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

It isn't the sword, given the lax laws about open carry.

[It was his first assumption but he looked things up and also noticed other people carrying weapons?]

You mean there was some kind of proto-language in your world, and only your country retained it. [This is interesting and distracting, vs flashstepping.] It's moving fast enough to be essentially invisible.

And you didn't strike a conversation with anyone neither?

[She has notice other individuals with weapons and from different worlds too. By the little she was able to overhear whenever she happen to pass by close enough to a group or pair.]

Exactly. Of course we do understand the official language other countries use. As long as it is auditory. Before having been taken, I was learning to read and write it. [Which was unexpected because she didn't expect the turn of event that took place three months ago in her world's time.] Seriously!? You can move that fast. Does that mean you can travel anywhere on your world really quickly without anyone notice? How do you avoid getting hit by trees, people, and other stuff? Can you run on water?

I didn't. I was just minding my own business on a rooftop.

[That's the one, Dirk. That's almost definitely the one.]

Do you mean you naturally understand the languages of other countries as spoken aloud, or that you learned it?

It requires too much energy to cover me over long-distance. It's a flashed step: each step is taken at high speed and requires the reflexes to respond to obstacles in that manner. I could move over water for a bit, but it wouldn't get me across the ocean. [Not that he's tried or anything. (He has tried. Sorry he couldn't make it to you, Roxy.)]

Without striking a cool pose or anything, right?

[It may sound like she's teasing, but was being absolutely serious about this question. For the most part, maybe.]

I learned those. Grandmother realized it was important to be able to understand the modern language. Just in case they decided to attack us or something. We weren't going to simply allow them to have the upper hand over us, just because we closed our borders and all! [She ain't kidding about that. One of the plans was to feign ignorance of their language to allow them the opportunity to lower their guard around them if they ever found a way past their defenses.]

That's too bad! It would've been cool if you could travel across the ocean. [She would've asked for him for a ride....] How long can you remain in that form for? It kinda sounds like you could only be in that form for a bit.

Not even a pose.

[He was just sitting there, innocently, like a teenager on a goddamned roof.]

Yeah, that makes sense. Isolated cultures can often get the short end of the stick when that breaks.

[Sometimes the breakage is alien invasions.]

It isn't a form, it's an action. Like jumping. You can use it whenever you want, but you can't use it continuously forever without tiring.

In other words, you have to be interestingly boring to have them bother you?

[Because he missed his chance to make an interesting pose on the rooftop! How did Dirk miss this important memo!?

There will be a nod of her head on Dirk's response over her isolated country having gotten the short end of the stick, but after leaving her country to get married in another, she has realized she's been living in a paradise hell the entire time.]

Oh, I see. It does sound different than a form. You have to show it to me once we end up in a world similar to the Palai! I wanna see it. Do you glow and everything?

Apparently. What brought you to their attention?

[You're right, he was a fool.

These misconceptions about flashstepping though.]

Nah, it's more like I blur into a shadow that's hard to follow. I can leave behind an afterimage, too.

I was trying to find something for Airis to wear. They came up to me to ask if she was a pet, only to learn she was my adopted daughter instead. [A weak smile as she attempts to make light of the situation.] ...the looks on their faces was priceless.

[But she can tell it may have earned negative points from those who overheard the conversation. For whatever reason. While all at once, she did understand the shock considering the differences in species; and yet it bothered her.

Shaking those thoughts away, she'll instead concentrate on Dirk and his explanation.]

An afterimage? What's that?

They don't like different species? Hm. That may be an issue.

[It has more of his attention than the explanation (the trolls are so obviously non-human and he feels an obligation to them, he can't let them die again), which is just,]

It's that I'm moving so fast you see the light left behind by where I was, but I'm not there. A kind of illusion.

...who knows.

[She doesn't want to point any fingers; however she will speak in a hush tone, in an effort to keep Airis from overhearing.]

After I left the store, I've been receiving odd stares especially whenever I allow Airis to sit on the table to eat, I learned to keep her hidden behind my neck, inside of my jacket's hood with the excuse of the cold affecting her and whatnot.

[There will be a thoughtful hum, trying to understand Dirk's explanation. Most likely using it as a way to keep Airis from noticing any issues coming from Nike's early whispers to her friend.]

Oh, you mean like a mirage?

[He takes her cue, nodding to her comment and offering no further on it. They can discuss mirages instead.]

Essentially. It's a nice trick to fights.

I can imagine! It sounds really cool!

[Creating a mirage image would be a cool escape trick. If only she had that ability when she was ambushed by a group of priest assassins!]

Still doesn't explain the name though, why not call it fantasystep or hallustepping or fake out? [A beat.] Actually "fake out" sounds very much like your type of naming convention!

Because it's a flash of movement. Faking someone out is just one of its many applications.

Ah, in other words you're more into a direct naming convention than thinking up clever ones?

[He would make all the rain summoners in her world very proud.]

I didn't name it. It's a Strider technique.

[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

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