ARRIVAL LOG 007

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Night of September 20 to night of September 23
WHAT: The seventh arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL #007

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see four people in black body armor seated opposite you, as well as a man in dark gray scrubs.

You realize there are others next to you. All of you are dressed differently: each in a cheap, clunky bodysuit of different colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, black, pink, purple, teal. It's as if you were put into a costume, the blurry shades of the outfits moving in and out with your hazy recognition. Your hair has been recently cut, and is at various stages of growth, and you're restrained across your arms, chests, and feet, left firmly attached to the softly cushioned seat beneath you. To your left, an armored interior door, two more people visible, the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle stops. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and there is a clutter of sounds and lights outside, children and adults milling about, with giddy cheerful music accompanying the pitter patter of sounds. The warm air is dry but cooling, and you'll likely wish you weren't in whatever overwrought attire you were dressed in for the occasion. Before you're let out, the nurse moves to check each passenger, releasing them from their restraints just before they're helped out of the vehicle. The nurse doesn't follow, instead moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick and firm, but not unkind. Once the passengers are out, the guards place a mask in each of their hands that matches the color of their clothing, and from it hangs a metal card that will grant everyone entrance to the party up ahead. Then the guards climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.

You're left alone at the large entrance of a festival of some kind, with many people milling about in costumes while loud music plays from speakers. The festival itself undoubtedly looks like some kind of costume party, though you'll come to notice that your costumes aren't unique.

Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request.

> ANIMATION NAEXPO

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

Wow, I have to say – the guys behind this? They're getting creative. I'm sure some of you are already aware, but Anime Naex is on, and arrival #7 is there waiting for you in some rather unfortunate getups. Make sure you look up the Vestica pilots on the way so you can pick them out. Have fun and pick me up something there, will you? I never get to go.

Animation Naexpo – which is more coloquially known as Anime Naex – is a popular annual convention, born out of a subculture of video game and animation fans around the city. Since our time, animation has become a world-wide sensation, and is distributed out of numerous megacities, with each one specializing in their own flavor and genre. There are many smaller conventions that are held every year in New Amsterdam, but this is the largest of them all, complete with the most competitive cosplay competitions, as well as the most popular guests who travel from other megacities around the world to meet and interact with their fans. It also has the hottest venue: set in the tallest hotel in the center of the financial district, it's a place that many of the con attendees could never dream of entering without having the convention as their annual ticket inside.

The streets leading up to the hotel are lined with booths, all trying to sell handmade wares. These booths act as the artist's alley for the convention, allowing people to set up within rented spaces. Many of the artists craft their own supplies – T-shirts, shoes, and other articles of clothing – while also having a code that will allow someone to access their digital gallery if someone might want to commission anyone on their way inside. There won't be anything like the ubiquitous keychains, prints or stickers of today, but there are many an enamel pin for someone to show off their particular allegiances.

Just above these booths and on the way inside, there are numerous AR displays paid for by multiple streaming companies. Any of the new arrivals won't get a read on these displays because their implants aren't registered yet, but the previous arrivals will be able to see targeted advertisements featuring a wide array of different cartoons and animation programs meant for all different types of audiences. These advertisements are often fairly generic, inviting someone inside so they can learn more.

Once inside, it seems that there's a lot to do. Anime Naex is a three day event, and everyone there working the event is dressed up in the same dark blue period costumes, celebrating the biggest show at the moment: a moody noir show that's set in the late 1990s. Each of them have a different pair of gaudy sunglasses, and their pants have numerous pockets, signifying the long-forgotten cargo pants of the past. While these workers are dressed up, they are the hotel employees, and they won't be happy to be there. Try to treat them kindly?

The program for the event is full of a great deal of things, so try to have fun.

> CURRENT HITS

The two top shows that are getting the most attention are Hot Case and Vestica: Aeon. Hot Case is the aforementioned noir anime set in the late 1990s, involving a snarky, too smart for his own good detective as he tries to solve the unsolved mysteries of the previous centuries. He's a cynic who often believes he's chasing urban legends down blind alleys. Vestica: Aeon is the most recent addition to the popular mecha franchise that's been around for well over a century. This particular addition has been running for five years with no end in sight, featuring a rotating cast and different mechs tied to various animal and nature spirits. Otherwise, the current trends vary a lot: many are historical in nature (set in the 20th or 21st centuries, often with an emphasis on traveling to prevent this future from happening), while others are high fantasy and worlds that could never be, free of the constraints of technology and filled with magic and great wonders. There are also plenty of aliens, ready to intervene and keep humanity from destroying itself further. Some shows are more generic than others, and they're typically meant for varying ages rather than genders, with a lot of the modern-day fanservice and tropes left behind as society evolved. But don't worry: there are still magical girls.

