ARRIVAL LOG 22

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: May 7 - 11
WHAT: The twenty-second arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, references to rebellion and world upheaval. Further notes at the end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #022

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 two people in front of you: one dressed in a thick set of armor, while the other wears medical garb. Out the windshield in front, there are many tall buildings—all reaching up beyond a normal city skyline, all entirely too close to the vehicle itself. But more than that, many of those buildings are covered in green.

You realize there are others next to you: all dressed the same way as you, you'll come to realize: in overalls of varying colors, all with heavy-duty gloves on. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and 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 eventually lowers to the ground and turns off with a low whirr. 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 the air outside feels full of moisture. Soon enough, you realize it's lightly raining. The guard says nothing, head bowed as he lines you up with the rest. The nurse helps the others out, checking over each passenger one by one.

The main guard turns to address your entire group, and something about her bearing makes it clear she's done this before. "I'll be quick. Listen up." Your body will come to attention, immediately homing in on the words that follow, as if compelled to hang on every word. "You see those tents set up over there? You're going to head over there and help out with the work they're doing. Don't hurt anyone, don't look for any assistance from any police officers, and don't run off. Wait until people come and find you, and when they do, ask them to show you the glow."

The guard will hop back into the van, which will rise off of the ground and head back the way it came, turning the corner of a building that you now realize is covered in winding plants and vines. Once it's gone, you'll find your legs moving almost without your permission, guiding you to follow the steps the guard laid out.

Once you get to the tents, you'll see that there is a congregation of people, all dressed in clothes that they're ready to work in. Many of them are covered in grass stains, their faces bearing that sheen that comes with manual labor. The ones that are under the shade of the tents seem to be taking a break, but many others are in the area, hard to work. They assume that you're here to help pitch in with cutting back the sheer number of plants that have overgrown and consumed the city, and they hand you a pair of shears and a bucket so that you can get to work. Time to get pruning!

◉ 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 – and that includes the message passed on from the mysterious patron.

> HEDGE-CLIPPING

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. We've got another batch of newbies, who've been dropped off at one of the landscaping work stations for getting all these plants under control. Follow the coordinates and you should find them in that general area. They're wearing overalls, if that narrows it down. I don't think many people wear overalls in 2512.

The coordinates will lead the current Displaced to the heart of New Amsterdam, near to one of the many green spaces in the city. Unsurprisingly, this is an area where the overabundance of plants growing at a massive rate has caused the most issue. Businesses, especially smaller ones like restaurants and boutiques, have been impacted by the plants. It's not just the outsides of buildings that are overgrown, either; inside, plumbing is completely clogged up as the foliage spills out of sinks, toilets, and anywhere else it can find a way in.

Green Thumbs, which is a local landscaping company that's seen an influx of business in the last six months thanks to the strange overgrowth of plant life in the city, has stepped up to help with this problem and has recruited the newly arrived Displaced to their cause, if unwittingly. Anyone who comes by one of their stations (including the veteran Displaced coming to collect the newbies) is likely to get roped into helping, as this is quite the undertaking and they need all the hands they can get. Don't worry—as long as you have a registered ID, you can get paid today.

The work itself isn't too complicated. Cut away plants, yank them out of drains, and put all everything that's harvested into buckets to return to the tents to drop off for later use in composting. While most of what's growing are flowers and weeds, there are areas where vegetables have sprouted too. Those will obviously want to be saved, and there will be crates set out to collect all of it. At the tents they'll also be offering some snacks and plenty of water to keep people energized and hydrated during the work. Everything from parks to bakeries to gift shops are going to need help here, and while the amount of work feels like it's neverending, it is important. Life can't return to normal until this is done.

While there will be time for both new arrivals and the rest of the Displaced to pitch in, eventually the newcomers will be escorted back to the safehouse for processing.

> AROUND THE CITY

MEDIA COVERAGE AND ONLINE CHATTER
New Amsterdam has come to life again following Judas' simulation, but the energy of the city has changed. After so many tragedies and disasters, it’s as though everyone is half-expecting the next one to strike while still reeling from the last. Some are dealing with this by throwing themselves into charity work or laying low, but others have been radicalized into thoughts of taking down the United Nations altogether. Morningstar is garnering more and more support, and though it’s technically illegal, their symbol is being grafitti’d and pasted all over town. The overworked police can’t manage to keep up, so some of them stay, a clear sign of the shifting opinions of the people.

