rakuen | New Arrivals (All new characters)

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New Arrivals (All new characters)

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. The sun shines through the window cheerfully and if you look out the window you will see the first of flowers beginning to grow in the grass. Steam drifts past the window, it is warm. A mixture of sunlight and the heating of the seats, it adds to the dreamlike atmosphere.

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. The train judders to a stop, through the rain lined windows there is a building and people gathered on the platform.

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

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Jadesprite woke up slowly. She hadn't had her usual kind of dream. She knew the dream was odd, but she couldn't remember how it had been odd. She sat up though, and looked around the train car. She floated to somewhere in the middle of the aisle, and looked around. This wasn't where she had been. This was a new and scary place. Her lower lip trembled as she came to realize her new predicament.

Arthur was walking down the hall when he saw her. A ghost. Half girl, half dog. Automatically he went to his hip, sword still missing, not that he would know what to do against this girl-dog-ghost who was obviously summoned by a sorcerer who was out to destroy Camelot. Obviously. He tensed up and waited for the girl-dog-ghost to make a move.

She didn't seem to be a threat at all. Instead, she burst into tears that caused streaks of neon green to run down her face. "BOO HOO HOO."

On a list of things he expected the girl-dog-ghost to do, crying was not one of them. He makes his stance more casual, but ready to defend himself if needed, and takes a tentative step forward with his hand outstretched. It's possible she's under a spell, yes, that's it.

"Miss? Have you been harmed?"

Her cries had a distinct whine like a dog's. "No! I'm tired of being brought to places I don't want to be! I want to go home! Hoo hoo hoo."

She's totally under a spell. That's good, it means she won't attack him. But also bad, there's a sorcerer around! But he'll get to that later, for now he'll try and sooth the upset maiden in front of him.

"Do you know where we are? If so I can escort you to your home."

She shook her head. "No and it doesn't matter anyway! People will just talk me into some pointless battle again! Woof!"

He frowns, "who would force a lady into battle? If we can escape here I can promise you peace in Camelot if you so wish," also if you stop being a sprite, whatever.

"I don't want that! I want to go home." And she sobbed even harder.

Okay, that was obviously the wrong thing to say. And now she is crying harder. Where is Gwen when you nee- oh right, he exiled her for cheating in him with Lancelot, never mind that then!

"My Lady, I promise to return you to your home."

Please stop crying.

Arthur blinked slowly, waking up on his own rather than by the hand of his manservant. If that wasn't weird enough, he was moving. He jumped to his feet and his hand automatically went to his side to wield his sword. Missing. Whoever had kidnapped him must have knocked him out, removed his chainmail and sword, and separated him from his Knights.

When he looked out the window and noticed he was in a swift moving, decorated box, he tried not to panic. It was obviously the work of magic, which cemented what he had to do-- find and kill the sorcerer. Arthur moved towards the door and looked out into the hallway. Okay, he would search the magical box.

Jane woke with a start, one strange place to the next. From the looks of it she was on a train. But why? This had no connection to where she had first ended up.

The loud blaring voice and the rushing off the train was strange. She had no idea where she was besides what the voice said. "Geez." She sighed pretty loudly at first, frustrated with her current situation.

Pip blinked her eyes open, awoken by the sudden movement, and clung to the strange creature's feathers as it moved upright. She wasn't sure how it was going to move around, since it didn't seem to have wings, but that shouldn't stop her from being friendly.

"Oh good, you're awake. Can you talk?"

Jane, there is a tiny voice coming from the direction of your shirt.

Jane is kinda looking around. What was that thing even. Jane would likely just have to talk to it since it was talking to her.

"Yes, I can talk." She placed a finger on it's head. "What exactly are you doing on my shirt?"

"I fell." Pip started crawling up to this creature's shoulder so that it would be easier to sit.

"What's a shirt?"

"The thing you are climbing up is a shirt." Jane helps Pip to her shoulder. "I don't really like whatever is going on."

She sighs. Offering. "I'm Jane."

"I've never heard of that type of feather." She lets Jane help her up and then holds on to the shirt. "What do you mean?"

"I'm... Pip."

"A shirt is material that humans wear, not a feather! Silly." Jane laughs a little as the train finally opens it's door.

"You can stick with me while we find out exactly what is going on. We're..not home anymore."

"Oh, this isn't your nest?" Pip yawned. Her head was hurting a little, and the sleepiness hadn't quite worn off.

Nepeta was just beginning to think that she was going to be roughing it alone when a familiar face came into view.

"Jane!" She would be lying if she said she didn't feel a sense of relief. For all her bravado and desire to prove her worth the idea of being completely and utterly alone was actually unnerving. She may not have known Jane for very long, but she was someone she had come to trust very much in the few weeks they had known each other.

She pushed against the current of people moving out, keeping her hood up with one hand and waving at her with the other.

Out of all the things, funnily enough the one that took Nepeta off guard the most was the sun. The instant she had felt it on her face she had jerked back in surprise, nearly toppling out of her chair.

Fifteen years of hearing stories, seeing paintings of it, and listening in on the conversations of others but never once had she had the opportunity to see it with her own eyes, or feel its warmth tickle her skin. She wished she could have had the opportunity to enjoy it, but considering the circumstances she was more than a little alarmed. Just how on Gaia had she wound up on a train--at least she figured this was a train, despite it looking unlike any she had seen or heard of before.

