☆MINGLE IN THE CITY

[interdimanagers]

Who: NEWBIES FROM EVERYWHERE.
What: More rescuers and musicians have arrived. This is a non specific mingle log for whatever you want to do that is intro related!
When: March 9th, 2055
Where: Anywhere in Vista City!
Warnings: Could be anything, or possibly nothing.

☆VISTA CITY

You'll quickly notice that Vista City comes with multiple levels - the ground level, that actually touches the earth, and then a second level of streets and walkways that occurs halfway up the mountainous buildings. Cars streak down both sets of speedways, and the signs of life scatter every inch of the towers surrounding you. At the same time, though, a city of this magnitude leaves a lot of nooks and crannies left frequently unseen - something you'll definitely have to take advantage of. In the outer ring of the city the population is less dense than it gets towards the center, so at the least it gives you the opportunity to get your bearings.

You'll find that there is no shortage of people stalking around in the darkness, even as the sun sets and night totally takes hold. A lot of them are dressed pretty funny, too, and any insecurities you had about looking ridiculous can tentatively be put aside. The costumes you were left do allow you to blend in about as well as you could hope. You've been advised to avoid talking to locals as much as possible, at least until you've figured things out better. There is a notable absence of homeless people on the streets, which could mean any number of things.

RESCUERS WILL BE GIVEN THE FOLLOWING LOOT:

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING: if your character doesn’t already speak English, they will be given some time with a crown like technological device that seems the be able to psychically teach people languages at a rapid pace. Whatever has been enabling communication so far won’t cover you once you enter the city, so it’s important that you’re prepared. How easily a person’s brain accepts this information will vary based on unseen neurological factors, and can range from perfect fluency to an uneasy second language. (On an OOC level, whether or not your character struggles with picking up English is completely up to you.) Most of this training will be done on the trip to Tera.
• THEIR DESIGNATED TOOLS: any items your character was designated on your application will be given to them now. They’ll have some degree of choice in what they get, but everything is limited in supply. There are manuals for everything, but how much you can be fucked to read them will vary. Also, some of them aren’t in English or anything else even remotely recognizable.
• COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Everybody will get a communicator, which are worn around the back of your ear and project a holographic field over your eyes when activated. The device itself must be manually switched on with your fingers, and from there on out your exact method of controlling it depends on the settings. Some of the more basic functions can be manipulated with “brain waves” (though nothing very complicated) and the rest is mostly voice or touch activated, though you can also set it up to be controlled with blinking and eye movement if you are a “pro”. Its functions include voice, voice-to-text, and a sort of janky manual text mode that you have to touch the screen to use. Video chat is not available, though it is capable of recording video from your POV to be shared manually after the fact. It can also share still images. Various channels can be set up and accessed, both private and public, much like a Teamspeak server is used in gaming.
• HOLO EMITTERS (LIMITED): The amount of these available are limited by “plot convenience.” Do you want your character to have to struggle with their alien appearance to get by constantly? Then imagine there wasn’t enough of them to go around and your character was unlikely or benevolent enough to not receive one. Would you rather they have access to one? Then you can have one. A holo emitter is capable of projecting a holographic image around your character and disguising their appearance, the complexity of which is entirely up to you. The major problems with it are that 1) it can’t conceal things that the hologram doesn’t actually touch – cow horns could be covered in a hologram to look like a hat, but it couldn’t make them look as if there is nothing there at all, and 2) the holograms have no mass, and so if anyone tries to touch them they’ll realize they are just light projections. Also, like most of the equipment, they only work for a few hours before running out of power.
• AMERICANA DISGUISES: Clothing, make up, the works – everything the average joe needs to pass themselves off as a resident of Vista City. Outfits are perhaps a bit more eccentric and flashy than you’re used to...or maybe a bit less, depending where you come from. Either way, it’s a specific look, and there should be enough here to accommodate new outfits for all the humanoids. If you’re a horse, you’re sort of on your own. What your character ends up with is up to you, though “space rave” is a good way to describe common aesthetics. There are also a lot of hooded coats, hats, and other articles that would be good for hiding inhuman characteristics.
• RATIONS: Enough food at water, tightly compact, to last everyone for a few days. It’s going to start to run out quickly, though, so the group is going to need some breadwinners sooner rather than later.
• FAKE IDS: Complete with each individual's image (or a human approximation) and a made up name. It's enough info to get a job with, they'll explain, if you can manage it. Avoid pushing the forgery's limits, though, if you can. Silver and Gold made them themselves so they expect they are excellent quality, but you can never be too careful.

Comments

[radiant_bloom]

"I can, but I don't want to be lost in the crowd. I want to talk to all of you. As a friend," she said, giving him a warm smile. Who didn't want more friends? And that would be the best way to help them all. To get into their hearts.

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx laughed lightly. "Ah, well, try that first, then maybe if we can all get along, we'll meet you somewhere more private?"

A compromise, a small one for a girl who wouldn't give him her name and he was the least experienced of the group. If he brought someone crazy along to meet them, he couldn't imagine they'd be too happy with him.

He didn't really want friends per se, he didn't like getting close to people. It never ended particularly well, it was better to keep a friendly, cheerful distance.

[radiant_bloom]

"Alright," she said nodding. "You'll tell me when it will be, right?" He held up her hand offering a pinkie. "Promise?" she asked.

