ARRIVAL LOG 010

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Evening of October 21 and 22
WHAT: The tenth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion, loss of autonomy, sexual themes and alcohol usage. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #010

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 in white scrubs, hair recently cut but at various stages of growth, restrained by straps across your chests, arms, feet, holding you to the bench under 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 false, colored light, illuminating the streets in the distance will first alert your senses of being somewhere else, combined with air that's only cooled with the setting of the sun. The nurse moves to stand at the back, checking each passenger over one by one just before they're helped out of the vehicle, quick and methodical. He doesn't climb out after you, moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick, firm, but not entirely unkind. Once all the passengers are out, they drop some masks on the ground in a tan-colored tote bag. "Pick a mask," they bark, and then turn to climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.

You're left alone in an alley, with no idea of where you are or why you've been brought here.

Around the corner of the alley, there is the sound of various different carnival rides and men yelling for someone to step right up and try their luck on the various assortment of games that are available. Off in the distance, there's a large, hulking structure – perfectly vertical in nature, and people on it twist upward and then come slamming down mere moments later. It seems that you've just arrived as a part of some festivity, though it's probably hard to tell if you're an attraction or a coincidence of this all.

Either way – time to pick a mask. They're nothing special: they go over the head, but no one was ordered to put one on. They show various monsters – generic and otherwise – and it looks like they were purchased in bulk.

◉ 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.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: OPENING CEREMONY

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.

Here we go again. You know the drill by now. Our new batch has been thrown into the middle of a Halloween party. They should have masks on which doesn't make them much easier to find, but I trust you guys can figure this out. You know the signs to look for by now. So… Happy Halloween. 🎃

Having ten actual days dedicated to Halloween may seem like a bit much, but New Amsterdam takes the festivities seriously. Thanks to being a melting pot of two millenia's worth of cultures, they try to touch on every aspect of it. The launch party is a two-day event set in the cultural district. Thanks to the lack of ground traffic, the city easily rolls in what acts as a mini-carnival. The ground throughout the carnival is lit with candle-filled pumpkins, providing a warmth of inviting light as the nights grow cooler. While the carnival shuts down during the working day, it opens again in the evening, allowing working parents to bring their children before the hours come to a close. During this time, children run around with their friends in costumes to ask for candy or food from nearby businesses or carnival booths. Sometimes these children have to perform a task before they get what they've asked for – either through playing a game or answering a trivia question – but they're never turned away empty handed.

The first two days are largely billed as a time for people to come together and have a good time, but Halloween is also known for offering opportunities to local artists to get their work recognized. Whether digital or otherwise, artists are asked to commit to a theme and produce art on the first day of the event that's viewed throughout the next nine days. Part of the tradition is the crunch of trying to produce a work of art with limited notice and time. If they aren't done before the first two days are over, they won't be able to get free advertisement for their work. When the event is over, all of the art will go up for auction, and the artists will receive 75% of whatever is offered for their work. This year's theme is "Remembrance and Renewal" – and most themes from past years are just as open for interpretation.

As it gets deeper into the evening and children have returned home, the festivities turn toward being more adult. While barred from selling alcohol until 9 PM, the various carnival booths change their tune after that point, offering a wide array of alcohol – including their own takes on moonshine. The first night even features a competition over who's brought the best, and everyone's invited to try a sample and put in a vote – for free. A rather savvy individual would likely be able to find themselves well in their cups just off of these samples, as the moonshine contest is the way for the adults to get a treat of their own. For these evening festivities, everyone is allowed to wear a more risque costume, and sex workers come over from the neighboring Red Light District in order to advertise some of their more unique services for the evenings ahead. Every brothel will have a unique theme of its own to mark how special the event is, and their services will match.

Otherwise, the first two days of Halloween are known for allowing kids to have fun and for adults to be anonymous for a little while. Anyone who holds down a day job will still be expected to turn into work, but there's a tacit understanding that most people will be under the weather during this time.

