Meet and Greet [intro #1]

[utopiamods]

As you all crowd onto the platform with your bizarre mix of faces, expressions, clothing and wild theories, you are met by two girls. Both are in uniforms that would match if not for the colour differences - skirt, waistcoat, and a light summer shirt that seems totally inappropriate for the thin layer of snow coating the station platform. Both have a beret with a crest - one's shows a sword, the other's a shield.

At the first lull in the chatter, the taller girl, her uniform red and white, speaks out over the crowd.

"Hey, losers!"

She explains, in short, irritated sentences, that they're prefects, representing the two schools in Rakuen. Santana, Conquest, she says, gesturing to herself with a smile that would be smug if she didn't look so annoyed to be out here. Nanami here is Fortitude, she adds, pointing to the pale girl half-leaning on her other arm. The girl nods.

"We're here to get you sorted and back to campus. If you wanna ask stupid questions, do it on the way. It's freezing out here."

The girl introduced as Nanami interrupts. "When we say your name, please move quickly and quietly to us."

"Yeah, then we can go back to the dorms."

They separate, moving to stand several metres apart, and both pull a list from their waistcoat pocket. Alternating, they start to read out your names.

Comments

[duchy]

[Lithuania decides, immediately, he'd rather be a player.]

Do you have to be one or the other? Is that what we're going to school to learn?

[straightupzorra]

You're one or the other, you'll be told which one you are later and it'll change every week or whatever. You'll be a Weapon a lot more than a Player. Well, you will be. [meet your prefect, perma-Player]

Schools here are dumb, but you get paid to go. Anyone old enough is a teacher so all these dumbasses [she points to the Conquest group] will teach you whatever they're good at.

[duchy]

You get paid to go to school?

[Isn't it usually the other way around, you pay someone to teach... Well, that's not a bad thing.]

How do the battles work?

[straightupzorra]

A Rak a day for every day you get lessons. I suggest going, that's how you get these. [she holds up her wrist, on it is a bracelet full of charms] Upgrades for your weapon.

Gotta be more specific than that.

[duchy]

It'd be easier if I could see one...

[Considering.]

What do upgrades do?

[straightupzorra]

[another mysterious smile] You'll see one soon enough.

Upgrades make your weapon stronger and battles easier to win.

[duchy]

Is it just like a real fight? Are we killing our opponents or is it just sparring?

[straightupzorra]

...How old are you again?

[duchy]

...I can't remember.

[Lithuania looks rather concerned about this, actually.]

[straightupzorra]

[Santana rubs her eyes]

Congratulations, you have found one of your forgotten memories.

[duchy]

Forgotten memories?

[straightupzorra]

There are ten of them. Some are big things and some are little things. You can buy them back.

[duchy]

...That doesn't make sense.

[Though not much of this does. Lithuania isn't entirely unconvinced he's dreaming.]

How do we earn enough to buy them back? Going to school?

[straightupzorra]

You get Raks for battling, for winning the battles, for going to class, and sometimes there are events or competition.

[duchy]

[Alright, he can remember that.]

How many to get a memory back?

[straightupzorra]

40 Raks for a memory charm, but if you make nice with Recette she'll give you a discount.

[duchy]

Alright.

[He frowns, looking very serious for an eight-year-old.]

How many raks for winning a fight?

[straightupzorra]

Three for winning a round and five for vowing or winning a Weapon.

[duchy]

[Winning a weapon is easy enough to understand in context. Winning a round is self-explanatory. But...]

Vowing?

[straightupzorra]

In order to collect weapons you need to vow to protect them. It's pretty lame.

[duchy]

[Oh, she must mean the people the weapons come out of. It's a strange concept to wrap his mind around. He's still not sure how it's done. It's on a list, along with trains and Latvia being way too old.]

If you don't take care of your weapon, you'll get killed by someone who did.

[Someone told him that--one of his Dukes... But his name...

Must be something else he forgot.]

[straightupzorra]

You don't need to be nice to your Weapons in order to win. Weapons have almost no rights here, and Discards have even less.

[duchy]

You mean the people the weapons come out of?

[He frowns at that, thinking it over and waiting for more information.]

[straightupzorra]

Right, the people the weapons come out of have no rights. It's all part of the game.

[duchy]

[Lithuania's quiet, considering.]

I think it would be better to treat them respectfully, if you have to use them as weapons. I wouldn't turn my back on someone who hated me in a fight.

[...Eight? 8D?]