frank. It also doesn't matter to her whether she comes off as arrogant or not.]

That's what I like to hear. The sooner we do it, the better.

[This city makes her more antsy than usual.]

it cool I got what you mean.

[spaceforged]

[He thinks about it. Where would they have enough room to go all out? He glances up towards the rooftops and an idea occurs to him.]

We can use the roof of the apartment building at night. Hard for anyone to see up there if looking from below.

[allconsumed]

[Not a bad idea. There should be plenty of space, and Velvet prefers to fight outside. She nods, then tilts her head.]

So you don't want anybody watching? Have some secret techniques you'd prefer not to expose?

[She's teasing.]

[spaceforged]

I don't want those nice officials keeping an eye on us to know exactly what we're capable of. [He says in a low voice so only she can hear it. Shiro mouths 'don't turn around all the way' as he points at one such person watching them as they walk away.]

My techniques are pretty simple. I'm a soldier, we're not taught anything fancy. [He grins as if he hadn't said the warning about being watched at all.]

[allconsumed]

[It's a bit unnerving to think that the government might have enough manpower to spy on all of them, particularly at night, be she appreciates how cautious he's being. There's no harm at all in playing it safe. She gives him a slight, subtle nod and causally keeps her gaze straight ahead, the smile still lingering on her face.]

Fancy doesn't mean effective. I started as a hunter, but I've learned tricks for fighting almost anything, or anyone.

[spaceforged]

[He'll bet she did. Being down in that hole in the earth with demons tossed in. He sighs and turns onto the street with the apartments.]

Yeah, I picked up a lot over time. But it is a little difficult at times to train yourself out of your default weapon.

[He taps the side of his metal arm.]

You'd think tech would have all its functions here but it doesn't. ...so far.

[allconsumed]

[She got plenty of experience after that, too. Velvet gives the metal arm a brief glance, then raises her own bandaged one and flexes her fingers.]

Then we're even. It'll be good practice for us to fight in ways we're not used to. I became reliant on this hand, I'll admit.

[His tech – and frankly, a lot of the tech she's encountered in Shehui so far – is beyond her, but she can totally understand why Shiro wouldn't want to waltz up to any random place to see if they could get his weapon working.]

[spaceforged]

I did too. It’s hard not to.

[When your hand could carve through rock, melt metal, and was a leg up against things bigger and nastier than you it was just survival. Shiro doubles checks with a glance that the monitor he’d spotted on his way to work this morning is still there. There are two.]

What did you use before you came to rely on the hand? We can probably get it here. They surprisingly don’t have regulations on weapons of any sort. Even fire arms.

[allconsumed]

[She doesn't have to follow his glance to know what (who) he's keeping an eye on. It would just be more suspicious if she looked, too.]

My off weapon is a short, retractable blade. There was enough of the right material on Aimintas, so I made one there. I… picked up the know-how when I was younger.

[Translation: she learned how to craft and care for the weapon by Artorius, but she's not about to name drop him. She has a blade hidden in the toe of her boot, too, but she also doesn't bring that up.]

… I won't use steel when we spar. Getting a practice blade shouldn't be hard, and training hand-to-hand isn't a bad option, either.

[spaceforged]

[Blades. It has been a while since he used one. Well, not that long ago. Shiro pulls open the door to the apartment complex and holds it open.]

Hand to hand works best. I haven’t used a blade since I was a prisoner. [She already knows so he won’t hide it.] But even as cadet they trained us in physical combat.

My off-hand I can train on my own at a shooting range.

[He shuts the door behind them and heads for the stairs.]

[allconsumed]

Thanks.

[Velvet takes the lead up the stairs, glancing back as they continue to chat.]

A shooting range – somewhere you can practice with projectile weapons, I take it. That's another thing, I should get more familiar with those. If I can't defend myself against everything that's available, there's no point in training at all.

[spaceforged]

You’re right that’s where you can practice firearms. Probably crossbows too. I can show you how to use one and reload while we’re here. [He’s not the best shot but he’s not bad at it either. His guard is still up. There could be monitors around but after a few floors not seeing any his shoulders stop being so tense.]

But defending against them is easier to learn. Someone pulls a gun you want to be behind cover or diving out of the way as soon as possible. At close range the shot is too fast to dodge.

[allconsumed]

Good to know.

[Someone else might urge him to relax, but the way he keeps his guard up makes him seem all the more trustworthy in her mind. The fact that he reliably provides useful information adds to the image.]

I've dealt with long range artes – magic – before. Usually my strategy was to aggressively close the distance and take the caster out at close range, but I can't afford to be as reckless here. In those fights, I had healing artes to back me up.

[spaceforged]

We’ll both have to fall back on old instincts. It’s been...how many years since you fought with a different strategy in mind? [He opens the door to the roof and steps out into the chilly air. It’s like a snap waking his senses back up and commanding his attention. Shiro pulls off his coat and walks to the center of the roof, dropping the coat off to the side. He rolls his shoulders, stretching the muscles.]

For me it’s been half a year? My memories of my time as a prisoner are patchwork.

[allconsumed]

[For Velvet, the cold is nothing – literally. The low frequency worlds neuter a lot of her abilities, but she's still a daemon who doesn't feel the elements. It can be useful, but it also reminds her of her inhumanity.

She follows suit with her own stretching, getting loosened up while considering his question.]

When I started hunting, I was timid at first, but I think that's typical. Once I got used to it, I formed the habits I have now. My teacher used to scold me for fighting with too much emotion.

[The cold way she says "teacher" makes it obvious that her memories of him aren't fond.]

So my old instincts are the same as my new ones, but I'm still confident that I can adapt.