◉ The carnival will have a wide array of rides that are set up rather quickly. There's a ferris wheel with seats that will rotate around a large machine like an atom, but with many different "branches" to allow a great deal of people to go on at once. Everyone gets on at the same time, and the seats "float." Each person can pay for how long their ride is in increments, and extend that time if they so choose. For the after dark people, there is a definite badge of honor in having a good time in a ferris wheel without getting caught with your pants down. Other rides include the Wicked Force – which rapidly takes people up 500 ft into the air and then drops them – as well as carousels that allow someone to customize their mount for an additional amount of money. Want a lewd mount? That's fine … after the kids have gone home to play, and some people like to show off whatever they thought up on Cooltalk.

◉ As always, there are a large number of food options available thanks to the local food trucks coming out to sell their food. Taco trucks are the most popular around this time, and that's most of what will be offered. Many trucks will have some homemade candy that they offer for free with each meal – with the option to get more.

◉ Throughout the city, there will be controlled bonfire pits that are lit every night at 8 PM, though they won't be present in the less cared for parts of New Amsterdam. Ahead of the event starting, there will be a website to let people know where these pits are going up so they can set up meeting places with their friends – or even reserve a pit for a private group. Reservations around the more popular areas cost more than ones that are nearing the "disreputable" sections – though "disreputable" is shorthand for rundown buildings in need of repair more than any crime.

◉ There are, of course, costume contests! While many local bars – dive and otherwise – will have smaller affairs, there is a large contest held on these first two nights. Because of the wide array of people and costumes available, someone has to enter their costume according to a certain theme. Some of the themes are: vampires, ghosts, zombies, pop culture (animation), pop culture (action movies), pop culture (celebrities), political figures, historical figures – and more! In the five days that follow, people will be able to go online and vote for their favorite costume. Whoever accumulates the most votes gets a meal of their choice at a number of participating restaurants – HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY, SOL, Monde Pizza, Sweetwaffel and more – as well as 200 credits added to their funds.

◉ There will be dealers around the carnival trying to get someone to buy something to "heighten" their experience. While the "monster drug" is out in the city, it won't be available here. Halloween is thought of as a neutral ground for the city, and even the gangs recognize that. Most drugs will be hallucinatory in nature, providing effects similar to shrooms. Of course, any drugs are still illegal, and people will want to be careful not to get caught – or buy from the wrong person.

◉ Anyone who chooses to take part in the more illicit and sexual activities will be advised to go home to finish out their nights. Being handsy is fine, but getting caught on the ferris wheel? Well, the goal is to not get caught. Public acts are still illegal, though most people just spend a night in jail thinking about what they did. It's treated as more embarrassing than anything, but sometimes people let things get away from them. Many of the brothels will offer rooms to couples for the evening, complete with toys and supplies to practice safe sex. Even if they aren't spending their night with a sex worker, the themed goods are still there to enjoy.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: THE NEXT EIGHT DAYS

After the rowdier events pass, Halloween splits into two main categories: corporate popups and remembrance. Halloween parties continue to be thrown at restaurants and bars, allowing people to enjoy a more low key version of what was previously available. Many of the bars have karaoke contests and themed parties, and many retail stores maintain a Halloween section until November first. If anyone's been invited to a party last minute – or they need a series of costumes to be extra about the whole occasion – they can hit these stores when needed.

◉ Pulsar's hover car-focused subsidiary, Bakker, advertises their 2512 line of cars by having hover hay rides around the city. Their trucks can hold up to six. Anyone hoping to go on a hover truck hay ride around the city to take in the sights and bonfires in the evening can call one on New Amsterdam's special Halloween app! These rides don't only show the city: they give a glimpse at the large amount of forestation just over the wall, allowing people to see that the Earth is gradually improving.

