New Arrivals (All new characters)

[utopiamods]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

Ah, I remember now. It's... a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her. The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess. No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep. Mechanical, monotonous.

"Next stop: Rakuen City. This train terminates here. The next stop is Rakuen. All change." The train rocks steadily. Rain pounds on the train and runs down the window in rivulets. Despite the rain there is a ray of sunlight streaming through the window, heating the air and making the seats almost uncomfortably warm. A puff of steam from the train winds its way lazily past the windows when the wind is right.

It's strangely difficult to shake off the sleep; the rhythm of the train seems to lull you back into slumber and the air is warm and heavy, making it hard to keep hold of a thought. Finally, though, the nausea settles, the last of the dream fades and you can take in your surroundings. And, perhaps more importantly, those around you in a similar state.

"We have arrived at Rakuen City. All passengers must leave the train. This train is terminating here. This is Rakuen."

Comments

[pennypincher]

[ Lemina doesn't wake from her sleep until the train jerks to a stop, jolting her awake. She sits bolt upright from the slumping position she was in, eyes wide. ]

That was because...?

[france]

[ He felt the jerk too, though he thought there was something charming about the uncomfortable ride. It goes to show you can never rely on technology, just like he's always said. ]

Perhaps it was to wake you up, ma chère. It seems to have done the... aaah, trick, has it not?

[pennypincher]

Huh? No, the story. I didn't get to hear...

[ She trails off as she realizes this isn't anyplace she's familiar with, and the other people on this train are all strangers. What the... ]

You! Who are you?!

[france]

That is a good question, ma belle. I go by many names. [ OBNOXIOUS MYSTERIOUS DOUCHEBAG MODE GO ] Some of which you may be familiar with, others, perhaps not.

[stoatallymad]

[Ah! Girl knows! He missed it somehow, with the waking up. Firifale springs out of his seat and sits at the foot of Lemina's, staring up in rapt attention.]

Because why?

[pennypincher]

I don't know why! I woke up before I could hear!

[france]

[ He's been awake for some time now, in the fading in betweens of sleep and consciousness. His lashes flutter as the dream of a short haired princess dies on a breath, a beautiful girl with short hair placing her fingers in his. Her beauty slips from his mind as their fingers part in a haze of light, and he sits up, glancing around as his vision is swept with images of a booth, a couch, a window, and the scrolling of scenery in the background. ]

Qu'est-ce que c'est...? [ A hand reaches up to brush through his hair as he blinks and glances around. ] I could not have been this drunk. It is not possible.

[ Raising a brow, he stretches his arms out and yawns, ignoring the queasy feeling settling in the base of his stomach. He's used to nausea. ] Well then. [ He stands. ] Ra-ku-ah. I do not think I know of a 'Rakuen City'... perhaps it is a city in Japon... [ Strands of hair are pushed behind his ear as he glances around him. ] Because I know this is certainly not France.

[lilpuzzleteer]

[Of course this isn't France, it's obviously London. The muggy, rain-pelting feelings from the train were nothing new for the British kid, even if Luke usually fancied himself enough of an adult to not doze off at the rocking motion. He'd kept himself awake and aware on the Molentary Express after all, barring certain circumstances. This however was...different, and he couldn't help but let himself sleep, even through the unboarding announcement. He was curled up like he'd been sleeping on luggage at some point, but if it had been there, it sure wasn't now.]

[overthroen]

[ Darkness.

Rose felt the sickening feeling she always felt when falling into a dream, or waking out of one. Disorientation, that moment when she couldn't remember the last thing she'd done to get here. The moment dragged on. What was the last thing she remembered? She kept her eyes closed for some time, thinking. The pounding of the rain, the soft cushion of her seat, and the sun on her face weren't helping; little of it gelled with the bits of SBurb she remembered, except for the Land of Light and Rain. And she was pretty sure the name "Rakuen" didn't factor into the game at all, or the half-remembered legend.

A dream, then. Maybe. She opened her eyes.

Nothing changed.

Closed them, opened again. Rubbed a couple times. The blackness remained, the sounds and feelings too. She felt each breath she took, reached for an arm and pinched it, felt the pain. This was no dream. She was firmly planted in some world that she could feel and hear. The only difference from reality was that she couldn't see it.

Her breathing got faster. ]

[maidenknight]

[ It's not hard to tell when someone was about to panic -- there was a certain feeling to it, one that Brienne was feeling herself right now. Being trapped on a metal carriage (cage, almost, as she had explored from back to front with no possible way of exit) when she was supposed to be dead was a little discomforting.

But this young woman looked like she needed help. And though Brienne was panicking by herself -- this isn't the seven hells, this was a carriage -- she knew she had to sit that aside to assist those who needed it. Letting this poor woman agonize over her fate was too much to sit by idly and watch. ]

Lady, are you alright?

[ Her voice is hoarse -- strangling does that to you, she thinks -- and she coughs slightly before continuing. ]

Have no fear. As far as I can tell, we are alive.

