[WORLD ONE] AIMINTAS (INTRODUCTION)

[spellbindmods]

Who: The coven & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Days 13 & 14
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

Just like how you arrived, the process of leaving the hub and reappearing somewhere else is quite quick and uneventful. Brie and Genette gather as many people as possible so that everyone can explore the new world together in a group, which is where they all land once Qri has worked her magic. If you weren't in the vicinity, or thought that not being social meant you'd get to stay on the island, you come along as well, though you didn't exactly show up with the group. A ▢ Everyone starts their journey a reasonable distance from the outer city walls of Aimintas. It's about a four hour trek to the rocks on foot, which Genette tells everyone to move towards -- though you're free to do as you please. You may discover that traveling on your own too far away results in something quite unpleasant. The initial terrain is quite interesting -- it's at least different from the hub island, though you may not be particularly impressed. There's sticky kelp to step in, water in the sky to look at and sand to get stuck in every orifice of your body. How do you like the new digs thus far? B ▢ Genette explains that the gang must enter the city of Aimintas to survive, but it's easier said than done. Maybe as something of an incentive, Genette climbs into Qri's caravan and it floats away, over the rock face. There go all the supplies you brought! The rest of you losers will have to climb through the craggy rock walls, hundreds of feet tall with very few crevices and cracks that are navigable. Hope you can climb...or maybe you can find a way to get through using someone's magic? The sun sets while the coven is busy trying to get through the craggy infrastructure (at least, that's the fate of those who don't find a quicker way to get into the city). Brie locates a large cave in one of the rocks, and that's where everyone sets up camp for the night. If you want to carry on, that's your choice...but who knows if anything that goes bump in the night is out there bumping in the night time? C ▢ What will your character be doing tonight? Sleeping on a hard rock? Stuck awake? Even if they do manage to fall asleep, they may be haunted by the occasional high pitched screech that comes through the night, though the location of the noise is unknown as of right now.

It takes about a day to travel to Aimintas, climb through the rocks and come into the city. Thankfully the city hub is close to the side of the city the coven managed to climb through, so civilization is awaiting. That civilization is decently modern, lizard-like and very, very nosy. D ▢ Upon entering civilization, the Palai are immediately curious and in awe of their taller, bipedal visitors. They've only seen people like those in the coven in pictures, and if they learn that your character has magic? It'll be as if an A-list celebrity just wandered into town. Because they're so enamored, the Palai will readily give coven members gifts as a token of their appreciation. What exactly do they appreciate? Don't be afraid to ask a few simple questions. They'll be more than happy to give out answers. E ▢ Some Palai, though, will want to see some of that magic before they offer up any gifts. Some may be a little demanding, just because their curiosity is so overwhelming. A harsh no will result in an apology and a gift anyways, but maybe just show them some magic anyway...? Even outside of interacting with the Palai, there's quite a bit around here to look at. Genette can be found in the middle of one of the parks, handing out the stored supplies to their owners. (Don't worry, she'll tell you where she is with a little telepathic poke. Your supplies will give you access to shopping and bartering...your status as a magical humanoid thing will only get you so far. F ▢ The Palai marketplace is rather large and home to a variety of businesses, shops and services. Want a good night's sleep? Want to eat a delicious shrimp wrap? Need your hub technology charged? You can do that here. What strange items will you fine? Is their technology level something you're familiar with? G ▢ Finally, the Palai are a people of culture. That culture can be quite unforgiving to those who choose to wander around alone. Some Palai people, after the initial wonder has worn off, will deny services to people who are on their own. It just doesn't compute! Your character is better off with a group of three, but a friend is fine. Travel in groups or couples and your character will find that they get fewer strange looks and questions.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed within the Palai marketplace, so no one will blame a coven-member for escaping the city for a bit. On the outside of the marketplace is a very large house with dozens of Palai congregating -- and my dozens, we mean at least 200. A Palai mate triangle just committed to each other, and this is certainly worth celebrating. H ▢ The guests feel blessed by the presence of a coven-member, and they readily invite any that happen by to the festivities. There's cake, alcohol, drinks, dancing. The Palai people certainly know how to get down. I ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[needmetoo]

Yeah, I think so.