◉ There are, of course, haunted houses set up around the city! Haunted houses come in two varieties: virtual reality and 4D. Vyonation's gaming subsidiary, Vizija, sets up the virtual reality popups around the city. Due to the high tech nature of these setups, people do have to be on site to enjoy them. They interface with someone's neural implant, and depending on the experience, they can involve puzzles, escape rooms, murder mysteries, or even dissection tables. The 4D houses are the result of a joint partnership between Poe and Polarized – which are subsidiaries of Giles Bell and Pulsar, respectively.

4D haunted houses involve a great deal of props, realistic sights and smells, as well as the potential for certain drugs that can help provide a certain physical or emotional response. Whereas Vizija's simulation comes with the reassurance that nothing is real, Poe and Polarized team up to scare someone – and try to ensure it's as real as possible. Nothing offered at either is illegal, including the drug – though people with a history of heart issues won't be allowed to use the drug at all.

These experiences are made unique for everyone going in: people are allowed to opt out of anything that might make them uncomfortable, or even add in something along the way. If someone is feeling too much anxiety thanks to the drugs, they'll find a counter-drug added to their system to negate the artificial effects rather quickly.

◉ Remember that art contest? Anyone who finished a work will find their art somewhere in the city – and that includes anyone among the Displaced. If anyone is looking for artwork that's similar to what's been featured on the shrines, there will be a few, only they will seem more inviting. Whereas they celebrated people before, they now involve hands outstretched, welcoming someone down a blue-lit path. The same imagery – triangles and overlapping circles – will still be present, especially on the hands as tattoos.

◉ Five days before the 31st, there is a tradition of everyone donating a knife from their house to make it so that "spirits" can return safely. While no one in New Amsterdam genuinely believes that they might be visited by a spirit, the odd occasions around the city recently have lent some credence to this superstition. There will be knife disposal boxes all around the city – and anyone who doesn't give up a knife, butter or otherwise, will be seen as a bit of a spoilsport.

◉ On October 29th, there will be a procession from one end of the city to the other that starts just as the sun goes down and finishes when everyone has reached the other side. As you might imagine, this is a very, very long walk, and many people slip in and out according to what they can individually manage. People walk with candles along the way, and there will be booths selling new or replacement candles for a low price. Since the procession goes along the path of a lot of bonfires, it won't ever be difficult to get them lit. The purpose of this? Everyone uniting in remembrance: of a world that's healing, to celebrate the lives lost to usher in a peaceful era, to thank everyone on the colonies for offering a humanity a new home, and any personal losses that people might have faced. Even though there are still billions of people alive, there is the sense that everyone knows that they remain on Earth on borrowed time.

◉ For the last two days, people light candles and put them in their windows, and they also leave food outside of their windows and in the front of their apartments so that "spirits" can return safely. There's an implicit understanding that most of this food will be taken by people who aren't doing as well, and much of it is nonperishable. Anyone who's down on their luck will see candles in the window and will know that they will likely find food there. Many people stock up for this occasion so that they can replace any food. Unsurprisingly, most high-end apartments with well-off people don't honor this tradition, but people in mid-to-low end apartments will almost always have something to spare in the spirit of charity.

> 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.

◉ 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.

◉ Any belongings from previous safehouse occupants have been packed up – and that includes any current Displaced who just got back from a trip. If someone left something out while they were in New Tokyo, Gaby will tell them where these objects can be found. For her part, she's just trying to get everything set up for the upcoming move.

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

◉ Once everyone that El spotted has arrived back, they'll be informed that the safehouse will be a temporary location. By the end of the month, everyone will be moving to a new location about fifteen blocks away.

◉ 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 OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). 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 OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). 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 an artist character, please feel free to comment below under our QUESTIONS header to submit a description for a work of art! As long as they submitted something, you can feel free to assume they made some credits off of the whole experience!

Since there is a part of this log that involves explicit sexual activity, please remember content warnings. If your character engages in a sexual act, slap a warning on that! None of the drugs available at the event will involve aphrodisiacs or anything that will remove consent. Some of the brothels may involve play with that, but everyone entering those arrangements would need to consent from the start. We're well aware of the sensitive nature of having a Red Light District-adjacent event while characters are under the influence of compulsory drugs, so no characters will be forced or asked into any acts against their will. There will be no exceptions to this. In addition, any newcomers won't be able to skip off into a brothel because they're new, won't be able to confirm their ages, and they won't have any other identifying information. Otherwise, please be respectful and check everyone's permissions.