> COSTUMES

Much like today, there are a few of the lazy people who haphazardly put together a costume at the last minute or buy it online. But then there's everyone else. Anime Naex is the convention to show off someone's hard work and ingenuity when it comes to the costuming scene. Many of these costumes are high tech in nature – and many involve various inspirational spins on classics, showing the creativity behind the design. Some of the more committed cosplayers have cybernetics to help enable their costumes, helping them replace certain aspects so that it can best suit their appearance for the event the following year. The goal for these cosplayers is always the same: win the big prize at the show, which is a hefty amount of credits and an internship with a top costume designer who's worked on some of the world's biggest blockbusters.

> EVENTS

The three day schedule for Anime Naex is jam packed, with certain panels running around the clock. No matter what, there will always be a steampunk or traditional tea ceremony of some time going on – albeit with leaves that leave a lot to be desired, grown in gardens around the city (don't expect much). Otherwise, there are lots of panels led by guests or con attendees hoping to convince someone to watch their favorite show, or to discuss some of the more involved pieces of subtext. Yes, there are still awkward shipping panels with involved, AR powerpoint displays and clips often taken wildly out of context to prove what they have to say. These panels can get rather heated, often bringing people who discuss and debate online into the same room once a year. There are also many game rooms and amateur gaming competitions.

> THE DEALERS

Like with many different events around New Amsterdam, Anime Naex acts as a hot spot for consumerism. There are numerous booths set up throughout the many floors of the hotel, selling different wares, including various pillows, stuffed creatures, and – while often more expensive – robotic versions of mascots from the shows. These robots lack any artificial intelligence, but function and work rather similarly to appear as if they've come right out of everyone's favorite shows. For anyone who's lacking a stellar costume, there are numerous booths set up to help people buff up what they want.

> THE BALL

There is, of course, a ball. Titled the Dawn Ball, it's held on the Saturday of the event, providing numerous con-goers an opportunity to wear a fancy version of their costume to dance. These balls are opportunities for people to show off their cosplay partner and relationships, and even show a different kind of ingenuity, as they maintain their character in question while wearing formal wear. Admission does require formal wear, and most of the people who go are on the younger side.

> MISCELLANY

Like any convention, there are always those people who stroll up to stay in a hotel without knowing what they're getting in to, and that'll happen here. Unaware of why so many rooms weren't available, there will be the occasional individual who doesn't know what's even happening. Life outside of the hub of the convention will go on as normal … but with a lot more strangely costumed people walking the streets as they go out to get food or head home after the day's events. Many of the restaurants nearby will have restaurant week deals with special menus designed for con goers. Prove you have a badge to get another discount – and try out your favorite Vestica pilot's favorite snack!

> THE SAFEHOUSE

Access to the safehouse is a hatch hidden behind stacks of empty storage shelves in the back of an abandoned supermarket in an outer district of the city. The immediate area is similarly abandoned, empty stores, flanked by several blocks of dive bars and clubs which cater to more niche tastes. A place where people can come and go unseen, or, if seen, not spoken of. A dark haired woman called Gaby is ready to greet the new arrivals and get them settled in, brusque and no-nonsense – she'll be open for in depth questions later, but will advise everyone to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information.

◉ The safe house is a large open space, filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large amount of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is at a minimum.

There is a sign of some things being in disarray, with numerous metal containers meant to help stock things, as well as be moved out. There will be Morningstar agents moving in and out of the safehouse, helping prepare for the next step for their lives.

◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.

◉ While there were previously also NPC occupants of the safehouse, natives to New Amsterdam, these people have now been moved on to somewhere safer. A few of their belongings remain, discarded or accidentally abandoned.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until SEPTEMBER 24. These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until September 24 (February 17). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our February calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods. We made a couple of revisions/corrections to the calendar since it was first posted, so please have another look at it!

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in February will be 10 comments across 2-4 threads, while current characters will need to provide the full AC of 20 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will be posted on March 1 and close on March 7. If you do not reply to AC, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game. We will not post a warning list.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

arya gastaurknan | final fantasy xiv

[gastaurknan]

►NAEXPO oo1.