[Nothing else... really makes sense, honestly. She remembers, how it'd been both a surprise for her and Roxas alike when she'd first summoned it. How, aside from the fact that he was one of the only ones who'd been friendly to her, it was one of the first things they'd been able to really connect on.

All those thoughts are brushed aside though, when he shows her his own Keyblade. After a moment, she holds hers out a bit, to better compare the two.]

They're the same. Like... Like my friend, Roxas' too.

[Were all Keyblades supposed to look the same? She didn't know enough to say.]

[heartkey]

[ He looks between his own Keyblade and hers, before he hears that name come from her. And that makes this all the more confusing of a situation. ]

Wait, you know Roxas?!

[ Wait no that should've been obvious this whole time considering: ] Oh, right, you're both in the Organization. Of course you'd know him.

[ Sora is always slow on the uptake. But knowing they were friends is valuable, especially since the Organization seemed to be all over the place sometimes. Like with Axel. ]

xion no

[needmetoo]

[She... doesn't know what to say to that. Truthfully she feels a bit wrongfooted, at a distinct disadvantage. Not to mention things like... like the Organization. It's a covert group, and yet he's talking about it like he walked past them on the street.]

Sora...? How do you know all this stuff?

xion yes

[heartkey]

[ He walked past them a lot more often than just on the street.

He's kind of taken aback by her question, though. ]

Huh? What do you mean? You're a part of them, aren't you?

[ Said in a way that implies she should know why he knows. ... He's gotta check, though, because the fact that she doesn't know him and is confused as to why he knows all this is just. The whole Organization knows him by now. ... Don't they? Granted, he didn't know her, but. Seriously, he thinks if she were a member, she'd know what's going on here. ]

[needmetoo]

[And there it is again. He knows so much more than her, and she doesn't understand why.]

Yeah... I'm number Fourteen. But... we're supposed to be secret. I'm not supposed to be spotted on missions, or talk to people who aren't members. [She laughs a little, sadly.] I've broken so many of those rules here already, but... I didn't know what else to do. I'm not supposed to be here.

[But she digresses. None of that really explains this whole situation.]

You're not... a member too, are you?

[Somehow she doesn't think so, because wouldn't he have known her then? But there was no doubting he'd looked familiar, and... She didn't know how else to explain this.]

[heartkey]

... Number Fourteen? [ Now that's new. Taking on a thinking pose here. ] But isn't it called Organization XIII? [ THE PLOT THICKENS. ]

I'm not even close to a member. But now I guess I know why I never heard of you. They didn't let you talk to anyone. [ He's just explaining it away with that. It makes sense to him. ] The rest of them never left me alone.

buries face in hands

[needmetoo]

We usually just call it The Organization...

[Or at least that was how it went back at the case. Still, she can't help but be confused. Why was the Organization so interested in Sora? He had a Keyblade, yes, but... they had her too. And Roxas, though he was- huh, maybe that was it?]

Roxas, he's... he's been asleep and hasn't woken up for a while. And um, they need Keyblades, for getting our hearts back. So maybe that's why they were trying to talk to you? So it's not just me.

watches as everything slowly burns

[heartkey]

He's been asleep? What do you mean? [ Yeah okay that's confusing to hear, too. Considering he's ... well ... is he technically asleep now? Sora doesn't know what it's like being Roxas right now, actually. Does that count as sleeping? Somehow, he doesn't think she means that.

And Sora was already aware of their plan, but. ] You're making it sound like they're still trying to do that. I thought I took care of them already.

[ He's ... confused ... ]

[needmetoo]

What am I talking about? What are you talking about? You're making it sound like-

[And then, a thought occurs to her, a memory of some news that'd come while Roxas was asleep. Unwelcome news. Xion pulls her Keyblade a bit closer to herself, protectively, but also like a shield.]

The group that went to Castle Oblivion. Saix said they all- [Now there's definitely panic in her eyes.] Was that you?

[heartkey]

[ Well it's a good thing he doesn't remember Castle Oblivion, now, isn't it? He does, however, remember fighting within a castle near the end of everything, so ... is that what she's talking about? Wait, but Saix couldn't have told her about the fate of those who were there, because he got caught up in everything, too, so ... Okay, back to confusion. ]

Now I really don't know what you're talking about. Saix is ... gone, isn't he?