As a blanket reminder, all arrival logs are designed as mingle logs for the entire game.

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 May calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in May 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 June 1 at 12 AM UTC and close on June 8 at 12 AM UTC. 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

job hunting in costume? what could go wrong?

[lighthearted]

[ It would have been wrong for the two of them to not get a costume somehow, and while they don't have much in the way of money, through the kindness of others they've managed to gets their hands on two outfits that fit perfectly. It's true, Jack Skellington would have been ashamed of Sora if he didn't dress up. While he would have liked something closer to what he wore on his visits to Halloween Town, dressing up as a pirate is a close second.

Even though it's daytime and all the fun stuff doesn't happen until dark falls, both Sora and Riku are eager to actually explore the city now that they have the chance. It doubles as running around in their costumes, and if some nice store owners want to give them candy while they explore, he isn't going to say no.

While it's hot out during the day and Sora's wearing a coat, he's used to hot weather after growing up on an island and isn't too bothered by it. His excitement to finally see New Amsterdam when he isn't in a weird dreamscape outweighs the discomfort.

They've been walking for a while, taking everything in and getting a feel for the city, when Sora spots a place that catches his eye. The sign above the store reads "SWEETWAFFEL." He pauses and grabs Riku's sleeve, pointing it out. ]

That place looks interesting!

[ Is he looking for a job or just for a place with good food? It's hard to say. ]

[inherited]

[Needless to say, wearing a costume while going out to job hunt isn't a good idea. Riku's fairly certain that most people here would judge them for it. But then he sees people with ties in otherwise Halloween-like outfits, and he gets the picture. People here love Halloween. Is it possible that they've gone to some radically altered version of Halloween Town, and none of them got the memo?

Riku really wishes he and Sora got it. That would make whatever they're doing here a lot ... simpler.

And too bad that it's not the case at all.

Even if he was dubious about going out in his pirate costume, he's largely pleased with how he looks. Every time he passes by a glass window, his steps slow. While Sora's gotten the fun part of dressing up magically or otherwise, Riku's never had that. Now he does, even if it's a lot more manual. And it looks awesome.

He's in the middle of that when he smells the restaurant they're stopping at. It's the smell that entices him, so he has a feeling it's the same for Sora.]

Sure you aren't just hungry? Though you'd make a pretty good cook. [Riku also wishes he got training from a rat, but here they are.]

[lighthearted]

[ It's true that Riku didn't get to blend in on the worlds they visited in the same way as Sora, save for when he'd gone to the Grid. Instead he'd mainly stayed in the shadows, not letting himself be seen by the natives of that world -- or visiting them in a black coat that covered his face.

This is a nice change from that, where they're dressed up together and can take the city by storm. Or at least this waffle shop, anyway.

At the suggestion that he consider cook as a career option, Sora hums to himself and then shrugs, unsure. ] I don't know if I'd be any good at it if I didn't have Little Chef helping me along...

[ It's a more trivial example, but it goes back to that same sticking point: Sora does best when he's with his friends, not alone. All the same, that smell isn't getting any less enticing, and so he jabs a thumb in the direction of the store. ] So, you wanna go in?

[inherited]

[That sticking point is one that Riku doesn't like much, even if it cost Sora his life. The reason why it did wasn't because Sora was alone, but because the task he had to undertake was harder than anything they ever had to do. Saving Kairi from whatever Xehanort did to her? Riku knows he could've been there, but Sora had to prove it to himself, too.

How does it feel to know he didn't? Can Riku even ask? He's the one who let Sora in on that.

It's hard to say.]

I don't think making waffles is as complicated as all that other stuff, [he says, smiling easily.] Come on, let's go inside and see if they're even hiring. We still have to apply to these things, anyway.

