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. Fog envelopes the windows, obstructing your view and reminding you of an unsettling dream simultaneously. The air is humid inside the carriages, a vent beside your feet heating the air and making the seats almost uncomfortably warm. A puff of steam from the train winds its way lazily past the windows, a slightly different shade and consistency as the grey fog.

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. The train judders to a stop, the shape of buildings and people only now barely visible as shadows beyond the windows.

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

Comments

[fussyfanged]

[ She looks down at him. A... cluckbeast? She's not sure she's even seen a creature that looks quite like that before. Certainly not one capable of communicating via written word. ]

I... ...don't know.

[ She should know, this should be obvious, but her mind is blank. She gives a small sheepish smile.]

If I may ask, how are you able to read and write?

[mutesician]

[He doesn't push. He doesn't know why he's mute either, so it must be something like that! At her second question, he writes quickly.]

Mrs. Hammerbotham taught me.

[After a pause]

Do you know why you have horns?

[His slate is getting crowded.]

[fussyfanged]

You are very talented for someone of your stature.

[ His penmanship is better than some trolls she knows. ]

Yes. I'm a troll.

[ Still not sure why she can't remember the other thing, then. ]

[mutesician]

Thank you.

[He tries to remember if he's heard anything about trolls. Oh right, summer camp horror stories.]

I thought trolls lived under bridges. And were really large and ugly and ate people.

[A pause. Oh wait. He scribbles a bit more.]

But you don't seem like that!

[fussyfanged]

You're welcome.

[ She laughs quietly. He is such a sweet little thing. ]

I'm glad that you don't perceive me as such. [ She doesn't fit any of those charges, but there are probably trolls who would. Hopefully, he will never have to meet any of them. ]

Where do you come from, out of curiosity?

[mutesician]

[Aw, she's so nice! It seems that all the people here are like that.]

Canada. [It's short, because admittedly he doesn't quite know the location of the lake where he lives. Also, he wouldn't quite like to divulge specific information about that.]

[fussyfanged]

Canada. [ Not ringing any bells. ]

I see. I haven't heard of a place called Canada before.

[mutesician]

[Well, the world is pretty big. And since the stories he's heard about trolls are so off-base, they most likely don't live anywhere in North America.]

Where are you from? [Getting an education is always nice!]

[fussyfanged]

I'm from a planet called Alternia.

[mutesician]

[Another planet? Wow. Stories about aliens weren't that popular at camp, but the few they did hear didn't describe aliens as looking like that either. He's just going to be stunned for a while. He's meeting a troll and an alien at the same time! His campmates would be so jealous.]

[Then he writes a bit more.]

I see. Canada's on Earth. What's Alternia like?

[fussyfanged]

[ She smiled. ] I know a few humans from Earth, but that's the extent of my knowledge. I wasn't aware of the distinctions of what I take are geopolitical subdivisions. [ She looks at him for confirmation on this.]

Or, as I mentioned before, the sentient fauna.

I'm afraid Alternia is not as pleasant nor as peaceful as Earth seems to be.

[mutesician]

[Geo...political...he thinks he gets it. She talks quite fancily.]

Call them countries.

[And as for the sentient fauna thing...]

Most people on Earth don't know either. They don't speak our language.

[fussyfanged]

Countries, then. [ It sounded like something a highblood would say. ]

You seem to speak this language quite well. Is speaking your own very hard? [ Other orthographies is a thing on Alternia, but other languages isn't really. ]

[mutesician]

[Aye, there's the rub.]

I'm mute. It's why I learned this.