[ It's not like it's enjoyable to take others out like that, but ... he saw him fade away with his own eyes. He did fade away, right?? ]

[needmetoo]

No! [Now she's not sure what the mix of sensations in her head and gut are trying to tell her.]

He isn't, he- [And then she realizes] He can't be! I saw him the day I got here. And you've been here the whole time, with me.

[It logically doesn't make sense, unless there's some huge piece that she's missing here.]

I even saw Roxas, the day before.

[heartkey]

[ None of this even remotely makes any sense. Whatsoever. But she doesn't seem to be taking any of this well at all, and he's not ... sure what he should do about it. ]

But ... that doesn't make any sense, Xion.

[ Maybe Saix somehow didn't disappear, but Roxas ... He's positive what his fate was. ]

And as long as we're stuck here, we can't even see who's right.

[ He's confident in what he saw, but who knows what the Organization could've done to preserve Saix or anyone else. Roxas, however ... that's confusing the hell out of him. ]

[needmetoo]

[It's been building this whole time - a sharp tension in her shoulders and gut. A feeling of being cornered, and not knowing which way to turn. Sora's the one that's not making sense, and the way he just keeps talking about the rest of the Organization, about them being gone...

And then he makes that final statement, and something snaps.]

I'm not wrong!

[Or imagining things. Or lying. And the fact that he's insinuating that she is, or even could be...

Especially with some of the things he's said. That he "took care" of the rest of the Organization. The people she worked with, who she can only guess found and rescued her after she lost her heart, gave her a place to go and a purpose....]

Why should I believe you anyway?

[heartkey]

[ He takes a step back from the mild shock over the way she's reacting — the Organization members never seemed to care that much about each other. And it's not like Sora's ever thought what he says or does through all that much. He's only ever doubted his natural actions and responses a few times before.

He's inclined to be kind, but he's also inclined to be stubborn. Sora knows what he saw, and while he can't rule out possibilities when it comes to the Organization, he knows what he saw. And he's not a big fan of people keeping secrets from him or insisting otherwise. ]

'Cause I saw it all myself! But if you don't wanna believe me, then fine. I'm not gonna force you.

[ Crossing his arms. ] How do I know this isn't another one of the Organization's tricks, anyway?

[ They've been messing with him for a while now. And he's kind of super tired of it. He saved the realm of light from them, and he's positive of that. She's not going to convince him otherwise, no matter what. And her own stubbornness in her ideas is only pushing him to become more stubborn about his. ]

[needmetoo]

[It's turning into a nasty feedback loop. He's defensive and stubborn and angry about his viewpoint, and it's making Xion dig in her heels too. Gone is the warm familiar feeling that she had when around him back on the island, the one they'd first arrived at. All that's left now is a gnawing irritation.]

So, just because I'm a Nobody or something, what I saw and did myself doesn't count for anything? Why do you even ask if you just think I'm a trick?

[She's half ready to be done with this conversation, turning away until she's sitting perpendicular to Sora, scowling petulantly.]

[heartkey]

[ Wow Xion, way to take it more personally than how he was intending it!! ]

Huh? That's not what I said at all! [ He feels bad for how it's being taken — Sora isn't heartless, just stubborn — but he also can't completely back down with what he's saying. He didn't say that she was the trick, more that what she was saying may have been meant to trick him. ]

I'm confused too, [ placing his hand on his chest, as he asserts himself ] but I know what I saw, Xion!

[ Sure, a part of him is confused at these two conflicting stories, but a part of him also can't discount the possibility that this is another Organization trick. And he's confident enough in himself and his ideas to know that what he saw and experienced was real. ]

[needmetoo]

[Xion continues to scowl, and it's only after treating him to a good few seconds of silence that she glances over, eyes still full of reproach, and no small measure of confusion.]

How can what we we saw both be real?

[Since uh. Neither of them is backing down.]

[heartkey]

Uh ... [ He takes a pause at that. ] I ... can't really answer that. But there's gotta be an explanation.

[ Whether it's her lying, someone interfering with memories somehow, or whatever else it could be. This isn't just happening for no reason out of no where, there's got to be something causing this weird rift in what they're aware of. And he wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, as much as he can, at least. ]