Mission 1: Explorations

[lookouthalifax]

Characters: Montblanc, everyone else you know. if you want.
Format: Anything up to and including indecipherable grunts.
This log is: Wide open!
Location: Anywhere. Well, probably not any dorms but the Red one, but he's a busy guy! He'll at least glance at everything. Backdated to the first day.
Summary: Montblanc explores! The first thing you do when you're in unfamiliar territory is to learn what's what. Or what's where, actually. The point is, Montblanc has is going to be having a good time doing everything from figuring out how to use computers (NOT LIKELY TO WORK) to reaching the end of the sea wall.
Warnings: Kupokupo!

He had prepared an itinerary as soon as he saw a map of the grounds, and was following it determinedly. He explored the entrance area first, slipping unobtrusively--as unobtrusively as a moogle in a human world could--through the strange halls to see if he couldn't get a little more information about the game and, more importantly, how he could escape it. He couldn't recall why, but he was sure that his clan needed him... for some reason. It upset him that he couldn't remember what was happening, but it just meant that he had to get home even faster.

His next stops were the two school buildings and the recreation centre, where he had been shooed away from the library and the pool. Apparently unclaimed weapons weren't allowed to access them. That left the computer room. He gave it a shot with the same determination that had made him a Clan Leader. This was just a different kind of challenge that he could handle, right? Weren't moogles the most technological race in Ivalice? Of course they were. No problem!

He eventually managed to turn one on.

He was frustrated by both the main hall and the mysterious building nearby. While he could explore the first floor of the central building, the rest of it as well as its neighbour were blocked off. There had to be a way to access them, but when no options presented themselves, he was forced to move on.

The forest was his next adventure. He walked along the wall at first to keep from getting lost, but eventually he gathered the will to venture into the forest proper. It felt larger and lonlier than it actually was. Usually, the moogle would be travelling with at least a few others for protection in the monster-infested forests of Ivalice, but they were all back home. Hopefully safe. He lost himself in his thoughts as he wandered, only snapping out of it when he reached the edge of the forest near the ocean. He finally ventured out to the end of the sea wall. He sat for quite some time, deep in thought about the clan he had left behind.

Comments

[wasabisandwiches]

Cécile had much the same idea, in terms of exploration. She'd read the entire Exaclan manual first thing, of course, and had multiple chats to catch up with people she knew, but now was the time for some hands on learning. She hadn't learned how to build her first Knightmare Frame by sitting back, reading manuals and watching, had she? No, she'd gone right out and started dismantling one and wound up grounded for three weeks because of it, but she learned quite a lot about how it worked!

She rather hoped that this expedition would lack the same punishment at the end. This place already felt distinctly enough like punishment, with the rules and regulations that seemed geared towards de-humanizing some of the entrants...

It was a sobering thought. The people that ran this place, what regard for freedom did they have? What regard for a person's own will? It seemed like they didn't even consider Weapons fully human, particularly the unclaimed ones...

Sighing, Cécile continued on her trek through the forest. It wouldn't do any good to concentrate on those things now. Now was the time for information gathering.

Crunching the foliage underfoot, she made sure to stay where she could see the sun through the tops of the trees, not fancying getting lost, even with the map she'd committed to memory. She stopped when she reached the edge of the forest, feeling distinctly satisfied with herself.

[discarded]

Miwako was sitting in the courtyard reading through her Exaclan manual. It was all so confusing to her; what kind of school would come up with a game like this? And why?

When she heard someone wandering by, she looked up. And then blinked and looked again. What kind of animal was that?

[loyal_liar]

Lyra followed the little creature. It was cute, and she was curious not to mention rather bored. Besides, maybe he'd be willing to be her next weapon!

[lookouthalifax]

Montblanc was on his way back to his dorm when he spotted her leaving the forest not far from where he had emerged earlier. It looked like he wasn't the only person interested in finding their way around the campus! And odds were good that a person who thought like him was worth meeting, right? Of course she was. You would be hard pressed to find a person who Montblanc would call not worth meeting.

He approached her, holding up a hand in greeting. "Find anything interesting in there, kupo?"

[lookouthalifax]

Montblanc smiled when he caught her taking another look at him. He was already used to attracting stares here. It didn't bother him- it wasn't the first time he'd met someone who was awkward around unfamiliar species, that was sure.

She looked busy, but he hoped she wouldn't mind a short distraction. "Not many moogles where you're from, kupo?"

[discarded]

"Erm... n-no, there aren't," she replied incredulously. It could talk. No cat or rabbit she'd ever seen could speak Japanese. This was so bizarre. "I've never heard that word. Um, sorry."

[lookouthalifax]

Montblanc's long ears didn't take long to tell him that he had a stalker. He was more curious than he was worried. Who would possibly want to follow him here?

Well, there was no better way to find out than to ask, right? If things went badly, he was sure he could take care of himself. He spun to face his follower. "Kupokupo! What can I do for you?"