[Plus, his implant tells him this place does some mean savory treats. He's got to try both kinds.]

So, yeah. I wanna go in.

[lighthearted]

[ Riku's got a point. It's not like they can just expect to waltz in somewhere and get offered a job. The place has to be hiring, and then they have to interview or something, don't they? It sounds like a drag, but they're going to have to figure it out.

With a nod, Sora takes the lead and heads inside. The smell is even stronger now, and he takes a moment to savor it, his mouth watering a little. ]

We definitely have to try something here.

[ He walks over to the counter, staring up at the menu as he tries to figure out what sounds the best. There are just too many options!

When the person working the counter asks for his order, Sora glances over, pausing for just a moment before he responds. ]

I'd like a sweet waffle with mango and pineapple on top, please! And powdered sugar, uhh, if you have that.

[inherited]

[Unfortunately for these two teenage boys who are eager to get their start in the world, they're likely to experience the first hand frustration of being told to just "apply online." Not that either of them have any reason to know that. But soon ... soon, the true horror of Halloween will make an appearance: job hunting in an all-digital world.

Riku orders after Sora, sliding in next to him.] I'd like the fauxcon waffle with cheese, and the chocolate mountain waffle. [The premades. They sound good, anyway. The cheese is probably also "fauxcheese" or whatever, but he doesn't mind, nor is he that picky. It'll be good either way.]

And uhhh, my friend here wants to put in an application. Are you hiring?

[The woman behind the counter almost ignores him, only she pauses, hearing the question.]

Look it up online. How am I supposed to know?

[Which is rude, but ...

Their question is weird. Probably. Riku looks at Sora soon after as if to say, "What did I do wrong?"]

[lighthearted]

[ Chocolate mountain waffle? That also sounds amazing, and Sora will definitely be stealing a bite (or two), but that's more or less expected between best friends.

Riku remembers to actually ask about the job thing, though the response that they get is less than helpful. It does make sense that they'd need to use the implant for this, seeing how it's used for just about everything, but the lady didn't need to be so mean about it. ]

Hey! No need to be rude. We were just asking.

[ She rolls her eyes at him, confirming their transactions with her own implant before she turns her back on them to prepare their orders.

Sora sighs and goes to sit at one of the nearby tables. ] Guess this doesn't work the way we thought, huh... [ He frowns, staring off into the distance as he tries to mentally search "Sweetwaffle job application." This is already a huge pain in the butt! ]

[inherited]

No ... not that it's our fault. It didn't work this way on the Islands or at Twilight Town. [Riku watched enough of DiZ's simulations to know that part. Put out, his shoulders slump forward, right before he slides onto a seat far away from the cashier.] Either version. Maybe we should have asked more about this before we set out.

[Riku is a little sulky, but it's mostly because his independence has been infringed upon. It's not as if he's actually upset. If Sora touched him, he'd be able to tell that it's more a mild frustration: the fact that they're set back, so powerless, and now they don't even know how to get a job.]

Maybe you can take her job. [A little petty. He also doesn't mean it. Again: not their fault they don't get this world, but not her fault, either. Sora can probably tell.]

[lighthearted]

[ Sora does recall seeing job postings set on public bulletin boards in Twilight Town, which had been a lot more straightforward. Having to look everything up online just seems overly complicated, especially since he can't find a single database where everything's posted. Having to check into each business' site separately feels like a lot of unnecessary work.

If there's one thing Sora's good at, it's helping Riku to let things go when he ends up frustrated like this. He knows that he's mainly upset on Sora's behalf, and it's not worth it to get riled up too much. ]

Don't worry. I wasn't really sold on the idea of working here anyway... What if they gave me some kind of cooking test?

[ It sounds awful. He shakes his head, dismissing the idea. ]

At least we know how it works now. We can just make note of places that look interesting and then look things up later.

