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

[brbdocumenting]

Anya was listening to the announcement but it didn't really show. Fighting terrorists to fighting in some game? It didn't make that much of a difference to Anya, she'd do what she's told, and that means finding a player or something. She could do that later though.

She wondered if any of her cats were here too. Or Mordred. How was she supposed to fight without Mordred again?

Instead of worrying about it like normal people would, she took out her phone and took a picture of the names on the screen and started looking around. The guy in the lab coat looked familiar.

[earlofpudding]

In his turn about while checking for projectors, he did manage to spot someone familiar. He would have known other familiar people were here as well, if he'd bothered to keep paying attention to the screen when it displayed those names, but, oh well! Lloyd could find out later. Right now he was looking at a pink-haired... a... what was she again?

A something of the Rounds. A Knightmare Frame pilot, in any case.

The scientist raised a hand up in the air and waved at her. "Anya~! What are you doing here?"

[brbdocumenting]

She shrugged at him, "Dunno". What was she doing here? What was he doing here?

[earlofpudding]

"As on top of the situation as always, I see," he teased her. Lloyd finally turned to give the screen with the names a curious glance. That had been left up there for awhile now.

A Players list? He skimmed it, blinked, went back to the top and skimmed it again. "C.C is here...?" His gaze shifted down a few more names. "Euphemia li Britannia?!" That wasn't possible. "Heh. Bit of a cruel joke there, eh, Anya?"

[trollofthree]

Well, that was his Player sorted for the immediate future. Feeling immensely pleased with himself, Gino looked around for Grenn or Mei, but managed to spot a couple of people who definitely hadn't been around before today.

Now if he could just remember her name... But he was sure she'd answer to a nickname if he came up with one. It was fine!

"Yo!" He almost ran over, beaming down at the pink-haired knight. "Just got here?"

[brbdocumenting]

"Yes" Anya answered Lloyd, she supposed it was cruel that Princess Euphemia was here and she wondered if there were any Japanese around, like Suzaku.

Then Gino came lumbering towards her. She looked up at him, he was still really tall, and answered "Yes" to him as well.

[earlofpudding]

Hey, another familiar face.

"She just won't stop talking today," the Earl joked. He looked back at the screen with the names. So there was C.C., supposedly Euphemia, Anya, and now Gino. "Say, Gino, what are all of you really doing here? They don't actually expect anyone to fight, do they?"

[trollofthree]

"That's what we've been doing." He rested a hand on Anya's head, companionably. He'd missed her, unsurprisingly. "Did you find the Knight of Seven yet? Haven't seen him yet, so he's probably still asleep..."