She keeps her panic down and hidden behind a neutral face, getting up and examining the others around her. They all seem similarly confused which doesn't do much to alleviate her alarm. She tugs her pilot hood down, making sure to cover her ears and stands up, watching people mill out. She's not sure if following the crowd is the best idea, but then again there aren't many options left to her--especially if this train isn't going anywhere else. She remains where she is, waiting to see if she sees any familiar faces as the crowd passes by.

Merlin was in a similar state of bewilderment, except his was more focused on the strange...

Well he had no idea where he was and this... thing was moving and he couldn't see a way out.

On top of that he felt a huge gaping emptiness. One that threatened to consume him and it hadn't taken him long to work out why, his magic was gone... Completely gone... He couldn't feel it at all...

A hooded figure brushed past him, suspicious...

"Hello?" He reached out to touch their arm.

To her credit, Nepeta did not jump but she certainly did tense. She turned around to face whoever had called her. The voice was not one she recognized, but they sounded about as confused as she felt. If all the people here really were just as lost as she was, then maybe it would be good to group together.

She only glanced at him for a moment--only enough to catch a glimpse and hope he wouldn't get too curious about her too.

"Hello. Did you need something?" She wasn't entirely certain what to say, considering the circumstances.

Merlin didn't see much of her face at all but didn't pry. He was used to talking to hooded people. He shook his head, "I was..."

He grinned at her, since she didn't seem to be a threat at all and she seemed to be as lost as him. "I don't suppose you know where we are? Or what..." He gestured around them, "This thing is?"

She tried to figure out what exactly it was he was gesturing at. It seemed like he was...talking about the train? Surely he knew what that meant. Then again, who knew where on Gaia he came from and what his background was. Some people weren't as accustomed to the high technology that was commonplace in Midgar as she was.

"I can't say I know where we are but what we're in. It's a train." How exactly did you go and describe a train to someone who might not know what it is? "I guess you can say it's like a really big car that can only follow a set path."

She didn't know either, had they been kidnapped? Surely not, surely he would remember being kidnapped. And this wasn't like your standard kidnapping, he wasn't tied up, or in a prison. There were no rough looking men with clubs, and he couldn't sense any magic... Not even his own...

He listened to the description, "You've lost me, what's a car?"

"A car is like." Hmm. How to describe a car. "It's a form of transportation, just like this train. Think of something like a carriage that can move..." You know now that she thought about it, she wasn't exactly sure how cars or trains worked.

"Instead of something like a horse pulling it you fill it with a certain kind of fuel or energy. Then whenever you turn it on you can control when it moves and in what direction. Trains powered by coal but they can only move forward and are stuck on tracks that take them to specific destinations. It's not a very good explanation, I'm sorry. I don't really know the science behind it very well."

Okay a carriage... without horses... Some kind of energy, Merlin had no idea what coal was, but it was a carriage without horses that moved along tracks... Like carriage tracks?

"Amazing..." He looked around again, "Are you sure it's not..." He lowered his voice because you could never be sure who was listening. "Sorcery."

She had to admit it was a little funny how secretive he became. She wasn't sure why he felt the need to be quiet about it but hey. Everyone had their secrets and she would respect that, and in an equally quiet voice she replied.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were some that probably did use magic to power themselves, but no. I'm sure science is behind most of them. At least the ones back home were that way." Sorta.

"My name is Nepeta." she extended a glove hand to him. "Mind sticking together until we figure out what's going on here?"

Science... This didn't look like any science that Merlin had ever seen.... But Nepeta knew more than him it seemed so he nodded. He smiled and took her hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you Nepeta, I'm..." He frowned as a sudden headache started. "Well... erm..." He sounded a little scared, "I'm not sure but it is nice to meet you regardless and sticking together sounds great."

Nepeta's expression became concerned. He didn't know? Come to think of it her own memory was a little fuzzy but at least she knew her name.

"Can't remember? Have you hit your head at all? Or eaten or drank anything funny recently?" Who knows, could have been a gas or something. With how little both of them seem to know right now, she could only assume whatever third party had gotten them on this train was also connected to both of them forgetting things.

"I can't remember... anything. Last thing I knew I was at home and then I woke up here..." Why couldn't he remember his name, and why... why couldn't he feel his magic. The second was more worrying but it was also something he couldn't speak about. "Do you think we might have been poisoned..."

"I don't think it's something we can rule out, but until we know more about where we are and what's going on it's best not to make any assumptions either. My memory is kind of fuzzy too, to be honest, but hopefully it'll pass in time." Hopefully. Out of everything that was what made her weary the most. If you could even depend on your own mind then you were pretty screwed.

"I do know at least I was with some companions last thing I remember. Four of them--Jane, Jake, Roxy and Dirk, so if you find any people that go by those names they are trust worthy." She both hoped that they were and weren't here. This was the first time she had ever truly been alone and she didn't like it one bit, but neither did she wish for them to be in danger."

"I hope so too..." Hopefully it was just a side effect of whatever poison they had been given, if it was indeed a poison. "If I see them I will tell them you are here... I was with..." He paused, another name he couldn't remember, he frowned at the headache that was beginning to build. "I don't... my mentor... I was eating dinner with my mentor..."

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New Arrivals (All new characters)

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