[inherited]

[Riku thinks Sora is probably better at passing a cooking test than he thinks, but maybe he should put him in front of a stove to see if that's true. Can he really not cook without a rat pulling his hair? That seems ... strange. The thing that would worry Riku most is Sora remembering stuff, and the neural implant would make up for that, more than any book with recipes that he has to keep checking.

But he doesn't say it, only laughing at the idea of Sora hating a test at all. Any tests. Even ones he's good at. (And Riku doesn't bring the Mark of Mastery into it: that's a complicated, different territory.)]

We sure can. And we can ask if they like their job. Better than asking if they can give us one. You can make sure we don't work somewhere we hate.

[Riku is certain Sora could never hate a job that allows him to talk to people.]

[lighthearted]

[ Some of it could certainly be chalked up to Sora not realizing that he's capable of doing things without the help of someone else. He's never tried to cook on his own, so it's getting over that hurdle that might take some extra encouragement.

The neural implant would help, though, if he thought to use it. ]

That's a good point. It doesn't look like this place is hiring right now -- otherwise I'd ask.

[ As if sensing that they're talking about her, the woman swings by their table to drop off their orders, and Sora's expression brightens at the sight of a pancake topped with sweet-smelling fruit and some sort of cream. ]

This looks amazing! Thank you!

[ And without further ado, he digs in. ]

[inherited]

[Or she's just weirdly protective of her job. Before she departs, Riku offers her an apology about their questions, and she seems to actually soften. That's what Sora would do, right? That's what Riku's heart tells him to do. Maybe she's not so bad, and there's no point in holding a grudge.

He starts with the savory one first, but he immediately sees that he ordered way too much food. He turns it around so he can drag it close, focusing on the vaguely nutritious tastes happening in his mouth. He's a teenage boy, so devouring food comes easily ... but not so easily that he could eat both of these.

He offers Sora a grin between bites.] At least we'll have leftovers, huh? [Or ... looking at Sora's—] You can have some of the chocolate mountain now, if you want. [It won't hurt. They have so much.]

[lighthearted]

[ Sora's proud to see Riku making an effort, and as expected, the store worker responds well to the apology. All it takes is a little bit of compassion and friendliness to get people to open up, most of the time. He nods to Riku after she walks away, a silent approval.

He's already a few bites into his own waffle by the time that Riku offers up some of his chocolate mountain. Of course, Sora had already been planning to steal some, but now he's got even more reason to try it. ]

You don't have to tell me twice.

[ He reaches over to Riku's plate, using the side of his fork as a makeshift knife to cut off a sizable piece of the waffle, which he transplants to his plate.

After taking a large bite, he licks his lips. ] Man, that's good! I wouldn't even know it wasn't real chocolate.

[inherited]

[It probably helps that they were already mastering fake chocolate 500 years before. Not that Riku knows this, but he's pleased with the taste, picking at it the best he can once he finishes off the savory waffle. It's hard to do, though, thanks to it being so rich. His hand self-consciously comes to wipe some of the chocolate off his mouth afterward, and he leans back, grabbing up the cloth napkin so he can wipe off the back of his hand.]

I barely put a dent in it. Guess we're gonna have to carry around our leftovers. [It's a good thing that while it's warm outside, it's not as bad as it's been.] Unless you wanna head back to you know where and stick 'em in the fridge. I don't mind. It's up to you. [And if so, they can head back out afterward, and see what's out in the world that's waiting for them.]

[lighthearted]

[ Riku might have been a little ambitious with ordering two whole waffles for himself, and Sora's starting to run out of steam too. So it goes with teenage boys whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs, no matter what they might believe.

At the question, Sora pauses before taking another bite of his own fruit-covered waffle, then shakes his head. ]

Nah, I don't want to waste any time. We can just carry it around with us, it's not a big deal. Plus we might get hungry later!

[ A chocolate waffle is not a meal, but Sora clearly sees no problem with this. ]

[inherited]

Okay, sounds good. Plus—there are parks all over. I wouldn't mind stopping at one to take a break, and you can take yourself a nap. [Even dressed in his Halloween garb. It would be like the old days on the Islands, with Riku staring off in the distance and Sora feeling relaxed with his friends enough to doze off.