[ it's a little sad to admit that Arya's already used to this song and dance: being kidnapped with no recollection of what happened prior, and finding herself face-first in an odd world with her mind addled by a drug fading from her system. a couple of stark differences came about this round of abduction, however-- one, she still recalls everything that happened before she suddenly found herself here with all her wits intact; and two, her would-be savior wasn't there to greet her.

two-point-five: this world looked absolutely nothing like Eorzea.

at some point in her confusion, she managed to wander away from the original group of new transports and found herself thoroughly lost within the throng of costumed congoers, which does nothing to ease her earlier apprehension and uncertainty. she soon finds herself stumbling through the artist's alley, having already been stopped a couple of times for picture requests (all of which she found herself unable to decline). she began to grow increasingly anxious from all the foreign sights and smells around her, feeling completely naked without the weight of her rapier at her side. not to mention the sweltering heat and odd outfit she found herself in wasn't doing her any favors.

unaware of where she was going, it was only a matter of time before Arya bumped into a well-equipped cosplayer posing for a picture. wide-eyed, she backs away with her hands up in surrender. ] Oh! F-forgive me, I hadn't been… I'm sorry, I'll just be-- oof!!

[ and there she goes into another congoer. ]

►NAEXPO oo2.

How adorable…!

[ it took a little bit, about a half hour at most, but once Arya was able to hide in a small hole and gather her bearings with a few deep breaths, she was able to properly face the crowd with a little more gusto than before. she spent much of her time wandering through the "artist's alley", mostly keeping an eye out for either a familiar face (not likely to find) or a helpful one.

that is, until she got a little sidetracked by a booth selling a collection of hug-sized bird plushies. a yellow one in particular has her especially enraptured. it was, unfortunately for Arya, too high for her to grab, so all she could do was admire it from afar while the booth attendant watched her as she browsed with no small amount of impatience. ]

It looks just like a chocobo… [ it doesn't occur to her that she might be blocking the display until she feels someone come up behind her. ] I'm sorry! Am I in the way?

►SAFEHOUSE.

[ it's late by the time she's led back to the safehouse, and tired doesn't even begin to describe how she feels. she's finally out of that accursed suit that she was in, now currently wearing the clothes she was given upon her arrival. they wouldn't have been her first choice of wear if she had a say in it, but considering how hot that previous suit was, she made no arguments to the looser clothes.

at present, Arya could be found anywhere within the safehouse. over at the cots, she could be found trying to stay awake as she sorted through some more clothes, along with other odds and ends that were apparently left behind by the previous tenants. she already made use of one of the things left behind: a well-worn headband with a flower decal was now holding back her significantly shorter hair. she can also bee seen in the communal bathroom, trying to make sense of how the showers function here. lastly, she could be found in the kitchen, looking through the pantries for at least something to eat. should anyone happen upon her in these areas, she'll offer a small, tired smile. ]

Beg pardon. I won't be long, I promise.

[ the smile's there, but Arya's eyes are also red. whether it's because of exhaustion or she had a cry earlier, it's hard to tell. ]

►WILDCARD.

[ none of these prompts catch your eye? would you rather do something else? feel free to hit me up! my plurk is over at ephinea if you'd like to plot further! ]

safehouse

[mutriarchy]

It's cool.

[ Tommy will offer out the leftovers he's stolen from someone else's cupboard - he's not starving anymore thanks to Kate's offer of food, but he's still hungry. Hunger makes for bad choices and theft. And these instant noodle packets weren't going to do it for him anyway. ]

Here.

[gastaurknan]

[ Arya will stare at the leftovers, slowly taking the offering while her eyes flick between the food and the gentleman giving it to her. she looked grateful, yet hesitant. ]

You are certain? Finding something for myself would be no trouble. [ not that she'd look a gift 'bo in the beak… ]

[mutriarchy]

Go for it, I'm good. I already scarfed down something.

[ I mean, honestly? It's for the best. He's never used a stove in his life and he's not going to admit that right now. ]

[gastaurknan]

[ Arya still looks a little (unsure) about just taking someone else's food like that, but he said it was alright, so… she tips her head in a small bow. ]

…All right. Thank you, for your generosity. [ she picks at the leftovers a little, not immediately eating them. ]

You're… newly arrived, as well?