[overthroen]

[ Rose swivels her head quickly towards the source of the voice - or, at least, the vague direction of it. She almost gave herself whiplash doing so - trying to find something concrete to latch onto. That she wasn't alone comforted her momentarily, and then scared her all the more - this was definitely real. ]

Hello? [ She listens to the hoarse voice. Does she recognize this person? Is it anybody she knows? ] I'm not sure that reality is the most comforting state of affairs, at the moment. [ She's trying to keep herself calm, if there's someone here, but her hands are shaking violently. She forces them under her legs to try to stop them. ]

[stoatallymad]

[Firifale seems to doze longer than most-- interesting story, didn't want to leave before it ended-- but once the train is stopped it only takes a few bleary-eyed blinks to wake him up. His eyes widen instantly and flit from one thing to the next as he takes in the situation. Voice without a person... fascinating!

He hops up to crouch on his chair and presses his face and hands hard against the window.]

Ra-ku-en?

[He speaks slowly, tasting the word. New... he glances back at the other passengers. New, new, new! He's torn between excitement and wariness. New is good, yes, but not so much of it. No old at all. He pulls away from the window with a confused smile.]

Rakuen is...?

[maidenknight]

I don't know.

[ Standing in the door to his cabin is a burly, large woman, hands reaching for a sword that is no longer on her swordbelt. ]

But whatever it is, we're moving towards it.

[stoatallymad]

Hmm!

[He furrows his brow in concentration, glancing between the woman and the window.]

How? Wasn't here before. You?

[notanangel]

Sherlock, as a rule, never out any stock in dreams--he made it a specific point to delete them from his memory as soon as he had them. No grounding in reality... useless, really, except in the same manner as a screen saver.

So when he woke, it was in a sort of muddy confusion, only half-able to remember what he'd been dreaming about and wishing he could get rid of all of it.

He was understandably a bit cross, to say the least.

Also, this wasn't the tube.

He all but leapt out of his seat, feet striking the floor with surprising force--six feet of long-bodied, dark-coated indignation. "What in hell is going on here?!"

[stoatallymad]

Fortunately for Sherlock, Firifale knew exactly what was going on. Sherlock's excitement fed his own and he sprung out of his chair as well, practically bouncing up and down.

"On a train, in a new place! Rakuen! Look!"

And he flung an arm toward the window, as if that explained everything.

"New!"

He beamed up at Sherlock.

[notanangel]

Sherlock stopped, staring at the man in an odd combination disconcertion for a second; his eyes picked out the details automatically:

Ill-fitting clothes, far too long for his limbs and torso, but tight in the chest especially; therefore not his--

Animal hairs, mostly concentrated on the shoulders; all from a single animal, but accumulated over time--

His brain did a quick search and ruled out canine and feline families immediately, then went through the order mammalia and into carnivora before finding its match--

Mustelidae.

Probability suggested ferret, but weasels and their relatives were a distinct possibility as well--

Poor impulse control, hardly worth the time it took to notice, it was that obvious; he discarded it--

Recently at sea; his clothes hadn't washed in... two three days, but clearly not worn in that time period--

Odd wear pattern on the interior of the sleeve hem; most likely a concealed item carried by its original owner--a knife, then; irrelevant--

Irregular rhythm in speech, abnormal inflection and simplistic, fragmented diction; Sherlock's mind reeled through the list of accents and languages, but came up empty--

Sherlock grappled briefly with irritation and confusion--if he didn't know any better, he'd think he was trying to talk to a ferret.

"Yes, I see the train, thank you," he replied in a clipped, brusque voice.

[bubblymuffins]

[When the train comes to a stop, a pony tumbles off of the bench she had been sleeping on, and lands perfectly upside down. When she opens her eyes, they roll independently of each other, in opposite directions, and when they stop, they're not tracking like normal.] Whoa!

[She jumps up and looks out the window.] I don't remember getting on a train! This is cool! [She presses her face up against the glass to get a good look outside.]

[maidenknight]

[ Staring.

A pony. A talking pony.

Oh gods. ]

[bubblymuffins]

[Glances back at here.] It looks like a fun place to explore. What do you think?

[stoatallymad]

[Firifale watches her, wide-eyed.]

Horse! On a train! Making words!

[He sounds more delighted than alarmed, for what its worth, but he hops out of his seat to get a better look. Is 6 inches from her face close enough? Probably!]

Hello?

[bubblymuffins]

[She's not bothered at all!] Hi! [randomly flutters wings]

[naicha]

[ A knight who comes to save his princess, good versus evil, the makings of a fairy tale - these were no strangers to Taiwan's daydreams. But something was off, especially when she finds herself shaken awake by the stopping of the train. ]

Rakuen? [ Taiwan has her hands and her nose pressed against the glass window, peering at the city before her. Everything looks larger than life, so surreal, so... so... ]

Aiyo, this sounds like an anime. My dreams are getting really weird lately. Ah! Does but this mean I'll meet my prince this time!?

[ Priorities, she has them. ]

[nusantara]

[It all feels like a day dream. She hears people talking, but she doesn't pay attention to it all. She's about to get off when a voice snaps her out of it.]

Is your name Sita? [She can't remember why on Earth she would ask this girl this, but she felt like she had to.]

[naicha]

[ The girl nearest Taiwan gets her attention. She pushes herself away from the window to answer. That is, if she could find the answer. ]

Hm? No, actually, I... [ What was her name? ] I don't know.

[ Then she laughs ] Sorry, ahaha. That was probably a weird answer, huh?