The focus of every nearly source of news, from serious mainstream media to pop culture commentary, is still the simulation that recently overtook New Amsterdam. New characters won’t be able to access this information until their IDs are set up, but once they can, it’s a deluge of news reports, opinion pieces, and conspiracy theory websites.

There are solemn specials memorializing those who died in the simulation, or pieces discussing the long term effects on survivors and the city as a whole, focusing on New Amsterdam’s charity efforts. Talking heads, from pundits to scientists to various authority figures, are brought on panels to discuss and sometimes heatedly debate what happened and why it all seemed to go so wrong. Of particular focus and concern is New Amsterdam Governor Lydia Gill-Jade's choice to step down, electoral candidate Jovavich’s death, and the upcoming emergency election. Now that so many UNA soldiers have been decommissioned and weapons contracts dropped, economic concerns are rearing their head, too.

It might be a breath of fresh air for some citizens when they realize that this time, the mainstream media’s reaction to the United Nations' involvement is decidedly negative. There isn’t so much undue praise, and both interviewers and interviewees are starting to ask hard questions about how, exactly, the United Nations screwed this up so badly. More than a few are blaming the current situation on the United Nations completely.

And, of course, the AI Judas is still missing. The fear over this is palpable, and no news channel or website is going to let anyone forget it, or go long without mentioning it. It’s clear the United Nations is in the middle of a damage control campaign, sending their most media-ready members to explain why they didn’t do more and why their hands were tied. It’s all very polished and precise.

On social media, the shift towards criticizing the United Nations is much more open and less measured. It isn’t hard to find discussions tearing apart the UN’s excuses and even mocking them. With UNA soldiers returning home, there are more than a few stories of friends or family members noticing a huge shift in the former soldiers’ personalities, and their clear struggle to reintegrate into a civilian lifestyle. People are getting angry, and admitting you still support the United Nations is a great way to start a very long argument.

As for Morningstar, now that they’re in the odd position of being considered by most to be a political party opposing the UNA, they’re getting more media attention than ever before. The shift is clear—Morningstar’s opinions and ideas have value now, and they aren’t shy about challenging the United Nations' official position on what happened in New Amsterdam.

Another source of constant gossip is the Displaced. Now that they’ve been partially outed, everyone is trying to figure out just what their deal is. Some people clearly view them as heroes, while others aren’t so sure. Are they rogue UNA experiments? Dimension hoppers? Superheroes? Aliens? No one knows the truth, and so theories abound, some of them utterly ridiculous. There are more measured articles and reports too, but the tabloids are the ones running the scoops that are more out there (and, honestly, more fun).

MEDIA COMMUNITY RESPONSE
While talk is all well and good following such a widespread event as the simulation, taking action is far more important. While efforts to handle the overgrowth of plant life continues, there are other needs that need to be met too. Everyone came out of the simulation feeling malnourished, so all throughout the city food drives are being set up to make sure that the less fortunate and destitute get the sustenance they need to get back on their feet.

On top of that, there will also be an emphasis on redistributing all of the food which grew in excess while everyone was in the sim, to make sure that it's spread around to everyone who needs it.

Displaced will be encouraged to participate and help out with this (whether it's through cooking, plating/serving food, etc.) by the people they know through their community -- whether it's coworkers, members of Morningstar (including Gaby), or any other non-Displaced acquaintances that they have.

As public opinion toward the UNA is souring, there is a belief that people need to learn how to be self-sufficient, which is something that Morningstar in particular decides to capitalize on. If they can't rely on the UNA or on the corporations which are known to be corrupt and incetuous, and if the upcoming emergency election is likely to just give everyone more of the same, then they'll just have to figure things out on their own.

Therefore, Morningstar heads up a number of community events, classes, and drives to move toward this goal. This is a less direct form of rebellion than targeting the UNA or any of the big corporations directly, and while Morningstar has plans for that in the works too, they have always been a group that knows how to engage with the common people and make them feel seen and heard. Want to know how to grow and cook your own food? Have you heard what composting is, but don't really know what it's about? There's classes for all that, and more, including how to give haircuts and mend your own clothing. Those who are practiced in these things will also be offering these services to anyone who needs them.

