Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

[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.

- 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.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its waking passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere deeply tired. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

The tram pulls to a stop outside the academy station, and the students onboard are ushered off and directed to the front lobby of the school. They can't miss it; there are signs up pointing toward the main entrance, reading "New student orientation" in big, bright letters. If anyone should care to move off the path, try exploring somewhere else, a teacher will conveniently appear to shoo them back toward the lobby, assuring them that "all your questions will be answered inside".

The lobby is big and spacious, looking more like a university or perhaps a fancy international hotel than a high school. Stood around are any number of students in the uniform of the school. Some of them even look awake. There are several receptionists at the desk towards the back of the lobby, but for now they seem busy with paperwork.


[ Note: the round announcement will go up in a thread once you've all mingled. ♥ ]

Comments

[themerryway]

"Of course," she says. "For my own sake, and for that of my Weapon... um." She doesn't know what happened to Kotarou. She hadn't paid attention to that battle-- she'd been busy with something else. "Do you want to maybe be my weapon, Suzaku?"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, he did want to be her weapon because it was the only way he could think of to protect her. "If you think I can be useful..." He sounded unsure, he had done so badly in the last round at protecting those around him. Then in his dream, in his dream everyone had died and he had not been able to do anything. What if he failed at protecting Euphemia again? What if she was hurt because of him?

[themerryway]

She senses his twisting stomach and reaches out, gently touching his arm to take his hand. She squeezes it gently, smiling. "You would be," she says. "I already have... umm, 2 weapons, you'll be my third. With Lelouch and Nunnally, I've already won."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku smiled, five weapons won the round and that meant that Euphie wouldn't have to fight at all. That meant she would be safe. "That's good," he smiled again feeling a little better. "Who are your other weapons."

[idkmybffxiao]

"It does!" But more importantly... "Edward! I can be your Weapon! It'll be great! I know how the game works already and everything!"

[cheesetwo]

"Then, why don't you win their game and make them come out?" the witch replied, bored of this conversation already. "There's no point in just complaining about it."

[lolisandminorities]

"Is such a thing possible in a prison?" Xingke wondered aloud as he shifted, glancing back at the screens with an unreadable expression. Yet even as he did this, his gaze never fully left Euphemia, as if he were scared to take his eyes off her. Truth be told, he was the tiniest bit spooked by this circumstance.

After all, the dead had no right to remain in the realm of the living.

[formerly_known_as_prince]

"Yeah. I think i'll do that! I did it once before, it can't be that much harder. Thanks. I'm Utena, by the way." She replied enthusiastically, practically chomping at the bit to go. She hadn't yet realized the obvious: she'd have to find a way out of hurting any Weapons in the game.

[aureus_veritas]

The sudden exclamation made Ed flinch slightly. Why the hell was she so excited about that?

"I... Someone actually already agreed to be my weapon. So you really don't have to..."

[idkmybffxiao]

Because he was here! Why wouldn't she be excited? Just because he was a short, surly, loudmouthed-- why was she so excited to see him again? Hrm. At least his wariness made her reel in the joy some.

"O-oh. Um. But Players can have more than one."

[aureus_veritas]

"Oh. Well."

He shifted his weight onto his prosthetic leg. He had no real reason to refuse. At least in this case he actually knew Mei. Not extremely well, but she was at least a familiar face. So he shrugged, making a face and scratching at the back of his head.

"I... guess. If you want."

Even as he said it, he had the distinct feeling that he was going to regret this.

[earlofpudding]

Months, actually!

"I've managed to keep my head off the chopping block so far." Thanks most in part to switching sides at the last possible second. That had all panned out rather well! "I did! I wish I knew why. I'm hardly a good choice for something like this."

[idkmybffxiao]

There was always a distinct possibility for regret. Mei, at least, managed to get back onto a more serious track. She gave him a nod. "We're still on the same side, right? So of course I want to be! And if we're going to be looking for arrays, it's just easier to be partners anyway."

