rakuen | Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

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. ♥ ]

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It takes her a bit to decide, but he seems reasonable enough, so why not? Grenn shrugs and gives a lop-sided half-smile.

"If you want to try mine, I won't mind." Better him than if it'd had been Tougyu, probably. It's not as if she can't talk to Yuki anyway.

Ed blinks, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden offer. "Your- We've only just met."

Then he takes on a slightly more wary, almost suspicious look. In his experience, people didn't just offer things like this for nothing. "...What's the catch?"

Grenn has to scratch the back of her head and blink at the blond for a bit. While she can understand the suspicion, she's not sure at all how to ressure him. In the end, she just shrugs.

"... The catch? That people who don't know each other have to work together, I guess? I... think that's catch enough... Considering we have to attempt to trust each other?"

Ed raises an eyebrow at her. Well... It's at least true that this girl doesn't know him well enough to want something specific from him. It's also true that she's been pretty damn helpful, and only because he's new and aside from what the girl in the video said, he doesn't know shit about how this place works. So Ed sighs and nods.

"Guess so. We should start with names, then." He extends a hand for a handshake. "I'm Edward Elric."

She almost takes that hand, then pauses. Shakes her head and then takes his hand and shakes it.

"Grenn Atair. Sorry... um, for hesitating, but there's a penalty for non-vowed Weapons to touch Players, but I remembered it's not in effect today," Grenn said with a grimace and shrugegd apologetically.

Ed looks confused for a moment, but then that gives way to looking annoyed. "Damn, this place has rules for absolutely everything, doesn't it?"

"They do... Yes." Grenn said with a sigh and shook her head. "Anyway, don't touch anyone if you don't know they're a Player, or your own Weapon."

"Right." Ed nods, attempting to cement that in his mind. "Thanks for the heads up."

He then sighs, glancing around. "So how exactly does this weapon thing work, again?"

Grenn grimaced and spread her hands, palms up.

"The original 'vow' is that you promise to protect and... 'own' them. You don't have to say it like that, though. I think... the protection bit is most important?" She really, really can't stand the 'own' part.

"Then before a battle, you can draw the weapons."

His lips twitch into a frown. "That's one hell of a weird vow," he mutters.

He then draws in a deep breath, mind working furiously to accept all of this. It's insane, all of it is, but what choice does he have, really?

"And we're all players and weapons at some point, right? So we all end up... 'belonging' to someone else?"

"Temporarily, yeah." Grenn nods and then she shrugs. "I was a player the... uh... the first round. They called it round -2." She has to pause there, supressing the shiver as she's reminded of what that led up to.

"But yes, they switch Players around each round, and if you lose a battle, you lose the Weapon you used. If you win a battle, you gain the opponent's Weapon."

Ed makes a face. He's really not very fond of the idea that ownership of a person was so easily transferable.

"And this just goes on back and forth with no end in sight?"

Another tired rub of hands over her face. She's only been here a few weeks and she's already tired of this.

"Yes... As far as we've seen." She's not sure she can tell him of 'round zero'. Obviously, all the new ones deserve a warning, at the least, but thinking of attempting to tell him, someone who wasn't there, makes her throat close up. Too soon.

"Great." Ed lets out another frustrated sigh. He has no choice. He has to play along, or at least pretend to for now. He draws in a breath, straightening to his full height as he mentally prepares himself.

"So. If I... make you my weapon. All I have to do right now is promise to protect you, and that's it?"

Grenn nodded and straightened a bit in her seat, herself.

"That's all," she paused and rubbed a chin thoughtfully. "If this was funnier, I'd say 'it's not harder than that', but this isn't really amusing..."

The joke is lost on Ed as he just raises an eyebrow in response. "No, it's not..."

Then he clears his throat. "Just so we're clear. You're really okay with this... weapon thing. Right?"

Looking up at Ed, Grenn shrugs.

"You seem okay, Edward, so, yes. It's this, get someone else, or get some 'privileges' revoked, and while I don't really care about those..." An annoyed sigh is expelled as Grenn pushes the hair that's fallen in her face away.

"I think it's just as well to get used to this. So yes, I'm fine with it." She adds a nod at the end, hoping that'll be enough of an emphasis.

Ed still looks a little uncertain, but he nods back. "As long as you're sure."

Then he takes a deep breath, turning to face her fully. "In that case... I promise to protect you."

Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

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