On the platform: Meet the new characters

[utopiamods]

Rakuen is warm in the noon sun, not humid enough to be uncomfortable but bright enough to make the transition from train to platform momentarily disorienting. The group greeting you is rather large, but also rather uneven - on one side, ten students in black and green; on the other, six in red and white. Whilst the green group are all fairly average, all teenagers other than the tiny, frail woman leading them, the red group are a tad more varied. One of their girls is tiny, the size of a small child, and her wings are beating patterns in the warm air. At the other side of the group, a warlike man looms over his comrades.

When they notice the arrivals, one out of each group steps forward. A young man wearing shades steps forward first.

"Excuse me." A second boy, a few years older and more serious looking steps forward from the red group. He explains that they're all prefects of Rakuen, from the two battle schools on the island. Fortitude - the boy in the sunglasses and the others dressed in green - and Conquest. They all arrived just like you did, weeks or months before this.

"I know you have many questions but first please come to the person who calls your name."

He looks down on his list to double check "For Conquest, Nanami Kiryuu, Hukaru Hitachiin, Madotsuki and Aria."

"If I call your name," the green-clad boy had stepped forward again, "it means you're with Fortitude, a.k.a the slightly more awesome school. Brittany Pierce, Jules de Ferrier, Izumi and Furiae."

Comments

Conquest

[swordofzero]

[moorecowbell]

Nanami is dressed in a cute gold sundress for the moment, and she holds her bag tightly.

"Excuse me," she says. "But while Conquest is by far an appropriate name for any house of someone of the Kiryuu family and since I'm in it OBVIOUSLY the best house, I did NOT sign up for this!"

She folds her arms and huffs. "I'm quite done with swords and fighting over stupid things that don't matter! I demand to know where my..."

She pauses. Brother? ... sister? Brother, no, that person had to be a brother, even if that brother was a she. Were they a she?

"Where my brother is!"

[swordofzero]

Why did Suzaku always get the angry ones. The ones who demanded to be sent back and never listened. "None of us signed up for this, your brother may be here, he may come later or perhaps not. If you give me his name I can check."

[moorecowbell]

"I..."

She bites her lip. She can't remember his name, or his face, or... anything, really. But no one else must know that.

"You wouldn't be worthy to know his name. Tch. And what do you mean, no one signed up? Do these people simply kidnap students from other, more superior boarding schools then?"

[swordofzero]

Really, why did he always get the rude ones. He had been here plenty of times when he was not on duty and people were polite, if scared and worried. "Not just from boarding schools, from everywhere and they bring them here to fight."

[moorecowbell]

"To... fight."

Nanami thinks back to that weird dream on the train, and begins to put two and two together.

"Hold on a moment. Fighting. Let me guess: these fights occur in prescribed duels wherein swords get pulled out of people, yes? And we're all supposed to be dueling for the hand of some vacant-eyed creepy nerd princess who doesn't even deserve to live, because supposedly if we marry her we'll gain ultimate power or some such nonsense?"

[jurist]

Juri had come to the platform out of idle curiosity; she hadn't been expecting to see anyone she knew from home. She especially had not been expecting to hear this particular strident voice echoing through the station. But there was no mistaking it.

Why her? Juri couldn't help wondering. Of all the students at Ohtori, why was it Nanami who'd shown up? Why couldn't it have been someone a little less, well, high-strung? Like Miki, maybe. Or... well, all right, most of the Student Council was hardly any better, Juri had to admit.

Still, a familiar face was a familiar face, and Juri couldn't just ignore her. So she approached Nanami, smiling pleasantly. "What a surprise to see you here."

[moorecowbell]

"Miss Juri!?"

She'd wondered if anyone else she knew was here, but of all people--why not her brother (whoever that was) (was it Juri? No, it couldn't be) or Tsuwabuki or someone useful?

"Are these people kidnapping Student Council members for a chance at the Rose Bride or something?"

If that was the case, then maybe her brother would show. She'd settle for Miki though, he was sensible and easy to deal with.