[mutriarchy]

Yeah, just landed here. One minute I'm in the middle of a family feud, the next I'm getting pushed out of a bus...

PLUSHIES

[mercurio]

[he approached her initially because of her costume being very similar to what el had advised them all to be on the lookout for. he's staring by the time she turns around -- not that she can see past his mask, the look of utter surprise on his face.]

Did you just say chocobo?

[gastaurknan]

--Aah!

[ turning around to find a man that looked vaguely like a Garlean soldier staring down at her, asking if she said 'chocobo' of all things, was probably the last thing Arya expected. thankfully, she managed to catch herself before she knocked over another display. ]

Y-yes…?

[mercurio]

[startled as well, prompto steps back momentarily but manages to reach out with his hand to catch her, holding onto her arm, before she does knock another display. she seems like she's got things in order, but this was just reactionary at best...]

Sorry!

[he pulls up his mask, the hood along with it.] I forget I was wearing the mask.

[his eyebrows a knit into a frown, however, curious. he speaks a bit quietly, his hand still around her arm.]

You're not from here, are you?

[gastaurknan]

[ okay he looked a lot less intimidating without the mask. she can handle him without the mask. Arya heaved out a small sigh as she straightened, willing her heart to ease itself.

but then there's that last question, and she grows apprehensive. should she tell the truth? hold back? half-truths are fine, right? it won't make her look completely like a country bumpkin. ]

You could say that, yes.

[ she figured she was safe enough to continue. this guy knew what chocobos were, after all. ]

It's not too terribly obvious, is it?

[mercurio]

[prompto smiles. there's no way that someone who knows about chocobos is from new amsterdam, after all.]

Nah. I just know what to listen for.

[he turns his head back towards the stall, finally letting go of her arm.]

Do you want one of those? They're pretty cute.

[besides... he turns to her.]

I'm also like you. I'm not from "here." But I'll have to take you somewhere where you can be safe for a bit.

[his voice is quieter as he says this.]

002

[memoriams]

[She matches the description of what he should be looking for, or at least, Alucard is fairly certain she does. To be here required rudimentary research on some narrative that still confuses him in every way possible, but it was done, and it was beneficial. He recognizes her outfit as one of the “mecha pilots”, and pushing through a throng of people, sidles up to her, near the row of plushies.]

Excuse me, are—

[Until someone behind him jostles him forward in their rush to pass through the crowd, making his hip knock against the table. And a well-stacked group of bird plushies wobble and shake… and then tumble forward, rolling across the table, and scattering on the ground.

Way to go, Alucard.]

…are you lost, by chance?

[He just continues like it was nothing, this is fine.]

[gastaurknan]

--Oh no!!

[ sorry, Alucard. any hopes of getting an answer out of Arya was halted by the avalanche of fat bird plushies. even if she wasn't the one responsible, Arya will be scrambling to gather as many of them as she can, to at least save the poor booth attendant some trouble.

what makes this unfortunate is that, because of the birds being an appropriate size for an adult to hug them in their sleep, Arya can only really juggle a maximum of three. she puts as many as she can on the table for the attendant to reorganize, but then she runs out of room.

a parakeet plushie is immediately shoved into Alucard's hands. ]

Hold this, please?

[memoriams]

[He miscalculated, clearly.

Alucard was of a mind that this young woman would be seeking answers if she really was one of the displaced. That she would be eager to look to someone for help even if a stranger was the one giving it — it was his mindset when he first arrived, confused and disoriented, tossed into a throng of people in the midst of an event he couldn’t understand. This is surely no different.

And yet she’s ignoring him in favor of the bird plushies that have rolled past the toe of his shoe. Collecting them like they’re the priority, not the state of her upheaval from one world to the next.

Blinking, parakeet plush stuffed into his arms, he opens his mouth a little disbelievingly.]

I—

[Oof, it’s so big. What the heck.]

Is this truly a priority for you?

[gastaurknan]

[ guess what, Alucard: now you're getting a penguin friend to join that parakeet.

granted, Arya does have that mindset. she does have questions, loads of them, about this world and the circumstances that led to her being here. but perhaps it was her yearning to find some form of familiarity from home (the chocobo-like plushie) that caused her to stray from her course somewhat. and her picking up someone else's mess, well… red mages were notorious for having bleeding hearts, anyway. it wouldn't sit well with Arya to not do anything as she watched someone else's efforts go to waste.

she looks up from her work with a pout frown. ]

It would be no good to just leave them there!