Or else there could be impending warning penalty fail. That would suck.

[wasabisandwiches]

Had Lloyd forgotten his own name? Cécile looked at the man worriedly, nodding along with Suzaku. "Have you hit your head?" she queried, looking at him with concern. If he was hurt, that was distinctly less than good. Cécile herself was always very careful to avoid ever giving Lloyd any injury that might result in brain damage. Infuriating and mildly sociopathic as he could be sometimes, he was terribly brilliant, and it would be a shame to change that.

Reaching up, she patted his arm carefully, letting her hand rest on top of his wrist. "You haven't gotten sick, have you?" she continued. "You've been remembering to eat and sleep and haven't spent all your time on the technology in this place?"

[aureus_veritas]

Ed's lips quirked to one side thoughtfully. She had a point. Even if their alchemy and alkahestry didn't work here, he could end up needing her knowledge of it to help figure their situation out. So he nodded again.

"Right. So in that case..." He took a deep breath, facing her fully as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He was going to regret this. But at least she'd stopped grinning at him like a lunatic. For now.

"I promise to protect you, Mei."

[earlofpudding]

"Is it?" Lloyd looked between the two of them. "That can't be right. It's..." His name was... no, nope. He was drawing a blank. "No, my head is fine," he grumbled and moved his arm off of Cécile's shoulders, shaking the hand off his wrist in doing so.

The Earl fell silent for what would seem for a long moment, a few minutes at most, as he tried to puzzle out what his own name was. That was ridiculous. How could he have forgotten such a thing? On the search for that answer, he found one or two other uncomfortably blank spots in his memory. He used to have a title. What had that been?

"I just go here, so no," he finally spoke up again. He would get around to neglecting food and sleep soon enough. It was inevitable and all three of them knew it. But for the missing name... "I can't think of it! How strange!"

[idkmybffxiao]

Mei restrained the urge to give a joyous leap and latch onto him again. For whatever reason, the alchemist was kind of jumpy! Hm. Wonder why. Instead, Mei agreed to the Player-Weapon contract with a simple, "Okay!"

With that cleared up, she moved back to the business of arrays.

"When do you want to check out the clocktower?"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku shook his head, "It's this place, they have stolen memories from everyone," his tone expressed what he thought of that. As if being kidnapped and brought to a strange world wasn't bad enough.

"We have to fight to earn tokens to buy charms to regain our memories. That's what this," he waved a hand at the screen looking vagualy annoyed, "game is."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, not completely sure what Lloyd was talking about; but that was hardly anything new.

"It seems to be random, they have kidnapped people from all over but there are a lot from Britannia and Japan."

He didn't mention the other world thing yet, mainly because he didn't understand it.

[earlofpudding]

While Lloyd can only assume Suzaku knew exactly what he meant. Oh, timelines.

"Are there? Then it can't be that random, if they're primarily picking from those two nations..."

[swordofzero]

"Well..." Suzaku frowned, "Some people aren't from the Japan that we know. Most have never heard of Britannia and theres a few people from countries that I've never heard of."

[earlofpudding]

"Different Japans?" Different Japans, worlds without Britannia, people from strange countries. Lloyd looked intrigued rather than surprised or doubtful. "Alternate dimensions! How interesting!"

[swordofzero]

"Erm... I guess so..." Suzaku should have known that Lloyd would probably understand it and find it fascinating. "You've heard of these other worlds before?" He asked the question cautiously, which was the only way to ask questions of Lloyd because if you wern't careful you recieved a long lecture full of words and ideas you had no idea about.

[earlofpudding]

"Not any specific ones, but there have always been theories about alternate dimensions!" Of course Lloyd would know. Every nerd thinks about stuff like that at some point in time. "Not that those ever had any real value to them, but now look at where we are!"

[dancingflames]

"Well, um," Mai started, then holds a hand up to her nose's level. "She's about this tall, has short black hair with braids, yellow eyes, and sometimes runs around on all four like a cat."