"They say we're here to duel, but I thought that whole idiocy was over with? And besides, I never understood what the big deal was about stupid nerdy..."

She paused. What was her name? ... didn't matter.

"Stupid nerdy Rose Bride girl with her stupid glasses and her stupid... stupidness."

[jurist]

"Not exactly," Juri began, wondering how best to explain this. "That is, most of the people who have been kidnapped to participate in the duels aren't members of the Student Council, besides you and myself. And there isn't a Rose Bride."

There, she'd let Nanami digest that for a moment before she went on to explain the finer points of how this nonsense worked. To the extent that she understood them, anyway.

[moorecowbell]

She frowned. "So they let the common rabble duel? Like with that whole Black Rose thing? Peculiar. And, if there's no Rose Bride, what's the prize?"

"Something better, I hope?"

[mean_one]

Hikaru marches up to Suzaku, grabbing his shirt. His slightly rough voice cracks as he demands, "Where is Kaoru! What did you do with Kaoru!"


[[ooc: I am so not sorry. Feel free to smack Hikaru, or knock him back, or whatever. He's just very upset.]]

[bloodbrother]

"Hey! Slow down there!" Sam said as he grabbed Hikaru by the back of his collar and his back belt loop. He lifted him about six inches off the ground without seeming to care.

[mean_one]

Hikaru flails, trying to hit Sam, or Suzaku- it really didn't matter. "Let me go! Give me back Kaoru!"

[bloodbrother]

He pulled him back a few feet. He weathered the assault, and put him back on the ground. "Listen. No one here on this platform did anything with anyone. Calm down. Who is Kaoru?"

[mean_one]

Hikaru tried knocking Sam off of him. He calmed enough to not try to attack either of the two again- for now at least. "Kaoru is my brother!"

Re: Conquest

[landedonmars]

[Madotsuki had been slightly confused as to where she was, and looked around at the new 'dream world' she thought she was in. It was different, and certainly the people in her dreams rarely talked. Which is why she lazily blinked and drew forward with mild surprise as her name was called.]

This is new. [muttered she, who walked towards the group of people without much struggle, or confusion.]

[swordofzero]

Madotsuki? [Suzaku asked, as it was the only name on his list not ticked off.] Welcome to Rakuen city.

[landedonmars]

[she blinked in his direction, and cocked her head to the side, pondering on why someone in her dream would be speaking to her. they normally spoke to her in beeps, or noises.]

I'm Madotsuki. Where am I exactly? Why am I here? Conquest? [odd, and strange all at once.]

[swordofzero]

Conquest is the name of a school, Fortitude is the other. It is a city which forces those it brings here to fight.

[landedonmars]

[she looks down for a moment, then nods]

Okay. Where do I go from here?

Re: Conquest

[sword_that_protects]

"Well, this is definitely not Housman anymore. Ah, and I was so expecting to wake up to plush, squeezable Cecily." Aria walks up to the man who called her name. "Hello! I am Aria! This place is sooooo beautiful! But I must ask, why am I here?"

[swordofzero]

Well at least she wasn't punching him. He ticked her name off, "Hello Aria, my name is Suzaku Kururugi. You have been brought here to fight, there are two battle schools in the city and everyone brought here must fight for their school." He started off simply, not wanting to overload her with information.

[sword_that_protects]

[Fighting. Seems all I ever do is fight, Aria thought to herself.]

"It's very nice to meet you! Why fight, though? Is there no way to peaceably come to an agreement? I mean, I'm no stranger to fighting, but we definitely need for Cecily's in this world; those who only raise arms to defend."

[This was going to be just like that war, wasn't it?]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku looked down] Unfortunately here there is not. We must fight to get out...

[Those who only raise arms to defend... Often unfortunately it was a very think line between defense and attack.]

[sword_that_protects]

"Well then, it seems as though I am going to have to fight - not unfamiliar territory for me." Aria paused for a few moments to digest that she might have to betray Cecily and all that she taught her.
"So, since we have to fight, is it to the death?" Aria gave an involuntary shudder. "Or are there a set of rules? I can't imagine it would be fun having a campus full of dead students."