Whether the Displaced are curious to learn, want to offer a class of their own (or at least help teach one), or want to take advantage of any of the services being offered, they'll be welcome. Morningstar agents will find them at the safehouse or Red Wings and encourage them to participate.

> SAFEHOUSE

Located under an abandoned hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves. Gaby will be around, ready to greet as many of the new arrivals as she can and get them settled in. Brusque and no-nonsense, she'll be open to questions, but will advise the newcomers to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information. Newbies can also contact El through zeir inbox, if needed.

The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large number 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. For anyone in need of them, Gaby will offer up partitions that will come out of storage. Tucked away in a corner is a VR system, though newcomers won't be able to access this until their ID has been set up. Even with the newly erected partitions in the sleeping areas, 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.

◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well at a bar, but it's well-stocked.

◉ While the kitchen has basic foods and necessities, anyone looking for a jolt of caffeine from coffee or tea will find themselves sorely lacking. The only tea present is herbal in nature, and caffeine appears to be almost nonexistent in most of the beverages lying around.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El. Either she or El will explain that they've been given a modest stipend of credits to help them get by until they can find a job. This will be enough to cover their living expenses for about a month while they hang out in the safehouse, if they're careful with budgeting.

◉ 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 do not have access to the internet until their ID is setup. They only have limited access because they're present in the safehouse, but they can't surf the rest of the internet, check out Cooltalk, or watch the equivalent of Netflix until their ID is made.

◉ New characters cannot leave the safehouse at this time. The hatch is locked tight for them, making it impossible for them to get out for the next four days while they're locked inside. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until MAY 11 (JUNE 21). 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

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 MAY 11 (JUNE 21). 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 June calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

AC remains halved this month due to the state of the world right now. New players will only need to provide at least five comments across two-four (2-4) threads, while older players will only need to provide ten comments across two-four (2-4) threads. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[emosey]

In contrast, Cloud is rather inelegantly ripping out the weeds with just his hands, but due to the combination of the protective gloves that he's wearing and his own brute strength, it seems to be working out just fine for him. He's already amassed a bucketful of them and is in the middle of filling up a second one.

Being so intent on his task, he barely notices when somebody else comes and kneels down just a few feet away from him. But the all-too-familiar sound of her voice has him suddenly whipping his head around and his gaze finds hers the moment that she says his name.

"Aerith--?!" His mouth is suddenly dry and his voice uncharacteristically breaks a little at the end.

[cetra]

Immediately, she's scooting closer to him, feeling complete relief for the first time in hours. It's one thing to be in this situation by herself, but now she knows someone. It's Cloud, and while the road they've traveled on so far has been bumpy and dangerous, she knows that he's a constant she can rely on.

Aerith's already latched on to the idea, and she starts to chat. A release of energy that's been pent up. Getting rid of the pool of tension that's been puddled in her chest makes her feel lighter.

"I'm so glad I found you, are you one of the people we're supposed to keep an eye out for? They told me a phrase to say, but honestly I don't really remember it. Just something about a blue glow." Her words are quick and her smile genuine. She is relieved.

[emosey]

He hears her talking but it's difficult to concentrate on what she's actually saying because he's still in a state of utter shock at seeing her. She appears to be her normal talkative and bubbly self, giving no outward indication that there is anything wrong right now other than the obvious confusion about where they are.

It's only when she mentions about the 'blue glow' that he seems to come back to himself, jumping at the opportunity to finally do something other than just gape and sputter.

"They were probably talking about the 'Empathy Bond.'"

He feels a jolt of panic then. No, no, he can't possibly hope to demonstrate it for her. Not here, not now, not like this.

[cetra]

His reaction isn't exactly what she expects a Cloud reaction to be - in fact, she anticipated a nice round of lecturing from him about running off by herself and so on and so on. Instead, he seems absolutely dumbfounded by her presence.

She looks at him, confused, then over her shoulder - is Sephiroth there? No, just more people in overalls, pulling weeds, cutting away the greenery.

Turning back, she's about to elbow him before he's talking again, and that just makes all sense fly right out the window for her.

"The empathy bond?" She starts out with a normal volume, then remembers she needs to be inconspicuous or something and it lowers to a whisper. "Are you okay?" Aerith's expression turns worried now. Maybe his issues have gotten worse since she ran off.

