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

[monkeystail]

Rocking on her heels, Huashi nodded.

"Yeah. You don't have to do anything, then, if you don't want to! But if you don't have a Player, there's... uh... places you don't get to go, and some stuff, I think, you don't get to eat..." Huashi scratched her scalp, not much help here, because she'd never been bothered with that.

And while she needed more than Kotarou (maybe she could count on Ichi, but she wasn't sure), she wasn't going to demand anything.

[discarded]

"Places?" And things she didn't get to eat? That didn't seem too bad... she could handle that... but the Players might need Weapons if they wanted to fight. After all, that video had said something about needing to fight to get their memories back...

...not that she could think of what she'd forgotten at the moment. "Um... do you know the people who're Players?"

[monkeystail]

Huashi shook her head. No, she couldn't say she actually knew any of the others who were Players. Several of the names she recognized, because they'd been around with her in the school before this new crowd came, but that was it.

"No... I'm one of the Players this round though," Huashi grimaced; she didn't like this and she didn't want to be here, but what to do, anyway? Fighting wasn't supposed to be a game! You trained to use weapons, and you used weapons to defend yourself. That was all!

[discarded]

"Oh! I, I see." Well, she didn't know the other girl, but... "Do you, um, do you need any Weapons? I guess I could..."

She didn't really want to participate in this, but she couldn't very well get away... she could be a Weapon at least until she could get in touch with someone from home.

[monkeystail]

"If you want to!" Huashi admittedly felt relieved; losing wasn't in her plans, but if she did so, she'd at least have something to lose. It may be wrong, because she recognized this was potentially using this girl, who seemed really nice, but Huashi did not trust anyone here (except Suzaku and Ichi, but neither were Players) to not do something that would land Kotarou unconcious again.

So she took a step forward and picked the girls hands up in both her own, suddenly looking rather serious and concentrated.
"I promise to protect you and keep you from harm, to the best of my ability." That was a good one, Huashi thought with a decisive nod.

[discarded]

Miwako couldn't help flinching when the other girl took her hands. The vow was a nice touch, but she had to wonder... was she getting herself in over her head?

"Tha... thank you," she said. "Oh, um--! My name is Miwako. S-sorry, I should've said so earlier..."

[monkeystail]

Ooops. She'd been rude again, hadn't she? Forgetting to introduce herself! Huashi noticed the flinch and quickly, gently, squeezed the hands before letting go and stepping back. She hoped she hadn't felt too uncomfortable.

"I'm Huashi! Don't worry about it! Xuanzang always complains I've got the manners of the ape who raised me!" Huashi rolled her eyes, because, hah, didn't Xuanzang recognize a monkey when he saw one? They weren't apes!

[discarded]

The ape...? Just what exactly was this girl...? Miwako blinked in confusion, but nodded along anyway. Maybe it would make sense later.

"Ah--! You're not rude. I didn't mean to imply that," she said.

[monkeystail]

"Aww, no, you didn't! I think... I dunno. I don't have a good grip on what's good manners or not!" She felt no shame in admitting this, especially as she knew it would aggrieve the absent Xuanzang to have her say this so easily.

"Uhm... I don't actually know what stuff you'd need my permission to do, but tell me when you find out and I'll fix that!"