[ technically it didn't matter as neither of them caused the mess, but again: this is Arya we're looking at.

there's only a couple left on the ground as Arya continues to clean the mess. as she does so, though, she'll continue talking. it'd be rude to just leave this man hanging, after all. ]

Just-- I'll be but a moment. I promise!

[memoriams]

[But there are other priorities that she should be concerned about, not the fact that these plushies are on the floor — likely they’d end up there again, more than once, given how raucous this crowd is. How closely packed warm bodies are, just on this aisle alone. Even as he opens his mouth to speak, another man bumps into him, and Alucard’s fingers have to tighten around the birds to make certain they don’t fall again.

Mouth presses into a thin frown.]

A ‘moment’. There’s something to be said for your sense of urgency — or rather, the lack of it.

[He steps forward, putting down the plushies on the table, though without much care. They wobble and fall on their sides.]

They will all be sold to or handled by strangers soon enough. Your efforts are wasted.

safehouse: bathroom

[windowsills]

[ For the most part Alex has been wandering around the safe house aimlessly, talking to no one in particular, a blank look on her face like she's simply taking note of everything but no real opinion forming about any of it.

Today she's in the bathroom. It's more deserted than any other time she's seen it, so she's taking her time, standing in front of the mirror freshly showered and messing with the short hair curled around her ears. Out of everything, this development is the most upsetting. Not having the familiar heavy weight of her hair sticking to the back of her neck. As her fingers follow the line of shorn off hair, she feels a thin bump on the back of head, almost like a fine line of stitches.

But before she can examine it further she hears a frustrated sound and it jolts her out of her trance. A girl is fiddling with the shower, trying to get it to work, Alex assumes. She catches a look at her face and her eyes are clearly blood shot and puffy. There's a pang of sympathy for her and Alex approaches, just a few feet away so she wont startle her. ]

Do you mind if I interrupt? That one malfunctions every time I use it. I just thought...

[ That the girl should know. And maybe have the opportunity to talk if she needs to. ]

[gastaurknan]

[ it never really occurred to Arya that, while this was a communal bathing area, there would be a chance that other people would be using it at the same time as her. she managed to catch it at a time where it was relatively unoccupied, which left her to her own devices as she tried to make heads or tails of the facilities. the concept of shower stalls was not lost on her: while uncommon in Eorzea, she at least knew how to operate one thanks to her travels. it was really the technological differences that left her at a loss on how to turn it on.

thankfully, the fact that she was actually not alone in the bathroom came to be her saving grace. she starts as she hears the unfamiliar voice, straightening as she smooths out her much-shorter hair. ]

Does it? I-I see. [ she rubs at one of her bloodshot eyes. ] Perhaps because it's closer to the entryway, it makes this one the more often used…

[ a small laugh. ]

Thank you! For saving me the embarrassment.

[windowsills]

[ Alex nods and tries her best to give a small smile in return. She has a feeling that neither of them are in the mood to be cheerful and drum up small talk but the circumstance has taken that option away from them. They are bonded one way or another and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. And having friends is never a bad thing, even if Alex is very out of practise.

She walks over to the shower next to it and points at the console, allowing Arya time to come over and watch what she does. ]

Ah, you shouldn't feel embarrassed, there's a large learning curve here. It confuses me too.

[ She presses a button and fiddles with it until the shower starts up, then fiddles with the water pressure and temperature until it's a gentle spray. She shuts it off, just wanting to give a demonstration. Alex pauses. ]

I just assumed. Were you at the party as well?

[gastaurknan]

[ Arya is very much on equal ground as the other woman in regards to friendships, as any friends she made before she was kidnapped the first time were long forgotten. thankfully Arya's been able to make new friends since then — one of which she ran into just earlier — but additional friends ended up being difficult to come by as she struggled reacquainting herself with her home world… and even now in this new world.

but that's a hurdle she'll come over once she reaches it.

she watches carefully as the woman demonstrates how to work the showers. it seemed awfully confusing to her at first, but the more she watched, the more it seemed not all that different from working a regular showerhead at home. just with more buttons and fewer dongles. ]

Indeed… We've some contraptions at home that work much the same as these, but they may as well be archaic in comparison.[ her shoulders bounce in a shrug. ] It'll be an adventure learning everything here, that's for certain!