[loyal_liar]

Lyra just stared down at the little creature and tilted her head.

"Kupo?" She echoed.

[lookouthalifax]

"Kupo! It's nothing to be ashamed of," he reassured her. She probably came from one of those small towns that were mostly one race, or maybe from one of the cities with few of his kind. Either that or he this somewhere in the world where moogles never ventured.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Montblanc of Clan Nutsy, kupo." He nodded his head in a little half-bow, his pompom bobbing behind it.

[discarded]

"Um-- It's... nice to meet you." She bowed back; she was so awed by the creature that she just fell back into natural reactions. "I'm Miwako Ihara of, um, Tokyo."

[lookouthalifax]

"Kupo!" he replied with a nod, as though he was answering a question. It was like no one here had ever spoken to a moogle before!

Since she had neither bolted nor attacked when he turned to face her, he decided that she probably wasn't an immediate threat. Some people might consider it odd to worry that a young girl like this one was dangerous, but those people probably didn't live in worlds where anyone with the gift for it could perform magic.

[loyal_liar]

"What are you?" Lyra asked, kneeling down to get a better look at this funny little creature, pushing some hair out of her face.

[lookouthalifax]

"Of Tokyo, kupo? I've never even heard of it! No surprise there, though; I've never been outside of Ivalice before now. If I'd known there were places like this out there, kupo, I definitely would have explored the world a little more! There are so many amazing things here!" Like indoor plumbing, computers, electricity, and plastic. Everything from the doorknobs to the soap was different from how things were in Ivalice. It was awfully exciting for a member of the most mechanically-inclined race in the country.

"Kupo! Are things in Tokyo anything like they are here?

[lookouthalifax]

"I knew it! You've never spoken to a moogle before, have you, kupo? My name is Montblanc. I'm the head of Clan Nutsy." He bowed slightly, his pompom springing forward as he did.

[loyal_liar]

Clans? Well, the only clans Lyra knew of were clans of witches, but she supposed it might be something similar.

"I'm Lyra Silvertongue!" She told the Moogle, before looking at his pompom. It would be rude to try to touch it, she reminded herself.

[lookouthalifax]

"Kupopo! It's good to meet you, Lyra!" The pompom bobbed back behind his head when he straightened up, safely out of her reach... at least for now.

"Are you from Ivalice like me, or from somewhere else? I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only person here from my country, kupo!"

[discarded]

"Ah, sort of," she replied, wondering inwardly at the things he was saying. Ivalice? Kupo? "I mean... this school is very much like the school I went to, except for, um, the fighting, and the memory erasure, and us not being allowed to go home... The class structure is similar, though, I mean." It had made sense as she thought the words, but now that they were out of her mouth she worried that they were actually ridiculous.

[loyal_liar]

"Ivalice? I don't think that country exists in my world," Lyra said, tilting her head.

"Not that I've heard of, at least. You're new, like me, right?"

[lookouthalifax]

The mention of the school's downsides dampened his enthusiasm slightly. He wasn't even sure what he'd forgotten! Definitely something important about his clan, but what else?

"You must be a noble if you were tutored at a place like this! Kupopo, it's practically a palace! Living in a place like this would almost make the memory loss worthwhile, if only we could leave when we need to. I'm sure that my clan is in trouble without me, kupo." Oops, he sounded a little sad for a moment there. He's sure that everyone here must feel the same way, so he buries his feelings and smiles for her sake.

[lookouthalifax]

"That's right!" he nods and the pompom bounces again. "It's awfully exciting, isn't it, kupo?" Exciting, but also strange and very worrying. Despite his enthusiasm, he can't help but be very concerned by all that's happened.

[loyal_liar]

"Really odd though. And being a Player means I have to fight, or I'll lose tokens," Lyra said. Although apparently there was a way around that.

[lookouthalifax]

"Oh, kupo, of course! Your name was on the list." He hadn't realized that he was talking to a player until now. He frowned, suddenly concerned for her sake.

"How old are you, Lyra?"

[loyal_liar]

"Twelve," Lyra dearly hoped that she wouldn't have to put up with another person telling her she was too young. That hadn't mattered before. Why should it matter now?

[lookouthalifax]

He nodded. That was nearly old enough to be a part of a clan, even though she'd definitely be started out with easy jobs like picking herbs or driving weak monsters away. Fighting actual people was another thing entirely, even with the Judges preventing anyone from being killed.

"Have you ever fought in an engagement before?" he asked, looking her up and down with shrewd eyes. What job would he peg her as? Maybe an archer or a thief. She didn't feel like a white mage, but he wouldn't put black magic beyond her if they were back in Ivalice.

[loyal_liar]

"An engagement? I've had to fight before I came here, and I've fought one duel here- which I won," Lyra explained. At least he hadn't reacted as badly as some people had.