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

relevant lost memories: that she isn't a natural blueblood

[heiropaque]

Aradia. [ He remembers her hazily from dream bubbles, but that would mean...

Wait. He remembers that she used to FLARP but still. He ignores her question and poses one of his own! ] Just what are you wearing.

and she doesn't remember they were romantically involved at all

[autofairy]

[She flutters her wings a little, scattering red sparkly dust behind her.] It's my God Tier outfit, like the one Vriska has. I guess you wouldn't know, but I ascended to God Tier after my soulbot exploded in the veil.

Do you... like it?

this is going to be a trainwreck

[heiropaque]

God Tier. [ FOLDS HIS ARMS. ] Is that some manner of roleplaying jargon. If so, I would appreciate you not discussing such vulgar pasttimes in my presence.

but will it be a beautiful trainwreck??

[autofairy]

[Frowning, for some reason she felt like she should expect a negative response, but shouldn't he at least know what God Tier is? Maybe he was still reliving a memory, or it was a different Equius from the one who made it to the Veil...]

Do you remember playing Sgrub? And making it to the Black King? [That would be a start!]

an e%quisite one

[heiropaque]

[ oh. Oh, he vaguely remembers now. The jumble of post-death memories isn't exactly helping matters.

It's really annoying. Infuriating, even. ]

Pardon? Of course I do.

[autofairy]

Okay! That's good. [Definitely the right dead Equius. Now she just had to find a way to break it to him gently.]

Do you have any idea where we might be...? [She doubted it, but if this wasn't his memory he might've run into who it belonged to.]

[heiropaque]

I haven't the slightest idea. [ he manages to get to his feet, and frowns down at the rip in his socks. And the blood everywhere. ]

... Oh dear.

[autofairy]

[She pauses, giving him a moment to remember. It might take some time for him to come to terms with his death, but she could be patient.]

What are the last things you can remember?

[heiropaque]

If you mean before I expired against the highblood... [ he trails off as that particular event fills his head with fuzzy grub sauce. But the important thing... ] Fiddlesticks. I commanded Nepeta to hide herself behind the gait.

[ hfff. ] I mean the grate.

[autofairy]

So you do remember now. Yes, that's right. You did die, but it's okay! Because that's just how everything was supposed to happen.

You're in a dreambubble now. It's like the afterlife, but even the living can come here under the right circumstances.

[heiropaque]

A dreambubble. Is that why there are so many humans. [ because he's been looking around as she explains. ]

[autofairy]

Maybe! I guess the human's new session must have a lot of players. [Of all different ages, too, which is kind of weird and she's pretty sure that's not how Scratches work. But why else would they be here...?]

[heiropaque]

Is it required that I speak with them to progress through the bubble? I would rather not.

[autofairy]

I don't think so, but we will probably run into them even if we don't talk to them. We might have run into them already!

[heiropaque]

[ wat. ]

You are different. [ ... ] By which I mean you are behooving in a manner different than before.

[autofairy]

I'm different? ... Oh! Well, that's because I'm alive now! I guess I was kind of depressing when I was a ghost and a robot. But that's all in the past now! [:)]

[heiropaque]

[ oh. 8( ]

I see. That is excellent news.

[autofairy]

[... did she upset him??]

Umm, I mean it was more the ghost part than the robot part that was the problem. The robot part actually helped a lot! So thanks again for what you did for me, I really appreciate all the trouble you went to to make it.

[heiropaque]

[ he just

has a lot of feelings about you okay. And most of them are mushed up in a memory loss sauce. ]

Oh. You're welcome.

[autofairy]

Yeah! It was actually really sweet of you-- and what you did for Tavros, too.

[Since CLEARLY they don't even know each other that well, and there's no reason for him to want to help her ever. This is totally platonic pity we're dealing with, yup. Equius is just that nice.]