[emosey]

"You're asking me if I'm okay."

He continues to stare at her a bit disbelievingly. And because she's getting a little too close for comfort, he makes sure to go from kneeling on all fours to sitting back on his feet, just a little farther out of her reach. While he's already wearing gloves and a long sleeved shirt, accidental contact is not something that he's willing to risk at this point.

"Aerith, I need you to tell me what's the last thing you remember before waking up here."

[cetra]

She watches him shift position with an eyebrow raised. There's got to be a reason for that - Cloud is a man who moves with purpose, whatever purpose it may be. She fidgets and sways, he's more of a stands with arms crossed type of guy.

Something is amiss. She looks down in front of her, at a small patch of weeds, and begins to work at it as her mind races.

"I had left you guys," she looks over at him, almost questioning. "I tried to contact you...somehow. I don't know if it worked." She yanks the weeds out of the ground, rubbing them between her fingers as she speaks. "I got to the City of the Ancients. After that, I don't really remember anything except this."

She gestures around them, shaking her head. She's still a little out of it, but nothing she can't handle.

[emosey]

He slowly, agonizingly, releases the breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding while awaiting her answer. So... She doesn't remember anything about what happened to her. No wonder she's been looking at him like there's nothing wrong, like he's the one acting weird.

For a moment, he seriously considers just not telling her. If she found out later and got angry, well -- he could always say that he thought it was the kinder thing.

But he'd be lying and they'd both know it. Cloud has never exactly been good with feelings. If he doesn't tell Aerith the truth now, it's only just to spare himself from it, from having to say those awful words out loud, passing on the burden of his indecision to somebody else (to Tifa).

He slowly shakes his head. "There's more than that. Something else that you're not remembering."

[cetra]

Now she knows something is definitely Not Right. She leans back on her heels, forgetting the task at hand, and watches Cloud as she tries to recall what he's hinting at.

She remembers being right at the edge of discovery - of something, something big and important. Something that would help them in their fight. What it was, though, isn't clear to her yet. Is it because of what's been done to her? The idea that strangers had her unconscious and had the freedom to do whatever they wanted has her frowning. A feeling of intense unease settles down in her stomach.

This is a lot to take in, and she still doesn't know what Cloud is trying to not say.

"Can't you just tell me?" She leans in, her voice low. Aerith doesn't know if just talking to each other is taboo, but she doesn't want to draw too much attention to them. "This isn't about me leaving, is it?"

[emosey]

"The City of Ancients... I was afraid to follow you there, afraid that I might lose it again if Sephiroth came near me."

Barret had first accused him of running away from his problems and called him a jackass. Tifa had taken a softer approach, told him that this was their chance to settle up with Sephiroth, and that she believed in him. Although, in the end, they'd still left it up to him to decide for himself whether or not he wanted to go. With their support and encouragement, he'd finally found the strength to face his fears about the unknown.

"But we went anyway. Of course, so did Sephiroth." He'd seen Aerith for the threat that she was. And in the end, Cloud's fears were not unfounded. Sephiroth had tried using him like a puppet once again. But like they'd promised, the others had helped him come back to his senses just in time. Unfortunately, that hadn't been the end of it. "He..."

Once using Cloud was no longer an option, Sephiroth had just finished the job himself.

"He killed you, Aerith. I... Couldn't protect you from him."

[cetra]

She listens to him, silent. Aerith feels like she might actually be sick and only through biting her lip and focusing on that pain helps her fight the urge back.

Her death has always been a very real possibility. She can't claim otherwise - but that hadn't been her purpose. No, she fully intended on returning after finishing her task. Coming back to lectures and hugs and maybe some anger for going off on her own. Returning with good news that she finally found a way to stop Sephiroth for good.

At least she doesn't have her own memory of it.

How can she even begin to process this? Not just the shock of her own death, but her friends watched it. She knows how that memory gets burned in the brain forever, her own mother's death haunting her on occasion even now. Her eyes burn, as if she can feel the tears begging to fall, but she swipes a hand over them quickly. She can let herself feel it later, when it's not so public and they aren't surrounded by people she doesn't know.