She wanted to give her name. Her real name. She still wasn't sure what to do. But... She didn't want to put anyone in danger, but she also didn't know how friendship based on a lie could save anyone. And she wanted to save everyone. Sora first, yes, but everyone.

[melodiouspacifist]

"Well sure, I guess I can do that." Demyx laughed softly and at the motion he blinked and interlocked his pinkie with hers. "Promise then. I have my schedule somewhere on my phone."

He took it out of his pocket and scrolled through his calendar.

"Here, take a look." Demyx opened the week and showed her his phone. He wasn't the one who programmed it, or the alarms set to remind him when he was supposed to be places.

[radiant_bloom]

She looked around and found a pen and started writing it down on her arm carefully, eyes flicking between the phone and her arm until she had everything.

"Thank you so much!" she gave him a hug, careful of her arm.

[melodiouspacifist]

It was strange to be hugged suddenly and he blinked, unsure what to do with it. He pat her lower back awkwardly after a moment. He wasn't the type of person who got hugged very much and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You're welcome. It's alright, our schedule is pretty public anyway, after all, we want the fans to show up!"

[radiant_bloom]

She stepped back and nodded, pushing some hair behind one ear. "I suppose that makes sense. Still, it's always nice to make a new friend!"

And she would save him too.

[melodiouspacifist]

"Uh, well, I think for us to be friends, I need a name from you." Demyx laughed in a light, friendly tone.

"But if you don't want to, it's fine. I'll just call you 'Hey you!'." He half shrugged.

[radiant_bloom]

And now she couldn't avoid it any more. She really hated the idea of lying. She didn't see anyway that it could possibly help. But she didn't want to put anyone else in danger. "How about you call me Destiny?" she asked finally, "like a nickname." Nicknames weren't lies. It wasn't her real name, wasn't what was on her ID, but it would work. She hoped.

"But hey you works too," she said with a giggle.

[melodiouspacifist]

"Destiny, then. Nice to meet you Destiny." Demyx smiled and glanced around.

"I was trying to find some nicer things to wear so people didn't think I was just some random guy." He chuckled. "I'm supposed to be worried about my image."

[radiant_bloom]

"Oh, well that," she said with a warm smile. "That I can help you with, if you want."

The noise was still loud, there were too many people still, but as always, in Kairi's life, the presence of a friend made all the bad things that much easier to take.

[melodiouspacifist]

"Yeah, really?" Demyx grinned.

"Sounds great. So what kinds of things do you think would look good on me? I was thinking leather pants, but I don't know how practical that is. It would get hot if it was warm enough."

[radiant_bloom]

She nodded. "Much too hot," she agreed. "You're so tall, and thin," she said a bit enviously, "that you want something to accentuate that." She considered. Subtle lines up and down. Nothing loud and obvious, though."

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx threw his head back and laughed at that. "I'll tell you my secret. I'm really not that tall. Stand me up next to a guy who's six feet tall, if you don't believe me."

He looked thoroughly amused. "I am thin though, and I wear my hair up which helps make people think so. It's kind of all in how you carry yourself."

He was taller than most women though, and that was another big help when it came to talking to them, but once a bigger guy was next to him, he suddenly looked a lot closer to his actual height.

Ugh, net blip ate my original reply.

[radiant_bloom]

She grinned a bit at him. "Well, you're certainly taller than I am." And taller than Sora, who he'll be standing with.

Sora... Wait for her... Kairi is coming. Riku is here. Sora.....

"And the stage will help make you look all the taller," she pointed out to him with a bright smile.

[melodiouspacifist]

"That's true!" He grinned and shrugged lightly. He was taller than her and Sora, and that was something he had going for him.

"The stage changes everything! It's such a rush!" He gushed. "Everyone watching you, moving to the beat. I love music."

[radiant_bloom]

"I've never been on stage," she said with a smile. "But I can tell just from how you're smiling."

[melodiouspacifist]

"I've always loved performing." Demyx grinned. "You should try it. Singing and dancing is so much fun, although it's kinda turning into work."

[radiant_bloom]

"I'm not sure I'd be any good at it," she said quietly, but with a small chuckle. Of course, if Sora could do it, how hard could it be?

[melodiouspacifist]

"It's not too bad. Don't you sing karaoke? That's how I got discovered." He chuckled. "I guess because the last guy left, they needed to find someone else to sing for Flashstep."

[radiant_bloom]

"Not really," she said with a small chuckle. "Some of my friends do sometimes, after school, but" she had almost said "but Sora and Riku are more the outdoors type, so we usually hung out on the beach," but she caught herself in time. She also didn't mention the time that her own memories had been tampered with, though the words were nearly on her lips. She hated this deception.

"I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to try it on my own," she finally said to try and cover.

[melodiouspacifist]

He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly.

"It's all about faking the confidence, then it becomes real." Demyx encouraged.

[radiant_bloom]

"I've never been good at deception, even deceiving myself," she said. She was having so much trouble with this lying thing. She hesitated, then smiled at him timidly. "If I tried, would you sing with me? Anything is less scary if you have a friend with you!"

[melodiouspacifist]

"Oh really?" Demyx grinned. He didn't comment, but deception was part of his package, it always had been, since he was pretty young. All he had to do was smile.

"Yeah, sure Destiny. I don't mind!"

[radiant_bloom]

It took her a moment to realize that was him calling her nickname. Did I mention this didn't come naturally to her?

"Okay, so... we'll get you clothing, then go and try this singing thing?" she asked, nervously.