[ she straightens once the demonstration is over with, offering the woman a grateful, if tired, smile. despite circumstances, Arya finds herself truly lucky to have found such friendly folks when her situation seemed dire. ]

I was, yes. I've never seen so many people in one place, and I lived in what could be considered a proper city back home!

[windowsills]

[ Alex discreetly watches the girl’s expression as she talks. Very cheerful, so optimistic, and humble. She highly suspects those aren’t her real feelings on the situation, but she won’t press her. They can talk about the mundane, it doesn’t have to be more complicated than that in Alex’s personal opinion. ]

That sounds like it might be like where I come from as well. Everything has manual knobs, I’m not sure I understand why everything has to be digital.

[ But she’s a tactile person at heart. The feel of paper and stone under her hands is something she will miss. Even if the implant is supposed to be convenient. ]

It wouldn’t happen to be named Ergastulum, would it?

expo oo1

[verflair]

[ X’rhun has literally no idea what’s going on – he can vaguely guess that this is some sort of festival, meant to celebrate this world’s media, and, in fact, there are some aspects that remind him a bit of the Moonfire Faire of his home – but gods help him, there is a lot. It’s an assault on the senses, and he would find it all rather fascinating if he weren’t also trying to keep an eye out for new arrivals.

As luck would have it, one runs into him instead, backing into him as he’s trying to cut through the throngs of people. On instinct, he reaches out to rest his hands on their shoulders, steadying them. ]

Easy. You’re likely to get yourself trampled in this mess.

[ With all the crazy costumes about, X’rhun has found he can go without hiding his Miqo’te features. His ears, plainly exposed, swivel towards the smaller figure in front of him. ]

[gastaurknan]

[ she was a mess, Arya was hyper-aware of this fact. it occurred to her belatedly that perhaps she should have stuck with the group after all, or at least find someone among the group to buddy up with. even as she's caught by the next person she bumped into (she's lost count of how many people she's bumped into by now), Arya was ready to immediately run off to find an empty corner so that she could get her head on straight--

but that voice cuts through the loud chatter of the crowd around her, clear as day and anchoring Arya's mindset to a point of familiarity. the unworn mask in her hands falls to the ground as she wheels around to confirm if she really did hear what she heard, if she really wasn't imagining things--

and there was her mentor staring right back at her, as though he never left. ]

X'rh--!

[ his name catches in her throat, stuck as she simply stares at the miqo'te with her mouth agape. she can already feel tears pricking at her eyes, for after all of the madness and confusion, and all of the foreign sights, sounds, and smells that left Arya reeling, X'rhun was the very last person she thought she would see here and never before has Arya welcomed such a sight from home. ]

[verflair]

[ He could kick himself for how long it takes him to recognize her. The single, aborted syllable from her lips strikes something in his chest like a gong, and then he looks at her -- really looks at her. With her hair shorn short in that costume, she looks to be another person, but it is her eyes -- the very eyes that stared up at him wide and full of fear as he cradled her in his arms in the depths of the Weeping City that finally causes it to click.

All at once, he is filled with a strange sort of relief and dread. He longed to see her for a year -- a year -- and now that she is here, he wishes to the gods she were anywhere else. She'd been through so much, and now here she is, freshly cut open and changed and abandoned. ]

Arya? Gods, Arya it is you.

[ Her costume has sleeves, and he's so grateful for that. She needn't feel the way the bottom drops out of his world as he flings his arms around her and pulls her close. ]

[gastaurknan]

[ a part of Arya insisted that this all had to be a dream, that she was safe and sound in Mor Dhona, resting before her next round of lessons, while X'rhun was far away, hundreds of malms away on his pilgrimage. she tried to believe that she wasn't in what could only be described as an Allagan metropolis, and that X'rhun — who's supposed to be far from wherever she is — was not standing before her.

but he's right here, embracing her, and it pulls Arya back to the reality of her -- their situation. almost immediately after she registers his arms around her does she return the embrace, fingers digging tightly into his clothes. she always knew she would see him again one day, but never before has she felt this much relief in seeing this jovial miqo'te again.

even in this unfamiliar land, she still has one link to her home. and from the way she's gripping his clothes, she doesn't intend to let that go anytime soon. ]

X'rhun… [ his name is mostly said as an anchor for herself rather than to get his attention.she swallows heavily, blinking back her relieved tears. ] Wh-what… What is all this?