And poor Cloud. To have that burden, then have the burden of telling her. That's easier to focus on than what's going on inside her, so she does what she considers she does best - pushes it aside, locking it away. It's too big to ignore, too big to not come to terms with it. She will, in her own time.

"I don't know what to say," she looks down at her hands, still fighting back the tears. That's a first for her.

[emosey]

"You don't have to say anything." He understands that it would be a lot for anyone to contend with hearing that they died unexpectedly, never mind the absurdity of how that's even possible in the first place.

As the bearer of the bad news in this situation, he's not asking for comfort -- he doesn't want her to waste her time here trying to provide that to him, when it's clear that she's the one who needs it for once.

The problem is that he doesn't really feel suited to the task. Yet, against his better judgment perhaps, and the fear of somehow making things worse... He feels that he still wants to try in some way. But how?

"Tifa is here too." He averts his gaze. Maybe he'd made a mistake in telling her so soon. But if she found out they knew and withheld that kind of information, wouldn't that be worse? "... I didn't think you should be the only one who doesn't know the truth."

In a moment of boldness, he reaches out for her suddenly -- before his brain can quite object. He's wearing the gloves, so she won't get suddenly flooded with all of his messy, complicated emotions when he lightly touches her forearm.

[cetra]

His touch brings her focus back, and she's grateful for it. While she's always been the type for hugs, hand holds, back pats, Cloud is the opposite - so even the smallest reach means a lot. Looking over at him, she reflects on the circumstances that have brought them together at home and again here. Against all odds, with her own death involved, they still manage to wind up together.

It's reassuring, in a lot of ways. Cloud's opened her world up so much, and even now he's still there, a solid presence while inside feels tumultuous and confusing. Someone she knows she can rely on without hesitation.

There's a moment where she doesn't smile at him, not exactly, but her expression softens. She places a hand on top of his, squeezing gently.

"Thank you, Cloud." She means it for more than just giving her bad news, she means it for everything. "Thank you for telling me."

Now she can process before she sees Tifa, try to get some of her composure so she can reassure her friend as much as she can without losing it herself.

"Is there no way to figure out who might show up next?" She asks, grateful to at least have Cloud and Tifa there. She doesn't know if she wants others to come along and be stuck with them, for however long this will last.

[emosey]

"Not that I'm aware of." He shakes his head, grateful for the shift in their conversation away from a subject that's clearly uncomfortable for the both of them. It should be weirder but it feels surprisingly normal to slip into this kind of casual camaraderie, sharing information like it's just another mission that they're planning.

Of course, the grief and confusion still roils just beneath the surface, peeking from between the cracks of his normal stoic facade. But he's already quickly made the decision not to burden her with these heavy feelings anymore than necessary.

"Tifa and I both got here at the same time." Well, that's impossible to really verify but they definitely woke up in the same warehouse together, so he's not going to bother splitting hairs over such a distinction. "I guess that was about a month ago."

What other context can he provide her, that isn't so overwhelming right off the bat? "There was another group of people that showed up between then and now." Obviously, nobody they know is included among that group.

"This world is dangerous, Aerith." Maybe even more so than their own, in certain ways. "It may not look that way right now, on the surface, but there's been a lot that's happened in only a short amount of time since we got here."

[cetra]

She won't question what he says - she's still feeling a little sluggish from whatever it is that's been done to her. Something else she doesn't want to think about.

Glancing around, at the others working, the plants overtaking everything around them, she has to wonder what is going on. And why them? Why did they get...kidnapped? She shakes her head at her own thoughts, focusing back on Cloud.

"I believe you. I promise to be careful." Realizing as she says this, she has a track record of not being the most careful, she offers Cloud a small smile. "More careful than usual. I promise."

"Where are you guys staying? Does everyone go to the same place?"

[emosey]

"When we first got here, New Amsterdam wasn't accessible. Tifa and I got dumped off with a few other people in a warehouse in another big city. It wasn't really all that hospitable, so we only ended up staying there for a couple of nights. Since then, we've been living out of a cheap hotel in New Tokyo."

Between that and having to buy their own clothing, they've probably burned through most of their initial stipend by now. Soon, they'll need to get actual paying jobs or move into the safe house too. Which would be a definite downgrade in terms of privacy but Tifa seems happy enough to come here most days anyway, so it wouldn't be like too much else has changed in that regard.

"You won't have to worry about all that, though."