New Arrivals (All new characters)

[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.

Ah, 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. Mechanical, monotonous.

"Next stop: Rakuen City. This train terminates here. The next stop is Rakuen. All change." The train rocks steadily. Rain pounds on the train and runs down the window in rivulets. Despite the rain there is a ray of sunlight streaming through the window, heating the air and making the seats almost uncomfortably warm. A puff of steam from the train winds its way lazily past the windows when the wind is right.

It's strangely difficult to shake off the sleep; the rhythm of the train seems to lull you back into slumber and the air is warm and heavy, making it hard to keep hold of a thought. Finally, though, the nausea settles, the last of the dream fades and you can take in your surroundings. And, perhaps more importantly, those around you in a similar state.

"We have arrived at Rakuen City. All passengers must leave the train. This train is terminating here. This is Rakuen."

Comments

[overthroen]

[ Darkness.

Rose felt the sickening feeling she always felt when falling into a dream, or waking out of one. Disorientation, that moment when she couldn't remember the last thing she'd done to get here. The moment dragged on. What was the last thing she remembered? She kept her eyes closed for some time, thinking. The pounding of the rain, the soft cushion of her seat, and the sun on her face weren't helping; little of it gelled with the bits of SBurb she remembered, except for the Land of Light and Rain. And she was pretty sure the name "Rakuen" didn't factor into the game at all, or the half-remembered legend.

A dream, then. Maybe. She opened her eyes.

Nothing changed.

Closed them, opened again. Rubbed a couple times. The blackness remained, the sounds and feelings too. She felt each breath she took, reached for an arm and pinched it, felt the pain. This was no dream. She was firmly planted in some world that she could feel and hear. The only difference from reality was that she couldn't see it.

Her breathing got faster. ]

[maidenknight]

[ It's not hard to tell when someone was about to panic -- there was a certain feeling to it, one that Brienne was feeling herself right now. Being trapped on a metal carriage (cage, almost, as she had explored from back to front with no possible way of exit) when she was supposed to be dead was a little discomforting.

But this young woman looked like she needed help. And though Brienne was panicking by herself -- this isn't the seven hells, this was a carriage -- she knew she had to sit that aside to assist those who needed it. Letting this poor woman agonize over her fate was too much to sit by idly and watch. ]

Lady, are you alright?

[ Her voice is hoarse -- strangling does that to you, she thinks -- and she coughs slightly before continuing. ]

Have no fear. As far as I can tell, we are alive.

[overthroen]

[ Rose swivels her head quickly towards the source of the voice - or, at least, the vague direction of it. She almost gave herself whiplash doing so - trying to find something concrete to latch onto. That she wasn't alone comforted her momentarily, and then scared her all the more - this was definitely real. ]

Hello? [ She listens to the hoarse voice. Does she recognize this person? Is it anybody she knows? ] I'm not sure that reality is the most comforting state of affairs, at the moment. [ She's trying to keep herself calm, if there's someone here, but her hands are shaking violently. She forces them under her legs to try to stop them. ]

[maidenknight]

[ Brienne notices the shaking, but decides to ignore it. Of course the girl is terrified. Likely, she's been plucked from her homeworld and placed on this carriage just like Brienne. There would be no reason for a native to be suspicious of such activity, but a foreigner...

When she speaks again, her voice is gruff, but reassuring. ] It's better than being dead. Even the act of dying is unpleasant. [ A pause, and then she supposes that since the girl hasn't insulted her looks or her manner of dress just yet (nor mistaken her for a man), that she might as well introduce herself. After all, this might be retribution: Brienne might have been placed here to look for Sansa. If that was the case, she needed to continue. Jaime would be waiting for word. ]

My name is Brienne.

[overthroen]

That's what I've been told. [ Oh God. Has she died? Have they failed? She swallows. ] Brienne. I'm Rose.

[ She looks around, sightlessly, eyes finding no purchase. ] Where are we? Do you recognize anything?

[maidenknight]

[ A pretty name for a pretty girl, she thinks idly. In another time and place, she might look slightly like the girl she's actually searching for. But her hair isn't auburn, though they appear to be similar in age. And the only girl Brienne's ever met with short hair was...well, herself. ]

I don't, Lady Rose. The iron carriage is uncomfortable, but it's moving in one direction.

[overthroen]

[ Carriage, moving. Rain, falling. And Brienne, talking to her. Little details that allowed Rose to pull together an idea of where she was. It was a poor substitute for eyesight, but it worked.

She dropped her voice. ] Are there others here, as well? [ It was revealing, but she wanted to know. ]

[maidenknight]

Yes. I've met a... [ oh god how does she explain this ] A talking horse.

[overthroen]

[ She raises an eyebrow. ] I've heard of stranger things. Did it have stimulating didactic regarding nutritious hay choices?