He misses that. He knows it's unlikely that they'll have it again, at least like that.]

I know I have ideas for you and where you can work, but do you have any for me?

[lighthearted]

[ As much as Sora's full of energy now, there is a good chance that the amount of heavy food he's eaten will hit him later in the day, at which point a nap in the park actually sounds kind of perfect. He nods, as he wouldn't mind at all; they haven't had much of a chance for a break like that yet.

At the question, Sora frowns to himself and rests his chin in the palm of his hand, humming to himself as he thinks it over. Figuring out what to do for a job had been hard enough, but sometimes it was easier to come up with ideas for other people. ]

Someone suggested I could be a courier, that might be good for you too. Or... [ He leans back in his seat and lets his arms fall to his sides, trying to think of what Riku's good at and how that might translate. ] Someone who investigates things, or gathers information? I don't know if they have a job like that. But you'd be smart enough to do it!

[inherited]

Rey suggested something similar. I've looked into what it takes to sign up to be a cop, but ... [Well, he's not old enough, but that doesn't matter here. As far as the world of New Amsterdam knows, he's eighteen. He doesn't voice that.] I need to brush up on my schooling. I haven't read large blocks of text to figure them out for a long time.

[He looks around for a way to box up the food. It looks like they might have to ask. Eh, he'll wait.]

I like the idea. I just don't think I can do it yet, and I wanna get us moved out soon.

[lighthearted]

Maybe do the courier thing for now, and if you want to join the police after that, it'll be something to aim for.

[ Sora wonders if he should have similarly lofty goals, but one step at a time, right? He doesn't mind letting Riku take the lead on it while he figures out his own path. Cooking or baking seems pretty inconsequential in comparison, but it's a starting point.

He hadn't missed the way Riku was looking around, so Sora stands from his seat and asks the woman behind the counter for two boxes. She even smiles at him as she hands them over, and he nods his thanks before returning to their table to pack everything up. ]

So, where to now? Should we just keep wandering?

[inherited]

That could work. It'll give us a chance to know the city. [Passing through it and memorizing it would come easily to him. The map being in his head would make it easy, too, but he wouldn't need to refer to it all the time. Riku has a feeling that might just work in his favor.

He stretches his arms and stands up, dropping them soon after to grab his own box. Time to go.]

Let's check out a couple more places to see if we'd wanna work there, then do something fun. And then hang out in one of the parks. Sound good?

[lighthearted]

[ Knowing the layout of the city had to be pretty important if you were a cop, right? So it makes even more sense for Riku to start out this way, or at least that's what Sora thinks. Maybe they've solved their job-hunting questions after all.

Well, they still have to get hired. But it's a starting point! ]

Sounds very good! [ Sora moves ahead of Riku to reach the door first, holding it open for him once he gets there. ] When you say 'do something fun,' what did you have in mind?

[ Yeah, he might be getting a little ahead of himself. ]

[inherited]

I don't know. [Riku was hoping he'd come up with something the moment they finished the other part. "Fun" on the Islands always meant racing Sora and beating him when they sparred. Now that they're in a city, they don't need to be limited by those restraints. And since they're in a new world, a new city, and actually together? They can do anything.]

We can check out one of the Halloween displays. The one with the animals seemed dark, but it could be good to know what it has to say.

[They could also do the haunted house, but given the potential psychological horror there, he'd rather pass on doing it with Sora. New Amsterdam seems to go all out there.]

wrapping this!

[lighthearted]

Well, we'll figure it out as we go!

[ It's just as likely that they'll stumble on something as they wander around. Sora has never had a problem with being spontaneous, and that's one thing that he and Riku definitely share in common. After a life on the islands where they'd been so limited in their activities, both of them tend to jump at the promise of a new experience.

As soon as the door shuts behind them, Sora hits the pavement, quickly leading them to their next stop, whatever it might be. ]